There’s Nothing Meek About This Playoff Run

It’s taken him a while, but Esperanza Coach Gary Meek has finally dispelled any notion that he can’t lead a team deep into the Southern Section Division I playoffs.

Meek’s fourth-seeded Aztecs (11-1) will make their first appearance in a semifinal in eight years Saturday when they play top-seeded Long Beach Poly (12-0) at Long Beach Veterans Stadium.

Esperanza won two titles under Meek in lower divisions--Division II in 1992 and Division III in ‘90--before switching to Division I in 1993 when it joined the Sunset League.

But Meek had only one Division I playoff victory coming into this season, against Mission Viejo in a 1997 first-round game. With playoff wins over Lakewood and Fontana Miller, Meek’s record is 3-6.

“Your draw and your luck have a lot to do with how well you do in the playoffs,” Meek said. “We drew Redlands a couple of years and Trabuco Hills when it had one of its great teams. We didn’t play very well in those games.”

Meek also said his team suffered letdowns after winning Sunset League titles in 1995, ’96 and ’97. The Aztecs nearly suffered another one in a 17-10 victory over Lakewood this season in the first round, but put everything together last week in a 30-10 romp over Miller.

Meek said his team should be prepared for the Jackrabbits.

“Right now, our kids feel pretty confident,” he said. “Long Beach Poly is obviously a great team and a great program year in and year out. You face it as a challenge and you hope you can go in and play one of your best games of the year.”

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The site for Saturday night’s Division IX game between La Habra and Covina has been moved to Walnut High, La Habra Athletic Director Frank McCarroll said.

The game was originally to be played at Covina District Stadium, which is Covina’s home field, but had to be moved because of a conflict with the city’s annual Christmas parade.

“It works out to our betterment,” McCarroll said. “It takes away some of their home-field advantage.”

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

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If you subscribe to the theory of truth in seedings, then third-seeded Orange Lutheran should be a slight underdog tonight when it faces second-seeded Los Angeles Cathedral in a Division XI semifinal at Downey St. Matthias High.

Lancer Coach Jim Kunau and Phantom Coach Kevin Pearson agree that Cathedral has a slight edge in personnel, but Pearson said his Phantoms (11-0) shouldn’t be the favorite because Lutheran (10-2) has played the tougher schedule.

“They played Newport Harbor and Irvine,” said Pearson, whose team has played one of the weaker schedules in the division. “They’re going to give us a test. I think they’re a little bit further along than we are.”

The Lancers narrowly missed upsetting the Sailors in a season-opening 14-7 loss, then played what Kunau said was a terrible game in a 55-14 loss to the Vaqueros. Still, Kunau said those games enabled his players to gain “the confidence of knowing they can play with just about anybody.”

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Upland’s football team has been waiting all season for its matchup against Diamond Bar in a Division II semifinal tonight at Cal State Fullerton.

Diamond Bar defeated Upland, 17-14, in the division championship game last season with an assist from a fifth-down play during the game-winning drive in the fourth “Yes, it is Diamond Bar and yes, there is that history,” Upland Coach Tim Salter said. “That sour taste is still there. I guess it’s put-up or shut-up time now.”

Staff writer Dan Arritt and correspondent Lance Pugmire contributed to this story.