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10 reasons why the South Coast League should stay in the Pac-5
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From geography to bad luck, the CIF-SS ruling made sense.
The CIF-Southern Section on Tuesday rejected the South Coast League’s appeal to move out of the Pac-5 Division. Here are 10 reasons why that was the right decision.
1. Geography
Which league would replace the South Coast League in the Pac-5 Division? There is not another league in the Southern Section with the size and talent to compete there. Well, there is the new Inland Empire League, which brings us to …
2. At-large bid
The six-team South Coast League receives three automatic playoff bids, which allows the Pac-5 to award an at-large bid. The eight-team Inland Empire League would require four guaranteed spots, eliminating the at-large bid, a vital component to the Pac-5 Division given how talented and deserving the fourth-place team has been from the Trinity League the past two years. In 2007, the third-place team in the Serra League (Loyola) and the fourth-place team in the Sunset League (Los Alamitos) also could have justifiably been given that at-large bid.
3. Close calls
The South Coast League is 1-6 in the playoffs the past two years, but it could have easily been 3-4.
In 2006, Mission Viejo lost in the second round to Santa Margarita, 25-24, after the Eagles converted a two-point conversion in the final minute.
In 2007, Servite trailed in the fourth quarter of a first-round game to San Clemente before outlasting the Tritons, 54-43.
4. Unfortunate drawings
Few dispute that the Trinity League is the toughest in the Pac-5 Division, if not all of California. Now consider that the South Coast League has had to play the Trinity League in five of its seven playoff games the past two years.
In 2007, all three South Coast representatives faced the Trinity League, including league-champion Tesoro, which faced a Mater Dei team that won a share of the Trinity League but because of a coin flip was the league’s third seed.
In 2006, San Clemente lost to eventual division and state champion Orange Lutheran, while Dana Hills lost to No. 1 seed Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks. No shame there.
5. The Sunset League
The one time the South Coast League played the Sunset League in the playoffs, Mission Viejo beat Los Alamitos, 44-7. Edison is the only county team to have beaten a Trinity League team in the playoffs in the past two years, so it is not like the Sunset League has separated itself from the South Coast League.
>>> Click here for reasons 6-10
Contact the writer: amaya@ocregister.com
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