Local teams ready for deep Central Coast Section runs
The Central Coast Section announced its five eight-team football playoff brackets Sunday, the second season in which it used an equity-based points system that ranked the qualifying teams from 1 through 40.
The top eight teams were placed in Division I, the next eight in Division II, and on down the line.
St. Francis was the No. 1 overall seed, Andrew Hill was the 40th.
Here is what we learned:
Does the system work?
It’s complex and can get messy as the section calculates the point system it has used for years with even more points based on games against teams ranked within the top 150 in the state by the calpreps. com computer. But the section’s mission is to provide the best possible matchups for each round. Not horrifically one-sided games that have no business being played. In that regard, the CCS gets it right. All eight teams in the Division I bracket are ranked among the top 100 in the state by calpreps.com. Aptos, the eighth seed, is the lowest at 97, St. Francis, the
No 1 seed, the highest at 11. The section doesn’t seed entirely by calpreps’ computer ratings. Los Gatos, which had a 50 calpreps rating on Sunday afternoon, is seeded sixth. Three teams with worse ratings (Bellarmine, Salinas, and Menlo-atherton) drew better seedings than undefeated Los Gatos. Given that the winner in each division qualifies for a state game, the obvious drawback to the CCS format is some teams have better luck than others. The eighth seeds in Divisions I, II, III and IV would have a much better chance to advance if they had fewer points and been seeded one spot lower. Had that happened, they’d be No. 1 seeds in Divisions II, III, IV, and V.
Top first-round matchups
Any of the games in Division I are worth the price of admission. Let’s start with No. 3 Bellarmine against No. 6 Los Gatos, a matchup that was moved Monday to Los Gatos. Bellarmine has returned to prominence under second-year coach Jalal Beauchman, whose team went 7-3 this fall and has notable victories over Menlo-atherton, Central Catholic-modesto and Valley Christian. Los Gatos, under longtime coach Mark Krail, dominated its league and non-league competition. The Wildcats’ closest call was a 21-point win over Liberty-brentwood. … Menlo-atherton, which in some mock playoff drafts was seeded fourth, instead drew a No. 5 seed. So rather than playing at home, M-A will hit the road for a trip to undefeated Salinas, the fourth seed. Both teams are battle-tested and have had playoff success through the years. … WCAL rivals Valley Christian and Serra will meet on Saturday in San Mateo, a rematch of their regular-season game in which Serra dominated the first half and Valley the second. Serra won 28-21. … Wilcox, which was seeded third in Division II, will play host to a Santa Cruz team that outscored its opponents 382-60 during a 9-0 regular season. … Half Moon Bay, which in 2019 drew the unlucky eighth seed in Division I and a date at top-seeded Serra, landed in the Division II bracket Sunday. The Cougars will travel Saturday to play undefeated Menlo School and its record-setting quarterback Sergio Beltran.
Top possible laterround matchups
Serra coach Patrick Walsh thought Saturday night that his team might be seeded in the middle of the Division I bracket instead of near the top. The system got it right. The Padres were seeded No. 2, which puts them in a position to potentially have a rematch against St. Francis for a CCS championship and spot in a state game. St. Francis beat Serra 44-21 on Saturday, the Padres’ first loss since falling to Corona del Mar in a state championship
This week’s
CCS playoff games
Division I
No. 3 Bellarmine (7-3) at No. 6 Los Gatos (10-0), today, 7 p.m.
No. 7 Valley Christian (6-4) at No. 2 Serra (8-1), Saturday, 1 p.m.
Division III
No. 6 Leigh (9-1) vs. No. 3 Sacred Heart Cathedral (37) at Kezar Stadium, Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 7 Mountain View (5-5) at No. 2 Live Oak (7-2), Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 8 Scotts Valley (9-1) at No. 1 Leland (8-2), Friday, 7 p.m.
Division IV
No. 7 Lincoln-san Jose (63) at No. 2 Hillsdale (8-2), Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 5 Pioneer (8-2) at No. 4 Santa Teresa (6-4), Friday, 7 p.m.
game in December 2019. … If Wilcox clears the Santa Cruz hurdle, it could set up a semifinal game on the road against No. 2 Palma and then possibly a Wilcox-san Benito rematch in the final. San Benito beat Wilcox 22-18 in early September.
Who’s hot
There are five teams among the 40 with undefeated records. Of those, the best resume belongs to St. Francis, which not only went perfect through the West Catholic Athletic League and beat Serra on the road but also had a historic victory over De La Salle in September.
Best story: Lincoln Lions
For the first time in the history of the CCS playoffs, Lincoln-san Jose is in the mix. The Lions were seeded seventh in Division IV and will travel to secondseeded Hillsdale on Friday night. Lincoln has cracked the playoff code in previous seasons but was ineligible to participate because of its commitment to the Big Bone Game on Thanksgiving against San Jose. This season, the Big Bone was moved to Labor Day weekend, in part to create playoff opportunities for San Jose’s two oldest public high schools. Longtime Lincoln coach Kevin Collins said Sunday that he has sometimes wondered how his better teams would have done in the playoffs. Now, he no longer has to wonder. Plus, the section’s equity-based format gives many teams a fighting chance. “With the new format, everybody’s playing in the same sandbox,” Collins said. “The format’s nice. We’re excited. It’s great. Our kids are excited. Our school is excited. The alumni are excited.”