Oak Grove led by interim coach
SAN JOSE >> Marcus Reese, who starred for Oak Grove High in the late 1990s before moving on to UCLA, officially has been named interim football coach at his high school alma mater, principal Martha Brazil announced in a letter to parents.
The letter Tuesday thanked Jay Braun for his years of dedication but did not say why he is no longer the coach.
Braun was seen walking off the field in the final minutes of Oak Grove’s 23-15 win at home over Westmont on Nov. 3 and did not coach the team in its 29-14 victory at Leigh on Thursday, according to sources.
Reached by text Tuesday night, Braun said he planned to comment but had not as of Wednesday afternoon.
Brazil declined to comment.
Oak Grove will travel to Valley Christian on Friday night in the first round of the Central Coast Section Open Division II playoffs.
“I think the attitude is OK,” Reese said. “I don’t know exactly all the stuff going on, and the kids don’t, either. But the main thing we’re trying to do is just keeping them focused on the football game.”
Braun took over the Oak Grove program in 2009 after previous jobs at Cupertino and Yerba Buena.
The Westmont game was Braun’s 100th with Oak Grove, a storied San Jose program that had won six CCS championship before his arrival. Braun finished with a 67-33 record, six outright league championships, one shared league title and one CCS championship.
Reese has been on Oak Grove’s staff the past five seasons. The former Mercury News player of the year said he did not know whether he would apply for the permanent job, noting that his focus is on this week.
“I definitely want to keep coaching at Oak Grove. I know that,” Reese said.
Point of caution
Given that the CCS sends the three champions and two of the three runners-up from its Open divisions to the state football playoffs, one might assume that the West Catholic Athletic League’s heavyweights in Open Division II — Serra, Valley Christian, St. Francis — will advance provided they reach the final.
Do not assume. If you’re a fan of St. Francis and Valley Christian, here is what you do not want to see:
• Salinas and its 30.5 section power points play Milpitas and its 31.5 points in the Open I final. The loser is moving on.
• Half Moon Bay, with its 29.5 points, to lose if it reaches the Open III final.
The section has criteria in its bylaws to choose the runners-up for the regionals and none has to do with human or computer rankings. The first criteria is head-to-head results if all three runnersup played each other, which rarely is the case. The second criteria is section points presented at the seeding meeting, which is a more likely scenario.
St. Francis has 27 points. Valley Christian has 26.5. That’s not enough to overtake Milpitas, Salinas or Half Moon Bay in a runner-up tiebreaker. Serra (30 points) is a lock to move on if it reaches the Open II final.
Water polo
The California Interscholastic Federation added water polo to its list of Northern California playoffs this season. The tournament began Tuesday and will conclude with semifinals and finals Saturday in the Sacramento area.
Eight area teams are still alive: Miramonte, Leland and Monte Vista in girls Division I, St. Francis and Carondelet in girls Division II, Campolindo and Sacred Heart Prep in boys Division I and St. Francis in boys Division II.