The Riverside Press-Enterprise
INLAND SUPERPOWERS
HOW BIG WEST CONFERENCE TEAMS HAVE FARED
half of the conference was a 52.6, which would have placed first in the nation among public schools and second overall behind only Trinity League (77.3).
“The Big VIII League and the Southwestern League have been great on their own over the years, but this will take things to an even high level,” Vista Murrieta coach Eric Peterson said. “You have to bring your A-game every week and it forces your program to grow... We’re honored to be part of this group of great programs.”
Norco coach Chuck Chastain echoed Peterson’s sentiments, saying the weekly grind is going to be intense.
“We played some of those Southwestern League teams over the years, and they have always provided us some of the best competition,” Chastain said. “I think one of the goals you always should have for your program is to play the best competition. This conference definitely does that, so I’m excited about it.”
Chasing the top dog
Centennial has posted a 49-1 league record over the past decade, with that lone loss coming to Norco during the pandemicshortened season in the spring of 2021. Many of those wins were lopsided results that ended in running clocks in the final quarter. And the coaches agree the Huskies are the favorites again this season.
“I think Centennial is the level that everyone wants to be at,” Peterson said. “For many teams, that is not going to be possible. We had some great battles with them in championship game in the past and even managed to beat them for a title. Are we at that level now? No. But the ultimate goal would be for us to be in that position once again, and playing a schedule like this is just one step that can help us get to that point.”
The biggest challenge the other teams in the upper tier now face is winning enough games to qualify for the CIF Southern Section playoffs. In past seasons, there might have been 1 or 2 league games teams could chalk up as easy wins to improve their record and playoff positioning. That certainly won’t be the case now.
“It’s going to be a battle of attrition each week for every team,”
Roosevelt coach Tommy Leach said. “The biggest concern you have with such a tough schedule is the health of your team. Your going to get beat up quite a bit from week to week, so teams that can stay healthy for the most part will have a big advantage.”
Opportunities for everyone
As Mott stated, another reason for creating this new conference was to provide some competitive equity for some of the programs that have struggled at times to keep up with the perennial powers in that upper half.
The six programs in the lower half of the conference had an average Calpreps.com rating of 12.8 last season, boosted heavily by Temecula Valley’s 26.2 rating. The ratings of the other five schools ranged between 2.8 and 16.6, well behind the 32.2-or-higher ratings of the six schools in the upper half of the conference.
Many of the schools have found it difficult over the years to remain competitive in their league contests.
King would be one such case. The school has done well in the Big VIII League in other sports, but the football program has compiled a 10-40 league record over the past decade and qualified for the postseason once.
Jason Mcmains took over the program two years ago and already has noticed a new outlook amongst his players since the announcement because of the opportunities this new realignment can give the program.
“It was a hard realization to see the players perspective going into some of those league games these past couple of years,” Mcmains said. “They always gave the best effort they could, but you could see the energy just disappear once thing got out of hand... The kids have come into this season believing they have a fighting chance to make the playoffs again and maybe even compete for league championships in the years ahead.
“I think King has the opportunity to make some great strides and take things to a higher level in the future, and this could be the first step in that direction. Once the kids start to believe, anything is possible.”