ATHERTON — There are numerous guidelines that the Central Coast Part has in its soccer bylaws to try to make its factors system as formulaic and numbers-based as doable.
However whereas issues are usually easy inside the part, crossing over sections can add additional issues — and have a serious impression on playoff seedings and host websites.
A quirk in how the North Coast Part views the East Bay Athletic League and De La Salle had a direct impression on who ended up seeded fourth and fifth in CCS Division I between Salinas and Sacred Coronary heart Prep.
De La Salle is a member of the EBAL Mountain Division. However as a result of league video games in opposition to De La Salle don't rely within the standings, the Spartans can not win the league championship, which as an alternative this season went to Clayton Valley.
CCS commissioner Dave Grissom mentioned he known as NCS commissioner Pat Cruickshank on Friday earlier than De La Salle crushed Clayton Valley to verify that Friday’s sport would don't have any impression on the league winner.
The CCS system awards a degree to varsities that face a league champion, which gave Salinas a bonus level for going through and beating Clayton Valley on Aug. 26.
“Our bylaws are very clear: one level for a league champion,” Grissom mentioned. “Clayton Valley is the league champion, interval.”
Grissom confirmed that the one level Salinas obtained for Clayton Valley being thought-about a league champion flipped the Cowboys over Sacred Coronary heart Prep, turning a would-be house sport in Atherton for the Gators into a visit right down to The Pit in Salinas on Friday night time.
The Gators completed 9-1, 5-0 within the SCVAL/PAL Bay Division and performed all 10 video games in opposition to “A” league groups, together with a 10-7 win over SCVAL/PAL De Anza champion Los Gatos — a crew that’s seeded third in CCS Division I, above the Gators.
Sacred Coronary heart Prep athletic director Jason Armstrong mentioned the Gators anticipated to play at house within the first spherical.
“I don’t suppose it was on anyone’s radar,” Armstrong mentioned. “I believe we had been stunned and shocked. The neighborhood form of needs reasoning and I didn’t have that for them straight away.”
Grissom mentioned he’s heard from Sacred Coronary heart Prep in regards to the factors. However he additionally famous that any CCS faculties that confronted Oakland or San Francisco part faculties aren’t in a position to get a league champion level as a result of the leagues in these sections aren’t over but.
“The principles are set the way in which they're, and it’s my accountability to observe the bylaws,” Grissom mentioned. “And we're.”
However whereas it looks like there's a single offender that despatched the Gators to Salinas, it isn’t as straightforward to pin to at least one particular factor. Within the CCS factors system – which doesn’t consider head-to-head matchups — every crew will get 1.5 factors for taking part in a crew ranked in calpreps.com’s Prime 100 at 8 a.m. on the day of the seeding assembly and one level for a crew ranked No. 101-150.
Two of Sacred Coronary heart Prep’s Bay Division rivals, Menlo-Atherton and Half Moon Bay, misplaced on the ultimate weekend of the common season and fell beneath No. 150 (Menlo-Atherton to No. 154, Half Moon Bay to No. 201).
“The rating system, within the final week, form of labored in opposition to us,” Sacred Coronary heart Prep coach Mark Grieb mentioned. “All of these issues add up. You wish to suppose, as a participant and a coach, when you care for your enterprise on the sphere and also you win, that provides you a sure seeding … However primarily based on the present system, [the seeding] does make sense.”
Grieb says the CCS aggressive fairness mannequin does its job slightly properly, pairing up groups that ought to be competing with each other. However there are some within the Gator neighborhood nonetheless a bit confused, provided that MaxPreps exhibits De La Salle because the first-place crew within the EBAL Mountain and the NCS provides De La Salle — not Clayton Valley — the automated qualifying spot that's often reserved for league champions.
However the soccer gamers went about their enterprise as traditional on Monday, getting ready for an additional sport week. Positive, the seeding didn’t go as they anticipated, however they're nonetheless taking part in soccer into November.
“You’re within the playoffs, so that you’ll get an opportunity,” Grieb mentioned. “That’s going to be our method — not dwelling on the place we obtained seeded, however extra on what we've to do to get ready to face Salinas.”
Armstrong added, “Sacred Coronary heart soccer, we’ll play anybody, wherever, anytime. And if we’re true to our phrase, we’ll go on the highway and we’ll go to an thrilling atmosphere like Salinas and The Pit and we’ll give it our greatest shot. And in the end, if we’re ok, it gained’t matter.”