November 2008 Archives

The Jackrabbits held on to knock off Esperanza for their 24th consecutive win over two seasons and set up the "All-Moore League" Pac-5 semifinal Friday against Lakewood.

The Lancers will be the hosts (they won a "pre-semifinals flip" last week) but the game will not be played at Lakewood High, apparently.

Look for it to be played at either Cerritos College or Veterans Stadium, with the former seemingly the site Lancers' administrators were thinking about Friday night after the team beat Mission Viejo.

Check out the Press-Telegram on Monday for more details.

Melvin Richardson scored his second TD and the Jackrabbits are back up . . . .

Esperanza just scored a TD to tie the score with Poly . . . only eight minutes to play and the Aztecs are kicking off to the Jackrabbits.

Poly is living life very dangerously in the playoffs. A 23-game winning streak and a trip to the semifinals is at stake here.

The Jackrabbits lead Esperanza at halftime of their Pac-5 second-round game at Valencia High in Placentia.

I can't get you a lot of details because I'm not there. I'm in the Walter Pyramid covering LBSU's volleyball match with Colorado State.

It's 1-1 after two sets in that one, if you're interested.

The Lancers dominated throughout and beat Mission Viejo 28-7 so it's on to next Friday night's semifinals for Coach Thadd MacNeal's team, againt the winner of the Saturday night Poly-Esperanza clash at Valencia High.

The Lancers will be the hosts next Friday night and will play the game at either Veterans Stadium or Cerritos College.

A interception by Keith Wiley for Lakewood set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Jerry stone and the Lancers are up with 4:57 to go in the third quarter but Mission Viejo is driving.

The Lancers have hit two big scoring plays and played very solid defense in the first half, putting a lot of heat on Mission VIejo quarterback Allan Bridgford with Brennan Kelly intercepting him late in the second quarter in Lakewood territory to end a threat.

Jesse Scroggins fired a perfect 48-yard pass to fellow junior Kevin Anderson and Lakewood is now up, 14-0, late in the second quarter and has the ball at its 40 with 1:48 to go now.

Jerry Stone went 44 yards for the Lancers for the first score of the night of the night with 8:41 to go in the second quarter.

Mission Viejo fumbled out of the end zone to kill a great scoring opportunity for the Diablos but it's scoreless to start the second quarter at Lakewood High.

And, without further Thanksgiving anticipation adieu, a look at the lower portion of the Pac-5 Playoff bracket. Both games are Friday at 7:30 p.m.:

Mater Dei (8-3) at Tesoro (11-0)
Frank Says: This is a rematch of a first-round game played a year ago at the same facility and won by the Monarchs, 31-17. I don't think it will be quite as high scoring this time around, as Tesoro's defense is much improved and Mater Dei's has shown significant improvement since the non-league portion of the team's schedule. Preston King is an exceptional receiver, Zach Mitchell is an underrated running back and Robbie Picazo is one of the better quarterbacks in an exceptional season in Orange County for the position. But Mater Dei's offense, led by quarterback Matt Barkley, has just enough diversification to exploit the Tesoro defense in ways no offense has done this season.
Projection: Mater Dei 24, Tesoro 17

Notre Dame (11-0) vs. Orange Lutheran (9-2) at Santa Ana Stadium
Frank Says: This is the Game of the Week, in any division or any section. Notre Dame junior Ryan Kasdorf has probably had a better season than any other player at his position in the Southern Section. Orange Lutheran isn't quite as good, offensively, as it has been in the past few seasons but its defense is sturdy and dependable, if not flashy. Something that jumps out at you immediately: Orange Lutheran's losses were to Bishop Amat and Servite . . . teams that the Knights knocked off in route to their 11-0 mark.
Projection: Notre Dame 28, Orange Lutheran 24

This might be a little dangerous if you're one of those "I don't want to look too far ahead"-types but . . .

If Lakewood's football team beats Mission Viejo Friday, the Lancers will play host to a Dec. 5 semifinal playoff regardless of the opposition.

That's because, in "pre-semifinal flips" at the CIF Southern Section office in Los Alamitos, the Lancers won a flip with Poly to host the semifinal, if the Jackrabbits beat Esperanza Saturday night.

Should the Lancers win and Esperanza upset the Jackrabbits, Lakewood would play host because it would have played home and away in the first two rounds, while Esperanza will have played two home games.

If Lakewood loses and Poly wins, the Jackrabbits will be the host for a semifinal game against Mission Viejo (at Veterans Stadium on Dec. 5) because Poly won its coin flip with Mission Viejo in anticipation of that potential semifinal matchup.

Oh, yes: Should both Lakewood and Poly lose, Mission Viejo (based on its "1 and 1" in the first two rounds) would be the host in a semifinal with Esperanza.

Both upper-bracket games in the CIF Southern Section's Pac-5 playoff division involve Moore League teams . . . Poly and Lakewood, if you haven't been paying attention.

Here are some quick thoughts on each game

FRIDAY
Mission Viejo (10-1) at Lakewood (5-6, on paper, 9-2, on the field), 7:30 p.m.
Frank Says: The Diablos have one of the best passing attacks in Southern California, led by Cal-bound quarterback Allan Bridgford and directed by Bob Johnson, considered the "guru" of quarterbacks among all high school coaches. Mission Viejo has an underrated running attack, led by Jake Marshall, and will try to make the Lancers pay if they try too put too much pass-rush heat on Bridgford. The Diablos have one of the best two-way players in Southern California in defensive back/wide receiver Alex Mascarenas, who is committed to UCLA. Mission Viejo's defense faced some quality offenses in the South Coast Coast (include that of unbeaten Tesoro, the only team to beat the Diablos). But none of them appear to be as diversified and explosive as the one Lakewood Coach Thadd MacNeal will put on the field Friday night.
Projection: Lakewood 31, Mission Viejo 28

SATURDAY
Poly (11-0) vs. Esperanza (8-3) at Valencia High in Placentia, 7 p.m.
Frank Says: The Aztecs will attempt to do against the Poly defense what they were able to accomplish in the first round against San Clemente: occupy the ball for long stretches of time to keep the opposing offense off the field and "shorten" the game. But Esperanza, which finished in the much-discussed five-way tie for the Sunset League crown, hasn't faced a defense of the magnitude it will see Saturday night in Bradford Stadium. Look for the Jackrabbits to make much quicker work of the Aztecs than they did last week in the gut-cruncher with Bishop Amat.
Projection: Poly 28, Esperanza 10

For all of those who were wondering, here is how you get to Bradford Stadium on the campus of Valencia High in Placentia Saturday night for the Poly-Esperanza Pac-5 Division second-round playoff football game:

By hook or crook, get on the north-bound 57 Freeway (if coming from Long Beach, by way of the 91 east-bound or the 22 east-bound is probably the best bet).

Exit on Chapman, right (East) for about two-tenths of a mile, then go left (North) on Bradford Avenue. Be sure to use the Chapman exit that is north of 91 Freeway, not the one that can be found on the 22 Freeway (which takes you into Orange)!

The campus, and stadium, are located at 500 North Bradford. There is plenty of parking, if I remember correctly.

Well, Poly High's second-round CIF Southern Section Pac-5 Division playoff game against host Esperanza is going to be played in Bradford Stadium on the campus of Valencia High (in the north Orange County city of Placentia) after all.

But, while the division's other three quarterfinals (including Mission Viejo at Lakewood) are set to kick off Friday night at 7:30, the 11-0 and No. 1 seed Jackrabbits will take on Sunset League five-way champion Esperanza (8-3 after its 24-16 win over San Clemente Friday) Saturday night at 7 o'clock.

Bradford Stadium is the "home field" for Esperanza but another member of its school district, El Dorado, also uses it and had priority for its availability on Friday.

So, Esperanza athletic department officials asked Poly's decision makers if they would mind playing the game on Saturday night and the Jackrabbits OK'd it.

It's good news for Moore League followers who wanted to see both games.

And it's also good news for the Poly and Esperanza coaching staffs, who can scout the Mission Viejo-Lakewood game in person, and the winning staff of that game, which gets to watch its semifinal opponent, in the flesh, Saturday night.

Esperanza earned the right to be the host to the game with Poly based on a coin flip held at the Southern Section office in Los Alamitos on Nov. 16, the same day the pairings were announced.

Apparently El Dorado has the priority over Esperanza for the use of Valencia High's field (Bradford Stadium) on Friday night.

So now it looks as if Poly may play the Aztecs at Brea Olinda High in Brea Friday night. Check the Tuesday Press-Telegram for more details as the CIF Southern Section will probably have to approve all sites by Monday.

Since "pre-flips" were held at the CIF Southern Section office in Los Alamitos for potential second-round games on Nov. 28, I can tell you where most of next week's Southern Section playoff games will be played.

PAC-5 DIVISION
UPPER BRACKET
Poly (11-0) vs. Esperanza (8-3) at Placentia Valencia (off the 57 Freeway, pretty close to Cal State Fullerton)
Lakewood (5-6* but 9-2 "on field) vs. Mission Viejo (10-1), at John T. Ford Stadium on Lakewood campus

LOWER BRACKET
Mater Dei (8-3) at Tesoro (11-0)
Notre Dame (11-0) vs. Orange Lutheran (9-2), "probably" at Orange Coast College

WESTERN DIVISION
UPPER BRACKET
Warren (8-3) at Mira Costa (8-3)

LOWER BRACKET
Quartz Hill (10-1) vs. Lynwood (8-2-1) at Lynwood Middle School

SOUTHERN DIVISION
UPPER BRACKET
Irvine or Westminster (game to be played tonight) vs. Norwalk (7-4) at Excelsior

LOWER BRACKET
Mayfair (8-3) vs. Los Amigos (6-5) at Garden Grove High

My relationship with the Internet was shaky a best while I was at Tesoro High, hence the lack of updates on the playoff scores.

The game I was at was kind of strange: Los Alamitos was in position to win the thing until the last few minutes although, watching the contest, I always felt Tesoro was the better team.

The Titans' defense had much to do with the win as it collected four turnovers, three of those picks of quarterback Clark Evans.

Brian Barnes' team will take its 11-0 record into a second-round game against Mater Dei, at home, next Friday.

It should be a good one. The Titans have the better defense but it will get a stern test via quarterback Matt Barkley and a very good running attack by the Monarchs.

It sounds as if the Poly High Jackrabitts escaped their game with at-large invitee Bishop Amat by the hair on their chinny chin-chins.

Coach Raul Lara's team gets a second-round game, at Valencia High in Placentia (since the Jackrabbits lost a coin flip for the right to host the game Sunday at the Southern Section office in Los Alamitos), against Esperanza, which was a mild upset-winner against San Clemente, 24-16.

I thought Lakewood had a solid shot at "upsetting" Trinity League tri-champion Servite and that the Lancers did, in overtime, 35-34.

So Thadd MacNeal's team gets a second-round game for the first time in four years, this time against South Coast League runner-up Mission Viejo, whose only lose during a 10-1 season came against South Coast championTesoro, which eliminated Los Alamitos Friday night.

The Lancers are 7-0 (and counting?) during games in which junior running back Jerry Stone was in uniform.

It sounds as if Jordan High hung in pretty tough, at least for a half, at the Santa Ana Stadium last (Friday; it's 12:30 a.m. as I write this from my dining room table) night before the Monarchs prevailed, 35-15.

I've heard or read no details from the Notre Dame-Compton game, won by the Knights, 42-0.

I don't think the Tarbabes had their two running backs, each injured over the past couple of weeks.

The Jackrabbits now trail, 10-0. Upset alert!

Lakewood is up, 7-0. Upset alert!

. . . at end of first quarter at Veterans Stadium, it's Bishop Amat 7, Poly 0.

An upset is brewing . . .

My Internet is really wobbly, by the way.

Anita Barnes, wife of Los Alamitos coach John Barnes and mom to Tesoro coach Brian Barnes, just did the opening coin flip. The Griffins won and deferred to the second half.

I'm at Tesoro High and had a much shorter drive here than did the Los Alamitos High football faithful, since I live about seven miles south of here in beautiful Laguna Niguel.

My wireless Internet connection is working (sort of) very, very slowly so that could spell danger this evening as I cover the Los Alamitos-Tesoro first-round Pac-5 Division playoff game.

Other PTers out tonight include Robert Morales (Lakewood-Servite), Bob Keisser (Poly-Bishop Amat) and Dave Felton (Mayfair-Calvary Chapel).

I'll do my best to get updates from them and at least get their scores posted on the blog, as well as details on this game.

Wish us luck, boys and girls . . .

UCLA's basketball team was a 12-point favorite over Michigan in Madison Square Garden and I thought that was a lock bet if you were putting money on the Wolverines.

And Michigan, in fact, just beat the Bruins, 55-52, keeping Ben Howland's team from playing Duke in Friday night.

Darren Collison was fouled on a last-second attempt on a 3 that would have tied the score but it wasn't called. The Bruins can't complain, though. Remember they got a comparable no-call in the second-round NCAA win over Texas A&M last March in Anaheim.

The Bruins' inside game, offensively, has gotten a big rap and it wasn't effective again tonight. But UCLA's perimeter game, especially that provided by seniors Collison and Josh Shipp, wasn't much, either.

As I suggested in my Thursday Press-Telegram column, the Bruins are an overrated rate team right now and that point was just proven out.

And, on to the lower-bracket games . . .

LOS ALAMITOS (8-2) at TESORO (10-0), 7:30 p.m.
FRANK SAYS: As both John and Brian Barnes pointed out Sunday afternoon in the Southern Section office in Los Alamitos, this game isn't about ``Barnes vs. Barnes'' or ``Father vs. Son'' it's ``Los Alamitos players vs. Tesoro players''. And, based on what I saw this season, Tesoro has that advantage, although Griffins' quarterback Clark Evans and receivers Paul Richardson and Darryl Jenkins will make things very interesting.
PREDICTION: Tesoro 28, Los Alamitos 21

JORDAN (7-3) vs. MATER DEI (7-3), Santa Ana Stadium, 7:30
FRANK SAYS: The Panthers might be a year away from winning a game or two in the playoffs. For now, though, the John Timu-led offense will make things interesting. But Mater Dei's offense, with the most publicized player in the state (Matt Barkley) dictating things at quarterback, is too much for Jordan's defense to cope with.
PREDICTION: Mater Dei 31, Jordan 14

ORANGE LUTHERAN (8-2) vs. FOUNTAIN VALLEY (7-3), 7:30
FRANK SAYS: The Lancers finished in a three-way tie for the Trinity championship and the Barons in a five-way gridlock in the Sunset League. Kyle Middlebrooks of Fountain Valley is a heck of a nice junior running back but Orange Lutheran is much better than any team the Barons beat in the Sunset League.
PREDICTION: Orange Lutheran 28, Fountain Valley 10

COMPTON (7-2) at NOTRE DAME (10-0), 7:30
FRANK SAYS: If the Tarbabes (translated: James McConico and Curry Williams) were healthy, this one could be relatively competitive, even with the Knights' marvelous Ryan Kasdorf-led passing attack. But, apparently, they may not play is this one. So it should be one-and-done for Coach Calvin Bryant's club.
PREDICTION: Notre Dame 38, Compton 21

Watching USC beat UC Irvine by 23 points Saturday in the Galen Center, I thought the Trojans might be the best Pacific 10 Conference basketball team right now.

Watching the Trojans this evening, via ESPNU, take a 15-point into the second half of a game with Seton Hall in Puerto Rico and then lose, 63-61, I'm reconsidering that observation.

Coach Tim Floyd's team seemingly had everything in control but felt victim to a bit of complacency, as well as allowing themselves to get caught up in a raggedly, helter-skelter pace that definitely favored the Pirates.

So much for that semifinal game with NCAA runner-up Memphis Friday afternoon.

Freshman Demar DeRozan was no factor for the Trojans. USC is not going to get into the NCAA Tournament, much less have a chance to win the Pac 10, if DeRozan doesn't become an integral part of the Trojans' attack by the time conference play stars.

Here are some of my thoughts, and predictions, on the upper-bracket first-round matchups in the CIF Southern Section's Pac-5 playoff games Friday night:

BISHOP AMAT (7-3) vs. POLY (10-0), Veterans Stadium, 7 o'clock
FRANK SAYS: The Lancers were spanked by Notre Dame in their Serra League finale but the Jackrabbits don't have nearly the passing attack No. 2 seed Notre Dame does. But Poly's offense has gotten more "balanced" with each game in the Moore League and there is no reason why that trend doesn't continue against the division's at-large entry.
PREDICTION: Poly 38, Bishop Amat 14

SAN CLEMENTE (8-2) vs. ESPERANZA (7-3), Placentia Valencia High, 7:30
FRANK SAYS: The Tritons have one of the best pasting attacks in the division and have lost only to South Coast League members Tesoro and Mission Viejo, which have a single loss between them. Esperanza, which rarely passes, will try to occupy the ball with its double-wing offense and keep this a relatively low-scoring affair.
PREDICTION: San Clemente 24, Esperanza 17

LOYOLA (6-4) at MISSION VIEJO (9-1), 7:30
FRANK SAYS: The Cubs, back in the playoffs for the first time in three years, have one of the Southland's best underclassmen running backs in 6-3, 215-pound junior Anthony Barr. But their defense is just fair and the Diablos' offense is too diversified and explosive for the visitors to cope with.
PREDICTION: Mission Viejo 28, Loyola 17

LAKEWOOD (*4-6) vs. SERVITE (7-3), Cerritos College, 7:30
FRANK SAYS: Is the Lancers' offense truly that good when Jerry Stone is in uniform or was the opposition that Lakewood went 6-0 against with Stone just mediocre? This is the perfect opportunity to find out since the Friars won their final four Trinity League games and scored 100 points in the last two of those.
PREDICTION: Lakewood 28, Servite 24

Here are the other area football teams, by division, and their first-round playoff opponents on Friday.

(Home teams are on the left)

SOUTHERN
No. 1 Laguna Hills (9-0) vs. Artesia (7-3)
Garden Grove (9-1) vs. Norwalk (6-4)
Mayfair (7-3) vs. Calvary Chapel (4-6)
No. 2 Corona del Mar (8-2) vs. La Mirada (4-6)

WESTERN
Warren (7-3) vs. Santa Monica (8-2)
Lynwood (7-2-1) vs. Peninsula (5-5)
Culver City (7-3) vs. Downey (5-5)

MID VALLEY
Rosemead (8-2) vs. Valley Christian (7-3)

NORTHEAST
Rio Hondo Prep (6-3) vs. St. Anthony (5-5)

NORTHWEST
Verbum Dei (5-5) vs. Carpinteria (4-6)
No. 2 Serra (10-0) vs. Templeton (5-5)

Well, here it is . . . just released at the CIF Southern Section's office in Los Alamitos.

(home teams are on the left)
UPPER BRACKET
No. 1 Poly (10-0) vs. Bishop Amat (7-3)
Esperanza (7-3) vs. San Clemente (8-2)
Mission Viejo (9-1) vs. Loyola (6-4)
No. 4 Servite (7-3) vs. Lakewood (4-6)

LOWER BRACKET
No. 3 Tesoro (10-0) vs. Los Alamitos (8-2)
Mater Dei (7-3) vs. Jordan (7-3)
Fountain Valley (7-3) vs. Orange Lutheran (8-2)
No. 2 Notre Name (10-0) vs. Compton (7-2)

Barring changes due to stadium availability, first-round games will be played Friday night at 7:30.

But the, according to Poly coach Raul Lara, his team's game with Bishop Amat (which got the division's only at-large bid), will kick off at 7 o'clock at Veterans Stadium.

Tentatively (and probably), Lakewood's game with Servite will be played at Cerritos College and Jordan's with Mater Dei will be played at the Santa Ana Bowl.

The most intriguing first-round matchup: Tesoro vs. Los Alamitos, pitting a team coached by John Barnes (Los Alamitos) against one coached by his son, Brian Barnes.

A couple of weeks ago UCLA basketball coach Ben Howland said that the USC Trojans should be favored to win the Pacific 10 Conference race.

Based on the way Tim Floyd's team just looked while cruising past UC Irvine (78-55) in a season-opener in the Galen Center, Floyd's Bruins' counterpart may be on to something.

With juniors Taj Gibson, Daniel Hackett and Dwight Lewis as the foundation, Floyd's four USC team looks like his best.

And this shouldn't surprise anyone who has followed his career at Compton High but DeMar DeRozan, in his college debut, looked every bit the future lottery pick he'll be next June.

The coin-flip to determining the seeding for the three Trinity League CIF Southern Section Pac-5 playoff teams was just conducted at Servite High in Anaheim, with Servite landing the top seed, Mater Dei the second and Orange Lutheran the third.

The brackets will be announced at the Southern Section office in Los Alamitos Sunday morning.

There is only one at-large to the Pac-5 field and, although Edison (Sunset), Bishop Amat (Serra) and St. John Bosco (Trinity) are all candidates, with 7-3 records, it appears that Edison and Bishop Amat has the stronger likelihoods of getting the bid.

So, here are two scenarios, the first with Edison as the at-large and the second with Bishop Amat:

With Edison in the field . . .

UPPER
1. Poly (Moore 1) vs. Edison (Sunset at-large)
Mission Viejo (South Coast 2) vs. Loyola (Serra 2)
Esperanza (Sunset 1) vs. San Clemente (South Coast 3)
4. Servite (Trinity 1) vs. Lakewood (Moore 3)
LOWER
3. Tesoro (South Coast 1) vs. Los Alamitos (Sunset 3)
Mater Dei (Trinity 2) vs. Jordan (Moore 2)
Fountain Valley (Sunset 2) vs. Orange Lutheran (Trinity 3)
2. Notre Dame (Serra 1) vs. Compton (Moore 4)

With Bishop Amat in the field . . .

UPPER
1. Poly vs. Los Alamitos (Sunset 3)
Mission Viejo vs. Loyola
Esperanza vs. San Clemente
4. Servite vs. Lakewood
LOWER
3. Tesoro vs. Bishop Amat (Serra at-large)
Mater Dei vs. Jordan
Fountain Valley vs. Orange Lutheran
2. Notre Dame vs. Compton

The Jackrabbits lead at Jordan, 22-7, while the Lancers lead at Compton, 27-7.

Jordan took a 7-0 advantage but it's been all Rabbits since.

No details other than score from Compton.

OK, as I promised . . . More on how the Pac-5 playoffs are shaping up:

The Moore League's four representatives are already determined going into tonight's league finales: Compton, Jordan, Lakewood and Poly.

Poly is the No. 1 seed (from the league and overall) if it improves its league winning streak to 79 tonight at Jordan.

If that happens and Compton beats visiting Lakewood, the seeding would be: 1. Poly; 2. Compton; 3. Jordan; 4. Lakewood.

If Poly and Lakewood win tonight, the Jackrabbits would be the No. 1 seed with Compton, Jordan and Lakewood tied for second at 4-2. A coin flip would determine the 2-4 seeds.

If Poly loses and Lakewood wins, Jordan is the No. 1 seed (based on its victory over Poly), with the Jackrabbits the 2 seed, the Lancers the 3 seed and the Tarbabes the 4 seed.

If Poly loses and Compton wins, there is a three-way tie for the league title and Lakewood would go as the 4 seed. A coin flip would determine the Compton, Jordan and Poly seeds.

Got that?

The South Coast League is rather simple. Barring two major upsets (Dana Hills over unbeaten Tesoro and Aliso Viejo over San Clemente), its representatives (by seeding) will be Tesoro, Mission Viejo and San Clemente.

The Serra League is also a bit murky.

One thing is simple: If unbeaten Notre Dame knocks off Bishop Amat, the Knights will be the league's top seed to the playoffs and (assuming Poly beats Jordan), the No. 2 overall seed in the 16-team field.

Determining the league's other automatic bid (it has just four members so it gets only two automatic spots) is where things get wobbly.

A Notre Dame win over Bishop Amat and a Crespi win against Loyola would leave Bishop Amat, Crespi and Loyola with 1-2 league records.

Since Crespi would have beaten Loyola but lost to Bishop Amat and Loyola beat Bishop Amat, a coin flip would have to be used to determine the 2 seed and the at-large candidate, with the third team having no shot at the playoffs.

Notre Dame and Loyola wins tonight would make Notre Dame the 1 seed (at 3-0) and Loyola the 2 seed (at 2-1). Bishop Amat (1-2) would be the at-large candidate and Crespi (at 0-3), the runner-up in the division final to Poly last year, would stay home this season.

A Bishop Amat upset of Notre Dame and Loyola win over Crespi would create a three-way tie for the championship and a coin flip would determine the top 2 seeds and the at-large candidate.

After explaining all five leagues' playoff scenarios, I need a couple of Advil.

I'll be at the Poly at Jordan game tonight, so (assuming I find a spot in the press box), I'll try to do some in-game blogging and provide updates on the St. John Bosco-Servite and Lakewood-Compton scores' as I pick them up!

The Newport Harbor football team's 24-23 Sunset League victory over its Los Alamitos counterpart at Gahr High Thursday night gave the victorious Sailors' CIF Southern Section Pac-5 playoff division life.

And it made the Griffins' playoff future somewhat precarious, even with the team's 8-2 overall record.

Over at Santa Ana Stadium, Orange Lutheran also got a late field goal, this one giving the Lancers a 24-21 Trinity League victory over Mater Dei.

Those two results made the playoff outlook in the Pac-5 a lot murkier just a few days before the 16-team field and bracket is released on Sunday at the Southern Section's office in Los Alamitos.

Here is how it stands, relative to those two leagues:

In the Sunset, should Edison (as expected, but certainly not guaranteed) beat Esperanza, Edison (with a 4-1 record) would end up as the league champion and be the Sunset's top seed to the playoffs, while Los Alamitos, Fountain Valley and Newport Harbor would finish in a tie for second with 3-2 records.

But, since the Griffins lost to Newport Harbor and Fountain Valley, those two teams would get the league's other two guaranteed spots in the playoff field while Los Alamitos would be placed in the pool for the one at-large selection the division has.

Last year, with a 7-3 record, the Griffins found themselve in the same position but Santa Margarita (Trinity League), even with an inferior overall record of 6-4, got that at-large bid when the other four at-large criteria (including records vs. the same opponents, strength of schedule and strength of league; the teams didn't play head to head, which is the other criteria).

If Esperanza upsets Edison, then Edison, Esperanza, Fountain Valley, Los Alamitos and Newport Harbor would all finish with 3-2 records, and a series of coin tosses conducted by the league tonight would determine the three automatic qualifiers, as well as the one team that would be submitted as the at-large candidate. The fifth team would definitely stay home for the rest of the season.

A painful way to determine playoff bids, eh?

As for the Trinity League, Orange Lutheran and Mater Dei are 4-1 and guaranteed playoff positions.

St. John Bosco (2-2) and Servite (3-1) play at Cerritos College tonight at 7:30.

If Servite wins, the league finishes with a three-way tie for the championship (as it did a year ago with the same three programs) and a coin-flip would determine the seeding order for the playoffs, with the Braves (at 7-3 overall) going into the at-large pool.

Should St. John Bosco prevail, Orange Lutheran and Mater Dei would be co-champions, withh the Lancers getting the top seed into the playoffs over Mater Dei based on the Thursday night victory, while the Braves would be the three seed and Servite (at 6-4) gets deposited into the playoff pool.

OK . . . let me take a breath for a second and then I'll explain the outlook in the other three Pac-5 leagues (Moore, South Coast and Serra) in the next post . . .

Projecting the Big West Conference . . .

` 1. Cal State Northridge
Frank's reasoning: The Matadors have the kind of offensive firepower Long Beach State had two seasons ago.
2. UC Santa Barbara
Frank's reasoning: Chris Devine is the best offensive post player in the conference but the loss point guard Justin Joyner (wrist injury) may drop this team a few slots from this spot.
3. Pacific
Frank's reasoning: Good experience, good shooters, good defense and good coaching are a solid foursome.
4. Long Beach State
Frank's reasoning: The 49ers may not be this good in November but should be by Jan. 2.
5. Cal State Fullerton
Frank's reasoning: Josh Akognon is the college jump shooter in California - check out the Titans and see if you agree.
6. UC Irvine
Frank's reasoning: Come to think of it, No.'s 2-6, for various reasons, might be interchangeable.
7. UC Riverside
Frank's reasoning: The Highlanders, along with Long Beach State, should be among the most improved teams in the West
8.UC Davis
Frank's reasoning: The Aggies are improved, as well, just not as much as the 49ers and UCR are.
9. Cal Poly
Frank's reasoning: Only much improved jump shooting will prove me wrong on this pick.

Projecting the Pac 10 Conference men's basketball race . . .

1. UCLA
Frank's reasoning: If you need explanations, you haven't been paying attention the past three seasons.
2. Arizona State
Frank's reasoning: The Sun Devils just missed an NCAA bid last March. James Harden & Co. will not give the NCAA committee the option of excluding them this time around.
3. Washington
Frank's reasoning: Jon Brockman is too forceful and productive a presence inside the lane and there are too many other good players around him for the Huskies to miss the NCAA tourney a third time in a row.
4. USC
Frank's reasoning: If the four-player core of freshman Demar DeRozan and juniors Daniel Hackett, Taj Gibson and Dwight Lewis stay healthy, pencil the Trojans in for 22 to 25 wins.
5. Washington State
Frank's reasoning: What Tony Bennett has built in Pullman isn't about to fade into the Palouse, even with the departure of Kyle Weaver and Derrick Low. Klay Thompson is the most underrated freshman in the country.
6. California
Frank's reasoning: There are more players in Berkeley than people realize. And, oh yes: Mike Montgomery is a good coach.
7. Oregon
Frank's reasoning: The Ducks have the kind base of gifted freshmen and sophomore that should help them return to the NCAA tourney in 2010, when they're sophomores and juniors.
8. Arizona
Frank's reasoning: Sure, Lute Olson didn't leave the cupboard bare, as Jordan Hill, Chase Budinger and Nic Wise are quality players. But, until further notice, the program should be labeled ``a mess''.
9. Stanford
Frank's reasoning: The Lopez Brothers and Coach Trent Johnson are gone. Johnny Dawkins has great bloodlines (uh, does ``Duke'' ring a bell?) but we'll have a better notion of what is in store in Palo Alto come January.
10. Oregon State
Frank's reasoning: Most of the same players were on the team that went 0-18 in conference. You may not have heard: OSU Coach Craig Robinson's is the President-elect Barack Obama's brother in-law!

Here is a third look at a possible bracket for the CIF Southern Section's Pac-5 Division.

Among key games Thursday and Friday, this projection assumes wins by Poly (over Jordan), Compton (over Lakewood), Los Alamitos (over Newport Harbor), Mater Dei (over Orange Lutheran), Servite (over St. John Bosco), Notre Dame (over Bishop Amat) and Loyola (over Crespi).

UPPER BRACKET
No. 1 Poly (Moore/1) vs. Fountain Valley (Sunset/3)
No. 8 Mission Viejo (South Coast/2) vs. Orange Lutheran (Trinity/3)

No. 5 Los Alamitos (Sunset/1) vs. Loyola (Serra/2)
No. 4 Mater Dei (Trinity/1) vs. Jordan (Moore/3)

LOWER BRACKET
No. 3 Tesoro (South Coast/1) vs. Bishop Amat (Serra/At-large)
No. 6 Servite (Trinity/2) vs. Compton (Moore/2)

No. 7 Edison (Sunset/2) vs. San Clemente (South Coast/2)
No. 2 Notre Dame (Serra/1) vs. Lakewood (Moore/4)

Here is my second projected look at what the Pac-5 Division playoff field/bracket might look like when it is released at the CIF Southern Section's office in Los Alamitos two weeks from today.

As a reminder, Southern Section playoff guidelines prevents the Nos. 1 and 2 teams from the same league being on the same side of a bracket, and teams from the same league can't meet until the semifinal round.

Here we go:

UPPER BRACKET
No. 1 Poly (Moore/1)
vs.
St. John Bosco (Trinity/projected at-large)

Crespi (Serra/2)
vs.
Mission Viejo (South Coast/2)

Los Alamitos (Sunset/1)
vs.
San Clemente (South Coast/3)

No. 4 Mater Dei (Trinity/1)
vs.
Jordan (Moore/3)

LOWER BRACKET
No. 3 Tesoro (South Coast/1)
vs.
Lakewood (Moore/4)

Edison (Sunset/2)
vs. Orange Lutheran (Trinity/3)

Servite (Trinity/2)
vs.
Compton (Moore/2)

No. 2 Notre Dame (Serra/1)
vs.
Fountain Valley (Sunset/3)

How about that Texas-Texas Tech football game that just ended?

Incredible . . .

What a mass of humanity on the field . . . that doesn't look like a very comfortable place to be.

Michael Crabtree's catch and run for the winning touchdown for the Red Raiders is the Play of the Season so far.

Crabtree could be the Heisman Trophy winner. At the very least he's a consensus first-team All-America wide receiver.

Alabama almost assuredly moves up to No. 1, although Penn State will probably get a lot of votes for the top slot, as well.