Let's hear it for the big guy

Let's hear it for the big guy. No, I'm not talking about big business, big schools or offensive linemen. No, I'm talking about the behemoth CIF-Southern Section and how it is under-represented in state competitions.

In wrestling, I understand why there's a limit of 8 wrestlers per weight class, because to find No. 9, it would take three extra matches (if I recall my computations in years past) in each weight class.

But in cross country, it's ridiculous. The CIF-SS is limited to 7 teams in each division at state finals, whether the division has as few as 20 schools competing or as many as 24.

Consider this: In girls division 1 and girls division 1, all 7 of the CIF-SS teams finished in the top 8

In boys D1, all 7 of the CIF-SS teams finished in the top 9. What about the eighth-place team? In no division did a CIF-SS team finish last. The worst? 16th out of 20 or 19th out of 23.  I get tired over the years of covering local high school sports and see bad teams from the Oakland and San Francisco Sections, among others, get automatic berths into the state competition, while deserving teams from our area don't get in.

at the CIF-SS Finals, Chino Hills, St. Lucy's and Ontario Christian all finished eighth in their division in girls races. Each of them deserved to be in state over one or more of the teams that finished in the bottom of those divisions from other sections.

Elsewhere in the state, people complain the CIF-SS gets too much representation. I say, look at the results. They speak for themselves.