Baseline League prediction
Someone from this league is going to win the CIF title.
The flip side of that coin? A CIF-champion caliber squad will MISS the playoffs. There are esentially five playoff teams in the Baseline League vying for three spots.
Don't take my word for it, voters have five Baseline League teams ranked in the CIF-SS Central Division top 10. That's ONE league occupying half the rankings.
Three Baseline teams are ranked in the top four, including undefeated No. 3 Rancho Cucamonga, who is not one of three defending co-league champions.
No. 1 Upland (5-0) is almost impossible to pick against, but Los Osos, who has won at least a share of the league title three years running, beat it last year.
Rancho Cucamonga's offense is in the class with Los Osos and Upland, but so is Etiwanda's, a defending co-champ returning 17 starters. One of these teams has to be left out of the top three.
It's going to come down to who of the top four has the best defense.
Of course, the top four doesn't include No. 10 Alta Loma, who will in all likelihood shake up this league with a big win or two.
So, take this prediction for what its worth...
Los Osos 4-1
Upland 4-1
Rancho Cucamonga 3-2
Etiwanda 2-3
Alta Loma 2-3
Claremont 0-5
About Clay
Clay Fowler has been covering high school sports for six years in California and Texas. He was born in Dallas, attended the University of Texas and worked in Central Texas before joining the Daily Bulletin staff in 2006.
Email Clay here
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