Claremont 'can be league champs or out of playoffs'
It took a little longer than expected, but the Sierra League football race finally delivered the parity expected upon the arrival of three historically proud programs to the league this season.
One of the newcomers, Claremont, was threatening to run away with the league title after early wins over defending league champion Chino Hills and another new arrival, two-time defending CIF champion Covina Charter Oak. It wasn't until Week 9 that the clouds rolled in but a once clear playoff scenario is as hazy as they come entering the regular season's final week.
"We could be league champions," Claremont coach Mike Collins said. "Or we could miss the playoffs."
Claremont's 29-14 loss to West Covina South Hills last week and dropped the Wolfpack into a first-place tie with Chino Hills and pulled three teams even at 2-2 in league: South Hills, Damien and Charter Oak.
Still in control of its destiny, a Claremont victory over Damien Friday would award it at least a share of the league championship and the league's top playoff seed. A loss to Damien complicates things, to say the least.
If on Thursday Chino Hills can defeat an Ayala team that is winless in league, a Claremont loss would create a three-way tie for the final two playoff berths and award Chino Hills an outright league championship. In that scenario Damien and Claremont would be tied for second place with the winner of Friday's Charter Oak-South Hills game.
The first tiebreaker is head-to-head. The second is a point system based on victories related to the final standings, awarding the most points for a win over the first-place team, the second most for a win over the second-place team, etc. Claremont would need Charter Oak to defeat South Hills for the Wolfpack to win the point-system tiebreaker. If South Hills is one of the three tied for second, Claremont would lose the head-to-head tiebreakers with both Damien and South Hills and miss the playoffs.
So really, the South Hills-Charter Oak game practically holds as much of Claremont's future in its hands as the Wolfpack's own game. Damien, however, is pulling for South Hills, the team it owns the head-to-head tiebreaker with. Damien has to beat Claremont to have any postseason hope but a Charter Oak win over South Hills would end those hopes regardless of the outcome with Claremont.
For Chino Hills, the scenario is much more simple. A win over Ayala and a Claremont loss make the Huskies outright league champions. A Claremont win and a Chino Hills win make the Huskies co-champions and the league's No. 2 seed.
With no wild-card berths in the CIF-SS Inland Division playoffs, there is no reward for fourth place.
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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