Palm Springs defeated Scripps Ranch, 42-35, in two overtimes and Army-Navy’s topped Perris Military, 21-20, in one overtime last week.
Both of those game results presumably were more easily reached than the first in 1976.
That was the year of imposition of the new “California Tie-Breaker”.
As noted by Steve Brand, The San Diego Union representative who covered the game:
“History-making events are supposed to be heralded with sounding trumpets and helium-filled balloons.”
But a 6-6, semifinals playoff tie between Morse and El Camino resulted in “disappointment and confusion,” all because of the new rule, wrote Brand.
The young scribe, on a morning newspaper deadline, was not a happy camper.
Brand, as one deadline after another was missed, described “a twenty-minute discussion between officials, coaches, players, and statisticians over first downs, penetrations inside the 20-yard line, and a mysterious stopping of the clock just before the game ended.”
The teams had tied with 7 first downs each and both had made two penetrations inside their opponent’s 20-yard line. Those represented the first two elements of the new system.
Play resumed when the third tie-breaker kicked in. Each team was given four plays from the 50-yard line.
Morse lost the coin toss and had first possession.
The Tigers had a net of minus two yards after four plays that included a 15-yard penalty. El Camino took over and essentially fell on the ball four consecutive plays, according to Brand.
The Wildcats were declared winners but the game went into the books as a tie.
Brand noted that the game was played at Vista, a technically neutral site, but the clock “inadvertantly” stopped as time was running out and El Camino close to what would be an eighth and tie-breaking first
What happens if there still is a deadlock after each team has had three possessions of the ball in overtime?
A touchdown and two-point conversion can send everyone home, as long as the other team doesn’t match.
There is no time limit and no finite number of overtime periods.
BEWARE
Earth to San Diego’s usually elite teams: Give certain Orange County squads a wide berth.
But if you’re Helix, or Cathedral, or Mission Hills, you’re not afraid of challenges, even if the results haven’t always been positive.
Cathedral, the defending state Division 1-AA champion, ran afoul of the Trinity League’s Orange Lutheran last week in one of the Honor Bowl games.
The 37-0 loss was the Dons’ most decisive since a 40-14 defeat by another Trinity team, Rancho Santa Margarita, in 2015.
Helix had Santa Margarita neighbor Mission Viejo of the South Coast League on the ropes but a fumble with two minutes left opened a door through which the host Diablos scored a 32-28, Southern California playoff victory in 2015.
Mission Hills, which dropped a 35-21 decision to Mission Viejo in 2012 and now is No. 1 in the weekly San Diego Union-Tribune poll, is one of the handful of San Diego Section teams that annually schedule major intersectional opponents.
The Grizzlies have gotten off seemingly easy this season, defeating Paramount of the Southern Section, 41-14, in their opener and slamming Desert Hills from St. George, Utah, 42-7, last week.
Cathedral is ninth in the Union-Tribune voting after its second consecutive loss (Loomis Del Oro, a stout Sacramento area entry, won, 22-13, in Week 1) and Helix dropped from first to third when it was upended, 23-6, by Lancaster Paraclete in the Honor Bowl.
TRUE GRID
Mission Hills rose from 41st to 23rd and Madison from 35th to 27th in the weekly Cal-Hi Sports’ poll…Helix dropped from 10th to 29th and Cathedral, St. Augustine, and Torrey Pines are on the bubble…all six Trinity League teams are in the top 25 and Orange Lutheran rose from 25th to 14th…Lancaster Paraclete moved from 32nd to 21st.
The Union-Tribune Week 2 poll :
| Rank | Team | 2017 | Points | Last Week |
| 1. | Mission Hills (20) | 2-0 | 272 | 2 |
| 2. | Madison (4) | 2-0 | 234 | 3 |
| 3. | Helix (4) | 1-1 | 231 | 1 |
| 4. | El Camino | 2-0 | 200 | 5 |
| 5. | Lincoln | 2-0 | 154 | 7 |
| 6. | San Marcos | 2-0 | 123 | 8 |
| 7. | Carlsbad | 2-0 | 83 | NR |
| 8. | St. Augustine | 1-1 | 65 | 4 |
| 9. | Torrey Pines | 1-1 | 55 | 9 |
| 10. | The Bishop’s | 2-0 | 54 | NR |
Points awarded on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
NR: Not Ranked.
Others receiving votes: Cathedral (0-2, 49 points), Oceanside (1-1, 16) Eastlake (2-0, 13), Ramona (2-0, 10), Valley Center (2-0, 10), La Costa Canyon (2-0, 7).
Voters (28 sportswriters, sportscasters, officials): John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune; Terry Monahan, Don Norcross, Tom Saxe, Rick Hoff, Jim Lindren, Union-Tribune correspondents; Paul Rudy, Brandon Stone, Rick Willis, KUSI Chl. 51; Adam Paul , East County Preps.com; Ramon Scott, East County Sports.com; Bodie DeSilva, San Diego Preps.com; Ted Mendenhall, Taylor Quellman, The Mighty 1090; Steve Brand, San Diego Hall of Champions; Troy Hirsch, Fox 5 San Diego; Rick Smith, partletonsports.com; Jerry Schniepp, John LaBeta, Carlton Hoggard, CIF San Diego; Raymond Brown, sdfootball.net; Montell Allen, MBASports-SDFNL Magazine; Bob Petinak, 1360AM; John Kentera, Prep Talent Evaluator; Steve (Biff) Dolan, Mountain Country 107.9FM; Jim Arnaiz, Mike Dolan, John Carroll, CIF Football Tournament Directors.
