Notes about this week’s Southern California playoff teams, including contributions from Webmaster and researcher Henrik Jonson:
TRAVELIN’ HIVE
The state CIF announced a few weeks ago that it would rely on calpreps.com’s rating system in choosing sites for the Southern California playoffs and state bowl games.
Lincoln’s 11-1 record is superior to Chatsworth Sierra Canyon’s 10-4, but the Hornets are making the 151-mile trip because their calpreps.com rating is 60 compared to Sierra Canyon’s 62.4, which is inclusive of three league opponents with ratings above 50.
(Lincoln and Carlsbad [53.3] are the only San Diego Section schools with a rating of 50 or above).
Ratings and division assignments essentially come down to (a) who you played, (b) how you did, and (c) how who you played did.
Lincoln already has been to the North San Fernando Valley this season. The Hornets ventured 144 miles to Mission Hills, where they were stunned, 14-7, by Bishop Alemany, a 42-0 loser to its Mission League rival Sierra Canyon.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Travel is nothing new at the Hive.
As the student sports editor of The Buzz, I followed the team 190 miles north in 1956 to see Lincoln’s 19-0 victory over the Santa Paula Cardinals.
Lincoln made a 150-mile trip to the San Fernando Valley in 1962 and took a 29-7 loss to Los Angeles Monroe.
Coach Vic Player’s Hornets traveled 500-plus miles to San Francisco Wilson, winning, 82-0, in 1987; to Queens in New York City in 1989, defeating Benjamin Cardozo, 45-8, and to Hawaii in 1990, losing to Honolulu St. Louis School, 44-13.
Reaching the state D-II championship in 2018, Lincoln bused 506 miles to Redwood City, where it lost to Menlo-Atherton, 21-7. Lincoln had won its Southern California playoff that season, 54-44 over Culver City after a 130-mile trip.
TRAILBLAZERS BLAZING
Sierra Canyon has won eight in a row since a 31-28, double-overtime loss to La Puente Bishop Amat, which has 56.7 calpreps.com strength.
Other losses were to San Juan Capistrano San Juan Hills (57.8), 31-17, Westlake Village Oaks Christian (44.1), 38-21, and Mission Viejo (67), 41-0. The Trailblazers won Mission League games against Gardena Serra (52.1), 35-21, and West Hills Chaminade (53.3), 49-14.
Sierra Canyon has gotten fat on San Diego teams. It defeated Horizon, 58-7, and Tri-City, 55-13 in 2011, La Jolla Country Day, 34-3 in 2012, and Helix, 38-20, in the 2019 playoffs.
HOOPS POWER
The school of about 1,000 students, with Upper and Lower campuses for grades 1 through 12, is known more for basketball, with a national profile because of several alumni in the NBA and one of its senior players this season, Bronny James, LeBron’s son.
The Trailblazers played in the Montgomery Tournament in San Diego in the 2021-22 season and defeated the host Aztecs, 51-19, San Ysidro, 84-70, and St. Augustine, 51-46.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PLAYOFF BRACKETS
| DIVISION | TEAM | OPPONENT | CALPREPS.COM | MAX PREPS | CAL-HI SPORTS |
| I-AA | Lincoln (11-1) | @Chatsworth Sierra Canyon (10-4) | 60/62.4 | 7/9 | 12/10 |
| II-AA | Mater Dei (9-4) | @Downey (12-2) | 43.6/44 | 34/33 | 33/43 |
| II-A | Granite Hills (11-2) | Rancho Cucamonga Etiwanda (9-5) | 39.4/37.6 | 45/57 | 48/On bubble |
| III-AA | University City (11-2) | @San Jacinto (12-2) | 27.6/34.8 | 106/68 | NR/NR |
| V-AA | Blythe Palo Verde Valley (13-1) | Pasadena Muir (8-6) | 12.6/9.3 | 218/244 | NR/NR |
| VI-AA | Classical (10-3) | Lancaster (9-5) @Del Norte | 0/–3.4 | 348/394 | NT/NR |
NEXT: II-AA, II-A
I was on the bus with the Hornet football team to the Monroe game in 1962. I was along because I reported the results and stats of football games to Trib and/ or Union (?) that year. I think I got paid $5 per game. That Hornet team was led by Nate Shaw, who I think was CIF player of the year in 1962. Also, Art Smith, CIF player of the year in 1963, without glossy stats on a so-so team. Art went on to Wichita State, never heard how he did there. Nate, of course starred as db at SC and played for the Rams. I take some credit for his success. He scooped up a Sweetwater fumble that year and returned 96 yards for a t/d. In my role as statistician and as I recall at Shan’s s suggestion, the fumble return became rushing yards for Nate. Ahh, the power of the pencil.
Thanks for writing, Steve. Great Shan Deniston story. He was given to hyperbole True story, Shan was all-CIF in basketball at Alhambra High. Also, I had breakfast yesterday with Jim Finnerty and Allen Brown.