There as soon as was a rule you couldn’t play a league opponent within the first spherical of the soccer playoffs and every thing must be finished to keep away from having league opponents meet earlier than the semifinals.
Then got here the aggressive fairness playoffs, the place a pc algorithm ranks groups and ignores geography, league illustration and head-to-head outcomes. It means there may very well be loads of rematches going down all through the Southern Part and Metropolis Part playoffs beginning this week, and it’s one of the vital tough challenges in soccer to beat a crew twice.
Unbeaten Mater Dei (9-0) was seeded No. 1 on Sunday for the Southern Part Division 1 playoffs and might be making an attempt to duplicate its 15-0 season of 2017 when it swept league rival St. John Bosco in what has develop into nearly a yearly two-game sequence. With six Trinity League groups within the 10-team Division 1 bracket, there may very well be a lot of rematches except public faculty powers Mission Viejo (10-0), Inglewood (10-0) and Corona Centennial (8-2) intervene. Centennial has already confronted Mater Dei this season, so beware if there’s a rematch.
Retired coach Ed Croson was among the best in determining how one can win rematches when he was at Birmingham and Chaminade.
“It’s hard to beat somebody twice because kids subconsciously are saying in the back of their mind, ‘We’re better,’ where the others are saying, ‘We have something to prove.’ ”
In 2002, Birmingham misplaced to Taft 30-6 in league play, then beat the Toreadors within the Metropolis last 35-7. In 2013, Chaminade misplaced to Gardena Serra 36-0, then beat Serra within the part last 38-35. However in 2012, Chaminade beat Serra 28-20 in league, then misplaced to Serra 30-28 within the part last.
Croson admits he saved performs for the anticipated last in opposition to Serra in 2013. “We we knew we would be playing them at some point and we started working on a game plan and we didn’t tell the kids,” he stated. “Every Sunday, part of the team meeting was Serra. We added a couple plays each week. The kids didn’t know.”
A rematch is occurring within the opening spherical of the Metropolis Part Open Division playoffs, with Marine League rivals San Pedro and Banning going through off once more after enjoying Oct. 18 on the Coliseum in a sport received by San Pedro 34-33.
“I’ve been around the City a long time,” stated San Pedro coach Corey Walsh, the son of legendary coach Mike Walsh. “When I was growing up, people really had a tough time beating a team twice, whether it was Taft-Birmingham, Crenshaw-Dorsey, San Pedro-Banning. It was like a spell. I don’t think that’s held quite as true lately.”
Mater Dei will face the winner of Sierra Canyon-Servite. No. 2-seeded St. John Bosco will face the winner of Santa Margarita-Inglewood. The opposite openers set for Nov. 15 are JSerra vs. No. 3 Orange Lutheran and Corona Centennial at No. 4 Mission Viejo in what may very well be known as the general public faculty championship sport.
Requested if he saved any performs for the Division 1 playoffs when he faces one other Trinity League opponent, St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro stated, “We definitely didn’t prepare ahead of time. We think the karma gods would get us.”
Murrieta Valley obtained the No. 1 seed in Division 2 and might be powerful to cease now that quarterback Bear Bachmeier has returned from an harm. The Stanford-bound senior has performed within the final two video games by which Murrieta Valley scored 57 and 56 factors.
Simi Valley is seeded No. 1 in Division 3 after incomes a share of the Marmonte League title by upsetting Oaks Christian, the place Simi Valley coach Jim Benkert used to educate. The Pioneers host Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, which obtained an at-large berth out of the Mission League after lacking out final season.
There are 14 Southern Part divisions, with the Division 1 championship ending at Veterans Stadium in Lengthy Seashore later this month.
Let’s see if groups that misplaced the primary time will win the rematch. That may very well be the story line for 2024.
