Prep football: No guarantees

Barry Faulkner

CORONA DEL MAR - After losing its grip on a guaranteed berth into

the CIF Southern Section Division IX playoffs, the Corona del Mar High

football team must now embrace its chance to impress the section playoff

committee.

The committee will determine the lone at-large representative that

will join the division’s 15 automatic qualifiers in the 16-team playoff

bracket.

The Sea Kings (5-3-1, 2-2 in league), who have occupied a spot in the

Division IX top-10 poll all season, will likely loose that distinction

after a 17-0 Pacific Coast League setback to Costa Mesa Friday night.

However, Coach Dick Freeman believes a victory, or at least a solid

showing Thursday against unbeaten Northwood, ranked No. 2 in Division IX,

would help punch CdM’s ticket to the postseason.

“You look at the teams we’ve lost to (Newport Harbor and University

before Costa Mesa), and they’ve all been ranked,” Freeman said. Newport

Harbor is ranked No. 1 in CIF Division VIm Uni No. 6 in Division IX and

Mesa will likely be ranked this week.

“I really think that unless somebody has a better record, we should be

in (the playoffs).”

However, unless CdM can beat 9-0 Northwood, which has clinched at

least a share of the PCL crown in only its second season of varsity

competition in the circuit, there are several scenarios that would leave

CdM with fewer wins than other potential at-large candidates.

Should Santiago defeat Garden Grove and Los Amigos handle Pacifica in

the Garden Grove League this week, Grove (8-2), Pacifica (6-4) and

Santiago (6-3) would finish tied for second, with a coin flip eliminating

one team from an automatic berth.

In the Freeway League, where five teams are still in the hunt for

three guaranteed berths, a number of scenarios exist. One very likely

outcome (La Habra beating Fullerton and Troy defeating Sonora) would

force the loser of a third-place coin flip between Sonora and Fullerton,

both with 6-3-1 records, into at-large consideration.

There are, however, scenarios whereby CdM would be a likely at-large

choice.

Should Santiago lose to Grove, Sonora, Fullerton and Sunny Hills win

their Freeway finales, and No. 1-ranked South Hills handle Bonita in its

Valle Vista League finale, the at-large berth would be decided among

Bonita (5-4-1), Buena Park (5-5), Santiago (5-4) and CdM (either 6-3-1

with a win, or 5-4-1 with a loss).

Should the Sea Kings’ fail to match the school record of reaching the

postseason for a fourth straight year (set twice before), Freeman

believes lost fumbles that set up opponents for short touchdown drives

will be the reason.

One such turnover benefited Mesa Friday, with CdM coughing it up at

its own 4.

The resulting touchdown upped the Mesa lead to 14-0 early in the

second quarter and the Mustangs’ defense did the rest.

“A couple plays ended up messing up the whole night,” Freeman said of

the Mesa game, which mirrored the Sea Kings’ 37-10 PCL loss to Uni in

that respect. “If we get rid of those couple plays, we’re right there.”

CdM also threw an interception, its first of the PCL campaign, and

struggled all night to get anything going in the air (43 yards on 5-of-16

passing).

“We had guys open, we just couldn’t find them,” Freeman said.

“After (the Mustangs) first drive (65 yards on eight plays for a

touchdown), our defense did a good job against them. I don’t think any

of our kids don’t think we could still go out and beat Costa Mesa.”