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Football: Just wait for the Pac-5 complaints to begin

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With the Southern Section announcing its playoff groupings for 2010 and the Pac-5 Division no longer having any at-large playoff berths for football, how long will it take for the complaining to begin?

I predict the pressure is going to mount on the Moore League, which gets to send four teams to the playoffs. I can’t wait to see who’s going to explain why Santa Margarita, St. John Bosco or JSerra don’t get to make the playoffs because the Moore League is guaranteed four spots. And what happens if the Sunset League is loaded with top teams again?
But that’s tough luck for the Trinity and all the Pac-5 schools who have made football a top priority. Either finish in the top three or your season is over. Fans had better be ready to be disappointed because the truth is the Pac-5 is the best, and it’s not going to be treated like Little League, where everybody gets a trophy.

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The pressure is rising with all these new coaches having been hired in the division, and now the reality is about to set in how difficult it’s going to be just to make the playoffs.

Jon Mack, the new Encino Crespi coach, expressed surprise when a parent asked at his introduction about simply making the playoffs. He’s got bigger aspirations, but he’ll soon find out the Serra League isn’t the Channel League, where he cruised to championship after championship at Ventura St. Bonaventure.

Sorry, Coach Mack, but Kevin Rooney at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Dean Herrington at Mission Hills Alemany, Steve Hagerty at La Puente Bishop Amat and Mike Christensen at Loyola are going to offer some stiff competition. Finishing third might look pretty good.

And the Mission League people who were thrilled to get rid of Alemany are going to wish the Warriors never left now that they’re stuck with Gardena Serra. Good luck on that being a fair trade.

So how long is it before spring practice begins?

-- Eric Sondheimer

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