Analyzing the Inland Division playoffs
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It’s playoff time and there’s at least one good reason to pay attention to the Inland Division. That’s where you can find top-seeded Corona Centennial attempting to solidfy itself as a Division I state bowl championship contender.
The Huskies were in a similar position a year ago, undefeated and top-seeded in the division, but lost a shocker to Chaparral, 42-28, in a second-round game.
Don’t be surprised if Centennial runs into Chaparral in a semifinal this year, then runs right over them. The Pumas aren’t seeded among the top four, but they have played well in back-to-back games, losing to second-seeded Vista Murrieta by a point and then defeating a solid Temescal Canyon team in the closing seconds, giving them second place in the Southwestern League.
The key for Chaparral will be getting past visiting Los Osos in the first round. The Grizzlies have won four in a row since their upset loss to Etiwanda in a Baseline League opener. The Pumas are led by Colorado-bound quaterback Tyler Hansen, while Los Osos quarterback Richard Brehaut is one of the rising juniors in the Southland.
In the bottom half of the bracket, I still can’t figure out why Vista Murrieta is seeded second over Redlands East Valley. I tried to warn the pollsters about six weeks ago that they had it wrong, but they’re obviously not reading this blog.
The Broncos are very good, no doubt, but haven’t defeated anyone the caliber of Riverside North or Dominguez, teams that combined for only three losses during the regular season, two to REV.
On top of that, Vista Murrieta came within a dropped two-point conversion of losing to Chaparral two weeks ago, and then slipped by league doormat Great Oak in overtime during their regular-season finale Friday. What’s up with that?
The only team that could possibly get in the way of an REV-Vista Murrieta semifinal matchup is Norco, but the Cougars didn’t look so hot while getting blown out by Centennial on Friday. Not only that, but Norco would be unwise to overlook Ayala, this season’s Cinderella story of the Inland Empire. If the Cougars have a soft spot, it’s in their secondary. Ayala, manwhile, has a strong-armed, heady quarterback in Matt Baca.
That’s actually the second-best game of the first round, but I’m not navigating that horse trail to get to Norco for a third week in a row. I’d rather head to Temecula.
That said, look for Corona Centennial and Redlands East Valley to meet in a classic championship game, with the Huskies winning a shootout, 45-38.
Let’s get the party started!
-- Dan Arritt