Sunday could be the shortest playoff seeding meeting in the history of the CIF San Diego Section.
For the first time, the section is using CalPreps.coms computer rankings to seed the football playoffs. The website makes its rankings available every week, providing a real-time look at what the brackets will look like.
As a result, there will be little drama on Sunday.
Already, Lincoln High School — with a computer ranking of 59.9 — will be the No. 1 seed in the four-team Open Division playoffs. The Hornets will host No. 4 Mission Hills (39.3) on Nov. 15. Barring a computer flip-flop, No. 2 La Costa Canyon (47.7) will host Cathedral Catholic (46.7) in the other Open Division playoff game. The winners of those two games will play Nov. 23 in Snapdragon Stadium for the Open Division title and the right to advance to the CIF Southern California Regionals.
Unlike in past seasons, this years playoffs do not have predetermined divisions. The top four teams in the CalPreps.com computer rankings make the Open Division playoffs. Teams ranked No. 5-16 make the Division 1 playoffs, Nos. 17-28 make Division 2, Nos. 29-40 make Division 3, Nos. 41-52 make Division 4 and Nos. 53-64 make Division 5. The top four teams in Divisions 1 through 5 receive first-round byes.
The top six teams remaining after the fields are set will make up the Division 5AA bracket.
Champions in Divisions 1 through 5 also advance to the SoCal Regionals. The winners in Division 5AA and the 8-man division do not.
Only head-to-head games and first-round league matchups can alter the CalPreps.com pairings.
The Advisory Committee looks for those head-to-head games and league matchups, said San Diego Section Commissioner Joe Heinz. But it has been determined that head-to-head games will only come into play within a division. You cant jump a team and move up or down a division.
There was a time when the annual seeding meeting would take three hours or more. Coaches pleaded their cases to the Advisory Committee, then teams were placed in divisional brackets based on enrollment.
It was a flawed system, with coaches in parts of the county voting in blocs and personalities and rivalries coming into play.
Mornings that started with coffee and doughnuts turned into testosterone-filled free-for-alls.
It was the coaches who decided to give CalPreps.com a try.
There is no perfect system, Heinz said. Well see how this works.
Win-loss records
This years San Diego Section playoffs will include 24 teams with losing records. At least one team, St. Augustine, will make the playoffs with an 0-10 mark.
Mira Mesa and Fallbrook are 0-9 and are in. One-win teams Ramona and Rancho Buena Vista are in. Two-loss Mission Bay and Vista also make the postseason roster.
No team with a winning record is out, although Kearny — at 6-3 — is ranked No. 63 in the section. Theyre in line for the Division 5 playoffs.
Beyond San Diego
SoCal Regional playoff games will be played at the home of the higher seed.
State championship games will be played at neutral sites.
Saddleback College, an 8,000-seat site; Veterans Stadium, a 11,000-seat site at Long Beach City College; and Fullerton Union High School District Stadium, a 4,900-seat venue, will host games Dec. 13-14.
Coaching milestones
Several football coaches reached milestones this season.
• Chris Hauser (Vista/Mission Hills) now sits at 205 career wins.
• Sean Doyle (USDHS/Cathedral Catholic) sits at 238 career wins and Ron Hamamoto (USDHS/Rancho Bernardo/Lincoln/Monte Vista) is at 240. Doyle replaced Hamamoto at USDHS before the school was relocated to Del Mar Heights Road and renamed Cathedral Catholic.
For now, Doyle and Hamamoto trail long-retired Point Loma coach Bennie Eden (241 wins) for fifth all-time.
• Thadd MacNeal (Carlsbad) has 102 wins in San Diego, Tony Corley (San Pasqual) and David Dunn (Lincoln) have 101 wins and Kellan Cobbs (Granite Hills) sits at 100.
• Drew Westling (Mt. Carmel), Will Gray (Hoover), Marlin Gardinera and Tyler Roach (La Jolla) all hit the 50-win mark. Jason Turner (Holtville) is at 49.
Top performers
Heading into the final game of the season several players are climbing career lists:
• Kearny quarterback Brodie Stump has thrown for 8,764 career yards, the third-most in section history. He has thrown for 98 touchdowns; only two quarterbacks in section history have 100.
• Hoover running back Sir Autry has rushed for 5,333 yards and 64 TDs in his career. Only 14 other running backs in San Diego have cracked 5,000 yards.
• San Marcos receiver Jase Nix has 194 catches for 3,007 yards and 44 TDs. The 3,007 yards rank seventh all-time in the section and the 44 TDs are fourth. Nixs teammate, junior quarterback Kreet Makihele has already thrown for 6,646 yards and is seventh all-time with 84 TDs.
• Del Norte/Lincoln receiver Ty Olsens 3,916 career receiving yards and 48 TDs both rank second in section history. His 225 career catches rank third.
• Lincoln quarterback Akili Smith Jr. has 464 career completions for 6,540 yards and 67 TDs.