If I Was King of Sports- 2018 Former VOL vs. Current VOL challenge

December 8, 2018 I intended to write this blog at the beginning of the school year, but let's be honest, I forgot. Generally I do an annual former VOL vs. current VOL blog for basketball, but since there was realignment this year, I wanted to do it for all sports. I will do one for basketball right now, but I will edit it for each sport when I have enough time to spare for it. On a side note, until this year I believed the VOL was the only league which a challenge like this one would be interesting, but this year there have been enough changes in the CCC and WAC that a challenge could be easily done for those leagues as well. Former full member VOL schools and current leagues in parenthesis (that I know of) Bear Creek (SJAA), Buhach Colony (CCC), Central Valley (CCC), Ceres (WAC), Downey (CCAL), Lathrop (WAC), Livingston (TVL), Los Banos (WAC), Modesto (CCAL), Pitman (CCAL), Riverbank (TVL), Sonora (MLL), Tracy (TCAL), West (TCAL). (Note: After I made the original post, I found out that St. Mary's was in the VOL for two years in the 1970's. I will use them for the other sports.) Boy's Basketball In my model, it would be in order of maxpreps rankings (though I don't agree with them) for the former VOL teams. I have my predicted order of finish for current VOL. Sonora @ Central Catholic Tracy @ Weston Ranch Los Banos @ Manteca Lathrop @ Sierra Downey @ Kimball Riverbank @ Oakdale Livingston @ East Union Games that will actually happen or that have happened 11/24 West @ Manteca (MAN won 90-67) 11/26 Oakdale @ Livingston (OAK won 87-54) 11/27 East Union @ Ceres (EU won 55-49) 11/29 East Union @ Downey (DOW won 69-66) 11/30 Modesto vs. Kimball (KIM won 75-61) Sierra @ West (SIE won 80-57) 12/1 Buhach Colony @ East Union (BC won 63-62) 12/4 Central Catholic @ Downey (CC won 57-39) 12/17 Downey @ East Union 12/20 Kimball @ West Manteca @ Tracy 12/21 Kimball @ Tracy Weston Ranch @ Downey 12/26 Tracy vs. Weston Ranch (@ Modesto Christian) 1/11 Oakdale @ Riverbank Girl's Basketball In this model, I will use the top rankings (former VOL) vs. how they finished in the VOL last year. St. Mary's vs. Kimball Bear Creek vs. Manteca Lathrop vs. East Union Los Banos vs. Oakdale Sonora vs. Central Catholic Pitman vs. Weston Ranch West vs. Sierra Football St. Mary's vs. Central Catholic Pitman vs. Manteca Buhach Colony vs. Oakdale Downey vs. East Union Los Banos vs. Sierra Sonora vs. Kimball Modesto vs. Weston Ranch From here on out, I will find match ups that actually happened. If there are not enough of them, then I will make up the remaining match ups to fill the hypothetical challenge. Girls Volleyball Modesto vs. Central Catholic Pitman vs. Oakdale Bear Creek vs. Manteca West vs. Kimball Downey vs. East Union Livingston vs. Sierra (Sierra did not have a game against former VOL) Riverbaank vs. Weston Ranch (Weston did not have a game against former VOL) Girls Tennis There is usually no non-league in tennis, so for my model, I will just use the teams in alphabetical order. (Note: Current small schools do co-ed tennis in the spring) Bear Creek vs. Central Catholic Buhach Colony vs. East Union Central Valley vs. Kimball Ceres vs. Manteca Downey vs. Oakdale Lathrop vs. Sierra Los Banos vs. Weston Ranch Water Polo There are only 3 former VOL members in water polo (all MLL members and two were solely associate members) and there is an associate member of the VOL (Ripon). For water polo only, I would turn it into a MLL vs. VOL challenge. Amador vs. Central Catholic Calaveras vs. Kimball Sonora vs. Oakdale Bret Harte vs. Ripon

What if Stanislaus County had a football tournament

Modesto Christian 25.9 Oakdale 18.7 Gregori 11.9 Denair 11.4 Modesto 9.2 Big Valley -9.1-x Davis -7.3 This week a couple of coworkers and I were discussing the topic of "What if there was a Stanislaus County high school football tournament?" The reality is this year that the conversation begins and ends with Central Catholic, but it was more particularly, "How would Denair do?" Denair won the Sac-Joaquin Section, Division VII championship and defeated Santee High School of Los Angeles for the California state Division 7-AA championship. Could Denair do well against the "big boys"? Barring a miracle, Central Catholic would win the championship; but who would get second? That would depend on how the bracket is situated. My idea is to have a sixteen team tournament. To allow everyone to participate, I would have the top 10 teams to qualify directly and the other 12 to play qualification games for six spots. One change I would make is I would allow all league winners to qualify (but not section winners). In the tournament, I would allow teams of the same league to play qualification games, but not in the first round of the tournament. Like the Sac-Joaquin Section, I would use calpreps.com ratings to rank the teams. Teams who would directly qualify (in alphabetical order) (*=league winner) Big Valley*, Central Catholic*, Denair, Downey, Gregori, Modesto, Modesto Christian, Oakdale, Pitman, Turlock*, Qualification (Matchups would have a different way to have matchups each year if my idea actually happened. For this year, it would be by geography. The higher rated team would be the home team.) Qualification Matchups Orestimba @ Patterson Turlock Christian @ Hughson Riverbank @ Waterford Johansen @ Davis Beyer @ Enochs Ceres @ Central Valley I think all home teams would win. Tournament (16) Central Valley (CCC) @ (1) Central Catholic (VOL) (9) Modesto (CCAL) @ (8) Denair (SL) (12) Enochs (CCAL) @ (5) Modesto Christian (TVL) (13) Waterford (SL) @ (4) Downey (CCAL) (11) Hughson (TVL) @ (6) Oakdale (VOL) (14) Davis (WAC) @ (3) Pitman (CCAL) (10) Patterson (CCC) @ (7) Gregori (CCAL) (15) Big Valley (CCAA) @ (2) Turlock (CCAL) My predicted 2nd round (9) Modesto @ (1) Central Catholic (5) Modesto Christian @ (4) Downey (6) Oakdale @ (3) Pitman (10) Patterson @ (2) Turlock Semifinals (5) Modesto Christian @ (1) Central Catholic (3) Pitman @ (2) Turlock Finals (2) Turlock @ (1) Central Catholic Winner Central Catholic

If I was King of Sports-California High School 8-man football state championship

Over the past few years, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) has created a state championship for football based on the bowl system. It evolved from three division, to five, and now thirteen to ensure section champions get a chance to play more football. Unfortunately if you are a small school and can only have 8-man football, there is no championship. I think that is wrong. A state championship needs to be created. The question is, "How can we do it?" There is no simple answer. There are many factors to be considered. The reality is that there may have to be a committee that chooses two Northern California teams and two Southern California teams to play semifinal games with the winners playing in the championship. With the logistics and the size of the state, that might be the best solution. Fortunately in my blogs, we don't have to worry about logistics. In my suggestion, I would have a 32-team tournament. There are 18 leagues throughout the CIF. Those 18 would be in. Just to try to have some representation from all over the state, I would require three at-large bids be from the north, three from the south, and the other eight teams can be from either region. Whether the Central Section (Fresno/Bakersfield area) is considered to be "north" or "south" depends on the sport. For my model, since the Sac-Joaquin Section (Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto area) does not have 8-man football, the Central Section would be in the north. I have separated the teams in two brackets. I used calpreps.com rankings for the at-large teams and the rankings. Like the current Sac-Joaquin Section format, a team must have 4 wins in order to be eligible, unless it wins its league. If this tournament were to actually happen, I would use a committee. Also, teams from the same league would not play each other in the same round. Bracket 1 (Note: Records are prior to playoffs) League winners in CAPS (16) BORREGO SPRINGS (9-1) (City-San Diego Section) @ (1) MISSION PREP-San Luis Obispo (10-0) (Central Sierra-Central Section) (9) CORNERSTONE CHR.-Antioch (9-0) (PCL-Central Coast Section) @ (8) Villanova Prep-Ojai (6-3) (Mt. Pinos-Southern Section) (12) BIG VALLEY-Bieber (9-0) (CA North-Northern Section) @ (5) HESPERIA CHRISTIAN (8-1) (Agape-Southern Section) (13) Tomales (4-4) (N.Central III N-North Coast Section) @ (4) ANIMO ROBINSON-Los Angeles (7-2) (City-Los Angeles Section) (11) Riverdale Christian (6-3) (Central Sierra-Central Section) @ (6) LOS MOLINOS (9-0) (CA South-Northern Section) (14) Calistoga (5-4) (North Central III-S-North Coast Section) @ (3) CATE-Carpinteria (8-0) (Mt. Pinos-Southern Section) (10) Riverside Cty. Education Aca. (5-3) (Victory-Southern Section) @ (7) Orcutt Academy (7-3) (Central Sierra-Central Section) (15) SHERMAN OAKS CES-Los Angeles) (6-4) (Valley-Los Angeles Section @ (2) Faith Baptist-Canoga Park section of Los Angeles (7-2) (Independent-Southern Section) Bracket 2 (Note: Records are prior to playoffs) (16) CALVARY BAPTIST-La Verne (6-2) (Omega-Southern Section) @ (1) MOJAVE (7-0) (Desert Mountain-Southern Section) (9) SOUTH FORK-Miranda (6-3) (NCL) III-N-North Coast Section) @ (8) Branson-Ross (6-1) (North Central III-S-North Coast Section) (12) McCloud (7-1) (Independent-Northern Section) @ (5) STUART HALL-San Francisco (8-0) (North Central III-S-North Coast Section) (13) Hillcrest Chr.-Thousand Oaks (7-2) (Omega-Southern Section) @ (4) Windward-Los Angeles (6-3) (Prep-Southern Section) (11) Calvary Chapel-Downey (5-2) (Express-Southern Section @ (6) Fresno Christian (8-1) (Central Sierra-Central Section) (14) Laton (6-4) (Central Sierra-Central) @ (3) CHADWICK-Palos Verdes Estates (8-0) (Prep-Southern Section) (10) FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN-El Cajon (6-2) (Ocean-San Diego Section) @ (7) SAGE HILL-Newport Beach (9-0) (Express-Southern Section) (15) VALLEY CHR. ACA.-Santa Maria (6-2) (CVL-Southern Section) @ (2) BLOOMINGTON CHRISTIAN (7-0) (Victory-Southern Section)

Week 8 Playoff Projections

There are a lot of new rules when it comes to the Sac-Joaquin Section High School football playoffs that not everyone is sure about how it works. There are even sports writers and football coaches that are not completely sure how it works. Here is what I do know. 1) Only the league winner is guaranteed a spot. If there are co-champions, all of them are in. 2) Calpreps.com rankings determine the at-large teams. However, a team must have a minimum of 4 wins to qualify (unless somehow it wins a league, which it is possible with the Greater Sacramento League winner). 3) A committee will seed the teams. 4) Division placement rules are the same as last year. 5) The section is divided into 7 columns representing divisions. 6) If a division III team wins a division II league, it must play division II. Also, the lowest division II team by enrollment will drop to division III (unless by some other rule, it must play division II. In that case, the next lowest team will move to the next division). What I am not sure of... 1) Will it be the next eligible team that drops down, or the next team period? Notes -In my projections, if two first place teams are within two calpreps.com rating points of each other, they will be co-champs in my projection. Otherwise, one team will likely finish ahead of the other. -If a team currently has 3 wins, I put them in my projections. If it has one or two wins, I look to see if they are likely to get its four wins. If it has no wins at this point, it will not be eligible. -There will be a committee to seed the teams. I used maxpreps.com rankings as that committee (of course adjusting if teams in the same league would play each other in the first round). -I will give the bracket and who are projected to be the first two teams out in each division. Division I (1) Folsom would have a bye. (9) Edison-Stockton @ (8) Pitman-Turlock (12) Davis @ (5) St. Mary's-Stockton (4) Jesuit-Carmichael would have a bye. (11) Gregori-Modesto @ (6) Sheldon-Sacramento (3) Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills would have a bye. (10) Cosumnes Oaks-Elk Grove @ (7) Turlock (2) Monterey Trail-Elk Grove would have a bye. First 2 teams out Modesto, Chavez (Stockton) Division II (1) Del Oro-Loomis would have a bye. (9) Vacaville @ (8) Antelope (12) Woodcreek-Roseville @ (5) Grant-Sacramento (4) Granite Bay would have a bye. (11) Elk Grove @ (6) Tracy (3) Central Catholic-Modesto would have a bye. (10) Downey-Modesto @ (7) Lincoln (2) Inderkum-Sacramento would have a bye. First 2 teams out Oakmont (Roseville), Bear Creek (Stockton) Division III (1) Placer-Auburn would have a bye. (9) Christian Brothers-Sacramento @ (8) River Valley-Yuba City (12) Vista del Lago-Folsom @ (5) Manteca (4) Buhach Colony-Atwater would have a bye. (11) Ponderosa-Shingle Springs @ (6) Sacramento (3) Merced would have a bye. (10) Burbank-Sacramento @ (7) Yuba City (2) Capital Christian-Sacramento would have a bye. First 2 teams out Atwater, Golden Valley (Merced) Division IV (1) Rio Linda would have a bye. (9) Nevada Union-Grass Valley @ (8) Sierra-Manteca (12) Cordova-Rancho Cordova @ (5) Vanden-Fairfield (4) Oakdale would have a bye. (11) Kimball-Tracy @ (6) Patterson (3) Casa Roble-Orangeville would have a bye. (10) East Union-Manteca @ (7) Pacheco-Los Banos (2) Wood-Vacaville would have a bye. First 2 teams out Rosemont (Sacramento), Pioneer (Woodland) (note: It is still possible that not enough teams in this column would qualify. I do not know what the section would do if that happened.) Division V (1) Modesto Christian would have a bye. (9) Sonora @ (8) Bradshaw Christian-Sacramento (12) Dixon @ (5) Calaveras-San Andreas (4) Center-Antelope would have a bye. (11) Los Banos @ (6) Foothill-Sacramento (3) Bear River-Grass Valley would have a bye. (10) El Dorado-Placerville @ (7) Mountain House (2) Colfax would have a bye. First 2 teams out Woodland, Galt Division VI (1) Ripon would have a bye. (9) Waterford @ (8) Hughson (12) Orestimba-Newman @ (5) Rio Vista (4) Escalon would have a bye. (11) San Juan-Citrus Heights @ (6) Argonaut-Jackson (3) Ripon Christian would have a bye. (10) Highlands-North Highlands @ (7) Amador-Sutter Creek (2) Hilmar would have a bye. First 2 teams out Gustine, Marysville Division VII (6 teams bracket) (1) Denair would have a bye. (5) Woodland Christian @ (4) Brookside Christian-Stockton) (6) Stone Ridge Christian-Merced @ (3) Golden Sierra-Garden Valley (2) Big Valley-Modesto would have a bye. First 2 teams out Vacaville Christian, Delta (Clarksburg)

If I Was King of Sports: Football Challege

In my previous posts, I have mentioned my idea of a 209 tournament for basketball and baseball. In my vision, I would have tournaments for all sports that the 209 offers. There are just two sports in which I could see no possibility for it. The first is lacrosse, and that is because there are only two schools in the 209 that offer it, Saint Mary's and Lincoln (both in Stockton). The second is football. A 64-team tournament could not be done due to time and safety of the players. We could not have Riverbank play a large school, like Manteca. That is not safe for the Riverbank players. Also, a six-week tournament is too much, and we could not have more than one game a week for high-school level, especially among the small schools. There are a couple ways we could make it happen. The first is to play a 7-on-7, flag football tournament. Multiple games could be played in a day, and the whole tournament could be played in a week. The second possibility is to have mini-tournaments based on skill level. But my idea is to have a 209 vs. 559 challenge. Why have the 209 play the 559? I had that idea, because before the area code split in 1998, the 559 was a part of the 209, so it is like the former 209 vs. the current 209. For high school sports, I am about having as much participation as possible, so here is how I would propose. The closest comparison would be a major pre-season college basketball tournament, such as the Maui Invitational. They have a main tournament in Hawai'i, and a mainland version, that very few know about and really does not matter in the scheme of things, but more teams get to participate, nonetheless. I would have nine games (5 in a major 559 stadium, I am thinking Bulldog Stadium in Fresno and 4 in a major 209 stadium, I am thinking about Warrior Stadium in Turlock or Delta College in Stockton). It would feature eight of the best teams each area has to offer, and the ninth game would feature a small, public school (under 1,000 enrollment) from each area code. The calpreps.com rankings would be used to determine the teams, and the area code that wins the most of those games wins. The rest of the schools would be invited to participate at a home site of one of the schools. The 209 has seven more teams than the 559, so I would either have them play each other, or have them take the year off. Another thing to add is that the 559 has five 8-man teams, while the 209 has none. The home team would determine if the game would be an 11-man game or an 8-man game. Here is what the field would look like Main Field at 559 Game 1 (Small School): Escalon (209) vs. Caruthers (559) Calpreps projection: Caruthers 31-27 Game 2: Gregori-Modesto (209) vs. Clovis West-Fresno (559) Calpreps projection: Clovis West 31-21 Game 3: Oakdale (209) vs. Tulare Western (559) Calpreps projection: Tulare Western 28-26 Game 4: Manteca (209) vs. San Joaquin Memorial-Fresno (559) Calpreps projection: San Joaquin Memorial 40-27 Main Event: St. Mary's-Stockton (209) vs. Central-Fresno (559) Calpreps projection: Central 34-17 at 209 Game 1: Central Valley Christian-Visalia (559) vs. Downey-Modesto (209) Calpreps projection: Central Valley Christian 35-28 Game 2: Edison-Fresno (559) vs. Tracy (209) Calpreps projection: Edison 22-17 Game 3: Tulare Union-Tulare (559) vs. Turlock (209) Calpreps projection: Tulare Union 44-20 Main Event: Buchanan-Clovis (559) vs. Central Catholic-Modesto (209) Calpreps projection: Buchanan 28-22 Projected winner: 559 9-0 Some of the other games I would have at 209 Bullard (Fresno) @ Buhach Colony (Atwater) El Diamante (Visalia) @ Patterson Golden West (Visalia) @ Sonora Madera @ Modesto Christian Monache (Porterville) @ McNair (Stockton) Clovis North (Clovis) @ Hilmar Mt. Whtiney (Visalia) @ Orestimba (Newman) Strathmore @ Lincoln (Stockton) Hanford @ Lodi Redwood (Visalia) @ Calaveras (San Andreas) Chowchilla @ Mountain House Roosevelt (Fresno) @ Beyer (Modesto) Firebaugh @ Chavez (Stockton) Madera South (Madera) @ Weston Ranch (Stockton) at 559 Pitman (Turlock) @ Dinuba Merced @ Sunnyside (Fresno) Stagg (Stockton) @ Clovis Modesto @ Sanger East Union (Manteca) @ Lemoore Edison (Stockton) @ Selma Ripon @ Fresno Los Banos @ Kerman Summerville (Tuolumne City) @ Kerman El Capitan (Merced) @ Exeter Kimball (Tracy) @ Kingsburg Pacheco (Los Banos) @ Yosemite (Oakhurst) West (Tracy) @ Hanford West (Hanford) Argonaut (Jackson) @ Porterville Finally While I was writing this, I had another idea, the California area code tournament. I will explain in my next blog, but right now my pick to win it would be the 916 (Sacramento-area). Most of the best teams are in the south, but there are so many area codes that I cannot imagine any one of those area codes being more than three talented teams deep.

If I Was King of Sports: 2018 Baseball/Lacrosse NIT

I wasn't going to do another one of these posts, because last year I learned that the wooden bat leagues start around the college tournament season. The original idea came to me a few years ago when Campbell University finished 43-10 and did not get a bid into the NCAA baseball tournament. The Fighting Camels may not have had the strongest strength of schedule, but a 43-10 season should be rewarded. In addition, at least one spring sport should have a second postseason tournament. In the fall, football has the bowls in addition to the college football playoff. In the winter, basketball has three additional tournaments to the NCAA basketball tournament. If this tournament was to actually happen, there would have to be a set amount of teams that qualify, and there would possibly have to be some pre-determined sites. But since this tournament is and probably will always be hypothetical, there would be only one basis for qualification for this tournament, have a better overall record than the NCAA tournament at-large team with the worst record. If there are any open spots left, I would fill them with division II teams that did not make it's College World Series that fills the one qualification. (Because there is typically not a lot of money in a NCAA Division II athletic budget, the teams that are chosen would be those from the same region as the regional number 1 seed. In other words, a team like California State-Monterey Bay would not have to travel to New York). Seedings would be based on records with one exception this year. The four teams that were designated "the first four out" will be the automatic top-4 seeds in this tournament. This year 59 teams had better records than the Oklahoma State Cowboys (29-24-1). For this tournament I would have 64 teams (59 Division I, 5 Division II), and it would work just like the NCAA baseball tournament. First Round (*=Division II team) (1) Orlando, FL Regional (Host: UCF) (4) Tampa Spartans (42-11)* vs. (1) UCF Knights (35-21) (3) Sacramento St. Hornets (35-25) vs. (2) Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (32-21) (16) Indianapolis, IN Regional (Host: Butler) (4) South Alabama Jaguars (32-25) vs. (1) Butler Bulldogs (34-20) (3) Indiana St. Sycamores (31-24) vs. (2) Southeast Louisiana Lions (37-22) (8) New York-Staten Island, NY Regional (Host: Wagner) (4) Monmouth Hawks (30-25) vs. (1) Wagner Seahawks (38-18) (3) Seton Hall Pirates (30-20-1) vs. (2) VCU Rams (34-23) (9) Huntsville, TX Regional (Host: Sam Houston State) (4) Nevada Wolfpack (29-24) vs. (1) Sam Houston St. BearKats (39-20) (3) TCU Horned Frogs (32-23) vs. (2) Wichita St. Shockers (35-21-1) (5) Greensboro, NC Regional (Host: North Carolina-Greensboro) (4) North Greenville Tigers (46-10)* vs. (1) North Carolina-Greensboro Spartans (39-15) (3) Charlotte 49ers (34-24) vs. (2) Davidson Wildcats (32-21) (12) Jackson, MS Regional (Host: Jackson State) (4) Liberty Flames (32-26) vs. (1) Jackson St. Tigers (34-18) (3) UTSA Roadrunners (32-24) vs. (2) Missouri Tigers (34-22) (4) Tucson, AZ Regional (Host: Arizona) (4) Azusa Pacific Cougars (41-11)* vs. (1) Arizona Wildcats (34-22) (3) UC-Irvine Anteaters (32-24) vs. (2) Seattle Redhawks (34-23) (13) Oxford, OH Regional (Host: Miami (OH)) (4) George Washington Colonials (32-26) vs. (1) Miami (OH) Redhawks (35-20) (3) Stony Brook Seawolves (33-25) vs. (2) Michigan Wolverines (33-21) (6) Annapolis, MD Regional (Host: Navy) (4) North Carolina Central Eagles (28-24) vs. (1) Navy Midshipmen (38-16) (3) Richmond Spiders (32-24) vs. (2) Elon Phoenix (36-23) (11) Charleston, SC Regional (Host: College of Charleston) (4) Ball St. Cardinals (32-26) vs. (1) College of Charleston Cougars (36-19) (3) Jacksonville St. Gamecocks (32-21) vs. (2) Wofford Terriers (36-23) (3) Lexington, KY Regional (Host: Kentucky) (4) Illinois-Springfield Prairie Stars (47-9)* vs. (1) Kentucky Wildcats (34-22) (3) Pepperdine Waves (31-20) vs. (2) Illinois-Chicago Flames (30-18) (14) New York, NY Regional (Host: Fordham) (4) Fresno St. Bulldogs (30-24) vs. (1) Fordham Rams (35-19-1) (3) Bryant Bulldogs (32-23-1) vs. (2) California Golden Bears (32-22) (7) Omaha, NE Regional (Host: Creighton) (4) Marist Red Foxes (27-23) vs. (1) Creighton Blue Jays (34-16) (3) Grand Canyon Lopes (33-24) vs. (2) Iowa Hawkeyes (33-20) (10) Ruston, LA Regional (Host: Louisiana Tech) (4) Northern Colorado Bears (29-24) vs. (1) Louisiana Tech (39-20) (3) Louisiana-Lafayette Rajin' Cajuns (34-25) vs. (2) UNLV Runnin' Rebels (35-24) (15) Macon, GA Regional (Host: Mercer) (4) Central Arkansas Bears (32-25) vs. (1) Mercer Bears (38-22) (3) Alabama St. Hornets (34-25) vs. High Point Panthers (34-22) (2) Champaign, IL Regional (Host: Illinois) (4) Northwood Timberwolves (38-16)* vs. (1) Illinois Fightin' Illini (33-20) (3) St. Mary's Gaels (36-23) vs. (2) Bradley Braves (32-19) The only other spring sport that could have an NIT would be lacrosse. (Congratulations to Yale, by the way for winning the championship). If there was going to be an NIT, it would probably have 8 teams, but my tournament will have 16 teams (13 from division I, 2 from division II, and 1 from Division III). For this year, I am solely using RPI Rankings (as long as the teams had a minimum .500 record). (16) Franklin & Marshall Diplomats (12-4) @ (1) Rutgers Scarlet Knights (9-6) (9) Lehigh Mountain Hawks (10-7) @ (8) Princeton Tigers (8-5) (12) Detroit Titans/Quinnipiac Bobcats (9-7) @ (5) Vermont Catamounts (12-4)* (13) Massachusetts-Lowell (8-8) @ (4) Ohio St. Buckeyes (8-7) (11) Jacksonville Dolphins (8-7) @ (6) Penn St. Nitany Lions (8-6) (14) Adelphi Panthers (11-4) @ (3) Navy Midshipmen (9-5) (10) St. Joseph's Hawks (14-4) @ (7) Michigan Wolverines (8-6) (15) Wingate Bulldogs (11-5) @ (2) Bucknell Bison (11-4) *=at the time of writing this, I probably would have added a play-in game, because 14 teams finished .500 or better. I did not want to just leave one team out.

The 209 in the Baseball/Softball Postseasons

There are a few local schools being represented in the NCAA Softball College World Series and NCAA Baseball Tournament. Here is a list of colleges and where the players came from... NCAA Softball (1) Oregon - 1 from East Union (Manteca) (3) UCLA- 1 from Merced (5) Washington- 1 from Ceres (7) Georgia- 1 from Ceres (8) Arizona State- 2 from Oakdale NCAA baseball tournament Florida Atlantic- 1 from Lincoln (Stockton) UCLA- 1 from St. Mary's (Stockton) Washington- 1 from El Capitan (Merced)

If I Was King of Sports: World Cup NIT

I have been thinking about this for six years, but there should be a NIT version for international soccer. The best teams that did not make the World Cup would go. For my tournament, I would have 64 teams compete in a knockout tournament. Each round would be one-leg (though if I was running it, I might have the first round be a home-and-home so each country would have the chance to host at least one game). European, Asian, and African teams could play each other as early as the first round as long as they did not play each other in the final round of World Cup Qualifying, because they each have a lot of teams. I would not have teams from North America, South America, or Oceania play each other until the second round. Each confederation would get one automatic qualifier, with the OFC getting two until it gets a full spot in the World Cup. The automatic qualifiers would be who came the closest to making the World Cup from each confederation without getting in. With Europe having four teams eliminated in the same round, it would be the highest ranking of the four going into the final round. The rest of the teams would be chosen from the top FIFA rankings based off the March rankings of a World Cup year. Automatic Qualifiers AFC (Asia)- Syria CAF (Africa)- Congo (DR) COMNEBOL (South America)- Chile CONCACAF (North America)- Honduras OFC (Oceania)- New Zealand and Solomon Islands UEFA (Europe)- Italy Tournament (Automatic qualifiers in CAPS) Bracket I (16) SOLOMON ISLANDS vs. (1) CHILE (9) Slovenia vs. (8) Cape Verde (12) Trinidad & Tobago vs. (5) Bulgaria (13) United Arab Emirates vs. (4) CONGO (DR) (11) Uzbekistan vs. (6) Jamaica (14) El Salvador vs. (3) Paraguay (10) Cote D'Ivoire vs. (7) Hungary (15) Lebanon vs. (2) Slovakia Bracket IV (16) Cyprus vs. (1) Netherlands (9) China vs. (8) Norway (12) South Africa vs. (5) Greece (13) Luxembourg vs. (4) Ukraine (11) Macedonia vs. (6) Montenegro (14) Iraq vs. (3) Serbia (10) Mali vs. (7) Burkina Faso (15) Armenia vs. (2) Northern Ireland Bracket III (16) Belarus vs. (1) Wales (9) Ecuador vs. (8) Albania (12) Zambia vs. (5) Czech Republic (13) Curacao vs. (4) Romania (11) SYRIA vs. (6) Bolivia (14) Haiti vs. (3) Scotland (10) Finland vs. (7) Ghana (15) Congo vs. (2) United States Bracket II (16) NEW ZEALAND vs. (1) ITALY (9) HONDURAS vs. (8) Algeria (12) Uganda vs. (5) Bosnia and Herzegovina (13) Benin vs. (4) Turkey (11) Palestine vs. (6) Venezuela (14) Estonia vs. (3) Ireland (10) Guinea vs. (7) Cameroon (15) Canada vs. (2) Austria

If I Was King of Sports- Reno 8

by Matt Groom 3/5/18 Two years ago bd Global tried the Vegas 16 tournament as an alternate for the collegeinsider.com (CIT) and College Basketball Invitational (CBI) tournaments (wikipedia.com) for NCAA Division I teams to play that were not invited to the main tournament or the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). In my opinion it was a great idea. Sixteen teams would meet in one spot and play a tournament throughout the entire weekend a week before the NCAA had its championship game. It did not work, however. These organizers could not even fill out a full bracket of sixteen teams. It ultimately had to be cut to eight teams, and the tournament only lasted one year. I think this idea would be better suited for division II of the NCAA. These colleges do not have as much money to pay for the constant traveling from site to site, and it will allow the NCAA to reward more teams for great seasons. Plus there is no secondary tournament in Division II, so there is no competition. If I was in charge, I would have a tournament for Division II. Since it is division II and these schools do not have as much fan support, I would put the tournament in a smaller location. I think Reno is the perfect place for it. I would have eight teams play at the Reno Events Center in downtown Reno. The teams I would have would be the top team from each of the eight regions that did not make the NCAA Division II tournament. The top two ranked teams would be put in opposite sides of the bracket. Where the other six teams would be located would be by random draw. I think that would add some fun to the tournament. If the NCAA would want to expand it to 16 teams, then I would take the top two teams in each region, and teams in the same region would not play each other in the first round. My tournament Teams In Atlantic-Indiana (PA) (22-7) (81) Central- Northwestern Oklahoma (20-6) (NR) East- Daeman (21-7) (133) Midwest- Southern Indiana (17-10) (66) South-Benedict (16-9) (126) Southeast- Augusta (16-12) (138) South Central- Tarleton St. (14-10) (28) West- Chico St. (18-7) (91) (NR) Benedict vs. (1) Tarleton St. (NR) Daemen vs. (NR) Indiana (PA) (NR) Northwestern Oklahoma vs. (NR) Augusta (NR) Chico St. vs. (2) Southern Indiana If the tournament expanded to 16 the extra teams would be... Atlantic- Kutztown Central- Central Oklahoma East- New Haven Midwest- Indianapolis South- Benedict Southeast- Barton South Central- Angelo St. West- Western Washington

If I Was King Of Sports- 209 basketball tournament #4

by Matt Groom If I was king of sports, I would like to have a basketball tournament for the high schools in the 209 area code. Though I would like to have it as a post-season tournament, I think it would actually work better as a summer league tournament. Seeing priority of teams: 1) Section champions 2) Section runners-up 3) League champions 4) Combination of record and maxpreps.com rankings. I would have 64 teams in the main tournament. In the first round, they would be divided into eight pods of eight teams each. The top eight teams by my seeding priority would host in the first three rounds. I would have a losers bracket as well as a winners bracket. Each pod would run like a preseason high school tournament where each team is guaranteed three games. In the next three rounds, they would be held at neutral sites. Where teams would go would depend on how they finished in their respective pods. Pod winners- Stockton Arena (Stockton, CA) 2nd place- University of Pacific (Stockton, CA) 3rd place- Stanislaus State University (Turlock, CA) 4th place- UC-Merced (Merced, CA) 5th place- Delta College (Stockton, CA) 6th place- Modesto Junior College (Modesto, CA) 7th place- Merced College (Merced, CA) 8th place- Columbia College- (Sonora, CA) There would be no enrollment-based divisions in this tournament. Teams in the same league would not be in the same pod. In a realignment year (like this will be), the rule will be based off the new leagues, not the old. I would try not to have the old league alignments, either, but that will not always be possible. Here is what my 2018 tournament would look like if I was King of Sports Note: If a team has two league names next to it, the old league will be listed first and the new league will be listed second) Pod A @ Central Catholic (Modesto) (8) Turlock Christian Eagles (CCAA) vs. (1) Central Catholic Raiders-Modesto (VOL) (5) Livingston Wolves (WAC-TVL) vs. (4) West Wolfpack-Tracy (TCAL) (6) Orestimba Warriors-Newman (SL) vs. (3) Gregori Jaguars-Modesto (MMC-CCAL) (7) Mountain House Mustangs (TVL-WAC) vs. (2) El Capitan Gauchos-Merced (CCC) Pod H @ Lincoln (Stockton) (8) Hilmar Yellowjackets (TVL) vs. (1) Lincoln Trojans-Stockton (TCAL) (5) Turlock Bulldogs (CCC-CCAL) vs. (4) Stockton Christian Eagles (MVL) (6) Kimball Jaguars-Tracy (VOL) vs. (3) Jim Elliot Christian Eagles-Lodi (CCAA) (7) Lathrop Spartans (VOL-WAC) vs. (2) Liberty Ranch Hawks-Galt (SVC) Pod E @ Ripon Christian (8) Linden Lions (MLL-SDL) vs. (1) Ripon Cristian Knights (TVL) (5) Holt Academy Bobcats-Stockton (MVL) vs. (4) Summerville Bears-Toulumne City (MLL) (6) Manteca Buffaloes (VOL) vs. (3) Tracy Bulldogs (TCAL) (7) Chavez Titans-Stockton (SJAA) vs. (2) Patterson Tigers (WAC-CCC) Pod D @ St. Mary's (Stockton) (8) Central Valley Hawks-Ceres (WAC-CCC) vs. (1) St. Mary's Rams-Stockton (TCAL) (5) Venture Academy Mustangs-Stockton (CCAA) vs. (4) Stagg Delta Kings- Stockton (SJAA) (6) Ceres Bulldogs (WAC) vs. (3) Weston Ranch Cougars-Stockton (VOL) (7) Bret Harte Bullfrogs-Angels Camp (MLL) vs. (2) Hughes Academy Titans-Stockton (MVL) Pod F @ Beyer (Modesto) (8) Lodi Flames (TCAL) vs. (1) Beyer Patriots-Modesto (MMC-WAC) (5) Sierra Timberwolves-Manteca (VOL) vs. (4) Enochs Eagles-Modesto (MMC-CCAL) (6) Riverbank Bruins (TVL) vs. (3) Calaveras-San Andreas (MLL) (7) Atwater Falcons (CCC) vs. (2) Mariposa Grizzlies (SL) Pod C @ Argonaut (Jackson) (8) Waterford Wildcats (SL) vs. (1) Argonaut Mustangs-Jackson (MLL) (5) Modesto Panthers (MMC-CCAL) vs. (4) Merced Bears (CCC) (6) Lodi Academy Titans (MVL) vs. (3) Los Banos Tigers (WAC) (7) Oakdale Mustangs (VOL) vs. (2) Bear Creek Bruins-Stockton (SJAA) Pod G @ Sonora (8) Johansen Vikings-Modesto (MMC-WAC) vs. (1) Sonora Wildcats (MLL) (5) Tioga Timberwolves-Groveland (MVL) vs. (4) Hughson Huskies (TVL) (6) Le Grand Bulldogs (SL) vs. (3) Golden Valley Cougars-Merced (CCC) (7) Franklin Yellowjackets-Stockton (SJAA) vs. (2) Brookside Christian Knights-Stockton (CCAA) Pod B @ Modesto Christian (8) Amador Buffaloes-Sutter Creek (MLL) vs. (1) Modesto Christian Crusaders (MMC-TCAL) (5) Denair Coyotes (SL) vs. (4) Big Valley Lions-Modesto (CCAA) (6) Edison Vikings-Stockton (SJAA) vs. (3) Pitman Pride-Turlock (CCC-CCAL) (7) Buhach Colony-Atwater (CCC) vs. (2) Ripon Indians (TVL) Non-advancing pods, in order to include as many teams as possible, I would have two non-advancing pods. In these pods, the top two teams that did not qualify for the main tournament would host. The teams would just have their guaranteed three games. I would design this part like a true "S-curve". Teams from the same league could play as early as the first round. Pod I @ Millennium (Tracy) (8) Stone Ridge Christian-Merced (CCAA) vs. (1) Millennium-Tracy (CCAA) (5) Dos Palos (WSL) vs. (4) Sierra Ridge/Rite of Passage-San Andreas (CCAA) (6) Tokay-Lodi (TCAL) vs. (3) Galt (SVC) (7) Escalon (TVL) vs. (2) Downey-Modesto (MMC-CCAL) Pod J @ Delhi (8) Davis-Modesto (MMC-WAC) vs. (1) Delhi (SL) (5) Humphreys Charter-Stockton (MVL) vs. (4) Gustine (SL) (6) East Union-Manteca (VOL) vs. (3) Pacheco-Los Banos (WAC) (7) McNair-Stockton (SJAA) vs. (2) Delta Charter-Tracy (MVL) Pod K Central Valley Christian @ Don Pedro

What might High School SJS basketball playoffs look like if it was ran NCAA-style?

That is the question I wondered for this year. There are six divisions in the Sac-Joaquin Section for basketball, and for the most part, enrollment determines which division a team would fall in. For this hypothetical experiment, there would be no enrollment-based divisions. It would be a 68-team tournament for the boys and a 64-team tournament for the girls (to match the NCAA tournaments). I will also add a mythical NIT-style tournament for the boys. Like the NCAA tournament, each league will have one automatic bid for this tournament. Since there are no league tournaments in the Sac-Joaquin Section, the first place team will have the bid. I will use maxpreps.com rankings to determine the at-large bids and for seeding. Since this is high school, I will not include sub-.500 teams, unless somehow they won their league. I would use the four-region format. Since, there are four area codes in the Sac-Joaquin Section, I would name the regions after the area codes. Boys bracket Number 1 seeds: Sheldon (Sacramento), Folsom, Modesto Christian, Jesuit (Carmichael) Automatic Bids in CAPS 916/279 Region (16) WESTERN SIERRA (Rocklin) (NPAC)/HUGHES ACADEMY (MVL) vs. (1) SHELDON (Sacramento) (DL) (9) Pitman (Turlock) (CCC) vs. (8) Beyer (Modesto) (MMC) (12) BRADSHAW CHRISTIAN (Sacramento) (SDL) vs. (5) Tracy (TCAL) (13) SACRAMENTO ADVENTIST (Carmichael) (SMAL) vs. (4) SONORA (MLL) (11) RIO AMERICANO (Sacramento) (CAL) vs. (6) Gregori (Modesto) (MMC) (14) Wood (Vacaville) (MEL) vs. (3) ANTELOPE (CVC) (10) Lincoln (PVL) vs. (7) RIVER VALLEY (Yuba City) (TCC) (15) Benicia (SCAC) vs. (2) SACRAMENTO (ML) 707 Region (16) BEAR CREEK (Stockton) (SJAA) vs. (1) Jesuit (Carmichael) (DL) (9) Argonaut (Jackson) (MLL) vs. (8) Placer (Auburn) (PVL) (12) Cosumnes Oaks (Elk Grove) (CVC) vs. (5) Del Oro (Loomis) (SFL) (13) VACAVILLE (MEL) vs. (4) EL CAPITAN (Merced) (CCC) (11) El Dorado (Placerville) (SVC) vs. (6) VANDEN (Fairfield) (SCAC) (14) Union Mine (El Dorado) (SVC) vs. (3) St. Mary's (Stockton) (TCAL) (10) RIPON (TVL) vs. (7) Roseville (CVC) (15) River City (West Sacramento) (TCC) vs. (2) CENTRAL CATHOLIC (Modesto) (VOL) 209 Region (16) SACRAMENTO WALDORF (CVCL)/MARIPOSA (SL)vs. (1) MODESTO CHRISTIAN (MMC) (9) Davis (DL) vs. (8) West Campus (Sacramento) (GEL) (12) Laguna Creek (Elk Grove) (ML) vs. (5) Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) (SFL) (13) Christian Brothers (Sacramento) (CAL) vs. (4) Grant (Sacramento) (DL) (11) PATTERSON (WAC) vs. (6) Del Campo (Fair Oaks) (CVC) (14) Calaveras (San Andreas) (MLL) vs. (3) Woodcreek (Roseville) (SFL) (10) Golden Valley (Merced) (CCC) vs. (7) Dixon (GEL) (15) Cordova (Rancho Cordova)/Kennedy (Sacramento) (ML) vs. (2) LINCOLN (Stockton) (TCAL) 530 Region (16) BROOKSIDE CHRISTIAN (Stockton) (CCAA) vs. (1) FOLSOM (SFL) (9) Weston Ranch (Stockton) (VOL) vs. (8) Monterey Trail (Elk Grove) (DL) (12) COLFAX (PVL) vs. (5) LIBERTY RANCH (Galt) (SVC) (13) Turlock (CCC) vs. (4) Whitney (Rocklin) (CVC) (11) American Canyon (SCAC) vs. (6) Granite Bay (SFL) (14) Yuba City (TCC) vs. (3) Franklin (Elk Grove) (DL) (10) West (Tracy) (TCAL) vs. (7) Burbank (Sacramento) (ML) (15) Stagg (Stockton) (SJAA)/Enochs (Modesto) (MMC) vs. (2) CAPITAL CHRISTIAN (Sacramento) (GEL) Last 4 Byes: Union Mine, Wood, Benicia, River City Last 4 In: Enochs, Kennedy, Stagg, Cordova First 4 Out: Fairfield, Merced, Modesto, Vallejo Next 4 Out: Inderkum, El Camino, Ripon Christian, Jim Elliot Christian Girls bracket Number 1 seeds:St. Mary's (Stockton), Folsom, Cosumnes Oaks (Elk Grove), Bear Creek (Stockton) Automatic Bids in CAPS 209 Region Pod 1 (@ St. Mary's High School-Stockton) (16) BIG VALLEY (Modesto) (CCAA) vs. (1) St. Mary's (Stockton) (IND) (9) BRADSHAW CHRISTIAN (Sacramento) (SDL) vs. (8) Inderkum (Sacramento) (TCC) Pod 2 (@ Roseville High School) (12) VINTAGE (Napa) (MEL) vs. (5) Edison (Stockton) (SJAA) (13) FOREST LAKE CHRISTIAN (Auburn) (CVCL) vs. (4) Roseville (CVC) Pod 3 (@ Oak Ridge High School-El Dorado Hills) (11) Atwater (CCC) vs. (6) WEST CAMPUS (Sacramento) (GEL) (14) Los Banos (WAC) vs. (3) Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) (SFL) Pod 4 (@ Foothill High School-Sacramento) (10) Modesto Christian (MMC) vs. (7) LATHROP (VOL) (15) Rio Americano (Sacramento) (CAL) vs. (2) FOOTHILL (Sacramento) (PVL) 707 Region Pod 1 (@ Bear Creek High School-Stockton) (16) MARIPOSA (SL) vs. (1) BEAR CREEK (Stockton) (SJAA) (9) Bear River (Grass Valley) (PVL) vs. (8) VANDEN (Fairfield) (SCAC) Pod 2 (@ Woodcreek High School-Roseville) (12) LODI (TCAL) vs. (5) Sacramento (ML) (13) Rio Linda (TCC) vs. (4) Woodcreek (Roseville) (SFL) Pod 3 (@ Granite Bay High School) (11) ARGONAUT (Jackson) (MLL) vs. (6) Davis (DL) (14) Liberty Ranch (Galt) (SVC) vs. (3) Granite Bay (SFL) Pod 4 (@ Antelope High School) (10) Rodriguez (Fairfield) (MEL) vs. (7) Merced (CCC) (15) VALLEY CHRISTIAN (Roseville) (SMAL) vs. (2) ANTELOPE (CVC) 916/279 Region Pod 1 (@ Folsom High School) (16) HUGHES ACADEMY (Stockton) (MVL) vs. (1) FOLSOM (SFL) (9) RIPON (TVL) vs. (8) Lincoln (Stockton) (TCAL) Pod 2 (@ Christian Brothers High School-Sacramento) (12) Valley (Sacramento) (ML) vs. (5) ST. FRANCIS (Sacramento) (DL) (13) Sonora (MLL) vs. (4) CHRISTIAN BROTHERS (Sacramento) (CAL) Pod 3 (@ Turlock High School) (11) BEYER (Modesto) (MMC) vs. (6) Kimball (Tracy) (VOL) (14) River City (West Sacramento) (TCC) vs. (3) TURLOCK (CCC) Pod 4 (@ Whitney High School-Rocklin) (10) PATTERSON (WAC) vs. (7) Placer (Auburn) (PVL) (15) Enochs (Modesto) (MMC) vs. (2) Whitney (Rocklin) (CVC) 530 Region Pod 1 (@ Cosumnes Oaks High School-Elk Grove) (16) WESTERN SIERRA (Rocklin) (NPAC) vs. (1) Cosumnes Oaks (Elk Grove) (CVC) (9) Manteca (VOL) vs. (8) Franklin (Elk Grove) (DL) Pod 2 (@ Colfax High School) (12) East Union (Manteca) (VOL) vs. (5) UNION MINE (El Dorado) (SVC) (13) Vista del Lago (Folsom) (CAL) vs. (4) Colfax (PVL) Pod 3 (@ Del Oro High School- Loomis) (11) Pitman (Turlock) (CCC) vs. (6) Elk Grove (DL) (14) Bethel (Vallejo) (SCAC) vs. (3) Del Oro (Loomis) (SFL) Pod 4 (@ McClatchy High School-Sacramento) (10) Wood (Vacaville) (MEL) vs. (7) RIVER VALLEY (Yuba City) (TCC) (15) Woodland Christian (CVCL) vs. (2) McCLATCHY (Sacramento) (ML) Last 4 At-large in (in alphabetical order): Enochs, Los Banos, Rio Americano, Woodland Christian First 4 out (in order): Hilmar, El Dorado (Placerville), Mountain House, Calaveras (San Andreas) Next 4 out: Dixon, Golden Sierra (Garden Valley), Livingston, Capital Christian (Sacramento) NIT Since there are no conference tournaments in high school, I would make the automatic bids the teams who finished 2nd in league who would not have been selected to the main tournament. Also, I would not have the .500 winning percentage minimum for this tournament. Automatic Bid in CAPS Rocklin Region (1 overall) (8) STOCKTON CHRISTIAN (MVL) @ (1) Rocklin (SFL) (5) Rosemont (Sacramento) (SVC) @ (4) Vista del Lago (Folsom) (CAL) (6) Summerville (Tuolumne City) (MLL) @ (3) Inderkum (Sacramento) (TCC) (7) Foothill (Sacramento) (PVL) @ (2) Fairfield (SCAC) Manteca Region (4 overall) (8) FORESTHILL (CVCL) @ (1) Manteca (VOL) (5) Rodriguez (Fairfield) (MEL) @ (4) RIPON CHRISTIAN (TVL) (6) Sacramento Country Day (SMAL) @ (3) JIM ELLIOT CHRISTIAN (Lodi) (CCAA) (7) GOLDEN VALLEY (Garden Valley) (SDL) @ (2) Merced (CCC) Ponderosa Region (3 overall) (8) DENAIR (SL) @ (1) Ponderosa (Shingle Springs) (CVC) (5) FAITH CHRISTIAN (Yuba City) (SMAL) @ (4) Elk Grove (DL) (6) Vintage (Napa) (MEL) @ (3) Sierra (Manteca) (VOL) (7) LIVINGSTON (WAC) @ (2) Modesto (MMC) Pleasant Grove Region (2 overall) (8) ALPHA CHARTER (Elverta) (NPAC) @ (1) Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) (DL) (5) Valley (Sacramento) (ML) @ (4) Kimball (Tracy) (VOL) (6) Nevada Union (Grass Valley) (SFL) @ (3) El Camino (Sacramento) (CAL) (7) Los Banos (WAC) @ (2) Vallejo (SCAC)