For Bishop Diego, being the No. 3 seed in the CIF Northwest Division football playoffs means ? it?s playing its first-round game on the road.
In an unusual set of circumstances, the 8-2 Cardinals are a top-four seed but a third-place finisher in their league and an at-large entry into the playoffs. As a result, the CIF put them on the road for the first round.
And, of all the places the CIF could have sent them, it put the Cardinals at North Torrance, where last year their season ended in the Northwest Division semifinals.
Bishop Diego senior linebacker Christian Pearson didn’t play against North Torrance in last year’s CIF semifinals because of an injury.
The playoff committee?s decisions certainly had Bishop coach Tom Crawford scratching his head earlier in the week.
?I think both North Torrance and we were shocked by the first-round draw,? said Crawford, who wondered about the advantage of being a seeded team. He noted the CIF?s criteria for first-round matchups include trying not to match teams who played each other in the prior year or in the last two years.
?The North Torrance coach (Todd Croce) expressed real surprise, too,? he said.
The Cardinals realize they can?t control that stuff. They do have control over their preparation for the postseason.
?All of our focus is on trying to accomplish what we did not do last year,? said Crawford.
The Cardinals will have to play close attention to some talented playmakers at North Torrance. Mique Juarez is an athletic 6-2, 200-pound quarterback/wide receiver/running back who is the Saxons? version of Bishop?s versatile Anthony Carter. He returned from an injury last week and caught a 25-yard touchdown pass and ran for two scores.
Chris Kuaea quarterbacked the Saxons in last week?s 40-19 win over Torrance and performed well. He passed for 184 yards and two scores and rushed for 52 yards. Corey Cox is their main running threat. He rushed for 214 yards on 25 carries last week.
?They are good size and very athletic ? much like last year?s team ? and play solid, aggressive defense,? Crawford said of the Saxons, the No. 2 team from the Pioneer League and the division runner-up last year. ?Juarez is moved around given his athletic talent, sometimes being at receiver and running back as well. We have to be able to tackle well in the open field and pressure the QB when they want to pass.?
Bishop will have inside linebacker Christian Pearson on the field for the game; he?s one of the best tacklers on the team. He didn?t play in last year?s semifinal because of an injury.
The Cardinals? spirits were lifted last Friday with a 39-14 win over Mission Prep, which snapped a two-game losing streak.
Crawford said there was no need to fire the guys up at practice this week.
?So many of them played or were at that game last year that they don?t want to repeat the feelings that ended last year?s season,? he said. ?I look for our guys to be very focused and play with controlled emotion. Guys understand that we are now into the short season, where focus and attention to detail are critical.?
In other playoff action Friday, Carpinteria (7-3), the No. 4 team from the Tri-Valley League, opens the Northwest Division playoffs at Pasadena-La Salle (9-1), the Del Rey League champion.
In the 8-man football quarterfinals, Cate plays at Faith Baptist in Canoga Park at 2:30 p.m., while Laguna Blanca travels to Cambria face Coast Union at 7 p.m.
Carpinteria (7-3) at La Salle (9-1) ? After taking No. 1 Oak Park down to the wire last week, the Warriors play an athletic La Salle team in their Northwest Division opener. ?They are athletic and run well, and play with a lot of energy,? coach Ben Hallock said of the Lancers. La Salle quarterback Will Pyburn has thrown for 1,343 yards and 16 TDs. Carpinteria?s offense got a boost last week when it used speedy Bryson Frazer at running back in place of the injured Jonathan Esqueda. ?Everyone is excited and we have had a great week of practice,? Carpinteria coach Ben Hallock said about making the playoffs. ?Hopefully, it will show up in how we play.? The pick: Carpinteria.
Bishop Diego (8-2) at North Torrance (6-4) ? Playing a tough non-league schedule and in a rugged Tri-Valley League prepared Bishop for games like this. The pick: Bishop Diego.
