The CIF’s Playoff Groupings Committee denied the Tri-Valley League’s appeal of being placed in the Northern Division for the 2014-16 playoff cycle. The appeal was rejected by a 9-0 vote during a meeting on Wednesday at the CIF-SS office.
The league can submit a final appeal to the CIF Southern Section Council. The council will meet on June 10 in Long Beach to vote on the final two-year playoff grouping configurations.
If the council upholds the committee’s decision, the TVL — comprised of Bishop Diego, Carpinteria, Nordhoff, Fillmore and Santa Paula — would compete against teams from the Los Padres, Pac 5, Golden and new Camino League in the postseason. It’s essentially a move from Division 10 (Northwest) to Division 3 (Northern).
The TVL’s postseason success the last two years in the Northwest Division factored heavily in the committee’s decision .
The league enjoyed tremendous success the last two years, with Nordhoff winning back-to-back division titles, Bishop Diego making the semifinals two straight years and former member Oak Park advancing to the semifinals last season.
The Northern Division includes some perennial football powers like Lompoc, Arroyo Grande, St. Joseph and Atascadero.
Here is a breakdown of the leagues in the division:
The Pac 5: Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Paso Robles, Righetti, San Luis Obispo.
Los Padres League: Cabrillo, Lompoc, Pioneer Valley, St. Joseph, Santa Ynez.
Golden League: Lancaster, Palmdale, Antelope Valley, Highland, Quatz Hill, Little Rock.
Camino League: Newbury Park, Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, Royal
Tri-Valley League: Bishop Diego, Carpinteria, Fillmore, Nordhoff
In other action, the TVL’s appeal of being placed in Division 3 for boys volleyball was denied by a 7-2 vote. The league was moved to Division 5 for softball and Division 4 for swimming.
This story has been updated with corrections to the teams in the Camino League and Tri-Valley League.
