When the CIF-SS elevated the Tri-Valley League from Division 11 to Division 3 for football, it meant not only a huge jump in the competition level but in school size as well.
Of the five leagues that make up the Northern Division (Div.3), the four-team TVL has the lowest enrollment average at 682. The Golden, Los Padres, Pac 5 and Camino leagues are well over 1,300.
Welcome to the new world, Bishop Diego and Nordhoff.
TVL champion Nordhoff, which won the last two Northwest Division titles, drew Arroyo Grande for the first round. Bishop Diego (9-1), the TVL runner-up and a CIF semifinalist the last three years (East Valley Division in 2011 and the Northwest in 2012, 13), got Antelope Valley (6-4).
Antelope Valley, the No. 3 team from the Golden League, has an enrollment of more than 1,700 students. Bishop Diego’s has 247 this school year.
The CIF at least showed Bishop Diego some love by giving it a home game in its Northern Division playoff debut. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at SBCC’s La Playa Stadium.
The Cardinals are looking to rebound from a 35-14 loss against Nordhoff in the TVL title game last week at La Playa. In that game, they fell behind early and hurt themselves with turnovers.
“Yes, it was nice to get a home game and I think the boys realize that came from season-long success,” Bishop coach Tom Crawford said. “It does give us a chance to play in front of our fans and, hopefully, put together a better performance than we showed last week. I know I was pleased to see how our guys quickly turned the page from the loss to Nordhoff and I think we learned some things, which will help us going into this playoff game. Practices have been sharp and enthusiastic, so I know the guys are excited.”
They’ll face an Antelope Valley team that has a big line and an athletic, dual-threat in senior Jeff Clay. He is the primary playmaker for the Antelopes, doing most of his damage running the ball. He’s rushed for 1,346 yards and 21 touchdowns.
“He clearly is hard to contain,” said Crawford.
Clay, a San Diego State commit, also plays quarterback. As a passer, he’s completed 44 of 79 for 567 yards and three scores. Moses Robinson-Carr is the primary target. The 6-4, 220-pound sophomore has 25 catches for 385 yards.
Clay operates behind an offensive line that has players weighing in at 265, 260 and 230 pounds.
“They spread you out and attempt to get the ball to their athletes in space,” Crawford said of the Antelopes. “We’ll have to do a good job of taking away running lanes and getting guys to the football. Defensively, they are very aggressive, playing man coverage and being very run conscious with their linebackers. We need to get into a rhythm offensively and be physical in response to their aggressive style. Being disciplined on both sides of the ball is important against a team that is very athletic like these guys. Obviously, winning in the area of turnovers, field position and special teams are critical in any close game, so we have worked hard in those areas this week.”
The area’s two 8-man football teams play Division 1 quarterfinal playoff games on Friday night. Cate (6-3) travels to Mojave (9-1) while Laguna Blanca (6-3) plays host to top-seeded Thacher (10-0) at San Marcos High’s Warkentin Stadium at 7 p.m.
Senior quarterback/defensive back Stephen McCaffery leads Laguna Blanca. He accounted for nine touchdowns in last week’s 66-44 first-round win at San Jacinto Valley Academy.
The Owls led Thacher 18-14 in their Condor League meeting two weeks ago. But the Toads erupted for 34 points in the second quarter and pulled away to a 60-24 win.
Cate faces a Mojave team that averages 58 points a game. Mojave won its first-round game 70-26. The Rams last played Mojave in the 2012 quarterfinals and lost 63-21.
Junior running back Isaiah Washington paces the Cate offense.
