The New PAL

[colhenrylives]

As announced by officials of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League and the Peninsula Athletic League, which have merged for football into an expanded PAL in 2022, these are the divisional alignments approved by the coaches and athletic directors:

"A" leagues

De Anza _ Wilcox, Palo Alto, Milpitas, Los Gatos, Homestead, Mountain View.
Bay _ Burlingame, Sacred Heart Prep, Menlo School, Half Moon Bay, Aragon, Menlo-Atherton.

"B" leagues

El Camino _ Sequoia, King's Academy, Gunn, Los Altos, Santa Clara, Cupertino.
Ocean _ San Mateo, Hillsdale, Capuchino, Carlmont, Terra Nova, Jefferson.

"C" league

Lake _ Lynbrook, Monta Vista, Saratoga, El Camino, South San Francisco, Mills, Woodside, Fremont.

Note: As pointed out earlier on this site, the major advantage of merging the SCVAL and the PAL for football is the ability to quarantine the failing programs into one alignment, the Lake, allowing those eight teams to play one another in what should be a schedule that is reasonably competitive and balanced for seven weeks. It also assumes that South San Francisco will have a varsity in 2022. The Warriors dropped their varsity in 2021 due to a lack of available players. South City's new coach, Frank Moro (a former Warrior head coach), has declared that he will be able to field a varsity this year.

 

[colhenrylives]

One other note on the expanded PAL: An unfortunate circumstance has turned out to be the demotion of Terra Nova, once a quite strong PAL entity in Pacifica, into a "B" division, the PAL Ocean. Two major reasons: A precipitous enrollment drop to a listed 750 students (TN is the smallest public football school in the PAL) and serious coaching issues that have sapped the program's organization, focus and consistency.

 

[leroyjenkins69]

Really not a fan of this new alignment. There is no reason whatsoever that the private schools should be in a league with public schools, they should have their own separate division.

 

[parkdale]

As announced by officials of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League and the Peninsula Athletic League, which have merged for football into an expanded PAL in 2022, these are the divisional alignments approved by the coaches and athletic directors:

"A" leagues

De Anza _ Wilcox, Palo Alto, Milpitas, Los Gatos, Homestead, Mountain View.
Bay _ Burlingame, Sacred Heart Prep, Menlo School, Half Moon Bay, Aragon, Menlo-Atherton.

"B" leagues

El Camino _ Sequoia, King's Academy, Gunn, Los Altos, Santa Clara, Cupertino.
Ocean _ San Mateo, Hillsdale, Capuchino, Carlmont, Terra Nova, Jefferson.

"C" league

Lake _ Lynbrook, Monta Vista, Saratoga, El Camino, South San Francisco, Mills, Woodside, Fremont.

Note: As pointed out earlier on this site, the major advantage of merging the SCVAL and the PAL for football is the ability to quarantine the failing programs into one alignment, the Lake, allowing those eight teams to play one another in what should be a schedule that is reasonably competitive and balanced for seven weeks. It also assumes that South San Francisco will have a varsity in 2022. The Warriors dropped their varsity in 2021 due to a lack of available players. South City's new coach, Frank Moro (a former Warrior head coach), has declared that he will be able to field a varsity this year.

Not optimum for Half Moon Bay. Good for once-mighty South City.

 

[leroyjenkins69]

Not optimum for Half Moon Bay. Good for once-mighty South City.

Half Moon Bay is the premier public school program in the CCS, they'll be just fine.

 

[colhenrylives]

Los Gatos. Aptos. Palo Alto. Menlo-Atherton. Salinas. HMB is a better program than all of those? Not so sure about that. Has the Moon ever won the PAL Bay Division title? Cannot recall that ever happening.

 

[leroyjenkins69]

Los Gatos. Aptos. Palo Alto. Menlo-Atherton. Salinas. HMB is a better program than all of those? Not so sure about that.

All of those programs consistently underachieve based off their talent level. HMB never does, they are always the most consistent overachievers. Give me that over what those other programs do any day of the week and twice on Friday.

 

[colhenrylives]

Ah, now we can agree. Yes, few, if any, CCS football programs, public or private, over-achieve on an annual basis like HMB. That coaching staff and limited roster do more with less than just about anyone else in the entire section. And they do it with local kids from the Coastside, not imports from outside.

 

[LecheDeMiPalo]

Ah, now we can agree. Yes, few, if any, CCS football programs, public or private, over-achieve on an annual basis like HMB. That coaching staff and limited roster do more with less than just about anyone else in the entire section. And they do it with local kids from the Coastside, not imports from outside.

Or, is it because those kids from the Coastside grow up playing together have no other option than Half Moon Bay?

 

[colhenrylives]

There is some truth in that. But they rarely have roster numbers that impress. And terrific coaching does help as well.

 

[LecheDeMiPalo]

There is some truth in that. But they rarely have roster numbers that impress. And terrific coaching does help as well.

Yes, there is no denying that. And in my opinion, Keith Holden is one of the best coaches in the Bay Area. Given some of the things he and his staff have shown it would be interesting to see what they could accomplish with a WCAL type roster.

That said, their disadvantage is also a huge advantage. They may only have a varsity roster of 25 most years but those are typically 25 kids that have played football together from the time they were 7 and for a true feeder program that implements small facets of the High School’s offensive and defensive schemes. Who else in the PAL has that luxury? They try. But the reality is kids who play youth ball anywhere within a 10 minute drive of the 101 or 280 end up at WCAL schools if theyre the least bit talented. I’m sure most PAL coaches look at the talent on the teams that rent their fields and can only imagine what it would be like to get them in their program.

 

[leroyjenkins69]

Yes, there is no denying that. And in my opinion, Keith Holden is one of the best coaches in the Bay Area. Given some of the things he and his staff have shown it would be interesting to see what they could accomplish with a WCAL type roster.

That said, their disadvantage is also a huge advantage. They may only have a varsity roster of 25 most years but those are typically 25 kids that have played football together from the time they were 7 and for a true feeder program that implements small facets of the High School’s offensive and defensive schemes. Who else in the PAL has that luxury? They try. But the reality is kids who play youth ball anywhere within a 10 minute drive of the 101 or 280 end up at WCAL schools if theyre the least bit talented. I’m sure most PAL coaches look at the talent on the teams that rent their fields and can only imagine what it would be like to get them in their program.

Unfortunately most coaches at PAL schools don't bother going to youth games. You'd be more likely to find them at soccer games on the weekends or nowhere near a field whatsoever. Part of the reason for the precipitous drop off in the league's quality.

 

[colhenrylives]

Yes, there is no denying that. And in my opinion, Keith Holden is one of the best coaches in the Bay Area. Given some of the things he and his staff have shown it would be interesting to see what they could accomplish with a WCAL type roster.

That said, their disadvantage is also a huge advantage. They may only have a varsity roster of 25 most years but those are typically 25 kids that have played football together from the time they were 7 and for a true feeder program that implements small facets of the High School’s offensive and defensive schemes. Who else in the PAL has that luxury? They try. But the reality is kids who play youth ball anywhere within a 10 minute drive of the 101 or 280 end up at WCAL schools if theyre the least bit talented. I’m sure most PAL coaches look at the talent on the teams that rent their fields and can only imagine what it would be like to get them in their program.

...and here comes Riordan ready to poach from Millbrae to the Mission District/Bayview...

 

[LecheDeMiPalo]

Unfortunately most coaches at PAL schools don't bother going to youth games. You'd be more likely to find them at soccer games on the weekends or nowhere near a field whatsoever. Part of the reason for the precipitous drop off in the league's quality.

Because they’re not supposed to. I mean, this is America and it is a free country. But they’re not supposed to communicate with any parent or player relative to what they do and where coach.

 

[leroyjenkins69]

Because they’re not supposed to. I mean, this is America and it is a free country. But they’re not supposed to communicate with any parent or player relative to what they do and where coach.

You don't have to communicate to parents or players while at the games but it's still professional form to go to them. Coaches everywhere else in the state do so.