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CCS-SCVAL grid merger?

colhenrylives

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Sep 25, 2009
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Yes, it's in a very preliminary talking stage right now. Such a football-only arrangement would embrace a total of 32 high schools from Daly City to Milpitas, three of them private/parochials. The aim, as described by several coaches in a published report today, would be the creation of four eight-team divisions, all based on their levels of competitive strength (or lack of same). The impetus is the growing imbalance between strong, average and weak programs. A few schools (Mills and South San Francisco are two prime examples) are barely above water when it comes to football as demographics, housing costs, safety concerns and other factors weigh on student/athlete interest in competitive prep football along the Peninsula and well into Silicon Valley. The proposed merger is a long way from becoming reality. But circumstances are forcing the issue into the open. Let's see where it goes.
 
It’s stupid. It’s going to be hell getting promoted into the top division and hard to get out of the cellar.
 
I haven't seen this plan, but does it make for more competitive leagues? I think this formula can be good, but I have also seen it create more problems than it solves
 
I haven't seen this plan, but does it make for more competitive leagues? I think this formula can be good, but I have also seen it create more problems than it solves
They would be much more competitive but off of the top of my head that A league would be a monster while that C league would be a dumpster fire for the most part.

another thing is that the privates should honestly not be allowed out of the top league. They play by a special set of rules. They shouldn’t be allowed in public school leagues.
 
The bottom division of a merged setup would indeed be rather hideous. But that's the point: Isolate the worst of the worst in their own unwatchable arrangement and keep them away from everyone else, quarantine them if you will. There is no guarantee that this group would be able to field eight varsity units in a given year. Mills and South San Francisco are teetering on the edge of not having enough bodies for varsity teams in the fall as it is right now. Lynbrook and Monta
Vista are no bargains either. As for forcing the PAL's three privates into the top division, that probably won't happen if the aim of a merger is better competitive balance. But it's hard to argue that SHP, TKA and Menlo School do not have a significant advantage over the publics in terms of geographic reach. They most certainly do. But that doesn't always translate into footballl teams that can compete on an annual basis with the likes of M-A, Los Gatos, Wilcox, Palo Alto and Milpitas.
 
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Colhenry has always been a voice of reason over the years, and I sincerely appreciate his wisdom...As someone who has been involved in the SCVAL/DAAL since being a high school student, this proposal is "something" and a way for those of us that love football, see it survive. Rather just allow football to die at a number of schools in the SCVAL/PAL, this proposal would give those schools a shot to compete at the apples to apples level. And who cares if the C League is "hideous", the kids are not necessarily aware of what level they are at, they just want to play football, most of whom are doing so with parents that have ZERO clue what football is all about. Football receives a lot of criticism, but ultimately football and I would say wrestling, bring the most diverse groups of students together in our schools.

Declining enrollment has been creeping into the Bay Area for about five years, and COVID has certainly exacerbated that situation. The PAL/SCVAL merger would also get ahead of that demographic difficulty as well. Sports that require larger rosters will definitely see some challenges in the next 8-10 years as enrollment dips and then finally stabilizes at the new normal. This happened in the late 70's until about the mid 90's, so this has been played out before. Not coincidentally, this is when the WCAL started to emerge as a super power- but that is an entirely different conversation.
 
They would be much more competitive but off of the top of my head that A league would be a monster while that C league would be a dumpster fire for the most part.

another thing is that the privates should honestly not be allowed out of the top league. They play by a special set of rules. They shouldn’t be allowed in public school leagues.

I saw this talked about on Twitter, but does Milpitas deserve a special rule similar to private schools due to their school size and what they have been?
 
I saw this talked about on Twitter, but does Milpitas deserve a special rule similar to private schools due to their school size and what they have been?
There is way too much concern over student population size. There are small schools that has a football culture and big schools that do not. The demographic make up is also often a bigger factor than the quantity of students. I seem to remember Mission SJ had over 2000 kids, yet only a dozen tried out for football but they had nearly 100 try out for badminton, so they dropped the football program.
 
There is way too much concern over student population size. There are small schools that has a football culture and big schools that do not. The demographic make up is also often a bigger factor than the quantity of students. I seem to remember Mission SJ had over 2000 kids, yet only a dozen tried out for football but they had nearly 100 try out for badminton, so they dropped the football program.
Same thing happened at Westmoor in Daly City. Big school, very few football kids. Lots of badminton stalwarts.
 
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