PCAL Realignment

[RLS13]

Was mentioned in the CCS thread as well, but though I would start a separate one.

https://www.montereyherald.com/2025/01/07/high-school-football-realignment-in-the-pcal/

Above is the link (Maybe a paywall). Here are the new leagues for 2025

Gabilan Division
(4 automatic playoff qualifiers)

• Alisal
• Aptos
• Carmel
• Hollister
• Monterey
• North Salinas
• Palma
• Salinas
• Soquel

Mission Division North (or the old SCCAL)
(2 automatic playoff qualifiers)

• Monte Vista
• North County
• San Lorenzo Valley
• Scotts Valley
• St. Francis
• Watsonville

Mission Division South (or the old MTAL)
(2 automatic playoff qualifiers)

• Alvarez
• Soledad
• Pacific Grove
• King City
• Greenfield
• Stevenson

Santa Lucia Division
(1 automatic playoff qualifier)

• Gonzales
• Harbor
• Marina
• Rancho San Juan
• Santa Cruz
• Seaside
• Pajaro Valley

Initial reactions:
1. Gabilan is watered down. Add Carmel and move down Alvarez, but adding 2 more B level teams? It will just give Salinas, Soquel and Palma an inflated CCS ranking. (Maybe their goal?) Also only 2 non leagues, some only 1 in order to keep rivalries (think Carmel v PG and Monterey V Seaside)

2. Like the old SCCAL and MTAL Geographic's in the Mission divisions, but now each will have to find 5 non league games, that will be tough

3. Santa Lucia is a little top heavy - Harbor, Marina, and PV have 0 chance at a title, but the other 4 should be entertaining.

4. I like it better at 4, 7 league divisions with a crossover week to help with scheduling

 

[NorCalSportsFan]

You beat me to this post. Agree with your reaction .It should be the A league teams that can schedule more out of league, section and state nonleague games which Soquel, Salinas, Soquel, Hollister and Palma like to do. Waters down Gab which I think was good at 7 teams and probably optimal at 6 tems.

 

[carmelkyd]

I said this a couple of years ago. Gabilan coaches want more teams so they don't have to work so hard to find non-league games. Plus its really nice to add soft teams into the league (an A league with the points you get for playing - and beating - other A league teams) to jack up your team's CCS play-off point totals. We may see a team like Salinas set a new all-time CCS play-off points total in 2025.

 

[thehookup55]

I said this a couple of years ago. Gabilan coaches want more teams so they don't have to work so hard to find non-league games. Plus its really nice to add soft teams into the league (an A league with the points you get for playing - and beating - other A league teams) to jack up your team's CCS play-off point totals. We may see a team like Salinas set a new all-time CCS play-off points total in 2025.

Why would coaches want to inflate their CCS points? Being in the open/DI division is a death sentence.

 

[carmelkyd]

Why would coaches want to inflate their CCS points? Being in the open/DI division is a death sentence.

Didn’t mean to imply/say that. Just that lots of points is a likely result. Open/D1 may be an unintended consequence of a 9 team league.

 

[Cal 14]

Geesh, I go away for a couple of weeks and this happens? What a stupid idea to expand the Gabilan. Alisal and North High have no freakin' shot at competing. Since when has this division had any issues with collecting playoff qualification points?

I disagree that the Mission teams will have difficulty with scheduling, since they'll just end up playing each other. If anything, it was likely the old SCCAL schools that may have complained that having an 8-team Mission South complicated scheduling for a 6-team Mission North that lead to this.

 

[aztecpadre]

Was mentioned in the CCS thread as well, but though I would start a separate one.

https://www.montereyherald.com/2025/01/07/high-school-football-realignment-in-the-pcal/

Above is the link (Maybe a paywall). Here are the new leagues for 2025

Gabilan Division
(4 automatic playoff qualifiers)

• Alisal
• Aptos
• Carmel
• Hollister
• Monterey
• North Salinas
• Palma
• Salinas
• Soquel

Mission Division North (or the old SCCAL)
(2 automatic playoff qualifiers)

• Monte Vista
• North County
• San Lorenzo Valley
• Scotts Valley
• St. Francis
• Watsonville

Mission Division South (or the old MTAL)
(2 automatic playoff qualifiers)

• Alvarez
• Soledad
• Pacific Grove
• King City
• Greenfield
• Stevenson

Santa Lucia Division
(1 automatic playoff qualifier)

• Gonzales
• Harbor
• Marina
• Rancho San Juan
• Santa Cruz
• Seaside
• Pajaro Valley

Initial reactions:
1. Gabilan is watered down. Add Carmel and move down Alvarez, but adding 2 more B level teams? It will just give Salinas, Soquel and Palma an inflated CCS ranking. (Maybe their goal?) Also only 2 non leagues, some only 1 in order to keep rivalries (think Carmel v PG and Monterey V Seaside)

2. Like the old SCCAL and MTAL Geographic's in the Mission divisions, but now each will have to find 5 non league games, that will be tough

3. Santa Lucia is a little top heavy - Harbor, Marina, and PV have 0 chance at a title, but the other 4 should be entertaining.

4. I like it better at 4, 7 league divisions with a crossover week to help with scheduling

Dang I haven't hear MTAL in years. The Mission Trail Athletic League!! haha good times.