Bellarmine, though down a bit recently, should never be woeful. The history, tradition and sheer size of Bellarmine (1,600 boys) ought to make sure of that. I would include the Bells with the other four southern schools in that upper WCAL tier. If you want to get really technical, you could say the WCAL has lately divided into three tiers, with VC, SF and Serra at the top, Mitty and Bellarmine in the middle and the three SF schools at the bottom. But those top two groups are probably going to be fluid over time. The three SF schools are indeed in a different category. SHC, which did not return to WCAL football for many years for reasons that remain today, simply cannot compete on anything close to a strong, regular basis due to a lack of facilities and other negative factors. Riordan has its own issues but that new field and other improvements should be helpful. SI does its own thing and seems to be more than happy with its overall athletic program. The administration is not obsessed with its football program. It simply is what it is. SI is much more a suburban entity than either Riordan or SHC. Its enrollment and demographics indicate that. Supposedly, the WCAL has been examining the question of competitive balance but, as of right now, solutions (assuming there are any) have not been made public. Throughout the region, both public and private/parochial schools are seeing declines in the size of football rosters. The reasons are well-known: Worries about concussions and other injuries; demographic changes; and, in some cases, a shift in talent toward the private/parochials in the Bay Area generally.
