Football: Get ready for ‘wacky’ City seedings

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Barring a loss to Jefferson that would rival USC’s collapse against 41-point underdog Stanford in 2007 at the Coliseum, Crenshaw will be the No. 1 seed in the City Section playoffs when the pairings are announced Saturday morning at Santee High.

Beyond that, Carson Coach Michael Christensen said, the seedings are up for grabs at another ‘wacky’ meeting--and that’s not the way it should be.

‘We’re clearly the two seed, but you don’t even know that because there’s backdoor deals made and allegiances,’ said Christensen, whose Colts can win the Marine League title on Friday with a victory over visiting San Pedro. ‘It’s kind of crazy.’

Christensen is calling for a selection committee to end the madness that is coaches sitting in a room deciding their own playoff fate. Stalemates are often won by ‘arguments,’ Christensen said, with diplomacy going the way of the wishbone offense.

‘It’s one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen and one of the things about the City that bothers me the most,’ said Christensen, who used to coach at Lakewood in the Southern Section. ‘The system has to be changed. Everyone has their own interests in mind.’

In the Southern Section, Christensen noted, coaches have no input in their playoff fate; section officials determine the bracket and seedings. Christensen said a similar system needs to be implemented in the City.

‘There needs to be some type of committee,’ he said. ‘There’s got to be an increased element of objectivity as far as using a rankings system because there are so many mixed leagues with Divisions I and II, and the types of teams that some of these teams schedule affects everything.’

--Ben Bolch