Loser of Taft-Canoga Park Match-Up Also May Fail in Bid to Reach Playoffs

It’s win or possibly perish when Taft High and Canoga Park meet in the season’s final Sunset League game tonight at 8 at Taft.

The winner is guaranteed at least a share of the league title and a berth in the City Section 3-A Division playoffs. The loser will fall to second or third place in league and will not be guaranteed a playoff berth.

Taft, Canoga Park and Chatsworth have identical 3-1 league records and Birmingham is 2-2.

If Chatsworth defeats Van Nuys (1-3) tonight, the Chancellors would advance to the playoffs as the league’s No. 1-seeded team based on their victories over Taft and Canoga Park. The Taft-Canoga Park winner would be the No. 2 team.

Should Chatsworth lose and Birmingham defeat Monroe (0-4), however, the Taft-Canoga Park victor would win the title outright and the loser would fall into a three-way tie for second.

The league’s No. 2 team then would be determined by a coin flip, and the other two teams would play in a California tiebreaker Monday to determine the No. 3 team.

The City 3-A playoffs will comprise eight teams: the top two teams from the Sunset, Freeway and Crosstown leagues and two wild-card or at-large teams based on league records.