Round and round we go with the latest realignment involving the Tri-County Athletic League and the Monterey Bay League.
The latest development occurred April 29 when the Central Coast Section Board of Managers approved Palma High School’s appeal, which basically asked for more time to discuss the realignment.
And more time was granted.
In case any of you forgot where we were last, a quick recap:
First, there was the shocking vote of 20-16 among the Southern Conference schools that would move Gilroy High from the TCAL to the MBL, while also placing Christopher High into the MBL as well.
The 16 votes in opposition – votes that included Palma, San Benito and even Gilroy and Christopher – were hoping for an equity league, which would combine the TCAL and MBL into a super-league of two divisions.
There was a third option, which received no votes, that would have kept Gilroy in the TCAL and moved only Christopher into the MBL. But the two schools wanted to stay together, and so nobody campaigned for this option and nobody voted for it as a result.
The second twist to this realignment story came when Palma High School officially appealed the 20-16 vote to the CCS. The Board of Managers approved the appeal on April 29, and the Southern Conference has essentially been granted a do-over.
The Southern Conference schools will now report back to the CCS in October with whatever it is they’ve decided on. We could have the same result (Gilroy and Christopher to the MBL); we could have a different result (equity league); or we could have a result that nobody initially voted for (Gilroy to TCAL, Christopher to MBL).
And in yet another twist, what could be the eventual winner when this is all over is that no-vote third option.
Speaking with Christopher High Athletic Director Darren Yafai recently, his vote remains with the equity league, previously saying that “it maximizes the competitiveness for your team and it gives all your teams the best chance to compete.”
He’s right. But with the 36 schools practically split on the two options, the best compromise may just be that third option that could: placing only Christopher into the MBL and keeping Gilroy in the TCAL.
This option would keep the TCAL at seven teams and away from that dreaded six-team status – the minimum amount of teams necessary in order for a league to receive any automatic qualifiers toward the playoffs is five.
It might not be what Gilroy and Christopher want right now, but there’s another realignment vote in three years. By that point, Christopher will be competing with a full program, and Gilroy will be feeling the effects of another high school in town.
Balers have an inside man on Gilroy High’s spread attack offense
The San Benito football team has had difficulty stopping Gilroy’s vaunted spread offense the last two seasons, but they may now have some inside knowledge.
That’s because Barnstormers quarterback Bryan Smith, who is also the offensive coordinator for the Haybalers, just so happens to run the same spread attack of the Mustangs for the Central Coast semi-pro football team.
“It has a few twists in it, but it’s pretty much the same,” Central Coast head coach Greg Garcia said. Garcia was recently hired to replace Rich Hammond at GHS, and he plans to continue with the spread offense that has put Gilroy High on the football map in the Central Coast Section.
“You have to stop it. That’s gonna be the hard part,” Garcia said. “But if I’m showing anything that will help him in the long run, well then it will only make our league stronger.”
