The 2012 sports season promises to be much different than the past year, as the Tri-County Athletic League and the Monterey Bay League merge to create a new unnamed equity league.
And the new league is starting to take shape – at least for the 2012 fall sports.
Coaches from the 14 schools are entrenched in the first step of a three-step process, that will divide the schools into two separate divisions, said TCAL and MBL commissioner Tim McCarthy. Each sport will have a different lineup of schools depending on the quality and future of each program.
The coaches vote will then be approved by the athletic directors from each school, and will be voted on by the equity league’s board on Dec. 6. Part of the vote will also include how to divide up the Central Coast Section playoff berths among the two divisions.
Until then, coaches and athletic directors will meet to finalize the best possible way of dividing the 14 schools.
The decision will be based upon recent records and a projected outlook for each school in each sport, McCarthy said. Each sport will have its own league setup. Graduating seniors and junior varsity records will influence the decision of the coaches and athletic directors.
Historic rivalries will not play a part in the creation of the two divisions, and could lead to separation of long-time rivals such as San Benito-Gilroy and North Salinas -Salinas.
“The way we see it, those teams can still play each other in non-league games,” McCarthy said.
Instead of focusing on rivalries or historical records, the equity league will try to create competitive balance between the 14 schools and nearly 20 sports.
“We want to give each school a chance to be competitive in all sports,” he said.
And McCarthy doesn’t need to look far to see how it works, he said.
This year, tennis and water polo both initiated equity leagues a year early to test the system, and the results were positive, McCarthy said. Alisal’s girls tennis squad, which struggled in the non-equity TCAL over the past few years, won the Valley Division – or Division B – in 2011 and beat San Benito, the second seed from the higher Mountain Division, in the playoffs.
“It was the first time they ever went to the CCS playoffs,” McCarthy said. “Playing against the right competition breeds confidence and builds up the kids. That’s exciting.”
Some of the divisions have already been mapped in coaches meetings over the past week, and now wait approval by the athletic directors and board, McCarthy said.
In girls volleyball, San Benito was elected to Division A among MBL schools Watsonville, Monte Vista Christian and Seaside. Salinas, Notre Dame and North Salinas will also compete in the higher division.
In football, after winning the final football TCAL championship, San Benito was elected to Division A with rivals Palma, Gilroy and Salinas. Also elected to the higher division were MBL schools Christopher, North County and Monterey.
Alisal, Alvarez, Monte Vista, North Salinas, Pajaro Valley, Seaside and Watsonville were selected to the lower Division B.
San Benito Athletic Director Tod Thatcher referred all questions to McCarthy.
The division formats for the fall sports are expected to be approved Dec. 6, McCarthy said.
“That’s the date we’re aiming for,” he said.
