These picks were selected by Dennis Miller.

3-A Boys

Matchup	Predicted Winner	Comment
No. 3 Amador Valley vs. No. 1 Pittsburg at Freedom	Amador	Deer Valley coach said Amador was the best team they played all year.

2-A Boys

Matchup	Predicted Winner	Comment
No. 4 Campolindo vs. No. 2 Piedmont at Acalanes	Piedmont	NCS runs continues with banner coming back to Piedmont

3-A Girls

Matchup	Predicted Winner	Comment
No. 4 Foothill vs. No. 6 San Ramon Valley at Dublin High	Foothill	Falcons finally finding that passion to win it all

2-A Girls

Matchup	Predicted Winner	Comment
No. 1 Miramonte vs. No. 3 Piedmont at Acalanes	Miramonte	Mats are just the best team in the tournament

This season’s NCS 2A playoffs featured a double dose of Bishop O’Dowd playing at Miramonte. On Feb. 16, the Matadors beat the Dragons 2-0 in a boys quarterfinal. Four days later, Miramonte’s girls made it 2-for-2 over O’Dowd in a 1-0 semifinal win. I wasn’t able to get to the boys game, so any impressions from those who were present always are welcome. As the reporter assigned to the girls game, however, there was plenty to, well – - report.

For starters, both teams struggled to possess the ball, and long passes tended to pick up speed on the FieldTurf at Miramonte. As it rained Feb. 19 and earlier in the day on Feb. 20 when the game was played, I offer this hypothesis: that FieldTurf tends to play faster in the hours and days after a rain than it does in drier weather. Perhaps you can share your thoughts on this subject, too.

Overall, the game was fast-paced (perhaps too fast-paced), physical and had plenty of emotion. Still, neither team ever shifted into high gear. O’Dowd – - in spite of two missed chances in the first half – - was akin to the football team that plays well between the 20-yard lines and struggles in the “red zone.” Miramonte was reminiscent of the ice hockey team that works the puck up to the center line or blue line and then just dumps it into the opponent’s zone and hopes for the best. Most unfortunately, the EPL-ish elements of the game (long passes and footraces between the forwards and defenders) just didn’t mesh with the fast field. 

Get pumped! Yeah, I know, most of the world doesn’t share my enthusiasm for heading to Newark Memorial to watch two gyms full of grapplers battle for section supremacy. But, some people do, and for those people, I figured we should give you the particulars for tomorrow’s proceedings. Here’s what ran in today’s paper:

NCS WRESTLING
The North Coast Section wrestling tournament kicks off Friday at Newark Memorial High School. Here are the approximate start times for Friday and Saturday.
Note: Fans must pay to attend each of the three sessions. Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for seniors, children and students for each session. A three-session pass is available at $21 for adults and $12 for seniors, children and students.
Friday, Session I
Championship round 1: 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; Championship round 2/Consolation round 1: 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.; Championship quarterfinals/Consolation round 2: 4 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
Saturday – Session II
Consolation round 3: 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.; Consolation round 4: 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.; Championship semifinals: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; Consolation round 5: noon-1:15 p.m.; Consolation semifinals: 1:15 p.m.-2:15 p.m.; Break (gym clears out for evening session): 2:15 p.m.-3:45 p.m.
Saturday – Session III
Fans allowed back in gymnasium: 3:45 p.m.; 3rd-8th place matches, 4:15 p.m.-6 p.m.; Championship finals: 6:15-8:30 p.m.

The North Coast Section would like you to remember that you can’t park in the lots directly across from the school, as those businesses get quite mad and end up having your car, truck or RV towed. I personally like to park over at the mall, as nobody seems to get mad and there’s plenty of parking.

We’ll be there both days, as Prep Corner stalwarts Steve R. Waterhouse and Jimmy Durkin and I will be there for all the action. Check the blog regularly for updates, because you know that’s how we roll.

Below I have every quarterfinal game, boys and girls, divisions 1 through 5. Picks are due by 7 p.m. Friday Feb. 22. If you didn’t participate in the first round, who cares, join the fun now.

—————————————————————————-

 

Copy the list of games below, paste it in a new comment to this post. Erase the team you think is going to lose. If you don’t pick a game you will automatically lose that game. Each correct pick is worth 1 point (other rounds will be scored the same). If you want to tell us why you picked your games, feel free. If you win (any division), you will automatically be granted eternal glory.

D-I

BOYS: De La Salle/Antioch; San Leandro/Monte Vista; Newark Memorial/Berkeley; Castro Valley/Pittsburg. GIRLS: Deer Valley/San Ramon Valley; American/Washington; Berkeley/Granada; Monte Vista/Newark Memorial.

D-II

BOYS: Hayward/Northgate; Maria Carillo/Windsor; Heritage/Casa Grande; Las Lomas/Eureka. GIRLS: Carondelet/Petaluma; Pinole Valley/Alameda; Northgate/Sonoma Valley; Maria Carillo/Redwood.

D-III

BOYS: Campolindo/Del Norte; Acalanes/El Cerrito; Bishop O’Dowd/Hercules; Miramonte/Dublin. GIRLS: Miramonte/San Marin; Albany/Dublin; Hercules/Acalanes; Bishop O’Dowd/Alhambra.

D-IV

BOYS: St. Mary’s/Moreau Catholic; St. Joseph/Marin Catholic; Kennedy/Cardinal Newman; Salesian/Piedmont. GIRLS: Justin Siena/Fortuna; Piedmont/St. Mary’s; Moreau Cahtolic/Arcata; St. Patrick-St. Vincent/McKinleyville.

D-V

BOYS:Branson/Stuart Hall; Cloverdale/SF University; St. Elizabeth/St. Vincent; Berean Christian/Lick Wilmerding. GIRLS: Branson/Urban; Cloverdale/Rincon Valley Christian; Head-Royce/Berean Christian; Emery/Athenian.

Round 1 results 

Name	Total
Hoop Fan	38
Stanfordin2010	37
Spartan 1	37
High School Sports Junkie	36
Coleman	36
Coach Brown	33
Don	31
Abby	30
Ryan Rodriguez	29
NCAA football ref	28
Hoosiers Hoop*	18
Mustang Madness*	17
DJ Broome #1 Fan*	16
DonFan**	1

*Just boys games.

**Just boys D-I

May be moving to 12 noon…..seems there’s not enough people to staff all the games….. Wow, what if all four were at the same location…. Nah, too logical. Stay tuned

NCS 2-A finals, double header at Acalanes, 5 and 7 p.m. Not bad…..

 3-A FINALS

Girls 7 p.m. at Dublin High

 Boys — 7 p.m. at Freedom High 

In 16 years, this may be the biggest display of ignorance by NCS. Freedom????? Are you kidding me??? What was Atwater High’s field taken?? It’s bad enough we’ll have crappy weather Saturday night, let’s send everyone up Vasco Rd. to the game. You want to have neutral field for the game, somewhere close to Pittsburg — what about De La Salle – at least it’s more centrally located.

NCS has no problem playing six NCS basketball finals at the same spot, starting at like 11 a.m. Yet try and rationalize four soccer games at the same location and you beat your head against the wall until it bleeds. You would think after 16 years I would be numb to their moronic decisions, but you know, it just keeps coming back.

Soccer people are way more passionate than any other fans and there would be a good number of people who would watch all four games. It would also allow the very few writers who understand soccer, to see more than one game, thus providing our readers with at least a decent story. Now we are forced to choose one game — Bravo. 

 Just classic. Thank goodness this is my last NCS soccer campaign. I won’t have to deal with this garbage any more.  I turn it over to all of you……..

OK, got that off my chest.

Have a good night.

BOYS

Division I

Selector	No. 9 Antioch at No. 1 De La Salle	No. 4 San Leandro at No. 5 Monte Vista	No. 10 Berkeley at No. 2 Newark Memorial	No. 11 Pittsburg at No. 3 Castro Valley
Michael Bower	De La Salle	Monte Vista	Newark Memorial	Castro Valley
Steve R. Waterhouse	De La Salle	Monte Vista	Newark Memorial	Castro Valley
Jimmy Durkin	De La Salle	Monte Vista	Berkeley	Castro Valley
Dennis Miller	De La Salle	Monte Vista	Newark Memorial	Pittsburg
Kyle Bonagura	De La Salle	Monte Vista	Newark Memorial	Castro Valley

Division II

Selector	No.8 Northgate at No. 1 Hayward	No. 5 Windsor at No. 4 Maria Carrillo	No. 2 Heritage at No. 7 Casa Grande	No. 6 Eureka at No. 3 Las Lomas
Michael Bower	Hayward	Maria Carrillo	Heritage	Las Lomas
Steve R. Waterhouse	Hayward	Windsor	Heritage	Las Lomas
Jimmy Durkin	Hayward	Maria Carrillo	Heritage	Las Lomas
Dennis Miller	Hayward	Maria Carrillo	Heritage	Las Lomas
Kyle Bonagura	Hayward	Windsor	Heritage	Las Lomas

Division III

Selector	No. 8 Del Norte at No. 1 Campolindo	No. 5 El Cerrito at No. 4 Acalanes	No. 10 Hercules at No. 2 Bishop O’Dowd	No. 6 Dublin at No. 3 Miramonte
Michael Bower	Campolindo	El Cerrito	Bishop O’Dowd	Dublin
Steve R. Waterhouse	Del Norte	El Cerrito	Hercules	Miramonte
Jimmy Durkin	Campolindo	El Cerrito	Bishop O’Dowd	Dublin
Dennis Miller	Campolindo	El Cerrito	Bishop O’Dowd	Miramonte
Kyle Bonagura	Campolindo	Acalanes	Bishop O’Dowd	Miramonte

Division IV

Selector	No. 8 Moreau Catholic at No. 1 St. Mary’s	No. 5 Marin Catholic at No. 4 St. Joseph	No. 7 Cardinal Newman at No. 2 Kennedy-Richmond	No. 6 Piedmont vs. No. 3 Salesian
Michael Bower	St. Mary’s	St. Joseph	Kennedy-Richmond	Salesian
Steve R. Waterhouse	St. Mary’s	St. Joseph	Kennedy	Salesian
Jimmy Durkin	St. Mary’s	Marin Catholic	Kennedy	Salesian
Dennis Miller	Coming soon	Coming soon	Coming soon	Coming soon
Kyle Bonagura	St. Mary’s	St. Joseph	Kennedy	Salesian

Division V

Selector	No. 9 Stuart Hall vs. No. 1 Branson	No. 5 SF University at No. 4 Cloverdale	No. 10 St. Vincent at No. 2 St. Elizabeth	No. 3 Berean Christian at No. 6 Lick-Wilmerding
Michael Bower	Branson	Cloverdale	St. Elizabeth	Berean Christian
Steve R. Waterhouse	Branson	SF University	St. Elizabeth	Berean Christian
Jimmy Durkin	Branson	Cloverdale	St. Elizabeth	Berean Christian
Dennis Miller	coming soon	coming soon	coming soon	coming soon
Kyle Bonagura	Branson	Cloverdale	St. Elizabeth	Berean Christian

Girls

Division I

Selector	No. 9 San Ramon Valley at No. 1 Deer Valley	No. 5 Washington at No. 4 American	No. 7 Granada at No. 2 Berkeley	No. 11 Newark Memorial at No. 3 Monte Vista
Michael Bower	Deer Valley	Washington	Berkeley	Monte Vista
Steve R. Waterhouse	Deer Valley	American	Berkeley	Monte Vista
Jimmy Durkin	Deer Valley	Washington – tough choice	Berkeley	Monte Vista
Dennis Miller	Deer Valley	Washington	Berkeley	Monte Vista
Kyle Bonagura	Deer Valley	Washington	Berkeley	Newark Memorial

Division II

Selector	No. 1 Carondelet at No. 9 Petaluma	No. 5 Alameda at No. 4 Pinole Valley	No. 7 Sonoma Valley at No. 2 Northgate	No. 6 Redwood at No. 3 Maria Carrillo
Michael Bower	Carondelet	Pinole Valley	Northgate	Maria Carrillo
Steve R. Waterhouse	Carondelet	Pinole Valley	Northgate	Redwood
Jimmy Durkin	Carondelet	Pinole Valley	Northgate	Maria Carrillo
Dennis Miller	Carondelet	Pinole Valley	Northgate	Maria Carrillo
Kyle Bonagura	Carondelet	Pinole Valley	Northgate	Maria Carillo

Division III

Selector	No. 8 San Marin at No. 1 Miramonte	No. 5 Dublin at No. 4 Albany	No. 7 Acalanes at No. 2 Hercules	No. 6 Alhambra at No. 3 Bishop O’Dowd
Michael Bower	Miramonte	Dublin	Hercules	Bishop O’Dowd
Steve R. Waterhouse	Miramonte	Albany	Hercules	Bishop O’Dowd
Jimmy Durkin	Miramonte	Albany	Hercules	Bishop O’Dowd
Dennis Miller	Miramonte	Dublin	Hercules	Bishop O’Dowd
Kyle Bonagura	Miramonte	Albany	Hercules	Bishop O’Dowd

Division IV

Selector	No. 8 Fortuna at No. 1 Justin-Siena	No. 5 St. Mary’s vs. No. 4 Piedmont	No. 10 Arcata at No. 2 Moreau Catholic	No. 6 McKinleyville at No. 3 St.Patrick/St.Vincent
Michael Bower	Justin-Siena	Piedmont	Moreau Catholic	St. Patrick/St. Vincent
Steve R. Waterhouse	Justin-Siena	Piedmont	Moreau	St. Patrick/St. Vincent
Jimmy Durkin	Justin-Siena	Piedmont	Moreau Catholic	St. Patrick/St. Vincent
Dennis Miller	Coming soon	Coming soon	Coming soon	Coming soon
Kyle Bonagura	Justin-Siena	Piedmont	Moreau Catholic	St. Patrick/St. Vincent

Division V

Selector	No. 9 Urban vs. No. 1 Branson	No. 5 Rincon Valley at No. 4 Cloverdale	No. 7 Berean Christian at No. 2 Head Royce	No. 6 Athenian at No. 3 Emery
Michael Bower	Branson	Cloverdale	Head Royce	Emery
Steve R. Waterhouse	Branson	Rincon Valley Christian	Head-Royce	Athenian
Jimmy Durkin	Branson	Cloverdale	Head-Royce	Athenian
Dennis Miller	coming soon	coming soon	coming soon	coming soon
Kyle Bonagura	Branson	Cloverdale	Head Roye	Emery

Division-I Boys

No. 9 Antioch 70, No. 8 James Logan 59

No. 10 Berkeley 71, No. 7 Amador Valley 69

No. 11 Pittsburg 61, No. 6 Foothill 55

No. 5 Monte Vista 75, No. 12 San Ramon Valley 64 – MV’s Drew McAllister goes for a career-high 28.

Division-I Girls

No. 11 Newark Memorial 59, No. 6 Arroyo 54

No. 5 Washington 80, No. 12 Castro Valley 51

No. 7 Granada 58, No. 10 Liberty 34

No. 9 San Ramon Valley 47, No. 8 Amador Valley 45

Division-II Boys

No. 6 Eureka 73, No. 11 Montgomery 66

No. 5 Windsor 55, No. 12 Concord 49

No. 7 Casa Grande 71, No. Redwood 68 (OT)

No. 8 Northgate 55, No. 9 San Lorenzo 38

Division-II Girls

No. 9 Petaluma 42, No. 8 Montgomery 35

No. 6 Redwood 48 No. 11 Ukiah 33

No. 7 Sonoma Valley 51, No. 10 San Lorenzo 37

No. 5 Alameda 43, No. 12 Casa Grande 37

Division-III Boys

No. 5 El Cerrito 58, No. 44 San Marin 44

No. 6 Dublin 72, No. 11 Analy 58

No. 8 Del Norte 54, No. 9 Encinal 46

No. 10 Hercules 64, No. 7 Piner 53

Division-III Girls

No. 7 Acalanes 49, No. 10 Sir Francis Drake 46

No. 6 Alhambra 66, No. 11 Elsie Allen 25

No. 5 Dublin 49, No. 12 Novato 36

No. 8 San Marin 75, No. 8 Encinal 71 (OT)

Division-IV Boys

No. 8 Moreau Catholic 64, No. 9 Arcata 60

No. 5 Marin Catholic 45, No. 12 El Molino 42

No. 7 Cardinal Newman 60, No. 10 McKinleyville 42

No. 6 Piedmont 67, No. 11 Fort Bragg 47

Division-IV Girls

No. 8 Fortuna 70, No. 9 Ursuline 46

No. 5 St. Mary’s 80, No. 12 Fort Bragg 34

No. 10 Arcata 40, No. 7 Marin Catholic 38

No. 6 McKinleyville 78, No. 11 Sacred Heart 47

Division-V Boys

No. 1 Branson 57, No. 16 Roseland Prep 33

N0. 9 Stuart Hall 59, No. 8 Marin Academy 57

No. 4 Cloverdale 80, No. 13 Hoopa Valley 31

No. 5 SF University 55, No. 12 Ferndale 39

No. 2 St. Elizabeth 100, No. 15 Mendocino 45

No. 10 St. Vincent 50, No. 7 International 48

No. 3 Berean Christian 63, Urban 43

No. 6 Lick-Wilmerding 59, No. 11 St. Bernard 54

Division-V Girls

No. 1 Branson 62, No. 16 Mendocino 16

No. 9 Urban 53, No. 8 Bentley 41

No. 4 Cloverdale 63, No. 13 Marin Academy 44

No. 5 Rincon Valely Christian 56, No. 12 Lick Wilmerding 28

No. 2 Head Royce 46, No. 15 South Fork 29

No. 7 Berean Christian 36, No. 10 International 26

No. 3 Emery 48, No. St. Vincent 29

No. 6 Athenian 63, No. 11 St. Bernard 57

Division-I Boys

Name					Total
Mustang Madness	Logan	Monte Vista	Berkeley	Pittsburg	3
High School Sports Junkie	Logan	Monte Vista	Berkeley	Foothill	2
Coach Brown	Antioch	Monte Vista	Berkeley	Foothill	3
Stanfordin2010	Antioch	Monte Vista	Berkeley	Foothill	3
Spartan 1	Antioch	San Ramon	Berkeley	Pittsburg	3
NCAA football ref	Antioch	Monte Vista	Amador Valley	Foothill	2
Abby	Logan	Monte Vista	Berkeley	Foothill	2
Hoop Fan	Antioch	Monte Vista	Berkeley	Pittsburg	4
Ryan Rodriguez	Logan	Monte Vista	Berkeley	Foothill	2
Hoosiers Hoop	Antioch	Monte Vista	Berkeley	Pittsburg	4
Coleman	Logan	Monte Vista	Berkeley	Foothill	2
DJ Broome #1 Fan	Logan	Monte Vista	Berkeley	Foothill	2
Don	Logan	Monte Vista	Berkeley	Pittsburg	3
Don Fan	Logan	Monte Vista	Amador Valley	Foothill	1

Division-I Girls

Name					Total
Mustang Madness					-
High School Sports Junkie	Amador	Washington	Granada	Newark	3
Coach Brown	Amador	Castro Valley	Granada	Arroyo	1
Stanfordin2010	Amador	Washington	Granada	Arroyo	2
Spartan 1	Amador	Washington	Granada	Arroyo	2
NCAA football ref	Amador	Washington	Granada	Arroyo	2
Abby	Amador	Washington	Liberty	Arroyo	1
Hoop Fan	Amador	Washington	Granada	Arroyo	2
Ryan Rodriguez	Amador	Washington	Granada	Newark	3
Hoosiers Hoop					-
Coleman	Amador	Washington	Granada	Arroyo	2
DJ Broome #1 Fan					-
Don	Amador	Castro Valley	Granada	Arroyo	1
Don Fan					-

Division-II Boys

Name					Total
Mustang Madness	Northgate	Windsor	Casa Grande	Eureka	4
High School Sports Junkie	Northgate	Windsor	Casa Grande	Eureka	4
Coach Brown	Northgate	Windsor	Casa Grande	Montgomery	3
Stanfordin2010	San Lorenzo	Windsor	Casa Grande	Eureka	3
Spartan 1	San Lorenzo	Windsor	Casa Grande	Montgomery	2
NCAA football ref	San Lorenzo	Concord	Casa Grande	Montgomery	1
Abby	Northgate	Windsor	Redwood	Montgomery	2
Hoop Fan	Northgate	Windsor	Casa Grande	Montgomery	3
Ryan Rodriguez	Northgate	Concord		Eureka	2
Hoosiers Hoop	San Lorenzo	Windsor	Casa Grande	Montgomery	2
Coleman	Northgate	Windsor	Casa Grande	Eureka	4
DJ Broome #1 Fan	Northgate	Windsor	Casa Grande	Eureka	4
Don	San Lorenzo	Concord	Casa Grande	Montgomery	1
Don Fan					-

Division-II Girls

Name					Total
Mustang Madness					-
High School Sports Junkie	Petaluma	Alameda	Sonoma V		3
Coach Brown	Montgomery	Alameda	San Lorenzo	Ukiah	1
Stanfordin2010	Petaluma	Alameda	Sonoma V	Redwood	4
Spartan 1	Montgomery	Alameda	San Lorenzo	Redwood	2
NCAA football ref	Montgomery	Alameda	San Lorenzo	Ukiah	1
Abby	Petaluma	Alameda	San Lorenzo	Redwood	3
Hoop Fan	Montgomery	Alameda	Sonoma V	Redwood	3
Ryan Rodriguez	Montgomery	Alameda	San Lorenzo	Redwood	2
Hoosiers Hoop					-
Coleman	Montgomery	Alameda	San Lorenzo	Redwood	2
DJ Broome #1 Fan					-
Don	Montgomery	Casa Grande	San Lorenzo	Ukiah	0
Don Fan					-

Division-III Boys

Name					Total
Mustang Madness	Encinal	El Cerrito	Piner	Dublin	2
High School Sports Junkie	Del Norte	El Cerrito	Hercules	Dublin	4
Coach Brown	Del Norte	El Cerrito	Piner	Dublin	3
Stanfordin2010	Del Norte	El Cerrito	Hercules	Dublin	4
Spartan 1	Del Norte	El Cerrito	Hercules	Dublin	4
NCAA football ref	Del Norte	El Cerrito	Hercules	Dublin	4
Abby	Del Norte	El Cerrito	Piner	Dublin	3
Hoop Fan	Encinal	El Cerrito	Hercules	Dublin	3
Ryan Rodriguez	Del Norte	El Cerrito	Hercules	Dublin	4
Hoosiers Hoop	Encinal	El Cerrito	Piner	Dublin	2
Coleman	Encinal	El Cerrito	Hercules	Dublin	3
DJ Broome #1 Fan	Encinal	El Cerrito	Piner	Dublin	2
Don	Del Norte	El Cerrito	Hercules	Dublin	4
Don Fan					-

Division-III Girls

Name					Total
Mustang Madness					-
High School Sports Junkie	San Marin	Dublin	Acalanes	Alhambra	4
Coach Brown	Eureka	Dublin	Acalanes	Alhambra	3
Stanfordin2010	San Marin	Dublin	Acalanes	Alhambra	4
Spartan 1	San Marin	Dublin	Acalanes	Alhambra	4
NCAA football ref	Eureka	Dublin	Drake	Alhambra	2
Abby	San Marin	Dublin	Acalanes	Alhambra	4
Hoop Fan	San Marin	Dublin	Acalanes	Alhambra	4
Ryan Rodriguez	Eureka	Dublin	Acalanes	Alhambra	3
Hoosiers Hoop					-
Coleman	San Marin	Dublin	Acalanes	Alhambra	4
DJ Broome #1 Fan					-
Don	San Marin	Dublin	Drake	Alhambra	3
Don Fan					-

Division-IV Boys

Name					Total
Mustang Madness	Arcata	Marin Catholic	McKinleyville	Piedmont	2
HSS Junkie	Arcata	El Molino	Newman	Piedmont	2
Coach Brown	Moreau	Marin Catholic	Newman	Piedmont	4
Stanfordin2010	Moreau	El Molino	Newman	Piedmont	3
Spartan 1	Moreau	Marin Catholic	Newman	Piedmont	4
NCAA football ref	Moreau	Marin Catholic	Newman	Piedmont	4
Abby	Moreau	Marin Catholic	Newman	Piedmont	4
Hoop Fan	Moreau	Marin Catholic	Newman	Piedmont	4
Ryan Rodriguez	Arcata	Marin Catholic	Newman	Piedmont	3
Hoosiers Hoop	Moreau	Marin Catholic	Newman	Piedmont	4
Coleman	Moreau	Marin Catholic	Newman	Fort Bragg	3
DJ Broome #1 Fan	Arcata	Marin Catholic	McKinleyville	Piedmont	2
Don	Moreau	Marin Catholic	Newman	Piedmont	4
Don Fan					-

Division-IV Girls

Name					Total
Mustang Madness					-
High School Sports Junkie					-
Coach Brown	Ursuline	St. Mary’s	Arcata	Sacred Heart	2
Stanfordin2010	Fortuna	St. Mary’s	Marin Catholic	McKinleyville	3
Spartan 1	Fortuna	St. Mary’s	Marin Catholic	McKinleyville	3
NCAA football ref	Ursuline	S. Mary’s	Marin Catholic	Sacred Heart	1
Abby	Fortuna	St. Mary’s	Marin Catholic	Sacred Heart	2
Hoop Fan	Fortuna	St. Mary’s	Marin Catholic	McKinleyville	3
Ryan Rodriguez	Ursuline	St. Mary’s	Marin Catholic	Sacred Heart	1
Hoosiers Hoop	Fortuna	St. Mary’s	Marin Catholic	McKinleyville	3
Coleman	Fortuna	St. Mary’s	Marin Catholic	McKinleyville	3
DJ Broome #1 Fan					-
Don	Fortuna	St. Mary’s	Marin Catholic	McKinleyville	3
Don Fan					-

Division-V Boys

Name									Total
Mustang Madness	Branson	Marin	Hoopa	SFU	St. Liz	St. V	BC	Lick-W	6
HSS Junkie	Branson	Marin	C-Dale	SFU	St. Liz	St. V	BC	Lick-W	7
Coach Brown	Branson	S-Hall	Hoopa	SFU	St. Liz	Inter	BC	Lick-W	6
Stanfordin2010	Branson	Marin	C-Dale	SFU	St. Liz	Inter	BC	St. B	5
Spartan 1	Branson	S-Hall	C-Dale	SFU	St. Liz	Inter	BC	Lick-W	7
NCAA football ref	Branson	Marin	C-Dale	Fenrn	St. Liz	St. V	BC	Lick-W	6
Abby	Branson	Marin	C-Dale	SFU	St. Liz	Inter	BC	St. B	5
Hoop Fan	Branson	Marin	Hoopa	SFU	St. Liz	Inter	BC	Lick-W	5
Ryan Rodriguez	Branson	Marin	C-Dale	Fern	St. Liz	Inter	BC	Lick-W	5
Hoosiers Hoop	Branson	Marin	Hoopa	SFU	St. Liz	Inter	BC	St. B	4
Coleman	Branson	Marin	C-Dale	SFU	St. Liz	St. V	BC	Lick-W	7
DJ Broome #1 Fan	Branson	Marin	Hoopa	SFU	St. Liz	St. V	BC	Lick-W	6
Don	Branson	Marin	C-Dale	SFU	St. Liz	St. V	BC	Lick-W	7
Don Fan									-

Division-V Girls

Name									Total
Mustang Madness									-
HSSJunkie	Branson	Bentley	C-Dale	Rincon	HR	BC	Emery	Athenian	7
Coach Brown	Branson	Bentley	C-Dale	Rincon	HR	BC	Emery	Athenian	7
Stanfordin2010	Branson	Bentley	C-Dale	Rincon	HR	BC	Emery	St. B	6
Spartan 1	Branson	Urban	Marin	Lick-W	HR	BC	Emery	Athenian	6
NCAA football ref	Branson	Bentley	Marin	Lick-W	HR	BC	Emery	Athenian	5
Abby	Branson	Bentley	Marin	Rincon	HR	BC	St. V	Athenian	5
Hoop Fan	Branson	Urban	C-Dale	Rincon	HR	BC	Emery	Athenian	8
Ryan Rodriguez	Branson	Bentley	Marin	Lick-W	HR	BC	Emery	Athenian	5
Hoosiers Hoop									-
Coleman	Branson	Bentley	C-Dale	Rincon	HR	BC	St. V	Athenian	6
DJ Broome #1 Fan									-
Don	Branson	Bentley	C-Dale	Lick-W	HR	BC	Emery	St. Be	5
Don Fan									-

As a writer, I’m not one to knock officials. You see, they are a lot like the rest of us. Many have day jobs like the rest of us, they get tired like the rest of us, and they make an occasional mistake like the rest of us. Fact is, they’re human just like the rest of us. And when it comes to high school basketball, trying to keep pace with teenage athletes is no easy task, either.

All the above said, it makes a reporter trying to keep score cringe when fouls are assessed against the wrong player (for instance, player No. 4 getting charged with a foul actually committed by a teammate, player No. 5). This year, I’ve seen this happen in at least two games I’ve covered. And it happened three times alone in last week’s ACCAL girls finale between Encinal and Alameda high schools.

One of the wrongly-assessed fouls took place with 7.2 seconds left in the game when an Alameda player fouled out on what actually was a teammate’s foul. Then with 4.3 seconds to go, Encinal lost a player to a fifth foul after an earlier foul should been been charged to a teammate. Maybe these errors were attributable to fatigue. Still, the most bizarre call took place in the first half when an Alameda player got fouled as she drove to the basket. In the confusion that followed, that same Alameda player was assessed the foul, though Alameda proceeded to in-bound the ball, and the game continued as it should have.

In the din and emotion of Alameda High’s Hornets Nest, the incorrect calls slipped under the radar screens of both teams. Fortunately, none of these calls (nor a scoring table error that led to Encinal losing a basket) had an effect on the outcome of Encinal’s well-deserved 61-56 win. Still, they could have had an impact in a closer game.

Perhaps there is no “cure” for these scenarios. Maybe they’re just part of the human element of the game. Still, they represent one area of high school basketball that screams for improvement.