It's not just a confidence factor that needs to be taken into consideration when smaller programs take on Goliath in non-league games.
Injuries had several teams not at 100 percent for their league openers. It was not a coincidence that a lot of those teams were still heeling up after playing 'A' league opponents in the preseason.
King City found itself without a true tailback after all three went down over the last two weeks, two in a lost to Christopher.
The Mustangs lost four starters to Christopher -- a member of the Gabilan Division -- a number that doubles when you start on both sides of the ball, a week before their league opener.
While Carmel survived unscathed in a season opening win over Salinas, several players were nursing small injuries and were limited in practice the following week.
Plus the Padres played Salinas four weeks ago, then faced two teams of similar size before having a bye last week.
Soledad played two Gabilan Division opponents to open the year and hasn't recovered. Injuries have riddled the program, who is winless after winning a league title last fall.
As one coach in the Gabilan Division pointed out, 'You have to be willing to hit people to survive in this league'.
Injuries are a part of the game at any level. Yet, next man up doesn't work when your roster hovers around 34 players, as several teams outside the Gabilan Division possess.
On the other side of that, Alisal didn't shy away from playing a pair of Gabilan Division teams and may benefit from it, having beaten both.
That's the confidence a coach is looking for heading into league play, which saw them roll to a 42-19 win over North Salinas. Of course, the two teams it beat are a combined 1-6.
Depending on where the Trojans finish in the Mission Division this year, that will likely be a topic of discussion when choosing who gets bumped into the Gabilan Division.
Because the decision to move Gilroy up to the Gabilan this fall was not thought out. Going 13-0 as a 'B' League team does not translate to success in the 'A' Division.
Of course, looking at the rest of the divisions, I don't know who else could've been a sacrificial lamb and survived in the Gabilan Division from the other divisions.
Look what one game against an Gabilan Division has done to a couple of teams' roster?
Right now, there are at least two and perhaps three teams in the Gabilan that don't have the talent to even be in a playoff conversation, let alone title talk.
You want teams to at least be competitive, not crippled their confidence and shatter the program.
No comments:
Post a Comment