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The playoff brackets are all set, many teams will be turning in their gear this week, and an assessment of the talent in the CVC will be taking place in a matter of days with the all-conference selections by coaches. That's plenty to fill a column with, so here we go. Central Valley Conference Playoff Teams Sprague made it easy on everybody by beating South Salem in the final game of the season to avoid a coin flip for the fourth and final playoff spot. The Olympians, with the 35-7 victory, claim the third seed behind West Salem and Redmond--while South Salem has to settle for fourth. Athletic Directors from Sprague, McNary and McKay--who would have been involved in the coin flip--had actually met and completed the process prior to Friday night's games. Who had the nod in the case of a tie is now irrelevent--and will remain a secret. That's ok by me. It would have been truly painful for any team to base its playoff future on lady luck. Now the CVC playoff overviews: South Salem: The good news for the Saxons, they won't have to play defending state champion Jesuit in the first round after all. The bad news--they stll have to travel to powerful Westview. Jesuit dropped clear down to third place in the Metro League seedings after being upset in overtime by Southridge. That created a three way tie for first place and the coin flip made Westview number one, Southridge two and Jesuit three. Talk about hating a coin flip. South still has to play this game, but they will need a much more inspired offensive effort and some very physical defensive play to stay with the host Wildcats--who were rightfully in the top three of state polls most of the season behind the power running of Kaale Papas and the arm of Josh Hill, who threw for over a thousand yards. The Saxon offensive line will have to protect quarterback Jonathan Sigado, who got rocked by Sprague a couple of times Friday. The winner of this game faces the winner of Clackamas and Wilson of Portland. Sprague: There's a reason CVC teams wanted number three instead of four in the seedings. The Olympians face a very beatable Centennial team. The Eagles finished 8-2, losing to Clackmas and David Douglas along the way. Quarterback Kyle Warner is a dual threat--running for more than 500 yards to go along with 1200 yards passing. He will be the focus of the Oly defense. The Eagles play in the weak Mt. Hood Conference, but the home field is always good for some extra points. The winner faces Southwest Conference champ Sheldon at their sub standard (poor stands and press box) stadium. Redmond: Panthers coach Craig Ruecker ought to be calling South Salem's Scott Dufault for some game tape on Oregon City. South played the Pioneers just a couple of weeks ago in their non-league contest, losing 19-3. The OC has some talent, but not enough to stay with Redmond, especially after a long bus ride over the Cascades. Cody Johnson and the rest of the Panther offense should cruise into round two to face PIL power Grant. West Salem: The Titans got last week off with a bye and have another week of rest in the playoffs. That is a good thing for a team that has lots of injuries left to heal. Starting quarterback Aaron Hire played limited minutes against McNary, as did wideout Jordan Bishop--both of whom had been out for a couple of weeks. Still wearing casts are tight end John Gallagher and back up tailback Thomas Hoover. Defensive stalwarts Alex Fox and Chase Sexton sat out the Celtic game with nagging injuries. Coach Shawn Stanley has his trainer on speed dial. The Titans will host either Beaverton or West Linn. The Beavers beat Redmond by two TDs in preseason, and West Linn wrapped up their regular year with a two TD victory over McKay. This may be West's toughest test for several rounds. The Titans are nestled in arguably the weakest part of the 6A bracket with Mt. Hood number one David Douglas the only legitimate obstacle in their way until the semi-finals. Quick Notes on All League Picks First, a disclaimer. Coaches see all the players up close, and I do not. Coaches watch lots of game tape, and I do not. Their selections matter, and mine do not. That said, my selections for top awards: Coach of the Year: Easy here--Shawn Stanley, for leading West Salem to the school's first ever football championship. To the victor goes the spoils, so defensive coordinator Damien Ramirez should get the assistant coach honors for his work with the stifling Green Wave defense. Defensive Player of the Year: Tony Wilson, Sprague. This guy is a legit Division I prospect, and could play a number of positions. Rumors have Oregon State knocking on the Wilson family's door. West Salem has a ton of outstanding defensive players and will fill the first team, but Wilson is the best individual in the CVC. Offensive Player of the Year: Jordan Jenkins, West Salem. I am fairly confident that this will not happen because Jenkins isn't at the top of any offensive statistical chart. Tony Gonzales of McKay has the most rushing yards, Cody Johnson of Redmond is again the best quarterback, and Tony Wilson (see above) has scored a ton of points. But Jenkins has done everything for his team--giving up individual stats as a premier running back to fill in at quarterback for West because of injuries. Bill Poehler of the Statesman Journal and I are of like mind on this one. There might be a bigger argument for Jordan if the award was called "Most VALUABLE Player." Everyone enjoy the playoffs.
Mark Gilman can be contacted at mark@fullaccesssports.com
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Playoffs, all league, etc.