The seniors on the Nevada Union football team will laugh about this season when the pain goes away and they start having class reunions in 10 years or so. What else are you going to do when your record is 0-10?
While the team’s performance was probably their worst nightmare, they learned some things about perseverance and fighting on when the odds are against you–lessons that will serve them well as they go through life. Nothing should faze the sophomores and juniors returning next year.
Point differential proved to be an accurate predictor of how schools performed in league play (see below), and it will be interesting to see how the measure holds up in the playoffs. There are discrepancies between power rankings and league standings, mainly because the power rankings reflect a school’s performance in all 10 games, not just the five league games.
We’ll see if Rocklin and Center can advance the farthest in the playoffs.
SIERRA FOOTHILL LEAGUE
Team Power Rating League Standings
Rocklin 120.3 Del Oro
Granite Bay 113.0 Rocklin
Del Oro 112.8 Granite Bay
Roseville 104.2 Roseville
Woodcreek 93.2 Woodcreek
Nevada Union 71.4 Nevada Union
PIONEER VALLEY LEAGUE
Team Power Rating League Standings
Center 123.4 Center#
Lincoln 116.2 Placer#
Colfax 114.4 Colfax*
Placer 112.3 Lincoln*
Bear River 95.7 Bear River
Foothill 73.6 Foothill
#Tied for first
*Tied for third
FINAL REPORT CARD: I went 5-1 in the last week of league play. The only loser (Rocklin) was by one point, and if you believe The Union and Sacramento Bee, I predicted the upset of the week when I favored Center by 15.5 points over Placer. Center won by 15.
An 82 percent win rate using a very simple measure suggests that high school football is more predictable than the college and pro games. Who says teenagers are unpredictable?
Week: 5-1; Season: 23-5
When we discuss high school sports let’s remind ourselves that these are student athletes, and the student part comes first. Tough year for NU and a disappointing end for BR. However I do believe you are correct and at some point these kids will look back and laugh and remember the fun times in practices and in games. Good information on the high school sports, are you planning on other sports and including the girls too?