Beckman football coach disappointed his team was left out of CIF playoffs with 6-4 mark

Beckman football coach Marcello Giuliano talks to his players after a victory this year. (Photo Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone)

Beckman’s football team made significant strides this year finishing 6-4 overall and capturing third place in the Pacific Coast League with a 3-2 mark.

But it wasn’t good enough to help the Patriots earn a CIF Division 14 playoff berth.

Beckman was not among the entries in the CIF playoffs for the division when the playoffs were announced Sunday. Under the CIF playoff system, only two teams from the Pacific Coast League are guaranteed a berth in the playoffs, but Coach Marcello Giuliano believed the Patriots warranted a post season spot.

There were no at-large berths in Division 14.

“We’re frustrated that a third place 6-4 team couldn’t make the playoffs and that we feel that the system can use some modifications,” Giuliano told OC Sports Zone this week.

Beckman finished third in the PCL, which most years has been enough to advance to the playoffs but the Patriots’ three league wins were against PCL squads with a combined 4-26 overall record. Beckman was ranked as high as No. 1 in Division 14 early in the season.

Giuliano told his players after their 27-13 victory over University Friday night that he was hopeful, but not sure Beckman would make the playoffs.

On Sunday, he had to break the news to them that their dreams of advancing to the playoffs had been dashed.

Giuliano pointed out there are other teams in other divisions with worst records than Beckman that did advance.

A look at the CIF playoff draw shows that El Toro (1-9) received an at-large berth in Divison 3 and meets top-seeded Paramount (9-1) Friday night. Santiago Corona (3-7) and Westlake (2-8) advanced in Division 3.

In Beckman’s division, Fairmont Prep (which was guaranteed with a second place league finish) and South Torrance (third place) advanced with 6-4 records. Riverside Prep (4-6) also advanced in Division 14 because it finished second in its league.

Contacted about Giuliano’s concerns, Thom Simmons, the CIF’s assistant commissioner, pointed to the criteria set forth by the CIF football playoff commmitee in determining at-large berths:

—-Head-to-head competition of teams under consideration (four points)

—-Overall strength of the league from which the team is entered based on the end of season rankings (one point)

— Overall win-loss record (one point)

‘—-Strength against common opponents (one point)

—Strength of schedule (two points, using overall win-loss record of opponents). Freelance teams will be part of the pool for the filling of at-large berths

—In case of a statistical tie after all the above criteria has been considered the committee shall break the tie.

Giuliano, the Beckman coach, said he was proud of what his team accomplished on the field.

“Obviously there are some games or plays you’d like to have back, but I’m really proud of the season the team put together,” he said.

“We had some really rewarding and exhilarating wins and we played some really good team football. We played a challenging schedule: six playoff teams and held our own which is a testament to the competitiveness of our guys. What I was most pleased with this season is the way this team matured in their response to adversity. 

“When games went a little sideways or the opponent started making a comeback, this team was able to take a deep breath and refocus on execution rather than results. We didn’t win every one of those games, but we showed the right mindset for sure.

“I’m especially proud of our seniors, so many of whom were prematurely forced in to action as sophomores on our 1-9 team a couple of years ago.  But they stuck with the program and each other and ultimately had a successful career.”

A number of players stepped up, the coach said.  

“The cool thing about this team is how many players made significant contributions to our success,” he said. “Jason Cheng and Jett Daviss had great seasons in the backfield, and they had the good fortune of playing behind some top shelf linemen in Jake Oswald and Zach Matl.

“Defensively, we had some fantastic players at each level of the defense–Jose Herrera and Parsa Panahi on the line, Jarel Coleman at linebacker and Josh Carter at safety. Every year you try to teach kids that every part in the scheme needs to fit together and work for each others’ success, and this team was a pretty good reflection of that team style of play.”

-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com