The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) has announced that it will be undergoing some changes to the divisions of high school sports teams. These modifications are a means of matching top teams against each other, producing a more competitive sports environment. Some speculate that these changes are a result of a handful of teams consistently winning CIF titles.
“I’m not a fan of changes,” said Coach Will Cunningham, Cathedral Catholic’s Varsity boys’ basketball coach, expressing his discontent towards the reforms. “You never know how a team will be year-to-year. I don’t think anyone wants to be told that they can’t compete against the best teams to see how good they really are.”
Coach Cunningham has steered Cathedral Catholic’s division three varsity basketball team in the direction of success this past season, pitting his players against top competitors, Saint Augustine and Valley Center high school. Coach Cunningham anticipates a turning point in the success of division three teams.
“We will see how it turns out,” said Coach Cunningham.
Varsity baseball coach, Mr. Gary Remiker, looks optimistically upon the situation, anticipating greater satisfaction in winning CIF titles in the future, “We probably won’t win as many CIF titles, but if we do win an open division title, it will be very special,” he said.
Coach Remiker heads Cathedral Catholic’s division one varsity baseball team, currently the number one rated team in the nation. Reflecting upon this season’s toughest opponents, Torrey Pines, La Costa Canyon, and Poway high school has brought to the coach’s attention the impetus behind the changes in divisions, “The motivation was very clear – a few schools were winning too many CIFs,” said Coach Remiker.
The imminent CIF division changes are an attempt to level the playing field for schools with teams of all skill levels. The effects of this fluctuation, however, cannot be predicted, and “time will tell how it all shakes out,” said Coach Remiker.
Director of Institutional Advancement and Alumni, as well as varsity football and girls’ basketball coach, Mr. Sean Doyle, shared mixed feelings about the impending reforms. “I think that it is a ‘wait-and-see’,” said Coach Doyle. “I do like the fact that the best are playing the best, but I think it waters down who has chances of winning championships in the lower divisions.”
Varsity football has fought its way through the ranks, previously having been a division three team, but currently division one. They had hoped to join the open division, but the most a team can progress in one season is two divisions without an available spot in the open division.
Despite the uncertainty of events to come, Coach Doyle said, “When it comes down to it, if you want to say you are the best, you play the best – we have never shied away from the greatest teams in the county, so it is no different to us. The playoffs will be exciting every round.”
