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When figuring out playoff possibilities, it’s important to consider all possible scenarios

Commentary: Tim Martinez

By Tim Martinez, Columbian Assistant Sports Editor
Published: October 23, 2016, 2:06pm

On Friday night, folks in Washougal were celebrating, while people in Woodland were bummed.

That’s because people in both towns believed the same thing to be true.

But it wasn’t true, or at least not completely.

It was thought, in both towns, that Washougal’s win over R.A. Long clinched a playoff berth for the Panthers, thereby eliminating Woodland. This thought was based on the fact that Washougal’s win meant the best Woodland could finish in the 2A Greater St. Helens League was 4-2, the same mark Washougal finished with after Friday’s win.

And since Washougal beat Woodland, there was no way Woodland could reach the playoffs.

But there is a way Woodland could keep its playoff hopes alive.

If Hockinson loses to R.A. Long and Woodland beats Mark Morris this Friday, and Columbia River beats Ridgefield on Thursday, Hockinson, Washougal and Woodland would finish tied for second in the 2A GSHL at 4-2. Since Hockinson beat Washougal, Washougal beat Woodland and Woodland beat Hockinson, a three-team tiebreaker would need to be played to determine which two teams advanced to the district playoffs and which team would see its season end.

So in other words, Woodland still has a chance. It’s not the greatest chance, but it’s a chance.

But for some reason, that scenario was not conveyed to the folks in Washougal and Woodland.

Maybe it was an oversight or a mistake. But there also could have been an assumption being made that first-place Hockinson wasn’t going to lose to fifth-place R.A. Long.

The former can be excused. The latter cannot. But I’ve seen it happen before. I’ve talked to league directors about playoff possibilities and said “What happens if this scenario plays out?” And their answer often has been “Well, we don’t see that happening, so we didn’t even consider it.”

And you can’t do that. Anything can happen in sports, especially high school sports. R.A. Long could play the perfect game; Hockinson could play a dud; the weather on Friday could turn Longview Memorial Stadium into a quagmire, which can be a neutralizer.

You never know. That’s why teams play the game. Or at least that’s why teams that aren’t league rivals of Archbishop Murphy play the game.

You never know. So let’s see what other scenarios will play out in local leagues in Week 9.

4A GSHL

Everything is basically settled in the 4A GSHL. Camas is the No. 1 seed to the Week 10 playoffs, and Skyview is No. 2. Everyone else is out. The only thing left to decide is if Camas is the outright league champion or co-champion with Skyview.

3A GSHL

Mountain View is the No. 1 seed to the playoffs. Kelso has clinched a playoff berth. The winner of the Kelso-Hudson’s Bay game is the No. 2 seed. Evergreen can still be alive with a loss and eliminated with a win. Evergreen is out if Bay beats Kelso. Evergreen is out if Kelso beats Bay and Fort Vancouver beats Prairie. But if Evergreen and Bay lose, and Prairie wins, those three teams will tie for third place at 2-3 in league, and a three-team tiebreaker would be needed to determine the third berth to the playoffs.

2A GSHL

If Hockinson beats R.A. Long, Hockinson is No. 1, Columbia River is No. 2, Washougal is No. 3 and Woodland is out, regardless of what happens in the other two league games. I’m told that is the exact order of seeding after every other possible Week 9 outcome, except the aforementioned three-way tie for second and one other. That other one involves Columbia River winning, and Hockinson and Woodland both losing, then seeding goes: Columbia River No. 1, Hockinson No. 2 and Washougal No. 3.

1A TRICO

La Center is the league champion and No. 1 seed to the district playoffs. King’s Way is the No. 2 and Columbia-White Salmon is No. 3 if Columbia beats Stevenson. Stevenson is No. 2 and King’s Way is No. 3 if Stevenson beats Columbia and La Center beats Castle Rock. If Stevenson and Castle Rock both win, there would be a three-way tiebreaker between King’s Way, Stevenson and Castle Rock to determine the final two playoff berths.

Tim Martinez is the assistant sports editor/prep coordinator for The Columbian. He can be reached at (360) 735-4538, tim.martinez@columbian.com or follow his Twitter handle @360TMart.

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