The very unusual 2009 SAL season ends with three very familiar teams representing the league in the Division V playoffs. League champion Le Grand drew the number two seed, and receives a round one bye. Mariposa as the fourth seed hosts old nemesis Lindhurst; and Denair at number six will travel to Highlands.

Last Friday, the games ran pretty much true to form with the top three putting on an offensive show with virtually no defense in sight.He are the recaps of week 10:

Denair 39, Turlock Christian 10: The Coyotes claimed the third playoff spot with a convincing win over TC's Eagles. Turlock Christian, despite meeting section requirements for six wins and two wins in league, just misses the Division VI playoffs because of three tough losses in league, way too many turnovers, and just bad luck. Denair played this season with a whole bunch of juniors, and there is a lot of optimism for 2010. Denair enters the playoffs with a 5-5, 3- 2 record.

Le Grand 55, Waterford 12: The Bulldogs claim the SAL crown with a perfect 5-0 league record, (6-4 overall) with a convincing win over Waterford's Wildcats. The Wildcats suffered six interceptions as they fell to a disappointing fifth place finish, one season after making the playoffs.

Mariposa 73, Delhi 0: It was a long, cold night for the Hawks at the Gold Bowl. The Grizzlies finished the regular season averaging an astounding 52.4 points a game in SAL play, while the Hawks suffered their second winless season. The Grizzlies went 4-1 in league, but only 5-5 overall, still good enough to make the playoffs and earn a home game in the first round. The Grizzly offense has been on a roll, and it is coming at a great time as they move into the post-season.

For the playoffs, both the Capital Christian and Le Grand draw a bye in round one. Lindhurst will travel to the Gold Bowl to face the Grizzlies; while Denair will travel to Highlands to face the Scots. The winner of the Mariposa/ Lindhurst game will travel to Sacramento in round two to face Capital Christian, while the Denair/Highlands winner will travel to Le Grand. The section championship will be Saturday, Dec. 5 at Oakmont High School. Mariposa was actually the third seed in the division by CIF criteria, but the board adjusted the seedings so there would not be a SAL/SAL match and GEL/GEL game in the first round.

Le Grand has an excellent shot at making the championship game. Mariposa has a tougher route. If it can defeat Lindhurst, the Grizzlies will have to travel to face one of the better passing teams in the section. Might we see a repeat of the classic 1995 Le Grand/Mariposa Section Championship game? Possibly, but it will require a pretty major upset to make it happen. Here are my projections for round one.

Denair at Highlands: Denair has a good, fairly balanced offense, but soft defense against both run and pass. This is a young team, and fairly small across the board. Highlands is a bit more of a conundrum. They beat traditional GEL powers Marysville and Lindhurst, but were thrashed thoroughly by Capital Christian. Their offense averaged 20 points a game while giving up 20.2 per game. Calpreps has Denair as a 31 to 28 favorite. I'm calling it: HIGHLANDS by 10.

Lindhurst at Mariposa: These two teams have a history in the playoffs, with Lindhurst causing the Grizzlies no shortage of problems. But the Blazers are down a great deal this season, only making the playoffs with a 35 to 18 win over Marysville in week 10. They bring in a very mediocre 4-6 record, and average scoring 14.3 points a game, while allowing 26. They are a run-oriented team, but have had some success and will attempt to exploit the problems in the Grizzly secondary. Mariposa, on the other hand, has one of the section’s best offenses and can put up scores in bunches, but is are extremely vulnerable on defense.

If the Grizzlies control the line and get pressure on the QB, their offense should be good enough to win this one. Calpreps calls it Mariposa 34 to 14. That spread worries me, the Blazers usually don't score much, but like Highlands, they have played teams equal to or better than the Grizzlies have faced. I feel Mariposa will finally get that monkey off its back, and beat the Blazers for the first time. I call it: MARIPOSA by 7

One thing that has troubled me has been the attendance all over the league. We have seen crowds less than half of what they were just in recent years. Le Grand has remained about the same, with a playoff berth as a major attraction. But everywhere else, it has been the worst I've seen since I began to follow the league. Mariposa is a prime example.

I’m not sure if it is the economic situation, or if it is that Grizzly fans have been spoiled and don't turn out unless the team is unbeaten. But whatever it is, the Gold Bowl has gone from a big home-field advantage to almost a neutral site. If it wasn't for their band and a hand full of devoted fans, you could probably go there, get a seat on the 50, and take a nice quite nap. If you can, get out and support these kids.