Eagles jump to second in D-I football playoff race

The road to the Northern Section Division I football championship remains through Paradise.

Despite the Bobcats’ 42-41 overtime loss to Shasta on Friday, Paradise sits atop the Division I playoff picture after the Northern Section released the second set of playoff points today.

The Bobcats have 23.39 points – 8.89 for overall record, 10 for league record/standing and 4.5 for strength of schedule. Playoff points are determined by those three factors.

West Valley (7-2) surprisingly jumped into the No. 2 spot with 21.48 points.

The Eagles played a tough pre-league schedule, but playing in the Division II-heavy Northern Athletic League hurts their strength of schedule. West Valley, which hosts Central Valley on Friday, has 7.78 points for overall mark, 10 points for league record/standing and 3.7 for strength of schedule – the lowest of the six teams in the D-I playoff hunt.

Foothill, which beat Chico 51-20 on Saturday, lands in the third spot with 20.52 points – 8.89, 8 and 4.3 in the respective categories. Should Foothill beat Pleasant Valley on Friday, the Cougars likely would bump to the No. 2 seed – and a first-round bye – based on extra points Foothill would garner having won the Eastern Athletic League North. Foothill would have the head-to-head edge over either Shasta or Chico, who battle Friday in what looks to be a preview of a first-round matchup.

Shasta (6-3) is fourth with 19.60 points, while Chico (6-3) is fifth with 19.40 points. Whoever wins Friday would likely grab the fourth seed and the home game for the Nov. 10 first-round game.

Enterprise is sixth with 17.88 points. The Hornets look to be locked into the sixth spot as losses to both Shasta and Chico would prevent Enterprise from jumping up.

The playoff seeding meeting is Nov. 5 and the seeding committee often takes into account head-to-head matchups when deciding to move teams up or down, but has historically shied from moving a team more than one seed.

The only change in the Division II standings was Yreka jumping into the sixth spot based on its 20-17 upset win in overtime over previously unbeaten Orland. Sutter (9-0) again sits atop the standings with 25.60 points. Orland’s loss wasn’t enough to knock the Trojans from the No. 2 spot with 23.39 points.

Lassen remains third with 21.41 points, while Corning (20.92) is fourth and Wheatland fifth (15.82).

Yreka (5-4) vaulted into the sixth spot with 15.82 points, while CV (5-4) dropped out of the playoff picture for now with 14.92 points. The Falcons need a win over West Valley in the Valley Bowl and a Yreka loss against Anderson to make the playoffs. If the Falcons don’t make the playoffs, it would mark the first time in Matt Hunsaker’s tenure at CV that the Falcons weren’t in the postseason.