Wednesday, October 16, 2024

LJ FH: Game story 10/16

The Vikings' Savannah Putnam (right) tries to stop
Laine Jeffery of Bishop's as the ball moves
into the Knights' attacking zone early
in the third quarter.
(Photo by Ed Piper)


By Ed Piper

La Jolla's field hockey team dropped a 2-1 decision to Bishop's in a cross-city rivalry and league competition on a sudden-death overtime goal by talented freshman Lola Conway, daughter of former LJHS Athletic Director and coach Paula Conway, Wed., Oct. 16, on the Vikings' field.

Before the game, La Jolla was ranked number two in the CIF San Diego Section with a 9-2 record, Bishop's one step above in the first slot with 16 wins, one loss.  Both were in rankings by MaxPreps.

Viking coach Amanda Combs Warford's squad carries an extremely high strength of schedule rating of 12.3, the Knights down at 7.9. The strength ranking plays into MaxPreps' logarithm to figure out school rankings.

A team that plays easy teams, obviously, is not going to get a high ranking, whether its won-lost record is good or poor. On the other hand, there's the tricky question of how much strength of schedule plays into a school's ranking, since the specifics of MaxPreps' algorithm are not generally known.

Surprisingly, perennial San Diego powers Canyon Hills (formerly Serra) and Scripps Ranch trail the Vikings and Knights, standing fourth and fifth in the section.

In between them, Cathedral Catholic is ranked third with a 15-3 record but only 8.2 strength of schedule.

Combs Warford's unit also stands second in California, behind Bishop's.

Nationally, MaxPreps puts La Jolla at 11th, with Bishop's 10th.

Cathedral is way back at 38th, Canyon Hills 67th, Scripps Ranch 90th.

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