CIF Playoffs Still Possible For Vista Murrieta Football

Despite its forfeiture of five games due to an ineligible player, Vista Murrieta High football can still earn a league title and playoff berth, according to a CIF-Southern Section official.

The only way the Broncos, who have played in the CIF title game for the past two years, could potentially miss the playoffs is if they do not finish in the top three in the Southwestern League and are put in a position for an at-large berth. Often, one of the criteria for deciding an at-large bid is a teams’ overall record.

After starting the season 7-0, Vista Murrieta drops to 2-5 overall but remains 2-0 in league play.

This is a violation of the CIF Bylaws that govern athletic participation.

The school self-reported the infraction to the CIF and said it will forfeit the first five games of the 2011 season--all pre-conference, non-league games--in which the player in question was a member of the team.

According to CIF-Southern Section Director of Communications Thom Simmons, it is not a CIF decision but a Southwestern League decision as to which teams will represent the league in postseason play.

“We do not create the rules, we are here to enforce the rules created by the member schools,” Simmons said. “We only accept the entries. A league could present a team that loses every single game, as long as the league decides that’s the team to represent them.”

Vista Murrieta is recognized as one of the top football programs in the state. The latest ESPN Rise (for high school sports) ranked the Broncos No. 3 in the Division I South in California.