I cringe when I hear high school coaches say, "You've got to have the players."

True, to win championships, you've got to have talent. But let's not fool ourselves here. Coaching separates programs.

Consider girls volleyball on the D-I level in the Central Section:

Buchanan won 7 titles in 11 seasons from 1997-2007. Why? Talent, dedication, athletes from homes with resources and, oh, let's not forget -- coach Marian Battles.

Why, then, did neighbor Clovis West -- with virtually identical demographics and resources -- not win a section title in 29 years until the past two? Simple: Rhonda DeRuiter.

I'm having a little trouble with Clovis and Madera choosing not to participate in the Division I playoffs.

The section playoff format allows everyone to compete in the postseason. The weakest of the weak generally choose not to, avoiding not only a rout, but one also on the road.

Clovis (3-7) and Madera (4-6) don't qualify as the weakest of the weak. Weakest in the Tri-River Athletic Conference? Yes. But that's no embarrassment, given the league's No. 1 status in the section.

Had they joined the postseason pool, Clovis, as a No. 10 seed, would have played at No. 9 Clovis East, and Madera, as a No. 11 seed, would have visited No. 8 Centennial.

I'm getting mixed reports on the health of Clovis West running back Kendal Brock.

Some say he has a high ankle sprain and is questionable for the Golden Eagles' quarterfinal game against unbeaten Bullard Nov. 27 at McLane.

But his own coach, Coby Lindsey, says he's fine, that he ran with the team today and that "nothing" will keep him out against the second-seeded Knights.

What's not in question is this: I've had several sources not associated with Clovis West, including Bullard coach Donnie Arax, who say Brock is the finest running back in the Central Section.

The Tri-River Athletic Conference, which has routinely won 70% to 80% of all Central Section Division I championships in this decade, is as dominant as ever to begin the 2009-10 school year.

The league is 6-for-6 in D-I title opportunities in the fall, led by Buchanan's four.

The TRAC has swept boys (Buchanan) and girls (Clovis West) water polo, swept boys (Buchanan) and girls (Buchanan) cross country, and also won both girls golf (Clovis West) and girls tennis (Buchanan).

Further, the TRAC is also favored to capture the final two fall D-I titles, with Buchanan top-seeded in football and volleyball.

Key facts for the Central Section seeding process for football that's just about to begin in Porterville:

D-I: Has to be Buchanan (10-0) over Bullard (10-0) for several reasons. Buchanan won the TRAC, which has wins over the Southeast Yosemite League's top teams in Liberty (Clovis West) and Bakersfield (Buchanan). And Clovis West placed third in the TRAC. ... Bullard went 3-0 against the TRAC but didn't play the top teams in Buchanan and Central. ... In comparitive scores, Buchanan has a 3-2 edge over Bullard. The Bears defeated Clovis (28-7), Clovis East (20-7), Clovis West (38-14), Sanger (50-7) and Edison (22-12). The Knights beat Clovis (48-14), CE (52-12), CW (28-21), Sanger (20-14) and Edison (17-14, 2 OT).

D-II: The nod in the section's deepest divison goes to defending champion Tulare

It's Buchanan 28-20 at half in a game that has produced 688 total yards -- 367 by the Bears and 321 by the Grizzlies. This is exceeding the pace of the near-state record 1,279 total delivered in Buchanan's 56-41 win over Bakersfield Sept. 25.

Buchanan's Lance Orender is 13 of 18 passing for 267 yards and 3 TDs.

Central sophomore Michael Baker is 15 of 19 for 231 and 1 TD

**A few weeks ago, I criticized Central's lack of road following here at Veterans Memorial Stadium in a game the Grizzlies rocked Clovis West 24-3. Only about 400 Grizzlies fans showed for one of the biggest wins in program history. Not tonight against top-ranked Buchanan. They've nearly filled the north bleachers to the tune of about 3,000 fans.

** Central's turnout was rewarded with an electrifying 76-yard flea-flicker touchdown pass from quarterback Michael Baker to B.J. Kelly on the Grizzlies' second play from scrimmage.

** With running back Nigel Simmons (broken ankle) and wide receiver Jake East (hairline leg fracture) out, Buchanan has lost 44% of its total offense and 57% of its touchdowns.

Playoffs often deliever the tie-breaker for Bee All-Star Player of the Year winners, but here's a list of candidates entering Week 10:

** Rykeem Yates, offensive guard/defensive nose tackle, Edison: Most dominant player I've seen this season.

** Tyler Bray, quarterback, Kingsburg: If Vikings run the D-IV table behind a quarterback going to Tennessee, well . . .

** Lance Orender, quarterback, Buchanan: If Bears run the D-I table behind a quarterback lighting it up against the section's best competition, well . . .

Only Bullard (County/Metro Athletic Conference) and Washington (North Sequoia League) have clinched titles outright entering the final week of the regular season.

Here are the most meaningful/compelling games:

** Central (7-2, 4-0) at Buchanan (9-0, 4-0): A high-octane beauty for the TRAC crown.

** Sunnyside (5-5, 4-0) at Memorial (8-1, 4-0): Records no doubt deceive here. Memorial should roll for NYL title.

** Liberty-Bakersfield (6-3, 5-0) at Garces (6-3, 4-1): SEYL-leading Liberty has given up an average of 9.3 points in eight games since losing 31-21 at Clovis West. Garces has

11:05 p.m: Bullard sophomore Sean Kuehter, after missing a 31-yarder in the first OT, drills a 30-yarder in the second OT to win the epic battle of County/Metro Athletic Conference rivals.

10 p.m: We're going OT, tied at 14.

8:58 p.m: What a horrible venue to watch such an important game -- fans on same side of field and far away from the action. And the field doesn't look like it's been lined in 2 months. Bullard leads 7-0 in the third quarter on a 37-yard interception return for a touchdown by Chris Tate.

8:18 p.m: A year after Bullard defeated Edison 17-14 in a game the Tigers turned the ball over six times, it figured to be even more defensive this time -- and it has been.

It's scoreless at halftime. Edison has thrown an interception and fumbled; Bullard has thrown two interceptions and had a punt blocked.