Three quick items to note before I get to work on this week's basketball rankings.

— Had an interesting time at the Kern County Invitational this afternoon, a new tournament hosted by Centennial that coach Mike Hicks is trying to grow into a late-season local must-see like East's Coyote Classic is early in the year. Foothill, behind championships from 130-pounder Derik Rizo and heavyweight Angel Posadas, which is great for the growing Trojans program. Here's the real story, though: Liberty's Greg Kapler had moved down to 135 pounds for the event, matching himself up with undefeated Centennial 135er Seth Hicks (the coach's son). That would have been a dynamite final. Instead, Kapler — and I was told this was his and his dad's decision, not the Liberty coaches' — decided to default out of the tournament before he faced Hicks.
I can see this one from both sides. Kapler wrestles with a funky style and probably thinks his best chance of beating Hicks when it counts — Yosemite Divisional in three weeks, Masters in four and state in five — rests with the element of surprise. Then again, why would Kapler even drop to 135 (he's been wrestling at 140 for most of the year) and/or enter the tournament if he had no intention of meeting Hicks? Strange happenings indeed, but it makes the 135-pound bracket in the postseason all the more intriguing.

— It is, in case you hadn't heard, tomorrow is Super Bowl Sunday. So, whether you want them or value them or not, here are my thoughts: Folks are riding Arizona as a total bandwagon pick right now. The Cardinals are hot, and they've proved everyone wrong all month long. But now it almost feels like they're favorites, even though Pittsburgh is a 6.5-point favorite in Vegas. To me, what people forget is that the Steelers have been consistently good all year long, especially on defense. And while Arizona relies mostly on its passing attack to move the ball, it has been fairly balanced during its playoff run. But they won't be able to run the ball on Pittsburgh. If the Steelers can make the Cards one-dimensional, I see Kurt Warner throwing two or three interceptions and a Pittsburgh victory of, let's say, 30-14. You all can make fun of me when I'm wrong.

— We've had multiple requests for soccer rankings, and I will deliver them sometime in the next week for both girls and boys. But be patient; I'm trying to be consistent with what day of the week the hardcourt rankings come out, so those will have to be first.