Sounding Off:

The coin toss pokes its ugly little head once again.

This is not sour grapes that Newport Harbor High School football is denied a playoff berth after a hard-fought season. It’s a call to arm the CIF brain trust with some better technique to break a tie. After all, the players, coaches, parents and fans didn’t put their fate in blind luck when they committed to the sport. Why should they fall prey to this technique at the most critical time of the season?

Apparently, this practice falls under the heading, “That’s how it’s always been done.” I’m going to step outside the proverbial box and offer a few alternatives.

 Rock, paper, scissors: Best of three in the end zone. The old “roshambo” provides a mental edge to the game. I’ve walked away from losing this one, and felt I was legitimately bested.

 Arm-wrestle: Pick your best man, set it up at the 50-yard line and go.

 Thumb war: We would need a high-definition camera to capture the intricacies of this long-lost art.

 Eeeny-meeny-miney mo: Certainly could capture the imagination of siblings in the crowd. Both coaches must be willing to sit barefoot at the 50-yard line.

 Final round of jeopardy: Pick your top scholars on the team and put them head to head in a sports category.

 Hundred-yard dash between the head coaches — it would show who walks the walk

 Obstacle course: Best times win. I’m sure we could rally the teams early the next day on a neutral course; no pads needed. Matter of fact, you could probably sell tickets at the gate. A fundraiser!

 GPA: Oh yeah, it’s why we’re in school. How about rewarding the team with the highest average GPA to advance to the playoffs. That would give the other team time to get their grades back up to par and write those college essays.

After gut-wrenching years of commitment and hard-fought battles, a three-second coin toss just doesn’t seem right. We’re well into the 21st century.

I’m suggesting CIF take a look at this technique and come up with a new plan.

Gary Crane is a resident of Newport Beach.