SEEDED TEAMS
- Godinez (19-1-0) – The Grizzlies seem poised to win another CIF-SS championship, having scored 72 goals this season. Only twice in 20 games were the Grizzlies held to one goal. Los Alamitos and Saddleback were the two teams to put a temporary roadblock in front of the Grizzlies’ high-scoring offense, which is averaging 3.6 goals per game. Alexis Palacios and Bryan Ibarra have both scored more than 10 goals this season. Ibarra leads the team with 26 followed by Palacios’ 11.
- La Quinta/La Quinta (14-1-4) – The Blackhawks have shutout five of their past seven opponents as they cruised to the Desert Valley Championship. La Quinta brings a plus-45 goal differential into the playoffs after averaging 3.2 goals per match. Senior midfielder Lucas Rosales leads the team with 22 goals.
- Hueneme (15-2-0) – The Pacific View League champion Vikings are ranked third in the nation and 14th in the state, but they have lost two of their last four games, getting shutout by Rio Mesa and beat by Channel Islands, 2-1, in the season finale.
- Valencia (20-4-0) – Tigers won their last six games to win the Empire League Championship, their six league title and third since 2014. The Tigers are led by two of the top goal scorers in the county in Mario Luna and Jordan Viveros, who have each knocked in 10 goals to help Valencia score 64 goals this season. The stumbled only once in their 10 Empire League games, falling to Western, 2-0. It was their first league loss since the 20-14 season.
FIRST ROUND MATCHUP
Fontana at Godinez; Dos Pueblos at San Luis Obispo; Moorpark at Katella; Capistrano Valley at Corona del Mar; Palm Desert at El Rancho; Arlington at Chino Hills; Foothill at Martin Luther King; Pioneer at Hueneme; Ventura at Valencia; Loara at Laguna Hills; Pacifica/Oxnard at Agoura; Rancho Verde at Norte Vista; Schurr at Poly/Riverside; Arroyo Grande at Santa Maria; Santiago/Corona at Bloomington; Chaffey at La Quinta/La Quinta
COUNTY PLAYERS TO WATCH
Bryan Ibarra, Godinez, Senior; Alexis Palacios, Godinez, Senior; Alex Penaloza, Godinez, Senior; Grant Joyce, Corona del Mar, Senior; Chris Lopez, Katella, Senior; Josh Puchalski, Capistrano Valley, Sophomore; Mario Luna, Valencia, Senior; Jordan Viveros, Valencia, Junior; Ryan Bishop, Laguna Hills, Senior; Brett Jones, Laguna Hills, Senior
MOST INTRIGUING FIRST ROUND MATCHUP
Capistrano Valley at Corona del Mar – Are the Sea Kings as good as the years as when they had Reed Williams and Jack McBean, two of the best players in county history? No. But they do have the talent to make a deep run in the playoffs, including Grant Joyce, who ranks third in the county with 16 goals. The stats don’t seem to be in favor of the Cougars in Friday’s first-round match. They enter the playoffs with a minus-five goal differential, and the Sea Kings are 7-0-2 at home, so the Sea Kings should be able to move onto the second round.
FINAL FOUR
Godinez, Corona del Mar, Valencia, Laguna Hills
CHAMPION
Godinez
