Here is a look at the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section South Division championships, which start Tuesday afternoon.
Top seeds: 1. Capistrano Valley (15-0) 2. Los Alamitos (10-6) 3. Foothill (14-2) 4. Beckman (12-2)
Outlook: Los Alamitos is trying to claim its sixth consecutive county and section championship. The Griffins will face plenty of competition for the title, though. Capistrano Valley and Beckman both defeated Los Alamitos earlier this season. Foothill is formidable and Mater Dei played the Griffins tough last month.
Best first-round game: No. 8 Trabuco Hills vs. No. 9 Tesoro. This will be the third meeting between the two programs this season. The Mustangs have won the previous two. There will be no surprises in this one, and the intensity will be even higher. It’s hard to beat a team three times in one season, so let’s see if Trabuco Hills is up to the task.
Matchup I’d like to see: Capistrano Valley vs. Beckman in the semifinals. These two teams were supposed to meet earlier this season, but the game was postponed and never made up. The Cougars would still be undefeated coming into this matchup, and Beckman would be playing for a return trip to the county title game.
Dark horse: Corona del Mar is seeded sixth. The Sea Kings were victorious against the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds when they met earlier in the year.If Foothill and Corona del Mar both win that would set up a rematch in the second round, and a game that the Sea Kings could win despite what their seedings suggest.
Prediction: Capistrano Valley and Beckman will finally meet in the semifinals, and Riley Eggeman will be too much for the Patriots to overcome. Meanwhile in the other semifinal matchup, Los Alamitos will face off against Corona del Mar. The Griffins’ championship pedigree puts them over the top and in the finals against the Cougars.
