Several Peninsula high school teams are in the mix for Central Coast Section championships in basketball and soccer. And some fantastic battles between local teams are sure to ensue this week.
In the climactic week of CCS play in the winter season, here are Patch's top-10 Peninsula rankings for basketball and soccer teams.
The weekly rankings are drawn from all San Mateo County high schools, as well as schools in Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos and Los Altos Hills.
Records include games played through Saturday, Feb. 26.
BOYS BASKETBALL
1. Serra 20-8 (Last week: 1) Won’t be satisfied with anything short of 1st CCS title since ’04-06 three-peat
2. Burlingame 25-3 (2) Determined to break CCS hex – eliminated by WCAL team in 8 of last 9 years
3. Sacred Heart Prep 23-2 (3) Guns for 4th straight section championship appearance, 3rd title in span
4. St. Francis 14-12 (4) Depth too much for El Camino; dangerous Leigh awaits in Div. II semis
5. Palo Alto 19-6 (5) Monstrous challenge ahead – 1st final berth since ’06 dependant on upset of Mitty
6. Pinewood 20-5 (8) 1st Div. V crown since ’96 may need to go through defending champ St. Francis CCC
7. El Camino 17-11 (9) Solidified status as 2nd best in PAL to Burlingame; game effort in Div. II loss to Lancers
8. Mountain View 21-5 (6) Disappointing CCS showing – needed OT to beat 8-17 Los Gatos, lost to Leigh
9. Gunn 15-10 (7) Titans ousted on home court in 2nd round by unheralded Watsonville
10. Mills 17-10 (10) Capped season with comfortable CCS win over Saratoga, blowout loss to Burlingame
GIRLS BASKETBALL
1. Pinewood 22-5 (Last week: 1) Surprise – Pinewood has never met ECP in a CCS final; bank on 1st on Fri.
2. Eastside College Prep 20-7 (2) Eyes 1st section title since ’08; crunch-time execution critical vs. Pinewood
3. Terra Nova 24-4 (3) Entire season has been geared toward prep for WCAL showdown(s) in CCS Div. III
4. Palo Alto 20-4 (4) First-ever trip to CCS final depends on topping Div. I defending champ N. Salinas
5. Gunn 18-5 (5) Would like nothing better than avenging 2 losses to Paly to claim inaugural CCS title
6. Mills 19-9 (6) Defends Terra Nova star Moe better than anyone but still can’t top Tigers
7. Notre Dame 12-14 (9) Golden opportunity – no WCAL foes make Div. IV bracket ripe for taking
8. Menlo School 16-11 (7) Discouraging Div. IV exit – falls to Mercy SF team it beat twice in WBAL
9. St. Francis 11-14 (8) Puzzling Lancers manage just 32 points in loss to 15-10 Lynbrook team
10. Sacred Heart Prep 13-11 (10) One CCS win, one loss seems about right for youthful Gators
BOYS SOCCER
1. Mountain View 15-1-4 (Last week: 1) Survived challenge from defending Div. I champ Alisal in PK’s
2. Serra 10-9-5 (2) No surprise – Bells too tough; enjoyed 2-0 romp over Woodside in Div. I opener
3. Burlingame 16-3-2 (4) Controlled quarterfinal with Los Altos; eyes 1st CCS crown since '97
4. Menlo-Atherton 14-3-2 (5) Must fend off heavyweight Mountain View to maintain title hopes
5. St. Francis 12-6-6 (3) Not the finish ’10 Div. II champs hoped for – ousted in quarters by Pajaro Valley
6. Palo Alto 9-4-8 (6) Fell 2-0 to M-A in quarters; top tier of PAL Bay looking better than SCVAL De Anza
7. Woodside 10-6-4 (7) Inexperience proved costly against Serra; couldn’t climb out of 2-0 halftime hole
8. Los Altos 10-7-3 (8) No CCS magic – needed PK’s vs. Lincoln & scored late in 2-1 Burlingame loss
9. Carlmont 8-8-3 (10) Moves up w/o playing thanks to 17-1-1 SHP’s 1st-round flameout in Div. III
10. Half Moon Bay 14-3-2 (NR) Enjoyed lead until late in 2-1 OT loss to Soquel in Div. III quarters
GIRLS SOCCER
1. St. Francis 15-3-3 (Last week: 1) Great cross-town, private/public final could happen w/ Mountain View
2. Mountain View 13-2-6 (2) Squeezed past Monta Vista 10-9 in PK’s; next up is enigmatic Woodside
3. Aragon 14-2-5 (3) Takes 10-0-1 streak into match w/ tough SI team intent on payback for ’10 ouster
4. Burlingame 11-4-5 (4) Scores twice but elite Mitty cracks potent BHS ‘D’ for 3 goals in wild quarterfinal
5. Los Altos 8-6-8 (5) Aragon’s precision too tough for Eagles in 2-0 loss in Div. II quarters
6. Gunn 10-7-5 (6) Making CCS seemed doubtful in Jan.; beat Carlmont in opener before Lancer loss
7. Woodside 12-6-3 (8) Eliminated Mountain View last two years, but this will be a formidable test
8. San Mateo 11-5-2 (7) Tough draw in opener -- couldn’t keep pace in 4-2 shootout w/ Los Gatos
9. Carlmont 7-7-7 (9) Ran into equally hot Gunn, failed to win a CSS game for 1st time since ‘04
10. Sacred Heart Prep 14-4-3 (10) Facing Valley Christian in final might be toughest CCS game in 3 years
