Top area boys soccer teams in showcase
Two defending section champions and two section runners-up will compete in the second annual Capital Challenge Cup boys soccer showcase Friday at Capital Christian High School.
Bella Vista, which won the Sac-Joaquin Section D-II title last fall, will play defending D-V section champion Capital Christian at 6 p.m.
Granite Bay, which lost to Bella Vista on penalty kicks in the D-II final, will take on national power Jesuit at 8 p.m. Jesuit lost to Davis in last year's D-I section title game.
The Marauders, traditionally nationally ranked, are No. 1 in this week's first National Soccer Coaches Association of America Region VII (Western states) fall poll.
Both contests are rematches of last year's event. Capital Christian beat Bella Vista 2-0, and Jesuit won 3-2, with the deciding goal coming on a late penalty kick.
Admission for the showcase is $5 for adults and $3 for students.
• Davis is the only other area team ranked in the Region VII poll at No. 10. Jesuit is scheduled to play host to No. 5 Marin Academy on Monday at 4 p.m.
Highlights from section media day
The Sac-Joaquin Section held its first media day of the year last Thursday in Lodi. Among the highlights:
• Two-person crews will officiate all section boys and girls basketball playoff games, including games played at neutral sites.
• If a team wins at least 15 power-rated boys or girls basketball games and does not qualify for the postseason by the power rating system, that team will be added to the tournament.
• The top three teams (five-team leagues qualify two) from each league will qualify for the boys and girls soccer playoffs but will be placed into divisional brackets by enrollment. It's possible that perennial D-I power Jesuit could play in D-II in this season's boys playoffs, should the Marauders qualify.
• The power-rating system for girls volleyball has been eliminated. Instead, the top three teams in each league (two in leagues with five or fewer teams) qualify for the playoffs. All teams with a .500 league record or better also will qualify. Teams will be placed into divisions by enrollment.
Granite Bay runners win at Del Oro event
Granite Bay's Trent Brendel and Maggie Bell finished first in their respective boys and girls 4,000-meter cross country races at last Thursday's third annual Del Oro Opening Night Invitational in Loomis.
Brendel, a senior, set a course record of 12 minutes, 45 seconds. He bettered the old mark by seven seconds that was held by El Camino's Chris Kigar, now competing for Cal.
Bell, a freshman running her first high school race, won the girls event in 14:59, just eight seconds off the course record held by former Granite Bay runner Brooke Holt, now at BYU.
– Bill Paterson
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