Hamlet Nalbandyan
Twenty three local high school winter sports teams earned berths in
the 2003 CIF Southern Section playoffs, and just three remain.
And for the St. Francis boys' soccer and Flintridge Prep and
Renaissance Academy boys' basketball teams to still be in the hunt
after today, many of the intangibles that have been key up to this
point are going to be needed just that much more.
Things like toughness, determination, execution and performing
under pressure. And of course, a little bit of good fortune won't
hurt either.
Here's a preview of today's action.
BOYS' SOCCER
St. Francis (24-5) at Placentia El Dorado (15-5-2), 3 p.m.: In
reality, things couldn't have gone down any better for the Golden
Knights.
Not only has Glen Appels' squad taken care of business in the
opening two rounds of the Division II playoffs, but St. Francis has
also received help.
The division's No. 3 seed, Riverside Poly, was upset in the first
round by the third-place team from the Southwestern League, Murrieta
Valley, which then fell to another third-place team, Placentia El
Dorado, on Tuesday.
The Golden Hawks, who finished third in the Century League, upset
Pacific Coast League champion Corona del Mar in the first round
before beating Murrieta Valley, 2-1, in the second round.
But with all things considered, Appels couldn't have asked for a
better opponent in the quarterfinals. Especially with the fact that a
guaranteed home match awaits his group in the semifinals, should they
get there.
Another thing that points in St. Francis' favor for a possible CIF
championship -- which would be the program's second in three years --
is the second-round exit of top-seed L.A. Loyola, which was upset by
Lawndale Leuzinger, 3-2.
El Dorado -- which went 10-3-1 at home and finished with eight
overall shutouts -- is led by Vince Case, who has 11 goals on the
season, including one each in the Golden Hawks' playoff wins.
BOYS' BASKETBALL
Flintridge Prep (18-7) vs. L.A. Verbum Dei (21-6) at Downey St.
Matthias High, 7:30 p.m.: The Eagles have won their two playoff games
-- after getting a first-round bye -- by an average of 36 points,
which is bad news for the Rebels in tonight's Division IVA
semifinals.
Flintridge Prep, which also had a first-round bye, has had two
thrilling victories against Oxnard Santa Clara (55-53 in overtime)
and Malibu Kilpatrick (78-71), but Garret Ohara's squad is going to
need a miracle to get past Verbum Dei, the division's top seed.
One of the two blowout victories for the Eagles came against
