By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Sierra, RC girls earn No. 1 seeds for SJS soccer playoffs
SJS soccer ADV
Sierra’s Maitland Kohoutek (12) reaches for the ball against East Union’s Addyson Soulier (10) in a Valley Oak League game. - photo by SEAN KAHLER

 Two area girls teams have been awarded No. 1 seeds and first-round byes for the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs, while two rival boys squads are making their first postseason appearance in 10 years.

Brackets were released on Wednesday. Play-in games are tonight, and first-round contests for Divisions IV-VI are on Friday. The upper-division playoffs begin next Tuesday for the girls and Wednesday, Feb. 19 for the boys. Most contests will start at 6 p.m. if hosted at facilities with lights, and 3 without lights.

Sierra’s five-time section champion girls team is seeded No. 1 in Division III after claiming its 18th Valley Oak League title. The Timberwolves (20-3-2) open with a bye and await the winner of the Nos. 8-9 match-up between Christian Brothers (5-13-4) and Wood (9-8-1), two at-large qualifiers.

Also in Division III is 11th-seeded East Union (11-10-3), which is back in the playoffs after not qualifying the past two years. The Lancers secured an automatic bid out of the VOL and will travel to No. 6 Ponderosa (4-9-4), the sixth-place finisher in the Capital Valley Conference.

Trans-Valley League champion and No. 2 seed Ripon (16-4-1) starts Division IV play Friday against No. 15 Livingston (9-11-4). Twelve Bridges (13-2-2) of Lincoln is seeded first and has an opening-round bye.

Ripon Christian (12-8-1) goes into its title defense in Division VI battle tested with a fourth-place finish in the competitive TVL. The Knights are the top seed and will face No. 8 Millennium (10-6-2) and No. 9 Stone Ridge Christian (6-7-2) They knocked off Stone Ridge 2-0 in the Division VI final last season.

In Division V, River Islands (5-8-3) is in the playoffs for the first time after its fourth-place finish in the Central California Athletic Alliance. The Riptide, with no senior class, is the No. 12 seed as an at-large qualifier and travels to fifth-seeded Argonaut (13-8-2).

SJS soccer ADV
Ripon’s Cameron Dumlao (4) tries to hold off Ripon Christian’s Ben Miller in Trans-Valley League action. - photo by DAVE CAMPBELL
On the boys side, Ripon (11-11-4) kicks off postseason action tonight with a Division IV play-in game. Seeded 17th, the Indians are venturing Placerville to meet with No. 16 El Dorado (10-9-2). Top-seeded Woodland (16-1-2) gets the winner.

Ripon finished in a four-way tie for second place in the TVL, a logjam that includes neighboring rival Ripon Christian (10-4-6).

Both schools last qualified for the boys soccer playoffs in the fall of 2014. The Knights have a first-round bye in Division VI as the No. 4 seed and is 5-0-4 in their last nine. They’ll tangle with No. 5 Vanguard College Prep (9-8-2) or No. 12 Stone Ridge Christian (0-17)

Lathrop (10-8-4) joins Ripon in Division IV and is seeded sixth. The Spartans square off against CCAA champion Venture Academy (11-3-6) on Friday at a site yet to be determined. The No. 11 Mustangs feature one of the section’s top scorers in sophomore Yosgar Hernandez, who has the third most points with 39 goals and five assists.

VOL foes East Union (13-5-7) and Sierra (13-7) are seeded No. 10 and 15, respectively, in Division III and on the road for the first round. EU, like its girls team, goes to No. 7 Ponderosa (8-6-1), while Sierra gets a tough draw with second-seeded Valley (23-0-5), the reigning champion.

The Sierra-Valley game takes place at Cosumnes River College, which so happens to be the site of all championship games. The Divisions VI-VI boys and girls finals are on Feb. 22, with Divisions I-III following on March 1.