The Acorn’s Fall Sports Playoff Preview

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WATER POLO

Who’s competing: Oaks Christian (Div. IV), Westlake (Div. IV) and Agoura (Div. IV).

Next matches: 3:15 p.m. Friday. Westlake, the Marmonte’s No. 3 seed, travels across the street to take on Oaks Christian, champions of the Frontier League. Agoura, No. 2 in the Marmonte, is on the road play Los Padres League champion San Ynez.

Outlook: Friday’s OCHSWestlake battle should be a classic backyard brawl between a pair of schools separated by less than two miles. WHS is making its first playoff appearance in school history. Oaks Christian posted an impressive 26-1 overall record this season. The survivor is looking at a possible second-round matchup Tuesday against Righetti, the Pac-5 League champions who are currently ranked No. 3 in the CIF-Southern Section Coaches Poll.

If Agoura can get by San Ynez, they’ll face-off against either Santa Barbara or Cate during Tuesday’s second round. While an earlyround matchup against Santa Barbara isn’t an intriguing prospect, the Chargers should take solace in the fact that they’re not in the same bracket as powerhouse programs Dos Pueblos and Royal.

Players to watch: Cole Olmon (Westlake), Austin McElvaney (Westlake), Danny Polyakov (Agoura), Alex Thompson (Agoura), John Pare (Oaks Christian), Ryan Balikian (Oaks Christian).

Date of championship match: Tues., Nov. 22 at Pepperdine University or UC Santa Barbara.

TENNIS

Who’s competing: Westlake (Div. I), Calabasas (Div. I), Viewpoint (Div. III), Oak Park (Div. IV). Next matches: 2 p.m. today (weather permitting). Defending champion Calabasas hosts University, an at-large team from the Pacific Coast League. Westlake, the Marmonte’s third-place squad, travels to Laguna Beach, the No. 2 seed from the Pacific Coast League. Viewpoint, the thirdseeded team from the Olympic League, travels to take on Wilson, champions of the Miramonte League. Tri-Valley champion Oak Park will host South Hills.

Outlook: Calabasas and Peninsula are the cream of the crop in Div. I and won’t meet until the CIF final should both teams advance. Westlake faces a tall task traveling down to Laguna Beach in the opening round.

Wilson’s ranked No. 5 in Div. III and should give Viewpoint all they can handle. The Patriots went 11-5 during the regular season. Oak Park has been impressive and could make a run deep into the Div. IV playoffs. The Eagles’ biggest challenge may be getting past No. 1 seeded Beverly Hills during the semifinals a week from Thursday.

Players to watch: Kristen McVitty (Calabasas), Helen Kolpakov (Calabasas), Hilary MacDonald (Westlake), Alex Hair (Oak Park), Samantha Yeung (Viewpoint).

Date of championship matches: Mon., Nov. 21 at the Claremont Club in Claremont.

CROSS COUNTRY

Who’s competing: Westlake (Div II), Agoura (Div. II), Oak Park (Div. III), Oaks Christian (Div. IV); boys’ and girls’ teams.

Next race: CIF-SS Prelims, Sat., Nov. 12, Mt. San Antonio College.

Outlook: Head coach Kevin Smith has the Oak Park girls’ and boys’ teams running strong after sweeping the Tri-Valley championships. Over the past six years, the Eagles have won nine of a possible 12 league titles. To capture the CIF championship, Oak Park will likely have to run past the top-ranked team in Division III, Corona Del Mar.

Frontier League girls’ champion Oaks Christian is currently rated ninth in Division IV, and should have a full head of steam after ending Nordhoff’s 12-year stranglehold on the league title. Expect Cory Primm, who finished second at the Ventura County Championships, and Jasmine Hayes, also a second-place finisher at the VCC, to shine for Westlake. Agoura had a great year, but remains a long shot to advance.

Runners to watch: Chris Baird (Agoura), Cory Primm (Westlake), Jasmine Hayes (Westlake), Anthony Pondella (Oak Park), Courtney Lightfoot (Oak Park), Roseanne Fleming (Oaks Christian), Kyle Block (Oaks Christian).

Date of championship race: CIF State Cross Country Championships, Sat., Nov. 26 at Woodward Park in Fresno.

VOLLEYBALL

Who’s competing: Westlake (Div. II-AA), Oak Park (Div. IIIA), Oaks Christian (Div. IV-AA), Viewpoint (Div. IV-A).

Early Results: On Tuesday, Westlake defeated Santa Barbara (25-23, 28-26, 23-25, 25-21); Oaks Christian got by Carpinteria (25-11, 25-10, 23-13); Viewpoint overpowered Ribet Academy (2512, 25-15, 25-9).

Next matches: 7 p.m. tonight. Westlake at Placentia; Paraclete at Oaks Christian; Duarte at Oak Park; Viewpoint at Cate.

Outlook: Westlake had an outstanding regular season, finishing 20-4 overall and in second place in the Marmonte, behind Thousand Oaks. A possible quarterfinal showdown against No. 1 ranked Mira Costa lurks on the horizon for the Warriors.

Oak Park enters the postseason as co-champions of the Tri-Valley League. They might be young, but the Eagles have a bevy of tournament experience this season. Look for OPHS to make a run deep into the playoffs.

The Oaks Christian Lions dominated the Frontier League and have a decent draw that should get them into the quarterfinals. After that, the competition stiffens. Viewpoint won its final 10 regular-season games, is rated fourth in Division IV-A, and has a legitimate shot at CIF glory.

All told, this is a strong group of teams that features three league champions and a second-place finisher.

Players to watch: Samantha Hyman (Viewpoint), Ashley Thierry (Viewpoint), Jesse Yeager (Oak Park), Lindsey Brown (Oak Park), Alex Johnson (Westlake), Cathy Quilico (Westlake).

Dates of championship matches: Nov. 18 and 19 at Cypress College in Cypress.

 

 

 

 

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