The new format of the North Coast Section winter playoffs brought some surprises over the past week. When the dust settled, 13 teams from the county remained in the hunt for NCS glory.

Six soccer teams are still in the mix, likely needing another victory in the semifinals to secure their spots in NorCals. All seven basketball teams playing this week have already punched their tickets to the NorCal playoffs.

Raya Leikin and Reese Goodenough, Marin Academy girls soccer >> The Wildcats were staring at a two-goal deficit late in the quarterfinals against Foothill when Leikin took over the game to score her second hat trick of the week. Leikin’s second goal came in the 79th minute to tie the game at 4-4 and force extra time. Leikin then got the golden goal for MA in the 81st minute to lift the Wildcats to a 5-4 victory. Leikin also scored three times in an 8-0 rout of Salesian in the first round. Goodenough scored late against Foothill to pull MA within 4-3 and produced a two-goal, three-assist stat line against Salesian. The top-seeded Wildcats host No. 4 seed and BCL West foe Urban at 3 p.m. Tuesday in a D-II semifinal.

Willy Finley and Sean Chamberlin, Archie Williams boys soccer >> Chamberlin has scored in all four of the Peregrine Falcons’ MCAL and NCS D-II playoff games so far this season and Finley has scored in each of the past three. The two players both scored as Archie Williams began its run through NCS with a 2-1 road win at Piner on Tuesday before scoring again in a 3-0 home win against Bishop O’Dowd on Friday. Manny Cardenas also scored in that quarterfinal victory. The No. 4 Peregrine Falcons head north to face No. 1 Cardinal Newman in the semifinals on Tuesday.

Ryder Higgins-Jones, Jocelyn Romero, and Emely Chacon, San Rafael girls soccer >> The Bulldogs needed crucial contributions from all three players to advance to their first NCS semifinal in program history. Higgins-Jones scored twice — both assisted by Jaela Brown — in a 3-0 home win against Healdsburg on Wednesday. San Rafael was minutes away from losing at the quarterfinal stage against El Cerrito when Romero scored a crucial goal — once again assisted by Brown — to force extra time. The Bulldogs got the game into penalty kicks where Chacon saved three to secure the victory. No. 6 San Rafael plays at No. 2 Saint Mary’s of Albany in the D-IV semifinals on Wednesday.

Brayan Reyes and Frisly Reyes, San Rafael boys soccer >> Brayan Reyes started and ended his week with a successful penalty kick — opening the scoring with a PK goal in a 3-1 win against Miramonte then converting the game-clinching spot kick against Marin Catholic in the quarterfinals. Brayan Reyes also assisted a goal against Miramonte and took a corner kick that directly led to the opening goal against MC. The Bulldogs survived going down to nine men for most of extra time against MC but got the game to penalties. Frisly Reyes took over as the goalie during the shootout and came up with three huge saves as the Bulldogs prevailed. No. 4 San Rafael hits the road to face No. 1 Piedmont in a D-IV semifinal on Tuesday night.

Reid Brandt, Johan Cifuentes, and Shayan Shakeri, Terra Linda boys soccer >> The Trojans got a brace from Brandt in the first round and another one on a pair of penalty kicks by Cifuentes in the quarterfinals but still needed some late magic from Shakeri to keep their season alive. Brandt lifted TL to a 2-1 win against San Marin on Tuesday. Cifuentes gave TL a 2-1 lead against James Logan on Friday. The Colts tied the game at 2-2 but Shakeri scored a superb goal from the top of the box in the final minutes to win the game 3-2. No. 6 TL hosts No. 7 Casa Grande at 3 p.m., Tuesday in a D-III semifinal.

Noah Pedersen, Tam boys soccer >> Pedersen scored twice in a 3-1 victory over De Anza to help lead Tam into the D-II semifinals. Pedersen, who has been first choice on penalties for the Red-tailed Hawks in the postseason, put Tam ahead 1-0 with a spot kick before doubling the lead later with his second goal. Pedersen also stepped up to take and make Tam’s first penalty in the shootout as the Red-tailed Hawks bested Benicia in the first round. No. 4 Tam hosts No. 9 Napa at 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Gio Brovelli, San Rafael boys basketball >> Brovelli went on a personal 14-0 run against Mt. Eden on Friday night to lead the Bulldogs to their first section semifinal since 2000. Brovelli’s scoring binge came in the fourth quarter, helping San Rafael pull away for a 60-50 victory. Brovelli scored 22 points in the game after pouring in 23 in a first-round win against Piner. The No. 5 Bulldogs travel to College of Marin to face No. 1 Branson in a D-III semifinal on Tuesday.

NJ Gray, Branson boys basketball >> Gray scored 14 points in the first round against Freedom then went off for 27 points and 10 rebounds as Branson held off Livermore for a 60-52 win in Friday’s quarterfinals. Top-seeded Branson hosts No. 5 San Rafael in an all-Marin quarterfinal at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Gavin Early, San Domenico boys basketball >> Early put together one of his best games of the season, scoring 32 points and pulling down 10 rebounds as San Domenico held off College Park for a 63-58 win in the D-II quarterfinals. Early also scored 20 for the Panthers in a first-round win against Castro Valley. No. 2 San Domenico hosts No. 6 Berkeley in a D-II semifinal at 7 p.m. Tuesday. If the Panthers win, they’ll face either Branson or San Rafael in the title game.

Maya Saibel and Kitty White, Redwood girls basketball >> Redwood got balanced scoring in its first-round win against Freedom on Tuesday then the team’s top two scorers stepped up in a big way to lead the Giants to a 63-42 victory against Montgomery in the quarterfinals. Saibel scored a game-high 23 points while White added 19 points. No. 6 Redwood moves on to a D-I semifinal at No. 2 Bishop O’Dowd at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

Cecilia Biernat, Marin Catholic girls basketball >> Biernat scored eight of her team-high 15 points in the fourth quarter to help the Wildcats secure a 47-41 victory against Maria Carrillo in the D-II quarterfinals on Saturday night. No. 3 MC faces No. 2 University at 8 p.m. Wednesday in a D-II semifinal at Kezar Pavilion in San Francisco.

Joe Hammond and Henry Dibble, Marin Catholic boys basketball >> Hammond helped key an 11-0 run late in the game as MC outlasted McKinleyville 61-58 on Wednesday. Hammond had a team-high 16 points, adding five assists and five steals. Dibble stepped up in the D-II quarterfinals with 23 points in a 71-60 win against Heritage on Saturday. No. 11 Marin Catholic travels to face No. 2 Cardinal Newman at 7 p.m. Wednesday in a D-II semifinal.

Semetri Carr, Redwood boys basketball >> Carr simply would not let Redwood lose in Friday’s quarterfinal game against Acalanes, scoring 21 of his game-high 41 points in the fourth quarter as the Giants rallied for a 62-52 victory. Redwood trailed by as many as 12 points late in the third quarter before Carr took over the game. Carr made a trio of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and made all of his free throws down the stretch to salt the game away. Carr also led the Giants in points (29) and rebounds (9) in a first-round win against Montgomery. No. 2 Redwood hosts No. 6 Amador Valley in a D-I semifinal at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Braeden Carroll, Novato boys wrestling >> Carroll went 4-1 to finish second at 287 pounds in the North Coast Section boys wrestling championship in Union City on Saturday. The top two placers advance to the CIF State Championships in Bakersfield, where Carroll, who is ranked 14th in the state, is expected to be among the top challengers. The championships begin Thursday.

Sofia De Jesus, Archie Williams girls wrestling >> De Jesus stood on the podium at the end of Saturday’s North Coast Section girls championships at Albany High. De Jesus, ranked ninth in the state, earned a major decision over Liberty junior Jaevani Persaud to capture third place in the 110-pound field. The top three placers advance to the State girls championships.