Soccer rivals drawn together - Marin Independent Journal

NORCAL PLAYOFFS

Soccer rivals drawn together

Archie Williams, Tam, Terra Linda boys all set in Division III bracket

Chala Rosenthal (20) from Archie Williams trips over sliding Redwood defender John Anderluh (14) at the MCAL boys soccer final in San Rafael on Feb. 15. SHERRY LAVARS — MARIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL

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By Ian Ross

iross@marinij.com

The three Marin boys soccer teams to qualify for the NorCal playoffs were all gathered in one spot in Mill Valley on Saturday as Tam High and Terra Linda battled for the North Coast Section Division III title while Archie Williams — fresh off a D-II title win — watched from the stands.

The three teams were again gathered in one spot by the seeding committee on Sunday. Archie Williams was given the top seed in Division III with Tam earning the fifth seed and Terra Linda the seventh — opening up the possibility of another all-Marin playoff game this week.

Archie Williams (13-4-5) hosts No. 8 Sacred Heart Prep of Atherton (16-2-5) at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Red Hill Park in San Anselmo. No. 5 Tam (12-6-5) hits the road for a game against No. 4 Liberty Ranch of Galt (22-4-2) at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Should either Archie Williams or Tam win, that semifinal will take place in Marin at 3 p.m. on Thursday. If both win, they would face each other for the third time this year.

No. 7 Terra Linda (10-8-2) lurks on the other side of the bracket and begins its quest for a second NorCal title at No. 2 Hillsdale of San Mateo (19-1-2) at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Granada, the team Archie Williams defeated 3-2 for the NCS D-II title on Friday, is also in D-III for NorCals as the No. 3 seed.

Girls soccer

The seeding committee slotted Marin Academy in Division II, giving the Wildcats an opportunity to avenge Friday’s NCS D-II title loss to Cardinal Newman — although both teams would need to win twice to make that happen.

The No. 6 Wildcats (20-3-1) open the tournament on the road against Leland of San Jose (11-3-6) at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Cardinal Newman is on the other side of the bracket as the No. 4 seed.

San Rafael, making its NorCal debut after competing in its first section final on Saturday, is the No. 7 seed in D-IV. The Bulldogs (15-9-0), who fell 1-0 against Sonoma Valley on Saturday, hit the road for a quarterfinal against No. 2 Soquel (13-4-3) on Tuesday. The Bulldogs could see No. 6 Sonoma Valley again in Thursday’s semifinals if both teams advance.

Girls basketball

Marin Catholic has the best shot of any team from the county of making it to the State Championships in Sacramento in two weeks by virtue of it’s No. 3 seeding in the Division III bracket.

The Wildcats (21-11), fresh off their fourth consecutive NCS championship, host No. 14 Christopher of Gilroy (20-6) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

Redwood was the lone Marin team to qualify for NorCals by way of a third-place game, defeating Clayton Valley Charter 72-65 on Friday night. The Giants (23-9) are seeded 13th and open on the road against No. 4 Lincoln of Stockton (21-8) at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Boys basketball

Redwood continues its postseason journey as the No. 9 seed in the D-I bracket. As such, the Giants (22-7) open with a road game against No. 8 Oakland Tech (23-5) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

Branson also opens on the road as the No. 11 seed in D-II. The Bulls (21-10), fresh off an NCS D-III title win over San Domenico on Friday, face No. 6 Archbishop Mitty of San Jose (14-13) at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

San Domenico is the lone basketball team from the county to receive a home game as the No. 8 seed in D-III. The Panthers (23-8) host No. 9 Aptos (24-6) at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

St. Vincent de Paul of Petaluma — which has a few Marin-based players on its roster including Jack Ellis, Dylan Chelew, and Tyler Chelew — is the No. 5 seed in the NorCal D-VI tournament. The Mustangs (19-11) travel to face No. 4 Sacramento Waldorf (27-3) on Tuesday. There is no state championship game for D-VI.