SAN JOSE >> Santa Cruz County had just two high school boys soccer teams, Aptos and Harbor, qualify for the upcoming Central Coast Section playoffs, both with automatic berths.

Both local qualifiers compete in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League and were placed in the same division for the playoffs, which means if each team wins two games, they’ll square off for the third time this season. This time, to decide the section’s Division III crown.

Both Aptos and Harbor received home games for Saturday’s first round.The Mariners (14-4-1), the repeat SCCAL champion, earned the No. 1 seed and hosts No. 8 Los Gatos (8-8-2) at 1 p.m.

“Being first seed in the third division is a good fit for Aptos,” Mariners coach Roberto Zuniga said. “It’s a mix of Division I and Division II teams that match up well with each other. Being seeded first and playing LG as the eighth seed, and at home, gives us a good opportunity to win and move into the second round. Regardless of the team, Aptos is ready to play hard and we feel confident of our chances for a positive outcome.”

Aptos outscored opponents 52-18 this season. Nami Banks had 13 goals and six assists to lead the Mariners. Aptos has seven players with three or more assists, and seven players with three-plus goals (Banks, Josiah Siqueiros, Nicolas Topete, Damian Garcia, Haziel Parra, Julian Torres, and Ivan Zavala).

Goalie Noah Curran has helped Aptos record seven shutouts.

The Mariners enter the playoffs riding an eight-game win streak.

The Wildcats finished in sixth place in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League’s De Anza Division, which was won by Mountain View (16-1-3), the No 2 seed in Division I.

The Pirates (15-3-2), the SCCAL runner-up, earned the No. 3 seed and hosts No. 6 Sacred Heart Prep (13-2-5) at 7 p.m.

“We’re thrilled to host a playoff game and feel so lucky and honored to be able to continue playing,” Pirates coach Michael Vahradian said. “We know how much work goes into making the playoffs and are focused on not taking any of it for granted.

“Our goal never changes: just go out and work as hard as we can and try our best to do the little things right. We want to be proud of ourselves every time we walk off the field. If we do that, we know we can compete with anyone.”

Harbor has outscored opponents 68-15. Danny Garcia had 15 goals and one assist, and Alex Aparacio had 10 goals and nine assists. Harbor has six players with three or more assists, and eight players with three-plus goals (Garcia, Aparacio, Javi Calles, Moises Hernandez, Diego Cortez, Jair Martinez, Phinn Hilton, and Andres Reyes).

Goalie Damian Escalante has helped Harbor record 10 shutouts.

The Gators took second in the West Bay Athletic League behind champion Menlo (14-3-3), the No. 3 seed in D-II.

The semifinals will be held Wednesday, and the championship will be held three days later, on March 1. The sites and start times are TBA.

If Aptos wins its playoff opener, it’ll face either No. 4 Santa Clara (10-8-2) or No. 5 Willow Glen (9-6-5) in the semifinals.

If Harbor wins its postseason opener, it’ll face either No. 2 Aragon (11-5-2) or No. 7 Alisal (7-6-6).