From the time the season opened, Montgomery had a target on its back as the top-ranked team in the North Coast Section, going for its third consecutive section title, only this year seeking the accomplishment while playing in the Division I bracket. Playing at home on Saturday night, the Vikings completed an unbeaten run to the regular season, going wire-to-wire as the top-ranked team in the Prep2Prep NCS rankings with their 3-2 victory over sixth-seeded Berkeley.
For the second straight game, UC Davis-bound Zack Batchelder had a brace in a big game for Montgomery, scoring twice in the 3-0 semifinal win over Clayton Valley and then doing the same on Saturday against Berkeley. His first goal came 11 minutes into the game, but the Yellowjackets responded when Devin Fike found University of Washington-bound senior Kalani Kossa-Rienzi in the box for an equalizer with 20 minutes left to play in the first half. But much like their regular season meeting, when the Vikings scored four times in the final 40 minutes, the second half again belonged to Montgomery.
Just five minutes into the second stanza, the Vikings took a lead they would never give relinquish, as Kevin Welch - also headed to UC Davis - found Batchelder for the go-ahead score, his 49th goal of the season, as the striker took the ball about 25 yards away from the net and finished from there. With three minutes left in the match, Montgomery got the insurance it needed, this time off a creation from Batchelder, who found his way through the midfield before finding Nathan Rodriguez for a 3-1 lead.
Berkeley cut the lead back to a single goal when junior Emmett Rayhill's deflected shot found its way into the net in the final minute, but the Vikings were able to run out the clock and celebrate for a third straight year under head coach Jon Schwan.
Both teams now advance to the CIF NorCal regional playoffs. Both are in the Division I bracket, with Montgomery as the two seed hosting Tokay-Lodi, and Berkeley heading to Bellarmine-San Jose as the six seed.
Bronstone, Rosen lead Las Lomas to Division II title
A pair of headers from Saul Bronstone and some impressive work in goal from Noah Rosen were enough to lead Las Lomas to its first North Coast Section title in 13 years on Friday, as the Knights downed Redwood 2-1, completing an outstanding 23-1-1 regular season in the process.
The top-seeded Knights took an early lead when Kirk Wilson's long throw in the first minute was perfectly placed for Bronstone, who directed it off his head into the net for a quick 1-0 advantage over the Giants. Redwood's Stanley Gaither came back with the equalizer, however, midway through the first half, scoring off an assist from Ethan Kahn to tie the match at one.
All the scoring would take place in the first half, however, as this time Wilson was able to cross the ball to Bronstone, who again used his head to find the net for a 2-1 lead which would hold over the final 53 minutes of the match. Redwood threatened multiple times in the final 40 minutes of the match, including a penalty kick from Kahn, but Rosen notched a big diving save to preserve the lead on that occasion and then tipped away another solid opportunity for the Giants late in the match.
Las Lomas now advances to the CIF NorCal Division II regional playoffs, where the Knights are the two seed and host Menlo-Atherton in Tuesday's quarterfinals. Redwood is also in the Division II bracket, where the Giants are the five seed and head to Bella Vista-Fair Oaks in the quarterfinals.
Ygnacio Valley storms back for Division III title
A pair of first-half goals from Albany junior standout Fynn Hayton-Ruffner had the Cougars poised for an improbable run to the Division III title as a 10-seed, but Ygnacio Valley clawed its way back in the second half, notching the game-winner with 12 minutes remaining to pull off the 3-2 victory, giving the Warriors their second section title in the past five seasons.
Hayton-Ruffner's second goal of the match put Albany up 2-0, but the Warriors found one goal before the end of the first half and then dominated the final 40 minutes to hang a section banner.
Ygnacio Valley is the top seed in the CIF NorCal Division III regional bracket, facing either Harker or Galt in Thursday's semifinals after a first-round bye. Albany is the six seed in the same bracket and heads to Branham-San Jose on Tuesday for the quarterfinals.
Saint Mary's halts Cardinal Newman's run in Division IV title game, claims first championship
Saint Mary's certainly got hot at the right time this season. First, the Panthers reached the title game of the grueling TCAL-Rock tournament. Then, they avenged a pair of regular-season losses to Kennedy-Richmond with a 3-0 semifinal victory before rolling past top-seeded Cardinal Newman in Saturday night's section title game, posting an impressive 5-2 victory for the program's first-ever NCS title.
Senior captain Wyatt Meyer notched a brace and added an assist for the Panthers, who scored the first two goals of the match and then responded to a Cardinal Newman score with a flurry of three goals to easily decide the final outcome.
Fellow senior Benjamin Banks-Altekruse opened the scoring for Saint Mary's, and did so in the first minute when he streaked up the middle and delivered a hard shot into the net for a quick 1-0 lead. The Panthers were on the attack again less than two minutes later, and this time Shawn Verdote found the loose ball in front of the net and placed it in for a two-goal advantage.
Cardinal Newman responded midway through the first half on a corner kick opportunity, as Isaac Alberigi expertly placed the ball to the far post, where Shea Batchelder converted on the opportunity, cutting the lead to 2-1 at the half.
The second half, though, was all Saint Mary's, as Banks-Altekruse found Meyer in the box just one minute into the half, and the captain converted to regain the two-goal lead. Meyer then used a free kick to find Jacob Bradley in the box, where he converted on a header. Meyer then did it himself, out-running the Newman defense for his second goal of the night and an insurmountable 5-1 lead.
Saint Mary's is now the five seed in the CIF NorCal Division IV bracket, heading to El Dorado-Placerville for Tuesday's quarterfinals, while Cardinal Newman is the six seed and heads up to Pleasant Valley-Chico for the quarterfinals.
