Southern Section Winter Sports Season Begins

The Southern Section winter sports season begins today with a host of tournaments and games involving county boys’ and and girls’ basketball and soccer teams, wrestling and girls’ water polo.

Boys’ basketball--Freeway League-favorite Sonora takes on Garden Grove League-power Pacifica at 7:30 tonight at Cypress in an opening-round game of the 16-team National Sports Grill tournament. The championship game will be 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Loara, where Sonora and Woodbridge, two of the county’s top teams, could meet. Woodbridge opens its season at 7:30 tonight at Loara.

A featured matchup in pool play at the eight-team Diablo Inferno tournament at 8 tonight at Mission Viejo has Laguna Hills, coming off its best season, facing rival El Toro. Aliso Niguel, considered a contender in the Pacific Coast League, takes on Tustin, a Golden West League favorite, at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Mission Viejo. The finals are set for Friday.

Other county boys’ basketball tournaments this week include those hosted by Bolsa Grande, Brea Olinda, Brethren Christian, Buena Park, Orange Lutheran, as well as the Daily Pilot Tipoff Classic at Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor.

Girls’ basketball--Calvary Chapel hosts Anaheim at 5:30 tonight in the season’s first game, but the week’s best action takes place later this week. Three of the county’s top four teams are in the Woodbridge Tipoff Classic, and there is one sure thing: Mater Dei vs. Laguna Hills, at 6 p.m. Friday. The winner likely will play Woodbridge Saturday--unless there’s an upset along the way. Even then, the loser would probably face Woodbridge.

With any luck, Ocean View will meet Cerritos Valley Christian--a five-time section Division IV-A champion that rarely played the best of the Orange County teams in that time--Saturday at Lakewood Mayfair in the championship game of the Mayfair-Bellflower Tipoff Classic at 7:30 p.m.

Boys’ soccer--Santiago forward Albert Mendez, the county’s leading goal scorer the past two seasons, will lead the Cavaliers against visiting Saddleback Tuesday afternoon. Saddleback won the Orange County summer league this year and is expected to challenge for the Southern Section Division I title.

Other top games during the first week include El Toro at Capistrano Valley and defending Division II champion Orange at Edison on Wednesday and Santa Margarita against Mater Dei at UC Irvine 6 p.m. Thursday.

Girls’ soccer--El Modena won the Southern Section Division II title last season with a 2-0 victory over Canyon in the final. But the Vanguards will look like a whole different team when they take the field at 3 p.m. today in their nonleague opener at San Clemente.

Lost to graduation after last season for the Vanguards were Kaylee Whitfield, the Division II offensive player of the year, as well as first-team, all-section selections Nicole Terry, Aja Cordova and Stephanie Esparza.

The Vanguards also lost their goalkeeper, Kelly Kersch, who transferred to Mater Dei. The Vanguard Cup begins Thursday and the final will be held Saturday at 8 p.m.

Last season’s Division I co-champions Mission Viejo and Los Alamitos open their nonleague seasons at 3 p.m. Tuesday, when Mission Viejo plays at Esperanza and Los Alamitos plays at Irvine.

Mater Dei plays at Esperanza on Thursday then flies to Northern California for the Los Gatos High tournament Saturday.

Wrestling--The season starts Tuesday with Santa Ana, one of the county’s top teams, going up against host Magnolia in a nonconference match at 5:30 p.m. and Fullerton hosting Bolsa Grande at 6 p.m.

Friday, some of the county’s top teams, including Irvine, El Modena and Esperanza, will participate in the two-day El Dorado Classic at El Dorado High. The tournament starts at 3 p.m. Friday and continues at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Dana Hills, Trabuco Hills and Aliso Niguel will also host tournaments Saturday.