Local teams gear up for CIF action
EL CENTRO — The CIF-San Diego Section girls’ golf playoffs will begin later today with two local teams making appearances in the golf playoffs.
This year, there are 15 teams in Div. I and Div. II, with teams seeded No. 1 through No. 5 drawing first-round byes, while teams seeded No. 6 through No. 15 participating in play-in matches during the first round. In the second round of action, teams seeded No. 1 through No. 5 will play at home against the winners of the first-round play-in matches.
Competing in the play-in matches later today are the teams from Imperial High School and Holtville High School.
Both teams will be competing in Div. II this year as the Tigers earned the No. 9 seed, while Holtville nabbed the No. 14 seed.
This is the Tigers’ third consecutive trip to the CIF playoffs as they earned their third-consecutive Imperial Valley League title in as many years.
The Tigers will be taking on the No. 12 seeded team from Ramona at the San Vicente Resort and Golf Course in Ramona.
Looking to lead the Tigers into the second round of play are its top three athletes: Raegan Preece, Morgan Preece and Demi Preece.
The trio finished in the top five of nearly every IVL meet this season and worked to give the Tigers another undefeated season after edging out Southwest High School by five points in the final meet of the season.
Also looking to help the Tigers in the playoffs are Ariana Carlos and Kendall Shields.
Carlos is in her second season with the team and will be bringing her continued improvement to the match today, while Shields is the squad’s youngest player as this is her freshman campaign.
While the Tigers are in somewhat familiar territory, the Vikings are making their first playoff appearance in a number of years. Holtville will face the No. 7 team from El Capitan High School at 3 p.m. also.
The Vikings made a drastic improvement from last season jumping from the No. 6 to tying for the No. 2 sport this year alongside Southwest.
This season Rachel Chambers, Landry Guillen and Lexi Vanderlinden helped Holtville to its second-place IVL finish and a spot in the playoffs.
Chambers led the Vikings all season and will no doubt look to do the same against El Capitan.