Lodi, Galt area teams ready for postseason challenges
Seven Lodi area high school boys and girls soccer teams have begin action in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs next week.
On Friday afternoon, the section released the playoff brackets. Four Lodi area boys earned spots, with Tri-City Athletic League champion Tokay (15-1-2) earning the No. 6 seed in Division I. The Tigers will host No. 11 Davis High of Davis at Tokay’s on-campus stadium — Hubbard Field — on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
“I was pleased with it,” said Tokay coach Ruben Gomez. “I’m happy with it. We’ll take it.”
Lodi, which also earned a playoff berth in D-II, beat Davis 3-1 on Dec. 8 in a pre-season game.
“I haven’t looked at the stats yet,” Gomez said. “I’ll do a little bit more research over the weekend.”
Gomez said that the Tigers are excited to play their first round playoff game at Tokay’s on-campus stadium.
“That’s what the kids worked for,” Gomez said. “We will be ready.”
The Davis-Tokay winner will play the No. 14 Gregori of Modesto-No. 3 Jesuit of Carmichael winner on Thursday, Feb. 14.
Lodi (6-12-2), which took third place in the TCAL, is the No. 14 seed. Also on Tuesday, the Flames will play at No. 3 Woodcreek of Roseville. The Lodi-Woodcreek winner will play the No. 11 Ponderosa-No. 6 Granite Bay winner, also on Valentine’s Day.
Galt (19-1-1) which won its fourth consecutive Sierra Valley Conference title, earned the No. 1 seed in DIV. The Warriors, who are the defending section champions, earned a first-round bye, and will also
host the No. 9 Dixon-No. 8 Lindhurst winner on Valentine’s Day. The game will be played at Walker Park in Galt. The Warriors’ on-campus stadium is in the process of installing an artificial turf and all-weather track and field, and is not expected to be ready until this spring.
“We’re honestly very grateful for the seeding and bye that’s associated with that,” said Galt co-head coach Dane White. “We’re excited to have a couple of days more focused and get our heads into it.”
The Warriors won their SVC finale against Union Mine by forfeit. Union Mine, located in El Dorado in El Dorado County, forfeited the game when snow hit the county that led to the El Dorado Union High School District canceling classes and outdoor events earlier this week.
“Luckily this season, we’ve played in a lot of different weather situations,” White said. “Against Rosemont, we played in the rain and the wind. I think we have been battled test with the rain and the wind, I think we’re ready for it.”
Liberty Ranch (20-2), Galt’s second high school that took second place in the SVC, is the No. 3 seed but in the opposite bracket as Galt. Next Tuesday, the Hawks host No. 14 Placer of Auburn. The winner of that game will play the No. 11 West Campus of Sacramento-No. 6 Foothill of Sacramento winner on Valentine’s Day.
Should the Hawks win their first two playoff games, they would play at No. 2 Livingston on Feb. 19. Last winter, Galt beat Livingston for the section title.
On the girls’ side, Lodi (511-2), which took third place in the TCAL, is the No. 15 seed. Next Wednesday, Lodi
will play at No. 2 Granite Bay. The winner of that contest will play the No. 10 Cosumnes Oaks of Elk Grove-No. 7 River City of West Sacramento game on Valentine’s Day.
Liberty Ranch (16-4), which won the SVC title, is the DIV’s No. 1 seed. The Hawks have also earned a first round bye, and will play the No. 9 Dixon-No. 8 Lathrop winner next Friday. Dixon and Lathrop play their opening playoff game on Tuesday.
For a second consecutive year, Galt (6-8-3), which took fourth place in the SVC, earned a playoff berth and is the No. 13 seed. The Warriors will play at No. 4 Sonora, also on Wednesday. The winner will play No. 12 Lindhurst-No. 5 El Dorado next Friday.
This afternoon, the boys and girls basketball playoff brackets will be released.