CIF-SS releases playoff pairings

Prep sports: Hart softball jumps to Division 1, other schools see changes

When Hart softball coach Steve Calendo learned that his team had leaped from CIF-Southern Section Division 3 to Division 1, he had mixed reactions.

“It was an eyebrow raiser for a few moments there,” Calendo said.

The coach was slightly surprised to see the Indians in the Southern Section’s top division, but he also welcomes the challenge. After all, Hart had been competing against top-flight, Division 1 teams until they were placed in Division 3 in the 2017 season.

“We played a lot of those teams,” said Calendo. “They’re awesome teams. Valencia, Saugus, those are top teams. So it’ll be a challenge. It was a little bit of surprise, but not something that we haven’t been used to doing.”

The Indians reached the CIF-SS Division 3 championship game last season, where they fell to Murrieta Mesa 3-1. The team finished the year with a 20-13 overall record and a third-place finish in the Foothill League.

Two Hart softball players were also named to the Division 3 AllCIF team after that season: then seniors Abby Sweet and Kylie Norwood.

Despite the division change, Calendo insists that his team will prepare the same way they always do.

“There were some teams in

Division 3 last year that didn’t have the pitching, but were offensively just a as strong,” he said. “And most of those teams in Division 1 have very strong pitching. We just have to get our pitchers going and our girls ready to face that type of pitching.”

Other teams that moved up include Golden Valley boys tennis (Division 4 to Division 3), Saugus boys tennis (Division 3 to Division 2), Valencia boys tennis (Division 2 to Division 1) and Hart boys volleyball (Division 3 to Division 2).

Here is a complete list of the Santa Clarita Valley spring sport teams on the right and what playoff division they’ll be competing in. Track and field divisions will be updated at a later time.