Prep water polo: Top playoff seeds go to TRAC powerhouses
Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct date for semifinals as Nov. 16.
Buchanan High’s boys and Clovis’ girls – virtually untouched against local opposition this season – were given the top seeds for the Central Section Division I water polo playoffs.
Buchanan’s boys did not lose to section opposition during a 22-5 season that featured a 10-0 run through the Tri-River Athletic Conference.
The Clovis girls’ only loss to section opposition came in overtime (8-7) against Clovis West. The Cougars beat the Golden Eagles 10-5 and 8-4 in two other meetings this season while going 21-8, including a 9-1 mark for a share of the TRAC title.
Buchanan, a seven-time section champion, received a first-round bye when the playoffs open Wednesday and will face No. 8 Memorial in the quarterfinals on Nov. 12. The semifinals will be played Nov. 16 and the finals Nov. 19.
Clovis, which lost to Golden West 12-11 in last season’s final, was seeded second and opens in the quarters against No. 7 Clovis East. The Trailblazers, who became the first non-Clovis Unified team to win the D-I title in 24 years last season, are seeded fourth.
The other top boys seeds went to reigning runner-up Porterville in D-II and defending champ Garces in D-III.
Porterville, which lost 10-8 to Redwood in last season’s final, faces the winner between No. 9 Yosemite and No. 8 Sunnyside in the quarters. The Rams, who beat Edison 26-10 for the title last season, get the winner between No. 9 Sierra Pacific and No. 8 Reedley in the quarters.
On the girls side, Clovis will be aiming for its second straight D-I title and fifth overall. The Cougars received a first-round bye and will open against the winner between No. 9 Clovis East and No. 8 Monache in the quarterfinals.
Clovis West, a 12-time section champ, is the No. 2 seed and opens against No. 7 Bullard in the quarters. The Golden Eagles and Cougars have met in the past six D-I finals, with Clovis winning 5-3 last year.
El Diamante was seeded first in D-II, with defending champ Golden West the five seed. The Traillblazers beat Hanford 6-4 in last year’s final.
And in D-III, Mt. Whitney landed the top seed. Selma is seeded fourth one year after defeating Sierra Pacific 10-5 in the final for the school’s first section girls water pole title.
Nick Giannandrea: 559-441-6103, @NickG_FB
Central Section Water Polo Playoffs
BOYS
DIVISION I
Opening round
Wednesday
Byes: No. 1 Buchanan; No. 2 Clovis; No. 3 Clovis North; No. 4 Golden West; No. 5 Bullard; No. 6 Clovis West; No. 7 Clovis East; No. 8 Memorial
Quarterfinals
Nov. 12
No. 8 Memorial at No. 1 Buchanan; No. 5 Bullard at No. 4 Golden West; No. 6 Clovis West at No. 3 Clovis North; No. 7 Clovis East at No. 2 Clovis
Semifinals
Nov. 16
Final
Nov. 19
DIVISION II
Opening round
Wednesday
No. 9 Yosemite at No. 8 Sunnyside
No. 10 Hoover at No. 7 Central
Byes: No. 1 Porterville; No. 2 Redwood; No. 3 Lemoore; No. 4 El Diamante; No. 5 Monache; No. 6 Kingsburg
Quarterfinals
Nov. 12
Yosemite/Sunnyside winner at No. 1 Porterville; No. 5 Monache at No. 4 Golden West; No. 6 Kingsburg at No. 3 Lemoore; Hoover/Central winner at No. 2 Redwood
Semifinals
Nov. 16
Final
Nov. 19
DIVISION III
Opening round
Wednesday
No. 9 Sierra Pacific at No. 8 Reedley; No. 10 Tulare Western at No. 7 Sierra; No. 11 Bakersfield Christian at No. 6 Madera; No. 12 Madera South at No. 5 Exeter
Byes: No. 1 Garces; No. 2 Hanford West; No. 3 Strathmore; No. 4 Edison
Quarterfinals
Nov. 12
Sierra Pacific/Reedley winner at No. 1 Garces; Madera South/Exeter winner at No. 4 Edison; Bakersfield Christian/Madera winner at No. 3 Strathmore; Tulare Western/Sierra winner at No. 2 Hanford West
Semifinals
Nov. 16
Final
Nov. 19
GIRLS
DIVISION I
Opening round
Wednesday
No. 9 Clovis East at No. 8 Monache
Byes: No. 1 Clovis; No. 2 Clovis West; No. 3 Sanger; No. 4 Clovis North; No. 5 Porterville; No. 6 Buchanan; No. 7 Bullard
Quarterfinals
Nov. 12
Clovis East/Monache winner at No. 1 Clovis; No. 5 Porterville at No. 4 Clovis North; No. 6 Buchanan at No. 3 Sanger; No. 7 Bullard at No. 2 Clovis West
Semifinals
Nov. 16
Final
Nov. 19
DIVISION II
Opening round
Wednesday
No. 9 Tulare at No. 8 Sunnyside; No. 11 Yosemite at No. 6 Edison; No. 10 Memorial at No. 7 Madera; No. 12 Garces at No. 5 Golden West; No. 13 Fresno vs. No. 4 Exeter
Byes: No. 1 El Diamante; No. 2 Hanford; No. 3 Redwood
Quarterfinals
Nov. 12
Tulare/Sunnyside winner vs. No. 1 El Diamante; Garces/Golden West winner vs. Fresno/Exeter winner; Yosemite/Edison winner vs. No. 3 Redwood; Memorial/Madera winner vs. No. 2 Hanford
Semifinals
Nov. 16
Final
Nov. 19
DIVISION III
Opening round
Wednesday
No. 9 Madera South at No. 8 Mission Oak
Byes: No. 1 Mt. Whitney; No. 2 Reedley; No. 3 Strathmore; No. 4 Selma; No. 5 Chowchilla; No. 6 Kingsburg; No. 7 Sierra Pacific
Quarterfinals
Nov. 12
Madera South/Mission Oak winner at No. 1 Mt. Whitney; No. 5 Chowchilla at No. 4 Selma; No. 6 Kingsburg at No. 3 Strathmore; No. 7 Sierra Pacific at No. 2 Reedley
Semifinals
Nov. 16
Final
Nov. 19
This story was originally published November 5, 2016 at 4:31 PM with the headline "Prep water polo: Top playoff seeds go to TRAC powerhouses."