Prep soccer: Buchanan boys, Clovis East girls top-ranked as playoffs loom
Buchanan High School’s nationally ranked boys soccer team might not win the Tri-River Athletic Conference title, but a win Tuesday against Clovis North likely will clinch the top seed for the Central Section Division I playoffs.
The Fresno Bee’s top-ranked Bears, 5-1-3 in league play, trail No. 3 Central (6-2-1) by one point under the TRAC’s standings system, which awards three points for a win and one for a tie.
But Buchanan, which is ranked No. 16 nationally by topdrawsoccer.com, has beaten Central in two of three head-to-head meetings this season and tied the other.
That probably will be the deciding factor between the two-time defending D-I champion Bears and Grizzlies for the No. 1 seed when pairings for the section’s six boys and girls playoff divisions are announced Saturday.
Bullard and Liberty should also be in the discussion for the top seed, but Central’s 3-1 win over Liberty on Dec. 30 plays against the Southwest Yosemite League-leading Patriots.
Central closes the regular season by hosting Clovis East on Tuesday.
Other interesting races for the top seed are shaping up in D-II (where South, Edison and Golden West appear to have a shot), D-III (Roosevelt, Independence and Ridgeview appear to be the top contenders) and D-VI (Mendota and Avenal are the class of the field and have split two meetings).
On the girls side, No. 1 Clovis East, which has clinched the TRAC title, appears favored to land the top seed in Division I.
Madera South and Redwood look to be the class of the field in D-II, while Hoover, Liberty-Madera Ranchos, Independence and East Bakersfield have strong résumés for the top seed in D-III.
Nick Giannandrea: 559-441-6103, @NickG_FB
Central Section soccer rankings
Records through Feb. 6
BOYS TOP 15
- 1. Buchanan 15-1-7
- 2. South 21-2-4
- 3. Central 14-6-2
- 4. Edison 16-3-1
- 5. Bullard 12-3-5
- 6. Clovis 12-6-2
- 7. McLane 18-5-1
- 8. Golden West 10-4-2
- 9. Liberty-Bakersfield 14-5-2
- 10. Reedley 13-7-3
- 11. Roosevelt 9-5-2
- 12. Independence 13-6-3
- 13. Ridgeview 16-4-1
- 14. Golden Valley 10-5-2
- 15. Clovis North 7-8-4
DIVISIONAL RANKINGS
- D-I: 1. Buchanan; 2. Central; 3. Bullard
- D-II: 1. South; 2. Edison; 3. Golden West
- D-III: 1. Roosevelt; 2. Independence; 3. Ridgeview
- D-IV: 1. McLane; 2. Lindsay 12-4-2; 3. Washington 18-4-2
- D-V: 1. McFarland 16-3-3; 2. Riverdale 14-1-1; 3. Kennedy 10-4-1
- D-VI: 1. Mendota 13-6-2; 2. Avenal 10-6-1; 3. Frazier Mountain 10-3-0
GIRLS TOP 15
- 1. Clovis East 16-0-3
- 2. Clovis 14-4-3
- 3. Madera South 17-4-2
- 4. Bullard 13-5-0
- 5. Frontier 13-5-3
- 6. Liberty-Bakersfield 11-4-8
- 7. Central 9-8-6
- 8. Clovis West 13-7-7
- 9. Clovis North 7-6-7
- 10. Redwood 18-3-3
- 11. Buchanan 7-10-2
- 12. Madera 10-7-3
- 13. Hoover 16-2-4
- 14. Liberty-Madera Ranchos 15-4-2
- 15. Highland 12-6-1
DIVISIONAL RANKINGS
- D-I: 1. Clovis East; 2. Clovis; 3. Bullard
- D-II: 1. Madera South; 2. Redwood; 3. Madera
- D-III: 1. Hoover; 2. Liberty-Madera Ranchos; 3. Independence 13-7-1
- D-IV: 1. Strathmore 19-3-0; 2. Bakersfield Christian 17-5-0; 3. Foothill 15-1-2
- D-V: 1. Fowler 18-3-1; 2. McFarland 15-6-2; 3. Woodlake 14-9-1
- D-VI: 1. Frazier Mountain 9-3-0; 2. Mendota 10-6-3; Minarets 7-7-3
This story was originally published February 8, 2016 at 7:57 PM with the headline "Prep soccer: Buchanan boys, Clovis East girls top-ranked as playoffs loom."