Contreras had 10 goals and eight assists in the final 11 games of the season.

In the Butte View League, Gridley senior Nolan Weagant was named the offensive MVP, while Las Plumas’ Roman Stutz claimed defensive MVP. Weagant scored 34 goals and added 16 assists in the Butte View League.

On the girls’ side, Pleasant Valley senior midfielder Mylee Yuill was named the Eastern Athletic League MVP. Yuill scored 11 goals and collected 10 assists on the season as she patrolled the Vikings’ center midfield position.

She was one of only two players in the Eastern Athletic League to record double digits in both goals and assists. The other was Chico High junior Keahi Davis (13 and 10), who was also an all-league player.

In the Butte View League, Orland’s Paulina Martins was the Offensive MVP, while Olivia Robertson of Las Plumas was the defensive MVP.  Martins scored 47 goals to lead the BVL and was second in the section.

In the Mid Valley League, Hamilton’s Claire Boles shared the MVP. honors with Paradise’s Essence Flores. Flores led the league in scoring with 24 goals and eight assists, which also meant that she led the league in points with 56.

Following are the full All-league teams:

Boys Soccer

Eastern Athletic League
Anthony Contreras, Chico, Jr, MVP
Nathan Carlson, Chico, Sr
Luca Campos, Chico, Sr
Andy Lawrence, Chico, Sr
Christian Ramirez, Enterprise, Sr
Federico Scala, Foothill, Sr
Tyler Ferrari, Foothill, Sr
Garrett Powell, Pleasant Valley, Sr
Keegan McGregor, Pleasant Valley, Sr
Mark Marinello, Pleasant Valley, Sr
Austin O’Neal, Pleasant Valley, Jr
Giuseppe Garnica, Red Bluff, Jr
Isaiah Casas, Red Bluff, Soph
Antoni Danielson, Red Bluff, Sr
Gavin Copeland, Shasta, Soph
Gibson Bunton, Shasta, Sr
Wyatt DeLong, Shasta, Sr
Honorable Mention
Ganon Vasquez, Chico, Sr
Jay Wulferdingen, Chico, Sr
Cavin Muff, Pleasant Valley, Sr
Brendan Van Nuys, Pleasant Valley, Sr
Dylan Ramont, Shasta, Sr

Butte View League
Nolan Weagant, Gridley, Sr, Offensive MVP
Roman Stutz, Las Plumas, Sr, Defensive MVP
Nery Martinez, Gridley, Soph
Greg Ramirez, Gridley, Sr
Eddie Rodriguez, Gridley, Jr
Jesus Castro, Gridley, Sr
Gabe Olivas, Gridley, Jr
Jesse Padilla Corona, Orland, Soph
Alex Rangel, Orland, Jr
Christian Jamie, Orland, Sr
Mario Cruz, Orland, Sr
Nathan Friberg, Las Plumas, Jr
Jayden Newkirk, Las Plumas, Jr
Jacob Wilson, Las Plumas, Sr
Isaias Morales, Corning, Sr
Jonathan Gomez, Corning, Sr
Isaac Diaz, Corning, Sr
Angel Reyna, Corning, Sr
Miles Lor, Oroville, Sr
Evan De La Torre, Oroville, Jr

Sacramento Valley League
Danny Brambila, Winters, Offensive MVP
Sebastian Rodriguez, Winters, Defensive MVP
Gustavo Herrera, Winters
Luis Lara, Winters
Sebastian Rodriguez, Winters
Sebastian Pedraza, Winters
Chase Gibson, Winters
Alejandro Murillo, Winters
Jesus Riviera, Live Oak
Esteban Alvarado, Live Oak
Kairo Machuca, Live Oak
Noah Curiel, Live Oak
Edgar Lopez, Pierce
Francisco Ruiz, Pierce
Alejandro Escobar, Pierce
Oziel Morales, Colusa
Charlie Santana, Colusa
Noah Alvarez, Colusa
Ricardo Hernandez, Willows
Bladimir Aguilar Gutierrez, Willows
Brayan Cayetano, Los Molinos
Alexis Cayetano, Los Molinos

Mid-Valley League
Erinie Lemus, Williams, MVP
Humberto Guzman, Williams, Coach of the Year
Adrian Solis, Williams
Jesse Velazquez, Williams
Kaled Rosales, Williams
Leo Hernandez, Williams
Angel Munoz, Williams
Robert Waite, Maxwell
Massey Baker, Maxwell
Walter Avery, Maxwell
Rudi Gonzalez, Maxwell
Gavin Webb, Redding Christian
Micah Putnam, Redding Christian
David Flower, Redding Christian
Cesar Leal, Hamilton
Angelo Martinez, Hamilton
Tony Garibay, Durham

Girls Soccer

Eastern Athletic League
Mylee Yuill, Pleasant Valley, Sr, MVP
Reese Burke, Chico, Sr
Juli Caranza, Chico, Jr
Keahi Davis, Chico, Jr
Rachael George, Chico, Sr
Allie Barajas, Chico, Sr
Ashley Wellman, Enterprise, Sr
Kasey Williams, Foothill, Sr
Madison Edwards, Foothill, Jr
Selah Scott, Foothill, Jr
Clara Gampel, Pleasant Valley, Sr
Scarlett Christie, Pleasant Valley, Sr
Alexandra Barteau, Pleasant Valley, Sr
Kennedy Arntzen, Pleasant Valley, Sr
Allie Hurst, Red Bluff, Sr
Elle Merrill, Shasta, Jr
Sophia Gaxiola, Shasta, Jr
Katie Effa, Shasta, Sr
Honorable Mention
Grace Williams, Chico, Sr
Kajya Melo, Enterprise, Jr
Alexia Holdren, Foothill, Jr
Ava Ericksen, Red Bluff, Sr

Butte View League
Paulina Martins, Orland, Jr, Offensive MVP
Olivia Robertson, Las Plumas, Sr, Defensive MVP
Isabella Morgado, Las Plumas, Sr
Taryn Sapp, Las Plumas, Sr
Margaret Madison, Las Plumas, Sr
Madalyn Robertson, Las Plumas, Sr
Jaslynn Edwards, Las Plumas, Jr
Bethzaida Salinas, Orland, Jr
Aaliyah Reyes, Orland, Soph
Ella McDermott, Orland, Jr
Alejandra Munoz, Orland, Soph
Alyssa Radisich, Orland, Sr
Jackie Hernandez, Corning, Jr
Genevieve Rosas, Corning, Sr
Yareli Figueroa, Corning, Jr
Cynthia Aguirre, Corning, Sr
Rafaela Anguiano, Gridley, Sr
Danika Montero, Gridley, Sr
Janessa Delgada, Gridley, Sr
Jaritza Rodriguez, Oroville
Jena Coffelt, Oroville

Sacramento Valley League
McKayla Holmen, Live Oak, Offensive MVP
Maya Goodson, Live Oak, Defensive MVP
Johanna Petrone, Live Oak
Sophia Larson, Live Oak
Natalia Gutierrez, Live Oak
Ximena Bracamontes, Live Oak
Ruby Campos, Winters
Alondra Molina, Winters
Ava Muir Vickery, Winters
Ismene Taylor, Winters
Adamariz Solorio, Colusa
Joanna Rodriguez, Colusa
Allie Reading, Colusa
Brenda Granados, Pierce
Anahi Ruiz, Pierce
Abbie Reynolds Villegas, Pierce
Ciara Aguilar Gutierrez, Willows
Fernanda Reyes, Willows
Diana Valencia, Los Molinos
Ciar Salas, Los Molinos

Mid-Valley League
Claire Boles, Hamilton, MVP
Essence Flores, Paradise, MVP
Cristian Aguilar, Hamilton, Coach of the Year
Sonia Diaz, Hamilton
Mylie Hoff, Hamilton
Valeria Linarez, Hamilton
Layla Villegas, Hamilton
Alondra Martinez, Hamilton
Sam Rist, Paradise
Alyssa Powell, Paradise
Ruby Wyse, Paradise
Isabella Santillan, Williams
Daisy Ruiz, Williams
Jocelyn Santillan, Williams
Emma Hendrix, Maxwell
Shelby Dunlap, Maxwell
Gali Mateo, Durham

Martin averaged 10.4 points per game. 5.0 rebounds and two assists on the year for the Vikings. Andrade led the section in scoring with 30.2 points per game.

On the girls side, MVP’s included Pleasant Valley’s A.J. Gambol (EAL), Gridley’s Brook Marr (BVL), Hamilton’s Sheri Enneking and Shelby Nussle of Quincy in the Five-Star League.

Gambol finished fourth in the section in scoring with 19.6 points per game, while Marr was second in the section with 20.9 points per game.

Eastern Athletic League

Jacob Martin, Pleasant Valley, Sr, F, MVP

Adam Brott, Chico, Sr, G

Wes Ramirez, Enterprise, Jr, F

Tyler Zanhiser, Foothill, Sr, F

Asa Arnold, Foothill, Sr, G

Cameron Bussey, Pleasant Valley, Sr, G

Isaiah Fortune, Pleasant Valley, Sr, G

Alek Elo, Shasta, Sr, G

Honorable Mention

Magnus Nielsen, Chico, Jr, F

Ja’Kye Rawls, Enterprise, Soph, PG

Cade Memeo, Foothill, Jr, G

Eli Hohenberger, Red Bluff, Jr, F

Butte View League

Aaron Kullar, Gridley, Sr, F, MVP

Luis Murrillo, Gridley, Jr, G

Travus Boyd, Gridley, Sr, G

T.J. Thompson, Las Plumas, Jr, G

Martin Soria, Las Plumas, Sr, G

Zach Story, Orland, Sr, G

Jordan Lister, Orland, Sr, G

Roman Bennet, Corning, Sr, G

Ethan Broussard, Oroville, Sr, F

Sacramento Valley League

Landon Humphrey, Colusa, MVP

Derek Mattern, Durham, MVP

Isaiah Travis, Colusa

Seth Kalisuch, Colusa

Luke Kalfsbeek, Colusa

Perry Phillips, Durham

Brady Doyle, Durham

Luke Butler, Durham

Alfonso Orozco, Pierce

Drew Burnum, Pierce

Luke Felson, Winters

Aaren Davis, Paradise

Jace Potter, East Nicolaus

Ryan Beatty, Willows

Harbor Kularb, Live Oak

Mid-Valley League

Emilio Vera, Biggs, MVP

Roscoe Deel, Biggs, Coach of the Year

Chase McLean, Biggs

Brady Smith, Biggs

Skyler Long, Biggs

Karson Fox, Los Molinos

Josh Alcazar, Los Molinos

Noel Velazquez, Maxwell

Cristian Lara, Maxwell

Kyden Bowen, Williams

Kaden Strong, Hamilton

Mason Coy, CORE Butte

Five-Star League

Connor Sheridan, Portola, MVP

Liam Bowling, Portola

Magnus Berg, Portola

Johnny Stewart, Portola

Enrique Vergas, Portola

Jake Thackeray, Quincy

Ryan James, Quincy

Lucas Klimek, Chester

Cooper Casey, Chester

Cole Herman, Chester

Pioneer League

Junior Andrade, Princeton, MVP

Jordan Dillard, Princeton, Coach of the Year

Humberto Reynoso, Princeton

Corwyn Roberson, Princeton

Dalton Bentz, Plumas Charter

Owen Joseph, Plumas Charter

Jaden Eyer, Paradise Adventist

Sullivan Rickert, Westwood

Conner Bowman, Providence Christian

Honorable Mention

Chris Roberson, Princeton

Nate Ramirez, Princeton

Branden Harris, Plumas Charter

Cane Joseph, Plumas Charter

Bryson Hart, Westwood

Cody Vaca, Westwood

Henry Schmiez, Providence Christian

Adam Wales, Providence Christian

Alex Hewit-McGill, Herlong

Girls Basketball

Eastern Athletic League

A.J. Gambol, Pleasant Valley, Jr, G, MVP

Taylee Clements, Chico, Sr, G

Corrina Stephens, Chico, Soph, F

Josie Carlos, Chico, Jr, G

Lexi Peters, Foothill, Sr, PG

Kalli Smith, Foothill, Jr, F

Maddux Wilson, Pleasant Valley, Jr, G

Jorian Gibbens-Egolf, Shasta, Sr, F

Bria Tate, Shasta, Jr, PG

Honorable Mention

Eden Garnaas, Enterprise, Sr, G

Aralyn Stroing, Red Bluff, Jr, G

Ava Dunn, Pleasant Valley, Jr, F

Butte View League

Brook Marr, Gridley, C, Jr, MVP

Ava Hepworth, Las Plumas, C, Soph, MVP

Emily Karle, Orland, G, Sr

Lillianna Rowe, Orland, C, Soph

AnaGloria Luevano, Gridley, Sr, G

Izzy Olivares, Las Plumas, Jr, G

Lelia Jackson, Oroville, Sr, G

Serenity Miller, Oroville, Jr, PG

Sophia Rodriguez, Corning, Sr, PG

Sacramento Valley League

Danica Chavez, Colusa, MVP

Olivia Huskey, Colusa

Carlie Sanchez, Colusa

Alena Sanchez, Colusa

Emily Dodic, Winters

Jordan Tucker, Winters

Makenzie Massey, East Nicolaus

Rylee Gillespie, East Nicolaus

Letzy Ambriz, Pierce

Payton Santos, Durham

Karla Dimaggio, Willows

Nyah Gee Baker, Paradise

Liliana Vigiani, Live Oak

Mid-Valley League

Sheri Enneking, Hamilton, MVP

Micah Mahling, Hamilton, Coach of the Year

Hanne Porter, Hamilton

Natalie Castillo, Hamilton

Hannah Bonesio, Hamilton

Addie Scott, Biggs

Kloe Seipert, Biggs

Brianna Hayes, CORE Butte

Lali Gonzalez, CORE Butte

Emma Hendrix, Maxwell

Natalie Martinez, Los Molinos

Lupita Zuniga, Williams

Five-Star League

Shelby Nussle, Quincy, MVP

Tatum Hughes, Quincy

McKynlee Gay, Quincy

Jenna Peay, Quincy

Hana Hostetter, Quincy

Gianna Tantardino, Chester

Tyler Counts, Chester

Ashley Wicks, Portola

Clara Klemesrud, Portola

Adrina James, Portola

Pioneer League

Mackenzie Wills, Princeton

Guadalupe Espinoza, Princeton

Jacelynn Haro, Westwood

Aubry Lutes, Westwood

Kelsey Ching, Paradise Adventist

On Tuesday night, the Vikings lost in penalty kicks to visiting Rio Americano in the first round of the Norcal Division III regional playoffs. Pleasant Valley suffered a similar fate last year, losing in the Division II Norcal regional playoff opener to Maria Carrillo following a scoreless game.

After Tuesday’s match, PV coach Brenna Valencia said her team battled through the entire 95 minutes of soccer prior to the penalty kicks.

“We battled and we played hard to the end,” she said. “I told the girls that sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce our way.”

But sometimes the ball did bounce the Vikings’ way as several Raider shots either flew and rolled harmlessly wide. When the ball didn’t, PV’s senior goalkeeper, Kennedy Arntzen, was there to make the stop.

“Kennedy stepped up and made some huge saves for us, especially late in the game and in overtime,” Valencia said.

In fact, twice in the final three minutes and 40 seconds of overtime, the Fresno State-bound goalkeeper made great saves to turn Rio Americano away and keep the Vikings in it.

Valencia noted that it wasn’t just the back four that played defense; it was a collective 11-player effort when the Raiders possessed the ball.

Unfortunately for the Vikings, as tough as they were playing team defense, they never really got good looks at the Raiders’ goal to test sophomore goalkeeper Mikayla Chacon.

“I think they cleaned up a little bit more in their defensive third that we didn’t get any really good looks,” Valencia said. “But that didn’t stop us from trying. I think we put some pressure on them, and their back line was fighting pretty hard, being really tired at the end.”

But once it got to the end, it became time to settle the game with penalty kicks. Arntzen was good in that session, stopping two shots, one with a diving attempt that pushed the ball wide and gave the Vikings, who shot second in the penalty kick phase, something they took advantage of.

Unfortunately, after that 2-1 lead, the Vikings never made another PK and ended up losing the shootout 3-2.

Not only was it Pleasant Valley’s second consecutive overtime loss in the Norcal Regional, but it was also the fifth overtime playoff game the program has played since the 2020 season and the seventh game this season that the Vikings played to a scoreless tie.

For Valencia, those numbers say something about the kind of program that the Vikings have.

“It shows how hard we fight,” she said. “We don’t give up, even though they had more looks on goal. Maybe they should have finished it in regular time, but it shows that we have grit and intensity that we don’t give up and will continue fighting to the end.”

Girls soccer

Six Northern Section Schools made the NorCal regionals, and three earned a first-round home game.

Eastern Athletic League and Division I Northern Section Champion Chico High is home Tuesday night and will face Homestead in the first round of the Division II NorCal Girls soccer playoffs.

The Panthers became the second Northern Section team to earn a Division II seed in the NorCal regional playoffs. Last year, Pleasant Valley made it only to lose in penalty kicks.

This year, the 17-1-1 Panthers enter the playoffs as the fourth seed and will play No. 5 Homestead. (14-5-2) at 5 p.m. The Mustangs hail from Cupertino and have won three consecutive games. The Panthers haven’t lost a game since a 6-1 loss to Rocklin on December 15, going 12-0-1 in the span.

A victory by the Panthers over the Mustangs will set up a second-round game at either No. 1 St Francis. or they could host No. 1 Casa Grande.

The Panthers have won two NorCal Regional Championships.

Pleasant Valley lost to Chico in the Northern Section championship game last Thursday night, 1-0, and is also home on Tuesday night. The No. 3 seed in Division III NorCal Girls, the Vikings (17-2-3), will host Rio Americano. (13-3-2) at 4:30 p.m. at Asgard Yard.

A Vikings victory would mean they would host No.7 Cardinal Newman or play at No. 2 Los Gatios on Thursday. The Vikings have hosted one NorCal championship game, a 5-1 loss to Chico in 2020 before COVID-19.

Live Oak was seeded eighth in the Division IV Norcal playoffs and will play at Marin Catholic. In 2022, Marin Catholic defeated Pleasant Valley 2-0 in the first round of the playoffs but would later lose to Chico High in penalty kicks in the NorCal Regional Final.

The other three northern section teams in the playoffs were seeded in Division V, with University Prep getting the highest seed at No. 4. The Panthers will host Oakland Tech at 5 p.m.

Hamilton High School will be traveling to San Francisco to take on Lowell on Tuesday night.

University Prep will get the Hilmer-Caruthers winner If it wins, while Hamilton will play the winner of Winters- Ripon winner if it wins.

Boys soccer

As with the girls’ side of the bracket, six schools made the NorCal Regional playoffs, but only one will play at home. Eastern Athletic League and Northern Section Division I champion Pleasant Valley is the No. 4 seed in Division III and will be hosting Natomas on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

That game will follow the girls’ playoff game against Rio Americano. The Vikings (15-4-3) haven’t lost since Dec. 20, a 1-0 defeat to Oak Ridge. Natomas hasn’t lost since a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Valley on January 12.

If the Vikings win, they will travel to Newark Memorial or host Everett Alvarez on Thursday night.

Chico High School also was seeded in Division III and was given the number seven seed. They will play at No. 2 Ukiah, and a Panther victory would send them on the road Thursday night at either Hollister or Cardinal Newman.

In Division IV, NorCal play, University Prep was seeded 8th and will play at No. 1 University. The other three Northern California schools were all placed in Division Five.

Gridley got the highest seed at five and will play at No. 4 Summerville (Tuolumne) on Tuesday night. If the Bulldogs win, they will either play at top-seed Stevenson of Pebble Beach or host Esparto on Thursday.

Williams, No. 6, will travel to Oakland to take on No.3 Skyline, while No.7 Winters is at No. 2 Washington of San Francisco.

Girls basketball

Nine schools made the postseason from the northern section, and five got a first-round home game. Pleasant Valley (23-7) is leading the way, earning the No. 3 seed in Division II. They open regional play on Tuesday at 7 p.m. against #14 Vista de Lago (23-8) out of Folsom.

A Viking victory would mean they would play.at home on Thursday against No. 6 Buchanan or No. 11 Antelope.

Chico High School also got seeded in Division III and will play at No. 1 Branham of San Jose on Tuesday night. If the Panthers. (21-9), beat 22-3 Branham, it will play at either Monta Vista or Maria Carrillo on Thursday night.

Fellow EAL school Foothill also made the regional and will play in Division IV and will host Menlo School on Tuesday night.

Also in Division IV with Foothill are No. 10 West Valley at No. 7 Diablo, No. 6 University Prep will host No. 11 Riverbank, and No. 12 Colusa at Alisal.

Boys basketball

Ten Northern Section teams made the playoffs, but none of the schools close to Chico will open at home.

Pleasant Valley, coming off a heartbreaking Northern Section championship game loss to Enterprise, will play at No. 4 Ygnacio Valley on Tuesday night to open NorCal Regional Division III play.

If the 22-8 Vikings, the 13th seed, win Tuesday night, they will play Thursday night at either Carmel or Venture Academy out of Stockton.

Enterprise earned the eighth seed and will host West Park on Tuesday.

Durham made the Division V Norcal Regional playoffs and will play at Summit Shasta on Tuesday night. Summit Shasta is out of Daly City and is 22-4 on the year. The Trojans are the No. 12 seed, and a victory would pit them against either International or Bradshaw Christian on Tuesday night.

Other Northern Section teams in the Division V playoffs are No. 8 Mount Shasta, which will host McKinleyville; No. 6 Colusa, which will host Fortune Early College of Sacramento; and No. 10 Orland at No. 7 Futures of Sacramento.

Gridley made the NorCal Division VI playoffs as the No.11 seed and will play at Lincoln of San Francisco on Tuesday night. Also, in Division VI, Foothill. was seeded No. 5 and will host Urban of San Francisco.

Both were on display in the Vikings’ 3-0 win over visiting Shasta, moving them to 17-1-4 at home since the beginning of the 2022-23 season, and the only loss was in the NorCal regionals to Maria Carrillo in penalty kicks following a scoreless tie.

The Viking defense, in front of goalkeeper Kennedy Arntzen, with centerbacks Alexandra Barteau and Clara Gampel, along with outside backs Keely Kremer and Eliana Macias, held Chico and Shasta to just two quality shots in the last two games.

“I mean as a goalkeeper, I always loved the games that I didn’t have to make a save; I just had to talk to people,” said Valencia, who was a goalkeeper at Pleasant Valley, Butte College and Chico State. “So I mean that proves that Kennedy and our backline are strong and capable of getting a shutout if they play smart.”

The numbers showed they’ve been playing a lot of smart soccer. In fact, the Vikings have held their opponents scoreless in their last 16 home matches with Arntzen in the goal and have not allowed more than one goal at Asgard Yard since a 5-0 loss to Whitney on Dec. 7, 2021 — which is also PV’s last regular season home loss.

As good as the defense has played, on Wednesday PV had its offense in full gear, scoring three goals in the game. The first came on a through ball from Viking striker Lily Thurman to winger Scarlett Christie, who beat her defender to the ball and scored near the post past the Shasta keeper in the 32nd minute.

“First half we got, I think we started off a little lackadaisical, and we kind of needed more urgency, and luckily we found two goals, so that was nice,” Valencia said. “I think there was a good warm-up for Saturday and making sure that we get our mind right and that we’re settling in.”

It was Christie’s team-high 15th goal of the year, just ahead of Thurman, who picked up her fifth assist of the year. In her three-year varsity career, the Vikings are 24-0 when Christie scores.

Four minutes later, Barteau pushed the lead to 2-0 when she converted a corner kick from fellow senior Mylee Yuill.  It was Barteau’s second goal of the year and Yuill’s team-high 10th assist.

That finished the scoring until the 65th minute when Isis Estabrook pressured the Wolves into a loose ball in the box that sophomore Madeleine Barteau cleaned up with a left-footed shot to the far post and a 3-0 lead.

It was the younger Barteau’s fifth goal of the season.

The Vikings will now prepare for the Northern Section championship against Chico High School at noon Saturday at Panthers Stadium. The last time the two teams matched up at Chico High, the Panthers prevailed 3-2 on a penalty kick.

To get their first win of the year against the Panthers this year, PV will have to continue playing smart soccer, Valencia said, adding that it’s important that the Vikings remain mentally tough.

She also said that the Vikings have to play the ball to feet and be more physical as they’ve been working on those things.

The Vikings haven’t beaten the Panthers at their place since the Northern Section championship on Feb. 22, 2020, in penalty kicks.

This will be the third straight year and the fifth time since the 2016-17 season that the two schools have met in the section final. The Vikings are 3-1 against Chico in that span, winning in 16-17, 19-20, and 22-23 seasons, while the Panthers claimed the title over PV in the 2021-22 season.

However, in that same time span, the Panthers claimed two NorCal regional crowns, one with a 5-1 victory over PV at Asgard Yard in 2020.

Girls soccer

In Division 1, top-seeded Chico High will kick off against No. 4 Las Plumas at Chico High starting at 3 p.m.

The Eastern Athletic League champion Panthers, 15-1-1 on the year, have not played the Butte View League champion Thunderbirds (14-5-1) this year.

On the other half of the bracket, league runner-up Pleasant Valley will play host Tuesday to Shasta at an undetermined time. But it’s likely that it will be a part of a doubleheader with the boys’ team, which is playing Shasta as well.

The Vikings (15-1-4) will be playing Shasta 10-4-2) for the third time this year. The Vikings defeated the Wolves 4-0 at Asgard Yard on Jan. 19 in a game in which four different Vikings scored.

The second game was a 1-0 victory at Shasta for Pleasant Valley in a hotly contested game that saw junior Jenna Norberry scored the game-winning goal.

The winners of Tuesday’s games will play in the championship Saturday at the highest remaining seed’s home field.

In Division 2 soccer, four teams got a first-round bye, including top-seed Live Oak, University Prep, West Valley and Orland.

First-round games on Tuesday include No. 9 Gridley at No. 8 Lassen, No. 12 Central Valley at No.5 Paradise at 3 p.m.; No.11 Pierce will play at No. 6 Corning, and No. 7 Yreka will play No. 10 Anderson.

In Division 3, Winters has a first-round bye and will get the winner of Tuesday’s Williams at Willows first-round match-up.

In other first-round matches on Tuesday,  No. 6 Maxwell will play No. 3 Colusa while No. 2 Hamilton hosts No. 7 Durham.

Boys soccer

On Tuesday, the Division 1 playoffs begin with a very similar bracket to the girl’s side of the equation. The Pleasant Valley boys will be playing Shasta, except that the Vikings are the No. 1 seed in the Northern Section.

The 13-4-3 Vikings were unbeaten in two contests against Shasta (10-8-2) this year, beating the Wolves 6-2 on Jan. 19 in Redding and then shutting them out 2-0 at Pleasant Valley on Feb. 7.

On the bottom half of the bracket, Chico (12-2-3) will also host the Thunderbirds (14-5-1). The two schools haven’t met on the soccer field this year.

The winners of Tuesday’s action will play Saturday in the championship at the highest remaining seed’s site.

In Division 2, University Prep, Gridley, Live Oak, Yreka and Orland all get a first-round bye. The Orland Trojans get a first run by as the fifth seed because there were only 11 teams in the tournament this year. Pierce was disqualified after a brawl that ended Friday’s season finale against Willows early.

It also means that Orland will be traveling to Yreka on Thursday for a second-round game.

On Tuesday, No. 9 Anderson will play No. 8 Lassen in a first-round game, No. 11 Central Valley will play at No. 6 Corning, and No. 7 West Valley will host No. 10 Oroville.

In Division 3 play, there will be only six teams in the tournament as Willows has been disqualified and Los Molinos opted out.

That means No. 1 seed Williams will get a bye and will play the winner of the Colusa at Reading Christian game, which is a matchup of the four and five seeds. Also, on Tuesday, No. 3 Maxwell will host No. 6 Hamilton, while No. 2 Winters will get a bye and awaits the winner.

Top-seeded Pleasant Valley (21-7)  will not start its playoff run until Feb. 20 as it has a first-round bye with Corning opting out. The Vikings will get the winner of Thursday night’s No. 4 Shasta (14-11) and No. 5 Enterprise (10-15) contest.

Also that evening, No. 3 Foothill (18-8) will host No. 6 Las Plumas (14-12), and No. 2 seed Chico (19-8) will host Red Bluff (9-18). It will be the third time that the Spartans and Panthers have squared off this year, with the Panthers winning both contests.

In Division 4, the top four seeds, University Prep, West Valley, Colusa, and Anderson, will get a first-round bye.

Tuesday’s first-round action Includes No. 9 Pierce (13-14) at No. 8 Orland (12-16), No. 12 Willows (10-18) at No. 5 Winters, (19-5) and No. 6 Gridley (14-12) will host No. 11 Lassen (8-19), and No. 7 Yreka (14-14) will host No. 10 Oroville (9-16).

Division 5 girls

In Division 5, the eight-team tournament starts Tuesday night as top seed Quincy (24 -4) will host Los Molinos (7-18). No. 4 Modoc will host No. 5 East Nicolaus, and sixth-seeded Durham (15-13) will play at the No. 3 seed Trinity. (16-11) while the No.2 seed Hamilton (19-5) \will host No. 7 seed Portola (14-14) to wrap up Tuesday’s first-round action.

The Division 6 playoffs begin on Wednesday, with No. 1 Weed hosting No. 8 Plumas Charter. Also playing Wednesday night are No. 4 Biggs (14-11), hosting No. 5 Etna, No. 3 Fall River will host No. 6. Maxwell, and No. 2 Redding Christian will host No. 7 Tulelake.

All of those games will tip off at 7 p.m.

In Division Seven, the top two seeds, Hayfork and Butte Valley, will get a bye. On Wednesday, No. 4 Chester (9-8) will host No. 5 Princeton (7-9), while No. 3 Loyolton will play No. 6 Surprise Valley.

Boys basketball

Unlike the girls’ bracket, the Pleasant Valley will get a first-round game on Friday night.  The Vikings, 20-7, are the top seed in the Division 3 tournament and will host No. 8 Corning (11-14) on Friday night.

Also in action on Friday will be No. 4 Chico (15-11) against No. 5 Las Plumas (18-10), while No. 3 Enterprise (19-8) hosts No. 6 Shasta (12-16) and No. 7 Red Bluff (7-18) travels to play at No. 2 Foothill (17-9).

Division 4 boys basketball playoffs will kick off on Wednesday with first-round action. The top four teams, Gridley, University Prep, Colusa, and Orland, all get first-round byes.

Wednesday’s first-round games include No. 8 Pierce hosting No. 9 Winters, No.5 West Valley hosting No.12 Anderson, No. 6 Lassen (14-13), hosting No.11 Oroville (7-17), and No.7 Yreka (12-16) hosting No.10 Paradise. (10-15)

In Division 5, there’s only one game in the first round on Wednesday and it is No. 8 East Nicolaus hosting.
No. 9 Quincy.

The rest of the Division 5 playoffs will start on Friday night, with top-seed Weed hosting the winner of Wednesday night’s game. Also, on Friday, No. 2 Mt. Shasta (20-8) will host No. 7 Hamilton (7-13), No. 3 Durham (22-6) will host No. 6 Modoc (9-14), and No. 5 Los Molinos (16-12) will be at No. 4 Portola(19-9)

In Division 6 boys, Redding Christian and Fall River will get a bye into the second round. First-round games that will be played on Tuesday night include No. 4 Etna hosting No. 5 Maxwell and No.3 Biggs (19-5) hosting No. 6 Plumas Charter (12-12).

Division 7 playoff action will begin on Tuesday. Top-seeded Princeton will get a first-round bye, along with Loyalton, Hayfork, Chester, and Happy Camp.

Tuesday’s action will include No. 8 Big Valley hosting No. 9 Surprise Valley, No. 6 Paradise Adventist (9-14) Academy hosting Bethel Christian (3-16) and No. 7 Butte Valley hosting No. 10 Westwood.

The tie meant that Chico coach Tibi Marinescu’s team finished 9-0-1, not quite the undefeated, untied mark that he was hoping for his Panthers.

“I would call it a funky game,” he said. “We are undefeated still” in EAL play — 15-1-1 on the season.

PV (15-1-4, 6-1-3 EAL) placed second in league.

Neither team really could consistently take control of the game. There were just three saves combined and no dangerous opportunities created. One of the best opportunities in the second half came when Pleasant Valley’s Scarlett Christie took a shot that was just wide right.

Both teams are traditionally good with possession and moving the ball around, but Friday night’s game had a little more of a kickball element to it than one would expect from a Chico-PV matchup.

“The pendulum swung the different times of the game between maintaining position and creating chances,” Marinescu said. “The first half, I think, belonged to us. Then they turned the control back (in the second half), and they started putting some pressure; we managed to get out of it with a couple of breaks.”

He also pointed out that the two teams know each other so well that it’s tough to try something new, adding it’s fun to watch the two schools compete.

Pleasant Valley coach Brenna Valencia agreed that her team started to take more control of the game after halftime.

“I think in the second half, we definitely came together a little bit more,” she said, noting the Vikings began to create more pressure in the final third of the second half. “Aside from a couple of corners we let them have in the second half, I think we were more dominant and staying on their half of the field and getting opportunities and shots off. We just couldn’t test (Chico’s goalkeeper) as much as we wanted to and get it on frame like we wanted to.”

Postseason peek

Now the two teams look to the section playoffs starting Tuesday. The Panthers will host Las Plumas, while the Vikings will play Shasta for the third time this year and the second time within a week.

The Thunderbirds, the Butte View League champion, come into that game with a 14-5-1 record. Chico and LP haven’t met this year.

The Vikings will meet a Wolves team they beat twice this year; the first was a 4-0 victory Jan. 19 in Chico, and on Feb. 7 in Redding, PV won 1-0.

If both Chico and Pleasant Valley win, the section championship will be played Saturday at Chico High School on Feb. 17.

The Panthers might have to play without one of the Northern Section’s elite defenders in Reese Burke, who suffered a leg injury in Friday’s game. Marinescu said there are few things his team could work on between now and the playoffs.

“I would definitely say transition between giving up position and coming up into a defensive position that will allow us to proactively win the ball and link up again with the midfield and attack not just get the break by booming the ball out, ” he said — adding he’d like to see better support because he felt like his attacking players up top (Peyton Holt, Julie Carranza and Keahi Davis) were too isolated.

Chico’s loss came Dec. 15 against Rocklin, 6-1.

The Vikings and Valencia are at home, where they hold a 16-1-4 record in two seasons under her stewardship. The only loss was last year’s NorCal Regional against Maria Carrillo — a game that was lost on penalty kicks.

“Our motto is we don’t lose at home,” Valencia said.

They also don’t give up goals at home. They’ve allowed just one goal in the last 21 home games — the last being Jan. 11, 2023, against Foothill.

PV’s defense is anchored by senior goalkeeper Kennedy Arntzen and senior central backs Ali Barteau and Clara Gampel. Counting the playoffs, Friday night was the third straight game that the Panthers have failed to score at Asgard Yard.

As they head into the playoffs, Valencia’s Vikings, who have been battling illness and injuries, are still coming together. She says she’d like to see the team become more mentally tough.

“I think everyone needs to continue working on it,” she said. “If you’re mentally strong then your body will follow.”‘

Valencia said that the players have the soccer part down — they know how to do it, and they understand the fundamentals.

“You got to teach them how to be mentally strong at the end of the season when you’re tired and to push through when you’re tired,” she said.

The Division 1 and 2 playoffs will begin on Feb. 13. However, the Division 1 final will be on Feb. 17, with the Division 2 final being played on Feb. 24.

The Division Three playoffs will begin on Feb. 15 and conclude on Feb. 24. Norcal regional play will start on Feb. 27 and conclude on Saturday, Mar. 2.

Boys

Heading into tonight’s Eastern Athletic League showdown between the Pleasant Valley High Vikings and the Chico High Panthers, the Vikings (2.558 points) hold the top spot in the section point standings, with the Panthers (2.510) just behind them.

Division One playoffs will begin on Feb. 13, with the championship slated for Feb. 17.

The two teams tied earlier this year and enter into tonight’s action at Chico High School, starting at 7 p.m. with an 8-0-1 record.

The Vikings shut out Shasta on Wednesday night (3-0), while the Panthers took care of business against Foothill with a 3-0 win.

Third behind those two schools is Las Plumas (2.411). The 14-4-1 Thunderbirds closed their regular season yesterday at Butte View League champion Gridley.

Wednesday night’s victories by the Panthers and Vikings kept them on a collision course. They also appear to have settled the fourth spot in the playoffs.

When the points were released on Monday, Foothill was in the fourth spot, but Shasta is fourth in the Eastern Athletic League with a 4-5 mark ahead of both Red Bluff and Foothill, who are 3-6.

Teams cannot be seeded out of league finish, so even if the Cougars defeat Red Bluff on Friday and Enterprise upsets Shasta, Shasta will still have a 2-1 edge in head-to-head matchups for the year.

If Red Bluff defeats the Cougars and ends up tying Shasta at 4-6 in league play, Shasta will likely have the edge since it has swept the season action in league play from the Spartans.

In Division Two, University Prep (2.480) looks likely to be the top seat in the division as it was set in the season against winless Central Valley.

Gridley was second in points going into its game against the Thunderbirds, followed by Live Oak, Corning, Yreka, Orland, Lassen, Anderson, West Valley,  Pierce, Oroville and CV.

Fourth-ranked Corning ended its season on Thursday against Oroville, and a victory over the Tigers would tie them with Orland in third place in the BVL. A three-way second-place time could occur if Gridley defeats LP and Corning defeats Oroville.

In the 12-team bracket, only Paradise would miss the playoffs. However, schools had until Thursday to opt-out. Williams appears to be locked into the top seed in Division Three with Winters behind them. Maxwell was third, followed by Colusa, Redding Christian, Durham, Hamilton, Willows, and Los Molinos.

In this eight-team bracket, only Los Molinos would miss the playoffs.

Girls

In Division I, the four-team bracket and their seedings seem fairly set except for the fourth spot, which depended upon Thursday’s Los Plumas and Gridley match.

A Thunderbird victory over Gridley would give them a share of the Butte View League title and a spot in the playoffs.

Eastern Athletic League champion Chico High is the number one seed despite the Monday points standings that showed Pleasant Valley (3.047) ahead of the Panthers (2.903).

Shasta and Foothill are tied for third in the EAL, but the Wolves have the season series over Foothill, having beaten and tied the Cougars.

Live Oak has a stranglehold on the top seed in Division 2, just ahead of University Prep. Following the Panthers are West Valley, BVL leader Orland, Yreka, Paradise, Corning, Lassen, Gridley, Anderson, Pierce, and then Central Valley in the final playoff spot

In Division Three, Winters looks to be a lock for the top seed, with Hamilton set to be the second seed in the eight-team playoff. Colusa was third in points, followed by Williams, Willows, Maxwell, Durham, and Los Molinos.

While teams can improve their point standings in the final two games of this regular season, the seeding meeting on Saturday will ultimately decide where those teams will rank.

Girls

Pleasant Valley and Chico High will settle the Eastern Athletic League Championship and likely the No. 1 seed in the section playoffs tonight at Varley Gym.

The points standing currently shows the Vikings as the leader, with Chico as No. 2. But the Panthers (19-7) rallied from two double-digit first-half deficits on Tuesday night to beat Foothill, 70-62, to maintain an unbeaten league mark (9-0).

On Tuesday night, the Vikings defeated Shasta, 59-35, to move their record to 20-7 — but they still trail the Panthers by one game in the league race, as they are 8-1.

A Viking victory would give them a share of the Eastern Athletic League title with the Panthers but could also hand them the top seed. A Panther victory should lock down both the top seed and the league title.

The rest of the points at Division 3 are pretty well stable. Foothill is third in the point standings, followed by Shasta. Enterprise is fifth, coming off a one-point victory Tuesday night at Red Bluff, which remains 6th. Seventh-rated Las Plumas defeated eighth-rated Corning, 38-28, Tuesday night.

There is a chance the committee could seed the Thunderbirds (13-12) ahead of the Spartans. That could mean that Red Bluff (8-17) might open the Division 3 section playoffs at either Chico school instead of playing at Foothill.

In Division 4, University Prep (21-5) leads the points standings, but the Panthers were beaten by Northern League rival West Valley,  70-47, on Tuesday. The Eagles, who are third in the points race, now trail the Panthers by a game going into the final contest Friday night at Anderson.

The Cubs (21-5), who are No. 2 in the points standings, could pull within one game of the Northern League lead if they beat Yreka on Wednesday night (after publication deadline), creating a second-place tie with West Valley.

If Anderson wins Wednesday and Friday night, and West Valley defeats Lassen Friday night, it will create a three-way tie for the Northern League lead. Theoretically, it also creates a tie for the top spot in Division 4, since teams cannot be seeded out of league finish.

Sacramento Valley champion Colusa (21-5) sits in fourth place, followed by Winters, Gridley, Yreka, Pierce, Orland, Oroville, Lassen and Willows, sitting in the 12th and final playoff spot.

The Honkers are just ahead of Central Valley, which sits 13th.

In Division 5, where eight schools make the playoffs, Modoc (17-8) is in the No. 1 spot, just ahead of Quincy (22-4). Hamilton is currently the third in points, ahead of Trinity, East Nicolaus, Durham (15-11), Portola, and Los Molinos (6-18). The Bulldogs seem to be safely ahead of No. 9 Mount Shasta for the final spot.

In Division 6, Weed and Fall River are fighting for the top two seeds, while Biggs is in the fourth spot in points.

Boys

Pleasant Valley (19-7) has locked up the top postseason spot in Division 3. The only question is how the rest of the division shakes out.

Chico High (15-11) was fourth in points going into Tuesday night’s 68-53 loss at Foothill. That’s where the Panthers will stay, because even if they can climb into a third-place tie with Enterprise, the Hornets have beaten them twice this year.

Following Chico to round out the division are Las Plumas (18-9), Shasta, Corning (11-13), and Red Bluff (7-17). The Cardinals and Spartans are currently tied for seventh in points, but the Spartans won 53-38 on Dec. 5.

The Thunderbirds are set to play Gridley for the Butte View League title on Friday night in Gridley. The Bulldogs (18-6) lead the Division 4 points standings, ahead of University Prep.

The Panthers are followed in the league standings by Colusa, Orland, West Valley, Lassen, Winters, Pierce, Yreka, Oroville and Paradise, while in the 12th and final playoff spot currently is Anderson. The Bobcats (8-14) helped their cause by defeating East Nicholas on Tuesday night, 45-42.

In the 13th spot is Willows, but it is three games behind Paradise in the Sacramento Valley League with two left.

In Division 5, Weed and Mount Shasta have locked down the top two seeds as the two square off Friday night at Mount Shasta for the Cascade League Crown. The winner should also be the top seed in the Division 5 playoffs.

Durham (21-6) is currently third in points going into its Sacramento Valley League championship game in Durham against Colusa (20-5) Friday night.

Following Durham in the Division 5 points standings are Portola, Los Molinos, Modoc, Hamilton  East Nicolaus, Quincy and Trinity.

East Nicolaus and Quincy are tied in the point standings for the final playoff spot. Los Molinos (15-12) is second in the Mid-Valley League behind Biggs.

The Wolverines (18-5) are second in the Division 6 playoff point standings behind Fall River.