CENTURY LEAGUE

VILLA PARK (5-2, 1-1) VS. EL DORADO (4-2-1, 2-0)

Where, when: Valencia High, Friday, 7 p.m.

Outlook: Villa Park simply could not match Tustin’s excellent team speed in its 35-20 loss to the Tillers last week. While El Dorado does not have that speed, and few teams do, the Golden Hawks still look like the superior team.

They won their league games with shutouts over Brea Olinda and El Modena, and that offense is among the few balanced ones in the league. This could be a close game, setting up an interesting Tustin-El Dorado clash next week.

Winner: El Dorado

Frankly Fryer: Valencia vs. Kennedy

Frankly Fryer: San Clemente vs. Tesoro

Frankly Fryer: Fountain Valley vs. Newport Harbor

Frankly Fryer: Orange vs. Segerstrom

Frankly Fryer: Los Alamitos vs. Edison

Frankly Fryer: Mater Dei vs. JSerra

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Records: El Dorado 13-6, 2-0; El Modena 1-11, 0-1

Leaders: El Dorado's Andrea McHugh finished with 20 kills and 10 digs and Gracee Gallarda had 29 assists. Alex Strickland lead El Modena with 7 kills.

High five to ...: Andrea McHugh. The Notre Dame-bound senior showed why she is in the running for player of the year. She is a threat anywhere on the court, among the hardest hitters in the county.

More from the girls volleyball blog:

• Girls volleyball: Tuesday's recap
• Girls volleyball: Thursday's recap
• Girls volleyball: Sunset League preview
• Girls volleyball: Trinity League preview
• Girls volleyball: South Coast League preview

1. El Dorado

2. Mission Viejo

3. Laguna Beach

4. Chapparel

Breakdown: One of three pools with three county teams, El Dorado is deserving of the top seed in this pool. Mission Viejo and Laguna Beach are going to have a showdown for second place.

Pool play begins 3:30 p.m Friday
1 VS 3 – REF 2
2 VS 4 – REF 1
1 VS 4 – REF 3
2 VS 3 – REF 1

Saturday morning games start at 8 a.m.
3 VS 4 – REF 2
1 VS 2 – REF 4

Pool 1

Pool 2

Pool 3

Pool 4

Pool 5

Pool 6

Pool 7

Pool 8

When: Wednesday at Canyon, 3:15 p.m.; Friday at El Dorado, 3:15 p.m.

Outlook: Canyon won the first meeting, 10-6, on March 20. El Dorado led 6-3 after the first three innings and appeared headed the victory. However, Canyon turned certain defeat into victory with a seven-run seventh inning.

Talk about a comeback. Can things be that entertaining this week?

The Comanches enter the week with a one-game lead over the Golden Hawks and two games over Brea Olinda.

Phil Ferragamo improved to 4-2 after defeating El Modena, 7-1, on April 15. Zach Jones (4-1) is another key arm.

Joey Boney leads Canyon with a .415 batting average and three home runs.

Cody Lewis had 14 RBIs. The Golden Hawks are going to need their pitching staff to regroup this week after allowing 43 runs in the final three games of the National Classic.

Travis Pitcher leads the staff with a 5-0 record and a 2.10 ERA. Will Canyon remain in first place after this week?

RELATED:

• Baseball series of the week: Valencia vs. Cypress
• Baseball series of the week: Capistrano Valley vs. Dana Hills
• Baseball series of the week: JSerra vs. Orange Lutheran
• Baseball series of the week: Los Alamitos vs. Esperanza

Teams 11-15

11. El Dorado (12-6)

12. Beckman (15-3)

13. Mission Viejo (12-7)

14. Los Alamitos (9-9)

15. Pacifica (13-6)

*Records through April 19

RELATED:

• Baseball: New O.C.poll (Teams 1-5)
• Baseball: New O.C. poll (Teams 6-10)
• Baseball: Fryer's rankings (Teams 16-20)
• Baseball: Fryer's rankings (Teams 21-25)

Here are his picks for 11-15:

11. Beckman (13-3)

12. El Dorado (10-4)

13. Santa Margarita (9-6)

14. Los Alamitos (6-7)

15. Fullerton (10-2)

*Records through April 12

Outlook: The Golden Hawks began the week tied with Canyon for first place in the Century League. Canyon won the first meeting.

This is the second meeting of the week between these two teams.

El Dorado won the first meeting of the year, 9-7, back on March 27. El Dorado has won four consecutive league games since losing to Canyon.

El Dorado’s surge has lifted the Golden Hawks into the top 10 in the latest CIF-SS Division I poll.

The Wildcats lost two of their first three league games, but bounced back in a big way. Brea Olinda defeated Canyon, 8-1, and El Modena, 8-2, last week.

Travis McGee played a prominent role in the victories, going 3 for 4 with 4 RBIs, two doubles and a grand slam.

The Century League has the possibility of being a dogfight.

Is this the week, someone (El Dorado, perhaps) takes control?

(Team records, rankings and stats are through April 6)

RELATED:

• Wednesday: No. 8 JSerra at No. 1 Mater Dei
• Wednesday: Servite at Santa Margarita
• Thursday: Savanna vs. Anaheim
• Saturday: No. 5 Tesoro (11-2) vs. Gahr in Anaheim Lions Tournament

Teams 16-20

16. El Dorado (9-3)

17. Brea Olinda (7-5)

18. San Clemente (6-6)

19. Valencia (7-5)

20. Fullerton (10-2)

(Records through April 5)

Here are the links to the rest of the poll:

Though the Golden Hawks defeated Garden Grove, 15-3, in its last match before league starts next week, the spread wasn’t as wide as it suggests.

“This is a good way for us to go into league,” he said. “There was some separation in the score, but there were close sets. The kids had to come through in them.”

El Dorado had an easier time in singles than doubles. It swept all nine sets, including No. 3 Damin Borooah’s 6-0 victory over the Argonauts No. 1, and substitute Calvin Wu’s 7-5 victory in the final round.

Borooah, a freshman, won all his sets at love. Kevin Ginunas won his sets 6-1, 6-0, 6-0 at No. 1, and Jack Ventura-Cruess won two sets 6-0, 6-1 before sitting out Round 3.

It was much tighter in doubles, with the Hawks losing the match up of No. 1’s 6-4. Garden Grove also won two doubles sets in Round 2, 6-4 and 6-3.

Yet El Dorado led 9-3 before sweeping the final round. Still, the doubles sets were close. The Hawks’ No. 3 team of Eric DeBoard and Jordan Allen defeated Garden Grove’s No. 1 of Tin Phan and Bryan Le, 6-4. Phan and Le had won both prior sets.

The Hawks No. 1 team of Justin Kim and Daniel Roh beat the Argonauts No. 2 of Kevin Huang and Harry Pham, 7-5. It was also Huang and Pham’s only loss.

“When we are playing our league matches, the third round is going to determine it,” Cyrus said. “We need to be ready to go for the third round. That’s why we condition the way we do.”

The teams played to a scoreless tie through 80 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods.

The Hawks are the Century League's No. 3 team. Hart is an at-large team from the Foothill League.

How it looked: Rugged. With mud puddles and standing water on the field, neither team looked sharp, as expected. However, the energy and effort levels of each team made it a balanced contest.

Hart played better than El Dorado in the first half and second overtime and had more opporunities in that frame. El Dorado played better in the second half and first overtime than Hart, generating more scoring chances in that time.

Penalty kicks: El Dorado goalie Danielle Moore saved Hart's first kick, then Christey Self scored to swing the momentum to the Hawks.

Hart missed the next shot off the crossbar, and Stephanie Hyman scored for the Hawks.

El Dorado missed its third chance, while Hart connected.

Moore blocked Hart's fourth attempt with a kick save as she was diving. Then Kasey Jensen won it for the Hawks with a ground ball.

Up next: El Dorado visits Yucaipa (Citrus Belt No. 1) on Thursday.

Have to feel for them: A Hart's fan's vehicle was ticketed for not having a permit in a zone that called for one. To drive all that way and have their team lose, then arrive to a ticket just stinks.

High-five to ...: El Dorado goalies Danika Petersen and Danielle Moore. Petersen was under constant pressure in the first half but held strong. Moore was lights out in the penalty kicks, making two key saves.

More from the girls soccer blog:

• Girls soccer: Tobolski’s 3 of the day
• Girls soccer: Top 10 (with explanations)
• Girls soccer: SAV’s Rodriguez to UC Irvine
• Final CIF girls soccer rankings (Feb. 16)
• Girls soccer: Laguna Hills’ Keyes headed to SEC
• Girls soccer: Division VII pairings
• Girls soccer: Division VI pairings