Saturday

DIVISION VII FINAL

VALENCIA (18-11) VS. KATELLA (21-9)

Site, time: William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center (adjacent to Irvine High), 9:30 a.m.

Outlook: First-time finalists Valencia and Katella are vying for the title in the Southern Section’s newest division. Top-seeded Katella features one senior but captured the Empire League crown with a 9-1 record.

Katella’s senior is defender Garrett Weiss, son of Knights’ veteran coach Grafton Weiss. Katella split their two league matches against runner-up Valencia (7-3 in league). The road team won each match.

The Tigers won the first meeting, 10-8, but the Knights took the second, 6-5. Katella has a balanced attack.

The Knights have three left handers, which can make defending them difficult.

Katella showed its scoring depth in defeating Perris, 8-3, in the semifinals. The Knights advanced despite getting only one goal from 100-goal scorer Dillon Avila, a junior.

Sophomore goalie Dylan Peterson is averaging 13.5 saves in the playoffs.

Valencia center Joe Wieland has 19 goals in the playoffs and leads an offense that has averaged 15 goals in three matches. The Tigers are capable of playing a strong press defense.

DIVISION VII SEMIFINALS

HEMET (23-7) VS. VALENCIA (17-11)

SITE, TIME: Kennedy High, 5 p.m.

OUTLOOK: The Bulldogs and Tigers are a pair of second-place teams that beat highly-seeded teams in the quarterfinals. Hemet, runner up to Perris in the Sunbelt, sank second-seeded Los Amigos, 11-9, while Empire League runner-up Valencia handled third-seeded Western, 18-6. The Tigers scored 19 goals in their first round match. Hemet split two matches against Perris in league but beat the Panthers in a tournament. The Bulldogs’ feature a balanced offense features four players with at least 50 goals.

PREDICTION: The Tigers are rolling at the right time but face a senior-heavy Hemet squad that has defeated two excellent teams in Los Amigos and Kennedy. Hemet puts up a fight but the Tigers emerge with a close victory.