Soccer finals feature pair of rivalries

It’s the Central Section championship with more sequels than the “Die Hard” movies.

A week after the debut of the latest Bruce Willis action flick, it’s Buchanan High vs. Stockdale, Part 6, in the Division I girls soccer final.

The third-seeded Bears (18-4-1) and fourth-seeded Mustangs (15-8-3) kick off at 2 p.m. today at Buchanan in one of 12 section soccer finals among boys and girls teams across six divisions.

The Buchanan-Stockdale series started in 2006, when the Bears captured the school’s second section girls soccer title with a 3-1 win.

It continued in 2008 with Buchanan again downing Stockdale 3-1 in the final.

The Bears would beat the Mustangs for titles in 2009 (5-1), 2010 (4-0) and again last season (3-2) in an overtime classic as part of a run that’s seen Buchanan reach the D-I final each of the past eight years. The Bears also beat Bakersfield 1-0 in 2007 and lost to Bullard 3-0 in 2011.

“I really can’t believe it,” Buchanan coach Orlando Ramirez said. “It’s insane. We don’t get seeded on the same side of the bracket hardly ever, and we just end up getting here. It’s a testament to both teams over the past eight years to consistently be there.”

Unlike seasons past when Buchanan has featured a marquee goal-scorer such as Elise Krieghoff, Kacey Held and Anisa Guajardo, this edition of the Bears features a diversified offense. Seven players have scored at least five goals, with Caitlyn Kreutz’s 14 leading the way.

“One of the things we’ve been telling the girls all year long is that it’s a collective effort, not just one person,” said Ramirez, who got goals from Megan Lynes, Miranda Rudolph, Hannah Coyle and Haylee Lopes during a 4-0 semifinal win over No. 2 Bullard. “Spreading the love so to speak has helped us get here.”

D-I boys a TRAC rematch

Clovis West has the hardware, while Central owns recent success heading into today’s D-I boys final.

The matchup pits the seven-time section champion and No. 8-seeded Golden Eagles (11-8-2) against the second-seeded Grizzlies (16-5-3), who have beaten Clovis West in four of their past five meetings, including twice this season en route to the Tri-River Athletic Conference title. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Koligian Stadium.

“There’s no secrets at this point. Both teams are pretty familiar with each other,” said Central coach Daren Pittman, whose team is seeking its first section title. “It will come down to which team wants it more.”

After losing co-captain Ryan Melendez to a knee injury in warm-ups before its season opener, Clovis West started the year 3-7-1. The Golden Eagles have gone 8-1-1 since.

“We believed in ourselves. That’s why we were so disappointed in how we started the year,” Clovis West coach Neil Deans said. “We knew we weren’t playing well, but we felt we could get there.”

By Nick Giannandrea