Softball: Kennedy-El Modena isn’t your normal semifinal
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The marquee softball game of the day today is only a semifinal, unless you’re of the opinion, like me, that the real Southern Section-Toyota Division II championship is being played between top-seeded La Palma Kennedy and El Modena.
When the section pairings were released and Etiwanda was inexplicably seeded second and Mission Viejo fourth, the resulting domino effect put El Modena -- the first-place team from the Century League -- on the same side of the bracket as Kennedy.
Unproven Etiwanda (23-4) was beaten in the second round by Glendora (18-9). Mission Viejo (23-7-1), a loser in its regular-season finale and unable to beat a marquee opponent this season, was ousted in the second round by Ayala (21-11-1), which was beaten by El Modena in the quarterfinals.
Kennedy, with California-bound twin outfielders Jamia and Elia Reid leading the way, is the only remaining seeded team in the division. Oklahoma-bound Allee Allen has been one of Orange County’s top pitchers this season.
El Modena (24-8-2) is 8-0-1 since Coach Steve Harrington brought one of his former players at Chaminade, 1998 and 1999 Division IV player of the year Maureen LeCocq, to talk to his team. In that span and led by pitcher Kylie Wagner, the Vanguards defeated Anaheim Canyon and tied with Valencia, the third-seeded team in Division I.
Kennedy, runner-up to Garden Grove Pacifica last season and to El Dorado in 2002, is trying to win its third title but first since 1988.
El Modena, which is host of today’s game, was runner-up in 2001 and 2002.
On the other side of the bracket, defending champion Garden Grove Pacifica, which finished second to Kennedy in the Empire League but has a stellar lineup that includes Pacific 10-bound sluggers Andrea Harrison (UCLA), Christina Zambrana (Arizona State) and Kristen Arriola (Arizona), will be playing host to Glendora, which shared the Sierra League title with Ayala.
-- Martin Henderson