SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS : Palos Verdes Earns Top Seeding

Some issues are open to debate, such as: Should Kareem have retired last season? And should the Rams have traded Eric Dickerson?

But there is no debating the top boys’ soccer team in the Southern Section 4-A.

“It’s Palos Verdes and everybody else,” said Paul Kollar, the Ocean View boys’ soccer coach. “You don’t realize how tough it is to remain undefeated and how difficult it is to remain untied. That in itself is an incredible accomplishment, especially in a sport like soccer.”

Palos Verdes, (29-0) from the Bay League, is top-seeded in the 4-A boys’ soccer playoffs, but 17 other teams, including five from Orange County, will take a shot at the title.

Edison, Marina and Ocean View finished a half-game apart in the Sunset League race. Edison, (11-5-3, 6-2-2), the league’s No. 1 team, has the good fortune of being in the bottom half of the bracket. Palos Verdes is in the top half.

The draw was unkind to No. 5 Marina (15-6-4, 6-2-2) and Ocean View (14-7-4, 6-3-1). The teams travel to the San Fernando Valley for first-round games.

Mater Dei (11-8) faces a tough schedule, meeting Palos Verdes in the quarterfinals if it can get past Claremont (15-5-5) in the first round. Servite (5-9-4) must win a wild-card game at Upland (12-6-6) in Pomona.

In the 3-A, top-seeded Mission Viejo (21-3, 7-0-3) is the team to beat. Mission Viejo faces Foothill (4-5-6) in the first round. Joe Max Moore leads the Diablos with 19 goals and 10 assists.

Santa Ana (17-1-6, 7-0-3) is seeded third behind Diamond Bar (20-2-1). The Saints have advanced to the playoffs the past three seasons, and this year have the most talent and depth Coach Ernie Salgado has seen in his six seasons. Salgado tabs fourth-seeded St. Francis (14-1-1) as the team to watch.

Canyon (15-2-5) and El Toro (11-6-3) are the other county teams in the 32-team draw.

Brea-Olinda (14-3-1, 8-0) is top-seeded in the 2-A and the only county team to finish undefeated in league play. The Wildcats won the title in 1986 and were finalists in ’87. But this team, said Coach Manny Toledo, “is probably the most explosive team I have had since I have been at Brea the past eight years.”

No. 2 Pacifica (13-1-2), No. 4 Esperanza (12-3-2) and No. 6 Woodbridge (8-4-6) are all contenders. Pacifica is seeded third in the 32-team draw.

Agoura is top-seeded in 1-A. Saddleback (10-6-3) and Troy (11-3-3) are contenders. Whittier Christian is top-seeded in the 32-team small-schools division playoffs for which no county teams qualified.