County Streak Could Be in Jeopardy : Boys’ volleyball: O.C. teams have made 20 straight appearances in major division finals. But Laguna Beach is only one seeded this year.

Orange County boys’ volleyball teams have reached the Southern Section major division finals for 20 consecutive seasons, but that streak could be in jeopardy this year.

Laguna Beach (No. 3) is the only county team seeded in the Division I playoffs, which begin Friday. Top-seeded Los Angeles Loyola (15-1), second-seeded Manhattan Beach Mira Costa (16-2) and fourth-seeded Santa Barbara (14-2) round out the top-four teams in the bracket.

Huntington Beach Coach Rocky Ciarelli, who has led his team to two consecutive Division I championships, said this year’s champion will have to move through a field that is balanced and deep.

“There are 13 or 14 teams in this division--now all of them might not be able to win the whole thing,” Ciarelli said, “but, they are capable of beating any of the other top teams on any given night. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some first-round upsets.”

Capistrano Valley (11-5), the South Coast League champion, received the toughest draw and plays host to El Toro (10-9) in the first round Friday. Capistrano Valley is ranked seventh in Orange County and El Toro eighth.

Big Orange County showdowns loom May 16 in the second round. Sunset League champ Fountain Valley (14-2), ranked second in the county, could meet Sea View League champion Irvine (14-2), ranked fifth in the county. Laguna Beach (15-1), the No. 1-ranked team in Orange County, could meet San Clemente (13-5), ranked sixth in the county.

And Huntington Beach (15-2), ranked third in the county, could meet the Capistrano Valley-El Toro winner in the second round.

“I don’t care who we play or where we play in the playoffs,” Ciarelli said. “I just want to play.”

The Divisions I, II and III championship matches are scheduled for May 27 at Cypress College.

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Tustin and Calvary Chapel are seeded first and third in Division II. Calvary Chapel, which won the Division III championship last season, had a tougher first-round match scheduled, but El Modena was bounced from the playoffs.

Calvary Chapel (11-3) was supposed to play the Century League’s No. 3 entry, Orange (16-2), which tied Foothill and El Modena for the league title. But the Southern Section announced Monday afternoon El Modena had used an academically ineligible player and forfeited numerous matches.

Canyon will assume the league’s No. 3 entry and play at Calvary Chapel and Orange will take the league’s No. 2 seeding and play at Garden Grove (14-2), co-champion of the Garden Grove League.

Orangewood Academy (13-5) and St. Margaret’s (13-4) are the only Orange County teams in Division III. Orangewood Academy opens with a wild-card match Wednesday at Harbor City Gateway Christian and St. Margaret’s plays host to Montebello Cantwell Sacred Heart (6-9) Friday.

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Corona del Mar and Garden Grove are seeded second and third for the Division I badminton playoffs, which begin May 16. Corona del Mar plays host to Buena Park and Garden Grove plays host to La Puente Nogales in the first round.

Alhambra Keppel is the top-seeded team and plays host to Huntington Beach in the first round.

In Division II, top-seeded Katella plays host to Baldwin Park Sierra Vista in the first round. Magnolia plays at South El Monte in a wild-card match Wednesday.

The championship matches are May 25 at Cypress College.