Testing the water: If Moorpark High moves...

Testing the water: If Moorpark High moves from the Frontier to the Marmonte League in 1998--as one proposal has it doing--the Musketeers will get a sneak preview Friday night when they play host to Agoura in a Southern Section Division II-A boys’ basketball playoff game.

If Moorpark wins, it could face another Marmonte team, co-champion Newbury Park, in the second round.

Moorpark’s girls, who tied for the Frontier League title, also plays host to Agoura in a Division II-A opener Saturday night.

Happy to be playing: Count Royal boys’ basketball Coach Larry Wiksell among the pleasantly surprised when the playoff pairings were announced Sunday.

Wiksell thought his team’s season was over after Royal lost to Simi Valley on Friday, dropping the Highlanders into a fourth-place tie with Agoura, which swept the teams’ season series.

But Royal will play at Rio Mesa in a Division I-A game Friday.

Group session: In an effort to generate more support from its student body of less than 400, Santa Clara has scheduled a playoff doubleheader for its girls’ and boys’ basketball teams.

The Saint boys’ team moved its Southern Section Division V-AA first-round game against Milken Community from Friday to Saturday night at 8:30, following the Santa Clara girls’ game against Thacher at 5 p.m.

On the edge: The Southern Section redrew the breakdown for divisional play in boys’ and girls’ soccer prior to the season, leaving several area playoff teams straddling the fence in the enrollment-based divisions.

Boys’ Division I is for schools with more than 1,634 students. Rio Mesa, traditionally a Division II team, reported at 1,637 students and was moved up.

Boys’ Division III is for schools of between 1,055-1,347 students. Calabasas, previously in Division IV, is in Division III with an enrollment of 1,055.

On the girls’ side, Division I, for schools larger than 1,585 students, includes Hart (1,585), previously a Division III team. In Division II, Buena (1,583) remained in a grouping of schools with enrollments from 1,215 to 1,583 students.

Squatters: Calabasas boys’ soccer Coach John Reich was surprised when he arrived Saturday to prepare the Coyotes’ field for the championship game of the Calabasas tournament and found another high school match in progress.

Avalon and Viewpoint had a contract with Calabasas Principal Robert Sutton.

Reich, who after repeated scheduling difficulties had finally arranged the tournament’s championship match for 11 a.m., was not amused.

Viewpoint usually plays at the West Hills Recreation Center, but arranged Saturday’s match because of conflicts with youth soccer.

Following a 3-0 Viewpoint victory, Reich and the Coyotes kicked off against Rio Mesa at 11:45 a.m., winning 3-1.