The Times’ rankings

*--* Rk. Team (Rec., Div.) Comment 1 L.B. WILSON (32-3, Div. I) Carried regular-season momentum to a section championship. Only setbacks were to Lakewood, Thousand Oaks and Cypress. 2 ESPERANZA (22-8, Div. I) Came within two outs of advancing to section final before Wilson rallied. Beat Thousand Oaks, 3-2, in quarterfinal. 3 THOUSAND OAKS (25-5-1, Div. I) Emerged on top of tough Marmonte League, but most impressive feat was beating Wilson and Cypress in same day. 4 CHATSWORTH (29-5, City) Regrouped after 5-3 start and lived up to expectations by winning City Section title, behind two amateur draft first-round picks. 5 LAKEWOOD (28-5, Div. I) Tied for Moore League title and won Anaheim Lions tournament but didn’t get the calls in quarterfinal loss to El Dorado. 6 VISTA MURRIETA (28-4, Div. II) Went 11 innings before winning section title, 1-0, over top-seeded Camarillo, a team averaging 10 runs a game. 7 EL MODENA (20-9, Div. I) Winning Century League title proved more impressive after league members went 6-0 in first two rounds of playoffs. 8 ANAHEIM CANYON (20-9, Div. I) Hot at the right time, Comanches advanced to section final, where they ran into a hotter Wilson team. 9 MATER DEI (21-9, Div. I) Two defensive miscues were all that kept Monarchs from reaching section final. Shut out El Dorado in quarterfinal. 10 EL DORADO (20-9, Div. I) Capped a season-high five-game winning streak by toppling top-seeded Lakewood in a second-round playoff game. 11 BISHOP AMAT (27-4-1, Div. V) Lancers dropped down from Division I but didn’t drop off in talent, coasting to section title. 12 CAMARILLO (28-3, Div. II) Postseason was full of close calls, right down to its 11-inning loss to Vista Murrieta in final. 13 RIVERSIDE POLY (21-6, Div. I) Bears squeaked by in postseason opener but weren’t so fortunate in second-round loss to Anaheim Canyon. 14 NEWBURY PARK (20-7, Div. I) Promising regular season ended abruptly with first-round loss to Newhall Hart. 15 EL TORO (25-5, Div. II) Chargers beat Thousand Oaks and Cypress during regular season, but section title bid ended by Oxnard in quarterfinals. 16 LOS ALAMITOS (22-6, Div. I) Won Sunset League title over Esperanza but lost in first round to Canyon Country Canyon, 9-8. 17 VALENCIA (18-9, Div. I) Won Foothill League going away but drew a too tough first-round playoff opponent in Esperanza. 18 EDISON (17-11, Div. I) Three victories over Esperanza helped Chargers earn a share of Sunset League title before reaching second round of playoffs. 19 CYPRESS (23-6, Div. II) Long winning streaks interrupted by hard-to-explain losses. Season ended with one-run playoff loss to Vista Murrieta. 20 PALOS VERDES (22-7, Div. II) Defending Division IV champions returned core of team but couldn’t get past first round. 21 WEST TORRANCE (23-7, Div. II) Like Palos Verdes, a solid regular season ended with first-round playoff loss to Pacific View League team. 22 CRESCENTA VALLEY (24-3, Div. II) Falcons still struggling outside league play, this year losing quarterfinal playoff game to Rio Mesa. 23 SIMI VALLEY (19-10-1, Div. I) Finished third in the Marmonte League and won a first-round playoff game, good enough for a spot here. 24 LOYOLA (26-8, Div. III) Flew under the radar until victories over top-seeded Westminster La Quinta, Crespi and La Mirada clinched section title. 25 CHINO (25-4, Div. II) Seeded second in the playoffs, the Cowboys landed in the path of Vista Murrieta in the second round.

*--*