La Canada water polo is No. 1, Flintridge Prep is No. 4

La Canada High’s boys’ water polo team, having been ranked No. 1 in CIF Southern Section III, was expected to draw the top seed when the playoff pairings were released on Sunday.

Flintridge Prep, on the other hand, hadn’t been ranked higher than fifth in Division V all season, but was bestowed the No. 4 seed on Sunday.

The Rebels, after finishing second in the Prep League, will host Whittier, the second-place squad from the Del Rio League on Wednesday in the first round. Should the Rebels move on, they would face either Riverside Poly or a wild-card entrant in Saturday’s quarterfinals.

La Canada, after having won the Rio Hondo League title yet again, will take on either Schurr, the third-place team from the Almont League, or San Juan Hills, a Sea View League at-large entrant. Schurr and San Juan Hills are playing Tuesday, with the winner taking on the Spartans on Wednesday.

Should the Spartans win, they’d face either Corona Santiago or Peninsula in Saturday’s quarterfinal.

Both matches are set for 5 p.m. starts, but Prep Coach Dan Hare said he’s hopeful to move the match up to 4 p.m. on campus at Prep. La Canada is likely to play at Burbank High at a time to be determined.