SOCCER

The first week of the North Coast Section playoffs have taken place and, overall, they were not kind to the EBAL as only one boys’ team and three girls’ teams are still alive in the tournament. Here are the rankings heading into week two:

BOYS

1. De La Salle (17-6-1): The Spartans are the top seed in the D-I playoffs and impressively won their first two, beating James Logan 7-0 and Monte Vista 6-0.

2. Dublin (12-6-5): The Gaels started well, beating San Ramon Valley 2-1 in the first round, but then fell to Vintage 4-2 in the second round.

3. California (14-6-5): The Grizzlies opened with a 2-1 win over Berkeley, but then were bounced from the tourney with a 2-1 loss to Montgomery.

4. Monte Vista (13-4-4): A solid 2-0 win over Las Lomas was a nice start, but the Mustangs then got blasted 6-0 by De La Salle.

5. Dougherty Valley (8-7-5): Moves into the top five after beating Pittsburg in shootout in the first round before exciting with a tough 1-0 loss to Clayton Valley.

GIRLS

1. Carondelet (18-1-2): The Cougars take back the top spot after Monte Vista fell in the first round. Hasn’t been a cakewalk so far as Carondelet beat Castro Valley 2-0 and Heritage 1-0 to make the semifinals.

2. Monte Vista (13-1-4): Tough to pick up your first loss of the season as a top-seed facing No. 16, but that is what happened to the Mustangs as they fell 1-0 to Granada.

3. San Ramon Valley (12-5-3): The Wolves advanced to the semifinals with a 5-0 over Berkeley, followed by the 2-1 shootout win over Amador.

4. Amador Valley (8-1-8): The Dons also saw their first loss this year end their season. After opening with an 8-0 win over San Leandro, Amador fell in a shootout loss to San Ramon.

5. California (7-8-4): It may seem off to have a team with a losing record in the top five, but the power rankings are about how a team is playing right now. There is no argument the Grizzlies have picked the right time, beating Dublin and Foothill to advance to the semifinals.

BASKETBALL

The midway point of the North Coast Section playoffs brings hope and optimism for teams still competing. Here are the first post-season power rankings:

BOYS

1. De La Salle (21-4): The Spartans had a bye in the first round of the NCS Open division playoffs and will face Miramonte (23-4) at De La Salle on Wednesday.

2. Dublin (16-6): Fell in the first round of the Open playoffs to Northgate but was playing on house money in a sense as all Open teams advance to the NorCal playoffs.

3. San Ramon Valley (16-8): The Wolves are the top seed in the D-II playoffs and looked like it, beating a pair of North Bay teams in Santa Rosa (66-51) and Petaluma (62-43) to move into the semifinals.

4. Granada (15-8): The Matadors fell in the first round of NCS losing 79-67 to Miramonte. As is the case with Dublin will continue because they were placed in the Open division.

5. Dougherty Valley (18-5): The top seed in D-I and went out and won a pair beating Antioch (84-52) and Mt. Eden (52-48), advancing to the semifinals.

GIRLS

1. Carondelet (24-2): Had a bye as the top seed in the Open playoffs. Faces Bishop O’Dowd on Wednesday in one semifinal.

2. San Ramon Valley (25-3): Opened their Open division run with a 63-45 win over Heritage, overcoming a slow start on the road.

3. Monte Vista (19-9): Could have their way in the D-I playoffs with Carondelet and SRV in the Open division. Beat Irvington 84-18 and Castro Valley 80-39 to easily reach the semifinals.

4. Amador Valley (17-10): The Dons fell in the first round to Castro Valley, 54-38, bringing their season to an end.

5. Dublin (13-11): The Gaels have picked the right time to get on a roll, beating previous No. 5 Granada 51-32 and Clayton Valley 52-41. Tall task ahead in the semifinals with Monte Vista.