Central Valley’s boys soccer team will make its sixth appearance in the section finals tonight in Galt.
Athletic director Greg Magni stopped for a bite to eat in Lodi prior to heading to Liberty Ranch High School to watch the top-seeded Hawks battle the No. 2 Bella Vista Broncos for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-II championship.
“I’m excited,” Magni said. “If we can get a win tonight, it would be huge for our program. I hope so badly for (head coach Omar Leon) we can nail it down for him. He deserves it. He’s a great coach.”
Central Valley has claimed seven league titles under Leon’s guidance.
The Hawks have yet to win a section crown. Central Valley has had to settle for runner-up honors five times.
“We’ve been chasing this thing since the doors opened at Central Valley,” Magni said. “It’s our time.”
Central Valley and Bella Vista will play at 6 p.m.
Crosstown-rival Ceres High will face East Union in the Division-III championship game today at 6 p.m. at Ripon Christian High School.
The Bulldogs and Lancers are seeded second and fifth, respectively.
Ceres High captured its first-ever section title during the 2009-10 school year. The Bulldogs posted a 2-0 win over the Hawks.
“It would be cool to see our two schools win blue banners in the same sport on the same night,” Magni said.