Empire notes: Montgomery boys soccer powers past section rivals

So much for hotly contested games.

The Montgomery Vikings boys soccer team was eyeballing their games against two top Division 1 teams - Berkeley High and San Ramon Valley - as key indicators of where the Vikings stand among Division 1 programs.

The Vikings, who have scored 44 goals in 10 games while conceding just eight, beat Berkeley 4-1 Jan. 4 and then dispatched San Ramon Valley 3-0 Saturday.

Not exactly the barnburners that were expected.

The Vikings' dominance has elevated them to the fifth-ranked team in California, regardless of division.

Of note from that San Ramon Valley game, junior goalkeeper Emanuel Padilla, he of three shutouts, notched an assist in the win.

The Vikings now head into North Bay League-Oak Division play. The Vikings, 10-0 heading into Tuesday's game with winless Healdsburg High, travel to Windsor to take on the Jags at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Parity abounds in NBL-Oak girls soccer

The North Bay League-Oak Division girls soccer race looks to have much more parity than over on the boys' side of things. Case in point: The Cardinal Newman Cardinals knocked off defending league champ Montgomery 4-3 Friday, saddling the Vikings with their second loss of the season.

The Cardinals move to 2-0 in league, tied at the top with the Maria Carrillo Pumas.

The Windsor Jags are 1-0-1 and Sonoma Academy is 1-1-1. Wednesday's contests include Windsor at Montgomery, Ukiah at Sonoma Academy and Maria Carrillo at Analy.

Eagles flying high

The Cloverdale girls basketball team has played themselves right into a 11-2 overall record and 3-0 in the North Central I league.

The Eagles, who were scheduled to host St. Helena Tuesday night, are now ranked fifth in the state among Division 5 programs and first in the North Coast Section in the division.

Also on that list are NCL I foes Clear Lake (fourth) and Willits (10th). Also on the list are the Upper Lake Cougars (11-3 overall), who were ranked third heading into their NCL II opener on the road Tuesday night game against St. Vincent's.

Another NCL II team, the Sonoma Academy Coyotes, were ranked seventh in the section and were 8-5 heading into a home game Tuesday against Credo.

Cardinal faces Panther in college showdown

In a showdown of familiar faces, University of Portland - where Cardinal Newman grad Lauren Walker now plays - downed St. Mary's, where Santa Rosa grad Emily Codding now plays, in a West Coast Conference matchup Saturday night.

The Pilots won 78-65, despite Codding's 13 points, eight rebounds, two assists and a block. Walker chipped in 10 points, six rebounds and a block for the Pilots, who move to 9-7 overall and 2-3 in the conference.

They travel to the Bay Area this week for a 7 p.m. Thursday game at University of San Francisco. After dropping two straight, the Gaels fall to 9-8 overall and 4-2 in conference. They host the University of San Diego at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.