Another CCS first for Menlo School boys soccer

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Marc Kerrest has led the Menlo School boys soccer team into uncharted waters since taking over the program for the 2012-13 and when the Knights step on their own field Wednesday to meet Overfelt in a first-round game of the Central Coast Section Division II playoffs, it will be another first.

Menlo, the second seed in the bracket, will be hosting its first CCS boys playoff game under Kerrest and just the second in school history. Oddly enough, the last time Menlo won a league title, as a member of the Peninsula Athletic League in 2002, it hosted a game and won.

The Knights, who made their first ever CCS appearance in 2002, went on the road the next round and lost. Overall, Menlo is 5-4-3 (games decided by penalty kicks are officially counted as ties) in the CCS tournament.

“The boys always want to play in the CCS,” Kerrest said. “After we beat Sacred Heart Prep and continued winning, the focus was on finishing strong in league. I think we knew we’d get a pretty high seed, even though it doesn’t mean a thing. We still have to go out and play hard.”

Menlo (13-1-4) earned an automatic spot in the postseason, as did Sacred Heart Prep (10-7-1) for its second-place finish behind Menlo in the West Bay Athletic League.

The Gators were seeded 16th and will travel to Prospect for a 7 p.m. contest Wednesday.

Palo Alto, Gunn and Menlo-Atherton all needed late runs to earn at-large bids in Division I. The Bears (8-7-4) nabbed a sixth seed and will host the 11th-seeded Vikings (13-6-1) at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Gunn (10-6-3) was seeded 15th and will travel to No. 2 seed Watsonville (11-6-3) for a 7 p.m. game Wednesday.

Menlo knows from experience that the seeds can be misleading. The Knights were the 16th seed last year and upset top-seeded Prospect in the first round.

Overfelt (11-6-1) is a bit of an unknown. The only team they played that qualified for the CCS was Pioneer, which won the Santa Teresa Division and earned a spot in the Open Division.

Menlo is 2-1-1 against teams that made the CCS, including a 1-1 tie with M-A and a pair of wins over SHP.

The Gators are 1-3-1 against the CCS field, including a win over Mountain View and a tie with Carmel. They lost to Pioneer, 3-2.

Menlo-Atherton benefited from its strength of schedule. The Bears are 3-6-1 against the field, which included three league champions. Their biggest win is an early-season home victory over St. Ignatius, the second seed in the Open Division.

Palo Alto struggled through some injuries but won its last three games to secure a spot. The Vikings possess a 5-6-1 mark against the field. The SCVAL is represented by seven teams, five from the De Anza Division.

Gunn opened its season with three of the SCVAL teams that reached the CCS playoffs and beat Homestead, the fifth seed in the Open Division. The Titans are 1-3-1 against the field.

The Palo Alto-Menlo-Atherton winner meets the the winner of a game between Andrew Hill and North Salinas. The Gunn-Watsonville winner plays either San Benito or Fremont.

The Menlo-Overfelt survivor plays either Soledad or Scotts Valley, and the SHP-Prospect victor would advance to meet either Sacred Heart Cathedra1 or Hillsdale.