BOYS' SOCCER NOTEBOOK: FALCONS ON CLOUD NINE AS PLAYOFFS BEGIN.

Byline: Ross Siler Staff Writer

The rain and flooding last week in the Antelope Valley might have cut short the Golden League boys' soccer season by a game. But it couldn't put a damper on the celebration at Palmdale High.

For the first time in coach Jeremy Kriss' four-year tenure at the school, the Falcons advanced to the Southern Section Division I playoffs, beating Antelope Valley 2-1 Friday to secure the league's third and final postseason berth.

``I was really excited just for us to get back there,'' said Kriss, who described a scene where Palmdale parents at the game brought out doughnuts and candy to celebrate after the final whistle. ``They were so happy for our program.

``But the boys were a little more focused. I was pretty proud of them, actually. They want to do more than just make the playoffs.''

Palmdale (13-7-3) will play at Bell Gardens in Saturday's first round. Bell Gardens was the Almont League champion for the second year in a row and is coming off a 1-0 loss to Wilson of Long Beach in last year's first round.

Not that Kriss has done any scouting of his opponent. His focus is on getting his team ready instead, especially after Palmdale lost a game against Quartz Hill and two days of practice due to last week's storm.

``I come from the John Wooden school on scouting,'' Kriss said. ``I don't think it makes much of a difference at the high school level. We're just going to go in there and try to play our game.''

One concern for Kriss is an ankle injury to junior sweeper Raul Cova. On Friday, Cova re-aggravated the injury making a tackle and went to Los Angeles on Tuesday to have it examined. It was swollen on Wednesday and Kriss was cautiously optimistic about Cova playing Saturday.

``We would have to mix up our lineup a little bit'' if Cova couldn't play, Kriss said. ``It's something we want to avoid.''

--Paraclete poised: Spirits coach Pat McIver has noticed a change in his team compared to last season, when Paraclete was knocked out of the Division V playoffs in the second round on penalty kicks to Fillmore, which went on to play for the section championship.

``They just seem to have a bigger desire this year than they're ever had before,'' McIver said. ``This is something you just can't instill in them.''

Paraclete (19-5-1) will open at home Saturday against Apple Valley, the third-place team from the Mojave River League. The Spirits defeated Valley Christian of Cerritos 3-1 in their final Olympic League tune-up last week.

The Spirits also have gotten strong play recently from sophomore sweeper Andrew Hernandez, which McIver views as a positive sign for his defense entering the playoffs. But McIver also is not trying to talk up a section championship too much. The Spirits were ranked No. 1 in Division V for a week midway through the season.

``It's always out there,'' McIver said. ``What we're talking about is let's take care of Apple Valley. We know we're capable of getting there, but it's more can we get there?''