BOYS' SOCCER NOTEBOOK: PLAYOFFS HAVE DIFFERENT LOOK THIS YEAR.

Byline: HEATHER GRIPP

Staff Writer

This year's boys' soccer playoffs are turning into an unfamiliar situation for locals. Teams such as Saugus, Harvard-Westlake of Studio City and Chatsworth are unaccustomed to postseason success, but each has advanced to today's quarterfinals in their respective divisions.

Unseeded Saugus, which plays host to Southern Section Div. II's No. 3-seed Trabuco Hills, is in the quarterfinals for the first time.

"I've tried to use that as motivation," said Saugus coach Seth Groller, whose team is coming off a 4-2 victory over Santa Barbara on Wednesday.

"Even when we won league, it had only been done three times before in 34 years, so I told them they were doing something special. When I told them no Saugus team had made it as far as the quarterfinals, that was kind of the motivation to get that far. Now that we're here, we want to keep going, they don't want it to end."

Kyle Ernsberger leads the Centurions (16-8-3) with 22 goals. Larry Guizar, who scored twice Wednesday, has 18 goals.

"We've kind of had our ups and downs throughout the season," Groller said. "But it's a great group of guys that's been great to be around. It's a really special year where everything's clicking."

Chatsworth (18-6-2), which didn't qualify for the playoffs last year, hasn't advanced this far since 1996.

The Chancellors, seeded third in the City Section, continue their quest for the program's first City title in 16 years when they play host to No. 6 Sylmar (21-2-3).

Chatsworth edged Manual Arts of Los Angeles 1-0 in Wednesday's second round.

Harvard-Westlake (17-10-1), which hadn't won a playoff game since 1999, has the toughest task in extending its improbable run. The unseeded Wolverines play at Millikan of Long Beach, the No. 2 seed in Div. I.

Since finishing third in the Mission League, Harvard-Westlake has posted back-to-back upsets over league champions, the latest coming Wednesday against Marmonte League champion Royal of Simi Valley in a game decided by penalty kicks.

Closing in on Canoga: Canoga Park (21-0-1) is starting to feel the target on its back that comes with not only being the City's No. 1 seed, but also being ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation. Unlike last season, when the Hunters outscored playoff opponents 18-0 en route to the final, Canoga Park has edged No. 32 Hollywood and No. 17 Banning by a combined 3-0 margin.

More of the same: Viewpoint of Calabasas' 2-0 victory over Montclair Prep of Panorama City on Wednesday was the 10th shutout posted by the Patriots in their past 12 games. Viewpoint, which has allowed just two goals during that span, has 16 shutouts this season. The Patriots (18-0-6), seeded third in Div. VI, play host to Bosco Tech of Rosemead today.

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