Despite his team’s 31-point loss in its Santa Fe League finale, Bellarmine-Jefferson Coach Julian Andrade is quite confident that his team could have a lengthy postseason run ahead of it.
And after CIF Southern Section playoff pairings were released on Sunday, all four Burbank-area squads have a chance to do that.
Bell-Jeff will open up the Division 5-AA playoffs by hosting Academy of Careers and Exploration, while Burbank travels to face Loara in Division 1-A and both Burroughs and Providence earned at-large bids in their respective divisions.
“In our division, I’m not gonna be surprised if we get to the semifinals or finals,” Andrade said.
Bell-Jeff (17-9) is the No. 8 seed and will face an ACE team that’s 11-7 and finished third in the Cross Valley League on Wednesday. A Bell-Jeff win would put it in Friday’s second round against La Sierra Academy or Bishop Diego.
“I think we’re coming around,” Andrade said. “I feel really good about our chances. We had a good schedule to prepare us for this competition.”