JSerra’s boys soccer team was so close to winning a CIF Southern Section championship last season.

The Lions played Servite in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship match. Regulation ended in a 1-1 tie. Servite won on penalty kicks.

JSerra lost to Servite twice in Trinity League games last year, its only league losses.

Senior forward Reagan Heslin said the Lions are determined to see different outcomes this year.

“I know that last season, for me and all the other players, getting so close in CIF has motivated us to finish the chances we get,” he said.

The Lions have big chances coming up. They entered Wednesday with four league games remaining to finish the regular season. They were at Santa Margarita on Wednesday, play at St. John Bosco on Friday, at Servite on Monday and they’re home against Orange Lutheran on Feb. 2.

Then it’s on to the CIF-SS playoffs with first-round games on Feb. 9.

JSerra is No. 1 in this week’s CIF-SS combined Divisions 1 and 2 rankings. When the regular season ends, teams in the combined Division 1/2 will be divided up for the playoffs. The top playoff qualifiers will go into the Division 1 bracket and the other qualifiers will go into the Division 2 bracket.

JSerra would almost certainly be the No. 1-seeded team in Division 1 if the Lions win their final regular-season games.

The Lions went into this week with a 4-1-1 league record that had them in a tie with Mater Dei for first place. Their loss was to Mater Dei 1-0  at JSerra on Jan. 4. JSerra beat Mater Dei 4-1 on Friday, Jan. 20 at Mater Dei. The Lions’ tie was with Orange Lutheran last week.

JSerra coach Erik Kirsch likes the mental makeup of the team. It has been led by various players, including sophomore forward Gavin Allegaert, senior defender Keenai Braun, sophomore defender Tanner Casey, junior midfielder Greyson Moreno, junior forward Noah Parks and sophomore midfielder Jake Thatch.

“We’ve been focusing on our growth, on how we can get better in every game,” Kirsch said. “We’ll focus on our opponent, yes, but we also focus on our own progress, on how we attack the opponent. The wins will come if you focus on that sort of stuff.”

Heslin said winning starts well before the game starts.

“The on-the-field communication is better when the off-the-field communication is better,” said Heslin, who was All-CIF last season. “We help cover each other on the field, and that starts with the bonds we create off of the field. We’re trusting our coach and our teammates. We’re staying disciplined within our positions and we’re also taking chances when needed.”

The Division 1 field will be a great one. Sunny Hills is on a roll and is No. 2 in the CIF-SS Divisions 1 and 2 rankings that include Servite (No. 6), Mater Dei (No. 8), Godinez (No. 10), Fullerton (No. 12) and Santa Ana Valley (No. 13).

Heslin figures JSerra has what it takes to get that Division 1 title this time.

“We have the experience and we have enough talent to win everything,” he said. “Now it’s all about doing it consistently.”

NOTES

Chip Fuller resigned this week as the Santa Margarita boys soccer coach for personal reasons, the school confirmed. It was the first season at Santa Margarita for Fuller, who previoiusly coached at University High, Concordia University and Cal State Fullerton. …

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