Unless you’re a coach, student-athlete or parent/guardian of a student-athlete whose high school soccer season takes place in spring, this year’s soccer season came to an end Saturday night, Feb. 23.

And what a conclusion it was. I was assigned to the North Coast Section 2A boys final between Piedmont and Campolindo at Acalanes High School. Not to belabor a point, as I’ve written about this game in a previous entry, but both teams did themselves proud. OK, so the score was 6-1 for Campolindo, but there were a lot of elements in this game to appreciate.

I wish there could have been two of me that same night, as colleague Matt Smith looked as if he caught a very good game in witnessing Pittsburg beat Amador Valley for the boys 3A title. Can only wonder, though, how Richmond High would have held up against either of those teams. Richmond, as described in an earlier post, was the team of skill in its Feb. 16 quarterfinal at home against Deer Valley, which relied largely on force. Deer Valley might have prevailed on a late penalty kick in that game, but the biggest loser was the sport of soccer itself.

In the long run, though, soccer itself was no loser come Feb. 23. Colleague Bill Kruissink, from all reports, saw a real barnburner when covering the 3A girls championship game between San Ramon Valley and Foothill at Dublin High. SRV won this game in a shootout. OK, so shootouts never are perfect; they’re a tough way to lose and maybe not the most satisfying way to win. Still, it sounded like a great game for both teams, who can only be proud of the performances they gave.

Colleague Phil Jensen covered the 2A girls title match between Piedmont and Miramonte that preceded the boys match at Acalanes High. Having arrived at Acalanes well in advance of the boys game, I was able to catch the last few minutes of the girls match. The scoreboard read, “Home 1, Visitors 0,” when I arrived, but until I asked Phil specifically, I could not tell which team was ahead as both the Highlanders and victorious Matadors kept attacking until the final whistle.

Yes, the winter soccer season is finished. And for the sport of soccer itself, it ended on a high note.

Well, I’m getting ready to head down to Newark Memorial High School for today’s wrestling proceedings and, as promised, I’ll be bringing you some live updates throughout the day. I’m hoping to kick the blog off around 2 p.m., so check back some time this afternoon.

Until then though, here’s something to hold you over. No, it’s not wrestling, but there are other winter sports to talk about (or so I’m told).

This season’s NCS 2A playoffs featured a double dose of Bishop O’Dowd playing at Miramonte. On Feb. 16, the Matadors beat the Dragons 2-0 in a boys quarterfinal. Four days later, Miramonte’s girls made it 2-for-2 over O’Dowd in a 1-0 semifinal win. I wasn’t able to get to the boys game, so any impressions from those who were present always are welcome. As the reporter assigned to the girls game, however, there was plenty to, well - - report.

For starters, both teams struggled to possess the ball, and long passes tended to pick up speed on the FieldTurf at Miramonte. As it rained Feb. 19 and earlier in the day on Feb. 20 when the game was played, I offer this hypothesis: that FieldTurf tends to play faster in the hours and days after a rain than it does in drier weather. Perhaps you can share your thoughts on this subject, too.

Overall, the game was fast-paced (perhaps too fast-paced), physical and had plenty of emotion. Still, neither team ever shifted into high gear. O’Dowd - - in spite of two missed chances in the first half - - was akin to the football team that plays well between the 20-yard lines and struggles in the “red zone.” Miramonte was reminiscent of the ice hockey team that works the puck up to the center line or blue line and then just dumps it into the opponent’s zone and hopes for the best. Most unfortunately, the EPL-ish elements of the game (long passes and footraces between the forwards and defenders) just didn’t mesh with the fast field. 

Check out the week in photos, our weekly photo feature from the BANG-EB photo and multimedia staffs.

 Photo gallery

Check out this week’s edition of the prep photo gallery, brought to you by the photo and multimedia staffs of BANG-East Bay (I’m paid to say that…).

Prep Photo Gallery

Back in the ’80s, my favorite games to watch involved Juventus of Italy’s Serie A on the club level and the French national team at the international level. The great midfield maestro Michel Platini played for both, serving as captain of the latter. Though there were many great players of that era, none could match the flair, class and elegance of Michel Platini  (http://www.ifhof.com/hof/michelplatini.asp; http://edition.cnn.com/2006/SPORT/football/05/01/worldcup.dreamteam.platini/; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Platini).

Granted, Michel Platini was an extraordinary player, and most would be hard-pressed to replicate his skills, vision and feel for the game. Given his playing style, though, the now-UEFA president would be a great role model for those looking to bring their games up to a higher level. Having retired from competitive play in 1987, perhaps his zenith simply was too long ago for many of the current generation to remember.

In my coverage of high school soccer through nearly two decades, I have searched for that one player to emerge as the American Platini. Perhaps here in the states, Michel Platini exists as “Michelle” Platini, as girls soccer relies less on speed and force, and more on finesse, than boys soccer. Still, there has been only one Platini - - the original.

The search continues.

Before we get all geeked over the spring season, take a minute to look back at the winter sports photos taken over the past week. And yes, wrestling takes center stage this week in the photo gallery (major props go to photographer Anda Chu of the Argus, who worked his butt off to get a bunch of good shots on Saturday at Mission San Jose). 

Prep sports photo gallery brought to you by the BANG-EB photo and multimedia staff

It’s that time of week again. Our photo and multimedia staff have posted another week in photos gallery, which I highly recommend checking out. Here’s the link, for those who just can’t wait another second:

The Week in Photos brought to you by the Bay Area Newspaper Group-East Bay

Once again, our photo staff has compiled the best pictures from the week that was in high school sports. Check it out:

Prep Photo Gallery

As a writer, I can only tell you so much with words. So, our able photo staff combined with our multimedia guys to produce a package that illustrates what went on for the week that was in prep sports. Trust me, you’re going to want to see it.

Prep Sports Photo Gallery courtesy of the Contra Costa Times Photo and Multimedia Staff