7:00am | Fall sports like football and volleyball are coming down to the wire as we speak, but that just means that a new dawn is approaching in local high school sports: Boys and girls soccer.

Preseason rankings were released today by the CIF Southern Section, to give an early indication about which teams should be on our radar heading into the season.

On the Boys side, the Millikan Rams were the only Moore League team to crack the top ten rankings in Division I, coming in at No. 10. The Rams had an exciting season last year, winning the league title with an 8-2-2 record – after being forced to forfeit two victories – and going in hot to the CIF Tournament. Unfortunately, they fell in the second round, 1-0 to a Harvard-Westlake team ranked a few spots ahead of them at No. 3 in the preseason rankings. The Rams spent long stretches of the season ranked No. 1 in the division last year.

The Moore League figures to feature into the championship discussion a little more prominently on the Girls side, with juggernaut and 2008 national champions Wilson beginning the season ranked No. 1 in Division II. The Bruins captured last season’s league title – by going 11-0-2 with 11 shutouts – but ended their season in the second round of the CIF Playoffs, in a 1-0 loss to San Clemente in penalty kicks. Wilson opens their season at the Aliso Cup in West Torrance on December 7.

Nipping at their heels will be Long Beach Poly, who earned an honorable mention just outside the top ten in the preseason rankings. The Lady Jackrabbits finished second in the league last season and are out for payback. They open the season at Newport Harbor today, and the first showdown with Wilson is marked for January 6 at Wilson.