Canyon High of Anaheim came into the season as the No. 1 ranked team in the OC Register county preseason softball rankings and they have held firm in the first week, starting the season with a 5-0 record.

The Comanches followed that week with a strong showing at the Dave Kops Tournament of Champions in Bullhead City, Arizona over the weekend. The Comanches won their first two games to reach the quarterfinals of the highly-competitive event, but came up short against El Modena, 2-1, in the quarters. El Modena, ranked No. 7 in last week’s OC poll, went on to defeat Norco High in the championship game to bring the title back to Orange County.

“We made an error and you know, you can’t make errors against really good teams and get away with them,” Head Coach Jess Carbajal said of the loss to El Modena.

The Comanches bounced back with a 6-2 win over Pacifica High, winners of the event the past two years. After the win over the Mariners closed out the event with a 4-2 loss to Orange Lutheran, the No. 2 team in last week’s poll.

The Dave Kops TOC attracts strong teams from all around the Southwest and this year was no exception. Carbajal said his team has a few seniors, but is also looking for some younger players to contribute. The tournament provided an opportunity for some playing experience and for the players to build team chemistry. And have some fun.

“Then once the [league] season starts, that’s a grind, so this is the time to have a little fun, because next week starts for real,” Carbajal said.

Canyon is part of the Crestview League this season, which includes Pacifica and El Modena, as well as Cypress High and Esperanza High. All five teams were ranked in the top 21 in last week’s poll, which should make the season very competitive. But Carbajal likes his team’s chances.

“We’re excited about where we’re at and that’s gonna just keep building for now,” Carbajal said.

Canyon will open the league season on Tuesday at Pacifica, and will host El Modena on March 20. Both games are scheduled for 3:15 p.m.