The Chinese are calling this the Year of the Ox, and that's fine and dandy. Oxen are strong, formidable animals with a good reputation, I guess, though I don't know the first two things about them.

But strong, formidable teams in Kern County aren't the story of the year so far in high school sports. No, sirree, not this February. This is the Year, or at least the Winter, of the Underdog. Consider the following examples.

— In the girls soccer playoffs, the Division I final is No. 4 Stockdale against No. 3 Clovis-Buchanan, and that wouldn't too surprising under normal circumstances, especially considering Buchanan is a three-time defending champ, but think about this: Stockdale stunned — and I mean stunned — top-seeded Clovis 1-0 in the semis. All the Cougars had done is go 23-0-2 before that game and earned a No. 6 ranking nationally (No. 2 in the West) in the latest NSCAA/adidas poll.

— But if you think Stockdale is an unlikely finalist, check out the Division II girls final, where No. 8 Frontier has made the championship and actually has a home game! That's because No. 11 Reedley came through the bottom half of the bracket. Both teams have survived a penalty-kick shootout (against Garces for Reedley, and twice for Frontier, including against No. 1 seed Tulare Union), and now they'll play the first game — in any sport — under the new lights at Frontier.

— Throw in the Division III girls title game, which is No. 4 Golden Valley at No. 3 Clovis North, the D-II boys final, which is No. 4 Tulare Western at No. 3 West, and No. 6 Arvin's run to the D-IV boys championship, and you've got a whole closet full of glass slippers.

— But the underdog theme doesn't stop in soccer. In wrestling, there are a few unlikely athletes who just a top-seven finish at Saturday's Grand Masters tournament away from the state tournament. Getting this far is quite an accomplishment, and for Bakersfield's Adam Fierro, Frontier's Shane Ellis and Centennial's Dalton Endes, that's an understatement.
Fierro wasn't even going to be a starter for BHS until erstwhile 145-pounder Jonah Cruz decided to drop to the 140-pound class, opening the 145 spot for the sophomore Fierro. Unable to cut to 140 himself, Fierro wouldn't have had another place to wrestle, with section-ranked studs Bryce Hammond residing at 152 and Jose Ramirez at 160. He's taken advantage with a league championship and a second-place finish at last week's Yosemite Divisional.
For Ellis and Endes, the problem wasn't getting in the starting lineup but staying there. Ellis was disqualified in Frontier's final dual of the season, which normally would require him to sit out the next event, which would have been the SWYL tournament. If you don't wrestle in league, you can't move on in the postseason. But the Titans found a loophole, got Ellis into the postseason and to a fifth-place finish in the divisional.
As for Endes, he missed weight at league last year and ended his season as a state-ranked wrestler and no postseason. This year, he's battled injuries all winter and then battled fatigue in the league championship, where he lost to Stockdale's Roman Flores. He then got the short end of a questionable call in a divisional match, sending him to the loser's bracket. There, he survived three straight matches — including a rematch with Flores — to place fifth at 160 and get to the Masters.

So will this translate to basketball, where the playoffs have just begun? Maybe. Home teams Stockdale, Bakersfield, East and Tehachapi all lost boys games at home last night in the first round. My candidate for a sleeper? How about Foothill, the No. 11 seed in a relatively weak Division III boys bracket? The Trojans upset Tehachapi last night on the mountain and have been playing their best ball late, beating East and giving both Liberty and Garces good games. On the girls side, I'll take Ridgeview as my sleeper, coming from the No. 6 slot in Division III.