​Sixteen teams began the season with hopes of competing for a section championship.For 10 San Joaquin County boys water polo programs, that opportunity is already gone. Only six earned spots in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs, and just three will open the postseason in their home pools.Lodi enters with the county’s highest seed. The Flames finished second in the Tri-City Athletic League and secured the No. 4 seed in Division II, ranking 10th in the section and 137th in California, according to MaxPreps.Ripon and St. Mary’s also earned home matches in Division II. The Valley Oak League champion Indians are seeded sixth after ranking 15th in the section and 162nd statewide, while TCAL champion St. Mary’s enters as the No. 7 seed, ranked 17th in the section and 182nd in California.For the remaining three, the journey begins on the road.Tokay finished second in the Delta League and earned the No. 11 seed in Division I, ranking 22nd in the section and 231st statewide. Bear Creek, third in the TCAL, enters Division II as the No. 14 seed after ranking 39th in the section and 366th in California. Mountain House, fourth in the VOL, rounds out the field as the No. 16 seed in Division I, ranked 43rd in the section and 389th statewide.Which teams can survive the opening round? Who might surprise a higher seed? And could one of the six bring a section championship back to San Joaquin County?The first round begins Wednesday, Nov. 4, followed by the quarterfinals Nov. 6 and semifinals Nov. 11. Championship matches are scheduled for Nov. 14 at Natomas Aquatic Center.Below is the first-round schedule for all six county qualifiers.Note: This page will be updated with first-round scores, followed by the quarterfinal schedule and results. Separate coverage will be published for the semifinals and championship matches.Division INo. 16 Mountain House (13-13-1) at No. 1 Davis Sr. (18-9), 5:30 p.m.No. 11 Tokay (14-2) at No. 6 River City (25-5), 5:30 p.m.Division IINo. 13 El Capitan (9-18) at No. 4 Lodi (19-9), 5:30 p.m.No. 14 Bear Creek (20-12) at No. 3 Del Oro (19-9), 5:30 p.m.No. 11 Woodcreek (11-17) at No. 6 Ripon (18-12), 5:30 p.m.No. 10 Atwater (19-9) at No. 7 St. Mary’s (14-15), 7 p.m.This article originally appeared on The Record: Live: San Joaquin County boys water polo first round schedule, scores