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It is the most chaotic, yet exciting time of year for the East Bay Athletic Teams – the spring postseason!
From sheer volume, the spring has the most sports, with many teams and athletes taking place. That means more of a chance for the great story about a team or athlete putting together a hot streak and advancing deep into the postseason.
Last season it was Foothill golfer Brandon Knight that we profiled recently after he captured the San Francisco City Championships.
Knight made it to the state tournament as a member of the Falcons golf team, then went out and won the individual title.
The De La Salle and Foothill baseball teams battled through the regular season, the EBAL playoffs, the North Coast Section playoffs, then into the NorCal tournament.
This year, we should see EBAL volleyball teams have great runs in the postseason.
Tuesday is the final day of the EBAL regular season, with three teams in the Valley division sitting at 10-2 and just two spots in the EBAL playoffs available.
Dublin plays Dougherty Valley and barring a big upset, is set for one of the two spots. Amador is at Foothill Tuesday night, with both teams at 10-2.
The energy at the Falcons-Dons matches is nuts and now with an EBAL playoff spot on the line, it will be even more intense.
The EBAL playoffs feature the top two teams in the Mountain and the Valley squaring off. If San Ramon loses to Monte Vista Tuesday, they would have a losing record, meaning either Amador (25-6) or Foothill (25-5), would be missing out of the EBAL playoffs.
Win or lose both teams will advance to the NCS playoffs, along with Dublin, De La Salle, Granada and possibly San Ramon Valley, and will see our teams’ cross paths again.
The EBAL playoffs are April 27-29, with the NCS tournament scheduled for May 2-11, and the CIF NorCal tournament is May 16-20.
Baseball is solid as usual, as we head into the final four games of the regular season. The EBAL playoffs are set the same as volleyball with the top two teams in each division crossing over in the playoffs.
With four games left, De La Salle and San Ramon Valley would qualify from the Mountain.
In the Valley, Granada has a solid lead, but Amador, Foothill, and Dublin are within striking distance.
With two weeks of the season still to go, anything can and probably will happen.
The EBAL playoffs are taking place the week of May 8, with the NCS tournament beginning May 16. The NorCal tournament will run May 30-June 3.
In softball San Ramon Valley leads Monte Vista by a game in the Mountain, but the two have one game left against each other.
In the Valley it is Granada with a comfortable lead, with Amador, Foothill, and Livermore all within striking distance.
Post-season softball follows the baseball playoff dates.
In track and field, it looks like big things lay ahead for Monte Vista as the Mustangs have some athletes that are sitting in the top 10 in California.
On the boys’ side Ethan Miller is in the top 10 in the 3,200 meters with an 8:56.86.
Cate Peters makes the list on the girls’ side in the 400 (55.60) and the 800 (2:10.25). Peters teams up with Cate Miller, Isabella Moriyama, and Natalia McGowan with a 3:52.14 in the 4×400 relay.
On thing to remember is in track and field, athletes train throughout the regular season to peak for the postseason so across the board, prepare for the top times/marks of the season coming over the next month.
The EBAL finals for track and field is May 5-6 at San Ramon Valley. The NCS Tri-Valley meet at Foothill is May 13, with the NCS Meet of Champions (the CIF qualifier) set for May 19-20 at Dublin High.
The CIF State meet will be May 26-27 at Buchanan High in Clovis.
Swimming is much the same as track, where the athletes train to be at their peak for the postseason, a spot where the EBAL is always well represented.
The EBAL meet is set for April 28-29 at the Dougherty Valley Aquatic Center, with the NCS meet May 5-6 at the Concord Community Pool. The State meet is at the Clovis Olympic Swim Complex on May 11-12.
As for golf, the EBAL tournament is on May 1 at Corica Park in Alameda.
NCS is May 15 at Foxtail in Rohnert Park, with the NorCal event at the Berkeley Country Club on May 22. The CIF State tournament is on May 31 at Poppy Hills.
NCS Lacrosse is scheduled for May 2-11. On the boys’ side Monte Vista, De La Salle, and California are the top three teams.
The girls’ currently have San Ramon Valley and Amador Valley ranked in the top 20 in California.
The EBAL singles and doubles events are this week, wrapping up on May 1 at the Livermore Valley Tennis Club.
The NCS Singles and Doubles tournament takes place May 5-6 at James Logan, while the NCS Team Tennis event runs May 9-13, with the finals at San Ramon Valley high.
Stunt playoffs April 25 for the EBAL, with NCS taking place April 29 at Freedom High. The CIF competition is set for May 12-13.
Badminton is set for May 13 at Newark, with the NorCal tournament May 22 at Independence High in San Jose.
Each week we will keep you up to date with all the schedules for every sport so make sure to check with our “What to Watch,” section of the Tri-Valley Prep Playbook.
