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The Foothill boys’ volleyball team is always among the elite in the East Bay Athletic League, but the Falcons had been somewhat in a title drought.
The last time the Falcons took the outright title was back in 2009.
That drought is now over.
After going 3-0 last week, Foothill stands alone on top of the EBAL.
Time to hang a banner.
The week started with the final regular season game against Amador Valley, with both teams entering the game at 10-2. Whoever won the game would advance to the four-team EBAL playoffs, with the loser of the match sitting on the sidelines.
The way the league is set up, the top two teams from each of the Mountain and Valley divisions advance to the league playoffs. Dublin entered the final night also 10-2, but had a game with Dougherty Valley, a much easier task.
How strong was the Valley this year? All five teams in the Valley advanced to the North Coast Section playoffs, while just two of the five from the Mountain advanced.
The first time the Dons and the Falcons met, it was Amador that came out on top, winning 3-1. This time it was all Foothill as the Falcons swept the match 25-17, 25-19, 25-20.
On Senior Night at Foothill, it was the six seniors who were celebrated before the game that turned it on when needed for the Falcons.
Jack Caudill, Zach Seraj, Tyler Keala, Landen Meonske, Micah Gawel and Surya Srinivasan all were key players for Foothill.
In defeat, the Dons were led by Nate Clinton (15 kills, 10 digs), Luke Melvin (8 kills, 6 digs, 3 blocks) and Bryce Nohava (19 assists, 6 service points).
That sent the Falcons to the EBAL semifinals. Since Dublin had the tiebreaker over Foothill, they had to go on the road to De La Salle.
Not to be denied, Foothill rolled to a 21-25, 25-18, 25-15, 25-16 win over the Spartans. The highlights came from Meonske (45 assists, 17 service points), Kayan Vohra (9 kills, 7 blocks) and Caden Stedman (6 blocks, 3 kills).
Dublin easily dispatched San Ramon Valley in the other semifinal, setting the title match between two Valley teams.
The Falcons pulled out another four-set winner, 25-20, 29-27, 22-25, 25-22. The highlights against the Gaels were from Meonske (45 assists, 2 blocks), Keala (14 kills, 1 block) and Noah Mitzenmacher (24 receptions, 9 digs).
Amador baseball
It was another great week for the Dons as they knocked off Granada twice, putting the team into a three-way tie for the top spot in the Valley Division heading into the final week of the season.
The first game of the week was a 3-0 Amador win on their Senior Day. Oliver de la Torre threw a six-inning, four-hitter to lead the way. He also struck out eight in the win. Braden Whitworth had a triple and drove in a pair, with Ross Kobayashi having a single that knocked in the other run.
In the second game, this one at Granada, the Dons pulled out a 6-3 win. Matthew Foley, Brady Lederer and Tyler Kubo split the duties on the mound. Foley went six innings, allowing three runs on five hits, with five strikeouts.
Amador trailed 3-1 at one point, but Evan Berry delivered a two-out hit to tie things up, followed by a double from Kubo to drive in another two. Mitch Kreider’s third home run of the season sealed the deal with Dons winning 6-3.
Foothill lacrosse
“The Helmet” is the trophy that goes to the winner of the Amador-Foothill lacrosse game each year.
The Dons held the trophy for the last nine years, that is until April 26 when the Falcons took it back with an 11-4 win over the Dons.
Foothill was led by the senior class who were playing their final regular season game at Foothill.
Mikey Paulson played great in the goal, turning away the Dons multiple times. Jake Morgan won 12 faceoffs, with Jake Clevenger playing tough in the midfield. John Connolly was solid on defense and Sean Flanagin was helping run the show for the Foothill attack.
Sophomore Darrin Lau had four goals, with junior Wyatt Lam adding three goals. Junior Jack May and sophomore AJ Becker each had two goals for Foothill.
The defense was led by Graham Zander, Josh Taylor and Ethan Lam who all played tight defense.
Editor’s note: Dennis Miller is a contributing sports writer for the Pleasanton Weekly. To contact him about his Pleasanton Preps column, email acesmag@aol.com.
Editor’s note: Dennis Miller is a contributing sports writer for the Pleasanton Weekly. To contact him about his Pleasanton Preps column, email acesmag@aol.com.
