Fall sports underway with battle for league honors, NCS berths
Most fall sports teams and athletes are well underway with league competition in the Diablo and East Bay athletic leagues with invitational tournaments filling out the busy calendar.
All fall sports extend beyond the North Coast Section playoffs to Northern California competition while girls golf, girls volleyball, football and cross country culminate with state championships.
Girls Golf
The DAL tournament for each division is Oct. 14. The NCS Division II championship is Oct.
21 in McKinleyville and the DI championship Oct. 28 in Rohnert Park, one week before the NorCal championship on Nov. 4 at El Macero Country Club. The State tournament concludes the season Nov. 19 at Poppy hills in Pebble Beach. Carondelet was second at the NCS championship last year after winning in 2017 and 2015. The Cougars finished third at NorCal and sixth at state last fall.
Water Polo
The six DAL Valley teams including Clayton Valley, Concord and Northgate play a single round-robin weekly schedule starting next week running through Oct. 23. The Foothill Division has a double round-robin ending one week later.
NCS tournaments for boys and girls begin Nov. 6 and end Nov. 16. NorCal championships are Nov. 19-23. DAL teams Campolindo boys and Acalanes girls won the first-ever NCS Open championships.
Girls Volleyball
The seven-team DAL Valley Division with CVCHS, Berean, Concord, Ygnacio Valley and Mt. Diablo has a double round-robin schedule including a bye in each round for one team. The schedule runs through Oct. 24. The six-school Foothill’s double round-robin schedule including Northgate ends Oct. 24. The EBAL play 18 rounds for its 10 teams in a double round robin that finishes Oct. 24.
North Coast runs Oct. 29 through Nov. 9 with the NorCal Championships Nov. 12-19 and the CIF State finals Nov. 22-23. Carondelet (Division II) again reached the NCS semi-finals and the Cougars made it to the State Regional quarterfinals.
Cross Country
DAL league has two Wednesday center meets on Sept. 25 (Hidden Valley Park, Martinez) and Oct. 23 (Newhall Park in Concord). The teams in each division will be scored against each other at the center meets. The DAL Championships are on Saturday, Nov. 2, at Hidden Valley Park. Berean, Concord, Mt. Diablo and Ygnacio Valley are in the DAL Valley Division while Northgate and Clayton Valley Charter are in the Foothill.
EBAL dual meets run through Oct. 10.
The NCS Meet of Champions is Nov. 23 at Hayward High with the CIF State Meet Nov. 30 at Woodward Park in Fresno.
At last Saturday’s Ed Sias Invitational in Martinez, Carondelet was fifth in the small schools girls race and Clayton Valley Charter were ninth in the girls large schools standings.
Girls Tennis
DAL tennis matches for seven Valley Division schools (including Berean, Clayton Valley Charter, Concord, Mt. Diablo and Ygnacio Valley) are in a double round-robin format until Oct. 24 while the Foothill Division ends the same day for six schools including Northgate. The DAL division championships are Oct. 31-Nov. 2.
The EBAL plays a double round robin schedule through Nov. 5.
The NCS team championships are Nov. 12-16 with the singles and doubles tournament Nov. 18-19. The NorCal team tournament is Nov. 19-23.