Prep sports news roundup: Spring sports are rolling
Spring sports are underway with non-league competition with league and North Coast Section schedules looming before the high school season ends in May and June.
Baseball — The Diablo Athletic League Foothill Division begins a double round-robin schedule Mar. 19 while the Valley Division starts Apr. 9. Both divisions conclude DAL play May 9. Clayton Valley Charter and Northgate are in the highly-competitive Foothill Division while Valley Division includes local schools Ygnacio Valley, Mt. Diablo and Concord.
Northgate tied with College Park for the Foothill Division title last spring while Concord finished second to Miramonte in the Valley. Concord and Northgate earned berths in the Section Division Ii playoffs while perennial NCS Division I participant CVCHS was eliminated in the quarterfinals for the fourth year running.
The East Bay Athletic League Mountain Division schedule runs from Mar. 13 to May 3 before the league playoffs are May 7-10.
De La Salle has won three consecutive NCS Division I championships and five of the last seven. In their recent run the Spartans were ranked second national in 2016 and 2018. Campolindo finished second at NCS D-III last year.
The NCS playoffs begin May 14-15 with the finals set May 24-25.
Lacrosse — The DAL has a single division in both boys and girls lacrosse. Eight schools, including Clayton Valley Charter and Northgate, are fielding teams in each league. Teams are playing a single round-robin weekly schedule that begins Feb. 22 and runs through Apr. 26. The league playoffs are Apr. 30 – May 1.
NCS tournaments for boys and girls begin May 7.
Softball — Carondelet won its first NCS softball championship since 1999 last spring, ending a run of Division II titles by Alhambra and Concord, who had won every title since 2010 except 2011. Concord reached the semi-finals last year after winning the DAL Foothill championship. Carondelet took second in the EBAL.
The DAL softball schedule mirrors baseball with the double round-robin Foothill schedule running from Mar. 19 to May 9 while the Valley Division is Apr. 9 – May 9. CVCHS, Concord and Northgate are in the Foothill Division while Mt. Diablo and Ygnacio Valley are in the Foothill.
NCS playoffs begin May 14-15 with the finals May 24-25.
Swimming & Diving — Five aquatic powerhouses (including Northgate) are in the DAL Foothill Division with dual meets Mar. 11- Apr. 15. Clayton Valley Charter will be a favorite in the boys and girls Valley Division that has the same five-meet schedule Mar 11 – Apr. 15. The league dual meets run from the week of Mar. 12 through Apr. 16. The DAL championships are Apr. 25-27.
Concord Community Pool hosts NCS May 2-4 and the CIF State meet is in Clovis May 10-11.
Boys Tennis — DAL tennis matches run from Mar. 14 through Apr. 24 and the DAL championships are Apr. 25-27. The Section team championships are May 7-11 after the singles and doubles tournament May 3-4.
Track & Field — Clayton Valley Charter made a big splash at the CIF State Meet last June and the Ugly Eagles figured to do well again this year. Senior Cameron Reynolds, who is headed to UCLA in the fall, finished second in the state last year in the 400 meters and 4×400 relay. His classmate Daylon Hicks was second in the high jump at state last year and is currently ranked No. 1 in the state.
Concord middle distance star Rayna Stanziano will be looking for a potential state title this May in her final season.
The DAL track and field dual meet schedule on Wednesdays goes from Mar. 6 – Apr. 10 while the EBAL is Mar. 13 – Apr. 11. The DAL and EBAL league meet finals are May 4. The EBAL Trials are Apr. 26, a day before DAL Trials.
The Tri-Valley NCS Championships are May 11 in Dublin, the NCS Meet of Champions May 17-18 at Diablo Valley College and the State Meet May 24-25 in Clovis.
Boys Volleyball — The double-round robin DAL Valley schedule runs Mar. 5 through April 25 with matches on Tuesdays and Thursdays. All local schools except Northgate are in the Valley. The Broncos are part of the Foothill Division that plays matches from Mar. 19-Apr. 25.
De La Salle lost in the Division I semi-finals at NCS last spring in the Section playoffs while Northgate made it to the D-II championship match before losing in four tight sets to Acalanes. NCS playoffs are Apr. 30 – May 9. NorCal championships are May 14-18.
Jay Bedecarré
Jay Bedecarré is a long-time resident and writer in Concord and Clayton. He began his newspaper writing career while still a senior at Mt. Diablo High School and he has been part of The Pioneer since its inception in 2003. Jay also operates Bay Area Festivals, presenting events around the San Francisco Bay Area including Bay Area KidFest annually in Downtown Concord.