Local high school sports starting and we can’t wait to watch the Crocodiles face the Wolves

CONCORD, CA (July 14, 2022) — Local high schools begin the 2022-23 term in less than a month and that means that athletes and teams are already gearing up for fall sports with the attitude that pandemic-related interruptions are in their rearview mirror, and they can focus on being the best versions of themselves, whatever that might be for each individual athlete and team.

And when two of Concord’s high school teams take to the field, golf course, tennis court, gymnasium, swimming pool or running course this fall it will be for the first-ever matchups between the Wolves and the Crocodiles.

No more Warriors or Minutemen as Concord High is officially changing its nickname to the Crocodiles and they will be going up against the Wolves when they compete against Ygnacio Valley High. Concord High adopted the Minutemen mascot when the school opened in the fall of 1966, four years after Ygnacio Valley started its first term in 1962 with their sports teams known as the Warriors.

During the recently completed spring semester Concord High went through a process of choosing a new nickname. Principal Rianne Pfaltzgraff, who left her post at the end of the school year after eight years in change at CHS, had begun looking into a name change in 2019-20 before the pandemic put that effort on the backburner.

Revolution

The school’s Minutemen nickname was in honor of the men who formed the Minutemen militia in Concord, Massachusetts as the American Revolution was beginning in 1775. The gender specificity of the name and having the Minuteman image at the school holding a rifle were what sparked those pushing for a change to the CHS mascot.

The process of choosing a new Concord High nickname included a community meeting this spring that a reported “handful” of non-school people attended. They helped whittle down a list of suggested nicknames to 10 which were “representative of our school community.” There were eventually three votes on campus that all students and staff could take part in, culminating with Crocodiles outpolling Cobras and Coyotes in the final vote.

Ygnacio Valley had their name change approved in April by the Mt. Diablo Unified School District board and will be fully implementing it this semester. The MDUSD board has not yet set the Crocodile change on its agenda according to a district spokesperson.

Neither name change engendered much positive feedback among alumni of the two Concord schools.

For the followers of the other local high schools, don’t fret, you will still have your fill of Red Devils (Mt. Diablo), Broncos (Northgate), Spartans (De La Salle), Ugly Eagles (Clayton Valley Charter), Falcons (College Park) and Cougars (Carondelet).

Fall Sports

Cross Country (Boys & Girls)

DAL Center Meets Sept. 28 and Oct. 19

DAL Championships Nov. 5 (Hidden Valley Park, Martinez)

EBAL Championships TBA

NCS Championships Nov. 19 (Hayward High School)

CIF State Championships Nov. 26 (Woodward Park, Fresno)

Football

Non-league games Aug. 26 – Sept. 30

DAL and EBAL League games Oct. 7 – Nov. 4

NCS Playoffs Nov. 11-26

NorCal Regional Championships Dec. 2-3

CIF State Bowl Games Dec. 9-10

Golf (Girls)

DAL League Matches TBA

EBAL League Matches Aug. 18 – Oct. 13

DAL League Championships TBA

EBAL League Championships Oct. 17

NCS Division II Championships Oct. 24

NCS Division I Championships Oct. 31

NorCal Championships Nov. 7

CIF State Championships Nov. 16

Tennis (Girls)

DAL League Matches Sept. 6 – Oct. 20

EBAL League Matches Sept. 1 – Nov. 1

DAL Division Championships Oct. 27-28

EBAL Championships Nov. 3-7

NCS Team Championships Nov. 8-12

NCS Singles/Doubles Championships Nov. 14-15

NorCal Team Championships Nov. 15-19

Volleyball (Girls)

DAL League Games Sept. 6- Oct. 20

EBAL League Games Sept. 8 -Oct. 20

EBAL Championship Oct. 22

NCS Playoffs Oct. 25 – Nov. 5

NorCal Championships Nov. 8-15

CIF State Championships Nov. 18-19

Water Polo (Boys & Girls)

DAL League Games Sept. 21 – Oct. 26

EBAL League Games Sept. 1 – Oct. 27

DAL Division Championships Oct. 27-29

NCS Playoffs Nov. 2-12

NorCal Tournament Nov. 15-19

Winter sports

Basketball

DAL League Jan. 4 – Feb. 9

EBAL League De. 20 – Feb. 7

EBAL Boys Tournament Feb. 6-11

EBAL Girls Tournament Feb. 10-11

NCS Championships Feb. 14-25

NorCal Championships Feb. 28 – Mar. 7

CIF State Championships Mar. 10-11

Soccer

DAL Foothill Season Dec. 13 – Feb. 9

DAL Valley Season Jan. 3 – Feb. 9

EBAL League Jan. 3 – Feb. 9

NCS Championships Feb. 14-25

Norcal Championships Feb. 28 – Mar. 4

Wrestling

DAL Matches Jan. 11 – Feb. 2

EBAL League Matches Jan. 5 – 25

NCS Dual Team Championships Feb. 4

DAL Championships Feb. 11 (Clayton Valley Charter)

NCS Championships Feb. 17-18

CIF State Championships Feb. 23-25 (Bakersfield)

Spring Sports

Badminton

EBAL League Games TBA

EBAL Tournament May 6

NCS Championships May 13

NorCal Championships May 20 (Newark Memorial, Newark)

Baseball

DAL Valley League Games Mar. 14 – May 11

DAL Foothill League Games April 11 – May 11

EBAL League Games TBA

EBAL League Tournament TBA

NCS Championships May 16-27

NorCal Championships May 30 – June 3

Competitive Cheer (Stunt)

DAL League Games Mar. 10 – Apr. 21

EBAL League Games TBA

EBAL League Championship TBA

NCS Championships April 29

CIF NorCal Invitational Championships May 5-6

Golf (Boys)

DAL League Matches TBA

EBAL League Matches TBA

DAL League Championships May 1)

EBAL League Championships May 1

NCS Division II Championships May 8

NCS Division I Championships May 15

NorCal Championships May 22

CIF State Championships May 31

Lacrosse (Boys & Girls)

DAL League Games Mar. 3 – Apr. 21

DAL Championships Maar. 24 – Apr. 28

EBAL League Games Apr. 1-29

NCS Playoffs May 2-11

Softball

DAL Mountain League Games April 13 – May 11

DAL Valley League Games Mar. 16 – May 11

DAL Foothill League Games Mar. 28 – May 11

EBAL League Games Mar. 14 – May 4

EBAL Championships Week of May 8

NCS Playoffs May 16-27

NorCal Championships May 30 – June 3

Swimming & Diving (Boys & Girls)

DAL League Dual Meets Mar. 6 – Apr. 17

EBAL League Dual Meets TBA

DAL JV Invitational Meet (Campolindo High) Apr. 29

DAL League Championships Apr. 27-29 (Campolindo High)

EBAL League Diving Championships TBA

EBAL League Championships TBA

NCS Championship Meet May 4-6 (Concord Community Pool)

State Championship Meet May 11-13 (Clovis Olympic Swim Complex)

Tennis (Boys)

DAL League Matches Mar. 14 – Apr. 25

EBAL League Matches TBA

DAL Tournament Apr. 27-29

EBAL Tournament TBA

NCS Singles/Doubles Championships May 5-6

NCS Team Championships May 9-13

NorCal Team Championships May 16-20

Track & Field (Boys & Girls)

DAL League Meets Mar. 8 – Apr. 19

DAL League Championship Meet Apr. 29 and May 6

NCS Tri-Valley Area Meet May 13

NCS Meet of Champions May 19-20

CIF State Meet May 26-27 (Veterans Memorial Stadium, Clovis)

Volleyball (Boys)

DAL Foothill League Games Mar. 16 – April 27

DAL Valley League Games Mar. 2 – April 27

EBAL League Games TBA

NCS Playoffs May 2-11

NorCal Championships May 16-20