Fall sports in full gear with league play before post-season
CONCORD, CA (Sept. 19, 2024) – Diablo and East Bay Athletic League teams will be going strong this month as teams all have busy league schedules interspersed with non-league, tournament and invitational meets this fall leading up to post-season playoffs.
Cross country runners had a pair of large Invitational meets on the first two Saturdays this month with the Saint Mary’s and Ed Sias invitationals.
Concord High cross country co-hosted their first invitational meet with Saint Mary’s College women’s NCAA Division 1 team. A total of 22 North Coast Section high schools with nearly 800 runners participated in the two-mile races on the Moraga campus.
Last Saturday, the annual Ed Sias Invitational at Hidden Valley Park in Martinez featured College Park senior Jack Rattary taking second in the large school’s boys race with the fifth fastest time in NCS this fall leading the Falcons to the boys title. Clayton Valley Charter and De La Salle were 10th and 11th respectively.
Northgate boys were eighth in the small schools division.
Natasha Cohen’s fourth-place run helped Northgate to second in the girls small school race while Carondelet was fifth, paced by Jade Kelly’s sixth place. Sophomore Katherine Buechter was 10th and her CVCHS team was seventh in large school girls division. College Park took 11th.
High school sports fall schedules
Cross Country (Boys & Girls)
DAL Center Meet #1 Sept. 25 (Hidden Valley Park, Martinez)
DAL Center Meet #2 Oct. 30 (Newhall Park, Concord)
DAL Championships Nov. 9 (Hidden Valley Park, Martinez)
EBAL Championships Nov. 9 (Newhall Park, Concord)
NCS Championships Nov. 23 (Hayward High School)
CIF State Championships Nov. 30 (Woodward Park, Fresno)
Flag Football
DAL League Games Sept. 4 – Oct. 30
DAL Playoffs Nov. 2 (Benicia High)
NCS Playoffs Nov. 12 & 14
Golf (Girls)
DAL League Matches Aug. 26 – Oct. 16
EBAL League Matches Sept. 3 – Oct. 17
DAL League Championships Oct. 21
EBAL League Championships Oct. 21
NCS Division II Championships Oct. 28
NCS Division I Championships Nov. 4
NorCal Championships Nov. 11
CIF State Championships Nov. 20
Tennis (Girls)
DAL League Matches Sept. 10 – Oct. 24
EBAL League Matches Sept. 14 – Oct. 26
DAL Division Championships Week of Oct. 28
EBAL Championships Nov. 7-11
NCS Team Championships Nov. 12-16
NCS Singles/Doubles Championships Nov. 18-19
NorCal Team Championships Nov. 19-23 (Folsom)
CIF State Team Championships Nov. 30 (Fresno Pacific University)
Volleyball (Girls)
DAL League Games Sept. 17 – Oct. 17
EBAL League Games Sept. 10 – Oct. 22
DAL Playoffs Oct. 22-26
EBAL Championships Oct. 24-26
NCS Playoffs Oct. 29 – Nov. 9
NorCal Championships Nov. 12-19
CIF State Championships Nov. 22-23 (Santiago Canyon College, Orange)
Water Polo (Boys & Girls)
DAL League Games Sept. 25 – Oct. 30
EBAL League Games Sept. 15 – Oct. 31
DAL Division Championships Oct. 31 – Nov. 2
NCS Playoffs Nov. 6-16
NorCal Tournament Nov. 19-23 (Sacred Heart Prep, San Francisco)
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.