Sports
Unexpected upsets usher in tense final day for EBAL boys’ volleyball regular season
The Foothill volleyball team lost twice last week and need to rally against Amador Valley this week. (Photo by Steven Mitzenmacher) Just last week I wrote about how deep and talented the boys’ volleyball league is this season — and then the teams went out and proved it, throwing the league into some chaos heading […]
Just last week I wrote about how deep and talented the boys’ volleyball league is this season — and then the teams went out and proved it, throwing the league into some chaos heading into Tuesday night’s final match of the regular season.
De La Salle and Foothill were tied with the best record in East Bay Athletic League play at 8-2. Amador Valley and San Ramon Valley both sat at 7-3, with Dublin looming at 6-4.
Everything pointed to the Falcons winning a pair and going into the regular season finale at 10-2, with Amador Valley at 9-3. De La Salle appeared headed to the finale also at 10-2.
But this is why they play the games.
Foothill lost not once but twice, falling 3-1 to Livermore and then 3-2 to California, leaving the Falcons at 8-4 in the league. Livermore and California came into last week at 3-7 in league.
“The boys got a lesson in how tough and deep the EBAL is,” Foothill coach Dusty Collins said. “There’s not a team in the league that can’t beat any other team.”
Need any further proof?
Monte Vista entered last week 1-9, then fell to 1-10 after losing to Amador Valley. The Mustangs then had to face De La Salle.
No problem.
Monte Vista went out and beat 9-2 De La Salle to give the Spartans their third loss of the season.
While it appears the crazy week threw the league into chaos, the reality is nothing major has changed heading into Tuesday’s final league games.
The top two teams each, in the Valley and the Mountain divisions, meet in the EBAL playoffs, with the semifinals taking place Thursday and the two winners meeting Saturday in the EBAL playoff title in the balance.
In the Valley, Amador Valley and Foothill have the top two spots secured so Tuesday’s regular season finale will determine the top seed and who gets a home playoff game on Thursday. The Dons win and they host No. 2 from the Mountain, or if the Falcons win, they host.
In the Mountain Division, De La Salle and San Ramon Valley have the top two spots. The Spartans close against the same California team that just dropped Foothill, with San Ramon Valley finishing a Monte Vista team fresh off a win over De La Salle.
It’s no gimme for anyone! The league is so deep this year that there should be seven of the 10 teams in the EBAL that will make the North Coast Section playoffs.
Baseball
With two weeks to go in the regular season, the strength of the league lies in the Valley as three of the top four records reside in the Valley, with the Mountain having the bottom three teams in terms of win-loss record.
Granada was close to running off and hiding with another Valley title, but Foothill hung the first EBAL loss on Granada. The Mats did rally for a 1-0 win over Foothill later in the week.
Granada is 16-4 overall and 8-1 in league play. Livermore is 5-3 in the Valley and does control its own destiny with a game with De La Salle, and a pair of two-game sets with Foothill and Granada left in the season.
And on the flip side, those are five games with teams that are 16-4, 15-3 and 15-5, respectively. There is no question the Cowboys will be battle-tested by the time the postseason rolls around.
De La Salle has a three-game lead over California in the Mountain, but the Spartans have six games to play over the last two weeks, meaning DLS will need to find pitching depth during that span.
Softball
There is a lot of softball to be played still with California and Carondelet sporting the best EBAL records at 7-2, with San Ramon Valley and Foothill at 6-3, and Granada and Livermore sitting at 5-4.
Carondelet, as mentioned last week, is the toughest to figure out with the 7-2 league record and 9-11 overall mark. The Cougars close out the regular season with a game with California and that may very well determine the Mountain winner.
Foothill is on top of the Valley but has games with Livermore, Granada and Amador Valley — the three teams chasing them — so it is still a wide-open race!
Editor’s note: Dennis Miller is a contributing sports writer for the Pleasanton Weekly. This column originally appeared in Tri-Valley Preps Playbook, a weekly sports e-newsletter published by Embarcadero Media Foundation.