Paul’s Sports Corner

With the calendar turning to May, it seems like just yesterday we were celebrating the new year. But, alas, time flies and for Rohnert Park and Sebastopol students the start of May means the school year is about to wrap up. With the school year wrapping up, this also means spring sports are coming to an end. Lacrosse is entering the playoffs, baseball and softball are getting ready to end their regular seasons, while swimming, track and other sports are beginning the postseason. Here’s the latest installment of Paul’s Sports Corner.

Rancho Boys Baseball: The boys are entering their final week of the regular season looking to jump from fifth place to fourth. Currently, the Cougars are 10-11 on the season and 2-6 in a very difficult North Bay Oak Division. With just one game separating themselves and Maria Carrillo for fourth place, the Cougars are hoping to finish the season strong against Ukiah. The Wildcats sit third place in the league, so the Cougars will try to earn at least a split and hope for a favorable result in the other games. Though the record doesn’t look great, the Cougars are a quality team as their pre-season record indicates, they just play in a very difficult side of the bracket.

Rancho Boys Lacrosse: The boys finished a very respectable 12-9 and earned a fourth-place finish in league with a 6-4 record. This record had them finish ahead of teams like Cardinal Newman and Petaluma while ending the year just behind Casa Grande in the overall standings. With Justin-Siena and Vintage being the clash of the field, the race behind them was very tight with the Cougars pulling off some great end of the year results. The Cougars were seeded 14th in the North Coast Section Division 2 Tournament which kicks off on Tuesday, May 2nd. The Cougars will play number 3 seed Piedmont in their first-round matchup. This figures to be a tough game.

Rancho Track and Field: Rancho Track and Field have had sweeping success this year. The Rancho Girls were victorious this past week and were crowned NBL Redwood Champions; while the Cougar boys continue to have success led by the star studded 4x100 meter relay team. One could just call this team The Football Track stars, as it consists of names Cougar fans are well familiar with. Giovanni Martinez, Tupotu Hale, Sailasa Vadrawale and Jacob Pruitt set the school record in the 4x100 meter relay with a time of 43.01 seconds besting the time of 43.05 that was set in 2012. With this performance, the boys will head to NCS and try and make it as far as they can.

Pruitt himself is amid another incredible track season as he’s the NBL leader with a blazing time of 10.98 seconds in the 100-meter dash. Pruitt will have his eyes not just on NCS but on a potential CIF State bid this season. We will have more track and field updates as they happen.

Rancho Cotate Boys Golf: The boys wrapped up their season this past week with the North Bay League Tournament.

Rancho Cotate Softball: The girls have five games left on the season and are hoping to finish the year off on a high note. Since this year’s team is very young, it hasn’t been the type of season that Tracey Guerrero and staff have been used to but the type of season that’s needed to rebuild the program and return to its winning ways. The Cougars have three games this coming week, against Analy, Cardinal Newman, and Windsor. These games are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with Thursday being a home game.

Rancho Cotate Girls Lacrosse: Much like their male counterparts, the girls had a very strong season, finishing 9-6 overall and 6-3 in league play, which was good enough for a tie with Cardinal Newman for fourth. Justin Siena and Casa Grande were the clash of the field finishing 9-0 and 9-1 respectively, then Petaluma, Newman and Rancho battled for third. This performance earned them a spot in the North Coast Section Division 2 Tournament where they will play number one seed and undefeated San Ramon Valley High School.

Analy Boys Baseball: It’s been a tough year for the Analy Tigers baseball team as they currently sit at 6-16 overall and 0-8 in the North Bay Oak League. With a two-game series against Maria Carrillo coming up this week that will end their season, the boys are looking for a competitive showing to build towards next season.

Analy Girls Softball: The girls enter their final two weeks at 4-10 and a 1-9 record in league play. The Tigers have lost 6 out of 7 games as they enter playing against Rancho Cotate. With five games left on the season the Tigers are looking to build momentum, not just for this season but for next year. With two games against Montgomery and a Rancho Cotate team still trying to find themselves, there are some winnable games on the docket for the girls to be competitive in and get some confidence.

Credo Boys Baseball: The Credo boys are amid an incredible league race with rivals Sonoma Academy and Technology High School. The three teams are separated by one game with three to play. The Gryphon and Coyotes played an epic 9 inning thriller last Tuesday which the Coyotes won in the bottom of the ninth inning by a score of 3-2. This brought the Coyotes and Gryphon tied at 6-1, while the Tech Titans sit just one game back at 6-2. Credo have Roseland Prep and Calistoga on the menu this week before a Friday night home showdown with Sonoma Academy, which will ultimately decide the regular season title. Considering how young the Gryphon are with quite a few freshmen, even being in this position is impressive and shows how strong their baseball program is.

Credo Girls Softball: The girls have their final game of the season this Tuesday against Calistoga. Coming into the game, the Gryphon are 5-7-1 and 2-2 in league play. Credo will look to send their seniors out with a win and make a last-minute run at the NCS playoffs. Since every game matter towards seeding, a win would serve the Gryphon well in their chase towards a playoff spot.

Technology Boys Baseball: The Titans have a busy week ahead of them as they have two games against Calistoga and Sonoma Academy respectively. With the team still very much in the mix for a league title, the game against Sonoma Academy looms large as another victory against the Coyotes and the Coyotes beating Credo again would make it a three-way tie for first place. With a 10-5 overall record regardless of whether they finish first, second or third in league, the Titans will have a decent seed in the NCS Playoffs and depending on the matchup could make a nice run just like their counterpart, Credo.