Sports

With winter sports barely in the rear-view mirror, here comes spring down the road to shift focus—to badminton, swimming, boys tennis, and track and field, and especially baseball and softball.

The Lady Eagles completed one of the best basketball seasons in school history on March 5, falling at No. 2 seeded Argonaut, 60-49 in the CIF Nor Cal State playoffs.

High school basketball coaches have been preaching the virtues of a dedicated off-season program since dinosaurs roamed the Earth, and little has changed over the years.

The varsity baseball Eagles had just one game on the docket last week, a March 15 visit to Healdsburg. Cloverdale had claimed a 3-1 home win over the Greyhounds just 11 days earlier, but this time was victimized by a great pitching effort. Hounds’ hurler Blake Monahan was nearly unhittable, firing a complete-game, one-hit, five-strikeout gem in cruising to a 3-0 victory. Cloverdale pitcher Nick Menzell (6 IP, 5 hits, 1 ER, 7 Ks) deserved better in taking the loss, while Jake Sielliunn (1 for 2) collected the lone hit for the Eagles. Cloverdale (1-2) will take a break this week before resuming play at St. Vincent in Petaluma on Wednesday, March 29 (4 p.m.). The Eagles will open the league season at home against Middletown on Friday, March 31 (4 p.m.).

Blue skies and fast times were the rule at the annual Chip Castleberry Invitational track meet hosted by Analy on March 30, an event that included 20 teams and hundreds of high school athletes.

The El Molino wrestling team didn’t rest during the recent holiday break, instead using the time to hone its skills on the high school tournament circuit.

The El Molino boys soccer team has paid its dues in the last few seasons, struggling to win games on a competitive Sonoma County League circuit.

Analy continues season in Nor Cal State Tournament

2,500 athletes descend on Sonoma County; first race under Ironman brand

It was a tough week on the soccer pitch for local teams, with