Sports

Those nostalgic sunset games will happen often during the next couple of months for the Greyhounds before the Prune Packers take over Rec Park in June. Until then, baseball fans know they can always find a good game from Healdsburg High’s Greyhounds, both varsity and JV, who play at Rec Park into May.

For the student-athletes of the Healdsburg Track & Field team, the Santa Rosa Field Event Jamboree, March 15, and the Dublin Distance Fiesta, March 21-22, bookend the start and end of spring break. “These meets highlight the two extremes of track and field,” said head coach Kate Guthrie.

Pitcher Eric Nielsen struggled in the top of the first inning, loading the bases with only one out on a hit and two walks. The coach called for someone to loosen up. Then Nielsen righted the ship and struck out the next two batters. He gave up no more hits and struck out 11 to win the game, 11-0.

As is often the case, track and field is among the first spring sports to get underway. The big event opening the season was the Big Cat Invitational, held at Santa Rosa High on Saturday, March 1. Last weekend came the Gaucho Relays, at Casa Grade High. This weekend it's the Field Event Jamboree in Santa Rosa.

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.

All-League selections for North Bay – Redwood division have been announced, and other divisions as well. The Healdsburg High winter sports teams can be proud of their showing in this post-season list, selected by the coaches of the league teams themselves.

Though this was AJ Crosby’s first year head-coaching a high school varsity team, it was by no means his first coaching experience. “Last year I was a JV coach at Rancho Cotate,” he said. “And for the past four-and-a-half years I’ve been a head coach for North Bay Basketball Academy for AAU seasons.”

Three Healdsburg High athletics teams made their NCS playoff entrance, and exit, last Wednesday after we went to press. The girls basketball team, and both girls and boys soccer teams, made it into the playoffs, but their post-season ended quickly in all cases. 

This year locals are proud to find both boys and girls soccer teams in the NCS playoff, both in Division 4 in line with their size. And the girls basketball team is in the playoffs as well, in the tougher Division 2. (Unfortunately, all three teams lost on Wednesday night, so Healdsburg High's winter sports season is officially over.)

Senior Ruby Leffew had her best game of the year, scoring 21 points to lead the Healdsburg Greyhounds to their third consecutive NBL-Redwood championship tournament trophy.