Despite a busy week of local sports ahead, it was a light crowd at the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Press Luncheon on Monday at Harry’s Plaza Cafe.
While numbers were down on Monday due to a day off for the local SB Unified School District schools, there is still plenty to look forward to in the coming week as the regular season winds down and the CIF-SS playoffs begin.
Girls Volleyball, Flag Football Playoffs Kick Off
The girls volleyball and flag football schedules were the first to flip the page from the regular season to the postseason, as local teams will begin their quests for CIF-SS titles on Tuesday.
In girls volleyball, San Marcos, Santa Barbara High, Bishop Diego, Cate, Laguna Blanca and Providence will represent the local area in the CIF-SS playoffs.
San Marcos and Bishop Diego will open up their postseason runs at home on Tuesday against Murrieta Valley and Indio, respectively. The Royals earned a spot in Division 2, while the Cardinals were slotted into Division 6.
Meanwhile, Providence will hit the road on Tuesday for the CIF-SS Division 10 opener against Indian Springs.
On Wednesday, Santa Barbara High will roll out the welcome mats for Paraclete in the Division 5 playoff opener.
Rounding out the first-round matchups will be a local showdown as Laguna Blanca heads to Carpinteria to clash with Cate in the Division 7 opener on Wednesday.
As for flag football, CIF Southern Section powerhouses Dos Pueblos (No. 4 seed) and San Marcos will begin the Division 1 playoffs at home on Wednesday.
The Chargers are set to host Etiwanda, while the Royals will take on St. Joseph (Lakewood). Both games are scheduled for 5 p.m.
League Championships on Deck
While some sports are jumping into the playoffs this week, others are still competing for their league titles this week.
After Dos Pueblos claimed the regular season championship, the Channel League Boys Water Polo Tournament will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday at Rio Mesa and Dos Pueblos High.
San Marcos will take on Rio Mesa in the quarterfinals on Tuesday in Oxnard, while Dos Pueblos will await the winner of Santa Barbara High and Ventura High in Goleta.
The championship game is set for Wednesday at 4:20 p.m. at Elings Aquatic Center at Dos Pueblos. The Chargers will look to complete the Channel League sweep after going 22-4 and winning 12 straight games heading into the tournament.
“This has been a pretty spectacular season, I think, beyond our expectations at this point,” Dos Pueblos head coach Chris Parrish said.
Meanwhile, the Channel League girls golf individual championships are on Monday in Oxnard, while the Citrus Coast League girls golf finals are set for Thursday.
As for girls tennis, the Channel League individuals will take place on Monday and Tuesday as representatives from Dos Pueblos, Santa Barbara High and San Marcos look to claim league titles.
Cate will look to defend its home court for the Tri-Valley League girls tennis individuals on Tuesday and Thursday in Carpinteria.
Student-Athletes in Attendance
Dos Pueblos Football: Holden Brey, Chase Johnson
Dos Pueblos Boys Water Polo: Grant Nelson
San Marcos Football: Nico Martinez, Jonathan Nuñez
Bishop Diego Football: Remi Boykin, Sam Boeddeker, Suitulaga Faiaulama
Bishop Diego Girls Volleyball: Abbie Hubbs, Elle McMahon
Bishop Diego Cross Country: Joe Simolon, Weston Goodwin
Carpinteria High Football: Drew Filippini, Noah Gutierrez
Carpinteria High Girls Tennis: Mina Handall, Emily Banks
Dos Pueblos Cross Country: Ashton Smedley
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