Editor's note: The PAL girls' golf CCS qualifier is Oct. 18 to determine the league's second automatic CCS berth. The PAL championships are scheduled for Oct. 25.
While the high school football postseason is still four weeks away, the playoffs are much closer for the other fall sports. Cross country, girls golf, water polo, girls’ tennis and volleyball are entering the final week, week and a half of the regular season, with postseason play beginning the end of October, beginning of November.
Here’s a look at where things stand:
Girls’ golf
Hillsdale’s Ashlyn Johnson is the huge favorite to win the Peninsula Athletic League championship tournament played today at Poplar Creek Golf Course in San Mateo.
Johnson, a sophomore, finished third last year and this year recorded the low-round score in all 12 matches she played.
Aragon wrapped up the PAL Bay Division title and the league’s automatic team bid to the Central Coast Section tournament. Woodside is the Ocean Division champ, but does not receive an automatic playoff bid.
The Dons were led by freshman Kate Chong, who will be one of the main people chasing Johnson. That race should also include Carlmont’s Kianna Flores.
In the West Bay Athletic League, Harker is the undefeated team champ, but Menlo’s Joelle and Hailey Kim should factor into the WBAL championship, which is scheduled for Oct. 25 at Sunnyvale Municipal. Notre Dame-Belmont’s Jaylyn Remolona should also be in the mix for the WBAL individual title..
Water polo
With one match left in league play, the Sacred Heart Prep boys’ and girls’ teams have already wrapped up league tiles — barring unexpected, massive upsets this week.
The race in the PAL, however, has been a wild ride and is coming down to the final few matches. The PAL Bay Division boys’ race has not been this wide open in — well, forever? With two matches left in the regular season, M-A is in the driver’s seat and controls its own destiny. The Bears come into the week in first place with a 6-2 mark.
Behind the Bears, however, are Aragon, Hillsdale and Woodside, all with 5-3 record. M-A has the toughest road, however, taking on Hillsdale today and facing Aragon Thursday.
It is a crucial week because the top two teams in the PAL receive automatic CCS bids. The third-place team takes on the Ocean Division champion in a CCS play-in game Oct. 25.
Sequoia has already secured its spot in the play-in game, entering this week with an undefeated 9-0 record. The Ravens took on 5-4 San Mateo in a match played Monday and close the regular season against winless Capuchino.
On the girls’ side, Burlingame and M-A will decide the Bay Division championship. The Panthers defeated the Bears last year on the final day of the regular season to claim the Bay title. Both come into today’s showdown with 7-1 records. This is the penultimate match of the season, as both have matches on Thursday, but they have proven to be the cream of the crop — again.
In the Ocean Division, undefeated Terra Nova maintains its one-game lead over Half Moon Bay. Assuming both teams win Monday, the Cougars will get their shot at a co-championship when they go on the road to Pacifica Wednesday.
Like the boys’, the girls CCS play-in game is scheduled for Oct. 25.
Girls’ tennis
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M-A can wrap up the PAL Bay Division title Tuesday and will go for an undefeated Bay season over its final two matches.
The real drama, however, is for second through fourth place, because those teams, along with the Ocean champion, will play a CCS play-in tournament next Wednesday and Thursday. Carlmont and Burlingame are still jockeying for second and third place, but both should comfortably advance to the team tournament.
That fourth-place spot, however, is still (kind of) up for grabs. Aragon currently sits in fourth place with a 6-5 record, two games ahead of 5-7 Hillsdale. The Dons would have to lose their final three matches and the Knights would have to win out to get to a tiebreaker. The rivals meet Tuesday at Aragon.
In the Ocean Division, Sequoia and Capuchino have run away from the rest of the division, with the Ravens holding a one-game lead atop the standings. The division championship will most likely be decided Thursday when Sequoia hosts Capuchino.
The WBAL still have four matches left in the regular season, with Menlo holding a one-game lead over new rival Harker. The Knights beat the Eagles 4-3 Oct. 5 and they will face off with the Foothill Division title on the line in the season finale Oct. 27.
Volleyball
In the PAL Bay Division, Aragon, Burlingame and Hillsdale all enter the final three matches with 9-2 records. Hillsdale still have matches against both Aragon and Burlingame, which will go a long way to shaking out the final standings.
In the Ocean Division, Capuchino leads with an unblemished Ocean record, 11-0, one game better than second-place San Mateo, which sits at 10-1. The teams meet in the season finale next Tuesday.
El Camino, at 8-3, would need a miracle to sneak into the championship.
In WBAL play, Sacred Heart Prep is one win away from clinching the Foothill Division title and holds a three-game lead over Menlo School, Mercy-Burlingame and Notre Dame-Belmont.
Mercy, which has come on strong lately, including a win over NDB last week, will have its chance to knock off the Gators when they host them Tuesday. SHP takes on NDB Thursday before wrapping up the regular season against Notre Dame-San Jose next Tuesday.
In the WBAL Skyline Division, the equivalent of the PAL’s Ocean Division, Harker holds a one-game lead over Crystal Springs Uplands School. The two will meet in a showdown Thursday in San Jose.
Cross country
After two of three PAL meets, the Sequoia boys’ team and the Menlo-Atherton girls’ team hold slim leads over M-A and Carlmont, respectively.
But there are a number of teams, in both the boys’ and girls’ standings, that still have a shot at claiming titles at the PAL finals. The final PAL meet is Wednesday, Oct. 26 at Bedwell Bayfront Park with the PAL Championships Nov. 5 at Crystal Springs Cross Country Course, where points are worth double.
In the WBAL, it’s a three-team race on the boys’ side with Menlo leading the boys’ and girls’ standings, with Crystal Springs right behind in both races.
The second WBAL meet is Thursday, with the WBAL championships scheduled Nov. 4 at the Crystal Springs course.
The WCAL regular season is over and the league championships are scheduled for Nov. 2 at Crystal Springs. The Private School Athletic League championships are slated for Nov. 3, also at Crystal.
Nathan Mollat can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: 344-5200 ext. 117. To report scores or tips, email sports@smdailyjournal.com.
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