We’re in that compressed stretch where fall sports are wrapping up while winter sports wait in the wings. High school girls volleyball and flag football brackets are out, with water polo brackets coming in the next couple of weeks. CIF football winds down its regular season and ramps up for the playoffs. NCAA soccer nears the finish line just as CIF soccer gets ready to begin. NCAA basketball tips off in a couple of weeks, with CIF basketball following shortly after.
It’s the time of year when the stands are full and the stakes are high. Ten Riverside schools earned spots in CIF-SS playoffs this week, with five teams each qualifying in girls flag football and girls volleyball. In flag football, MLK and Poly made Division 4, Ramona also qualified for D4, Norte Vista earned a Division 5 berth, and Hillcrest made Division 6. For volleyball, Poly leads the way in Division 3, Norte Vista and Woodcrest Christian compete in Division 6, while North and CSDR represent Division 9. Congratulations to all ten programs on their playoff qualification, and good luck in the postseason.
To help you keep up, the Raincross Gazette is moving our Games of the Week feature to Sundays. We think it makes more sense to give you a full look at the week ahead rather than just the weekend. Here’s what’s happening in Riverside over the next seven days.
Sunday, October 19
UCR Women’s Soccer vs Cal State Bakersfield, 7 p.m. (ESPN+ | Tickets)
California Baptist University Lancers tip off their final WAC season before joining the Big West, with men's and women's teams building on last year's success at the Fowler Events Center.
