Riverside sports fans are starting to expect great things from the California School for the Deaf Riverside football program, and they have not let us down. The CSDR Cubs finished the season with a perfect record of 10-0 and more than qualified for the CIF Playoffs. The Cubs now headed to the CIF 8-Man Division 1 Championship after beating Flintridge Prep 58-28 on Friday, November 11th in Semi-Championship Playoffs.
King High School in Riverside, CA, is a school we still need to cover, but its successes should be praised. Even though they aren’t undefeated like CSDR, the King Wolves Football team has had some success this season. They have an overall record of 6-5, a 55-win percentage. However, they also did qualify for the seventh division of the CIF Playoffs. The Wolves playoff campaign started well with a 40-21 win against Troy Warriors in Fullerton. On 11/11, the King varsity football team lost their away playoff game against Western Pioneers in Anaheim by a score of 26-14.
In Collegiate sports, Basketball season is officially underway, and we have some winners and losers in this first week of games.
Let’s start with the good news before continuing to the bad news. RCC Men’s and Women’s teams are off to a flying start. The men’s team is currently on a 4-0 overall record. The first three wins came in the We Play Hard Tournament against Pasadena City, Antelope Valley, LA Trade Tech, and LA Valley. They’ll look to continue their winning streak. Upcoming games are on the 15th, 19th, and 22nd against Long Beach, Citrus, and San Bernardino Valley.
RCC women’s team is also off to a great start. They’re 4-1 in the Inaugural Title IX Tip-Off competition with wins against Napa Valley, East Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Rio Rondo; losing only to Cerritos. They have four upcoming games spanning from the 18th to the 29th, and they also want to keep that winning streak going..
The basketball season for UCR has just begun, but it’s already rough for both teams. The Men’s team lost against Colorado by 66-82, the defense looked sluggish and out of sync in the first half of the game, but during the second, they looked like they picked up their level of play, but it was too little too late.
UCR Women’s basketball didn’t fare any better and could look to improve in the future. The game ended 61-83 against Pacific. Since the start, the offense couldn’t string any plays together, and their offense couldn’t gather any momentum. UCLA used their homecourt advantage this week to beat the Highlanders 64-43. Their next game three games are away at Fresno State, Pepperdine/LaSalle and Alaska Anchorage.
CBU Men’s Basketball started the season with a disappointing performance against Long Beach State. The first half was very close, with the score at the half being 38-31, down by only seven points. However, the second half is where the game got out of hand for the Lancers. They kept shooting desperation 3’s, but nothing was falling in, and that 22% from the 3-point line reflects that. They learned from the LB game and changed the mistakes and got the win against New Jersey Institute of Technology – NJIT Highlanders 59-43. Next up are Cal State Northridge and Washington.
However, despite the Men’s shortcomings, the Women’s Basketball team is starting well with a win in their first game. The score was 84-76 against UC San Diego. It was an excellent comeback victory for the Lancer women as they were down heading into the 3rd quarter of the game. Their offense got going and clicked to help facilitate that comeback victory. The Women’s team kept close to the team from Saint Mary’s but lost 81-88. They play Northern Arizona and Santa Clara next. Both games will be played at the CBU Events Center.
Lastly, we’ll look at the CBU Cross Country team to finish off on a high note. The Men’s team are back-to-back-to-back WAC Champions. The Women’s Cross Country is also WAC Champions, both Cross Country programs placed first in their competition bringing home the ultimate trophy. The Men’s can hold their heads up with pride knowing they completed the 3-peat and the Women won back in 2018, 2019, 2020 and now again in 2022.
A big congratulation to the Men and Women’s Cross Country teams for winning the WAC Championship. Their hard work and dedication paid off in the end and they won the ultimate prize.