The 2015 Fall Sports season got under way this past week for both boys and girls, with home and away games. Bruin teams are for the most part in their preseason, prior to the start of Trans-Valley League play. The football team, however, entered this season with no league affiliation, playing an independent schedule. Following is a recap of the first action of the season for the various high school squads.
FOOTBALL
Riverbank football traveled to Waterford on Friday, opening up their campaign on the road.
With a brand new coach, Kit Jory, a new dedication to excellence and brand new uniforms, the Bruins took the Waterford field to take on the Wildcats for the first game of the season.
As expected, the action at first was tentative, but the Bruins got off to a strong start, holding Waterford to just seven points in the first quarter. That lasted into the fourth frame, when the bulk of the game’s scoring took place.
Riverbank allowed another score, then scored one of their own. Near the end of the game, the Wildcats got into the end zone once more, resulting in the final 21-7 score, with the host Wildcats on top.
The low spot for Waterford was its field goal attempts, all misses from varying ranges. Two bounced off the crossbar, while the other two were wide to the left.
Waterford did not field a JV team.
This week, the football Bruins host the Spartans of Big Valley Christian High School, on Friday, Sept. 4, with the JV game starting at 5:30 p.m. The varsity contest begins at 7:30 p.m. at Angelo Novi Field on the RHS campus. It will be the public’s first opportunity to see action at the newly-installed all-weather track facility. Its construction has modified the layout of the football field, with less grass and correspondingly smaller need for water.
In the following four weeks, the Bruins will see Delhi at home, on Sept. 11, then Linden at home on Sept. 18, followed by Brookside Christian of Stockton at home on Sept. 25, and Galt High on Oct. 2, for five home games in a row.
The Bruins travel for their final four games of the season, to Amador High School in Sutter Creek on Oct. 9, to Merced for Stone Ridge Christian High on Oct. 16, then to Angels Camp for Bret Harte on Oct. 23, and finally, returning to Stanislaus County to face Johansen of Modesto on Oct. 30 to round out the season.
VOLLEYBALL
The Lady Bruins got their start at home this week with two games, against the Grace Davis Lady Spartans on Tuesday, Aug. 25, then hosting Beyer High School’s Lady Patriots on Thursday, Aug. 27.
Both games were scheduled as scrimmages, so they were played with ‘running’ clocks, that didn’t stop until time was expired in each of the three games. Scores were not tallied either, but each coach was keeping close track of the growth and success of their players.
The Lady Bruins JV team faced their corresponding opponents in a similar fashion, running clock and no scorekeeping.
According to new varsity head coach Angela Cuellar, the teams were expecting their game jerseys, with assigned numbers, to arrive before the weekend’s tournament play in the Orestimba Tournament in Newman. They played their scrimmage games in a mixture of last season’s uniforms and practice jerseys, with numbers not assigned.
This week, Riverbank was to have away games, with the varsity girls to play in the Foundation Tournament in Ceres on Monday, Aug. 31, then both teams traveling to Amador High School in Sutter Creek on Tuesday, Sept. 1, followed by a trip to Linden High School to face the Lady Lions.
BOYS SOCCER
The Bruin soccer team was to travel to Turlock for the Pitman (HS) Tournament on Friday and Saturday. No results have been reported. Then they were to travel to Sonora to take on the Wildcats on Tuesday, Sept. 1.
Their next home game is to be tomorrow, Thursday, Sept 3, hosting the Golden Valley Vikings of Merced, with the varsity game beginning at 4 p.m.
GIRLS GOLF
The girls golf team has been busy already, with a home meet against Sonora on Tuesday, Aug. 25, another at home hosting Tracy on Wednesday, Aug. 26. Then they traveled to face off against Bret Harte High School of Angels Camp on Thursday, Aug. 27. The team will continue to get on the links this week. On Tuesday, Sept. 1, they were to host Orestimba from Newman, then they’re scheduled to entertain Linden tomorrow, Sept. 3, and travel to Ripon Christian on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
