While some Riverbank High athletes finished up their regular seasons last week, other RHS teams advanced to section championship competition.
Track & Field Championship
On Wednesday, May 11, the Sac-Joaquin Section began its championship meet at Weston Ranch High School in Stockton.
Bruin track and field Coach Monte Wood reported that senior Anthony Leon won the triple jump there at 43-feet, 5-inches, and he had the four longest jumps of the day of all the athletes there. He qualified to go to the Masters Meet this Friday at Davis High School in Davis, Wood said.
The top three from there will go to the state meet, competing against other Division V schools.
“He is currently ranked fourth in the section for all divisions and the other athletes in front of him aren’t that much farther ahead of him,” Wood said of Leon.
On Friday last week, Leon also won the long jump, at 21-feet even.
RHS junior Dayanara Ruvalcaba came in third in the 3200 meter race, with a time of 12-minutes, 34.3-seconds, a personal record.
Leon and Ruvalcaba both qualified for the Master’s Track Meet to be held this Friday.
RHS Athletic Director Juan Harvey noted Leon's accomplishment, saying “If he makes top three in the Master’s Meet, he will be the first Riverbank track and field athlete to qualify for the state meet since German Fernandez, in 2008.”
Lady Bruin Softball
Varsity girls softball finished out their 2022 season last week, at home and, finally, on the road.
On Tuesday, May 10, RHS hosted Escalon, falling to the Lady Cougars, 12-0. On Thursday, they traveled to Livingston, winning over the Lady Wolves, on the strength of an eight-run fifth inning. That helped seal the game, and the league season, on an up note.
“We beat Livingston 13-2,” said coach John Bartlett. “We are in the playoffs. We are the number four seed in Division 5.”
The win raised the Lady Bruins’ record to 6-6 in the Trans-Valley League, for fourth place. They posted a 12-11 record overall.
They were scheduled to open the playoffs with a home game Tuesday, May 17 hosting number five seed Colfax, after The News went to press.
The winter of the Tuesday games moves on to face either first seed Calaveras, or eighth seed Encina Prep, who were also set to play each other Tuesday. The championship game is set for Friday at 4 p.m.
Co-Ed Tennis
Riverbank tennis competed in the section finals last week, playing at Oak Park in Stockton on Friday, May 13, striving for the overall Sac-Joaquin Section team Championship title.
Unfortunately, they fell to Sonora, but some team members were to have competed in the individual championships on Monday.