Alameda high school teams and athletes performed at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) state cross country championships Saturday, Nov. 24, at Woodward Park in Fresno.
Maybe it was rust from the long layoff. Or maybe it was going up against the first seed in the North Coast Section (NCS) Div. III playoffs. Either way the Encinal High football team was out matched in its 56-21 NCS quarterfinal game defeat to Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa Saturday, Nov. 24.
The Jets entered the road contest as the underdog and it showed. From the outset the eighth-seeded Jets were unable to keep up with the high scoring capabilities of the Cardinals.
The Encinal High School Jets football team will advance to the second round of the North Coast Section (NCS) Div. III playoffs after a 49-0 rout of Petaluma High Saturday, Nov. 3 at Stargell Field.
Even though the Jets and Trojans entered the tournament as the eighth and ninth seeds, respectively, Encinal overwhelmed Petaluma with its athletic talent.
The Jets’ offense took off before most people in attendance could get to their seats.
Both Encinal and Alameda high school football teams qualified for the North Coast Section (NCS) Div. III playoffs. The teams will compete in the first round of the playoffs this weekend.
The Jets were awarded the eighth seed out of 14 teams. They will take on Petaluma High Saturday, Nov. 3, at the Nail House. The Hornets were seeded 12th in the tournament. They will face fifth-seed Miramonte of Orinda Friday, Nov. 2.
Encinal junior Shelby Nelson finished ninth in the men’s and women’s 3,200-meter race at the San Leandro Invitational track meet on March 17 at Burrell Field.
Both men and women faced off in the 3,200-meter race at the event. Nelson finished with a time of 11:26.97. James Logan High of Union City sophomore Joseph Moran won the meet with a time of 10:35.11. The top eight finishers were all male. Nelson was the first woman to cross the finish line. Balboa High of San Francisco’s Hailey Bucholz was the second woman to cross the finish line with a time of 12:37.56.
With winter break over, Alameda athletes are also back to their respective sports teams. Though there has been rainy weather as of late it has not stopped Alameda soccer teams from competing on the pitch.
All Alameda soccer teams have gotten off to slow starts, but they will look to turn things around in the second half of the season.
The second half of 2017 was also filled with athletic feats by Alamedans. Here are some of the athletic highlights from Alameda residents in the final half of the year.
July
Cielo Aguilar won the Mayor’s Fourth of July 5K Ralph Appezzato Charity Event. The 19-year-old finished with a time of 16:01. Mayor Trish Spencer completed the course in a time of 36:05.
There were plenty of athletic accomplishments by Alamedans in 2017. Here’s part one of a look back at the memorable sports moments in Alameda this past year.
January
The 44th Annual Elks Hoop Shoot City Finals were held on Friday, Jan. 6, in the Alameda Point Gym. Winners at the event included Gaby Cuellas (girls’ eight- to nine-year-old division) and Matthew Garcia (boys’ eight-to nine-year-old division).
Three Encinal High student-athletes made their college choices known last month at a signing-day ceremony on the Encinal campus. Two of the three seniors play on the Encinal Jets baseball team, while the third plays on the softball team.
Christine Warren will attend Corban University in Salem Ore. Warren led the Jets to the North Coast Section Div. III softball tournament last season. As a Jet Warren was named to the West Alameda County Conference (WACC) second team in 2017. Warren primarily plays catcher.
