Today’s edition is sponsored by Rose Hotel
*|DATE:l, F j, Y|*
Welcome to the Playbook!
It’s time for another week of the Tri-Valley Preps Playbook, your inside source for all things sports when it comes to the East Bay Athletic League!
I’ve been covering the EBAL since 1985 and know the coaches, players, parents, and athletic staff at all the schools, giving me the inside scoop on what is happening behind the scenes!
Join me each week for some honest feelings about the good, the bad, and the ugly side of high school athletics!
The Big Picture looks at the hiring of Napoleon Kaufman as the new Dublin High football coach. Kaufman, the former Oakland Raiders running back, may be a perfect hire for a high school football coach. As a pastor, and a mentor to the youth of today, Kaufman sits poised to help the athletes grow as players, and more importantly, people.
The EBAL Power Rankings see little movement once again as the teams seem to have found their niches as we get close to heading into league and the North Coast Section playoffs.
What to Watch details another week of a full EBAL slate. Some big games this week for all the sports.
The Fast Five visits with Foothill cheerleader and Stunt team member Grace Schmitt. See what the future Chico State Wildcat prefers for her late-night snack! It’s hard to argue with!
From the sidelines,
Dennis Miller
Playbook Editor
sports@pleasantonweekly.com
Dublin High hires former NFL player Napoleon Kaufman as new head coach
In an absolute touchdown of a move, Dublin High has hired a new football coach, bringing in former NFL running back Napoleon Kaufman to guide the program.
Power Rankings as of April 22.
EBAL BASEBALL
1) Granada (19-1, 8-1): The Matadors move closer to grabbing the regular season EBAL title with a sweep of Foothill, winning 5-1 and 10-3.
2) De La Salle (12-3, 6-2): The Spartan offensive juggernaut slowed a little this week as they only scored 23 runs in the two games. They are averaging 18.4 runs a game over their last five.
3) San Ramon Valley (12-5, 7-3): Lost two to De La Salle but is still easily the No. 3 team in the league. Only three EBAL losses have come to Granada and DLS.
4) Amador Valley (10-10, 5-5): Still struggling to find consistency, the Dons have not won two in a row since mid-March. Split games with Dublin, with each team holding serve.
5) Livermore (12-8, 4-5): The Cowboys keep the No. 5 spot for now, beating California 4-1 in their lone EBAL game last week,
Others: Dublin (8-9, 3-4), Foothill (10-10, 4-5), Monte Vista (11-7, 4-5), California (8-10, 2-7), Dougherty Valley (6-13, 2-7).
EBAL SOFTBALL
1) Livermore (15-4, 8-1): The Cowboys keep the one-game lead over Amador Valley by beating Carondelet and California.
2) Amador Valley (10-5, 7-2): The Dons are finding their stride as they beat Monte Vista and Dougherty Valley and now have a six game EBAL winning streak.
3) San Ramon Valley (9-8, 6-3): Solid week for the Wolves as they beat Dublin and Foothill to stay two off the pace.
4) California (9-5, 6-3): Beat Granada but then the Grizzlies dropped a non-league game to Freedom, and lost to Livermore. This was the spot last year when Cal started to catch fire which led to an NCS title.
5) Dublin (10-6-1, 4-5): Lost to San Ramon Valley then came back with a win over Monte Vista.
Others: Foothill (10-6, 4-5), Granada (6-9, 4-5), Carondelet (5-9, 2-7), Monte Vista (4-9, 3-6), Dougherty Valley (4-11, 1-8).
EBAL BOYS’ VOLLEYBALL
1) Foothill (23-6, 12-0): Has clinched the EBAL regular season title by beating Granada and Dougherty Valley. Closes the regular season at Amador Tuesday, then will be the top seed of the Valley division for the EBAL playoffs.
2) Granada (20-8, 9-3): The Mats started the week getting swept by Foothill but then rallied with a big 3-2 win over De La Salle. The solid No. 2 seed in the Valley will face DLS in the semifinals of the EBAL playoffs on Thursday.
3) De La Salle (26-9, 10-2): Swept Monte Vista to open the week, then lost 3-2 to Granada to lose any chance for the EBAL title. Will be the top seed in the Mountain division and will face Granada again in the EBAL playoffs.
4) Amador Valley (21-8, 7-5): The Dons saw any chance to make the EBAL playoffs dashed when they fell 3-1 to Dougherty Valley. Closes with Foothill Tuesday, then will be off until NCS starts.
5) Dougherty Valley (5-7, 5-7): Scored a big 3-1 win over Amador Valley to start the week, then fell 3-0 to Foothill.
Others: Livermore (18-13, 5-7), San Ramon Valley (6-18, 2-10), Monte Vista (11-18, 5-7), California (6-14, 2-10), Dublin (6-17, 3-9).
Tuesday, April 23
EBAL Softball (all games at 4 p.m.): Dublin at Granada, Foothill at Livermore, San Ramon Valley at Dougherty Valley, Amador Valley at Carondelet, Monte Vista at California.
EBAL Volleyball (all games at 6:30 p.m.):Livermore at Granada, Foothill at Amador Valley, San Ramon Valley at Monte Vista, Dougherty Valley at Dublin, De La Salle at California.
EBAL Tennis (all matches at 4 p.m.): California at Livermore, Foothill at Dublin, Monte Vista at Amador Valley, San Ramon Valley at Dougherty Valley, Granada at De La Salle.
EBAL Boys’ Lacrosse (all games at 7 p.m.): Monte Vista at Amador Valley, Dublin at Granada, California at Dougherty Valley, San Ramon Valley at Foothill, De La Salle at Livermore.
EBAL Girls’ Lacrosse (all games at 7 p.m.): Amador Valley at Monte Vista, Granada at Dublin, Dougherty Valley at California, Foothill at San Ramon Valley, Livermore at Carondelet.
EBAL Golf (all matches at 3:30 p.m.): Livermore at Dublin, Granada at Amador Valley, California at Foothill, Dougherty Valley at Monte Vista, San Ramon Valley at De La Salle.
Wednesday, April 24
EBAL Baseball (all games at 4 p.m.): Livermore at Foothill, Granada at Dublin, Dougherty Valley at California, Monte Vista at De La Salle, San Ramon Valley at Amador Valley.
Thursday, April 25
EBAL Softball (all games at 4 p.m.): Granada at Foothill, Amador Valley at Dublin, Monte Vista at Livermore, California at San Ramon Valley, Carondelet at Dougherty Valley.
EBAL Volleyball (all games 6:30 p.m.): EBAL Playoffs – Valley No. 2 at Mountain No. 1, Mountain No. 2 at Valley No. 1.
EBAL Tennis (all matches at 4 p.m.): EBAL Singles/Doubles tournament, The Club at Livermore.
EBAL Golf (all matches at 3:30 p.m.): Foothill at Amador Valley, Granada at Livermore, Dougherty Valley at Dublin, De La Salle at California, San Ramon Valley at Monte Vista.
Friday, April 26
EBAL Baseball (all games at 4 p.m.): Foothill at Livermore, Dublin at Granada, California vs. Dougherty Valley, De La Salle at Monte Vista.
EBAL Boys’ Lacrosse (all games at 7 p.m.): Foothill at Amador Valley, De La Salle at California, Livermore at Granada, San Ramon Valley at Monte Vista, Dublin at Dougherty Valley.
EBAL Girls’ Lacrosse (all games at 7 p.m.): Amador Valley at Foothill, California at Carondelet, Granada at Livermore, Monte Vista at San Ramon Valley, Dougherty Valley at Dublin.
EBAL Volleyball: EBAL playoffs – Semifinal winners at tba.
EBAL Tennis:EBAL Singles/Doubles tournament, The Club at Livermore.
Monday, April 29
EBAL Golf: EBAL Tournament – At Corica Park, Alameda, all day.
Pleasanton Preps: Amador boys’ volleyball sweeps Falcon Invite Tournament
An up-and-down week for the Amador Valley boys’ volleyball team was capped off with an undefeated run through the Falcon Invite Tournament at crosstown Foothill High School.
We interview high school athletes and coaches all the time. Occasionally we ask them questions that have nothing to do with sports. Here’s one:
Name (School): Grace Schmitt (Foothill High)
Nickname: Gracie Lu
Sport: Sideline cheer, Comp, and Stunt
Year in school: Senior (2024)
Favorite late-night food: Taco Bell
What are you watching on Netflix: “You”
Who is a must follow on social media: Alix Earle (American social media personality)
Go to hype song: “Tití Me Preguntó” (Bad Bunny)
Favorite quote: “Mind over matter” (First said by Sir Charles Lyell in 1863).
Do you have someone you want us to interview? Email sports@pleasantonweekly.com.
Be a Sport!
There are many ways to get involved and get the word out about local athletes and teams!
Send photos of your athlete! to sports@pleasantonweekly.com and get a $10 Amazon gift card.
Post game scores, highlights and photos to acknowledge the hard work of your team and athletes here.
When and where will games, meets and matches be? Tell interested community members here.
Have questions? Email sports@pleasantonweekly.com.
Dennis Miller is a veteran sports writer and editor, covering sports in the Tri-Valley for over 35 years. In addition to being the editor of Tri-Valley Preps Playbook, he has written a weekly column for Pleasanton Weekly and PleasantonWeekly.com, “Pleasanton Preps,” since 2011. Email him at sports@pleasantonweekly.com.
Sponsored by
Copyright © *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|*, All rights reserved.
*|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|* *|LIST:DESCRIPTION|*
Our mailing address is:
*|HTML:LIST_ADDRESS_HTML|* *|END:IF|*
You can update your preferences and manage your groups, or if you really never want to hear from us again, including other emails from us you may have signed up for, you can totally unsubscribe from this list.
View this email in your browser
Sprinkles Cupcakes shop reopens in City Center, almost as suddenly as it shut downFebruary 21, 2026 4:30 pm
