Last week, Chico and Pleasant Valley met on the basketball court, with the Panthers girls culminating the week with an upset victory over the Vikings.
On Wednesday, that rivalry moves to the soccer pitch when both schools meet at 7 p.m. Bring your raincoats and umbrellas because rain is scheduled for Wednesday’s Eastern Athletic League showdowns.
Boys soccer
Before the Chico-PV showdown on Wednesday, the soccer action starts Tuesday, with Colusa traveling to Los Molinos, Gridley at Las Plumas and Oroville at Corning.
On Wednesday night, the Panthers (8-2-1, 4-0 in EAL) will make the drive across town to meet the Vikings (9-4-1, 4-0) on the pitch for the first time this year. The Vikings have won four straight since losing to Oak Ridge on Dec, 20 and defeated Shasta 6-2 on Friday night. The Panthers, who are also on a four-game winning streak and haven’t lost since Dec. 21 against Central Valley, defeated Foothill 5-0 on Friday night.
The series between the two teams has been fairly even, with Pleasant Valley leading the series 25-24-3 since 2004, including playoffs. However, the Panthers have won four straight over the Vikings, with PV’s last win on Feb. 19, 2022 — a 5-4 victory in the Northern Section championship game.
In other boys soccer action on Wednesday, Gridley hosts Colusa, Hamilton is at Durham, Paradise is at Redding Christian and Red Bluff is at Foothill.
On Thursday, the crosstown rivalry between Oroville (2-8) and Las Plumas (12-1-1) takes center stage. The Thunderbirds are second in Butte View League action with a 2-1 mark, while the Tigers are 0-3 in league play.
The Thunderbirds have won seven straight over the Tigers and haven’t lost since Feb. 6, 2020; overall, the Thunderbirds lead the series 21-14-8, going back to 2004.
Orland is at Corning, Pierce is at Colusa, Los Molinos travels to Live Oak, and Hamilton is at Maxwell.
On Friday night, the second round of EAL play kicks off with Pleasant Valley hosting Red Bluff and Chico traveling to Shasta. Both of those games will start at 7 p.m.
In other action on Friday, Paradise is at Williams.
Girls soccer
Much like the boys, the week’s soccer action starts Tuesday with Colusa traveling to Los Molinos, Gridley at Las Plumas and Oroville at Corning.
On Wednesday night, the Vikings (13-0-1) travel across town to face the Panthers, who lead the EAL with a 4-0 mark. Chico is 10-1 overall. The Panthers held off Foothill 1-0 on Friday night, while the Vikings defeated Shasta 4-0.
The Panthers will have to find a way to crack the Vikings’ defense, anchored by goalkeeper Kennedy Artnzen, who has allowed just one goal all season. Chico High is averaging nearly six goals a game on the season, while Pleasant Valley is averaging 3.7 goals per game and is led by Scarlett Christie, who comes in with 12 goals on the year, second in the EAL.
Chico leads the overall series 30-20-7 going back to 2005. The two schools have split the last six meetings, including the playoffs.
In other girls soccer action on Wednesday, Gridley hosts Colusa, Hamilton is at Durham, Paradise is at Redding Christian and Foothill is at Red Bluff.
On Thursday, Oroville (0-12-1) and Las Plumas (9-4-1) will meet at Las Plumas. The Thunderbirds are atop the BVL with a 3-0 mark.
LP leads the overall series 26-9-6 and won nine straight. The Thunderbirds haven’t allowed the Tigers to score a goal against them since a 1-1 tie on Jan. 31, 2019.
In other Thursday action, Orland is at Corning, Pierce is at Colusa, Los Molinos travels to Live Oak, Willows is at Winters and Hamilton is at Maxwell.
On Friday night, the second round of EAL play kicks off with Pleasant Valley hosting Red Bluff and Chico traveling to Shasta. Both of those games will start at 7 p.m.
In other Friday action, Paradise is at Williams.
Boys basketball
The basketball action starts on Monday night as Paradise Adventist hosts Herlong, East Nicolaus is at Willows, Pierce is at Paradise and Live Oak is at Durham.
On Tuesday night, Pleasant Valley (15-6,4-1 in EAL) will take a step out of league play to play at Oak Ridge. The Vikings, who have sole possession of first place, are coming off a 65-44 win at home against Chico High.
In other Tuesday action, Los Molinos is at Maxwell, Orland is at Corning, Hamilton is at Core Butte, Gridley at Las Plumas and Williams at Biggs.
On Wednesday, Chico High will travel to Yuba City, Oroville will host Central Valley, Durham is at Paradise and Orland is at Shasta.
In Thursday’s action, the lone game involving a local team is Chester at Paradise Adventist Academy.
On Friday night, the second half of EAL action kicks off with Red Bluff playing at Pleasant Valley and Chico traveling to Shasta.
Also on Friday, Willows is at Pierce, Winters at Live Oak, East Nicolaus is at Durham, Hamilton is at Maxwell, Paradise is at Colusa, Gridley is at Corning, Los Molinos is at Williams and Biggs is at Core Butte,
There will also be a crosstown rivalry game on Friday as Las Plumas (14-7, 2-0) plays at Oroville (9-10, 1-1). Oroville leads the series 32-21 going back to 2004 while LP has won eight straight against the Tigers.
Girls basketball
The girl’s basketball action also starts on Monday with East Nicolaus at Willows, Pierce at Paradise and Live Oak at Durham.
On Tuesday night, Eastern Athletic League leader Chico (4-0, 13-7 in EAL) closes the first round of league play at Shasta.
In other Tuesday action, Los Molinos is at Maxwell, Orland is at Corning, Hamilton is at Core Butte, Las Plumas is at Gridley and Williams is at Biggs.
On Wednesday, Oroville will host Central Valley, Corning will be at Orland, Paradise at Durham, and Orland at Shasta.
In Thursday’s action, PV (15-7, 4-1) looks to rebound from last Friday’s loss at Chico when the Vikings make a trip to Red Bluff.
Also on tap Thursday, league leader Oroville (7-14, 3-1 in BVL) is at Las Plumas (10-10, 2-1). Las Plumas leads the overall series 29-21, including three of the last four games.
On Friday night, Hamilton is at Maxwell, Biggs is at Core Butte, Paradise is at Colusa, Los Molinos is at Williams, Durham is at East Nicholas and Corning is at Gridley.
On Saturday, Pleasant Valley will host Pinole Valley in a nonleague game, while Chico will travel to Alameda to play in the MLK tournament.
Boys Wrestling
Corning hosts a Butte View League meet on Wednesday night before heading to Ukiah for a tournament on Friday and Saturday that will also include Red Bluff.
Chico will be at a double dual at Foothill against Enterprise and Shasta on Wednesday night.
Girls wrestling
Chico High will be at a double dual at Foothill against Enterprise and Shasta on Wednesday night.
Corning will be at the Judy Rider Memorial in Hollister on Saturday.
Red Bluff will spend Saturday in Orland at the Glenn County Fairgrounds for a tournament.
College men’s basketball
Butte College (10-11, 1-2 in Golden Valley Conference) will host Feather River on Wednesday night, with tip-off set for 6 p.m. The next night, the Chico State men (12-3, 7-3 CCAA) will host Cal State San Marcos, with that game tipping off at 7:30 p.m.
On Saturday, both teams play at 3 p.m. The Wildcats will host Sonoma State while the Roadrunners travel to Lassen.
College women’s basketball
On Thursday, Chico State (11-6, 7-4 CCAA) hosts Cal State San Marcos at 5:30 p.m.
On Saturday, Sonoma State is at Chico State starting at 1 p.m., while the Roadrunners will play at Lassen starting at 2 p.m.
