The long-awaited return of high school sports is next week.

The last California Interscholastic Federation-sanctioned contests took place in mid-March last year before schools were shut down because of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. On Jan. 25, Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted regional stay-at-home orders, paving the way for low-contact sports to begin at

The Valley Oak League's “Season 1” begins Monday with girls golf matches with boys tennis, cross country and swimming events scheduled in subsequent days. 

Manteca Unified schools East Union, Manteca, Sierra and Weston Ranch are part of the VOL along with Central Catholic, Kimball and Oakdale. For this academic year, Ripon, Ripon Christian and Escalon are joining decorated medium-schools league. 

Longtime traditional rivals Ripon and Escalon come from the small-school powerhouse Trans-Valley League. Ripon Christian, the most accomplished small private school in the Sac-Joaquin Section, is a member of the Southern Athletic League but competes in the TVL for basketball.

Instead of reuniting with its fellow Manteca Unified peers, Lathrop remains in the Western Athletic Conference which has also realigned for the year. Like the VOL, the WAC is now a 10-team league but split up into two divisions. 

Lathrop is grouped with Beyer, Grace Davis and Mountain House in the North Division. Patterson of the Central California Conference rounds out the North. Los Banos, Pacheco, Johansen and Ceres welcome CCC member Central Valley in the South.

The WAC starts off with girls golf matches next Thursday with Lathrop hosting Grace Davis at Manteca Park Golf Course. Girls tennis and cross country begin the week of Feb. 22 and are followed by swimming (week of March 8), boys golf (March 15), track boys tennis and field (April 8) and boys tennis (April 12).

Girls tennis, boys golf and track fall under the VOL's Season 2 calendar, which begins the last week of March and early April. The eight-week Season 1 ends with final contests on April 2. 

The VOL also has baseball and softball schedules set up for Season 2. California Department of Public Health guidelines prohibit all moderate- and high-contact sports in counties that are still in the purple tier of the state's reopening plan. 

Baseball and softball are allowable in the red tier, and there is hope for San Joaquin County to advance from purple as coronavirus cases continue to decline since spiking over the winter holidays. CDPH tabled football, soccer, volleyball and water polo in orange tier, while basketball, competitive cheer and wrestling are in the yellow. 

PREP SCHEDULE

Monday, February 15

GIRLS GOLF

East Union at Oakdale

Manteca at Central Catholic

Escalon at Ripon Christian

Ripon at Kimball

Weston Ranch at Sierra

Tuesday, February 16

BOYS TENNIS

East Union at Manteca

Central Catholic at Sierra

Weston Ranch at Ripon Christian

Ripon at Escalon

Wednesday, February 17

GIRLS GOLF

East Union at Kimball

Oakdale at Manteca

Weston Ranch at Ripon Christian

Ripon at Sierra

CROSS COUNTRY

Ripon Christian, Weston Ranch at Escalon

Kimball at East Union

Ripon at Central Catholic

Manteca at Oakdale

Thursday, February 18

BOYS TENNIS

Manteca at Central Catholic

Sierra at Oakdale

East Union at Weston Ranch

Escalon at Ripon Christian

Ripon at Kimball

GIRLS GOLF

Grace Davis at Lathrop

Friday, February 19

SWIMMING

Manteca at Sierra

Weston Ranch at East Union

Kimball at Ripon