On Tuesday, January 14, Poly will host Arlington for their first competitive match in almost a decade. A recent CIF realignment has the Bears and Lions competing in the Ivy League, reigniting a classic Riverside rivalry. The fact that both Poly (9-2-2) and Arlington (8-2-2) are playing very well makes this reunion of rivals especially exciting.
Poly soccer alum and current coach Rusty Bailey is looking forward to the match and is excited about the challenging season. “It’s great to have local city rivalries! Players know each other and play harder because of it. Riverside soccer has never been better as a whole. [The Ivy League] is the second toughest league in Southern California.”
Many Poly alum will tell you the last time the Lions and Bears met in a competitive match, Arlington celebrated by dancing at Poly’s midfield. Poly and Arlington soccer games are well-attended and can get rowdy. I’m certain this match will be no exception.
Arlington Soccer Alum and current Lions coach Kevin Watson has been actively advocating for these rivalry games and is excited that the realignment allows for multiple meaningful cross-town matches in the season.
“These matches bring out what makes high school athletics unique and special. It is great to get this RUSD soccer rivalry back, as when I was a student at Arlington, this was the one matchup you always enjoyed playing due to the friendships and connections you had on and off the field. There are so many relationships, family connections, alumni, and history tied between the only two programs in the city with a CIF title to their name, so it’s exciting to get this matchup back in the Ivy League. I wish it would have been sooner, but I look forward to sharing the field with my neighbor, Coach Bailey, and seeing the stands packed for what will be a great match.”
The match takes place at Poly High School on Tuesday, January 14, at 5 pm. Admission is free. It is likely the stands willbe full, and the crowd will be adequately engaged. The public is welcome. Pick a reason, take a side, and cheer on these young Riversiders. See you in the bleachers!
NCAA Basketball Conference Play
Conference play has started for the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball seasons. UC Riverside and California Baptist University are both Division 1 NCAA programs. UCR plays in the Big West Conference and CBU in the Western Athletic Conference. Each conference holds an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship Tournament (March Madness). All ofour local teams played a challenging non-conference schedule in preparation for more meaningful conference play. You can check the CBU and UC Riverside websites for schedules and tickets.
Games of the Week
Arlington at Poly Boy’s Soccer: Tuesday, January 14, 5 p.m.
Hillcrest (17-3) at Poly (11-7) Boy’s Basketball: Thursday, Jan 16th, 6 p.m.
UC Santa Barbara at UCR Women’s Basketball: Thursday, January 16, 6 p.m. tickets here.
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Parents, Grandparents, Classmates, School staff and Teammates… It’s getting to be the time of year when the best of our local high school athletes are making college commitments. We would love to tell those stories. If you know an excellent Riverside high school athlete, drop me a tip.
