River Valley Invite opens today: Mid-valley well represented in showcase

Northern California will be heavily represented today (Saturday) for the fourth annual River Valley High Invitational at River Valley High School in southwest Yuba City. Locally, Lindhurst, Yuba City, River Valley and Marysville are a few of the larger mid-valley schools scheduled to play today at River Valley. The tournament is set to be broadcast on NFHS Network at . Lindhurst comes in today unbeaten in the Sierra-Delta League and No. 12 in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III rankings put together each week by MaxPreps twice-a-week to help aid at-large berths into the postseason, set to be unveiled on April 25, with play-in matches scheduled for April 28. Teams not in the top-3 in any six-team league, but ranked top-15 in their division at the end of the regular season will earn at-large berths at the end of the month, according to the SJS. River Valley, which opens against SJS No. 5 Antelope at 11 a.m. today, sits three spots ahead of Lindhurst at No. 9 at the close of the week. The Falcons (11-13) are locked into the No. 3 spot in the Foothill Valley League right now – two games ahead of fourth place Placer – with four league games left. RV’s finale in the regular season is home against rival Yuba City on April 23 – two days before the release of the section playoff brackets. YC (7-10), which opens against Futures (7-3) today at 9:30 a.m. at RV, sits No. 6 in the league and No. 20 in the latest D-III poll. Marysville, three spots out of the at-large threshold at No. 18, opens with Antelope at 10 a.m. today; followed by Futures (Sacramento) at 12:30 p.m. at RV. Up next in league for Marysville is Mira Loma at home Monday at 6 p.m. – Wheatland returns to action Monday at Oakmont, looking to bolster its playoff résumé in the Sac-Joaquin Section. The Pirates are No. 8 in D-IV and second in the Pioneer Valley – two back of league leader Bear River with three to play – heading into next week.