Comeback ’Cats down Eagles in rare Friday contest

EL CENTRO — While most of the Valley’s attention was lasered in on football Friday night, there was also a heavyweight volleyball match being played over at Southwest High, with the Eagles hosting the Brawley Wildcats in a do-or-die Imperial Valley League blockbuster in their annual Breast Cancer Awareness match.

Originally, the game had been scheduled for Thursday, but with the ongoing football referee shortage moving a gridiron clash between the two schools up a day, volleyball was rescheduled so as not to clash.

Those that showed up were treated to a genuine classic — and only the second IVL five-setter of the year — as the Wildcats clawed their way back from a an 0-2 hole to win out (11-25, 18-25, 25-22, 25-16, 15-10).

It was a crushing loss for the Eagles, who last year shared the IVL crown with the Wildcats and needed a win to have a chance of repeating. As it is, they’re still an almost certain playoff team at 18-13 on the year (7-3 IVL), but losing from ahead to a major rival never sits well.

For Brawley (8-1 IVL) the win means they’re still in it. They can win the league outright if they win out and 10-0 Imperial falters in its Tuesday match against Southwest.

Imperial faltering isn’t something to lay money on, though. They’ve been a juggernaut this year, dropping just one set in league play (and that was over a month ago), and when they played the Wildcats on Oct. 1, they ran them off the court.

Brawley might have the stuff to knock them off — especially since they’ll be playing at home, where they haven’t lost to a league opponent since 2015 — but it’ll be tough.

Before that, however, the Wildcats will have to take care of Palo Verde, whom they play on Monday in Blythe.