BA Issue 60, February 1, 2013

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sports

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s p o o o H d w o 'D O

e r i f n o pg16 pitch: It’s great when 6 first your team makes it to the big

time, baby. Who has the lead 12 Cup at the first check-in of the year?

Dozen. It’s almost 14 Diamond baseball time and we know who the best players will be. of the year: Who 20 Athletes dominated the fall? Stop guessing and flip on over.

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not 26 It’s all about getting bigger, it’s also about protecting yourself.

Time!

27 Tri Who’s ready?

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game (ahem, 49ers) but you better savor it because there’s no guarantee you’re ever getting back (ahem, Dan Marino).

us on facebook

room: Let us handle 8 locker Media Day. We got this. of the Week: Eric 10 SportStars Rogstad, Acalanes boys soccer Ain’t a Super Bowl if 31 IMPULSE: you ain’t got the right gear. Also, we like to say ‘ain’t’.

We all know 11 Clipboard: wrestlers are among the hardest working athletes out there. So where’s the love?

on the cover: Bishop O’Dowd junior, Juwan Anderson. Photo by Jonathan Hawthorne.

Fence: Tryouts, sign-ups, 32 The fundraisers and more!

37 Advertisers Index

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Surviving the Big Game Die-hard fandom brings the extreme highs and the gut-wrenching lows, but not always perspective

A

t approximately 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 3 I’m going to be the definition of anxiety.

I will be in my living room, quite possibly pacing, and waiting for the first play of the 49ers first Super Bowl appearance in 18 years. I’ll be excited, nervous and jittery — basically a basket case for the three and a half hour length of the game.

And it’s gonna be great. (Well, my wife may say otherwise. I can already hear her saying ‘Calm down.’)

I can vividly remember the first two times I felt this way while watching sports. Both of them occurred in 1989.

The first one probably qualifies as my watershed moment as a die-hard sports fan. I was a fan of the 49ers before Super Bowl XXIII. I had watched several games and knew most of the players, but I had never truly absorbed and invested myself in a game until that day. I remember living and dying with pretty much every play of that storied game between the 49ers and Bengals, and the pure exhilaration of seeing Joe Montana deliver the perfect strike to John Taylor Chace@SportStarsOnline.com with 34 seconds left in the game.

(925) 566-8503 The VHS recording of that game has been a treasured family heirloom for years, and I still have it despite the fact that I’ve since obtained a DVD version.

Super Bowl XXIII didn’t just make me a 49ers fan, it made me a fan of being a fan — that investing in a team and believing in them was made all the more worth it when that team reached its apex.

It’s also what helped me get through the second time I remember reaching near basket case status watching a sporting event.

Ten months later, my Mom — awesome Mom that she is — wrote me a doctor’s note to get out of school for Game 5 of the National League Championship Series. And while this was probably a great day for many Bay Area sports fans, it wasn’t for me. I was pulling for the Chicago Cubs, my adopted team thanks to cable television and WGN. As many of you may know, the Cubs’ season ended that day with a 3-2 loss to the Giants. Perhaps I hadn’t totally grasped what being a Cubs fan meant at that point, because I remember not being totally crestfallen. I remember the pre-game anxiety and the disappointment of defeat, but I also remember the belief that my team could eventually get there again. And it would go better.

It worked for the 49ers, of course. But I’d have to wait awhile for the Cubs.

And that’s the thing.

It’s incredible how good we have it as Bay Area sports fans right now. And part of the reason for my high anxiety by kickoff of Super Bowl XLVII will be the fact that I no longer assume my team’s next visit is around the corner.

And whether I get off the emotional roller coaster at the end of the game celebrating a victory or lamenting a loss, I’m going to do my best to remind myself how good it was watching this 49ers team get back to the big game.

It’ll be harder to do if they lose. But, I’m a Cubs fan. So I have some experience. ✪

First Pitch

Chace Bryson Editor

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PHONE 925.566.8500 FAX 925.566.8507 Editorial Editor@SportStarsOnline.com Editor Chace Bryson • Chace@SportStarsOnline. com Staff Writers Erik Stordahl, Jim McCue Contributors Bill Kolb, Mitch Stephens, Matt Smith, Clay Kallam, Bryant West, Dave Kiefer, Liz Elliott, Tim Rudd, Jonathan Okanes Photography Butch Noble, Bob Larson, Jonathan Hawthorne, James K. Leash, Norbert von der Groeben, Phillip Walton, Doug Guler Intern Ryan Arter Creative Department Art@SportStarsOnline.com Production Manager Mike DeCicco • MikeD@ SportStarsOnline.com Publisher/President Mike Calamusa • Mike@SportStarsOnline.com Advertising & Calendar/ Classified Sales Sales@SportStarsOnline.com, 925.566.8500 Account Executives Erik Stordahl • Erik@SportStarsOnline.com, Phillip Walton • PWalton@SportStarsOnline.com Sac Joaqin edition: Dave Rosales • DaveRosales64@gmail.com Reader Resources/Administration Ad Traffic, Subscription, Calendar & Classified Listings info@SportStarsOnline.com Distribution/Delivery Mags@SportStarsOnline.com Information technology John Bonilla CFO Sharon Calamusa • Sharon@SportStarsOnline.com community SportStars™ Magazine A division of Caliente! Communications, LLC 5356 Clayton Rd., Ste. 222 • Concord, CA 94521 •info@SportStarsOnline.com www.SportStarsOnline.com

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your ticket to california sports admit one; rain or shine This Vol. #4, February 2013 Whole No. 60 is published by Caliente!

Communications, LLC, 5356 Clayton Rd, Ste. 222, Concord, CA 94521.

SportStars™© 2010 by Caliente! Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. Subscription rates: 24 issues, U.S. 3rd class $42 (allow 3 weeks for delivery). 1st class $55. To receive sample issues, please send $3 to cover postage. Back issues are $4 each. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission of Publisher is strictly prohibited. The staff and management, including Board of Directors, of SportStars™© does not advocate or encourage the use of any product or service advertised herein for illegal purposes. Editorial contributions, photos and letters to the editor are welcome and should be addressed to the Editor. All material should be typed, double-spaced on disk or email and will be handled with reasonable care. For materials return, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope. SportStars™© and STARS!™© Clinics are registered trademarks of Caliente! Communications, LLC.

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rapidFIRE Valentine’s Day? Beach, mountains or big city?

Good or Bad?

$500 shopping spree: Where you going?

Make you own holiday Kiss a Basketball Player Day

Big City

Major sporting event you want to see

3 essential road trip snacks

World Series, Game 7

Mexican Coke, Peanut Butter Cups, Morucci’s 6 3/4 sandwich

Scott Dresser, Las Lomas basketball

Beach

NorCal Swim or Nordstrom

National Swim Day

Gummies, Goldfish and Carrots

Chelsea Chenault, Carondelet-Concord swimming

count ‘em

187

Combined points scored by Brookside Christian-Stockton junior Tiara Tucker over just three games earlier this month. She scored 63 on Jan. 11, 73 on Jan. 18 and 51 on Jan. 22. Tucker is averaging 29.4 points per game through the Knights first 22 games.

WRESTLING: SJS Masters Tournament, Feb. 22-23, Stockton Arena, all day — Northern California’s best shot at an individual state champion this March is likely to come from the SJS. A handful of of the state’s top-ranked wrestlers will take their first big step toward a spot on the CIF podium.

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GIRLS HOOPS: Heritage-Brentwood at Deer Valley-Antioch, Feb. 5, 7 p.m. — The BVAL championship and a top 4 NCS Div. I seed will likely hang in the balance.

GIRLS HOOPS: Kennedy-Sacramento at Sacramento, Feb. 8, 7 p.m. — Expect the Metro Conference title to be on the line.

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Top 5 Questions we Would Have Asked for Super Bowl XLVII’s Media Day Media Day at the Super Bowl is serious, serious business. As we’re sure you’re aware. We mean, name one other time when knuckleheads from such far-flung media outlets as Tokyo and Buenos Aires can don pink feather boas and outlandish fluorescent sunglasses and ask inane questions of grown, violent men, whose first response would normally be to leave them a smoking ruin? It’s like a lion-taming exercise on live television! Take that, Siegfried and Roy! Anyway.

Surprisingly enough, there are a few stones that the so-called ‘media’ leaves unturned at the three-ring circus that is Media Day. We’re here to give you the Top 5 questions that we would have asked.

1. For Mr. Linebacker Ray Lewis. Mr. Scripture T-Shirt. Saintly One: What’s your story for if someone gets knifed in your limo after this one?

Throughout the week we like to poll our Facebook fans on random things that come to our mind here at SportStars HQ. Come ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/sportstars to join the conversation.

This week it was YOU who asked US.

2. For Mr. Place Kicker David Akers: Has anyone put you in touch with Scott Norwood? It’s just a question. Laces out, Dan!

Why are there no pics of the Deer Valley Newark Memorial game, from Monday? — April P., reacting to our coverage of the MLK Classic at Haas Pavilion.

3. For Messrs. Quarterback Flacco and Kaepernick: These are not the quarterbacks we were looking for. Please discuss your use of the Jedi Quarterback Trick.

Just for you, April here’s a picture of Deer Valley’s Kendall Smith driving to the basket in the Wolverines’ 55-54 win over Newark Memorial. How about that?

What’s that? More? Sure, why not?

Head over to SportStars Online.com to check out more.

And give a shout out to Jonathan Hawthorne for the good pics.

4. For Coaches Harbaugh and Harbaugh: Mom always did like one of you best, didn’t she? Tell us about it.

5. For Mr. Backup, Alex Smith: Dude. Really? You’re way too calm about this. At what point do you just go on a four-state shooting rampage? Not that you’d hit anything in stride … but still.

— Bill Kolb

BOYS/GIRLS HOOPS: NCS Playoffs, first round, Feb. 19-20, various sites — Look for matchups between mid-range seeds from different leagues. Trust us.

BOYS/GIRLS SOCCER: NCS Soccer Championships, Feb. 23, various sites — If one site hosts a doubleheader, go there!

BASEBALL: Serra-San Mateo at De La Salle, Feb. 23, 2 p.m. — The defending NCS Div. I champions open 2013 against the 2012 WCAL champs.

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BOYS HOOPS: Sheldon-Sacramento vs. Salesian-Richmond, Feb. 2, Albany HS, 7 p.m. — This might very well be a preview of the CIF Open Div. Northern Regional championship this March. The schools have shared the top two spots of the SSM NorCal Top 20 since the calendar turned to 2013.

WRESTLING: NCS Div. I-II East Bay Duals Championships, Feb. 9, James Logan HS, all day — Can any team stop De La Salle from fifth straight crown?

BOYS/GIRLS HOOPS: WCAL Championships, Feb. 14, Foothill College, 6 p.m. — Few tournaments more competitive. Girls final at 6; boys at 8.

BOYS/GIRLS SOCCER: CCS Soccer semifinals, Feb. 26-27, various sites — Two days of matches with a trip to the CCS finals on the line. Sign us up!

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Before the season began, the senior goalkeeper had high hopes for a final ride and going out on top. Breaking his hand in the first practice and missing the first month of the season wasn’t part of the plan. Still, Rogstad made lemonade out of lemons and helped contribute to his team’s stifling unbeaten record thus far at 17-0-3, putting them on the inside track of winning the NCS title that eluded them last year.

SportStars Magazine: How were you able to still contribute to the team the first month of the season?

Eric Rogstad: I just went to every practice and game; helped the backup, made sure my footwork was still good. … I made sure I was in game form so I wasn’t slacking or anything.

SSM: What did you guys learn from last season’s early exit in the playoffs?

ER: It gave us an edge to work harder and make sure we don’t go through that again. And to make sure we’re really focused on our goal this year.

SSM: What needs to be done to get over that hump?

ER: We need to continue to work hard in practice, not take anyone for granted and just keep working.

February 1, 2013

eric Rogstad acalanes . soccer . senior

honorable mention

joe mcglaston The Dublin senior forward exploded for 40 points in an 8362 win over Campolindo on Jan. 22. He also had 25 points against Campolindo on Jan. 18.

sabrina ionescu The Miramonte freshman guard stole the spotlight in a showdown against Archbishop Mitty-San Jose, posting 24 points, 12 rebounds and five steals in a 69-55 victory on Jan. 26.

Contributed SSM: Favorite highlight of the season so far?

ER: When we beat San Ramon Valley. They’re a very good D1 school and that was a very good win for the program.

ERIC’S QUICK HITS Favorite athlete: Chipper Jones Super Bowl prediction: 31-28 Ravens over 49ers Favorite subject: English

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jacqueline scharff College Park’s sophomore forward netted a hat trick against Berean Christian on Jan. 25 and has 20 goals on the season.

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Wrestling may not be the hot sport, but it deserves its due I’m a wrestler, and I work really, really hard. I know other sports are hard, but nothing’s as tough as wrestling. But nobody seems to care about wrestling, and other sports get more publicity and more fans. It’s just not right – why don’t wrestlers get as much credit as other athletes?

R.G., Brentwood

hat’s a great question – which means there’s not a simple answer.

Even though wrestling is a team sport in high school, it’s much more like cross country or swimming or track, which is to say it’s an individual sport with a team aspect. And though it wasn’t always this way, team sports are now much more popular than individual sports when it comes to fan support and participation.

And another historical factor is at work. Back in the 19th century, wrestling was the most important man-to-man individual sport. Boxing was considered to be one step above savagery, and so wrestlers were treated with great respect. (They still are in many Eastern European and Middle Eastern countries.)

But the emergence of boxing — bloodier, more violent, more spectacular — pushed wrestling into second place, and then professional wrestling stepped into a niche in the sporting marketplace. The

T

jokey pros had some athletic ability, but they were more concerned with heroes, villains and goofy scenarios than true competition, and that made it even harder for legitimate wrestlers to be taken seriously.

Lately, of course, mixed martial arts has further crowded the arena inhabited by wrestling, professional wrestling and boxing, and the vast majority of the sporting public never sees real wrestlers in any kind of significant action except at the Olympics — and then only if NBC deigns to show some wrestlers in between wall-to-wall coverage of beach volleyball.

And sadly enough, an unintended consequence of Title IX and the increased female presence in interscholastic sports at all levels has hurt wrestling.

Junior colleges and colleges have been forced to cut back on male sports due to a very unfortunate interpretation of the idea that women should have equal access to sports after high school.

First, it was determined that colleges must give out the same number of scholarships to men and women, which might make sense theoretically but in practice, ignores the 85 scholarships for football.

Since men’s programs start off with 85 more scholarship athletes than women’s programs, other men’s programs have had to be cut. Wrestling, which has relatively large numbers, was an early casualty.

Even worse, it was then decided that the percentage of female athletes needed to match the percent-

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age of female students in a particular university, which ignores the fact that more males are interested in playing sports than females (for whatever reason).

That meant that male participation was tied to female participation and at Diablo Valley College, for example, a strong wrestling program was cut because the proportion of male-to-female athletes did not match the proportion of male-to-female students.

Add to all this the tremendous physical and mental demands of wrestling, and a legitimate concern about the negative impacts of cutting weight, and wrestling has simply faded into the background of American sports. I’d like to say that better days are coming, but it really doesn’t look that way. Wrestling is a great sport, demanding and rewarding, and wrestlers deserve as much (if not more) respect than most other high school athletes, but sometimes, as my long-ago history teacher used to say, life just isn’t fair.

Remember this, though: In the end, what you get from sports isn’t credit from outsiders or shiny trophies; it’s what you learn about yourself, and how you grow as a person, that are the real benefits of athletics. ✪

Behind the Clipboard Clay Kallam

Clay Kallam is an assistant athletic director and girls varsity basketball coach at Bentley High in Lafayette.

To submit a question for Behind the Clipboard, email Coach Kallam at clayk@fullcourt.com

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Points Accolades 1. Campolindo

2,950

League Titles: 3, Football, Girls VB, Girls WP. All-State Athletes: A. Shurtz (Girls VB). Section Titles: 3, Girls VB, Girls WP, A. Goltra (Boys XC). NorCal Title: Girls VB. State Title: A. Goltra (Boys XC)

2. De La Salle

2,700

SportStar of the Season: M. Hutchings (Football). League titles: Boys WP. AllState Athletes: M. Hutchings (Football). Section Titles: Football.

Scholastic Title: Boys XC. NorCal Title: Football State Title: Football

3. St. Joseph Notre Dame 1,900

All-State Athletes: P. Grunt (Girls VB). Section Titles: Boys XC. Scholastic Title: Boys XC. State Title: Boys XC

4. San Ramon Valley

1,750

League titles: Girls WP. Section Titles: Girls WP, Boys XC. Scholastic Title: 2, Football, Girls WP.

1,300

League Titles: Girls VB, Boys WP. All-State Athletes: S. Mar (Girls VB). Section Title: McCorden/DeTurk (Girls Tennis). Scholastic Title: Girls VB.

5. Bishop O'Dowd

The SportStars Cup competition is back for its second year. As a quick reminder, the competition runs the length of the school year and culminates with the crowning of the East Bay’s most successful high school athletic program. Schools can accumulate points through a variety of means. They are as follows: 100 — Have athlete named SportStars of the Year (Fall, Winter or Spring) 200 — Win team league title 250 — Have athlete named AllState (First-team overall only) 300 — Win section title (team or individual) 350 — Win scholastic section title for highest team GPA 400 — Win individual NorCal title 500 — Win team NorCal title 700 — Win individual state title 1,000 — Win team state title These are the point standings through nearly all of the fall season. If this leaderboard looks similar to you, it should.

Campolindo and De La Salle went Free SportStarS CUP ’12 back and wave 1 sChOOl all others forth at the lights, camera ...

1 sChOOl ShowS why concord? top of the it rUled thAt 1 sChOOl? standings it’S throughout the 2011-12 BaBy! school year with Campolindo eventually finishing on top. Some might remember our July 19 cover announcing the Cougars as the baddest athletics program in all the East Bay lands.

We have a feeling that De La Salle may be in the lead once CalHiSports. com releases its full first-team AllState football team, but Campolindo looks like it should have some staying power again. A few schools are making a first appearance in the Top 10: St. Patrick/St. Vincent, Albany and Clayton Valley. The No. 3 spot is also a personal best for St. Joseph Notre Dame. Can they all keep it up?

The winter playoffs are just weeks away. Hold on tight. ✪ chidom suited for stars & stripes. Pg. 20

vol. 3. issue 49

July 19, 2012

best in prep sports

bay area

riding the

6. Albany

1,100

7. St. Patrick-St. Vincent

1,100

League titles: Girls VB. All-State Athlete: K. Holt (Girls VB). Section Title: A. Chuang (Girls Tennis). Scholastic Title: Girls XC.

Celina li shows what she’s about

StandS aBove

hollywood Comes to east bay and ssm plays produCer

League Titles: Girls VB. All-State Athletes: P. Reed (Girls VB). Section Title: Girls VB. Scholastic Title: Boys XC.

CAMPO pg. 26

8. Miramonte

1,050

9. Clayton Valley

1,000

10. California

950

League titles: Boys WP. All-State Athlete: C. Wiser (Boys WP). Section Title: Boys WP, Boys XC. League Titles: Football. Section Title: Football.

League titles: Footbal l, Girls VB. All-State Athlete: S. Clayton (Girls VB). Section Title: Girls VB.

Runners-up 11. (tie) Berkeley.................................. 850 Las Lomas........................................ 850 13. Mission San Jose............................ 800 14. Monte Vista.................................... 700 15. Acalanes......................................... 600 16. Heritage......................................... 550 18. Foothill........................................... 500 19. (tie) Liberty.................................... 400

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James Logan.................................... 400 Northgate........................................ 400 22. Alameda......................................... 350 23. (tie) Bentley................................... 300 Granada........................................... 300 Amador Valley.................................. 300 Dublin.............................................. 300 27. (tie) Freedom................................. 200

Newark Memorial............................ 200 El Cerrito.......................................... 200 Hercules........................................... 200 Tennyson.......................................... 200 CSD.................................................. 200 Arroyo............................................. 200 John Swett....................................... 200 Head-Royce...................................... 200 Piedmont......................................... 200

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Hand-picked standouts from the teams of All-Star Academy’s Baseball Media Day Can it really be spring already?

Those intermittent pings you’re hearing as you walk by the nearest high school campus seem to say that it is.

Baseball season is upon us. Official practices for nearly all the Northern California sections will begin the first week of February, and we’ll have games just two weeks later.

It’s go time.

And to get into the spirit, we’re lending our support and taking part in the All-Star Academy training center’s Baseball Media Day from 7-9 p.m. on Feb. 12 at the Decathlon Club in Santa Clara. All-Star Academy’s Brady Austin organizes the event that brings together the coaches of 12 South Bay programs to talk about their upcoming season and expectations for various media outlets.

“We feel it is important to support the efforts of our high school athletes and their coaches and to improve communication with our towns and communities,” Austin said in a press release. “Baseball Media Day is a great way to establish these relationships to promote the sport of baseball at the youth level.”

The 12 programs participating this year include West Catholic Athletic League heavyweights, Archbishop Mitty-San Jose, Bellarmine Prep-San Jose, St. Francis-Mountain View, Valley Christian-San Jose and defending league-champion Serra-San Mateo. Also expected to attend are Palo Alto, Menlo-Atherton, Homestead-Cupertino, Mountain View, Saratoga, Santa Clara and Wilcox-Santa Clara.

Each coach attends along with at least one selected player who they anticipate will play a strong leadership role on their team in 2013. SportStars wanted to find a way to honor those players — which gave birth to the Diamond Dozen.

We asked each coach in advance who they would like to nominate for this preseason award, and have presented them here with a rather cool baseball card treatment. We’ll also be on hand the night of the event to present each player with an award recognizing their inclusion in the Diamond Dozen.

We’re not the only one lending a helping a hand to this event. All-Star Academy has also picked up sponsorship help from kmvt Community TV, All-Out Baseball, r&b productions and Mizuno. And for those high school baseball fans living in the nearby area, you don’t have to be among the media elite to be a part of this event. It’s free and open to the public.

Now, we’re off to buy us some sunflower seeds.

Enjoy the Diamond Dozen and we’ll see you at a diamond soon. ✪

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With the help of one of the top sophomore talents in the country, Bishop O’Dowd is blazing a path toward another state title 16

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Ivan Rabb Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com

I

van Rabb had just finished a round of post-game interviews when he saw a group of kids lining up for his autograph.

He had just put on a spectacular show at the MLK Classic at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Jan. 21. He’d posted 24 points and 13 rebounds as Bishop O’Dowd knocked off Sacramento 80-71.

With a smile on his face, he obliged the youngsters, and even grabbed the attention of Cal coach Mike Montgomery who also asked, albeit playfully, for his John Hancock.

Not bad for someone who’s not even old enough to drive.

Considered among the top-recruited sophomores in the nation, Rabb is unquestionably the best player on a Bishop O’Dowd team poised to make a run at another state title game. With rim-rattling dunks and blocked shots that land in the fifth row, Rabb lets his play do the talking.

“During games, I’m not the most vocal person,” Rabb said. “Usually, I’ll say little things. I try to lead by example.”

So far things are looking good for the Dragons. They owned a 16-3 record through Jan. 27, with victories over powerhouses like Deer Valley, Pacific Hills-Los Angeles, and now Sacramento.

Playing in the MLK Classic against a veteran and battle-tested Sacramento team, O’Dowd jumped out to the lead, controlled tempo, and weathered through Sacramento’s push to get back into the game. It was a signature victory. The win validated the Dragons’ position as one of the premier Bay Area teams and a force to be reckoned with come March.

“We were able to stop (Sacramento) from making 3s in the second half,” Bishop O’Dowd head coach Lou Richie said of the Sacramento game. “In the end, (we) just ended up wearing them down. I think they were more tired than we were because I played everybody in the first half.”

Being able to employ your whole bench against a team of Sacramento’s caliber instills confidence and serves as a luxury come playoff time — when fresh legs, more often than not, prevail.

Bishop O’Dowd is in the midst of a storybook run. In 2010 and 2011, the Dragons made it to the CIF Div. III state title game, and last year came up just short of making it three appearances in a row before

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Records through Jan. 27 (source: MaxPreps.com) 1. (1) Salesian-Richmond 18-3 2. (2) Sheldon-Sacramento 16-4 3. (3) Modesto Christian 18-2 4. (4) Archbishop Mitty-San Jose 15-4 5. (5) Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland 16-3 6. (6) Deer Valley-Antioch 16-4 7. (7) De La Salle-Concord 16-3 8. (9) Serra-San Mateo 16-3 9. (8) Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove 17-4 10. (10) Capital Christian-Sacramento 19-2 11. (11) Dublin 16-4 12. (12) Sacramento 16-6 13. (13) Monte Vista-Danville 16-4 14. (14) Antelope 16-6 15. (15) San Leandro 16-4 16. (16) Newark Memorial 12-7 17. (20) El Cerrito 14-5 18. (NR) Bellarmine Prep-San Jose 14-4 19. (NR) Palo Alto 17-1 20. (NR) Freedom-Oakley 13-6

DROPPED OUT

No. 17 Mt. Eden-Hayward, No. 18 St. Ignatius-S.F., No. 19 Sacred Heart Cathedral-S.F.

BIGGEST MOVER

There was very little movement among the Top 15 during the last weeks of January, but the bottom of the Top 20 got a bit of a shake-up. El Cerrito has been close to dropping out a handful of times, but continues to rally.

This week they move up three spots to No. 17 after solid wins over St. Joseph-Notre Dame-Alameda and St. Patrick/St. Vincent-Vallejo. Two teams which had fallen out of the rankings, Bellarmine and Freedom, returned.

TEAMS STILL RANKED FROM PRESEASON TOP 20: 14 NO. 1 vs. NO. 2

For the second time this season we’ll have a matchup of the top two teams in our rankings as No. 1 Salesian hosts No. 2 Sheldon on Feb. 2. The last time we had a 1 vs. 2 was Dec. 22 when then-No. 2 Salesian knocked off No. 1 Mitty 72-51. The Pride haven’t budged from the top spot since.

KNOCKING ON THE DOOR

Enterprise-Redding (17-3), Heritage-Brentwood (15-5), Oakland Tech (14-5), McClymonds (12-7), CampolindoMoraga (15-5), Montgomery-Santa Rosa (16-5), Mt. Eden-Hayward (16-4), Piedmont Hills-San Jose (15-4), West-Tracy (17-6), Bentley-Lafayette (18-1).

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really get along well. And that helps because there’s not a lot of finger bowing out in the Northern Regional final against Sacred Heart Cathepointing and we don’t get down on each other.” dral-San Francisco.

That team-first quality goes a long way, even when there’s a rough What’s impressive is how the prorgram continues to succeed despite patch. Because O’Dowd wants to continue to push and establish themthe exodus of big-name players. Two years ago, University of Arizona selves, they play stiff competition early in the season. standout freshman Brandon Ashley, then a junior, bolted for national Two of their losses came against that competition in late December powerhouse Findlay Prep-Nevada; last year was the final ride for Junior at the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic. There they succumbed to WindLongrus, now a freshman for Washington State. ward-Los Angeles and Mundelein (Ill.) The void left by those two players is being filled by super soph Rabb.

“We lost those games because of me,” Richie said. “I mean, I could’ve Regarded by MaxPreps as the No. 1 sophomore in the country, Rabb played our five best and probably could’ve won those games. It’s just stands at a lanky 6-foot, 10-inches, and possesses a Cookie Monster-like like tonight (against Sacramento), I played everybody in the first half. hunger for rebounds. North Carolina has courted the big man.

Those losses gave us experience to handle a game like tonight.”

What makes him different from his predecessors?

Anderson gleaned that he and his teammates have to step up when “He’s better at a younger age,” Richie said. “(He’s) more skilled, bigteams negate Rabb. ger, stronger, more athletic, and bottom line is his length. His ability to “We learned that when they stop Ivan, we need to have other opnot get in foul trouble is amazing.” tions. We need others to step up. We need to learn to move when Ivan’s He also rarely gets rattled. Rabb knows he’s going to be double-, and triple-teamed.” sometimes, triple-teamed, but he manages to stay productive. He said he Guard Michael Perri pushes the Despite those two losses, and a third to Mater Dei-Santa Ana — arlearned a lot last season from Longrus, the unquestioned vocal leader.

“I learned (from Richard) that you have to have fun with basketball,” ball up court during the Dragons’ guably the best team in the country — Bishop O’Dowd is undefeated 80-71 win over Sacramento on against NorCal competition. Which means things are setting up for Rabb said. “When I first got to O’Dowd, basketball wasn’t fun.”

Jan. 21. another run at a state crown. Or is it?

The soft-spoken big man got the message loud and clear. He is enjoyThe Open Division is a new addition to the playoff landscape. It pits ing all the accolades from the media and scouts. “I don’t feel pressure during games,” Rabb said. “The most pressure anyone puts on me is myself. I just have to stay the best teams in the state, regardless of division, against each other. Essentially, it’s reserved for the cream of the crop. Given its clout in recent seasons, Bishop O’Dowd could likely be level-headed, stay focused and improve every day in practice and games.”

He’s also quick to acknowledge the support of his coaches and teammates, two of whom selected for it.

Are they OK with that? he’s been playing with since sixth grade: Paris Austin and Juwan Anderson.

“I’m not sure what teams would be in Open Division,” Rabb said. “It doesn’t matter to me “We have chemistry on and off the court,” Anderson said. “I usually know where Ivan’s what division we’re in. We just want to have fun either way and win games.” going to be on the court … and that’s a great pleasure to have.”

Anderson agrees with Rabb. “I think it would be a great experience for us to play against That off-court friendship is apparent to Richie.

“Juwan and Ivan have spent a lot of time bonding off the court,” Richie said. “Juwan’s a better teams. To play against the Sheldon’s (Sacramento), the (Archbishop) Mitty’s (San pass-first guard, so Ivan appreciates that. They really work hard together. All of our kids Jose), the Mater Dei’s, and see where we fit in at the end of the season.” ✪

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BEST OF THE FALL BOYS COACH

Bob Ladouceur, De La Salle football — Honestly, we were leaning toward this pick before it became the sentimental choice once the legendary coach announced he was stepping down.

How could we not have been considering him? Roster turnover resulted in the Spartans losing a Division-I quarterback, both starting wide receivers, and saw massive turnover on both lines. The team sputtered through much of the first half of the regular season only to turn into a runaway freight train by season’s end — which concluded with an unbeaten record and a fourth straight CIF Open Division bowl win.

GIRLS COACH

Danette Domecus, St. Patrick/St. Vincent-Vallejo volleyball — After being eliminated in the 2011 NCS semifinals, Domecus and her Bruins rebounded to post the program’s best season ever. St. Patrick’s went 35-6 and won the program’s first NCS championship with a 3-1 win over Cardinal NewmanSanta Rosa in the Division IV final. The Bruins would win their CIF N orthern Regional opener before falling to Harbor-Santa Cruz in the regional semifinals.

BOYS RISING STAR

Kirk Johnson, Valley Christian-San Jose football — The sophomore was tabbed early in the year as one of the primary tailbacks, thus taking a role in filling the shoes of graduated standout Byron Marshall. All Johnson did was rush for 1,469 yards (with a 9.48 yds/ carry average) and 21 touchdowns over 14 games.

Valley Christian will be a team to watch in 2013 as the Warriors also return junior QB Jay MacIntyre.

GIRLS RISING STAR

Brighid Leach, Campolindo-Moraga, cross country — Few Bay Area cross country programs have turned out more state-title-contender talent than the Cougars.

It’s starting to look like Leach is the next talent to keep your eye on. The sophomore took 13th overall in the CIF Div. III state championship race in Fresno. Only one other NorCal runner finished ahead of her in the race, Annie Marggraff of Acalanes-Lafayette who finished eighth, and Marggraff will graduate in the spring.

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female athlete of the year: fall

Anne Marie Schmidt

Volleyball - Archbishop Mitty-San Jose - Senior Archbishop Mitty girls volleyball Brett Almazan-Cezar fondly recalls his first memory of Anne Marie Schmidt.

“She was about 10, at one of our summer camps,” he said. “She had to be the brightest, most enthusiastic kids we’ve ever had there. She’d shag every ball. She’d somehow be involved with every play.

“I remember thinking I just hoped she’d get a little bigger.”

Schmidt didn’t. Not relatively to her classmates. She grew to 5-foot-6, by grown female standards, average. By volleyball criteria — small, short, tiny.

Schmidt had heard it all before around volleyball circles. It didn’t matter.

“Her enthusiasm won out,” Almazan-Cezar said.

The upbeat, infectious defensive starlet led Mitty to a rather shocking 38-0 record, a No. 2 national ranking

by MaxPreps and a state-record ninth CIF state title.

From her under-appreciated, unspectacular-but-vital libero position, Schmidt recorded a gaudy 570 digs with 465 serve receptions with just — get this — 23 errors. She also served at 95.5 percent with 22 aces.

For it she was a unanimous selection as the West Catholic Athletic League’s Player of the Year, the team’s only first-team All-American pick by MaxPreps and for it all is the Bay Area SportStars Female Fall Athlete of the Year.

“How cool is that?” Almazan-Cezar asked rhetorically.

Schmidt, a 4.2 student who is headed to USC on a volleyball scholarship, tried to answer his question.

“I’ve been utterly blown away by it all (the postseason awards),” she said. “Usually the big hitter or the great setter is recognized and rightfully so. I’m extremely surprised and honored that I’ve been honored.

“At the same time, I hope this definitely shows that defense makes a difference and that hard work does pay off. I’ve dedicated most of my free time to this sport and this shows that it was all worth it.”

Almazan-Cezar will second that. He

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THE scmhidt FILES

›› THE STATS: The court — 570 digs, 465 serve receptions, 23 errors, 95.5 service percentage, 22 aces. The classroom — 4.2 grade point average.

›› THE AWARDS: Unanimous West Catholic Athletic League Player of the Year; MaxPreps first-team All-American ›› THE ATHLETIC FAMILY: Dad David played football at San Ramon ValleyDanville and UC Davis with Jets quarterback Ken O’Brien; mom Kathy swam and ran track at California High-San Ramon; sister Kelly played volleyball at Mitty; brother John played basketball and football at Mitty. ›› FAVORITES: Actor, Vince Vaughn; Actress, Julia Roberts; TV show, Suits/ Modern Family; Athletic idol, Team USA libero Nicole Davis.

HONORABLE MENTIONS Julia Maxwell, junior, Branson-Ross

Maxwell’s 2012 season established her as the hands-down best small school distance runner in the state. After winning the Div. V NCS Championship race by 33 seconds, she won the Div. V CIF State Championship race by more than a minute. Her time of 17:26 on the Woodward Park course in Fresno was 34 seconds faster than the Div. IV state champ.

Annie Shurtz, senior, Campolindo

Norbert von der Groeben

said Schmidt had the perfect demeanor to lead the Monarchs: calm, yet cool. Her personality fit her play. She was steady and smart opposed to spectacular and sporadic.

“Very quick, very agile,” her coach said. “She let all her knowledge and reading of the court carry her and us. She was just always in the right place at the right time and she always got our offense started.”

As their record indicated, the season was just about perfect. This coming off sub-par back-toback 12-loss seasons.

“It was awesome,” Schmidt said of the season. “Honestly, I couldn’t think of a better way to end my last year playing high school volleyball. ... We just stayed in the present all season. We were always in the moment. We trusted each other and kept consistent and did our job.” ✪ — Mitch Stephens

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Even with the departure of highly-successful coach Scott Bishop, Campolindo failed to skip a beat in 2012 as it returned to the CIF Div. III final behind its all-state middle hitter. Shurtz was named the Diablo Foothill Athletic League MVP and finished the season with 500 kills, 54 blocks and 49 aces.

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male athlete of the year: fall

THE hutchings FILES

›› THE STATS: In his first year starting at inside linebacker, Hutchings posted 113 tackles (11 tackles for loss), 3.5 sacks, had three interceptions and also returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. ›› SIGNATURE PERFORMANCE: In the CIF Northern Regional Open championship against Folsom, Hutchings posted nine tackles (eight of them solo), one sack and one interception. ›› THE YEAR BEFORE LINEBACKER: Hutchings was 8-years old in his first year of organized football. He played defensive tackle for his youth team. The other DT was Darrell Daniels, a Freedom-Oakley standout receiver who will line up against Hutchings in future Pac-12 tilts between USC and Washington. ›› SOUNDBITE: “Whenever we needed a stop, and it was ‘Here they come with their best play’ and all that jazz, Michael was there.” — DLS coach, Bob Ladouceur

HONORABLE MENTIONS Phillip Walton

Michael Hutchings De La Salle - Football - Senior Playing middle linebacker for the De La Salle High football team is no easy task.

Not just for the obvious reasons, either.

Playing middle linebacker for the De La Salle defense means being compared to some of the program’s best players of all time — on either side of the ball. Think: D.J. Williams, Kevin Simon, Brady Amack, Blake Renaud, Michael Barton.

When Michael Hutchings stepped into the position this year, he may have done so facing higher expectations than any of those former players. Beginning his third year as a varsity starter, and having already committed to USC, Hutchings was easily the most recognizable name on a highly-touted defense that would be expected to pick up the slack while a more inexperienced offense found time to grow.

Like those who came before him, Hutchings delivered — spectacularly. “Our defense was critical all year,” coach Bob Ladouceur said. “Those guys kept us in ball games when our offense was really struggling early in the year. And Michael really was the hub of the whole thing. ... He just did everything right.”

But after the first few weeks of the season, Hutchings wasn’t convinced he WAS doing everything right. So he called Barton, now a freshman in the Cal football program.

Barton drew a lot of praise in 2011 for finding another gear midway through the regular season and becoming a physical and emotional leader for a defensive unit that would literally be impenetrable by the time it played for the CIF Open Bowl championship

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and posted a shutout.

“I asked him how he managed to do that,” Hutchings said humbly. “He told me just lead by example first and foremost. As they see you working hard, your success during the game, and your preparation paying off, they’ll start following.

“So that’s what I did.”

And the result was a season of 113 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three interceptions and, more importantly, zero losses. De La Salle won the Open Div. bowl game and CalHiSports.com’s State Team of the Year honors for the fourth consecutive season. And then Hutchings received one more accolade when CalHiSports.com named him Mr. State Football 2012 — an honor only three other Spartans have received, each of whom have played on Sundays (Amani Toomer, Williams and Derek Landri).

“It’s a little weird and a little scary (to think about),” Hutchings said of joining such an elite group of Spartans. “I didn’t expect it. It’s a great honor. I just look at it as a motivational tool now, knowing I have to work that much harder.”

Putting in that work should put him on a path of more success.

“I think the only thing he needs to do is get a tad bit more speed,” Ladouceur said. “He’s got the frame and physical growth potential to do it. If he picks up a little more speed he can be real force at the college level. He knows what he’s doing and he has a great feel for the game.” ✪ — Chace Bryson

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Aidan Goltra, junior, Campolindo

Goltra kept the streak of Cougars’ individual state champions alive by edging out Scotts Valley’s Myles Smith by less than a second in the CIF Div. III state championship race. He preceded that championship with a 20-second victory in the NCS Div. III race. He ran a 15:30 at NCS and a 15:18 at state.

Warren Miles Long, senior, James Logan

Long took little time in establishing himself as one of the Bay Area’s most dominant twoway players in 2012. The Northwesternbound running back and outside linebacker racked up stats on both sides of the ball. He rushed for more than 1,700 and 21 touchdowns on offense and compiled 86 tackles, four sacks and two interceptions on defense.

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It’s not only about

bigger, faster, stronger

It’s also about protecting your body

Training Time Tim Rudd for IYCA

I recently spent four days with Eric Cressey at his Elite Baseball Mentorship program, held at Cressey Performance just outside Boston. He is known for his work with elite baseball players. But he also works with college, high school and middle school athletes.

I was impressed with the fact that he has a physical therapist and a pitching coach working right along with his strength coaches to improve all the qualities of his athletes and ensure the highest level of performance.

I mention this because it leads right into the second missing link for optimizing your athlete’s performance and staying healthy. I explained previously in SportStars how recovery and regeneration strategies are the missing link for unlocking young athletes’ performance potential. If athletes just play without any consideration for counteracting the stresses placed on their bodies, not only will their performance suffer, but so will their bodies.

These strategies are more than just something they do before training or practice; it is a vital part to an athlete’s success. These are things they should also be doing outside of the gym and practice.

An effective strength and conditioning program should be considered a body care program that involves more than just lifting, plyometrics, speed work, power and conditioning. Often times, programs just build strength on dysfunction by throwing inappropriate exercises at athletes, speeding up the erosion of performance and health.

A comprehensive strength and conditioning program starts with assessing the athlete’s sporting and injury history and current pathology (if there is any). Next comes a static and dynamic assessment of the athlete’s joints, using the prior information as an indicator of movement dysfunction. The assessment is thoroughly explained to the athlete and parent as a blueprint for improving the athlete’s current situation for performance enhancement is laid out.

Young athletes need to know why they’re doing it, how to do it and what the outcome will be.

Below is a blueprint for the warm-up each athlete takes part in when they come in for their strength and conditioning program. It is highly dependent upon the assessment process. This can be considered for regeneration or recovery.

1 2 3 We work on the athlete’s breathing patterns by teaching how to appropriately use her diaphragm in exhalation and inhalation, which strengthens her intra-abdominals, particularly the ones that help to set their pelvis in a more neutral position. This has a positive impact on mobility and stability throughout the whole body.

Self-myofascial techniques with foam rollers, medicine balls, lacrosse balls and The Stick for improving the quality of the tissues of the joints of the body.

If the athlete needs static or dynamic stretching, this is the part of the program for it.

4

This is the activation portion of the athlete’s warmup. It targets the overactive and underactive tissues throughout her body and addresses their limiting factors, starting from groundbased to standing and from simple to complex.

The focus is to activate and lengthen the muscles throughout the body preparing them for the workout ahead. Simultaneously, it is also addressing any movement dysfunctions that are limiting the athlete’s performance and health.

Within the strength program itself certain corrective exercises will be put in throughout the program, addressing the most pressing limiting factors of the athlete.

But don’t be confused; strength movements when appropriately prescribed and performed, are corrective exercises themselves. Done correctly, these movements will improve strength, stability and mobility throughout the athlete’s body while ensuring optimal performance and health in their respective sports and daily lives. ✪ Tim Rudd is an International Youth Conditioning Association specialist in youth conditioning (level 3), speed and agility (level 2), and nutrition specialist (level 1). For more information, email him at tim@fit2thecore.com.

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tristeps: liz elliott

Tips as triathalon season nears Triathlon season officially begins February 1.

Most of you have been working out less. Even if you are a seasoned athlete, you will be starting from a fitness level based on what you have been doing recently. Although you may be excited to get started, when beginning again, start at your current fitness level. Here are some tips to get you started on a good note, and set up a great season: To stave off injury and illness, follow the three Ps: patience, pacing and persistence.

Plan out your season. Set your goal races for the entire year.

Decide what are your “A” races, and the “on the way” races to those races. With a plan and goals, you can then relax, and take each practice day by day.

If you’ve spent the winter working on a treadmill or bike trainer, transition to an open trail or road slowly, alternating workouts. It lets your body adapt.

Early spring in California is usually cold, and late spring is usually wet. Keep your feet dry, and your body warm. Many thin layers of wicking clothes are better than a few thick layers. Shed layers as you warm up

A running partner can be a great motivator in cold-weather.

Set up a good training pattern now, early in the season.

Do some leg and core strength exercises at every practice early in the season. Strengthening muscles now will help your body recover throughout the season.

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powered by trucks: anthony trucks

Your body is a machine: Don’t guzzle the gas Have you ever had that feeling of just being completely drained after a workout? I don’t mean simply tired, but out of juice? The feeling that lasts more than just over night where you don’t exactly need sleep, you just can’t seem to gather the drive to even move or motivate yourself to do anything?

Congratulations, you have drained your nervous system, CNS for short. What’s your CNS? The CNS is the body’s ability to fire muscles and control the body successfully. And when you tax it too much, you drain the body’s ability to quickly recover it. Every rep you take in the weight room has a specific amount of drain on the CNS — and the type of exercises you choose directly affect the drain.

Let’s use an example. Say your body has 10 gallons of gas to use during the workout to be able to recover adequately.

If squats take three, bench press takes two, dead lift takes three and power cleans take three — and you do all three in the same day — then you have obviously exceeded the body’s sufficient 10 gallons to use. Or, one of the lifts is NOT getting the best work it can. The result is slow recovery and a “groggy” feeling that can last multiple days. The goal is to find and feel that threshold level, and then not to exceed it in a given workout. This experience comes over time where you learn your body.

Simple keys to avoid that

groggy feeling: ›› ›› ›› ››

Do the most taxing multi-joint “BIG” lifts early in the workout Train hard and rest harder Food is KEY to recovery

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Stay away from doing more than 2 “BIG” lifts in the same workout

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Health Watch: Kelli Adams You have heard this name before. But do you know exactly what it is? Turf toe is an injury that, approximately 90 percent of the time, will affect your big toe.

It is an injury to the soft tissue and joint (the first phalanx).

Usually it is associated with football players because of playing on rigid surfaces such as artificial turf. However, this injury can happen to anyone who is doing something that causes the big toe to extend beyond its normal range. Hyperextension of the big toe can happen when athletic shoes that have very flexible soles “grab” the turf, for example.

During the push-off phase when running, the big toe may stay flat and doesn’t lift to push off. Another example is if you fall forward or are tackled and the big toe stays flat.

Turf toe can be very debilitating for athletes who need to jump, accelerate or quickly change direction. Symptoms may include swelling, pain and decreased movement in the big toe.

It is highly recommended to see a sports medicine/orthopedic doctor to rule out other injuries such as a bone fracture.

Rest is important as well as ice/elevation when treating turf toe. The big toe may be taped/strapped or even immobilized with a walking boot to relieve stress to the joint. After a rest period, athletes can benefit from physical therapy to re-establish range of motion, strength and movement mechanics. Turf toe can be stubborn and can become a chronic problem if left untreated or not allowed to heal properly. Evaluating shoe wear, investing in orthotics and working on gait/running mechanics are important elements to preventing this injury from reoccurring.

Kelli Adams is a physical therapist assistant.

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fitness: chris corrales

Stretch like you’ve already been injured As athletes, nearly 85-90 percent of our training is about pushing through and completing a goal. We become very familiar with what it takes to advance and achieve.

Physiologically speaking, this state corresponds to the state of the sympathetic nervous system, otherwise known as “fight or flight.” The sympathetic state is just one side of a whole. The other side is the parasympathetic nervous system, known for its qualities of “rest, relax, and recover.” The parasympathetic state and its role in stretching is important, but often overlooked.

Have you ever sprained or strained a muscle? If you have, then it is very likely that to assist your body’s recovery, you intuitively stretched or moved in ways that helped release stiffness or soreness. Most likely it was a slow, careful, methodical movement, right?

Now imagine being healthy, feeling good and ready to go. When we’re feeling good, we often fall into the opposite mode — our stretches are quick and we’re not quite present. We might self-prescribe stretches because we know they are good for us, or because we’re supposed to. What’s going on is that we’ve simply failed to focus and deepen. In other words, we exercise our sympathetic nervous state, but fail to involve the parasympathetic state necessary for us to relax and recover.

One of the tools I use to get into this parasympathetic state is to mentally revisit a past injury, or a time when I was forced to slow down. During those times, my body demanded quality movement and awareness. This is the ideal state to embody when stretching. So, next time you’re getting ready to stretch, pause external conversations, focus within, and move deliberately. The first time you practice this, try it for three to five minutes. As it becomes familiar, and the value becomes more apparent, increase your time. This is a great tool to develop a quality stretch, and to integrate the nervous system.

Chris Corrales is the advanced bodywork and movement educator for the Tri-Valley area. Find him at www.medicinevolution.com

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Welcome to Impulse, your one-stop shop for gadgets, gizmos and gear. Compiled by staff writer Erik Stordahl, Impulse provides you with the latest and greatest of what’s hot. The Super Bowl is upon us and we’re way past time for speeches. All that’s left is gearing up for your party. Here are some essentials.

popchips

We’re sure any party you go to will be filled with endless nachos, 47-layer dip and enough junk food to satisfy an army of trick-or-treaters. While vowing to eat only celery and carrot sticks is noble, we’re here to let you know there’s a tasty alternative. Yes, we’re talking about popchips and they’ve got a murderer’s row of healthy choices. Choose from an abundance of flavor with their tortilla chips: ranch, nacho cheese, chili limon, and salsa. Find the one for you and snack on.

49ers foam finger

This is probably the only time you’ll wear one of these but it comes highly recommended.

We suggest taking it off when going for the bean dip.

Alex Smith jersey

You might be wondering why on earth would you want to rep that dude anymore. It’s easy. He’s still a good guy to root for, his jersey will be cheap and if something were to happen (*finding wood to knock on*) and he ends up winning MVP, you’ll be looking pretty smart.

Vizio 3D TV

The price of one of these is the same for a seat in the nosebleed section of the Superdome. We suggest going with the former and charging your friends $50. If you invite 40 friends, you’ve broken even! The action will look so realistic, you’ll think you’re just a few feet from the field.

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No Tall Tale Ron Hirschman may be shorter than some of his players, but his Mustangs win at an unprecedented clip By clay kallam | Contributor Ron Hirschman didn’t start out to be a basketball coach — and in fact, he’ll be the first to admit he doesn’t really look like one.

“I’m 5-5,” he says, “on a good hair day,” and even though he played varsity basketball at Castro Valley back in the day, his primary sport was always baseball.

“My main goal was to be a baseball coach,” he says. He played a little at thfe junior college level, but when he first started teaching at Stone Valley Middle School in Danville he got offered the chance to coach junior varsity girls’ basketball at Monte Vista, which was just down the road.

After one year, Jeff Koury, then the boys coach, asked Hirschman to coach the boys JV, but the girls varsity job opened up, and Hirschman decided to take it.

“We had some talent, and we won the league,” said Hirschman, “and I forgot about coaching baseball.”

monte Vista girls

Monte Vista coach Ron Hirschman is in his 23rd season.

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Mustangs guard Angela Rigo looks for teammates in a Jan. 25 game.

Phillip Walton photos

He still leaned on the fiery Koury, though, for inspiration and advice. “I learned so much from Jeff,” says Hirschman.

“He was my mentor.”

Koury was also one of the more animated coaches (to put it politely) of his time, and Hirschman concedes he was emotional on the sidelines as well.

“I don’t think I was getting respect from the referees because of my height,” he said, but he’s calmed down during his 23-year career. “I’ve only gotten one technical in the last eight or nine years — you learn that referees aren’t why you lose.”

But Hirschman still makes his opinions known, though officials are used to him now. “They give me some rope,” he says, “and it’s fine as long as I don’t hang myself.”

But that intensity is a big part of the reason Hirschman has won 454 games at Monte Vista (to just 184 losses). “As a player, I knew I had to play hard,” he says. “I worked my butt off in practice because I knew if I wanted to play, I had to run through walls.

“I try to instill that in my players” And clearly, he’s been successful.

Over the years, the Mustangs have been known as a wellcoached, hard-working team that always competes. They’ve won seven East Bay Athletic League titles under Hirschman and advanced to NorCals seven times. But aside from that, there has always been one major obstacle to postseason success. “We’ve always run into Berkeley,” says Hirschman.

One year, they were 27-3, and all three losses were to the Yellowjackets.

In 2009, Monte Vista finally caught a break, and Berkeley

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was eliminated by Deer Valley-Antioch — opening the door for the Mustangs and the girl Hirschman believes is the best player ever to come out of Northern California: Niveen Rasheed.

“I’m partial,” he admits, “but you give me the No. 1 pick of any kid, and I’ll take Niveen. I’ll take her over Jayne Appel (who’s now in the WNBA).”

Behind Rasheed, who averaged 20.8 points, nine rebounds, 5.5 steals, 5.2 assists and 2.7 blocks per game, Monte Vista beat Deer Valley to win the NCS title, and then knocked off Kennedy-Sacramento to take the NorCal crown.

“One girl carried Monte Vista to the state championship game,” Hirschman said.

Rasheed, now a senior star at Princeton, holds the school record in career steals, rebounds, assists and points with over 1,700. She is also the only Monte Vista athlete to have a number retired.

But Hirschman isn’t closing in on 500 wins because he’s had star players. “Soccer’s No. 1 at Monte Vista,” he says, “and it always has been. One hundred and twenty-five girls tried out for soccer this year. We don’t get that many, but luckily, we’ve gotten the right ones.”

In the past, some of those right ones were Division-I players Betty Ann Boeving (Oregon), Kelly Copeland (Davidson), Holly Richards (Cal Poly) and Valy Helu (Army), but they are the only Division-I players Hirschman has had. Otherwise, he’s taken good high school athletes and molded them into part of a program that has had only two losing seasons in his 23 years, and now is riding an 18-year streak during which

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the fewest number of Monte Vista wins has been 17.

“We’ve had the same philosophies,” Hirschman says, “but we put in what’s best for that team. We vary from season to season and we might vary from game to game.

“The girls have gotten mad at me because we’ve put in so much stuff. Our playbook is really thick, but we build through the year.

We add things as the season goes along — sometimes what we run in February, we didn’t run in December; and what we ran in December, we might not run now.”

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Whatever the Mustangs were running on Jan. 8 worked very well, as they snapped Carondelet’s 53-game EBAL winning streak, 63-60. The Cougars, in fact, have lost only twice in league play since they joined the EBAL in 2009 – and both times were to Monte Vista.

Which brings up a question: Would Hirschman rather beat, say, Berkeley and win the NCS Division I title for the second time, or knock off Carondelet in Concord Feb. 1 in the rematch and take the EBAL? Not surprisingly, there’s a pause. “I would

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love to walk off the floor beating Carondelet one more time,” Hirschman finally says. “That was one of our goals at the start of the year.”

Being able to reach that goal will come from this year’s team’s remarkable depth.

“You never know who’s going to score,” he says. “It’s hard to game-plan for us.”

In the end, though, the Xs and Os aren’t the reason why Monte Vista is one of Northern California’s strongest programs.

Hirschman says over and over that he’s been lucky to have the kind of players he’s had, but he also admits that success “is supposed to go in cycles” – and it never seems there’s a down cycle in Danville.

“Our kids believe they can win,” says Hirschman, “and that’s a great thing.”

It would be even greater, it’s fair to say, to not only beat Carondelet but also to get back to the NorCal title game.

“If you played the Division I tournament four or five times, you could have four different winners,” he says of a field that includes Heritage and Berkeley, among others.

But given Hirschman’s track record, don’t bet against Monte Vista. “We have a great opportunity,” says Hirschman, and the Mustangs are in position to take full advantage. ✪

Monte Vista’s guard play has been very strong this season thanks in part to the efforts of 5-foot-7 junior Rachel Tagle.

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Records through Jan. 27 (source: MaxPreps.com) 1. (1) Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland 15-3 2. (2) St Mary’s-Stockton 20-1 3. (4) Miramonte-Orinda 17-1 4. (5) Archbishop Mitty-San Jose 15-5 5. (6) Salesian-Richmond 19-4 6. (7) Carondelet-Concord 16-3 7. (3) St. Mary’s-Berkeley 17-4 8. (8) Sacramento 17-4 9. (14) Heritage-Brentwood 14-4 10. (10) Oak Ridge-El Dorardo Hills 18-3 11. (12) Kennedy-Sacramento 18-3 12. (5) St. Ignatius-SF 12-3 13. (15) Sacred Heart Cathedral-SF 15-4 14. (18) Oakland Tech 15-3 15. (11) Brookside Christian-Stockton 18-4 16. (9) McNair-Stockton 20-2 17. (17) Eastside Coll. Prep-E. Palo Alto 14-5 18. (19) Monte Vista-Danville 17-3 19. (16) Lynbrook-San Jose 16-3 20. (20) Enterprise-Redding 20-1

DROPPED OUT

None

SHOOTOUT FALLOUT

Injuries and illness are clearly factors in who wins and loses, but in the end, the scoreboard doesn’t lie – so fluravaged McNair and injury-riddled Mitty both drop after short-handed losses at the Campolindo Shootout. Oak Ridge had no such obvious excuse in its 55-36 loss to Heritage, which vaulted the Patriots into the top ten. After Heritage and Oak Ridge, though, it’s hard to separate the next group of teams. With most of the major intersectional showcases concluded, it may take until postseason to sort it all out

BIGGEST MOVER

McNair dropped seven spots after losing to Oakland Tech, while Heritage jumped five after soundly defeating Oak Ridge.

TEAMS STILL RANKED FROM PRESEASON TOP 20: 15 KNOCKING ON THE DOOR

Wilcox-Santa Clara (17-2), Campolindo-Moraga (16-3), Bradshaw Christian-Sacramento (19-2), Burlingame (16-2), Alameda (14-5), Pinewood-Los Altos Hills (144), St. Francis-Mountain View (16-4), Soquel (18-2), McClymonds-Oakland (16-3), Lowell-S.F (17-5), Nevada Union-Grass Valley (16-4), Vanden-Fairfield (18-3).

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Former SJ Earthquake star’s young soccer club enjoys big January It’s already been a memorable 2013 for the West Coast Soccer Club of Tracy.

On Jan. 4 club founder and director Troy Dayak, a former standout player for the San Jose Earthquakes, was tabbed by his former professional team to oversee its Regional Development School programs at the new turf fields at Robertson Park in Livermore.

The Earthquakes’ RDS programs are designed to bring professional experience and guidance to youth soccer players throughout Northern California. They include the U5-U11 Development Program for boys and girls, as well as the U14 Pre-Academy program.

Dayak was selected to head these programs due to his playing history, of course, but also through the track record that the West Coast Soccer Club has established in just its first two years.

The club’s teams have already won numerous tournament championships, eight league titles, and a national championship. Multiple West Coast Soccer players currently play on the state Olympic Development and Player Development Programs. Several West Coast players are also currently on the Regional id2 and U.S. National training squads.

Which brings us to the second piece of good news that the WCSC has received this new year. The club announced earlier this month that U15 player Megan Amick, who plays for Granada High in Livermore, was recently selected to participate in the 2013 U.S. Youth Soccer National Development Camp. The camp runs from Jan. 29- Feb. 3 in Phoenix.

“This is a huge accomplishment for Megan because she was not sure if she wanted to continue playing soccer just a few years ago,” Dayak said. “Megan’s effort is a true testament to how hard work and dedication can help you accomplish your goals. Megan has made the National Team pool for her age group and is now considered as one of the best players in the country, which reflects well on Megan’s hard work and West Coast Soccer’s player development.”

Amick isn’t the only player who’s star is quickly rising. Sydni Lunt, another U15 standout, recently returned home from the U.S. Club Soccer’s National Identification id2 program in Casa

Megan Amick, left

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Grande, Ariz. The id2 program provides an opportunity for for the country’s elite youth soccer players to be identified and developed. The camp included a total of 56 girls born in 1998 and 1999, representing 19 different states.

“I was so excited to be selected for the second straight year to the id2 National training program,” Lunt said in a press release. “My training at West Coast Soccer has helped me compete at the highest level and can’t wait to get back to playing with my WCS Wild teammates” Two of West Coast’s U13 standouts were also singled out as Sydney Schultz was named to the the state’s Player Development Pool and goalkeeper Claire Abele made the ODP State team.

“Claire has a tremendous amount of potential and is rapidly becoming one of the best goal keepers in the age group” West Coast Soccer Club goalkeeper coach David Mahabali said.

West Coast U11 boys soccer players Dougie Wynne, Mateo Crivello and Zachary Rittman were all recently invited to the U14 Earthquakes Pre-Academy team.

Advertiser Index ❒❒ All Out Baseball & Softball In Season.........................11 ❒❒ All- Star Academy......................................................32 ❒❒ Antioch’s Great Family Entertainment Centers............37 ❒❒ Army National Guard Recruiter.....................................5 ❒❒ Bay Area Festivals Inc.................................................25 ❒❒ Big O Tires Northern California/ Nevada.......................2

QUARTER MIDGET RACING

❒❒ C Y C Soccer................................................................19

The Tri-Valley Quarter Midget Association is currently seeking donations and sponsorship partners for its 2013 racing season, as well as for the 2013 Quarter Midgets Association Western Grand Nationals which Tri-Valley is hosting this year from June 29-July 6. The week-long event will bring drivers from across the country and Canada to compete for a national title.

Many sponsorship packages are available for the event, including a title sponsor package.

Anyone interested should contact Fran Kennealy at tvqma@aol.com The Tri-Valley QMA is a non-profit organization that is run and staffed by family volunteers, and provides for drivers aged 5-17.

❒❒ Cal Stars Boys Basketball............................................32 ❒❒ Cal Stars Girls Basketball............................................33 ❒❒ Cascade Sports Camps................................................34 ❒❒ Championship Athletic Fundraising...........................36 ❒❒ Cheergyms.Com.........................................................35 ❒❒ Children’s Hospital And Research Center.....................29 ❒❒ Club Sport..................................................................30

CLAYTON VALLEY LITTLE LEAGUE

❒❒ Community Youth Center...........................................35 ❒❒ Core Volleyball Club....................................................33

If you missed your opportunity tryout for a CVLL team, there’s still time. Make-up baseball tryouts for majors, minor A, minor B and farm A leagues will take place at Clayton Valley Charter High in Concord on Feb. 2. The first round of CVLL softball tryouts for ages 8-12 will also be held at the high school on Feb. 2. Make-up softball tryouts for this group will happen on Feb. 10, also at Clayton Valley Charter. ✪ — SportStars

❒❒ Diablo Rock Gym........................................................37 ❒❒ Diablo Trophies & Awards...........................................37 ❒❒ E J Sports Elite Baseball Services................................34 ❒❒ East Bay Bulldogs Basketball......................................33 ❒❒ East Bay Panthers Basketball......................................34 ❒❒ East Bay Sports Academy...........................................18 ❒❒ Excellence In Sport Performance................................28 ❒❒ Fit 2 The Core..............................................................27 ❒❒ Heritage Soccer Club....................................................3 ❒❒ Home Team Sports Photography................................38 ❒❒ Image Imprint............................................................19 ❒❒ Jump Highway...........................................................32 ❒❒ Kali Ball Training........................................................32 ❒❒ Mike Allen Sports L L C...............................................13 ❒❒ Mountain Mike’s Pizza..................................................7 ❒❒ Muir Orthopedic Specialists........................................27 ❒❒ National Scouting Report...........................................33 ❒❒ Passthaball.................................................................35 ❒❒ Pro Hammer Bat.........................................................34 ❒❒ Rocco’s Pizza...............................................................37 ❒❒ Rockin Jump...............................................................40 ❒❒ Sky High Sports..........................................................37 ❒❒ Sport Clips..................................................................19 ❒❒ State Farm Jimmy Harrington Agent..........................38 ❒❒ Stevens Creek Toyota..................................................23 ❒❒ The First Tee Of Contra Costa.......................................35 ❒❒ Tpc / The Pitching Center............................................38 ❒❒ Trucks Training...........................................................28 ❒❒ Velocity Sports Performance......................................37 ❒❒ Velocity Sports Baseball.............................................34 ❒❒ Walnut Creek Soccer Club...........................................39

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