BA Issue 80, Feb. 2014

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February 2014

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feel the need, odds are it’s 31 Ifforyou more speed. And even if you’re not Goose (look it up, kids) speed training is vital.

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We are close to two-thirds of the way through the SportStars Cup and one school is on the verge of a blowout victory.

boys basketball has the 26 Freedom confidence to match its considerable talent and good things are happening.

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February 2014

BREAKDOWN: Exclusive 10 STATE boys & girls statewide basketball rankings Get Digital extras: Use layar & scan pages 1, 11, 16, 18, 40, 45

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pitch: Basketball is awe6 First some. You got these small gyms and the crowds are right on top of the action. Yeah, basketball is awesome. And what makes basketball even better are the rivalries. So in summary, things that are awesome: basketball and rivalries.

of the week: 7 Sportstar Drew Anderson, Miramonte

8 locker room: Betting isn’t legal

in California. We’re not saying that it is. But what we ARE saying was that if it were legal, we’d totally be rich and you’d be reading SportStars Platinum like a boss.

Track and field as 12 Clipboard: a second sport is great, if you’re doing it for the right reasons. on the cover: Mariya Moore, Salesian-Richmond.

Photo by BERRY A. EVANS III

Fence: Tryouts, sign-ups, 40 The fund-raisers and more!

44 Advertiser’s index

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Let High School Hoops Cure Your NFL Blues

A

s much as I’ve always enjoyed covering a good high school football rivalry game, I was reminded recently that no sport was better built for rivalries than basketball.

The smaller enclosed venue provides an intimate setting where the noise level can make your ears ring and the bleachers literally shake following the game’s biggest plays.

And when the teams are good, and the games are good, the constant back and forth of emotion as leads and fortunes change can be truly captivating.

Northern California has no shortage of strong rivalries, and those rivalries have delivered some epic games in recents weeks. I witnessed a phenomenal overtime battle between Danville rivals, Monte Vista and San Ramon Valley on Jan. 28. The host Wolves won the game on a 3-pointer with four seconds left. It marked the first loss of the season for the Mustangs.

Not to be outdone, just four days later, longtime rivals Miramonte-Orinda and Campolindo-Moraga clashed. That game would be decided by one point, 69-68, on a shot from Miramonte’s Drew Anderson with just two seconds left.

And while Folsom and Jesuit-Carmichael technically aren’t rivals, there is certainly no love lost between the two schools after their overtime battle on Jan. 31. It was Folsom who survived with a 58-55 victory.

Each of these teams is set to meet again over the next two weeks. And if you live anywhere nearby, enjoy basketball and the raw emotion of sport, you should definitely go. But go EARLY. These games almost always reach capacity before the scheduled tipoff.

Campolindo and Jesuit host their games on Feb. 18. San Ramon Valley travels to Monte Vista on Feb. 21.

And while we’re at it, here are four more basketball games you may want to think about catching when you’re trying to kill those three hours before the live curling coverage begins from Sochi. (Oh yeah, we’re curling fans. SWEEP! SWEEP!) ›› FEB. 8 — BOYS HOOPS: St. Ignatius-S.F. at Archbishop Mitty-San Jose, 6:30 p.m. — As of Feb. 3, St. Ignatius had handed the Monarchs their only loss of West Catholic Athletic League action with a 48-40 win on Jan. 18. The WCAL has been a blood bath all season, but these two teams along with Serra-San Mateo, have seemed to establish themselves on the top tier. ›› FEB. 8 — GIRLS HOOPS: Salesian-Richmond vs. St. Mary’s-Berkeley at Albany High, noon — This rivalry game will feature three McDonald’s All-Americans and is likely just the second of four times they’ll square off this season. The first one saw Salesian win 64-63. ›› FEB. 11 — BOYS HOOPS: Cosumnes Oaks-Elk Grove at Analy-Sebastapol, 7 p.m. — This nonleague game became a lot more fascinating last week when Cosumnes Oaks was forced to forfeit 16 wins from earlier this year. Now the Wolfpack is literally playing for its playoff life every night. Analy was 15-6 through the end of January and had won nine straight. ›› FEB. 13 —GIRLS HOOPS: St. Mary’s-Stockton at McNair-Stockton, 7 p.m. — St. Mary’s isn’t used to somebody pushing them for an SJS title, let alone the Tri-City Athletic League crown. McNair knows it’s good enough to beat the Rams now, especially after losing by just five (71-66) at St. Mary’s on Jan. 28.

Between those seven games and the Winter Olympics, you should have plenty of sporting drama to get you through to the better days of March. ✪

join our team PHONE 925.566.8500 FAX 925.566.8507 Editorial Editor@SportStarsOnline.com Editor Chace Bryson • Chace@SportStarsOnline.com Staff Writer Jim McCue • JimMcCue16@gmail.com Contributors Bill Kolb, Mitch Stephens, Matt Smith, Clay Kallam, Ben Enos, Dave Kiefer, Liz Elliott, Tim Rudd, Trevor Horn Copy Editor Bill Kruissink Photography Bob Larson, Jonathan Hawthorne, James K. Leash, Norbert von der Groeben, Phillip Walton, Doug Guler, Dean Coppola, Berry Ivans, III Marketing/Events Intern Ryan Arter Creative Department Art@SportStarsOnline.com Production Manager Mike DeCicco • MikeD@SportStarsOnline.com Publisher/President Mike Calamusa • Mike@SportStarsOnline.com Advertising Sales@SportStarsOnline.com, 925.566.8500 Account Executives Leslie Ellis • Leslie@SportStarsOnline.com Camps & Clinics: Ryan ArterCamps@SportStarsOnline.com Alameda County: Berry Evans • Berry@foto-pros.com Central Valley, World Events: Anthony Grigsby • anthony.grigsby@worldeventssports.com Reader Resources/Administration Subscription, Calendar, Credit Services Angela Paradise • Info@SportStarsOnline.com Distribution/Delivery Phillip Walton • 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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Drew

Got Send your nominations to: Next? Editor@SportStarsOnline.com or tweet us using #SSOTW

Anderson Miramonte-Orinda - Basketball - Senior ›› If you thought Anderson’s heroics were done after football season — he threw for more than 4,000 yards in leading the Matadors to an North Coast Section Div. II championship — then you were clearly mistaken. On Feb. 1, the 6-foot-4 senior delivered big-time on the hardwood for Miramonte. Locked in a back-and-forth battle with visiting rival Campolindo-Moraga, Anderson scored the game-winning basket on an offensive put-back (off his own missed shot) with 2 seconds remaining. The shot not only sealed the upset, but it put an exclamation point on his 34-point, 14-rebound effort. The win improved Miramonte to 13-6 on the season. ›› IN HIS OWN WORDS: “We were in transition and nobody picked me up on defense,” Anderson said describing his game-winner. “I got the ball, missed a wide-open layup, but was able to rebound and get it back in time. I’m glad I got it back, too, because I would’ve thought about that one a long time.” ›› WHAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW: Anderson and his younger brother, Ryan (a sophomore, also a varsity hooper), once owned a pet mouse named George.

honorable mention Sumner Houston: The two-way star lineman for De La Salle was one of four East Bay football players named firstteam All-State by CalHiSports.com on Feb. 2.

Kelli Hayes: In her last four games of January, the Archbishop Mitty senior combined to score 95 points to go along with 34 rebounds, 14 assists and 14 steals.

Jacquelyn Scharff: The College Park junior had two goals in a 3-0 win on Jan. 25 and added a third goal in a 2-1 win on Jan. 30.

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Rapid Fire

jackson wegener Miramonte basketball

Josiah Degaura Folsom football/ basketball

Favorite Phillip Seymour Hoffman movie Moneyball

Moneyball

Pick to win the next super bowl 49ers Raiders if you invented an app, what would it do

Tell you where the party's at

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That’s the number of girls basketball players JUST from the Tri-Counties Athletic League-Rock Division who were named McDonald’s All-Americans last week. They were Salesian-Richmond’s Mariya Moore and St. Mary’s-Berkeley duo Gabby Green and Mikayla Cowling. It will be the second straight year in which the Bay Area will have three players representing the West in the prestigious All-Star event. Last year, it was the boys game, though, as Jabari Bird (Salesian), Marcus Lee (Deer Valley) and Aaron Gordon (Archbishop Mitty) all got the call. There will still be some Bay Area representation in the boys game this year as De La Salle coach Frank Allocco was chosen to lead the West roster.

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next pop star/teen idol to have a meltdown Selena Gomez

Justin Beiber

favorite television show Breaking Bad

Criminal Minds

thumbs up

thumbs down

count 'em

Take a pic of someone, tells you how they are feeling

Where we toss in our two cents on recent events and topics.

THUMBS UP — Jimmy Fallon taking over The Tonight Show. Come Feb. 17, the Tonight Show might once again be appealing to viewers under the age of 40. We believe the chair should still belong to Conan, but Fallon will bring the funny. And that’s all we care about.

THUMBS DOWN — To the 200,000-plus who signed the petition to deport Justin Bieber back to Canada. Go sign a petition that matters. Try to make a real difference in your own community. Seriously.

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Top 5 prop bets for a long nfl offseason So. That’s that. Football season is over. The Super Bowl, pitting that team we hate against that other team we don’t really like so much (pick your poison, people) resulted in a resounding “Dang. This coulda been our year.” Still. One thing we DID enjoy was the preponderance of prop bets flying around like Dick Sherman’s hair. With that, we offer our Top 5 Prop Bets before Football Returns next September.

1. Michael Crabtree arrested on misdemeanor assault for sneaking into Dick Sherman’s apartment and shaving his head while he sleeps: Even money.

2. Peyton Manning breaks neck/reveals he is a robot sent back through time to destroy all passing records/opens 14 Papa John’s franchises/tries to kiss Suzy Kolber/marries a Kardashian. 25: 1. But, frankly, he could do any of those and it wouldn’t surprise us, nor would it taint his “legacy.” Parlay of all five pays 20,000.

3. Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh make a “buddy” pic. 1,000,000: 1 4. The Raiders nail their first-round draft pick. Off the board.

5. Bruno Mars gets a pet monkey, has a nose job, bleaches his skin, buys the remains of the Elephant Man, starts sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber, and reveals his last name is really “Jackson.” 2: 1.

— Bill “The Greek” Kolb

Daniel Gluskoter/Cal Sport Media/Zumapress.com

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“I was just screaming at the top of my lungs, and everybody was going nuts. I couldn’t hear anything.”

San Ramon Valley-Danville boys basketball guard, Jerry Karczewksi, on what he remembers in the moments after hitting a game-winning 3-pointer with 4.1 seconds left in overtime.The shot handed state-ranked rival Monte Vista its first loss of the season.You can read more about the Wolves’ big win in our Digital Weekly at SportStarsOnline.com

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Bay Area Rivalry Still Alive in NBA

Northern California has had some great high school basketball rivalries over the years, and it’s hard to beat it when San Francisco’s Sacred Heart Cathedral and St. Ignatius meet up for their annual boys-girls doubleheader each year at USF. The best one, though, was when both Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland and St. Joseph-Alameda were in their prime in the 1980s, 1990s and into the early 2000s. It was when the Dragons were being coached by Mike Phelps and the Pilots were led by Frank LaPorte. They are still two of the winningest prep coaches in state history.

Both coaches also once led the program at the other school. Before Phelps took over at O’Dowd in 1979, he had begun at St. Joe in 1971.

LaPorte coached at O’Dowd from 1960 to 1970. He didn’t return to high school coaching until 1982.

Both programs also won CIF state titles during the height of the rivalry.

O’Dowd won the first CIF Division I title with a win over Castlemont-Oakland in 1981, although that was before some sections in the state were part of the basketball playoffs. St. Joe won back-to-back CIF Division I state titles in 1991 and 1992.

Those two state-title teams at St. Joe’s in the 1990s, of course, were led by point guard Jason Kidd, who is arguably still the best California high school player ever. O’Dowd’s title team included sixth-man Brian Shaw, who went on to play 14 years in the NBA. On February 27, the O’Dowd-St. Joe rivalry, in a sense, will continue when the Brooklyn Nets (now coached by Kidd) play in Denver against the Nuggets (a team now coached by Shaw).

Earlier this year, the Nuggets played at Brooklyn and beat the Nets 111-87.

In recent years, the rivalry isn’t the same since O’Dowd is now in the Hayward Area Athletic League and St. Joseph is now more known by its consolidated boys-girls name of St. Joseph Notre Dame. And while St. Joseph has become an annual contender for CIF Division V state titles, O’Dowd has been pushing more toward Open Division accomplishments.

When it was at its peak, though, games were sellouts, frequently came down to the final minutes and included some of the most talented players in the Bay Area. ✪ Mark Tennis is the co-founder of Cal-Hi Sports, and publisher of CalHiSports.com. Cal-Hi Sports is the authority in state rankings for football, basketball, baseball and softball, as well as the recognized state record keeper for all high school sports. Contact him at markjtennis@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter, @CalHiSports.

norcal girls McDouble Up Some people in other parts of the country might go nuts if two players from one school were chosen to the McDonald’s All-American Game for girls basketball. In Northern California, though, no big deal. St. Mary’s-Berkeley is the latest school to have two named for the prestigious game when both Gabby Green and Mikayla Cowling earned berths as the teams were announced on Jan. 29.

Despite the seemingly impossible task, it’s the fourth time since 2005 that it has happened.

The previous three were Courtney and Ashley Paris of Piedmont in 2005, Alexis Gray-Lawson and Devenai Hampton of Oakland Tech in 2005 and Chelsea Gray and Afure Jemerigbe of St. Mary’s-Stockton in 2010. With Mariya Moore of Salesian-Richmond also getting invited to this year’s game, that’s also 17 girls from Northern California to be chosen since the event began in 2002. By contrast, there have only been 12 boys to play in the game, and the McDonald’s boys’ games have been going on since 1977.

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girls basketball Rankings boys basketball Rankings Previous ranking in parentheses; through Saturday, Feb. 1 1. (1)

—

Mater Dei-Santa Ana

20-1

Barring huge upset, will be top seed for first CIFSS Open Division.

2. (2)

—

Windward-L.A.

20-1

After 2-0 trip to St. Mary’s of Stockton MLK event, team then beat Long Beach Poly.

3. (3)

—

Long Beach Poly

20-2

Lajahna Drummer will represent Poly at McDonald’s A-A game.

4. (4)

—

Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland

17-3

Is there a better guard combo in the state than Asha Thomas and Aisha Robertson?

5. (5)

—

St. Mary’s-Berkeley

19-5

Panthers could play Salesian four times once it’s all said & done.

6. (6)

—

St. Mary’s-Stockton

14-4

Rams could pass state record of 183 straight league wins next season.

7. (7)

— Carondelet-Concord

17-3

Cougars probably won’t lose until after CIF NCS D2 playoffs.

8. (8)

—

Salesian-Richmond

18-5

Heading into February, Mariya Moore is probably your NorCal Player of the Year.

9. (9)

—

Serra-Gardena

20-2

Cavaliers have a win over Windward, lost to O’Dowd by just six.

10. (10)

—

Sierra Canyon-Chatsworth

19-2

Previous ranking in parentheses; through Saturday, Feb. 1 1. (1)

—

Mater Dei-Santa Ana

23-0

McDonald’s A-A Stanley Johnson led team past Whitney YoungChicago on Feb. 1.

2. (2)

—

Loyola-Los Angeles

21-1

Cubs could play Mater Dei twice in postseason, starting in new CIFSS Open Div. 3. (3)

—

Centennial-Corona

20-2

Backcourt of Deonte North, Sedrick Barefield among best in nation.

4. (4)

—

Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland

15-4

After recent showings, will take major effort for any NorCal team to beat the Dragons.

5. (5)

—

Etiwanda

21-3

Coaches should take defense lessons from coach Dave Kleckner.

6. (7)

▲

Sierra Canyon-Chatsworth

21-2

This young team just beat Redondo and topped Bishop O’Dowd early in the season.

7. (6)

▼

Redondo Union-Redondo Beach

18-4

D2 state champs may get chance to repeat since only 4 CIFSS teams go to Open Div. 8. (11)

▲

Chino Hills

19-4

Victories over Damien-La Verne,Windward-L.A. were by 32, 40.

9. (12)

▲

Capital Christian-Sacramento

19-3

O’Dowd loss was pretty bad, but Cougars know they may get another shot

Head coach Alicia Komaki is a former player and assistant of

10. (9)

Mater Dei’s Kevin Kiernan.

Fifth loss was to nationally-ranked DeMatha of Maryland by just

11. (11)

—

Etiwanda

15-5

Most recent loss to St. Mary’s-Stockton, came after win over St. Mary’s-Berkeley.

12. (12)

—

Miramonte-Orinda

19-1

Kelly Sopak’s team bounced back from loss to Salesian with solid win over Berkeley.

13. (13)

—

Camarillo

19-3

Recent win over Chaminade-West Hills elevated the Scorpions.

14. (14)

—

Chaminade-West Hills

19-3

Eagles topped No. 17 Alemany by one in first league showdown.

15. (15)

—

Clovis West-Fresno

17-3

Golden Eagles and Hanford should once again play for Central Section D1 crown.

16 .(16)

—

Enterprise-Redding

19-1

Hornets may be ticketed for CIF NorCal Open Division.

17. (17)

—

Alemany-Mission Hills

18-5

Top returnee from last year’s CIF D3 state champ is 6-foot-2 Hannah Johnson.

18. (18)

—

Bishop’s School-La Jolla

19-5

Frosh phenom Destiny Littleton didn’t play in loss to Serra-Gardena 19. (19)

—

Troy-Fullerton

18-5

PG Barbara Sitanggan one of the top sophomores in the state.

20 (NR)

▲

Sacred Heart Cathedral-S.F.

13-5

▼

Westchester-Los Angeles

19-5

five points.

11. (13)

▲

Long Beach Poly

17-6

Beating De La Salle at its own MLK event is never easy.

12. (14)

▲

Compton

18-4

Tarbabes forced Loyola to OT, but have league loss to L.B. Poly.

13. (15)

▲

J.W. North-Riverside

20-0

Team officially is 19-1 with loss by forfeit (20-0 on the court).

14. (8)

▼ Monte Vista-Danville

19-1

Mustangs were No. 8 and rising until falling in OT thriller to rival San Ramon Valley.

15. (10)

▼

Chaminade-West Hills

16-4

Eagles are 1-2 against Loyola and could be CIF D3 state team to watch.

16. (16)

—

Serra-Gardena

17-6

Earlier this season, coach Dwan Hurt notched 500th career win.

17. (17)

—

Bishop Montgomery-Torrance

19-4

Knights were as high as No. 8 before tough stretch.

18. (18)

—

Cantwell Sacred Heart-Montebello 12-2

Team seems to be bouncing back after recent three-game slide.

19. (20)

▲

St. Augustine-San Diego

20-2

Trey Kell back with Saints after leading them to a D3 state championship in 2013.

20. (NR)

▲

Folsom

20-2

Big win over Jesuit lands the Bulldogs in the Top 20 for first time

WCAL has had a revolving door at No. 19, No. 20 range all season.

in many years.

Dropped Out: No. 20 St. Ignatius-San Francisco.

Dropped Out: No. 19 El Cerrito

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Using track and field as a second sport can be a good idea — if it’s for the right reasons I’m thinking of going out for track but my basketball coach wants me to focus on basketball. I think track is great, because running and jumping better will help me be a better basketball player. Should I do what the coach wants?

M.M., Santa Rosa

ou should always do what the coach wants …

Sorry, that just slipped out — and you’ve asked an interesting question, for a variety of reasons.

First, a lot of athletic directors would not be happy with a coach in one sport discouraging athletes from playing a second high school sport. There are only so many athletes to go around, and to hog them for yourself isn’t what’s best for the school.

So if you went up the organizational ladder, you’d get support to do track — but of course you’d annoy your basketball coach, which isn’t necessarily a good plan.

On the other hand, I can understand the coach’s trepidation (just trying to help you out on your SATs). Track can be a high school sport that makes athletes better in other sports as well as being a positive for the school, but it also can quickly devolve into advanced mingling.

In other words, if you’re going to spend 30 minutes every day flirting with that cute sprinter, then your

Y

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basketball coach is right. If you’re going to coast through workouts and not ever push yourself, then your basketball coach is right.

And if you have much natural ability in whatever event you choose, without a demanding track coach, it’s not that hard to just ease right through the season. If you’re naturally fast, you can do pretty well in the sprints without putting out a lot of effort each day in practice, and the same with weights or jumping events — and that’s a danger.

But if your track team is strong enough and has a culture of hard work, then there’s no reason not to take a break from basketball and work on your speed, strength and jumping ability. And If your track team doesn’t have that culture, are you mentally tough enough to work hard every day even if everyone else is just enjoying the spring weather?

Finally, there is a real danger in just doing one sport.

Overuse injuries are always an issue with athletes (stress fractures, etc.) and a high-impact, twisting, cutting sport like basketball can lead to serious leg injuries — and obviously, the more you play, the higher the chances of something bad happening. Track is a sport that will build you up, done properly, rather than break you down, and could set you up for a very good summer.

But only if you take it seriously. ✪

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Campolindo’s Brighie Leach.

Photo by Jonathan Hawthorne

Points Accolades 4,750

2. Dougherty Valley

2,750

League titles: 2, G Golf, G Tennis. Section Titles: G Golf, G Tennis. Scholastic Title: 5, Football, G Water Polo, G XC, G Volleyball, G Tennis.

3. (tie) De La Salle

2,250

League titles: B Water Polo, B XC. All-State Athletes: Sumner Houston (football). Section Titles: Football, B XC, Blair Hurlock (B XC). Scholastic Title: B XC. NorCal Title: Football.

St. Joseph Notre Dame 2,250

Section Titles: B XC. All-State Athletes: Rebecca Langowski (G Volleyball), Maddie Dodd (G Volleyball), Alexa Martinez (G Volleyball). Section Title: B XC. State Title: B XC

5. San Ramon Valley

1,650

SportStars of the Season: Kat Klass (G Water Polo). League Titles: G WP, G Volleyball. All-State Athletes: Katherine Claybaugh (G Volleyball). Section Title: G Water Polo, G Volleyball, Christine Bayless (G XC).

6. Livermore

1,300

7. Bishop O'Dowd

1,100

League Titles: G Volleyball. All-State Athletes: Bryanna Davis (G Volleyball), Kyle Carlson (G Volleyball). Scholastic Title: G Water Polo, G XC.

8. Albany

950

League titles: G Volleyball,G Tennis. All-State Athlete: Amber Erhahon (G Volleyball). Section Title: Alison Chung (G Tennis).

9. Piedmont

900

10. (tie) St. Mary's

800

Miramonte

800

Section Title: Football, G Golf. Scholastic Title: Football.

Carondelet

800

League titles: G Golf. Scholastic Title: G Volleyball

Runners-up 14

League Titles: G Volleyball, B Water Polo, Football, B XC, G XC. All-State Athletes: Kelley Wirth (Girls VB). Section Titles: 6, B Water Polo, G Water Polo, B XC, Aidan Goltra (B XC), G XC, Brighie Leach (G XC) State Title: G XC, Goltra (Boys XC)

1. Campolindo

SportStars™

11. El Cerrito....................................750 12. (tie) Northgate..........................600 Heritage......................................600 Hercules......................................600 15. (tie) Concord..............................550

February 2014

Deer Valley...................................550 17. Monte Vista...............................500 18. (tie) James Logan......................400 Clayton Valley..............................400 Head-Royce.................................400

Section Title: Tyler Olson (B XC), Alexandra Hernandez (G XC). Scholastic Title: G Water Polo, G XC.

League Titles: G Water Polo, G Tennis. Section Title: G Tennis. Scholastic Title: Football.

League titles: G XC. Section Title: Football, B XC.

Valley Christian...........................400 Washington.................................400 Alameda.....................................400 24. (tie) Salesian.............................300 Alhambra....................................300

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26. Freedom....................................250 27. (tie) San Leandro, California, Newark Memorial, Pittsburg, Encinal, Tennyson, Arroyo, Amador Valley, Liberty........................................200

The SportStars Cup competition is back for its third year — but it already looks a lot like the two previous years thanks to Campolindo holding the top spot. As a quick reminder, the competition runs the length of the school year and culminates in mid-June with the crowning of the East Bay’s most successful high school athletic program.

Schools can accumulate points through a variety of ways. They are as follows: 100 — Have an athlete named SportStars of the Year (Fall, Winter or Spring) 200 — Win a team league championship 250 — Have an athlete be named AllState (First-team overall only) 300 — Win a section championship (team or individual) 350 — Win a scholastic section championship for highest team GPA 400 — Win an individual NorCal title 500 — Win a team NorCal title 700 — Win an individual state championship 1,000 — Win a team state championship These are the point standings through nearly all of the fall season. As we mentioned above, if this leaderboard looks familiar to you, it should. Campolindo owns each of the first two SportStars Cups and holds a 2,000-point lead over second place after a fall season that featured six section and two state titles.

A quick glance at the rest of the top three brings a serious breath of fresh air, though.

Dougherty Valley is alone in second place after a true breakthrough championship season for the school. The Wildcats won their first section titles in girls golf and girls tennis, and then tacked on five scholastic titles. To put it in perspective, Dougherty Valley didn’t even crack the Top 35 in the final SportStars Cup standings a year ago.

St. Joseph Notre Dame holds a tie for third and has nearly reached the 3,100 points it scored to finish ninth overall last year.

And yes, De La Salle lurks within striking distance also.

The winter playoffs are just weeks away.

Hold on tight. ✪

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THE NEXT STEP

Freedom-Oakley’s Joe Mixon is the Bay Area’s top recruit. Photo by Phillip Walton.

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SportStars’ coverage of National Signing Day on Feb. 5 began a little less than a week earlier with the release of our third SportStars Digital Weekly on Jan. 30.

It was there that we took a look at the athletes who don’t get the scholarship offer, but still believe they can compete at the Division-I level. Our senior contributor for the Sac-Joaquin edition connected with author Tim Lavin to talk about his recent book, “Walk-On U.” The following is an excerpt of the article, which can still be found by clicking on our Digital Weekly cover at SportStarsOnline.com The University of Southern California campus is not far from Hollywood, and the school has placed a fair share of graduates in the film industry. But, for Tim Lavin, a walk-on to the Trojans’ football program in the late 1980’s, the big-screen glamour of being a walk-on was nowhere near his real-life experience.

“The general misconception by the public is that walk-ons are low on talent and big on heart,” Lavin said.

“There are a lot of guys that are very good players that just did not get offered a Division-I scholarship because (scholarships) are very rare.

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Download the free Layar app now and scan this page to automatically pull up one of our National Signing Day video interviews.

“Not every walk-on is ‘Rudy.’”

In his recently self-published book, “Walk-On U,” Lavin recounts his story of beating the odds and earning a scholarship at USC. Along the way, he dealt more with heartbreak than he did with praise. The book is more than just an inspirational tale. It serves as an educational tool and sounding board as well.

Our coverage of the kids who actually faxed in letters of intent on Sept. 5 can be found at SportStarsOnline.com/SigningDay2014. There you can find a list of all the players who signed in the Bay Area and Sac-Joaquin regions, what colleges they’ve chosen to attend, as well as a number of extras — including exclusive video interviews and story links. So click away.

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Story by Clay Kallam •Photos by Berry Evans III

“She hates to be good.”

“She expects to be great,” said Salesian High girls basketball coach Steve Pezzola of Mariya Moore.

So far, so good. Moore capped a brilliant high school career by being named to the McDonald’s All-American game last week, and next year, she will take her talents to Louisville, which played for the NCAA title in 2013.

Of course, Moore still has some time left at Salesian, and still has some big games ahead of her — most notably against sister McDonald’s All-Americans Gabby Green and Mikayla Cowling, who both play for league- and Division IV-rival St. Mary’s-Berkeley. The two teams have already played once this year, and Moore had 23 points and seven rebounds, plus her usual superb allaround game, in a 64-63 come-from-behind win on Jan. 22 at Saint Mary’s College.

The teams will most likely play three more times — once more in league play (Feb. 8 at noon at Albany High School), again in the Tri-County Athletic League-Rock playoffs, and then in the North Coast Section Div. IV postseason. And then, it’s possible the two would meet again in the NorCal playoffs.

And of course, there’s more at stake than rivalry games.

Salesian has played for the state championship the last two seasons, and lost both times — last year, by just one point.

If the Pride is going to climb that mountain in 2014, there’s no doubt Moore will carry most of the load. After all, two of the team’s five losses came when Moore was laid low by the flu at the Nike TOC in Arizona (she lost 14 pounds and had to be hospitalized for dehydration). When she’s healthy, Salesian has lost only to NorCal and national powers St. Mary’s-Stockton, Bishop O’Dowd and Carondelet And speaking of Carondelet, there’s a key link to Moore’s success on the Cougar roster.

As a youngster, Moore had zeroed in on soccer and wanted nothing to do with basketball.

“She would say ‘No thank you, I’m going to be a professional soccer player’,” says Cenne Moore, Mariya’s mom — but then fate, in the form of Natalie and Vince Romeo, stepped in.

“I was pretty focused on soccer,” says Mariya. “She and her dad talked to me several times.”

Finally, Moore gave in, and Natalie and Mariya proved to be a deadly combination Natalie is now Carondelet’s star guard and will play for Nebraska next season. “Playing with her was so much fun” that Moore finally discarded dreams of being the next Mia Hamm and settled on basketball.

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The traditional line at this point is “the rest is history,” but it didn’t quite work out that way.

Moore was always tall (she’s about 6-1 now), so naturally she was stuck on the block. But as she got older, she realized she needed to get out on the perimeter, and after her eighth-grade year, she started moving to the outside.

“Right before I left (AAU club) SportStrong, I morphed into a guard. It was difficult and it was frustrating,” says Moore. “I realized how fast the guards were. Before, I had just stood there with my hands in the air.”

But this is where Moore’s relentless work ethic came into play. Unlike many players who find it hard to push through adversity, Moore just buckled down and got better — with a little help from her parents.

“We’re her harshest critics,” says Cenne. “We don’t look at her as a basketball player; we look at her as someone who works hard.”

And work hard she did, playing for several club teams, spending time with individual coaches, and using her natural abilities to just keep getting better and better. Early on, she was very right-hand dominant, and teams would try to make her go left.

“I use my left when I need to,” says Moore, “but no one has really kept me from going right.”

Moore also hasn’t shown three-point range in high school, but expect to see that aspect of her game unveiled at the next level. “She has a very good pull-up jumper,” says Louisville coach Jeff Walz. “And if you have a pull-up jumper, shooting the three is the easy part.”

Walz not only expects Moore to shoot from behind the arc for the No. 5 Cardinals, he expects her to be a contributor next year. “We lose four seniors that play significant minutes,” he says, “and we look for Mariya to compete for minutes next fall.”

“I practice a lot of threes,” says Mariya, “but not in games, because I have other responsibilities.”

Of course, one of those responsibilities is to score (she’s averaging 18.7 points a game), but if Salesian is to keep winning big games, she has to do much more than that. When Pezzola first got a chance to see Moore play, in the summer before her freshman year at Salesian, he was struck by two things: “I was amazed at her court vision, and I also saw that she would make everyone else better.”

And for the Pride, that’s exactly what she does.

“What people might not get is that she is totally unselfish in the concept of the game,” says Pezzola. “She knows there are times when she has to make plays, but her teammates know that if they work hard and run the floor, they’ll get the ball and have a good chance to score.”

BOTOM LEFT: Moore talks with Salesian coach Stephen Pezzola during a late January practice. TOP LEFT: Moore in action during the 2013 Div. IV State Championship game which the Pride lost by just two points.

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Kayla Coloyan, Sacred Heart Cathedral All records through Feb. 1, according to MaxPreps

“She’s an old-school player,” says Walz.

“She’s not going to wow you with flash.”

Still, every opponent knows just who to focus on. Unlike St. Mary’s-Berkeley, say, with its one-two punch of Green and Cowling, or Bishop O’Dowd, with its horde of future Division-I guards, Salesian’s fate depends on Moore’s ability to rise to the occasion. Given her family background, though, it’s no surprise she gladly accepts every challenge.

“We’re very competitive,” says Moore.

“Whatever we do in the house, it’s always competitive.”

Both Errol and Cenne Moore come from athletic families, and though Cenne concedes she wasn’t a star basketball player at KennedySacramento, she too was ready to do whatever was necessary to win.

“I was responsible for running over people,” says Cenne, “and I took my job very seriously.”

Mariya’s younger sister Minyon, a 5-8 sophomore for the Pride, is also unwilling to back down an inch.

“I was always the shortest one and I had to go against Mariya,” Minyon says. “She would always pack my shot and push me. It was to make me better, but one day I’m going to pack her.”

Put all of this together and it’s not really that big a surprise that Moore has become a McDonald’s All-American and put Salesian on the girls basketball map. The Pride may not necessarily win every time out, but Pezzola sums it up best.

“In any game,” he says, “I have the best player.” ✪

Stat Sheet Stuffer Here’s a game-by-game glance at what Moore accomplished through her first 20 games of 2014.

Date Opponent

Points Reb. Asst.

12/4

Oakland Tech

24

10

8

12/9

Benicia

15

5

—

12/10

Deer Valley

23

11

9

12/14

Bradshaw Christian

18

7

6

12/19

Oregon City (OR)

35

15

8

12/27

Shabazz (NJ)

22

14

8

12/28

St. Mary’s-Stockton

25

9

8

12/30

Carondelet

14

10

12

1/4

Archbishop Mitty

18

15

1/6

Encinal

13

1/8

St. Patrick/St. Vincent

21

1/10

Pinole Valley

1/11

1. (1)

— Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland

17-3

2. (2)

— St. Mary’s-Stockton

16-4

3. (3)

— Salesian-Richmond

18-5

4. (4)

— St. Mary’s-Berkeley

19-5

5. (5)

— Carondelet-Concord

17-3

6. (6)

— McClatchy-Sacramento

20-1

7. (7)

— Miramonte-Orinda

19-1

8. (8)

— Enterprise-Redding

19-1

9. (10)

▲

Pinewood-Los Altos Hills

19-1

10. (17) ▲

Sacred Heart Cathedral-S.F.

13-5

11. (9)

▼

St. Ignatius-S.F.

17-3

12. (11) ▼

Vanden-Fairfield

16-5

13. (12) ▼

Brookside Christian-Stockton

20-4

14. (13) ▼

Napa

20-1

15. (14) ▼

Santa Rosa

20-1

16. (15) ▼

McNair-Stockton

19-3

17. (16) ▼

Monte Vista-Danville

18-2

18. (17) ▼

Nevada Union-Grass Valley

17-4

19. (19) — Berkeley

14-6

10

20. (20) — Deer Valley-Antioch

15-5

6

9

12

7

DROPPED OUT

12

10

10

Bishop O’Dowd

24

5

8

1/14

El Cerrito

13

6

11

1/17

St. Joseph Notre Dame

17

7

8

1/18

South Medford (OR)

19

10

12*

1/20

Miramonte

26

15

12

1/22

St. Mary’s-Berkeley

23

8

5

1/24

St. Patrick/St. Vincent

11

10

4

1/29

Pinole Valley

20

5

10

No. 17 Archbishop Mitty-San Jose

BIGGEST MOVER Sacred Heart Cathedral avenged one of its losses with a convincing 57-42 win over league rival St. Ignatius. That bumped the Gators eight spots to No. 10, and dropped a bunch of other teams by one.

TEAMS STILL RANKED FROM PRESEASON TOP 20: 12

*Moore also had 10 steals in this game for a quadruple-double

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Freedom senior swingman Elliot Smith looks to drive past a Heritage defender on Jan. 31.

Photos by Phillip Walton

clearing the

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Already the most talented roster in the BVAL, Freedom now has the confidence to match

By Chace Bryson | Editor If the Freedom High boys basketball team plays deep into the postseason this March, the odds are high its last week of January will serve as the flashpoint.

Not because it had any big victory over a highly-ranked opponent.

Not because the team was forced into overcoming a particular moment of adversity.

Not because it clinched any title, or survived an overly dramatic ending.

In fact, there was very little fanfare associated with the Falcons’ the last week of January. They simply took care of business. And they did so against one school which had pummeled them routinely for years, and another which always provides a very tough environment to win.

And that IS a big deal. Because Freedom, which opened the year 14-4, was ready to believe in itself. Now it can.

The Falcons exorcised some excruciating demons by beating Deer Valley 68-56 on Jan. 28. Then traveled to Freedom for a 53-45 win on Jan. 31. Both wins were key, but Deer Valley meant a little bit more.

“They’ve pretty much owned us the last four years or so,” Freedom coach Drew Torres said of Deer Valley. “I don’t know what our record is against them, but it’s not good. We knew we had to get over the hump.”

Freedom had lost nine straight to the Wolverines before the victory, a streak dating back to Feb. 2, 2010. While Deer Valley isn’t the same this season after graduating Division-I talents Marcus Lee and Kendall Smith, the defending North Coast Section Div. I champions still represent what Freedom seeks.

In their first five seasons with Torres at the helm, the Falcons reached the postseason every time. However, raising banners has proven

much more difficult.

Each of the past two seasons, Freedom has finished one game back of Deer Valley in the Bay Valley Athletic League standings. Last year, the Falcons missed out on their first trip to an NCS final by a mere two points, losing to San Leandro 55-53.

Freedom now has the inside track to at least notch its first league crown, and anything short of a third straight trip to the NCS semifinals would be a disappointment.

“I’m having a great time coaching these guys,” Torres said after the team’s win over Heritage. “They’re fun to coach. They come every day. They work hard. They’ve got pretty good chemistry. I feel like we’re continuing to improve, and I think that’s the key — we want to peak toward the end of the year, and each week we get a little better.”

After the first eight minutes against Heritage, it appeared as though the Falcons were in danger of a serious let-down performance following the emotional Deer Valley victory. The Patriots led 15-7 after the first period. That was before senior standouts Rodney Pope and Elliot Smith combined for 10 points in the second quarter and lead Freedom to a 26-22 halftime lead.

Pope and Smith were relatively quiet in the third period, but stepped up in the fourth by scoring 13 of the Falcons final 20 points and sealing the win.

“You pick your poison with them,” Heritage coach Pat Cruickshank said of Freedom. “Who do you key on?”

Pope and Smith each finished with 16 points.

Junior center Kendall McIntosh added eight points and seven rebounds, and shooting guard Nathan Mallett had eight points — including a 3-pointer that gave the Falcons the lead for good with 2:10 left in the third.

“I’ve watched them at least three times now,”

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FALCONS RISING Drew Torres assumed Freedom’s

varsity coaching job in the spring of

All records through Feb. 1, according to MaxPreps 1. (1)

— Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland

2. (3)

▲

Capital Christian-Sacramento

19-3

3. (5)

▲

St. Mary’s-Stockton

20-2

4. (2)

▼

Monte Vista- Danville

19-1

5. (4)

▼

El Cerrito

22-2

6. (9)

▲

Archbishop Mitty-San Jose

16-3

7. (10)

▲

Folsom

20-2

8. (6)

▼

Sacramento

18-4

9. (12)

▲

St. Ignatius-S.F.

15-4

10. (7)

▼

Jesuit-Carmichael

20-2

11. (13) ▲

De La Salle-Concord

15-5

12. (15) ▲

Freedom-Oakley

16-4

13. (17) ▲

Newark Memorial

14-7

14. (NR) ▲

San Ramon Valley-Danville

17-3

15. (8)

Cosumnes Oaks-Elk Grove

5-17*

16. (18) ▲

Rodriguez-Fairfield

19-1

17. (20) ▲

Moreau Catholic-Hayward

16-4

18. (11) ▼

Serra-San Mateo

14-5

19. (14) ▼

Campolindo-Moraga

13-5

20. (NR) ▲

St. Joseph Notre Dame-Alameda

19-5

▼

2008 after the Falcons had gone 2-26.

15-4

Here’s how the Falcons have fared in the five seasons since.

Season Record League Playoffs Finish 2008-09 10-16

4th

0-1

2009-10 15-9

4th

0-1

2010-11 15-11

4th

0-1

2011-12 21-8

2nd

1-2

2012-13 20-10

2nd

2-2

Freedom coach Drew Torres calls point guard Rodney Pope “another coach on the floor.”

*—Forfeited 16 wins due to ineligible player

DROPPED OUT No. 16 Sacred Heart Cathedral-S.F. and No. 19 Montgomery-Santa Rosa

BIGGEST MOVER The deck definitely got re-shuffled this week. There were a number of teams which jumped three spots, but the only team to improve four spots was Newark Memorial.

The Cougars were bumped up to No. 13 after extending their winning streak to 11 games with two league wins last week. The biggest drop happened to Cosumnes Oaks after it was announced they had forfeit 16 wins. We kept the Wolfpack ranked for what they’ve accomplished on the floor this season so far. However, they will need to win out to stay playoff eligible and remain ranked.

TEAMS STILL RANKED FROM PRESEASON TOP: 15

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Cruickshank said.

“They look like they enjoy playing together. These guys look like they’re playing together and having fun.”

Which just so happens to be the first thing that Pope spoke of when asked about the team.

“Our chemistry has become way better throughout the year,” the point guard said. “I won’t say we’re more athletic than previous (Freedom) teams, but our chemistry is way better.”

The Falcons play largely unselfish basketball, and everybody in Torres’ 10-man rotation seems to know their role and embrace it. Torres credits much of that to Pope, his floor leader.

“He’s basically another coach on the floor, a quarterback,”

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Torres said. “I kind of compare him to a Peyton Manning in that he can read defenses and get our guys in the right place. Especially in loud environments (like Heritage) where our players can’t always hear me on the sideline.”

Closing out the BVAL undefeated and clinching the league title ought to make the Falcons a top four seed in the NCS Div. I bracket, where the top threats are likely to be Monte Vista, San Ramon Valley and De La Salle.

Torres said his points of emphasis to his team down the stretch will be the same thing he told the Falcons players when they trailed 15-7 after eight minutes to Heritage.

“Trust what we’re doing,” he said. “Just trust and believe.” ✪

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tri steps: liz elliott

Getting Up to Speed Proper speed work is essential to endurance training — and it’s probably not what you think it is What is “speed work”? How do we know what speed we should be holding, on what sets, and on during which part of the season?

Speed work for endurance athletes, or really for anyone just wanting to be fit and get faster, is not “work out at top speed for as long as you can every day.” It’s also not, “run a long distance and that same distance at the same pace everyday.”

Neither of those helps your fitness or performance over the long haul.

Speed work is about finding your different speeds, and varying your speeds in every workout, every phase, and every season. Speed work refers to finding and working within your speeds. Like a car has different speeds, so do you — for swim, bike and run. How you get faster overall is by: 1) finding your “speeds”, and 2) working at every speed through your training program. Each “speed” works a different “system.”

As a swimming example, say you are doing 12 sets of 100-yard lengths and the time frame you’re working under is 1 minute, 30 seconds. Do you do a 1:15 each 100, or a 1:20, or just try to get two second rest?

A good training program will have test sets that help you find your threshold.

The test sets will help set the times you should hold for repeats at different distances. The test sets are only as good as how fast and hard you do them. If speed work is new to you, you will have to do a test set several times before it

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is accurate.

Based on a test set, you may find that consistently swimming 1:01s is your “threshold.” A 12x100 set can have a very different purpose early in a workout, early in a season, as opposed to later in a season or later in a workout. Working above or at your threshold should be done later in a workout and later in the season. It should also be done while alternating with with other speeds in every workout.

So in that same 12x100 set, you would do four at an easy speed for you, four at a fast speed, four at a moderate speed and then four at your threshold.

Although you will be swimming slower or faster, all will be on the same interval time. Wait to do your hardest effort at the end of a set and/or practice. Your body (lungs and muscles) are fully warmed up, and you will be slightly fatigued, so you will get the most benefit.

Confused? This is the biggest reason to join a club or train with a coach.

Coaches know what speed, when and why.

Mix strength exercises into your aerobic workouts for the best results. A few, focused strength exercises each day is better for your body and overall performance than doing a couple days a week in the gym. ✪ Liz Elliott was an All-American collegiate swimmer and is the head coach at Tri-Valley Triathlon Club.

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hip injuries: hunter greene, m.d.

Hip labral tears are being diagnosed more than ever before. Are you at risk?

Sports that rely on cutting and twisting such as ice hockey, soccer, football and basketball, put the hip at risk for labral tears. Structural abnormalities of the hip can also lead to a hip labral tear.

ANATOMY OF THE HIP

A hip labral tear involves the ring of soft elastic tissue, called the labrum, that follows the outside rim of the socket of your hip joint (much like a bumper around a pool table). The labrum acts like a socket to hold the ball at the top of your thighbone (femur) in place.

Labral tears are diagnosed much more often than in the past. Thanks to advancements in MRI capabilities and arthroscopic surgery, we can now identify these causes of hip and groin pain early, often before long-term degeneration of the hip occurs.

SIGNS OF A TEAR

Some labral tears cause no signs or symptoms. When symptoms are present, they include: ›› Pain in the hip or groin ›› A catching or locking sensation in the hip joint ›› Stiffness in the joint ›› Limited range of motion

TREATING HIP PAIN

Some patients recover in only a few weeks with conservative treatments, such as rest, anti-inflammatory medication, cortisone injections and physical therapy. If surgery is needed, most cases of hip labral tears can be treated with arthroscopic surgery rather than an open procedure. Depending on the severity of the tear, the orthopedic surgeon may cut out and remove the torn piece of labrum, or repair the torn tissue by sewing it back together, which typically takes anywhere from six-to-12 weeks to recover after surgery and another four-to-six months to return to sports.

PREVENTION

A common cause of hip labral tears is athletic trauma or repetitive stress from athletic activity. Proper training and conditioning of commonly used muscles and those that support them may help reduce the risk of a hip labral tear. ✪ Hunter Greene, M.D., is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with Summit Orthopedic Specialists in Carmichael.

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Foul Ball arm/shoulder care: dr. Mo mortazavi

Don’t let Little Leaguer’s Shoulder and Elbow hurt your pitch Throwing injuries in young athletes are one of the most common pediatric overuse injuries, with 30 to 50 percent of all youth baseball players suffering from throwing injuries in their career. The incidences continue to rise as organized youth sports grow and intensify.

Since the adolescent athlete is still skeletally immature, these injuries most commonly involve growth plates of the shoulder and elbow. These growth centers are made of cartilage that is growing into bone, and are fragile and vulnerable to recurrent traction forces of overhead throwing.

Although these injuries are most common in baseball pitchers, they are also seen in infielders, catchers and outfielders, as well as football quarterbacks and tennis players.

Little Leaguer’s Shoulder (LLS) and Little Leaguer’s Elbow (LLE) are the most common injuries seen in kids ages 9 to 14. Other injures from throwing overuse include labral tears in the shoulder joint, rotator cuff strains and sprains, osteochondritis dissecans of the lateral elbow, tears of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), and ulnar nerve injuries, which are more commonly seen in athletes 14 and older.

Affected athletes report a gradual onset of pain in the shoulder or elbow, a history of weaker or less-accurate throws and sports participation history consistent with overuse.

The number of teams and seasons per year, throwing history (including pitch count, number of practices and games) and any recent changes in throwing techniques are important risk factors for injury.

DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

Diagnosis is usually based on clinical exam. Athletes complain of focal pain in the area of injury and can exhibit limited range of motion.

Radiographs are useful for ruling out abnormalities such as fractures, growth-plate irregularities, tumors and infections. In the early stages, radiographs typically look normal, but widening of the growth plate and even an avulsion are not uncommon with higher-grade injuries. MRI is rarely necessary to confirm the diagnosis of LLE or LLS unless there are concerns for other injuries. Treatment of LLE and LLS consists of restricting all throwing activities and controlling symptoms with ice and anti-inflammatories. Most will greatly benefit from initiating physical therapy early, and this is highly recommended. The initial treatment phase involves initiation of range-of-motion exercises and joint mobilizations as necessary to prevent joint contractures.

General conditioning is encouraged and core strengthening is usually started right away. When tolerated, gradual strengthening is then used.

Physical therapy should also address the athlete’s throwing mechanics to decrease load forces on the growth plate and vulnerable structures of the shoulder and elbow. When athletes are pain-free with full range of motion and near full strength, athletes should begin an interval-throwing program, gradually increasing their throwing distance, velocity and repetitions.

One critical component of rehabilitation is that return to play is conservative and gradual. Potential complications of early return to play include worsening symptoms, abnormal bone development, or an avulsion injury.

Surgical treatment is rarely needed if treatment starts early and there are no associated injuries. ✪

WHAT’S THE COUNT?

These are the generally-accepted maximum pitch count recommendations for youth baseball.

Age Pitches Per Game 7-8

50

9-10

75

11-12

85

13-16

95

17-18

105

Dr. Mo Mortazavi is pediatric sports medicine physician for the UC Davis Children’s Hospital.

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GIVE IT A REST

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February 2014

concussions: matthew pecci, md

Just like a sprained ankle, a concussed brain needs rest too It has long been accepted that a period of rest from physical activity aids in the recovery from concussion.

The reason why is unknown, but it is believed that brain recovery requires some degree of energy expenditure, and if energy is being used elsewhere, such as with physical exertion, this may delay brain recovery.

The concept of cognitive rest, limiting one’s thinking, has also gained traction over the past 10 years. It seems to make empiric sense that if one continues to use an injured body part, in this case the brain, this can delay healing and recovery. The international consensus guidelines for concussion management recommend cognitive rest as an essential part of concussion treatment. And an article in the January 2014 issue of Pediatrics provides evidence that cognitive rest can in fact decrease the duration of post-concussive symptoms.

The challenge I often face in my practice is how to implement cognitive rest for concussed high school and college athletes who are engaged in regular classwork and study. I recommend that cognitive rest should be individualized based on a patient’s symptoms — and his or her threshold for provoking these symptoms — while taking into account the patient’s daily and weekly cognitive workload.

I find it’s often helpful to get some sense of a concussed patient’s cognitive deficits by performing a neurocognitive assessment, either using a standard written concussion assessment tool, or one of the many computer-based assessment tools.

Testing assesses cognitive function and can also provide some measure of the extent to which cognitive work stimulates concus-

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sion symptoms.

I also have my patients provide information on their daily cognitive workload, including their perceived difficulty for each type of thinking task. All this information can be very useful in developing an individualized cognitive recovery plan.

Some general strategies regarding cognitive rest may include: ›› An initial 3-5 day period of complete cognitive rest ›› Avoiding all non-essential cognitive tasks such as texting, web browsing, television and video games ›› Academic accommodations, which may include extended time for class assignments, and no test taking while symptomatic ›› Shortened school days.

These strategies require clear communication with the school as to the plan and the rationale. It is essential to follow-up with the concussed patient regularly, often weekly at first to assess recovery and to begin to advance cognitive workload as symptoms improve.

As is the case with physical rest, it is important to gradually introduce cognitive work in a stepwise fashion as symptoms improve. Prior to returning to any strenuous physical activity a patient should be asymptomatic at rest and should have returned to all cognitive tasks without any return of symptoms. ✪ Dr. Pecci is a family physician and a sports medicine specialist at Muir Orthopaedic Specialists, focusing on non-operative treatment of sports injuries and medical issues in athletes, including advanced concussion management.

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SlowMotion training time: tim rudd for iyca

Speed training is just as much about deceleration as it is acceleration I believe too many coaches and programs put way too much emphasis on acceleration. They spend the majority of their training focusing on sprinting, jumping, Olympic lifting, etc.; basically the main focus is on force production.

This is a huge mistake. Your athlete’s health and performance will suffer if he or she develops a quality (speed) and then can’t slow down (deceleration).

The fact is that most non-contact injuries occur as a result of poor deceleration ability. Also athletes who can’t decelerate effectively struggle to create or close space between them and their competition. This is what separates players who make plays from players who get played.

Deceleration is important in getting ready for re-acceleration. And it’s imperative that coaches teach their athletes how to slow down by emphasizing multi-directional development (lateral speed and agility).

Components of lateral speed and agility include: ›› Change of direction angles (deceleration to acceleration) ›› Cutting, pivoting, turning ›› Landing, resisting ›› Deceleration/stabilization emphasis Let’s look at the steps in teaching the first component above (change of direction angles): 1) As athletes prepare to stop and change direction, they must lower their center of gravity; the stopping foot must strike outside the shoulders.

2) The foot must be flat and perpendicular to the line of movement (lateral).

3) The knees bend (minimum 20 degrees) and shoulders drive forward simultaneously while the hips push back.

4) The stopping foot and leg must quickly extend out of the knee bend as the shoulders simultaneously lean in the opposite direction.

All these steps happen simultaneously. These steps, along with all other components of lateral speed and agility, are key in the ability of the athlete to quickly stop (deceleration) and redirect forces in the opposite direction (acceleration).

These components are all skills that can and should be learned and improved. No matter what component is being developed, it must be progressed over time from static to dynamic, low-intensity to high-intensity and predictable to chaotic. This is key in optimizing an athlete’s ability to slow down the speed she creates. ✪ Tim Rudd is an IYCA specialist in youth conditioning and owner of Fit2TheCore.

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bone fractures: dr. nirav k. pandya

Scalpel or Treating fractured clavicles in young athletes is a point of debate

Aaron Rodgers, Jason Campbell, Marques Colston, Tony Romo, and Charles Woodson. What do all of these NFL players share in common? They have all suffered clavicle fractures at some point in their careers.

But why do some athletes require surgery whereas others need several weeks to get back on the field? The clavicle (also known as the ‘collarbone’) is one of the long bones in the body that essentially connects the shoulder to the body. It can be easily injured in young, active individuals.

In the young population, it is extremely rare for a clavicle fracture to not mend itself. So why fix a clavicle fracture with surgery? This is a great area of controversy (particularly in patients under 18) but there is research which suggests patients may have improved shoulder function in the long-term and/or return to vigorous activities sooner with surgery. Yet, it is important to remember that even these points are still debated.

Several factors the physician and patients must consider together include the location of the fracture, how much the bone ends are separated and/or over-lapped, whether the injury involves the dominant or non-dominant hand, and the functional goals/sports of the patient. If the decision is to treat a fracture without surgery, this can generally entail several weeks in a sling followed by physical therapy.

If surgery is chosen, the fracture will generally be fixed with plates and screws. The most important thing to remember is that all not all clavicle fractures are the same, and the optimal treatment needs to be catered to each patient. ✪

Sling?

Dr. Nirav K. Pandya is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon specializing in pediatric sports medicine at the Children’s Hospital in Oakland. He sees patients and operates in Oakland and the CHO’s facility in Walnut Creek.

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February 2014

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powered by trucks: anthony trucks

The best weight training and fitness program for you boils down to how you want to use your muscles With so many ways now to train your body, from DVD programs, phone apps, crossfit, gym classes, personal training, bootcamps, the big gym, bodybuilding, figure competing, etc., how do you know which one is right for you?

How do you know the type of training you are participating in is going to help you reach your goals?

Many people spend years training in ways they either don’t need, or that don’t help them work towards their goal. I am going to break down three common types of training goals and list the one that may fit you best when it comes to starting your weight/fitness training journey. ›› Someone who needs to strengthen his or her body for very individualized reasons such as an injury, or a specific illness: Personal Training: It allows for a specific individualized program to be created just for your own personal needs ›› Someone who simply wants to look good in a bathing suit and/or just look good in their skin: Bodybuilding, Figure Competing, Dvd Programs Or Crossfit: These options have a great focus on the aesthetic realm of training along with just trying to get the absolute best possible physique. If you like taking selfies, these options serve you best. ›› Someone who cares less how they look and just wants to feel healthier, fitter, and more athletic: The Big Gym, Gym Classes, Dvd Programs Or Crossfit: These options are for people who are in it to keep on top of their health but don’t have a massive goal outside of just not being out of shape.

Most people fall into one of these three categories. If you are looking to get started on a healthier lifestyle find out which option best suits you and trudge ahead. ✪ Anthony Trucks is the owner of Trucks Training facility in Brentwood and covers weight training for SportStars.

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All Star Sports..................................................................................................................40 Big O Tires Northern California/ Nevada.............................................................................2 Bigfoot Hoops............................................................................................................22, 48 Cascade Sports Camp.......................................................................................................40 Championship Athletic Fundraising.................................................................................16 Cheergyms.Com...............................................................................................................20 Children’s Hospital And Research Center...........................................................................35 Club Sport........................................................................................................................17 Club Sport Renaissance....................................................................................................37 Community Youth Center.................................................................................................37 Contra Costa & Tri Valley Camp & School Fairs...................................................................43 Core Performance.......................................................................................................41, 42 Core Volleyball Club..........................................................................................................40 Diablo Futbol Club............................................................................................................29 Diablo Rock Gym..............................................................................................................42 Diablo Trophies & Awards.................................................................................................42 Dianne Adair Enrichment Programs...................................................................................5 East Bay Bulldogs Basketball............................................................................................40 East Bay Sports Academy.................................................................................................12 Excellence In Sport Performance......................................................................................36 Fit 2 The Core....................................................................................................................33 Foundry Sport..................................................................................................................30 Franklin Canyon Golf Course.............................................................................................44 Gregg Jefferies Sports Academy ......................................................................................32 Halo Headband................................................................................................................44 Heritage Soccer Club........................................................................................................24 Home Team Sports Photography......................................................................................38 Impact Soccer Club...........................................................................................................42 Kangazoom......................................................................................................................27 M L B Scout......................................................................................................................41 Modesto Magic................................................................................................................41 Mountain Mike’s Pizza......................................................................................................13 Muir Orthopaedic Specialists............................................................................................34 National Scouting Report.................................................................................................42 Passthaball.......................................................................................................................44 Pro Hammer Bat...............................................................................................................27 Rhino Sports Of Northern California.................................................................................20 Rocco’s Pizza.....................................................................................................................42 Saint Mary’s Athletic Summer Camps...............................................................................39 Sky High Sports................................................................................................................42 Special Olympics Northern California...............................................................................41 Sport Clips........................................................................................................................21 Sports And Orthopedic Leaders........................................................................................33 Sports Stars Magazine......................................................................................................45 Stevens Creek Toyota........................................................................................................15 Summit Orthopedic Specialists..........................................................................................3 Sutter Health East Bay......................................................................................................25 T D P Sports.....................................................................................................................42 The First Tee Of Contra Costa.............................................................................................44 Tpc / The Pitching Center..................................................................................................38 United States Youth Volleyball League.............................................................................47 West Coast Soccer Club.....................................................................................................42 World Events....................................................................................................................42

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Readers

Tune in March 20th for a SportStars SuperIssue — our 4th Annual Camps & Clinics Resource Guide.

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When it’s time to choose activities for the athletes in your family, you will have the quintessential resource at your fingertips. Read it in print at a store near you, be a subscriber or catch it online at SportStarsOnline.com

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St. Mary’s-Stockton senior Charise Holloway finds her way to the hoop for an easy basket during the Rams’ Jan. 18 game against Windward-L.A. Photo by James K. Leash

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