BA Issue 97 March 2015

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March 2015

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

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Good on the Gauchos

I

n our last issue, I took a moment to dredge through some of the more controversial happenings that were happening in the NorCal sporting arena — most notably the dust-up between the Central Coast Section and Serra-San Mateo football.

For those who didn’t read the column, or weren’t aware of the controversy, I don’t want to go into great detail again. In a nutshell, it boiled down to Serra coach Patrick Walsh making a decision to forfeit the CCS Open Division Consolation Championship game with Milpitas. It was a decision he based on the health and safety of his players, which had played through 13 games already and Walsh believed were risking injury by playing in what boiled down to a meaningless game. The CCS cracked down with multiple sanctions, including suspending the program from the postseason for two seasons.

Serra has appealed the decision and a hearing has been set for March 13. To read more of my thoughts on the matter, check out our previous issue online at SportStarsOnline.com/Magazine.

In the meantime, I wanted to take this month to applaud a decision by a coach that has flown a bit under the radar.

Last year, the El Cerrito boys basketball team was an unfortunate casualty of the California Interscholastic Federation Open Division.

After losing to superior Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland by 20 in the North Coast Section Division III championship game, the Gauchos — who were 28-3 and would’ve been a major state title contender in Div. III — were still chosen to join the Dragons in the Open Div. They were given the sixth and final seed and sent on the road to play Archbishop Mitty-San Jose. They lost by nine and were done for the year.

Coming into the 2014-15 academic year, El Cerrito coach Michael Booker knew he was poised to have another strong team. He also knew that Bishop O’Dowd was going to be even better, nationallyranked with McDonald’s All-American Ivan Rabb at center.

So the Gauchos petitioned out of Div. III up to Division II. On the surface it looks like the Gauchos are simply trying to avoid O’Dowd and the rest of a very strong NCS Division III field. As the

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Sayeed Pridgett, right No. 1 seed, El Cerrito is now the “O’Dowd” of Division II. The Gauchos will be heavy favorites, and running the table with big wins may not save them from the Open Division. That may very well happen, and El Cerrito may still be a one-and-done in the state playoffs.

But, if they take care of business at the section level, Booker’s boys will get to hang a banner. They will have a championship which can be celebrated by the players, school and community.

And after the way their season was thrown to the wolves in 2014, the Gauchos deserve that much. ✪

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sabrina

ionescu

Miramonte-Orinda - Basketball - Junior The Matadors entered the North Coast Section playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the Div. III bracket after finishing the regular season 24-2 and wrapping up a third straight perfect season in the Diablo Foothill Athletic League. And there is no secret who makes the Matadors go and go and go — it’s Ionescu. In a pair of victories over Alhambra and Dublin on Feb. 10 and 12, respectively, the 6-foot wing posted a quadruple double and followed it up with a triple double. In the win over Alhambra, Ionescu’s stat line included 24 points, 12 assists, 11 rebounds and 10 steals.

Two nights later at Dublin — in a win which sealed the DFAL title — the nationally-ranked recruit posted 21 points, 19 rebounds and 19 assists. Miramonte will be a favorite to repeat as Div. III champions and all but certain to be placed in the CIF Open Division tournament for the Northern Regional playoffs.

IN HER OWN WORDS: “We lost six seniors from last year’s team, and I definitely didn’t expect to be this good and solid this early in the postseason. We’ve had some players who have really stepped up. And if we can have that mindset of playing our butts off and doing everything like we know how to do, we’ll do well.”

honorable mention Jacob Buchanan: The Campolindo senior soccer standout scored a game-winning header in the 84th minute to defeat Ygnacio Valley 2-1 in an NCS quarterfinal on Feb. 21.

MaAne’ Mosley: The St. Mary’sBerkeley Cal-bound senior scored 19 of her 23 points in the second half to lead the Panthers to a 62-59 upset of rival Salesian on Feb. 21.

Donovin Guerrero: De La Salle’s junior wrestler (115 pounds) won his second consecutive East Bay Athletic League title with a secondround pin of Amador Valley’s Tyler Klein.

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Rapid Fire

Kristian heptner Christian Brothers-Sac Soccer

Mikaela Nocetti El Camino-Sacramento Volleyball

Who should host the 2016 oscars Will Ferrell

Trending What’s hot this week in the world of stuff that’s hot Kanye West didn’t interrupt the Oscars to insist on Beyoncé winning Best Sound Editing. Frankly, we’re all the poorer for it.

Miles Morales is rumored to be taking over as Spider-Man from Peter Parker when the series gets rebooted. The black/Hispanic Morales’ biggest foe will be rednecks on Twitter.

It’s baseball spring training. Which means we were sick of hearing about A-Rod two weeks ago.

Two girls high school basketball teams from Tennessee were booted from the playoffs for each playing to lose (and thus enter the consolation bracket to avoid a national power). Was it worth it?

Jimmy Fallon

first ever college you wanted to play for Stanford USF (where her parents attended) favorite breakfast cereal

Cap'n Crunch

Honey Nut Cheerios

your most-used phone app Twitter

Instagram

song you can never get out of your head 'No Role Models' by J. Cole

'I Want It That Way' by the Backstreet Boys

The Oscars. Hollywood’s biggest night, unless you happen to be a woman standing within arm’s length of John Travolta, apparently. Then it’s just awkward and handsy.

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Say What

top five fantasy baseball tips: norcal edition Ah, springtime. When a young sports fan’s mind turns to pitchers and catchers reporting. That’s right. Training: vernal version. As we mull over the many, many offseason moves (Matt Kemp is a Padre? John Lester is a Cub? Panda is a BoSox? All of the A’s are a something else? What the what?), here is our list of the Top 5 Fantasy Draft Tips: NorCal Connection Edition.

1. PASS ON PABLO. Sure, sure, he’s a right-handed power bat who should play pepper with The Monstah, but have you seen the Giants’ former third baseman lately?

Neither have we. Apparently he was swallowed by a humpback whale wearing a Red Sox cap.

2. TRY TYSON. Not the chicken. The starting pitcher. Remember Tyson Ross? Tall fella? Formerly misused A’s pitcher and Bishop O’Dowd product? Slotted in as the No. 3 starter on a revamped Padres roster, look for Ross to rack up his share of short-outing W’s.

3. LEAVE LESTER. Is he a NorCal guy, really? Well, it says here he pitched for the A’s for a minute, though we’re not sure we remember that. We have kind of a hazy blank spot in our memory where the second half of last season used to was. Anyway. The Friendly Confines are not traditionally all that friendly to left-handed power pitchers.

Wait ‘til the wind is blowing out, Johnny Boy, and tell us how great you feel about THAT decision.

4. ROLL WITH ROLLINS. Call us crazy, but we think J-Roll, the pride of Alameda’s Encinal High School, still has a little something left in the tank. And Dodger Blue isn’t that far off what he wore as a Jet. 5. BET ON BRETT. Don’t get us wrong. We were HUGE Josh Donaldson fans (good luck in the Great White North, JD!), but we have a hunch that the Canadian Crusher could settle in for a monster year out at the stadium formerly known as the Oakland Coliseum. Plus, he’s nice to little girls on YouTube. How can you root against that? If you hate Brett Lawrie, you hate little girl baseball fans. You heartless jerk.

— Bill ‘Wait ‘til Next Year’ Kolb

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“He’s the Big Joe and we’re all just a bunch of Little Joes.”

College Park-Pleasant Hill pitcher Chris Brown, right, talking about Falcons teammate and preseason Mr. State Baseball candidate, Joe DeMers, left.

Brown (UC Davis) and DeMers (Washington) are two of seven College Park players who have committed to Div. I colleges for 2016.

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count 'em Number of triple-doubles recorded by Freedom-Oakley girls basketball star, Cydnee Kinslow this season. Her eighth came in a 68-18 win over Antioch on Feb. 20 when she had 12 points, 18 rebounds and 16 blocked shots. Blocks are her specialty.

She’s averaged 9.8 per game over 22 contests.

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Seasonal Smash I

Cal-Hi Sports reaches the inevitable moment in which coverage of all three major high school sports collide

n the more than 35 years of writing about California high school sports and compiling records, it’s always been possible to concentrate on one or two sports seasons at a time.

But in mid-February, as we began to put together preseason rankings for baseball and softball, we realized those days are over for good.

In the past, once the all-state teams were released and Signing Day had come and gone in early February, it was okay to put football on hold for a month or two. This is before the major combines are held and we could focus in on the CIF section and state basketball playoffs plus the preseason rankings in baseball and softball.

As anyone who runs a high school sports-based website knows, however, football is the sport that generates the most traffic and the most interest among advertisers. And with more and more events for football being held from as early as mid-January and more year-round training, football just can’t be put on hold at any time. Year-round coverage has become a must.

The moment for us came during one week in February while looking over nominees and preparing the post for our first-ever Cal-Hi Sports All-State AllAcademic football teams. On the same day players began to be chosen — including Northern Californians like Riley Quinn from St. Francis-Mountain View, Trey Nahhas from Monterey Trail-Elk Grove and Matt Abramo from Casa GrandePetaluma — we had to get ready to make an appearance on the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section basketball playoff selection show. This also was the same day that we sent out questionnaires to many of the state’s top baseball and softball coaches for the preseason rankings.

It was all five primary sports we cover at Cal-Hi Sports — football, boys & girls hoops, baseball & softball — having things happening at the same time.

Fortunately for me, on the basketball front, I’m not the one who primarily does the state rankings.

Our managing editor, Ronnie Flores, who is based in the Long Beach area, does the boys. Harold Abend, who many know in the Bay Area for his work on our behalf over the years, takes care of the girls.

Still, the days of covering fall, winter and spring sports on the high school level as if they are changing like the seasons, have become as prehistoric as a land-line phone.

In order to see the full list of the first-ever Cal-Hi Sports All-State All-Academic football teams, go to CalHiSports.com and search “Academic” if the story no longer appears in our “Latest News” list of items.

Also, while you’re at CalHiSports.com, we urge you to take advantage of an exclusive offer we have that allows you to sign up for the NFHS Network for 50 percent off. The NFHS Network does live video streaming for every CIF section and offers live video streaming for many of the state’s top inter-sectional football games.

A one-year subscription to the NFHS usually costs $119. Only through CalHiSports.com can you get it for $59.99. A subscription now takes you through the 2015 football season and would even autorenew at this same low, low price. ✪

Mark Tennis is the co-founder of Cal-Hi Sports, and publisher of CalHiSports.com. Contact him at markjtennis@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter, @CalHiSports.

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Football: Stanford-bound Serra-San Mateo lineman Jack Dreyer was a first-team selection to the Cal-Hi Sports All-State All-Academic Football Team on Feb. 20.

Basketball: Tre Finch and Folsom basketball earned a No. 1 seed in the Sac-Joaquin Section Div. II playoffs on Feb. 18.

Softball: Catcher Sierra Blair, left, and Carondelet-Concord softball had their first scrimmage on Feb. 28.

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girls basketball Rankings

boys basketball Rankings

Previous ranking in parentheses; through Feb. 21 1. (1) — Mater Dei-Santa Ana 26-1 Coach Kevin Kiernan happy it’s a 16-team bracket in CIFSS Open Div, this time instead of eight.

2. (2) — St. Mary’s-Stockton 26-1 Poly could give Mater Dei a battle, most expect Open Div. clash between Rams, Monarchs.

3. (3) — Long Beach Poly 24-2 Jackrabbits won first CIFSS Open Division playoff game 59-42 over Cajon-San Bernardino 4. (5) ▲ Chaminade-West Hills 22-3 There was a two-week period when the Eagles were behind St. Ignatius 5. (4) ▼ St. Ignatius-S.F. 20-4 A loss to Mitty dropped the Wildcats into a co-title in the WCAL 6. (6) — Miramonte-Orinda 24-2 Mats could be ahead of St. Ignatius, but haven’t beaten any team as good as Chaminade 7. (7) — Pinewood-Los Altos Hills 22-2 Panthers are seeded No. 2 in the CCS Open Division behind St. Ignatius.

8. (8) — Sierra Canyon-Chatsworth 21-4 Last year’s D4 state champs have the ability to do damage in the Open Division 9. (9) — Carondelet-Concord 24-2 Cougars should win NCS D2 title and then would head to the NorCal Open Division 10. (10) — Bishop Alemany-Mission Hills 23-5 A recent win over No. 4 Chaminade elevated the Warriors in the state rankings 11. (12) ▲ Archbishop Mitty-San Jose 19-5 When sophomore Heleyna Hill plays well, the Monarchs become very hard to beat 12. (15) ▲ Vanden-Fairfield 24-3 As VIkes near No. 10 spot, that’s the threshold for Open Div. consideration.

13. (14) ▲ Garces-Bakersfield 26-1 Best wins by the Rams are still the ones against Serra-Gardena, Windward-L.A. 14. (16) ▲ Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland 18-8 Other than loss to St. Mary’s-Stockton, Dragons have won 15 of 16 15. (17) ▲ Brea Olinda-Brea 23-3 Ladycats have been No. 2 in Orange County behind Mater Dei most of the season 16. (18) ▲ Narbonne-Harbor City 22-4* This is the top seeded team for the CIF L.A. City Section Open Division 17. (19) ▲ Sacred Heart Cathedral-S.F. 14-10 Took down Mitty and then beat St. Francis to finish off more than solid WCAL campaign 18. (20) ▼ Vista Murrieta-Murrieta 22-6 The Broncos have two of the state’s top juniors in Jaelyn Brown and Brittney Reed 19. (20) ▲ Salesian-Richmond 25-3 After 62-59 loss to St. Mary’s of Berkeley, the Pride drops some spots but not that much 20. (NR) ▲ Ventura 23-5 No. 6 seed in the CIFSS Open Div. comes in after an 42-35 playoff win over Canyon Springs *Forfeit loss not included.

Dropped Out: No. 11 Oaks Christian-Westlake Village

Previous ranking in parentheses; through Feb. 21 1. (1) — Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland 21-4 All four of the Dragons’ losses are to teams ranked in the top 10 nationally 2. (2) — Mater Dei-Santa Ana 25-3 Like O’Dowd, the Monarchs also haven’t lost to another California team this season 3. (3) — Bishop Montgomery-Torrance 27-1 Despite Mater Dei’s in-state win streak, Knights were handed the top seed for the CIFSS Open Div. 4. (4) — Sierra Canyon-Chatsworth 22-3 Very strong out-of-state resume enables the Trailblazers to be back in front of Fairfax 5. (5) — Fairfax-Los Angeles 28-2 Were roaring at 26-0 until losing to Mater Dei at then to rival Westchester.

6. (6) — Centennial-Corona 22-4 Juniors Khalil Ahmad and Jordan Griffin have the Huskies and their fans thinking big 7. (10) ▲ Etiwanda 21-7 Eagles knocked of Damien-La Verne in league finale and won first CIFSS Open Div. game 8. (11) ▲ Cathedral-Los Angeles 20-6 Two juniors for the Phantoms already have Pac-12 commitments 9. (14) ▲ Chino Hills 20-6* Lonzo Ball, one nation’s top juniors, had 35 points, 12 rebs. in CIFSS Open Div. opener 10. (12) ▲ Moreau Catholic-Hayward 21-5 Mariners head into NCS D3 playoffs as No. 2 seed behind O’Dowd.

11. (15) ▲ Orange Lutheran-Orange 23-4 Team from Mater Dei’s league moved up after knocking off previous No. 7 Damien 12. (7) ▼ Damien-La Verne 23-4 Despite loss to Orange Lutheran, Spartans still look like huge state title contenders 13. (13) — Monte Vista-Danville 24-2 That 48-40 loss to San Ramon Valley didn’t mean much for NCS D1 playoffs, or the rankings 14. (16) ▲ Sacramento 23-4 All four of the Dragons’ losses are to teams from outside of the SJS. 15. (17) ▲ El Cerrito 25-3 The Gauchos moved up to D2 for the NCS playoffs; could still wind up in CIF Open Div. 16. (8) ▼ Long Beach Poly 22-4 Jackrabbits dropped after an Open Div. playoff loss to Chino Hills 17. (9) ▼ Redondo Union-Redondo Beach 21-6 Seahawks lost by five in their CIFSS Open Div. playoff opener 18. (19) ▲ De La Salle-Concord 23-3 What continues to help the Spartans in the rankings is not having any stinker losses 19. (20) ▲ Westchester-Los Angeles 19-11 Big win over Fairfax two weeks ago shows Comets are still a force in L.A. and the state 20. (NR) ▲ Modesto Christian 24-3 How good will an SJS D2 final be between the Crusaders and No. 14 Sacramento? *Forfeit loss not included.

Dropped Out: No. 18 Alemany-Mission Hills

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I swim on our high school team, and I swim pretty much year-round, though not with a really big club. I go to high school practice every day and work hard, but then for meets, club swimmers who never come to practice get to compete. Is that fair?

G.H., Contra Costa County

T

he short answer: No, it’s not fair.

The long answer: It depends.

In an ideal world, at least for high school coaches and teams, high school swimming would be the pinnacle of the sport for teen-agers — but of course it’s not. In fact, high school swimming is an afterthought for the elite swimmers, and many, as you well know, don’t even bother to support their school by competing in high school meets.

In that ideal world, though, you’d have to be at practice every day to compete in meets because if you weren’t, you most likely wouldn’t be the best at your event.

But in the real world of swimming, it’s pretty clear who’s got the goods because the stopwatch doesn’t lie. It’s not like someone can know the plays better or be such a good infielder that the fact she can’t really hit is less important. In swimming, it’s simple: Are you faster or not? Case closed.

So even though John Wooden coached basketball a long time ago, he had a quote that applies here: “I treat everybody fairly, but not equally.”

That club swimmer who shows up only for meets doesn’t spend the time the high school team is practicing posting to Instagram — she’s at a workout much, much tougher than the high school workout. Oh, and don’t forget she’s swimming a couple hours in the morning as well. It’s not like she isn’t working at swimming, or not investing in the sport.

She’s making decisions about what will make her the best swimmer and maybe get part or all of her college education paid for.

Perhaps you’re that good, and you choose not to go the club route, but most likely the most talented swimmers with the most post-high school potential do more than just swim for their high schools. So should they be treated the same as a swimmer whose competitive career might end with graduation?

Some might say yes. Some might argue that it’s about team; it’s about your school; it’s about your community. And if you’re not there Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, you’re not in the varsity heats on Thursday.

On the other hand, though, the elite club swimmer who misses a rigorous workout to come swim a couple races and blow by the opposition is doing something for her team, for her school and for the wider community. After all, a lot of elite swimmers don’t compete for their high schools — so shouldn’t those who want to be allowed to?

For most coaches, and usually for most high school swimmers, it seems fair to allow the top swimmers to do their club workouts a couple times a week, if not more. It’s not equal, in the sense that those top swimmers aren’t doing exactly the same thing as the high school team. But in this sport, they’re very likely doing more (and maybe a lot more).

Does that make it completely fair? No. Is there a case to be made that if an elite swimmer doesn’t want to work out with his high school team every day then he shouldn’t swim in meets? Yes. But, as always, things are never as simple as they seem, and the consensus is that elite swimmers can do both without penalty, for all of the reasons mentioned above. That’s not much comfort, granted, but one of the many lessons of sport is that talent in any field will have options that the less talented don’t. ✪ 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 him at clayk@fullcourt.com

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Dirt Bikes

ATVs AND...

I

f you have ever visited an SVRA (State Vehicular Recreation Area), you have surely seen dirt bikes, ATVs, and maybe even some big trucks and Jeeps crawling around. Did you know that at Prairie City SVRA, we have Quarter Midget Racing too? Quarter Midget Racing is another way to enjoy the great outdoors, get physically active, and have lots of fun!

What is Quarter Midget Racing?

Quarter Midget Racing was started to promote sportsmanship in children while also providing a family oriented racing activity. In recognition of the drivers, trophies are awarded at regional, state, and national events. No cash prizes are awarded.

Some of the benefits of racing include: ›› It teaches the meaning of sportsmanship, fair play by following rules and how to be a good winner or a gracious loser. ›› It develops coordination, and a sense of timing and independent thinking. ›› It teaches self-reliance. Once a green flag has dropped, they are on their own. ›› The spirit of competition also comes along here. They learn to drive hard, but that rules must be observed. Rule infractions may result in disqualification. ›› Development of knowledge and an appreciation for mechanical devices. ›› It teaches safe driving skills that are carried on in their teen years on the road. Very few people develop the skill that these children acquire. We believe this level of skill is valuable when they become adult drivers. They learn that there is a place to race an automobile — which is NOT on the public highway systems where so many young adult drivers lose their lives. ›› It develops a sense of responsibility. Alertness and concern for the safety of others is acquired. ›› This sport is for boys AND girls!

What is a Quarter Midget race car? It is a scaled-down version of an actual midget racer, approximately 1/4 scale. The cars are built around a tubular frame and are fully suspended with springs or torsion bars and shocks.

The Prairie City SVRA State Park training program is available for children ages 5-16. It will be hosting a free open house event on Saturday, March 14, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.. Training rides will be available for both boys and girls.

Kids who want demo rides must have closed toed shoes and long pants. There will be raffle prizes, giveaways, appearances from race car drivers and more.

Alan Bartley is our Head Trainer. If you are interested in participating in our training program, please contact Alan at AQMATrainer@yahoo.com.

Please bring your family and be sure to check our race schedule and come out and enjoy a full day of exciting racing.

The Prairie City SVRA State Park is located at 13300 White Rock Road in Rancho Cordova. There is a $5 gate entrance fee to all state parks. ✪

Race Cars?

Prairie City SVRA State Park offers opportunity to experience Quarter Midget Racing

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Holly Azevedo, left, and Alexandra Luna 16

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P

ioneer High isn’t one of the traditional Central Coast Section softball powers.

In fact, the list of CCS softball finalists over the years doesn’t reveal much about the history of the sport at the San Jose school: Five title game appearances spread among 192 possible spots over 39 years of CCS championship play.

This is not to diminish Pioneer’s accomplishments — there are, after all, two CCS titles in those years (the most recent coming in 2010) — but rather to highlight how special this year’s team is.

This year is different, however. Pioneer aims high and with good reason — a lineup that has no holes and a battery that’s the envy of any team in the section.

Alexandra Luna and Holly Azevedo would not have been considered such at the beginning of last season.

Luna would definitely have been among any short list of the area’s top catchers, but nobody, not even her coach, was aware of Azevedo’s potential.

“I didn’t know anything about her really,” said Ernie Garcia, the eighth-year coach who led the Mustangs to the 2010 Division II crown. “I had heard things, but I had no idea.”

Azevedo was expected to be the team’s No. 3 pitcher when she was brought up to the varsity as a freshman last year. Instead, she led the Mustangs into the CCS Division II title game and finished with a 19-3 record, 0.86 ERA, with 198 strikeouts and only 34 walks in 151.1 innings.

The Mustangs’ season ended against superpower Archbishop Mitty-San Jose, 7-4, and Azevedo was the victim of six unearned runs. But Pioneer (24-8 in 2014) had plenty to be optimistic about for the future. The Mustangs lost only one senior to graduation off a team that hit a combined .332 and captured the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s top-tiered Mount Hamilton Division with a 13-1 record.

Luna, who has signed a letter of intent with San Jose State, hit .476, slugged .804, and had five homers and 10 doubles during the season. She was also 5-for-6 with five walks in the CCS tournament.

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Also back is junior leadoff batter MacKenzie Drake, who hit .511, with 15 doubles and three homers. And so is OF/1B Caitlyn Weisner and her .329 average, and 10 steals in 11 attempts; and outfielder Kiana Moneski,who hit .361 and stole nine bases a year ago.

“We have good team chemistry,” Azevedo said. “Even if we’re having a bad day, our friends, our teammates, are going to pick us up. There’s not as much pressure. You can relax and do your thing.”

No wonder Garcia is so fired up about the season, he won’t let the Mustangs consider how good they are.

“I don’t want to say we’re better than last year,” Garcia said.

“I simply want to say we’re on the right path. My biggest goal for them is to keep their focus. I don’t want to be ranked, I want to be a regular team that goes about its business and goes back to work.

“I need them to understand: You guys are as good as you want to be. My biggest fear is that they will look all the way to the end of the season and think, We’ve got it this year.”

Luna, for one, won’t let that happen. A true competitor, Luna was not only crucial to Azevedo’s development, but is so savvy and talented that she allows Pioneer’s system to succeed.

She often calls her own pitches and her bat is a differencemaker.

“If I’m coaching third and I have a runner on first or second, and Alex is coming up, I almost guarantee she’s going to get a hit,” Garcia said. “‘There’s a run.’ That’s how confident I am.

“When she’s behind the plate, we have so many plays and they revolve around how good a catcher I have. The better the catcher, the more aggressive we can be. I get my infielders and outfielders involved, and it all revolves around the fact that I have a good catcher who understands and knows the game.”

Perhaps that’s why Luna flourishes. The position seems an

extension of her personality.

“Everybody always asks how I got into catching,” Luna said.

“It doesn’t seem like the most fun position. But it just clicked for me. Catching was always my thing. I just love being back there, seeing everything and talking, and controlling the field.”

But perhaps Luna’s biggest achievement is Azevedo herself, even after that combination did not get off to the best of starts.

Pioneer opened last season against Mitty — a preview of the CCS final — and Garcia started another pitcher who failed to get out of the first inning. Azevedo came on in emergency relief.

Garcia still didn’t quite know what he had and was surprised when just about every pitch he called went somewhere else. Mitty took advantage by continuing its offensive assault against Azevedo, who was lit up for nine hits, two home runs, and seven earned runs in an 8-0 loss.

Afterward, Garcia approached Luna to ask for her evaluation of Azevedo’s performance. Luna was at a loss as to why none of the pitches ended up where she wanted them.

“I thought that was the way she threw,” Luna told her coach.

At the next practice, Garcia spent the entire afternoon with Azevedo and Luna, propping a screen behind his catcher, pulling up a chair behind it, and calling pitches. He realized that Azevedo had all the pitch calls reversed. If he asked for a dropball, she threw a rise. If he wanted a rise, she threw a drop, and so on. All afternoon, they worked to get on the same page and their relationship was born.

“We fixed it,” Garcia said. “ After that, it was pretty much lights out.”

Two days after the Mitty debacle, Azevedo was slated again only for emergency relief, this time against another traditionally strong program, Wilcox-Santa Clara. Again, the Pioneer starter struggled and Azevedo came on in relief.

But this time, she was a different pitcher. Azevedo threw two perfect innings and struck out four of the six batters she faced. Her ability was revealed.

After the game, Garcia spoke with Holly and her father about her pitching style, and the coach realized she still had been hamstrung by his lack of understanding her full arsenal.

Nonetheless, Azevedo became the Mustangs’ starter for the rest of the season.

“Holly has great velocity on her pitches, but she’s trying not to be overpowering, just using her pitches rather than forcing them,” Garcia said. “She has a drop, riseball, screwball and one of the deadliest changeups around. And then there’s location, that’s the stuff Luna has really helped Holly on. Toward the end of last year, Holly was pretty much unhittable.”

Azevedo is 5-foot-8 and still growing and gaining power as her body matures. Her velocity may be unparalleled in the BVAL, but it’s her ability to hit her spots that makes the team’s strategy work.

Garcia has emboldened Luna to call her own games — often while he tries to throw off potential sign-stealers with fake pitch calls that Luna pretends to observe.

The relationship between Luna and Azevedo has developed so that they understand each other enough to attack a batter together. Luna may ask for a pitch to be delivered an inch or two farther outside and Azevedo delivers.

“Now, she’s totally learned how to finesse her pitches and really use all of them,” Garcia said. “She’s got so many weapons. She’s a different player than she was a year ago.”

Azevedo is only 16 and already has committed to UCLA for the 2018 season.

As for Luna, “I trust her completely,” Garcia said.

That’s why Pioneer seems intent on making some softball history. ✪

Story By David Kiefer | Photos by Norbert von der Groeben Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, and like us on Facebook!

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infielders MACKENZIE DRAKE

SCHOOL: Pioneer-San Jose. YEAR: Junior SCOUTING REPORT: The speedy shortstop was a dynamo at the top of the Mustangs order, hitting .511 with 45 hits, 16 RBI, 15 doubles and three HR.

DEANNE GARZA

SCHOOL: James Logan-Union City. YEAR: Senior SCOUTING REPORT: Garza’s breakout junior season for the Colts saw her bat .467 with 35 hits, 20 runs scored and 20 RBI.

ALEXANDRA LUNA

SCHOOL: Pioneer-San Jose. YEAR: Senior SCOUTING REPORT: The San Jose State-bound catcher mashed her way to a .476 average and drove in 25 run on 39 hits (16 for extra bases).

SARAH MUZIK

SCHOOL: Notre Dame-Salinas. YEAR: Senior SCOUTING REPORT: The shortstop was a force for the CCS Div. III champs in 2014. The Hawaiicommit hit .489 on 44 hits, scored 41 runs with 22 RBI and seven triples.

BRIANNA PEREZ

SCHOOL: Alhambra-Martinez. YEAR: Sophomore SCOUTING REPORT: Committed to UCLA (where her sister Kylee plays) after a freshman season of batting .458 with 33 runs, 27 RBI, 24 stolen bases and five home runs.

JAMIE SUGIMOTO

SCHOOL: Soquel. YEAR: Senior SCOUTING REPORT: Displaying all kinds of pop in her bat, the shortstop hit .511 with 30 of her 48 hits going for extra bases. She had 16 doubles, 12 home runs and 51 RBI.

KIM TRICE

SCHOOL: Heritage-Brentwood. YEAR: Senior SCOUTING REPORT: The first baseman is the reigning Bay Valley Athletic League MVP after batting .516 with 30 RBI on 33 hits for the Patriots.

TAYLOR ZEHR

SCHOOL: Granada-Livermore. YEAR: Senior SCOUTING REPORT: The Matadors’ catcher batted .511 as a junior with 46 hits and 10 home runs — one of which came off 2014 Ms. State Softball awardee Johanna Grauer in the NCS Div. I final.

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Desiree Severance

Karlee Sparacino

DANIELLE BOWERS

SCHOOL: Archbishop Mitty-San Jose YEAR: Senior SCOUTING REPORT: The Cal-commit will once again anchor the Monarchs’ loaded lineup. As a junior she hit .433 with 42 hits (half for extra bases) and 40 RBI.

HOLLY AZEVEDO

Taylor Blair

outfielders JACEY PHIPPS

SCHOOL: Carlmont-Belmont YEAR: Junior SCOUTING REPORT: Phipps was a spark plug for the CCS Div. I champs. She batted .413 on 38 hits with six triples and a teambest 35 runs scored. She also knocked in 23 runs.

Pitchers BRYNNE FITZPATRICK

SCHOOL: Pioneer-San Jose YEAR: Sophomore SCOUTING REPORT: She went 19-3 as a freshman with a 0.83 ERA, 11 shutouts, 198 strikeouts and just 34 walks over 151 innings. She orally committed to UCLA in December.

SCHOOL: Valley Christian-San Jose YEAR: Senior SCOUTING REPORT: The Cal-bound Fitzpatrick is a strikeout machine, tallying 381 punchouts in just 186 innings a season ago.

She went 21-7 with a 0.60 ERA and also hit .348 with 16 RBI.

TAYLOR BLAIR

utility ADRIANA IBARRA

SCHOOL: Carondelet-Concord YEAR: Senior SCOUTING REPORT: The Arizona Statecommit had 15 wins in the circle with 181 strikeouts and was also the Cougars’ top hitter, batting .455 with 40 hits (12 doubles) and 23 RBI.

SCHOOL: San Benito-Hollister YEAR: Senior SCOUTING REPORT: About to begin her fourth year on varsity, Ibarra is a force at the plate and has excelled at pitcher, catcher and first base for the Haybalers. She’s committed to San Jose State.

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Taylor Zehr

KARLEE SPARACINO

SCHOOL: Alhambra-Martinez YEAR: Sophomore SCOUTING REPORT: Already committed to Oregon, the Ducks will cross their fingers she doesn’t have a change of heart after she hit .608 on 48 hits, scored 36 runs and had 28 RBI as a freshman.

DESIREE SEVERANCE

SCHOOL: Archbishop Mitty-San Jose YEAR: Senior SCOUTING REPORT: A serious two-way threat for the Monarchs, the Drexel-bound star went 15-0 with a 0.63 ERA in the circle while also hitting .375 with 29 RBI.

CAROLYN LEE

SCHOOL: Dougherty Valley-San Ramon YEAR: Senior SCOUTING REPORT: The Wildcats ace went 12-10 in the circle with a 1.14 ERA and 211 strikeouts in just 141 innings. She also hit .358 with 14 RBI. ✪

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PRESEASON NorCal Softball Top 20 1. Archbishop Mitty-San Jose (30-1 in 2014) While the Monarchs lost Ms. State Softball finalist Jazmyn Jackson to graduation, there’s plenty of talent remaining from last season’s Central Coast Division II champion. The offense will be left in the the hands of seniors Danielle Bowers (.433, 42 hits, 30 runs, 40 RBI and 21 extra-base hits), Haley Wymbs (.360, 32 hits, 33 runs and 24 RBI) and Desiree Severance (.375, 30 hits and 29 RBI). Severance is also one of two returning pitchers, both of which notched 15 wins in the circle a season ago. Severance was 15-0 with a 0.63 ERA and Stephanie Kristo (also a senior in 2015) went 15-1 with a 1.18 ERA.

2. Vacaville (29-1-1) The defending Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I champs lost slugging third baseman Julia DePonte to graduation, but still boast some steady bats with sophomore Alyse Rojas (.516) and junior Maddie Rojas (.383). More importantly, junior pitcher Katie Kibby returns to the circle after going 29-1 with a 0.62 ERA and 233 strikeouts last season.

3. Pioneer-San Jose (24-5) With practically all of their offensive standouts returning, along with sophomore star pitcher Holly Azevedo, the Mustangs are built to give Mitty and other CCS powers a real run for their money in 2015.

4. Alhambra-Martinez (25-2) The 2014 NCS Div. II champs bring all kinds of offense to the table, beginning with sophomore stars Karlee Sparacino (.608, 48 hits) and Brianna Perez (.458, 27 RBI).

5. East Union-Manteca (25-4) All-around star Alexis Erich, who went 21-2 with a 2.04 ERA in the pitching circle and batted .400 with four home runs, leads the way for the SJS Div. IV runners-up.

6. Valley Christian-San Jose (22-8) The Warriors make it three CCS Div. II teams in the top six. The team graduated just two players and returns starting pitcher Brynne Fitzpatrick (0.60 ERA, 381 strikeouts)

7. Pioneer-Woodland (25-3) The Patriots have won two straight SJS Div. III titles and return senior ace Angelica Dark who went 23-3 with a 1.30 ERA.

8. James Logan-Union City (23-3) Deanne Garza (.467, 26 RBI) leads the way as the Colts return a ton of talent from their NCS Div. I semifinalist group of a year ago.

9. Heritage-Brentwood (19-5) The Patriots return Bay Valley Athletic League MVP Kim Trice (.516, 30 RBI) and a fantastic mix of speed, defense and pitching.

10. Roseville (24-6) The tough pitching duo of Naomi Monahan (16-3, 2.18 ERA) and Shaylyn Borowiak (7-3, 2.18) return to improve on an SJS Div. I quarterfinal appearance.

11. Notre Dame-Salinas (26-3) 12. Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove (26-9-1) 13. Sheldon-Elk Grove (20-11) 14. Carlmont-Belmont (27-3) 15. Granada-Livermore (19-9)

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16. San Benito-Hollister (22-4-1) 17. Benicia (18-5) 18. Wilcox-Santa Clara (22-8) 19. Casa Roble-Orangevale (18-10) 20. Hillsdale-San Mateo (21-8)

PRESEASON NorCal Baseball Top 20 1. College Park-Pleasant Hill (27-3 in 2014)

The Falcons closed 2014 atop the NorCal Top 20 after rolling to an NCS Div. II title. They begin 2015 in the same place with returning starters at nearly ever position and are absolutely loaded with Division-I college talent. Senior RHP/SS Joe DeMers (Washington commit) leads a list of seven players signed to four-year programs, including five headed to the Pac-12. DeMers is on just about every watch-list after a junior season that included a 12-2 record, an 0.62 ERA, 94 strikeouts and just nine walks while also hitting .371 with a team-leading 32 RBI. College Park’s No. 1A pitcher, Chris Brown (UC Davis), went 11-1 as a junior with a 0.78 ERA. The offense features outfielders Trevor Larnach (Oregon State), Nick Oar (Stanford) and Jeff Mitchell (Cal) as well as IF/C Willie MacIver (Washington).

2. De La Salle-Concord (21-7)

The defending NCS Div. I champs have plenty back, notably southpaw flame-thrower Justin Hooper. The UCLA-commit will be heavily followed by MLB scouts after posting a 2.03 ERA last season. Myles Coston, Michael McAdoo and Andrew Schatz are also key.

3. Elk Grove (26-6)

The Thundering Herd lost OF Derek Hill, a first-round draft choice by the Detroit Tigers, but plenty of talent remains Senior SS Nick Madrigal is a four-year starter and pitchers Austin Del Chiaro (7-1, 1.34 ERA) and Chris Martin (7-2, 0.87 ERA) each return also.

4. Archbishop Mitty-San Jose (24-7)

After going 8-2 with a 0.89 ERA and 108 strikeouts against just 14 walks in 2014, Stanfordbound Kris Bubic gives the Monarchs a bonafide ace.

5. Serra-San Mateo (16-12)

The Padres return three top hitters led by junior IF Angelo Bortolin (.365, 39 RBI in 2014) and a trio of pitchers who averaged 23 IP each last season.

6. Davis (22-13-1)

Junior SS Ryan Kreidler leads the defending Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I champion Blue Devils, but pitching will be an early question mark.

7. Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland (16-11)

Dragons graduated just six from last year’s roster and boast junior ace Leo Nierenberg who was 8-1 with 0.28 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 2014.

8. Franklin-Elk Grove (20-11)

The Wildcats returns a host of bats and all but one of their starting pitchers from a last year’s 20-win group. CSU Fullerton-bound SS Hank LoForte leads the way.

9. San Ramon Valley-Danville (20-8)

The 2014 NCS Div. I runner-up has plenty of talent returning at the plate, but has a question mark when it comes to the mound.

10. St. Mary’s-Stockton (22-15)

Rams have earned a spot in the SJS Division I finals each of the last six years and return enough talent to dominate Div. I-South play once again.

11. Leland-San Jose (23-9) 12. St. Francis-Mountain View (26-5) 13. Vanden-Fairfield (19-6) 14. Campolindo-Moraga (20-5) 15. Maria Carrillo-Santa Rosa (25-3)

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16. California-San Ramon (17-8) 17. Valley Christian-San Jose (22-10) 18. Jesuit-Carmichael (15-10-1) 19. Casa Grande-Petaluma (22-7) 20. Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove (21-5)

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J

eff Mitchell leans against the dugout fence as the sun shines down on an unusually warm President’s Day afternoon in Pleasant Hill.

The College Park High baseball diamond is reflected in Mitchell’s sunglasses as the Falcons’ starting centerfielder begins his story.

This story is centered around six boys who began playing travel baseball together when they were 8 and 9 years old. Mitchell was one of those, and his tale — which he recounts as though it might have happened merely a few weeks ago — is actually one from their time together as 10-year olds.

His story starts with the Pleasant Hill Condors playing up an age group in an 11-under tournament. “We were down 10-0 in the fourth or fifth inning,” Mitchell recalls, slightly shaking his head. “In the last inning, our coaches rallied us together and we ended up coming back and scoring 12 runs to win the game.

“We came back and won that game and were like ‘Wow, we’re a team from Pleasant Hill and we don’t know anything really. We’re the underdogs, but we can play like this and we can do it.’ That for me was when it really started, and after that it was just on.”

Two years after that, six boys became seven. All of them ended up at College Park.

Three years and one North Coast Section championship later, this will be the year when Mitchell, Noah Burnham, Willie MacIver, Chris Brown, Nick Oar, Trevor Larnach and Joe Demers find out how they’ll tell the final

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chapter of their time as teammates.

It has the potential to produce the best story yet.

When the Falcons begin their regular season on March 3 at Liberty, they’ll be doing so as SportStars’ top-ranked NorCal team and, more than likely, among Cal-Hi Sports’ top five in the state overall. They’ll be playing a schedule that will allow them to prove worthy of every preseason accolade — including a trip to Cary, N.C., this March to play in the National High School Invitational tourna-

ment run by USA Baseball.

It will be a bit of a role reversal from a year ago when this team somehow flew under the radar before closing out a 27-3 season with a dominant postseason run that culminated in the NCS Div. II title.

“Last year we were sort of the underdogs, though I don’t see how,” said Falcons coach Andy Tarpley, who is in his third year at College Park, but first began coaching the core group of seniors at the club level in the fall of their eighth-grade year. Some he knew even before that. “We had a chip on our shoulder.

Now they know they have the target on their back and they’re embracing it.”

For Tarpley, every day at practice must seem like a kid-in-a-candy-store experience.

The original group of seven players have all signed letters of intent to Division I colleges, including both his starting pitchers.

His starting outfield includes Larnach (Oregon State), Mitchell (Cal) and Oar (Stanford). MacIver will play on the left side of the infield but will likely be a catcher when he heads to Washington next season. Tarpley doesn’t need MacIver constantly behind the dish because he also has Burnham, who is signed to play at UC Santa Barbara. Then there’s the two pitchers, the right-handed fireballer DeMers (Washington) and the lefthanded paint artist Chris Brown (UC Davis).

“It’s super special to be part of this,” MacIver said. “Every day you see something new out on the field. Trevor (Larnach) will hit eight bombs in a row in batting pracice; Oar is hitting the ball through the scoreboard; Joe (DeMers) just keeps getting better and better.

It’s just crazy to watch and to be impressed with something new everyday.”

With all the talent, DeMers is the headliner and everybody knows it — and seems at peace with it.

“He’s Big Joe and we’re all a bunch of Little Joes,” Brown says with a grin.

DeMers begins his fourth season of varsity

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and is coming off of junior year in which he went 12-2 with a 0.62 ERA while also hiting .371 and leading the team with 32 RBI. The fact that none of the college-level talents on the team feel threatened by his slightly-elevated stature speaks to the deep bond they’ve created playing together over the last eight years, and also to the type of person DeMers is.

“When I was 12 years old and trying to integrate into this group I was a little intimidated,” Oar said. “Because, it was Joe DeMers, and geez, he’s ridiculous. But he was really humble and welcomed me with open arms and asked me to play catch. It would be very easy for him to be the guy who said ‘Who is this kid trying to be in our group?” But no, he’s better than that. He’s a better kid than that and it’s one of the things that I really respect him for.”

DeMers leads with simply his presence.

He’s not going to be outspoken and brash.

He wants to show up, have fun and win ball games. And with his level of talent, just showing up is a good start.

“He never stops surprising me,” Tarpley said before instantly breaking into a story about the team’s first scrimmage of this season, which they played at Serra-San Mateo just a few days earlier. “Here we are in our first scrimmage of the year, on the road at a tough opponent, seeing our first live game action in months. They have a left-handed guy on the hill and (Joe) comes to us coaches and says ‘I think I’m going to start the year off with an (opposite field) bomb.’

“Sure enough, he looked at one strike and then hit the next one over the opposite field fence. We were just laughing.”

It was the first scrimmage DeMers has been a part of at College Park since at least his freshman year. Each of the past two years, he was still playing varsity basketball in late February. Larnach, MacIver and Mitchell all played basketball as well, but along with DeMers chose not to prior to their final baseball season. Instead, they committed to offseason baseball workouts.

Brown, who because of DeMers’ pitching stature, can often be overlooked on the hill, also committed to an offseason program and added close to 15 pounds. The results have given the pitcher who went 11-1 with a 0.78 ERA a season ago a “little more oomph behind the ball,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mitchell is excited to start the season healthy after being plagued by a hamstring injury last season. Everything appears in place, and nobody wants to be the one taking his opportunity for granted.

After as many as eight years together, they aren’t just playing to win a national tournament or add an NCS Div. I title to the Div. II crown a year ago. At this point, they’re playing for each other — wherever that leads.

“It’s a privilege to play with these guys,” Larnach said. “They’re basically my family. I grew up with these guys. I love ‘em to death.” ✪

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infielders ANTHONY BORTOLIN

SCHOOL: Serra-San Mateo.

YEAR: Junior SCOUTING REPORT: Made a splash as a sophomore, batting .365 with 31 hits, 29 RBI and six home runs among his 16 extra-base hits.

BRENDT CITTA

SCHOOL: Leland-San Jose.

YEAR: Senior SCOUTING REPORT: The San Jose State-bound catcher was a big reason for Leland’s run to the 2014 CCS Open Div. title. He batted. 443 with 47 hits and 26 RBI.

NICK POIRER

SCHOOL: San Ramon ValleyDanville. YEAR: Senior SCOUTING REPORT: Reliable shortstop batted .418 with 38 hits and 18 RBI to help lead Wolves to the NCS Div. I final. He’s committed to UC Santa Barbara.

ANDREW VAUGHN

SCHOOL: Maria Carrillo-Santa Rosa. YEAR: Junior SCOUTING REPORT: The second baseman committed to Cal after a stellar junior season, batting .433 with 28 RBI, 24 runs scored and 11 doubles.

KASEY WALLACE

SCHOOL: Pinole Valley. YEAR: Senior SCOUTING REPORT: Another Cal-bound talent, Wallace’s monster junior season included hitting .487 with 38 hits, 33 runs scored, 27 RBI, 13 doubles and seven homers.

RYAN WEISENBERG

SCHOOL: San Ramon ValleyDanville. YEAR: Senior SCOUTING REPORT: Another standout infielder for the Wolves, Weisenberg batted .408 with 18 RBI and 11 doubles amongst his 16 extra base hits.

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outfielders JONATHAN ENGELMANN SCHOOL: Burlingame. YEAR: Senior SCOUTING REPORT: The Panthers’ all-around talent batted .412 with 17 RBI and 17 stolen bases. He’s committed to Michigan.

TREVOR LARNACH SCHOOL: College Park-Pleasant Hill. YEAR: Senior SCOUTING REPORT: Blessed with a sweet left-handed swing, the Oregon State-bound talent hit for a .434 average in 2014, adding 14 doubles and 30 RBI.

PHIL LEWIS SCHOOL: Palo Alto. YEAR: Senior SCOUTING REPORT: Letd the Vikings with a .422 average and 38 hits in 2014. He also scored 16 runs and had 9 RBI.

MICHAEL McADOO SCHOOL: De La Salle-Concord. YEAR: Senior SCOUTING REPORT: The UC Santa Barbara-commit will be one of the offensive centerpieces for the Spartans in 2015 after posting 20 RBI on 27 hits a season ago.

NICK OAR SCHOOL: College Park-Pleasant Hill. YEAR: Senior SCOUTING REPORT: Yet another offensive weapon for the Falcons, the Stanford-commit had 33 hits, 20 runs scores and 27 RBI in 2014.

Pitchers ZACH CHALMERS

SCHOOL: California-San Ramon. YEAR: Sophomore SCOUTING REPORT: Poised for a breakout season after going 4-0 with one save and a 1.30 ERA in just 27 innings of relief work as a freshman.

JUSTIN HOOPER

SCHOOL: De La Salle-Concord. YEAR: Senior SCOUTING REPORT: The UCLA-bound southpaw has a mid-90s fastball and will be followed by a slew of MLB scouts all year.

He was 6-3 with a 2.03 ERA last season.

utility JOE DeMERS

SCHOOL: College Park-Pleasant Hill.

YEAR: Senior SCOUTING REPORT: The Washingtoncommit is potentially the Bay Area’s best all-around talent. His 2014 included batting .371 with 36 hits and 32 RBI while going 12-2 with a 0.65 ERA on the mound.

NICO HOERNER

KEVIN MILAM

SCHOOL: Head-Royce-Oakland. YEAR: Senior SCOUTING REPORT: The best small school talent in the Bay Area, the Stanfordbound talent hit .593 with 48 hits, 43 runs scored and 37 RBI. He went 8-1 with a 0.33 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 42.1 innings.

LEO NIERENBERG

SCHOOL: Archbishop Mitty-San Jose.

YEAR: Senior SCOUTING REPORT: The Stanford-commit is a bonafide ace after going 8-2 with 0.89 ERA with 108 strikeouts and just 14 walks. He also hit .342 with 15 RBI. ✪

SCHOOL: Heritage-Brentwood. YEAR: Junior SCOUTING REPORT: Don’t let his 5-5 record from 2014 fool you, the Saint Mary’s College-commit held a 2.35 ERA with 79 strikeouts in just 65.2 innings.

SCHOOL: Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland.

YEAR: Junior SCOUTING REPORT: He may not be able to top his 8-1sophomore season with an eye-popping 0.28 ERA and 100 strikeouts, but we can’t wait to see him try.

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KRIS BUBIC

Pictured from left: De La Salle’s Justin Hooper, San Ramon alley’s Ryan Weisenberg and College Park’s Trevor Larnach.

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Duals Do Tell

With runaway wins at NCS Duals, clear favorites have been established for section championships There isn’t much surprise that the De La Salle High wresSTATE TITLE TIME: While the rest of the state tling team enters this year’s North Coast Section championchases the Clovis machine on the boys side, the girls ships as the favorite to win its sixth team title in seven years. are ready to take their talents to Visalia on Feb. 27-28 for But could the Spartans’ biggest challenge come from outtheir California Interscholastic Federation State Champiside the traditional block of Division I power schools? The onships at the Visalia Convention Center. Albany enters answer might come from the recently completed NCS Dual as the defending champion, having edged NorthviewChampionships, which crowned De La Salle as the Division Covina and Pioneer Valley-Santa Maria last year to I champion, Las Lomas in Division II-East Bay and Windsor be crowned NorCal’s first state team champion. The in Division II-Redwood Empire.

Cougars look primed to be in the mix again after Hana In the East Bay, Las Lomas steamrolled through its Minsky, Eva Piroth and Erica Sotelo all captured titles bracket, allowing a grand total of nine team points in three at the NCS championships. Don’t sleep on the rest of the matches combined. A 66-3 walloping of Newark Memorial in NCS though, because the defending champs certainly the final — a school that is used to finding itself in the upper won’t. James Logan won the NCS team title with 190.5 echelon of team standings at NCS — told a tale of complete points, and Ukiah squeaked by Albany by half a point to dominance. The Knights won eight matches by pinfall, led take second. All three have a great shot at finding the by a 108-pound match in which freshman Tony Margiotta podium in Visalia. needed a whopping 21 seconds to pin his opponent.

De La Salle’s Nathan Cervantes, left MAKING HISTORY: Jesuit-Carmichael wrestler Of course, the defending NCS team champion hails from Anthony Wesley moved into a special place in his the north, and Windsor most assuredly is planning on havschool’s record book when he beat Will C. Wood’s Christian Mandigal by pinfall in 1:50 to become ing a bit of input when it comes to crowning 2015’s top team. The Jaguars also captured a dual title, Jesuit’s all-time winningest wrestler. In the first round of on Saturday. It was his first match at the rolling to easy wins over Casa Grande-Petaluma and Lower Lake before beating a strong Ukiah Sac-Joaquin Section Division I-A tournament on Feb. 20, though he lost in the final to Modesto’s squad 43-21 in the final.

Israel Saavedra. Wesley tied the previous mark of 124 wins one week earlier by beating Sheldon’s Both the Knights and Jaguars will be gunning for De La Salle, which cruised to a 61-9 win over Ethan Brewer 8-0 in the Delta River League finals. Already state-ranked at 128 pounds, Wesley Liberty in the Division I final. The Spartans qualified 13 of their wrestlers out of the East Bay Athletic lost only two dual matches during his entire four-year career at Jesuit and holds the school records League championships, which gives them plenty of opportunity for points when the section champifor pinfalls and technical falls. ✪ onships kick off at James Logan on Feb. 27.

—SportStars Staff

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THREE

burning questions Records are through Feb. 14 1. (1)

— Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland

21-4

2. (2)

— Moreau Catholic-Hayward

21-5

3. (4)

▲

Sacramento

23-4

4. (5)

▲

El Cerrito

25-3

5. (3)

▼

Monte Vista-Danville

23-3

6. (6)

— De La Salle-Concord

23-3

7. (7)

— Modesto Christian

24-3

8. (8)

— Folsom

23-4

9. (9)

— Campolindo-Moraga

23-3

10. (10) — Woodcreek-Roseville

23-4

11. (11) — San Ramon Valley-Danville

21-5

12. (13) ▲

Serra-San Mateo

19-5

13. (14) ▲

Sheldon-Sacramento

18-6

14. (12) ▼

St. Francis-Mountain View

20-4

15. (15) — Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton

22-2

16. (16) — St. Mary’s-Stockton

20-7

17. (NR) ▲

Sir Francis Drake-San Anselmo

24-4

18. (20) ▲

Cordova-Rancho Cordova

22-5

19. (NR) ▲

Kennedy-Sacramento

21-5

20. (18) ▼

Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove

19-8

Here’s what on our mind as we prepare for four weeks of playoff basketball in the Bay Area, beginning on Feb. 24. By Chace Bryson

DROPPED OUT No. 17 Vanden-Fairfield and No. 18 Archbishop Mitty-San Jose.

BIGGEST MOVER We had a little bit of shifting near the top as Sacramento and El Cerrito each gained a spot after then-No. 3 Monte Vista suffered a 48-40 loss to cross-town rival No. 11 San Ramon Valley in the two teams’ regular season finale.

The Mustangs didn’t drop below De La Salle due to their pair of wins over the Spartans and a potential third meeting between the teams in the NCS Div. I championship.

Drake-San Anselmo returns to the rankings and KennedySacramento makes its debut.

TEAMS STILL RANKED FROM PRESEASON TOP 20: 13 30

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March 2015

Moreau’s Oscar Frayer

1. Has there ever been a more fearsome quartet of teams in the same field than the top four seeds in the NCS Division III boys bracket this year?

First, there’s nationally-ranked Bishop O’Dowd — who all agree is a clear favorite despite the pedigree of the other three teams on the list. The No. 2 seed is stateranked Moreau Catholic. Campolindo and Sir Francis Drake — both of which were state-ranked at various points this season — round out the top four seeds.

Of the four, Campolindo was the only team which did NOT play in a California Interscholastic Federation State Championship game a year ago. Bishop O’Dowd (Open Div.), Drake (Div. III) and Moreau Catholic (Div. IV) were all state runnerups in 2014. Campolindo would have faced Drake in the Div. III Northern Regional final had the Cougars suffered an overtime semifinals loss to Archbishop Riordan.

Because the CIF can only lift a maximum of four NCS teams “up” to the Open Division, there’s a good bet that at least two of these teams will get another shot at a Div. III state title. Bishop O’Dowd is the one safe bet for the Open Div., regardless of whether they are upset in the semifinals or championship game.

This is a must-watch division.

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Records are through Feb. 21

Monte Vista’s Stefan Mitu, left, and De La Salle’s Vince Romeo.

2. Will we get to see Monte Vista and De La Salle clash once, or even twice more?

The Spartans and Mustangs rivalry has always sizzled over the years. However, with Monte Vista pushing its current DLS winning streak to five games in early February, it’s a full-on skillet fire now. The two teams are the top two seeds in the NCS Div. I bracket, and both entered the final week of February inside Cal-Hi Sport’s Top 20 state rankings.

Neither team will have an easy climb to the section final, but if they get there it should make for really good theatre. The Mustangs face the potential of an interesting semifinal matchup with No. 4 Freedom — a rematch of the CIF Div. I Regional final that Monte Vista won in overtime.

Because of the big four in Division III, and a very good El Cerrito team in Division II, it’s not a given that both Monte Vista and De La Salle would end up in the Open Division. Most likely is that the section champion would go Open and the runner-up would stay in Division I. Thus, a fourth rematch may not be in the cards.

3. Can the wackiness of the West Cathloic Athletic League trickle into the CCS playoffs as well?

St. Ignatius’ Josie Little

It was a crazy year of upsets and unpredictability in the WCAL, for both the boys and girls. Just when one team seemed to have control of the league, that team would fall victim to an upset. But before you could appoint the new team as the team to beat, it would get upset as well. It was dizzying.

All of which makes the CCS Open Div. brackets massively unpredictable. For instance, the St. Ignatius girls — which enters the tournament ranked No. 5 in the state — holds the top seed despite having recently lost to No. 3 Archbishop Mitty (ranked 11th in the state). And despite a pedestrian-looking 14-10 regular season record, No. 5 seed Sacred Heart Cathedral (ranked 17th) beat that same Mitty team by 11 points just two days before Monarchs upset St. Ignatius. Though not a WCAL team, the bracket also features Pinewood-Los Altos Hills (ranked 7th) as the No. 2 seed. Good luck, prognosticators!

The boys bracket is just as messy. St. Francis-Mountain View holds the No. 1 seed but the Lancers had three WCAL losses — to three different teams (one of which didn’t even make the Open bracket). Probably best to just watch the games and enjoy the ride. ✪

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1. (1)

— St. Mary’s-Stockton

26-1

2. (2)

— Miramonte-Orinda

24-2

3. (4)

▲

Pinewood-Los Altos Hills

22-2

4. (5)

▲

Carondelet-Concord

24-2

5. (6)

▲

Vanden-Fairfield

24-3

6. (3)

▼

St. Ignatius-S.F.

20-4

7. (9)

▲

Dublin

22-3

8. (7)

▼

Archbishop Mitty-San Jose

19-5

9. (8)

▼

Salesian-Richmond

25-3

10. (11) ▲

St. Mary’s-Berkeley

21-7

11. (10) ▼

Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland

18-8

12. (12) — Eastside Prep-Palo Alto

20-4

13. (13) — Scotts Valley

23-3

14. (14) — Brookside Christian-Stockton

20-2

15. (15) — Antelope

24-1

16. (16) — Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills

23-3

17. (18) ▲

James Logan-Union City

23-3

18. (19) ▲

Modesto Christian

23-4

19. (20) ▲

McClatchy-Sacramento

20-6

20. (NR) ▲

Sacred Heart Cathedral-S.F.

14-10

DROPPED OUT No. 17 Berkeley

BIGGEST MOVER The top of the deck got a good shuffle in the final week of the regular season. The wacky West Catholic Athletic League was the biggest source of the madness as thenNo. 7 Mitty lost to unranked Sacred Heart Cathedral 59-48 on Feb. 17 before turning around and knocking off No. 3 St. Ignatius 58-51 three nights later. Both Mitty and St. Ignatius could meet again in the CCS Open Div playoffs, so we didn’t rush to move the Monarchs past the Wildcats just yet. We applied the same logic to Salesian and St. Mary’sBerkeley, now No. 9 and 10 respectively after St. Mary’s upset the Pride 62-59 in the TCAL championship.

TEAMS STILL RANKED FROM PRESEASON TOP 20: 17

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can’t stop campo Campolindo boys reach semifinals once again, despite having just one returning starter better and better,” Mendoza said. “Before we started conWith 102 wins over the last six seasons, no North ditioning, we kept talking about making NCS, and once Coast Section Division II boys soccer program has we made NCS, win the first game then the second, until been more successful than the Campolindo High boys we won the championship.” program.

After winning two overtime thrillers, including beating Along the way, the Cougars have won an NCS title, second-seeded Bishop O’Dowd, the Titans gave themreached a second title game and reached two other selves a chance to do so. semifinals. Something is going on in Moraga.

“This playoff run has been a roller coaster,” Mendoza “Most programs with a long run of success attribute said. “We have played through many obstacles and it to off-season development, a playing style, discipline, we’re still here. Our seniors are living a dream and they etcetera,” Campolindo coach Shane Carney said. “But love the challenges.” when it really comes down to it, we’re good because we have fun. The guys enjoy coming to practices, enjoy each other, and play hard for their teammates. We just lay reality out there, make no excuses, and try to get betPerhaps the most refreshing semifinal matchup of the ter every single night.” postseason can be found in the Div. I girls bracket. That’s Entering Wednesday’s semifinals, the Cougars had where No. 3 Liberty-Brentwood is making its first ever won 18 matches, reaching the semifinals for the third semifinals appearance and matching up against upstart consecutive year. What makes this season perhaps the Campolindo’s Seth Kofman, left. Photo by Phillip Walton No. 7 seed Granada. The Matadors were an 1980’s girls most impressive is the fact that the Cougars lost 20 playsoccer dynasty, but haven’t won a title since 1988. ers from last year. They return one starter, and only two others who received regular playing time.

While Liberty was able to grind out a 1-0 win over Clayton Valley Charter-Concord in its quarterfiIn a season where the goal was to just get into NCS and stay relevant in league, Campolindo won nal, Granada rallied from a 2-0 deficit to stun No. 2 Castro Valley 4-2 and hand the Trojans their first the Diablo Foothill Athletic League and entered the week in the mix for an NCS title. loss of the season. The Feb. 25 semifinal between the Matadors and Lions will all but assuredly be a TITANS TALK: Rigo Mendoza knew he’d have something special at Kennedy-Fremont. When battle for the right to take on the top-ranked team in the nation, top-seed Monte Vista-Danviille. The he took the head-coaching job four years ago, he got a great freshman group. But maybe he didn’t Mustangs entered the semifinals with a 22-0-0 record and having outscored their first two playoff even know he’d be entering the final week of February with a chance to play for an NCS Div. II title. opponents 12-0. ✪ “When I took over this varsity team four years ago, I got a good freshmen class and we just got — Matt Smith

GIRLS SOCCER

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Popular HS mountain biking series makes fifth visit to Folsom Lake Granite Bay Grinder – NorCal High School Cycling League Race: March 14 – 15, Folsom Lake, Granite Bay

Folsom Lake will be abuzz with the whir of wheels and the cheering of fans on the weekend of March 14-15 as over 50 Northern California high school cycling teams hit the trails for the Granite Bay Grinder — an annual stop on the NorCal High School Cycling League circuit.

Placer Valley Tourism is teaming up with the NorCal High School Cycling League to host this event in Placer Valley for the fifth year in a row. High schools teams from as far south as San Luis Obispo will make the valley their destination as up to 650 competitors are expected to participate in races across multiple grade and gender divisions. Admission is free for spectators and refreshments are available on-site at the race.

The Granite Bay Grinder is the second of six races which culminates with the state championships held in May. The competitors will be racing — rain or shine — on a mixture of trails and off-road cycling paths at the lake; the twisting singletrack, wide double track and rolling cross country track will put each racer’s individual skill level, agility and endurance to the test.

Competitors arrive at 8 a.m. for set-up and warm-up and races begin at 10 a.m. which typically run to about 3 p.m.. Award ceremonies are conducted after all of the races have ended. The NorCal High School Cycling League has been putting on races and organizing mountain biking camps and clinics since 2001.

The first race in the series takes place in East Garrison at Ford Ord on Feb. 28-March 1. Results from all six races and season-long point standings can be accessed at www.norcalmtb.org. ✪ — Copy and photos provided by Placer Valley Tourism 34

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NorCal High School Cycling League Schedule Below is the six-race circuit for the ever-growing high school mountain biking league.

Fun at the Ford

Feb. 28-March 1

@Ford Ord/East Garrison GRANITE BAY GRINDER

March 14-15

MAKE WAY FOR THE MATS Just one weekend after the top high school wrestlers in the state travel to Bakersfield for the California Interscholastic Federation State Wrestling Championships, some of the best middle school and junior high grapplers will set course for Loomis.

The Northern California Tournament of Champions will take place March 14 at Del Oro High. This event is the ultimate youth tournament in Northern California and brings wrestlers from all over the state to compete. The expected turnout includes more than 500 wrestlers, all of which had to qualify to enter.

@Folsom Lake/Granite Bay Central Coast Challenge

March 28-29

@Laguna Seca/Monterey Five Springs Ranch Round-Up April 11-12 @Petaluma* NorCal Championships

April 25-26

@Boggs Mountain/Cobb State Championships

May 16-17

@Dirt Club/Los Olivos *New venue for 2015. However, in the event of rain, the race will be held at the East Garrison track.

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Debunking some of the common rugby myths

R

ugby continues to gain attention and see continued growth. As rugby becomes increasingly popular, the myths and misconceptions increase as well.

This is mostly due to not understanding the laws of rugby, the flow of the matches, or just not understanding the sport in its entirety. American football is the biggest comparison to rugby in the United States, and is the biggest reaMark Carney son for many of the misconceptions. Let’s take a look at some of the most common.

RUGBY IS TOO VIOLENT Rugby is a contact sport and as such, collisions are part and parcel of the game, but they are not violent. In rugby, collisions occur in three phases of the game — the tackle, the ruck and maul, and the scrum. A rugby tackle is far safer and more effective than traditional football tackling. Players don’t lead with their head; every tackle is shoulderto-opponent with a full wrap of the arms, leading to the ball carrier being immobilized — because he or she can no longer run, not because they were hit so hard they lost their feet. Some NFL coaches, including Seattle’s Pete Carroll and Jacksonville’s Gus Bradley, have employed a rugby tackling specialist to coach better techniques.

The ruck and maul can be compared to the line of scrimmage in football. Players contest for the ball where there has been a tackle. There is no head-to-head contact like in the trenches, and players must bind to one another, reducing the heavy collision.

The scrum is where the forwards, comparable to linemen, contest for the ball following an infraction such as a knock on. It is used as a way to restart the game. The collision here is primarily concentrated on the front rows, typically the biggest players on the field. There is also no blocking in rugby, eliminating for the most part the blindside hit, which often results in injury in football.

PLAYERS ARE THUGGISH Rugby is played aggressively and seen as thuggish because of its inherently aggressive nature. In reality rugby is about two teams who play as hard as they can, then come together at the end to honor and celebrate both 36

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March 2015

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David Barpal

the match and the sport itself. Camaraderie and sportsmanship are the foundations of the sport, and while there will always be a winner and a loser, both sides honor the sport by understanding a battle was fought on the field, and every player played to their ability.

RUGBY IS ONLY FOR BOYS This is 100 percent wrong! Women’s rugby is the fastest growing sector of our sport and is essential to our success. With Title IX being such an important part in the collegiate system, we have recently seen many college women’s programs earn varsity status, meaning there are now full scholarships available.

While some would argue that rugby is too physical and violent for girls and women to be playing, the girls and women playing the sport would say otherwise. It is a fantastic team sport that creates lifetime bonds, and the sport helps them find their identity.

It’LL NEVER GAIN FOOTHOLD Rugby was recently identified by Bloomberg as the fastest growing sport in the U.S., with football participation falling by 21 percent from 2013. A recently sold-out Soldier Field in Chicago for USA vs. New Zealand All-Blacks, the top team in the world, would also tell you otherwise. Rugby is also gaining traction in mainstream media, with NBC and NBC Universal picking up events such as the Las Vegas 7s, Collegiate 7s, and excitingly, the 2016 Rugby World Cup. The 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil is hosting rugby as an official event for the first time since 1924.

The U.S. are the defending gold medalists with wins in 1920 and 1924. ✪ Mark Carney is the executive director of the Northern California Youth Rugby Association.

He writes for SportStars as part of the magazine’s partnership with the NCYRA.

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tri steps: liz elliott

Be nd Don’t Break

What is flexibility? Why is it important? How do I achieve it? How do I do it correctly?

Most people think flexibility equals stretching. Flexibility is stretching, but not like you think. The sequence is actually very important. It includes dynamic stretching, myofacial (muscle fiber) release and static stretching. Most people are actually stretching and trying to reach flexibility completely wrong.

Flexibility helps muscle system balance, the ability to integrate and use all your muscle systems during a workout and in life instead of using one muscle like your quadriceps (the large muscle on the front of your thigh) again and again and being “overactive.” Overall flexibility also promotes better use of your lever systems, and joint health for performance and overall health.

The muscles are like a pulley system. When you use, or contract one side, the other side lengthens. When you use your muscles in the same pattern again and again, based on your exercise routine and what you do in your everyday life (for example you only drive with our right leg, or because your tooth paste is on the left in your bathroom you turn left each day), leads to some muscles being flexed all the time, and other muscles being lengthened all the time, creating knots, and muscles being “underactive” where they never turn on during a workout.

Here are three components of flexibility, when and how: 1. Dynamic Stretching — Do it after an aerobic warm up. Moving stretching. Activates muscles to let them know they are about to work long or at high intensity, or both. Examples: Side-to-sides, cross overs, glut activation.

2. Myo facial (muscle fiber) release (“Releasing the knot”) — Your muscle is like a rope. When there is a knot, and it’s being pulled taught (no slack), the knot just gets worse as it pulls on the ends (your joints), and over time the rope pulls so tight, it rips from one side or the other. Thus, an injury. Release the knots to give slack around your joints. This is achieved through foam rolling or using a trigger point ball to release the “knot.” Roll or poke around on a muscle, for example your calf. When you find the spot that is the most tender, hold that spot for 30 seconds. The spot should be a level 7-8 in “pain” or tenderness. Something more than level 8 in pain can cause other muscles to seize up, that may counteract the act of myo facial release you are trying to achieve.

3. Static Stretching — Do it after myo facial release, and at the end of the workout. Do a sequence of “static” stretches to lengthen the muscle now that the knot is gone. It’s best to do when muscles are completely warm. Hold each stretch without bouncing for 30 seconds. That 30 seconds is the “magic number” of flexibility. At 30 seconds your brain sends a message to your muscle to release and lengthen.

On all kinds of moving and holding stretches, don’t bounce. This pulls and rips the muscles, especially the small fibers around the joint. The muscle and tendons can be compromised. Also do all stretches with the correct form for that type and specific stretch. For example, keep in mind the knees should always track over the second toe, meaning that if you are moving sideways, the toes should face forward so your knee and hips track correctly.

Just like anything, consistency is key. Build flexibility into every workout. I know, I know, you’re saying to yourself, ‘Every workout? I don’t have the time,’ and ‘It’s not that important.’ You’ll have better workouts every time, and you’re muscles and joints will feel and perform better into the future. Consult a coach and/or join a club to learn how to do a stretching routine correctly in form and in sequence. ✪ Liz Elliott is the head coach at Tri-Valley Triathlon Club and also works as a National Academy of Science and Medicine-certified Elite Level personal coach at Crunch! Fitness in Blackhawk.

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Creating the

RIGHT STUFF

Constructing an environment for your child as an athlete, student and individual that is driven by intrinsic motivation can be tough. This type of motivation focuses on enjoyment, fun, genuine passion and a “love of the game.” At KPA Elite Performance we call this “right stuff motivation” — high quality motivation that creates positive outcomes.

As parents, in our desire for our kids to be the best they can be, we may end up creating an atmosphere that is propelled by rewards, punishment, pressure and guilt. These are poor quality motivators that can harm our kids well-being and performance, both now and in the future.

So why does this happen? Sadly, it is part of the culture of the professionalization of youth sport, where parents may see other kids get onto the top team, receive a scholarship, do well academically and so on. So parents end up modeling the same behavior in their quest to make their child successful.

However, research over the past 10 years by Michigan State’s Dan Gould, the world’s leading expert in youth sport parenting, has clearly shown otherwise. It revealed that parents who create an environment for their children that is highly controlling and pressurized often lead to studentathlete burnout, dropout, poor self-discipline skills and lowered psychological well being.

Indeed, a 2014 study of over 2000 articles on youth sport dropout found that the strongest predictors of youth sport enjoyment and longevity, as well academic engagement, were based upon parents creating an intrinsically motivated environment — “right stuff motivation” So how can parents create this? Well, 40 years of research by motivation experts Ed Deci and

performance: keith power

Richard Ryan show we need to ensure we address three basic human needs that our children have: a sense of autonomy (feeling in control of one’s actions), a sense of perceived competence (a sense of ability) and a sense of relatedness (connection to others).

In essence, it is ensuring a parent create an environment which builds their kid’s confidence levels. That, in turn, generates a sense of wanting to master tasks, which produces a sense that he or she has more choice and control in their lives (not less!). It also ensures the kid can foster great quality relationships with parents, teachers, coaches, other studentathletes on the team and their friends.

This is not kumbaya or idealistic thinking. This is the way to produce a child, teenager or young adult who is driven by real internal passion for sport, academics and life. Not because they are coerced into doing so, rewarded for doing so, pressured to do so or made to feel guilty if they don’t. Those motivators produce compliance at best, not excellence.

Parenting is a lifetime career and the job description as a parent changes constantly. At KPA Elite Performance we know that this landscape is tough and our programs provide the skills, tools and knowledge that can help you to maximize your child’s performance. More information is available at www.kpaelite.com. ✪

How parents can instill pure motivation for their young athletes

38

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Keith Power is CEO and Founder of KPA Elite Performance. He has competed, coached, led and consulted at the very highest level in sport and business, as well as working for 25 years in elite youth sports as a sports coach, coach educator, parent coach and was previously High Performance Director at Cal. He is also a Professor of Sport Psychology at JFK University.

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training by trucks: anthony trucks Have you ever noticed that some of the most powerful athletes in any sport have one common trait? Whether it’s tennis, soccer, basketball, football, rugby, etc..

There is a common physical difference in theses athletes. They happen to have a larger backside than non-athlete.

As much as our society has placed a desire for the aesthetic aspect, it’s a huge asset for physical performance.

The power base for athletes who require they explode in their movements comes from the core. However the core isn’t just the abdominals, it encompasses the gluteal muscles as well.

The glutes are a major component to jumping and sprinting. The problem is that few athletes know how to properly engage and train their glute muscles. Instead, they overuse their hamstrings and actually underuse their glutes. While the motion may feel natural, it’s leading closer and closer to a hamstring strain while failing to increase an athletes overall explosiveness.

The solution is to: Start doing exercises that engage the glute muscles, so the muscle can be taught to fire. KB swings, power cleans, deadlifts, etc.

Take a very close look at the technique you’re using in the exercises or you’re already doing what you THINK are engaging the glutes.

When sprinting, try to take the longest possible strides in the first few steps and focus on firing the glute muscle heavily.

While it may seem like a small concept to increase your speed, in fact that extra few inches of power in your stride can make a massive difference — chunks of time taken off your sprint speed and adding inches to your vertical leap. So get back to training, BUTT don’t forget to train your biggest asset or you’ll get left behind. ✪ Anthony Trucks is an IYCA-certified trainer who covers weight training for SportStars.

Light a Fire

40

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get mental: erika carlson

Find the Off-Switch

School. Practice. Eat. Homework. Sleep.

Repeat.

Being a youth athlete these days is a taxing “job.” Kids (and parents) are more focused than ever on making the top team, earning more playing time, getting good grades and securing a scholarship. The work ethic required to rise to the top and accomplish these goals is tremendous.

In my work with elite youth and collegiate athletes, I spend a lot of time with these people. I am so impressed by their organization, drive and focus. The flip side of being so driven is that high performers are also more prone to burning out. Meaning they can lose their motivation to work hard (either in academics, athletics or both). Why? High performer = high stress. Prolonged high stress = burnout. Burnout Syndrome is complex and multifaceted in how it develops, but the most common contributors are: ›› OVERTRAINING — The body is tired and can’t recover, repair and rebuild fast enough to meet the training demands. The athlete begins to feel frustrated and eventually depressed. ›› INJURY — Over-use injuries are exploding in youth sports. Serious injury (or nagging, chronic small injuries) can rock the core confidence of any athlete. ›› PLATEAU — As athletes progress, incremental improvements tend to shrink. It takes more effort for longer periods of time to keep up and improve. In order to “stay on top,” athletes push harder ... leading to overtraining and

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injury. ›› LACK OF FUN — Youth sports have become serious business with a lot at stake and it can be easy for the fun to get lost. In addition to all the hard work, athletes need to have some joy in their sport experience. Loss of enjoyment is a direct route to burnout.

So how do you, the hard working, highly motivated, striving-for-excellence-everyday athlete keep burnout from sneaking up on you? The answer is simple: Take a break. Even better, take many small, regularly scheduled breaks.

Switching your inner athlete to “off mode” is imperative to your success. Athletes need to find time each week to rest, recover and do non-sport related activities. Go to a movie.

Spend some time with friends. Go to the beach.

If you’re starting to feel burned out, you need to take a few weeks off. Let your body heal and your spirit re-charge.

Your coaches will appreciate having you back at 100 percent (although it will take some good communication on your end to tell them why you need some time off) and your motivation will bounce back — possibly more fierce than ever. Finally, learning daily stress management skills can add to your arsenal to fend off burnout as well and help you avoid the getting into a burnout cycle in the future. ✪ Erika Carlson is a certified mental trainer and owner of Excellence in Sports Performance in Pleasanton.

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training time: tim rudd for iyca

New Athletes, New Problems Injuries can happen for a variety of reasons, but today let’s focus on three big ones.

REASON #1 — Most athletes today are physically weaker than they were in my day.

When I was growing up, the only major distraction was the television — and there were only three channels: ABC, CBS and NBC and the limited number of cable stations if you could afford it.

This means that we were outdoors playing most of the time. We didn’t have computers, cell phones, iPods or apps to play with. So we went outside and ran, climbed, jumped, swam and played ball.

Nowadays, if kids are not playing sports they’re sitting down playing with or watching all the technology that is available at their fingertips. Free play, the most important part of physical development, no longer exists and our kids are paying dearly for it.

REASON #2 — Food was more nutritious than it is today.

You weren’t eating GMO corn, soy and other altered foods that are abundant in almost everything athletes eat today. In my home, if we drank soda it had real sugar in it and we only got it once in awhile as a treat. Fast food was something you might have once a week.

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Today everything is processed for our convenience — we need it fast and we need it now. The food industry has us fooled with organic, gluten-free and added-fiber foods. Just because those potato chips kids are shoving down their throats are gluten free or organic, it doesn’t mean they are good for them.

You better believe that eating and drinking all that artificially flavored crud will break your body down and lead to injury.

REASON #3 — Year-round competition in various sports with zero to minimal offseason.

Many athletes are being driven relentlessly by overbearing parents and coaches whose only focus is to win at all costs. Many of these parents want their child to get a scholarship to play in college — so they push and push and push with no real-world knowledge of when to train and when to rest.

Many injuries we are seeing in sports are mostly due to over-use. Athletes are performing the same sports-specific movements year-in and year-out without anything to balance them out. The result is over-used and compromised joints, leading to further dysfunction in movement, performance and health. ✪ Tim Rudd is an IYCA specialist in youth conditioning and owner of Fit2TheCore.

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Riding the highs and lows of recruitment isn’t always easy

Don’t

Give

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Next Level Knowledge

By Scott Mayo

A

fter the recruiting process of our oldest son Mitchell ended badly due to an untimely injury, my wife Jennifer was somewhat bitter. And rightfully so, as Mitchell was clearly a Div. I linebacker. But sometimes things just do not line up properly. Mitchell decided not to walk on at any of the colleges offering him that option. He would not play football again after high school; Jennifer and I both had a difficult time accepting that fact since we had watched him play football successfully for nearly ten years.

The following year, our second son Harrison finished his junior season of football. I was ready to start the recruiting process all over. It would be our third consecutive recruiting process. Just as I had done with Mitchell, I set out to spend numerous hours compiling Harrison’s highlights; highlights that would be sent out to his most desired colleges.

Five minutes after I sat down at the computer, Jennifer walked into the office and asked, “What are you doing?”

After I told her, Jennifer threw a small tantrum.

“You are not going to spend one minute wasting your time with college recruiting.” It was completely unlike her. Jennifer has been through a lot in life and she has always persevered. To see her give up was not part of her character. Her reaction highlighted the fact that

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college recruiting is often very difficult and frustrating.

I wasn’t ready to give up. Ironically, I had learned about not giving up from Jennifer. So I went back to work after my wife left the room. I spent many long hours trying to find these all important short-lived moments that happen after the ball is snapped. With the film finally complete, it was emailed to dozens of schools.

Three weeks later I received an email from Stanford. The coaches invited Harrison to visit campus and attend a home game.

Before the Stanford vs. Cal game began, while seated in the front row behind Stanford’s bench, Jennifer looked at me and said, “This isn’t really happening is it?” Two minutes later, the same Stanford coach who invited us, bound up the stairs from the field on his way up to the coaching box. He stopped as soon as he saw Harrison and there were introductions and small talk. After a few minutes he said to Harrison, “Stand up. I want to see how big you are.” It was the first of many “eyeball tests” for the kid.

While Harrison did not end up going to Stanford, it was a very memorable day. He ended up signing with Cal, which never would have happened without us sending out his junior-year highlights.

The college recruiting process is a long and winding road. There will be many highs and lows, but don’t give up. ✪

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In just a few weeks, we’ll be bringing your our fifth annual Camps & Clinics Special Edition. What started out as a modest listing of upcoming East Bay summer camps back in the spring of 2011 is now cover-to-cover coverage of camps, clinics and combines from throughout Northern California.

This year’s special will include features on different types of camps, as well as some helpful guides on choosing the right clinic or combine. It also wouldn’t be our Camps & Clinics special without as many as 20 pages of listings featuring camps in more than 15 sports and categories.

If you want your camp represented in the issue, there’s still time to give us a call at 925-566-8500 or email us at info@sportstarsonline.com. For those of you excited about planning summer fun or finding a camp to improve your game, keep your eye out for the edition in March.

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❒❒ A Higher Perspective........................................................................................................46 ❒❒ Big O Tires Northern California/ Nevada.............................................................................2 ❒❒ California Football Academy.............................................................................................40 ❒❒ Capitol City Driving School...............................................................................................37 ❒❒ Championship Athletic Fundraising.................................................................................43 ❒❒ Cheergyms.Com...............................................................................................................25 ❒❒ Club Sport........................................................................................................................21 ❒❒ Community Youth Center.................................................................................................23 ❒❒ Core Performance.......................................................................................................37, 40 ❒❒ Core Volleyball Club..........................................................................................................41 ❒❒ De La Salle High School Football Coaches Clinic................................................................46 ❒❒ Diablo Trophies & Awards.................................................................................................37 ❒❒ East Bay Parks..................................................................................................................46 ❒❒ Excellence In Sport Performance......................................................................................40 ❒❒ Fastbreak Basketball........................................................................................................41 ❒❒ Halo Headband................................................................................................................46 ❒❒ Heritage Soccer Club........................................................................................................40 ❒❒ Mike Murphy Baseball Academy......................................................................................26 ❒❒ Mountain Mike’s Pizza......................................................................................................27 ❒❒ Muir Orthopaedic Specialists............................................................................................38 ❒❒ Northern California Youth Rugby Association...................................................................36 ❒❒ Off- Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division...............................................................15 ❒❒ Placer Valley Tourism Board........................................................................................34, 35 ❒❒ Renaissance Club Sport....................................................................................................42 ❒❒ Rhino Sports Of Northern California.................................................................................36 ❒❒ Saint Joseph Notre Dame High School..............................................................................12 ❒❒ San Ramon Slammers Baseball........................................................................................41 ❒❒ Sports Gallery Authenticated...........................................................................................40 ❒❒ Sports Stars Magazine......................................................................................................47 ❒❒ Stevens Creek Toyota..........................................................................................................5 ❒❒ Sutter Health East Bay........................................................................................................3 ❒❒ Tpc / The Pitching Center..................................................................................................18 ❒❒ U C S F Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland......................................................................39 ❒❒ United States Youth Volleyball League.............................................................................13 ❒❒ Walnut Creek Soccer Club.................................................................................................33 ❒❒ Win Anyway & All For Kids...............................................................................................41 ❒❒ Wingstop.........................................................................................................................48

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