BA Issue 74, Oct. 17, 2013

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vol. 4. issue 74 bay area

october 17, 2013

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pitch: The Bay Area has 6 First better football. Clearly. No, wait.

14 klass is in: San Ramon Valley is gearing up for another NCS title behind star palyer Kat Klass.

the attention in football has 27 All been on concussions, but your lower body is at risk as well.

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October 17, 2013

Sure, coaches who 12 Clipboard: yell and scream used to get

room: You can mess with 8 locker a lot of things, but don’t you dare touch our favorite movies. zone: Not everybody is pass22 red happy. Some are still old school.

results. Times are changing.

BREAKDOWN: Serra 10 STATE football coach Patrick Walsh is focused. You better believe it.

4

We mean Sac-Joaquin clearly has better football. Oh, heck. Now we’re confused. What say we all dive into the debate together?

Grad hold of a buddy and jump.

of the week: 7 Sportstar Nsimba Webster, Deer Valley

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on the cover: Del Oro’s Tyler Meteer & Deer Valley’s Malik Hutchings. Photos by James K. Leash and Phillip Walton.

Fence: Tryouts, sign-ups, 35 The fund-raisers and more!

38 Advertiser’s index

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Six years after the Grant/DLS debate, we find common ground

T

he seeds of this issue’s cover story, which I and the rest of the SportStars staff is quite proud of, were first planted back in 2008.

That was the first year the California Interscholastic Federation expanded its State Football Bowl games setup. After two years of playing three games (Div. I, II and III), the CIF added two more games to the mix — a Small School (now known as Div. IV) and an Open Division game that it hoped would essentially serve as the unofficial state title game, pitting the top Northern and Southern California teams regardless of division.

This obviously created a sufficient amount of buzz among prep pundits throughout the state. But no more so than the Sunday after section championships had concluded and the 10 section commissioners of the CIF held their closed-door meeting to choose the bowl participants. In a bold and controversial choice, the selection committee chose Grant-Sacramento to represent NorCal in the first Open Division game — a spot most assumed was reserved for De La Salle-Concord, which was instead slotted to play in the Division I Bowl that year.

The resumés of both teams were endlessly scrutinized during the week leading up to the bowl games. Grant was 13-0 with out-of-state wins against Idaho and Utah state champs (which many debated the strength of), while De La Salle was 12-1 with its only loss to nationally-ranked Don Bosco Prep (N.J.).

I fully admit to being skeptical of the CIF’s choice at the time. Ben Enos, who makes his SportStars debut with this cover story, was a colleague of mine at the Contra Costa Times during that season. We were co-creators of an online weekly video series named “Two Geeks and a Pigskin.” As part of our CIF Bowl preview episode, we heavily mocked the Grant decision. Shoes were thrown.

And we were wrong. As were many others.

Grant showed they belonged. The Pacers upset Long Beach Poly 25-20 in a thrilling inaugural Open Division Bowl the day after De La Salle lost the Div. I bowl 21-16 to a CentennialCorona team which some thought could have represented SoCal in the Open game.

The Grant victory was a huge breakthrough for a region that had spent several years wanting to prove itself outside the Bay Area and beyond.

And in the years following, more intersectional battles have begun to play out during the regular season. It’s become very clear that the Sac-Joaquin Section is on equal footing with Bay Area football.

When Enos and I began talking about what his first project would be with the magazine, we thought it would be fun to look back at the last five years and see just how close these two regions have become. You may or may not be surprised at what we found.

And depending on which region you represent and pull for, everyone can agree that NorCal football is in very good shape. ✪

ABOUT OUR COVER PLAYERS

Malik Hutchings, LB/DE, Deer ValleyAntioch: With a 6-0 record through Oct. 11, the Wolverines are off to their best start since 2009. They feature plenty of offensive weapons, but the defense is fueled by Hutchings.

The senior leads the team with 66 tackles (40 solo) and has added 2 fumble recoveries, 1.5 sacks and an interception. And it’s just his first season of football.

Tyler Meteer, LB/TE, Del Oro-Loomis: The senior impacts both sides of the ball for the 4-2 Golden Eagles, having already recorded 22 receptions for 300 yards and 6 TDs. On defense, he’s made 65 tackles, recorded 3 sacks, and recovered one fumble. As a junior, Meteer caught 47 passes for 652 yards and 6 TDs while making 74 tackles.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound prospect has not yet committed to a college, but is receiving increased attention from Division I schools.

join our team PHONE 925.566.8500 FAX 925.566.8507 Editorial Editor@SportStarsOnline.com Editor Chace Bryson • Chace@SportStarsOnline.com Staff Writers Jim McCue Contributors Bill Kolb, Mitch Stephens, Matt Smith, Clay Kallam, Ben Enos, Dave Kiefer, Liz Elliott, Tim Rudd Photography Bob Larson, Jonathan Hawthorne, James K. Leash, Norbert von der Groeben, Phillip Walton, Doug Guler, Dean Coppola Marketing/Events Intern Ryan Arter Creative Department Art@SportStarsOnline.com Production Manager Mike DeCicco • MikeD@ SportStarsOnline.com Publisher/President Mike Calamusa • Mike@SportStarsOnline.com Advertising & Calendar/ Classified Sales Sales@SportStarsOnline.com, 925.566.8500 Account Executives Phillip Walton • PWalton@SportStarsOnline.com Leslie Ellis • Leslie@SportStarsOnline.com Reader Resources/Administration Subscription, Calendar, Credit Services Info@SportStarsOnline.com Distribution/Delivery Mags@SportStarsOnline.com Information technology John Bonilla CFO Sharon Calamusa • Sharon@SportStarsOnline.com community SportStars™ Magazine A division of Caliente! Communications, LLC 5356 Clayton Rd., Ste. 222 • Concord, CA 94521 •info@SportStarsOnline.com www.SportStarsOnline.com

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

Nsimba

Webster Football • deer valley-antioch • senior Few Contra Costa County quarterbacks are causing as many fits for opposing defenses this season as Webster. The dual-threat signal-caller has used his arm and his legs — and a massively talented and athletic supporting cast, which includes his twin brother, Nzuzi — to lead the Wolverines to a 6-0 record through the second week of October. The Wolverines opened Bay Valley Athletic League play with a dominant victory over Freedom-Oakley on Oct. 11. Deer Valley won 35-7 and Webster had a hand in all five Wolverines touchdowns. The fleet-footed star completed 10 of 20 passes for 183 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed 17 times for 155 yards and two more scores. On the season, Webster has thrown for 1,071 yards and 12 TDs with no interceptions. He also has 690 yards rushing with 14 more touchdowns. The Wolverines have BVAL games against Antioch and Libery-Brentwood before a presumed leaguetitle showdown at Pittsburg on Nov. 1. ›› in his own words: “I think the biggest factor (to our 6-0 start) is the hard work at practice and preparation. We play humble at all times. We’re not getting big headed. Staying focused and keeping our preparation going, that’s what’s working for us. ›› what you didn’t know: Nsimba began learning to play the trumpet in second grade and still plays when he can.

honorable mention Alex Hull: The junior receiver/ free safety for LibertyBrentwood caught five passes for 121 yards and 3 TDs in a 41-28 win over Antioch on Oct. 11. He also had eight tackles and a pass break-up.

Megan Conder: The HeritageBrentwood senior won her third straight BVAL Tournament title with a two-over 73 at Deer Ridge Golf Club in Antioch on Oct. 14.

Brighid Leach: The CampolindoMoraga junior was dominant at the Castro Valley Invitational on Oct. 12.

She won the three-mile race in 18:20, 53 seconds ahead of second place.

Phillip Walton/photo

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count‘em The number of sacks Archbishop Mitty-San Jose linebacker/defensive end, Chandler Ramirez, logged in a 51-7 win over Riordan-S.F. on Oct. 4. The Monarchs have begun the year 5-0, and moved into the Top 10 of the SportStars NorCal Top 20 rankings this week (Page 22).

Your mid-season golf glance (in Issue 73, Oct. 1) shows you did very little research. ... Hailey White (of Monte Vista-Danville) should be included on your list of top players. This team deserves some coverage, starting two freshmen, two sophomores, a junior and a senior.

— Bob K., email ◆ We did have Hailey under consideration for our Players to Watch list, but when your list is meant to include all of the Bay Area you eith er have to list 50 great golfers — or get very specific. We regretted not having room for her. But credit where credit is due! Hailey and the Mustangs did go out and finish the East Bay Athletic League dual meet season tied for first with Carondelet. Both had 12-2 records and split their two head-to-head matchups. They each finished one game ahead of Amador Valley-Pleasanton (11-3) which we named as a team to watch. Thanks for keeping us on our toes, Bob!

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Top 5 Movies Which Should Never Be Rebooted probably cast someone like Peter Dinklage as the Sicilian. Which would be the third classic blunder, if you’re scoring along at home.

3. True Romance — We defy you (That’s right. Defy. What are you gonna do about it, tough guy? Stab us in the foot with a corkscrew?) to posit a more impressive assemblage of talent than Slater, Arquette (Patricia, not that dope David), Hopper, Walken, Kilmer, Pitt, Oldman, L. Jackson, Gandolfini, Sizemore, the late Chris Penn, Rapaport and Bronson freaking Pinchot. Go ahead and try, you’re so cool.

4. The Natural — We don’t care if the ending did totally deviate from Bernard Malamud’s novel. It deviated BETTER. With exploding light stanchions. Remake it? Say it ain’t so.

5. Batman — Wait. What? Again? Really? Oh, we give up.

— Bill “We’re gonna need a bigger list” Kolb

We heard there’s a rather nasty rumor flying around Hollywood that some knucklehead is proposing to reboot Jaws — the movie. One of the top five greatest films of all time. Yeah. We can upgrade that. Because Liam Neeson and some CGI would be even better than Robert Shaw and a clunky mechanical shark (nicknamed Bruce) that didn’t even appear until the movie was half over. Maybe Simon Pegg could play Hooper. We just threw up in our mouths a little bit. Anyway. Here are our top five movies (besides the one with the fin) that should be considered sacrosanct.

1. Blazing Saddles — First off, you could never make this move in the 21st century. The PC police would string you up by the church bells. Second, no one could ever reprise Alex Karras’ virtuoso performance as Mongo. He is only a pawn in game of life. And aren’t we all?

2. The Princess Bride — It’s just not that easy to find a six-fingered actor. Plus, they’d

say what

“I can still remember that game like it was yesterday. We were just taking shots at each other in a back-and-forth game, and we were able to win on a miracle play. Tanner threw the perfect ball, and JJ played the ball perfect to get us the win.”

Folsom coach Kris Richardson recalling his team’s 49-46 win over Deer ValleyAntioch on Sept. 16, 2011.We chose the game as one of our Top 5 Bay Area vs.

Sac-Joaquin games of the past five years.The full list can be found on page 21 as part of our story on the two regions’ battle for football respect.

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T

here is only one player in all of the years we’ve been doing Cal-Hi Sports who’s gone from being in one of our old magazine cover shoots to a prominent head coach.

That’s Serra of San Mateo’s Patrick Walsh. Who knows, someday one of the cover boys or cover girls for SportStars will eventually become an outstanding coach. But Walsh has already traveled that road with us.

The year was 1992 and Walsh had just rushed for 2,029 yards and scored 38 touchdowns in leading his team at De La Salle to an unbeaten record. It was, of course, the start of something special, which was the Spartans’ national record 151game win streak.

As a player, Walsh set the tone for many DLS running backs to come in that he’d break tackles on just about every play. He and his teammates also set the tone for just about every DLS team that has followed. They knew what it felt like to lose when Pittsburg toppled the Spartans in the 1991 CIF North Coast Section final. They weren’t going to take any chances in 1992. They put in the extra work, cranked up their determination, focus and desire and didn’t come close to losing.

We were based in Anaheim in those days so Patrick was flown down from Northern California for the shoot. We did a magazine at the time that later went national and was called Student Sports.

The cover concept was to bring together several top players from top teams from throughout the state and then debate which team was the best. In those days, remember, there was nothing close to the CIF bowl games and top teams from Northern California hardly ever played top teams from the South.

As part of that story, I took Patrick to the press box at Anaheim Stadium to see Bishop Amat-La Puente play its championship game.

It’s funny to think about it now, but writers from Southern California kept coming up to Patrick and asking him, “So do you really think your team can play with these teams out here?” He’d just smirk, be polite, and say, “I have no doubt we’d be fine.”

After Walsh went to play football and baseball at San Jose State and at the University of Texas, he soon became interested in coaching. He spent three years learning at De La Salle, and in 2001, at age 26, he was given the reigns at Serra.

It didn’t take long for the Padres to become among the best in the Central Coast Section despite their membership in the ultra-rugged West Catholic Athletic League. Walsh had an 87-49-1 record before the start of this season and should guide Serra to its 12th playoff berth in 13 years.

And judging from the juniors and sophomores on the Serra roster when the Padres only lost to De La Salle 21-14 in their first game this season, and when they beat Bellarmine-San Jose 17-7 on October 4, the only place Walsh’s program is headed is toward the top. This includes CIF bowl games that Walsh sure wishes were in place when he was a teenager squirming in his seat at Anaheim Stadium. ✪

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socal team to watch

Serra receiver Kavapele Maka (7) celebrates his TD catch in the Padres seasonopener. Serra has won four straight since losing that game to De La Salle, and is now ranked No. 7 in the state.

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hart-Newhall

Driven

When it comes to motivation, Serra’s Walsh has never been lacking This program was a model of success for many years in the Southern Section during the 1990s and much of the 2000s. One of its greatest accomplishments was fielding an All-Southern Section QB for 19 consecutive years, including former Cal starter Kyle Boller.

Coach Mike Herrington’s team may be back this season as a regional powerhouse. Hart moved up to No. 10 in the state in Week 6 and has benefitted from a wild and crazy 54-53 overtime win from early in the season against Chaminade-West Hills. There is a chance that Hart could elevate itself into the CIF Open Division Bowl conversation in the south, especially if Chaminade were to beat Serra-Gardena. It’s more likely, though, to be a leading contender to grab one of the South’s Div. II bowl berths.

Junior QB Brady White completed 39 of 56 passes for 508 yards and seven TDs in the win over Chaminade and also had a 400-yard outing against SantiagoCorona. He’s blessed with having one of the state’s top junior receivers to throw to, Trent Irwin, and highly-recruited senior tight end Davis Koppenhaver.

White

Irwin

Koppenhaver

did you know? ›› Over the last 10 years, Hart has had 23 players make the All-CIF team, but none since 2009. ›› Hart won the Foothill League every year from 1991-2003, but has only won the league once since (2007)

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volleyball Rankings

Football Rankings (Previous ranking in parentheses; through games of Saturday, Oct. 12)

1. (1)

— De La Salle-Concord 6-0

2. (2)

—

St. John Bosco-Bellflower 6-0

3. (3)

—

Folsom 6-0

4. (4)

—

Serra-Gardena 6-0

5. (5)

—

Mater Dei-Santa Ana 6-0

6. (6)

—

Mission Viejo 6-0

7. (8)

▲

Serra-San Mateo

8. (10)

▲

9. (11)

▲

10. (7)

▼

11. (9)

▼

12. (12)

—

Elk Grove 6-0

13. (13)

—

Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove 6-0

14. (14)

—

Rancho Cucamonga 6-0

mr. football

15. (15)

—

Granite Bay

state player of the year tracker

16. (16)

—

Mission Hills-San Marcos 6-0

With five to six games in the books for most players, here is how the race was stacking up heading into the middle of October for the Mr. Football State Player of the Year honor:

17. (17)

Losses to Serra-Gardena and Chaminade were both close.

—

Notre Dame-Sherman Oaks 5-2

18. (18)

—

Oaks Christian-Westlake Village

6-1

19. (19)

—

Bellarmine-San Jose

4-1

2. Jake Browning (Folsom) QB Jr.

20. (21)

▲ Centennial-Corona

3. John “JuJu” Smith (Long Beach Poly) WR/ KR/DB Sr.

After games of Monday, Oct. 14 Previous rank in parentheses 1. (1) — Torrey Pines-San Diego 15-1 2. (2) — Archbishop Mitty-San Jose 22-2 3. (3) — Los Alamitos 22-4 4. (15) ▲ Mater Dei-Santa Ana 20-4 5. (4) ▼ Lakewood 18-5 6. (7) ▲ Francis Parker-San Diego 10-3 7. (8) ▲ La Salle-Pasadena 14-2 8. (9) ▲ Redondo-Redondo Beach 15-5 9. (10) ▲ Granite Bay 22-0 10. (12) ▲ Mira Costa-Manhattan Bch 14-5 11. (13) ▲ Dana Hills-Dana Point 13-4 12. (17) ▲ La Costa Canyon-Carlsbad 13-4 13. (10) ▼ Corona del Mar-Nwprt Bch 13-4 14. (6) ▼ Valley Christian-San Jose 21-5 15. (16) ▲ Santiago-Corona 27-0 16. (19) ▲ Redwood-Larkspur 28-2 17. (18) ▲ Menlo School-Atherton 17-4 18. (5) ▼ Sacred Heart Cathedral-S.F. 19-5 19. (14) ▼ Lutheran-Orange 12-6 20. (20) — St. Mary’s-Stockton 21-3 Dropped Out: No. 15 Marymount-L.A. and No. 16 St. Francis-Sacramento.

Comments: These rankings were compiled just a few hours before the Oct. 15 match between San Jose rivals Archbishop Mitty and Valley Christian. The Warriors were No. 6 in the state before they went to the ASICS Challenge at Torrey Pines and lost twice ... Granite Bay remained unbeaten after the NorCal Classic at Folsom.

The Grizzlies were hoping to prove their worth at the Stockton Classic on Oct. 19 where a much stronger field (including Mitty) was awaiting.

Win over Servite-Anaheim (35-10) in SoCal says a lot about this team.

Nov. 1 game vs. Mater Dei-Santa Ana could be matchup of unbeatens.

Defense outshines offense for a change in 35-0 win vs. Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills.

Cavaliers will battle No. 9 Chaminade-West HIls for Mission League title.

Coach Bruce Rollinson’s 25th season could end up very memorable.

Barring major upset, Diablos will be 10-0 heading to playoffs.

In two-week span, Padres went from No. 19 to No. 7.

4-1

Hart-Newhall 6-0

Huge win in Week 2 over Chaminade continues to pay off.

Chaminade-West Hills

6-1

Huge wins over Notre Dame-Sherman Oaks & Oaks Christian-Westlake Village.

Servite-Anaheim 3-3

Losses are to De La Salle, Mater Dei & Bishop Gorman-Las Vegas.

Long Beach Poly

Only loss is to Servite with a win over Centennial-Corona.

6-1

Does team want Folsom in SJS Div. II, or would Folsom in Div. I be better?

Last two regular season games for Eagles: Oak Ridge, then Folsom.

New leader of the Southern Section Inland Division (same one as Centennial).

1. Adoree’ Jackson (Serra-Gardena) WR/RB/ DB Sr.

Grizzlies will have to deal with Del Oro-Loomis in Sierra Foothill League.

5-1

This team took over as No. 1 in San Diego with big win vs. Oceanside.

Lions have win vs. Bakersfield, 10-pt loss to Chaminade.

Bells bounce back from loss to Serra-San Mateo, beat St. Francis-Mountain View.

Win over Norco may have gotten Huskies back on track.

4-2

Edison-Fresno 6-0

21. (24)

▲

4. Royce Freeman (Imperial) RB Sr.

Tigers have terrific one-two RB combo in Blake Wright, Kevin Nutt.

5. Damien Mama (St. John Bosco-Bellflower) OL Sr.

22. (NR)

▲

6. Brady White (Hart-Newhall) QB Jr.

23. (NR)

▲

7. Donovan Lee (Chaminade-West Hills) RB Sr.

Only loss was to Arizona powerhouse Hamilton-Chandler.

8. John Velasco (De La Salle-Concord) RB Sr.

24. (NR)

▲

9. Brandon Dawkins (Oaks Christian-Westlake Village) QB Sr.

Impressive 45-10 win over Liberty-Bakersfield does trick for Drillers.

25. (NR)

▲

10. Harris Ross (Pittsburg) RB Sr.

Losses to Mater Dei and Servite with MD loss by just seven.

Lutheran-Orange 6-0

Lancers grabbed new ranking after win over 5-0 JSerra-San Juan Capistrano.

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East Lake-Chula Vista

5-1

Bakersfield

4-2

Edison-Huntington Beach

4-2

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ScreamingShame NOTE: The next couple Behind the Clipboards are going to vary from the usual Q&A format because I feel the topic of coaching styles and methods deserves some in-depth examination after a few recent events triggered my interest enough to dig into the issue.

M

ost sports fans are familiar with the firing of Rutgers’ men’s basketball coach Mike Rice, as the videos of him swearing at his players and throwing balls at them were widely distributed last spring.

Less well known was the recent firing of Georgetown women’s coach Keith Brown after tapes of his verbal abuse of his players became available. (For details, plus the recording, visit the online version of this column at SportStarsOnline.com.)

The lineage of this kind of coaching style, of course, goes way back. The fiery, demanding coach who inspired his charges to rise above his constant criticism and learn to “be a man” goes back, at least, to ancient Sparta and the cruel, if not vicious, discipline that made the Spartans one of the greatest fighting forces in the ancient world.

Vince Lombardi exemplified this style in the early ’60s, and Bobby Knight carried on the tradition in basketball — and speaking of basketball, I’m going to stick to that sport for my examples, though I certainly could expand the topic to

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Why old-school coaches who yell and berate are growing extinct, for good reason

all sports.

Author Malcom Gladwell approached the same topic from another angle in his 2009 New Yorker article, “How David Beat Goliath,” and that’s a modern update of theme that drives this method of leadership — which is that winning is all that matters.

Gladwell’s article discusses the success of a girls’ youth club team in the South Bay. The coach, Vivek Ranadive, now owns the Sacramento Kings, but he didn’t know that much about basketball when he took over his daughter’s team. He realized his players weren’t as skilled as their opponents, but were much more athletic.

The obvious solution? Use his superior athletes to erase the superior skill of the opponents by pressing, trapping and forcing young basketball players (around age 12) to make decisions under pressure while being harassed by taller, stronger and quicker girls. Naturally, it worked very well, but Ranadive — and Gladwell — were confused, if not upset, because of the criticism they received from other teams. After all, Ranadive’s teams won, didn’t they? And isn’t that what it’s all about?

In a word, no. That isn’t what it’s all about. Ranadive didn’t teach his team about basketball; he didn’t increase the skill level of his players so that they could move to play in high

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school; he didn’t help the opposition develop either, as since they couldn’t break the pressure, they couldn’t play basketball. They just were overwhelmed by superior athletes, and their skills were rendered irrelevant.

So how important is winning?

Rice and Brown would say it’s important enough that they felt verbally abusing their players to get them to play at a high level was the best way to go. And it is true that some players will respond to this kind of negative reinforcement, and in the short run, teams will improve.

The question, though, is how important — at what point does the drive to win collide with the use of negativity, humiliation and what many would call abuse? And when that collision occurs, what’s more important?

Those who believe driving performance with a kind of abuse is fine, because performance is the most important thing. Or, to put it another way, treating a player, an individual, simply a chess piece to be pushed forward in whatever manner as possible is fine as long it improves the team’s chances of winning. Unfortunately, that is precisely the kind of logic that also pushes football players back on the field with concussions — they are not really worth treating as independent human beings with feelings and values, but rather as pieces that can be sacrificed, in whole or in part, for the greater good of winning. ✪

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San Ramon Valley is poised for another NCS title behind one of the country’s best young players

E

By Chace Bryson | Editor

verybody knew who was taking the shot.

She was double-teamed — just as she had been nearly the entire match — but once Kat Klass got the ball, nobody expected anything less than what unfolded.

Klass created just enough space for herself and fired a bullet past the Campolindo-Moraga goalkeeper with 29 seconds remaining and the host San Ramon Valley girls water polo team stayed unbeaten with an 11-10 victory on Oct. 4.

Out of the water, Klass blends in almost seamlessly with her teammates. At 5-foot-8, she’s a touch taller than most, but as one watches the team work its way through a postgame handshake, picking out the player with National Team experience isn’t as easy as one might think.

In the pool? There’s no question.

Klass cuts through the water, using her long arms and legs to her advantage. She exhibits a steely competitiveness and a persistent strength against constant double teams. It’s evident from the first few possessions, THIS is who you’re here to see. She’s the one to keep an eye on.

“The first thing I noticed was her length,” said Women’s Cadet National Team head coach Natalie Benson, who coached Klass this past August with the Women’s Youth National Team contingent that won gold at the Youth Pan American Championships in Argentina. “And her speed.

When looking for characteristics in a player, long and quick is always a good place to start.”

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Strong bloodlines don’t hurt either.

Just how old Klass and her two two-years-younger sister, Sarah, were when they realized their father was somewhat of a big deal in the sport is a topic of some debate.

Craig Klass grew up in Walnut Creek and graduated from Las Lomas High before attending Stanford where he was a three-time NCAA All-American from 1983-85 and the NCAA Collegiate Player of the Year in 1986. He was a member of the U.S. National Team for seven years, which included winning silver at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea, and a 4thplace finish in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. He was elected to the U.S. Water Polo Hall of Fame in 2000.

“I know I used to go to the elementary schools and put on all the Olympic gear and give my little talk,” Craig Klass says with a chuckle. “So they probably had some idea.”

Kat Klass claims she’s still realizing it even now.

“The water polo community is a small one, and he just knows so many people,” she said.

That same community is getting to know Kat. After being named First Team All-North Coast Section Division I as a freshman in 2011, she put together a phenomenal sophomore season that included 132 goals and East Bay Athletic League MVP honors. She quickly found herself on the national team radar and was placed in its Olympic Development Program (ODP) before making her first team this past summer for the Youth Pan-Am Games.

Now, in her junior year, she’s leading a squad featuring multiple freshmen — including her sister — on a course to defend the NCS Division I title the Wolves won a year ago. The victory over Campolindo, which was the defending NCS Div. II champ, moved San Ramon Valley to 13-0 and kept them as the heavy favorite to repeat.

“We just need to keep working and stay humble,” Kat said.

“We can’t get caught up in it because people are targeting us now.”

And it would be fair to say, that people — and entire teams — are targeting Kat now too. That’s a challenge she wants.

“As her coach, it was hard not to notice her desire to get 16

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TOP: Kat Klass rises up to fire a shot against Carondelet during a preliminary round game of the Acalanes Invitational on Sept. 14.

ABOVE: Craig Klass, Kat’s father, is a member of the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame. He also works as an assistant coach for San Ramon Valley. better and how seriously she takes every opportunity she has,” said Benson, who played for the Women’s National Team and was an Olympian in 2004 and 2008. “She was almost too hard on herself at times, and that reminded me of myself a little ...

Because of her attitude and how hard she is willing to work, she will do great.”

That determined personality and drive is something Kat has always carried, according to Craig Klass. She played multiple sports growing up, including swimming, softball, basketball and soccer. The latter she hung on to the longest, playing it into middle school.

“Her achilles heel in soccer was that she wasn’t one of the faster players, even though she played attacker,” Craig Klass said. “Coming into water polo, she had all those attacking skills, but could also swim really fast.”

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And toward the end of her sixth-grade year, soccer was being phased out as water polo slowly became the new passion.

“I’d come home and I’d be so tired from trying to stay afloat during practice,” Kat said of her first year playing. “I thought it was a hard sport, but it rewards hard work and I really liked that. Because I’m one of those people who likes to work hard and isn’t content just being good enough.”

She remembers her first competitive matches taking their toll, but simultaneously fueling her motivation.

“I was really skinny still and not very strong,” Kat recalled. “I remember getting dominated by the other girls and I was like ‘One day I want that to be me.’ Not necessarily beating up on smaller players, but being strong enough to completely dominate the game and control every one out there.”

When it comes to the high school arena, it’s safe to say she’s reached that level. Now she keeps an eye out for her sister, who starts for the Wolves and is getting to play on the same team with Kat for the very first time. Craig Klass is at each match, too, acting as perhaps the most-qualified assistant water polo coach in the state.

But what did Kat learn in her first international experience?

“It definitely made me want to work even harder,” she said, “to come back next year and make the Youth Worlds team. It made me

want to get a spot on that team that’s going to Spain. I belong here, and I can do this.”

She won’t get any arguments from Marcelo Leonardi, the current National Women’s Youth Team head coach who was also on the coaching staff with Benson in Argentina.

Leonardi, who is also the Women’s National ODP Technical Director, has worked with Klass for a little more than a year now.

“The sky is the limit (for her), honestly,” Leonardi said. “She’s just scratching the surface at what she can do. It’s just a matter of time, preparation and full-time training. One of the most important things for her, is how she exposes herself to every opportunity to get better.”

That will include taking part in the USA Water Polo’s Futures 50 Classic event from October 25-27 in Santa Ana. The event brings together 50 of the top women’s water polo athletes in the country and divides them into four teams to compete in round-robin play.

Among the players Kat will share the pool with are 2012 Olympic gold medalists Maggie Steffens and Annika Dries.

For Klass, it’s simply one more step in a determined path to follow in her dad’s footsteps — the same determined path that will more than likely help her lead the Wolves to another NCS crown.

“The moment that you think you’re good,” she says, “is the moment you need to start working harder.” ✪

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Tyler Meteer, Del Oro 18

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Football in the Bay Area and Sac-Joaquin regions has never been better, making bragging rights on either side harder and harder to claim

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S

omewhere, perhaps at a truck stop along Interstate 80, just south of a fruit stand on the Yolo Causeway or maybe in the middle of a field watered by runoff from the Delta, sits a line.

It isn’t straight and it can’t be found on a map.

In fact, there is no physical manifestation of that line anywhere. But, rest assured the line exists.

Somewhere, the line between the Bay Area and San Joaquin Valley has been drawn and people are asking a simple question.

Which area plays better football?

First, it helps to define the scope of the inquiry. The Bay Area will be defined as the North Coast (from Santa Rosa to its southern-most point), San Francisco, Oakland and Central Coast Sections. The Sac-Joaquin Section represents itself, extending as far west as Benicia and Vallejo with a large number of member schools calling the Sacramento-metro area home.

These days there is plenty of sample size to draw from. Over the past five years (this season included), the two areas have played a shade more than 200 games against each other. That includes some of the smallest schools in California, and also takes into account powerhouses like Del Oro-Loomis, Pittsburg, BellarmineSan Jose and Granite Bay. From a pure numbers standpoint, the SacJoaquin Section holds the edge with 114 wins to the Bay Area’s 90. The raw data might be misleading in some ways, but what becomes apparent right away when comparing results between Support Your Local Business • Say You Found Them In SportStars™

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“The philosophy we’ve taken is by the time league starts, we’re pretty battle-tested.

Playing top talent from the Bay Area meant playing in playoff-like atmospheres.”

Del Oro coach Casey Taylor LEFT (GRAPHIC): Del Oro’s Tyler Meteer turns the ball up field during an Aug. 30 game. RIGHT: Granite Bay’s Tony Ellison hauls in a pass in front of Pittsburg’s Ceja Daniel.

FAR RIGHT (GRAPHIC): De La Salle coasted to a 49-15 win over Folsom in last year’s CIF Open Division Regional bowl.

the regions is just how similar the areas have become.

The mystery hanging over such comparisons is gone, because teams are playing each other with greater regularity than ever before. It isn’t enough to just claim a school like Elk Grove is better than a school like Serra-San Mateo because chances are they have a common opponent or two.

And, of course, those engaging in this debate can always use the California Interscholastic Federation bowl series as a barometer. In the last five years, each region has participated in 10 bowl games. Each has won five. Want one big difference? The SJS has sent 10 different schools, while the Bay Area has only sent five.

In reality, there isn’t much of a rivalry anymore. Northern California is more united than ever when it comes to seeking out good competition because, for teams that cling to visions of a state bowl appearance, preparation doesn’t just come from within one section.

“Just seeing where we’re at from a NorCal perspective, we’re always trying to play quality teams,” said Del Oro coach Casey Taylor. “The philosophy we’ve taken is by the time league starts, we’re pretty battle-tested. Playing top talent from the Bay Area meant playing in playoff-like atmospheres.”

Taylor’s squad has been one of the most active in cross-region battles, having played five of them over the past five years. They’ve only lost once, and that didn’t come until earlier this season.

That one loss on the Golden Eagles’ ledger brings the discussion to the elephant in the room, because the trump card for the Bay Area has, at least for the better part of the last 35 years, resided at the corner of Winton Drive and Treat Blvd. in Concord. That’s where De La Salle has run roughshod over the North Coast Section, to the tune of 21 straight section titles.

Taylor and his crew got a chance to test themselves against the Spartans this season, dropping a lopsided 41-3 decision to the defending CIF Open Division champions. It served as a valuable learning experience for the Sacramento-area power, and carried a valuable purpose as far as Taylor is concerned.

“Playing De La Salle this year was an eye opener for us. They were on another level,” Taylor said. “But, it’s great for us to see what that level’s all about. It just shows us how far we are away from being an Open state champ.”

While Taylor looked at that matchup as an opportunity to test his squad, De La Salle’s neighbors see it differently.

As the Spartans’ section dominance has piled up, so has the apathy for NCS Division I teams. At the end of the day, De La Salle will always be waiting for the standout Div. I team that has aspirations of reaching a bowl game because a section title is necessary to qualify for a spot in Carson.

Deer Valley coach Rich Woods speaks from experience. In his tenure at the Antioch school, he’s had more than his share of talent. He has also coached in the Sac-Joaquin Section, coming to Deer Valley after a lengthy and successful stint at Vanden-Fairfield. Now, he battles along with every other NCS Div. I team for the right to, ultimately, line up against the Spartans in the NCS Div. I championship.

“There’s no other way, unless you beat (De La Salle), to go out and compete (for a state berth) because you’ve got to win the section championship to get to a state game. I think that makes it difficult,” Woods said. “It’s a wide-open game in the SJS because they always have a Division I and Division II champ. They’ve elevated their play and their commitment to their programs because they have that opportunity.”

Taylor agrees that the visibility of Sac-Joaquin Section teams has increased lately because of the section’s success in bowl games. But don’t assume the success of recent seasons is a new phenomenon.

“I think over the last five years, the bowl (series) has helped. There was a perception that Sacramento didn’t play good football,” Taylor said. “I think by playing those games against Cal High (San Ramon) and James Logan (Union City), I think it’s brought some attention to our area. I don’t think we’re trying to make a statement or anything but we’ve always had good football here in Sacramento.”

Woods said he began scheduling Sac-Joaquin teams as a way to play good competition without having to square off with teams he’d eventually hope to see in the playoffs. Taylor’s story is similar, having agreed to participate in a few charity-based events and landing matchups against Bay Area foes.

What they have in common is a healthy respect for one another. And, that feeling extends to the playing field as well.

Neither Taylor nor Woods feels the players read much into regional rivalry, and a recent game between Pittsburg and Granite Bay served as a perfect example. After both teams left everything on the field in a 39-35 Grizzlies win, Granite Bay receiver Marc Ellis chose not to claim regional dominance, but instead praise a worthy foe.

“Two years ago we got blown out. They were way bigger than us. Tonight, we just came to play,” Ellis said. “It’s always huge. We’re always out there to compete and they’re a great team.”

The debate over which region plays better ball will likely continue forever. As long as the debate remains though, each area continues to get better and better as a result.

And, that line that separates the two? It gets just a bit blurrier each season. ✪ 20

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Bay Area vs. Sac-Joaquin, Madden-style! Now that you have our choice for the Top 5 actual games that were played, visit the online version of the story to see us breakdown two matchups that we wish we could’ve made happen. Only at www.SportStarsOnline.com!

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Old-school football can still be winning formula California High coach Eric Billeci bears little resemblance to Hank Stram in appearance or demeanor.

What the Grizzlies head man does have in common with the legendary Kansas City Chiefs coach is his approach to offensive football, because if Cal’s 24-7 win over Foothill on Oct. 11 is any indication, Billeci might be at his happiest when matriculating the ball down the field is the order of the day.

Yes, this is the era of high-flying offensive attacks. The spread, the pistol, the run and shoot, call the current offensive trends anything you’d like. At Cal, those words take a backseat to power running in the lexicon of football jargon.

“That’s Cal High history and we’re going to keep going with it as long as we can,” Grizzlies running back Blake Bierwith said. “That’s Cal High’s game plan, to pound the ball. I’m lucky to be a part of it.”

Against the Falcons, the ground and pound approach proved the best defense that Billeci could have ever devised.

With drives as long as 16 plays, the Grizzlies kept the ball out of the hands of Foothill’s talented offensive core, featuring Kyle Kearns, Isaiah Langley and Jamirr HolPhillip Walton land, which is known for making big plays.

California running back Bierwith got his Blake Bierwith loves playing touches, doing his part old-school football. with 79 yards and a touchdown. But it was junior fullback Simi Hingano, playing a position long forgotten by most coaches, who made the biggest impact with a bruising 16 carries for 106 yards and two scores.

He was aided by an offensive line that paved the way all night, leaving Billeci effusive in his praise for the biggest men on the

Records are through Oct. 12 field.

“They work so hard and they did their job up front tonight,” Billeci said. “They’re the hardest working line out there. They just work, man.”

Though the old football adage might need to be updated to include rubber pellets, Billeci and the Grizzlies aren’t giving up on their three yards and a cloud of dust approach anytime soon.

FOLSOM GETS DEFENSIVE Normally, the key to victory for the Folsom Bulldogs is simple — let Jake Browning and the offense pass the ball all over the field and outscore opponents.

In a 35-0 shutout of Delta River League rival Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills, the defensive unit earned much of the credit.

“The pressure has always been on the offense to score points for us to win,” Folsom co-head coach Kris Richardson said, “but our defense came up big and played outstanding.”

Defensive coordinator Lou Baiz said the Bulldogs stuck to the basics to keep a very potent Trojans’ offense off the scoreboard.

“We maybe made things a little more simple,” Baiz said of Folsom’s defensive game plan. “We mixed our coverages a little and put in a few new things during the bye week that they would not have seen on tape. ... Maybe we were able to do that because we did not have to think as much.”

Defensive end Lukas Hendricks applied pressure to Trojans’ standout sophomore quarterback Ian Book and knocked down several passes while linebacker Eddie Flores and defensive backs Calvin Gardner, Cole Thompson, and Mike McCuaig kept Oak Ridge’s receiving threats in check.

Browning still got his numbers (383 yards passing and three TDs to increase his section-leading tally to 33), but also struggled in throwing four interceptions as the Folsom offensive machine sputtered at times. The junior was quick to take the blame for the struggles while crediting his teammates on the other side of the ball.

“I definitely had my worst game of the season, but the defense played great tonight,” he said. “We didn’t put up a lot of points on offense, so for us to ‘goose egg’ them was really good.” ✪ — Ben Enos and Jim McCue

1. (1)

— De La Salle-Concord

6-0

2. (2)

— Folsom

6-0

3. (3)

— Serra-San Mateo

4-1

4. (4)

— Elk Grove

6-0

5. (5)

— Bellarmine-San Jose

4-1

6. (6)

— Granite Bay

5-1

7. (7)

— Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove

6-0

8. (8)

— Marin Catholic-Kentfield

7-0

9. (9)

— Deer Valley-Antioch

6-0

10. (11) ▲

Archbishop Mitty-San Jose

5-0

11. (12) ▲ Campolindo-Moraga

6-0

12. (13) ▲

Del Oro-Loomis

4-2

13. (10) ▼

Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills

5-1

14. (15) ▲

St. Francis-Mountain View

4-1

15. (16) ▲

Pittsburg

4-2

16. (17) ▲

California-San Ramon

5-1

17. (18) ▲

St. Mary’s-Stockton

4-2

18. (19) ▲

El Cerrito

4-2

19. (NR) ▲

Casa Grande-Petaluma

6-0

20. (20) — Clayton Valley Charter-Concord

5-1

DROPPED OUT

No. 14 Foothill-Pleasanton

WEST CATHOLIC CARNAGE

There’s no question that the one league with the most influence on the rankings down the stretch will be the West Catholic Athletic League. Mitty became the third WCAL team to breach the Top 10 this week after a gritty 14-13 win over a Valley Christian-San Jose team which was already ranked once this season and seems bound to pull off an upset in the near future. Bellarmine, one week after suffering its first loss to Serra, barely outlasted then No. 15 St. Francis. In fact, the Lancers played so well in the 21-14 loss, we didn’t hesitate in giving them a bump to No. 14. With four teams ranked and Valley Christian still in play, it could get messy over the last month.

TEAMS STILL RANKED FROM PRESEASON TOP 20: 14 KNOCKING ON THE DOOR

(alphabetically) Analy-Sebastapol (6-1), Burbank-Sacramento (4-2), Capital Christian-Sacramento (5-1), Carmel (5-0), Central Catholic-Modesto (6-1), Grant-Sacramento (4-2), James Logan-Union City (5-1), Milpitas (4-1), Northgate-Walnut Creek (6-0), San Ramon Valley-Danville (3-3) and Valley Christian-San Jose (3-2)

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Shaped by a young life of triumph and tragedy, Maddie Dilfer is the positive force at the heart of state-ranked Valley Christian volleyball

T

By david keifer | Contributor

here is a common dialogue between sisters Madeleine and Tori Dilfer that goes something like this: Maddie: “You need to focus!”

Tori: “You need to chill out!”

Yes, Maddie admits she could loosen up a little, but it’s also part of a personality that has been sculpted by life experiences, and is exactly what the Valley Christian High volleyball team needs.

At the San Jose school, Dilfer has the Warriors challenging for the West Catholic Athletic League title. This is significant because the league is so strong that two of its schools — Archbishop Mitty-San Jose and St. Francis-Mountain View — share the California record for most state championships in the sport, with nine apiece.

Also consider that Valley Christian is only two years removed from its second consecutive winless league season and never has won a WCAL championship, much less a state crown.

But the defending Central Coast Section Div. III champions are poised for more.

“I think we have a shot at state,” said Maddie Dilfer, a 5-foot-11 setter. “It’s far out there, but that’s our goal.”

A four-year starter, the Notre Dame commit is the leader of a team with breathtaking young talent. Senior setter Kirsten Mead will play at Santa Clara; 6-4 junior middle blocker Ella Lajos has committed to Washington State; and 6-3 sophomore middle Ronika Stone has the potential, said one college coach, to be among the nation’s top five recruits for her class.

Going into its Oct. 15 showdown at Mitty, the Warriors (18-3 overall, 3-0 WCAL) were ranked No. 2 in the state and No. 9 in the nation by MaxPreps.com.

At St. Francis on Oct. 1, Valley lost the first set and was down 16-15 in the second when Dilfer served three consecutive points to give the Warriors a lead they would not relinquish.

Dilfer, also counted on to hit, showed an array of swings, including a standing backrow roll shot for a point and a kill down the line. The team’s serving faltered in the fourth set, but the Warriors fashioned an impenetrable block and pulled away for a four-set victory.

It was clear: This team could be special.

“The expectations have been set high for us and I think that’s good,” Dilfer said. “We need that. We worked for that. I think that’s a good thing.”

To fully understand the heart of this team, one needs to understand a little more about Dilfer. She was born on March 31, 1996, to Cassandra and Trent Dilfer, who had just finished the third of his six seasons as the quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Trent would play 13 NFL seasons, with five teams, and now works as an NFL analyst for ESPN. Maddie, the oldest of four children, didn’t like to move, at least at first, but grew to appreciate it.

“It strengthened my relationship with my family a lot, having to rely on them” she said.

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“You make new friends, but it takes a little while.”

The ups and downs in Trent’s career — he played in a Pro Bowl with Tampa Bay and quarterbacked the 2000 Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl victory, but also endured heavy criticism — sometimes affected Maddie, too.

“It’s weird at times,” Maddie said. “It stunk coming back to school after they lost a game. Kids tease you. But you get over that. You have to have some thick skin sometimes.”

Their lives certainly were exposed, but two things made it bearable for Maddie.

No. 1: “My dad’s really good about being there when he can be. My parents are really good about making sure they spend time with me and with us as a family. That’s one thing that I really appreciate about my parents, their commitment to us and their love and devotion to our family.”

And, No. 2: “I’ve also been able to separate myself from that and be my own person. I don’t mind that I’m Trent’s daughter.

I like being an athlete and I like being part of an athletic family. But we’re all pretty different too.”

Cassandra was a swimmer at Fresno State and it seemed the logical sport for Maddie, who excelled at it. She also tried basketball, soccer, and track and field before first playing volleyball in sixth grade at Valley Christian’s middle school. She focused on the sport exclusively two years later.

“The core value in our household is about reaching your potential,” Trent said. “Sports fit right into that. It was an avenue to kind of push ourselves and, individually, to get the most out of it.”

Brother Trevin was born 16 months after Maddie, in 1997.

Sisters Tori arrived in 1999 and Delaney in 2002.

Trevin was an athletic little boy who loved to act as a peacemaker. If some crisis arrived, real or imagined, Trevin, with a cape around his neck, would announce heroically, “Trevin to

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the rescue!”

“He was my best friend,” Maddie said.

But when Trevin was 5, he developed a virus in his heart.

Forty days later, he was gone.

“I understood what happened, but I didn’t understand why,” Maddie said. “I was very confused for a while. I spent a lot of time being mad and angry and sad.

“My faith was not nearly as strong as it is now,” she said.

“But I had a greater grasp than a lot of kids do at a young age.

My parents raised me like that and the Lord really helped me through it. My parents would remind me to let God take control and trust him with everything.”

Trevin’s presence never will leave. Maddie imagines what he would be doing if he were with her at Valley Christian today.

Who would his friends be? What sport would be play?

The loss of her brother, as much as anything, affected the person Maddie would become. The attributes developed in those years of coping — the focus, maturity, and wisdom — are strong in her.

She meets your eyes with a sense of understanding, like you’ve known her for years rather than minutes. There is a connection because she chooses to make it so.

“She’s a well-rounded student who excels in class and as a leader,” Valley Christian athletic director Jolene Fugate said.

“Teachers say you don’t even have to put up a vote if Maddie is involved. Everyone picks her.”

Dilfer was elected as the chapel coordinator, organizing several chapel services over the school year, including the senior chapel in the spring before graduation. She works with the school’s chaplain to plan the worship and book musicians and speakers from around the country.

“That’s a position that has a pretty big influence on the spiritual community on our campus,” Fugate said.

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Dilfer’s coaches at Vision Volleyball Club believe that Notre Dame got a steal. There was interest from other programs, but the belief is that Dilfer, who Vision director Joe Ripp switched from hitter to setter in seventh grade to improve her chances of advancement, hasn’t come close to reaching her potential.

“There’s a good chance that a lot of schools are going to say, ‘Whoops!’ because they didn’t go after her,” said one college coach.

She has increased her strength and has eased up on her perfectionist tendencies to be more patient — vital to a young team. “One thing that really separates her is her ability to make changes and be coachable,” said Jeff Kim, Valley Christian’s co-coach with Sheri Hess. “She always wants to get better. She can set a goal, reach it, and set another goal.”

Trent, the Super Bowl veteran, used to get extremely nervous watching Maddie play. But that doesn’t happen much anymore. “It used to be worse,” he said. “Now, she’s proven herself that in almost all of the big moments she’s ever played in, she’s kind of thrived.”

This season is special for the family because Maddie and Tori, a freshman, are playing on the same team.

“It’s the first time really that any of our kids have played a sport together,” Cassandra said.

For Maddie, the final step in the maturation process is learning to let go a bit — to take control without trying to control. She’s on her way and, of course, Tori is willing to help with the occasional reminder.

There have been losses, on the court and off. There has been success, the kind built from the ground up. And there has been love, from a family that has learned to rely on each other.

But, above all, there will be victories, in volleyball and beyond, for Madeleine Dilfer. That much seems certain. No reminder necessary. ✪

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football safety: dr. selina shah Americans love football.

It’s no surprise that athletes from the high school level on down are drawn to the game. In 2012, a whopping 4.2 million played football, including more than one million high school students.

But popularity comes with a price, and in the case of football, the price includes injuries.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 920,000 athletes received care in an emergency room or doctor’s office for football-related injuries in 2007. For every 1,000 exposures on the field, high school football players suffered between 3.2 and 8.1 injuries.

Most injuries that occur during games happen in the third quarter. Players are more commonly injured on offense rather than defense, with running backs sustaining the most injuries, followed by lineman. Defensive backs, however, are at the highest risk for catastrophic injury.

Despite recent media attention on concussions and other brain trauma, the majority of football injuries occur in the lower extremities, with injuries to the knees reported to be as high as 36.5 percent, followed by up to 18.8 percent for ankle injuries, up to 13.3 percent for shoulder injuries, 11.8 percent for head injuries and 7.2 percent for neck injuries.

Unfortunately, the highest rates in football occur in high school. The good news is that injuries and fatalities have been decreasing in recent years as the result of improved safety regulations evolved from data collected by the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research since 1931.

Head injuries, for example, have dropped dramatically since 1976, when it became illegal to make initial contact with the head and face while blocking and tackling, also called “spearing.” Spearing contributed to 36 fatalities and 30 paralysis injuries in 1968 alone. The banning of the play, coupled with advancement in helmet contact restrictions, helped reduce the number of catastrophic head and neck injuries to 13 in 2012. Five eventually made a complete neurological recovery.

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In 2008, the National Federation of State High School Associations mandated that any athlete who had suffered a concussion could not return to play that day and had to remain out of play until cleared by a medical professional. Since 2010, any athlete who exhibits signs of concussion must be removed immediately from the game.

Additional health concerns in football: Heat stroke caused 133 deaths between 1960 and 2011. Thanks to increased awareness about the problem, only one case was reported in 2012.

Sickle Cell Trait has also become the focus of concern after a recent article revealed that 13 college football players died from Sickling Collapse. In the past three years, however, Division I, II and III athletes have been required to undergo Sickle Cell Trait testing, although this ruling has not yet been mandated for high school athletes.

If you are a high school athlete or the parent of one, it’s important to understand the risks of the game and to know and follow methods designed to reduce injuries.

As the football season reaches the mid-point, meet with coaches to discuss and review injury-prevention techniques, and remind athletes to look out for one another and report to an adult immediately if an injury occurs during practice or play. When an injury does occur, players should be evaluated by a qualified physician.

Teach young athletes that good football is safe football. ✪ Selina Shah is a board-certified Sports Medicine Physician for St. Francis Memorial’s Center for Sports Medicine in Walnut Creek.

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foot health: dr. david e. oji

Pain, tenderness in midfoot area could mean a Lisfranc injury A Lisfranc injury is the result of bone or ligament injury or combination of both in the middle of the foot, usually due to a twisting injury, fall, or high-energy trauma.

The severity of the injury can vary from a pure ligament injury to disastrous fracture dislocations. Many times, a Lisfranc injury is mistaken for a simple midfoot sprain. However, injury to the Lisfranc joint is in fact a serious injury that requires close clinical scrutiny and possibly surgery. If not properly identified, the injury can result in long-term disability.

The midfoot is defined as a region of the foot where the long bones of the toes meet the cluster of small bones in the middle of the foot. A ligament called the Lisfranc ligament stabilizes a portion of this area along with other soft tissue structures. As stated above, injury usually occurs from a twisting injury of the foot, many times while playing football, or a fall from height onto the foot.

Most common symptoms are pain and swelling on top of the foot, bruising on the bottom of the foot, pain that worsens with walking or standing, and continued pain despite rest and elevation. Any athlete reporting these symptoms in the middle of the foot should be carefully evaluated by an orthopedic surgeon.

After discussing your injury and symptoms with your orthopedic surgeon, he or she will carefully examine your foot. Radiographs will be obtained of your foot to evaluate for bony injury. If injury occurred with a simple twisting of the foot, then the orthopedic surgeon may ask the patient to take a weight-bearing standing radiograph and possibly image the uninjured foot for comparison. Further advanced imaging such as a CT or MRI might be needed.

Treatment will depend on the level of injury to the Lisfranc complex. Simple partial injuries can be treated with weight-bearing restrictions in a boot or cast.

Regular follow-up is essential to evaluate for any changes. More severe injuries, such as a complete tear, joint dislocations, or fractures, will require surgery. If proper treatment is not initiated, long-term disability and even permanent damage can result that can prevent the athlete from returning to his or her sport.

A Lisfranc injury is a serious condition that requires a careful evaluation. Any athlete with pain, swelling, and bruising in the midfoot should be evaluated by an orthopedic surgeon to rule out this condition. Early recognition and treatment can minimize damage to the joint and reduce the risk for future disability. âœŞ David E. Oji, MD is an orthopedic surgeon, foot and ankle fellowship trained. He works in Tracy, Pleasanton, and San Ramon

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get mental: erika carlson

mid-season mental grind

It’s mid-season. You are grinding through five-plus days per week of practice and games. You’re getting physically exhausted, and mentally you may be slipping into negative thinking as you try to keep up with all the sport and academic demands. Here’s a list of very common mid-season mental struggles: ›› Finding balance between school, sport, and social life ›› Feeling tired and sore from daily practice ›› Feeling the mid-season “blahs” = lazy work ethic ›› Frustrated with wanting more playing time ›› Managing injuries that have cropped up earlier in the season ›› Frustrated with a difficult team environment Sound familiar? There are many strategies that can help you successfully work through the mid-season grind. Remember, your physical and mental game go hand-in-hand. If you’re struggling mentally, it’s tough to dominate physically.

Try these mental training strategies to help get through your season successfully: ›› Check your self-talk — If you’re thinking too much about being tired, sore or frustrated, you need to change it up and get out of your head. Focus on the simple instructions, one drill at a time. (e.g., “dig!” “accelerate” “look, pass”) ›› Refocus your attention — When you think too much, your attention is stuck inside your body.

Get your head and eyes up and pay extra attention to the external game (the ball, the setter, see a route around through the defense). ›› Build your game confidence all week long — Start your week by setting your health goals (sleep, diet, hydration), practice goals (“play with intensity” “talk on defense”), game goals (“complete 80 percent of passes.”).

Mental toughness is a must have resource to get through the mid-season mental grind. Always remember, a strong mental day allows you to physically dominate on game day. ✪ Erika Carlson is owner of Excellence in Sports Performance in Pleasanton.

training time: tim rudd for iyca

what is conditioning?

I think there is a misconception on what conditioning really is and how to improve it for young athletes. People tend to use words like “conditioning” and “cardio” without having a full understanding or definition of what they actually mean.

So what is conditioning? Conditioning is a measure of maximum sustainable power output over a given duration. For example, how much power an athlete can generate without fatiguing throughout a game.

Each sport requires a different combination of power (the ability to produce energy very fast — low efficiency) and endurance (the ability to produce energy slowly for a long period of time — high efficiency).

Most team sports require a constant variation of higher power output and endurance. If an athlete focuses too much on the power side, his endurance suffers. If he focuses too much on the endurance side then power output will suffer. If he tries to improve both at the same time, both will suffer.

So it basically comes down to how well the system of an athlete’s body is able to create the energy their muscles need to perform the skills of their sport throughout a game. If the systems involved in energy production can generate ATP (the fuel muscles run on) fast enough and for long enough, then an athlete has good conditioning. If not, the athlete will gas out.

Rely too much on the anaerobic processes (high power output that is very inefficient) then an athlete will undergo larger performance decrements during a game, increasing the amount of fatigue, which will negatively affect performance. Rely too much on the aerobic processes (higher efficiency = lower power output) then the athlete’s speed, power and agility will suffer; all the qualities that are required to optimally perform the skill of their sport.

Trying to improve both anaerobic processes and aerobic processes at the same time will lead to very little improvement in either, if any at all. So in a nutshell, improvement in both aerobic and anaerobic energy systems are required for optimal conditioning in team sports. ✪ Tim Rudd is an IYCA specialist in youth conditioning and owner of Fit2TheCore.

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proper warm-up: hunter greene, m.d.

WARM

Regards A successful race almost always starts with a dynamic warm-up

The warm-up is one of the most important components of a successful race and is also one of the most overlooked aspects of pre-race preparation. The warm-up helps prepare you for the physical demands of the race and also improves your muscles’ dynamics so that you are less prone to injury.

Start out with some slow running to elevate your core body temperature and lubricate your muscles, allowing them to contract and relax more efficiently. A warm-up jog should last between 10-25 minutes, depending upon your experience and fitness level.

After your jog, it’s time for some dynamic exercises that take your joints through a full range of motion.

Performing some dynamic exercises such as walking lunges, high knees, skipping, karaokes, neck rolls and shoulder rolls, prepares your body to run fast. Do each dynamic movement for about 20 seconds.

Cap your warm-up with a set of four to six strides, run for 20 seconds at race pace. Strides serve three purposes. They help you get into your target race pace, complete the neuromuscular activation process, and make the start of the race less psychologically shocking. Try to run your strides as close to the start of the race as possible.

Finally, be careful about warming up too long or intensely as it can be counterproductive. Do the same warm-up on race day that you do before any hard workout in training. ✪ Hunter Greene, M.D., is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with Summit Orthopedic Specialists in Carmichael.

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tri steps: liz elliott

It’s your bike Make sure it fits YOU

Choosing a bike can be overwhelming and time consuming, but can also be really fun if you know what you are looking for.

Choosing the best bike for you is exactly that: choosing the right bike for YOU. It’s a lot like choosing a great pair of jeans you will wear for years.

There are lots of fancy brands and components. Should I get carbon or steel? Trek, Cervelo, Specialized? Do I need to spend spend $3,000 for the “best bike?” Oooh, that one looks pretty, but rides up in my you-know-where. The bottom line is you want the most comfortable ride.

You don’t have to spend a lot to get a bike you will love to ride. You want the most comfortable bike. Comfort equals power. Power equals speed and fun.

Most of all, you want to want to ride your bike.

1. GO RIDE BIKES. Ride lots of different brands and different sizes.

Go to different stores in your area. Make sure to take your helmet to every store so you are ready to go. Narrow down the brand of bike that is most comfortable for you.

2. GET “SIZED.” Once you’ve decided on a brand you like, ride different sizes. Find the right frame size for you in the brand you like. Just like when trying on and buying jeans, each brand of bike has it’s own

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frame sizing, and most do not compare directly to any other brand. For example, Specialized uses XS, S, M, L and XL, and their M says it’s comparable to a 54cm. What does that mean?

Most other brands just use cm. (46, 48, 51...) Again, what does that mean? Well, each bike store will also give you a different spiel on sizing. The basic idea of frame size depends on leg length, and torso length. Seat, handlebars, cleats and stem length can all be adjusted for more comfort, but frame size should not be too big or too small.

3. GET “FIT.” Think of the “fit” as the tailoring. A bike should be adjusted to you, not the other way around. Make sure to be fit by a reputable establishment, and one that allows at least one month to a year for adjustments. And one that will take and give your measurements on your bike when you are in the most comfortable position.

4. RIDE FOR A GOOD 100 MILES. It doesn’t have to be all at once, obviously. Or even in a month. But after about 100 miles on your bike, you’ll know if there is any discomfort or pain that can be resolved with some minor adjustments. ✪ Liz Elliott was an All-American collegiate swimmer and is the head coach at Tri-Valley Triathlon Club.

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powered by trucks: anthony trucks

lifting yourself up

If you are a fan of this column then you know that I usually write about weight lifting, power training, and all that is involved with training the body for strength.

I am not going to stray from that topic too much with this article, but I want to go just a little bit deeper on this one. Many people who don’t lift weights or strength train see what I do as a waste of time, or a useless hobby, so to speak. I once heard a great saying while watching a TED talk that hit home so many years ago: “So many human beings see their body as a simple a way to carry their brains around.”

Man has always yearned for improvement, so why not improve the one thing that you cannot replace, your body?

For many, the weight room is more than a place with music, grunts, weights, sweat, and all the visceral accompaniments that you would usually attach to the act of weight lifting. Instead, it is where they find themselves. It is where they release their stress to gain clarity to better themselves and those around them. It is where they go to feel uplifted both mentally and physically from accomplishment.

It is for some, like me, where you get vulnerable enough to have your most heartfelt moments, as if the weight room is their “church.”

Or better yet, their sanctuary from a cold world. It’s a place where you can get the STRENGTH to decide to make it better, by making YOURSELF better both physically and mentally. ✪ Anthony Trucks is the owner of Trucks Training facility in Brentwood and covers weight training for SportStars.

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health watch: caitlin r. mouille

Knee pain slowing you down?

Have you had to stop running because of pain in the front of your knee? If so you are not alone. You could be experiencing Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS) or more commonly known as “runner’s knee.” PFPS represents 16-25 percent of all running injuries and is the most common overuse injury in young athletes. Patellofemoral pain is caused when the athlete places too much stress on the front of the knee joint. This can usually occur due to overuse, trauma, faulty technique, muscle dysfunction and tight quadriceps (the muscle on the front of the thigh). Achy or sharp pain can be felt “around” or “underneath” the knee cap when running, bending the knee, squatting, jumping, up/ down stairs, changing direction or sitting with the knee bent.

CAUSES

›› Muscle Imbalance: The quadriceps muscles are working overtime, while the back hip muscles (gluteus muscles) are weak.

This imbalance places too much stress on the front of the knee.

There is increased workload for the front of the thigh and the back hip muscles aren’t helping control movements. ›› Tightness: Increased tightness of the quadriceps muscle leading to decreased flexibility which compresses the patellofemoral joint. ›› Faulty Technique: It’s common for the knee to rotate or “cave in” while running, jumping or changing direction. This usually occurs because of decreased strength in the ankle or hip.

These muscles aren’t able to help support the movements of the knee, thus leading to an increase of stress on the joint.

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(Forces on the patella range from half a person’s body weight when walking, to three times body weight walking up stairs and up to seven times body weight while squatting). ›› Overuse: The training program has progressed too quickly.

This can lead to the above causes or lead to fatigue due to a lack of rest and recovery.

TREATMENTS

>> P.R.I.C.E (protect, ice, compression, elevation) to decrease pain and inflammation. ›› If you are over training: If running is causing pain, alternative activities such as swimming or bicycling. ›› If you have a muscle Imbalance: Strengthen those weak muscles! Strengthen your hips abductors, gluteus muscles, hamstrings and calves. ›› If you are tight: Stretch the quadriceps muscle on the front of your knee by pulling your heel towards your buttocks. You can perform this by lying on your stomach to reduce twisting of the knee or arching of the back. ›› Rehabilitation: Physical therapy has been found to be the treatment of choice for PFPS. The physical therapist will give you exercises to help with strengthening and stretching. ✪ Caitlin R. Mouille is a Doctor of Physical Therapy for the Sports Medicine Center for Young Athletes, a division of Children’s Hospital Oakland.

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oooohhH

shiny!

Amazon’s Kindle is Impulse’s trusted friend (we’re trying to get out more, though) and the new Kindle Fire HD tablet is a killer addition to the lineup. Starting at just $139 for an 8GB tablet, this 7 inch device packs quite the wallop.

Movies, games, social media, email ... and BOOKS! Oh, Kindle ... is there anything you can’t do. www.Amazon.com

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Welcome to Impulse, your one-stop shop for gadgets, gizmos and gear. Come for the thingamajigs, stay for what-nows.

Compiled by Mike DeCicco, Impulse provides you with the latest and greatest in the market along with upcoming events.

It’s important for our readers to know we’ve got yer back. Who’s your buddy?

Impulse is your buddy. That’s who.

Get fixed Our friends at Made in America/Made in Japan (just Sacramento’s finest auto repair facility, don’t you know) love to support the community and their latest offer is great. Get your car fixed there and they’ll donate 10 percent of your bill (parts & labor) to the school or sports program of your choice.

CAn tonezspeakers audio bluetooth Stop right there. If it’s bluetooth, we’re in. Every thing’s better with bluetooth. These speakers make it easy to play music off any bluetooth enabled phone. Take them anywhere. www.tonezaudio.com

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❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒

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1-To-1 Pediatrics..............................................................................................................30 Army National Guard Recruiter...........................................................................................5 Athletic Placement Services.............................................................................................36 Bay Area Blast Volleyball Club..........................................................................................25 Big O Tires Northern California/ Nevada.............................................................................2 Blaze Volleyball................................................................................................................36 Championship Athletic Fundraising.................................................................................26 Cheergyms.Com...............................................................................................................15 Children’s Hospital And Research Center...........................................................................29 City Beach Sports Club.....................................................................................................40 Club Sport Renaissance....................................................................................................31 Community Youth Center.................................................................................................38 Core Volleyball Club..........................................................................................................36 Crowne Plaza...................................................................................................................38 Delta Patriots Youth Football & Cheer...............................................................................22 Diablo Rock Gym..............................................................................................................32 Diablo Trophies & Awards.................................................................................................36 Diablo Valley Futsal..........................................................................................................35 E J Sports Elite Baseball Services......................................................................................37 East Bay Bulldogs Basketball............................................................................................36 East Bay Sports Academy.................................................................................................12 Excellence In Sport Performance......................................................................................28 Fit 2 The Core....................................................................................................................30 Franklin Canyon Golf Course.............................................................................................38 Gregg Jefferies Sports Academy ......................................................................................14 Home Team Sports Photography......................................................................................37 Image Imprint..................................................................................................................28 Kangazoom......................................................................................................................25 M L B Scout......................................................................................................................37 Made In America / Made In Japan....................................................................................40 Modesto Magic................................................................................................................35 Mountain Mike’s Pizza......................................................................................................39 Muir Orthopaedic Specialists............................................................................................34 National Scouting Report.................................................................................................35 Nor Cal All Sports Clinic....................................................................................................16 Northgate High School.....................................................................................................38 Pacific Rim Volleyball Academy........................................................................................31 Pro Hammer Bat...............................................................................................................36 Rhino Sports Of Northern California.................................................................................25 Rocco’s Pizza...............................................................................................................17, 36 Saint Francis Memorial Hospital.......................................................................................32 San Ramon Slammers Baseball........................................................................................38 Sky High Sports................................................................................................................36 Sport Clips........................................................................................................................17 State Farm Jimmy Harrington Agent................................................................................24 Stevens Creek Toyota........................................................................................................23 Summit Orthopedic Specialists..........................................................................................3 Surewest Sports Radio Show............................................................................................26 T D P Sports.....................................................................................................................32 The First Tee Of Contra Costa.............................................................................................38 The Golf Club At Roddy Ranch..........................................................................................37 Tpc / The Pitching Center..................................................................................................37 Tri Valley Orthopedic Specialists Inc..................................................................................33 U S Cryotherapy................................................................................................................23 United States Youth Volleyball League.............................................................................13 Velocity Sports Performance......................................................................................35, 36

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