DW 33 September 17, 2015
Got Send your nominations to: Next? Editor@SportStarsOnline.com or tweet us using #SSOTW
San Ramon Valley-Danville - Water Polo - Junior At this point, the East Bay girls water polo community has to be counting down the days until San Ramon Valley no long has a Klass on the roster. Four-year national standout Kat Klass graduated in June, but SRV opponents still have two more years of her younger sister Sarah. It was Sarah who led the Wolves to a 4-0 mark and third consecutive Acalanes Invitational championship on Sept. 11-12. San Ramon Valley outscored its four Invitational opponents 57-13. Klass led the team in scoring in all four matches, totaling 19 goals for the tournament. She scored four of the team’s seven goals in a narrow 7-6 semifinal win over Miramonte-Orinda, the only match San Ramon Valley didn’t win by at least 10 goals. Klass also scored four in a 14-2 championship victory over Campolindo-Moraga. It was the fourth straight year that the two programs have met in the tournament’s final.
Like us on Facebook
is powered by:
Jonathan Hawthorne photo
all in for
amador Capital Christian’s community goes the extra mile as a football host to fire-affected Amador
Story by Jason Harper | Photos by James K. Leash
T
here were no unsportsmanlike penalties. No ejections. In an era where YouTube, Snapchat and Twitter are filled with horrible breakdowns of athletes behaving badly, Sacramento recently hosted a brilliant display of sportsmanship where character and compassion overshadowed competition in a make-up football game Amador High of Sutter Creek and Capital Christian-Sacramento. The originally planned Sept. 11 game was scratched when Amador’s studentathletes watched their county engulfed in flames. The Butte Fire consumed more than 233 homes and scorched up to 72,000 acres across Calaveras and Amador Counties, as of Sept. 16. At what should have been kickoff time, some Amador athletes and their families were being scurried to evacuation centers. “We got evacuated on Thursday. We got picked up from school and had to move to Amador City,” said cheerleader Emma Dailey. Head Amador cheerleader Kaitlyn Medina said, “It was out of nowhere. We were just at school or at practice and came outside and plumes of smoke everywhere. Then being told no power, evacuations. It’s been scary for everybody. We’re just trying to hit it hard, come back together and support each other.” By Saturday, down the hill at Capital Christian, Cougar football coach Phil Grams and athletic director Suzanne Baker drew up plans that placed compassion and empathy high above the desire to win a game. “Our hearts were concerned for Amador and we wanted to invite them to our stadium to have a home game,” Grams explained. “I spoke to Coach Bill Baker
of Amador and told him we wanted them to have the home game in our stadium. And just like it was on their turf, Monday night they would reap the benefits of the gate and the snack bar sales.” Grams, in his fifth year at Capital Christian, teaches his athletes that winning goes beyond the scoreboard. “We told them many of the Amador football players were affected by this tragedy. The best thing we can do is give them a venue to escape for a few hours.” As the buses rumbled down Highway 49, the thoughts of loss were replaced by a desire to compete amidst the tragedy. Despite having not practiced since the evacuations, Baker explained that the game became an escape. “What we were looking for was to find a place for our kids to go and get away from some things,” the Buffaloes coach said. “When your community is going through a tragedy, maybe this helps find a bit of solace.” With Gram’s players rallied to play for a cause beyond them, Amador arrived to bleachers filled with fans they had never met. Capital Christian Center, the adjacent church to Capital Christian High School, also wanted to help. At their weekend services, they encouraged their congregation to attend the Monday game wearing Amador Blue and to cheer from the Buffalo’s sidelines. “When most of the county is evacuated and fighting for their homes, we figured few would be able to make the trip to Sacramento.,” said Doug Reid, a pastor at Capital and a member of the football coaching staff. “In the spirit
“I had competed all night against No. 10 (D’Marcus Ross), but when the game was over our families wanted pictures of us together. The game made the fire and loss for our community easier to get through.” — Daylan Thetford, running the ball in the upper right photo of community and compassion, we wanted the Amador athletes to have their bleachers full of cheering fans.” Fans from Capital adorned in navy blue and white cheered for the Amador team. The fans from Amador who made their way to the game were thrilled to see such generosity and support. By night’s end, the score (a 51-27 Capital Christian win) was irrelevant. It meant nothing. Charisse Cagel, an Amador parent was moved with emotion after the game. “To see both teams gather in celebration of each other was a powerful display of sportsmanship. The kindness and generosity was an incredible example for all of Amador to see and feel.” Cagel’s son, Daylan Thetford, an Amador standout running back, was also encouraged by the game’s meaning. “I had competed all night against No. 10 (D’Marcus Ross), but when the game was over our families wanted pictures of us together. The game made the fire
and loss for our community easier to get through,” Thetford said. Ross echoed Thefford. “The best way we could honor Amador was to play hard. Though we like our fans to cheer us, we loved having people from our church and school sit on their side and cheer for them.” For a moment, the community of Amador could feel hope that arose from a football game in a community that was far from the effects of billowing smoke. Baker and his players handed Grams a signed football helmet with messages of gratitude. Gathered at midfield, players, coaches, parents and fans embraced. Only moments prior, players who had tackled and blocked each other now hugged and high-fived. Coaches and fans circled these gridiron greats as both team’s helmets were hoisted high in victory. On this night, everyone won. ✪
Between The Tackles Football notes and rankings after Week 2
Serra finally gets clarity
Records are through Sept. 12 1. (1)
— De La Salle-Concord
2-1
2. (2)
— Folsom
3-0
3. (3)
— Grant-Sacramento
3-0
4. (5)
▲ Clayton Vlly Chrtr-Cncrd 2-1
5. (6)
▲ Bellarmine-San Jose
6. (7)
▲ Valley Christian-San Jose 2-0
7. (8)
▲ Elk Grove
2-0
8. (10)
▲ Foothill-Pleasanton
3-0
9. (12)
▲ Serra-San Mateo
1-1
10. (9)
▼ Del Oro-Loomis
1-2
11. (4)
▼ Pittsburg
2-1
2-0
12. (13) ▲ St. Francis-Mountain View 2-0 13. (14) ▲ Central Catholic-Modesto 2-0 14. (16) ▲ Campolindo-Moraga
3-0
15. (20) ▲ Monte Vista-Danville
2-0
16. (17) ▲ Granite Bay
2-0
17. (19) ▲ Antioch
3-0
18. (NR) ▲ Archbishop Mitty-SJ
2-0
19. (NR) ▲ Oak Ridge-El Drdo Hills 3-0 20. (11) ▼ Rocklin
2-1
DROPPED OUT: No. 15 St. Mary’s-Stockton and No. 18 Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton 5 TEAMS KNOCKING (alphabetically): Analy-Sebastopol (3-0), Jesuit-Carmichael (21), Miramonte-Orinda (3-0), Napa (3-0) and Rancho Cotate-Rohnert Park (2-0)
It was nearly nine months ago now that much of the Bay Area high school football community was up in arms after the Serra-San Mateo program was levied with a two-year postseason ban as a result of forfeiting a Central Coast Section Open Division consolation playoff game. At the time of the forfeit, Serra coach Patrick Walsh cited he was doing so out of safety concern for his players. The gist of his reasoning boiled down to the fact that it had been a long season, his roster was depleted and he didn’t want anyone getting hurt for what amounted to a “meaningless” game. The CCS, not wanting to allow a precedent for other teams to opt out of postseason games — consolation or otherwise — came down with heavy sanctions. In addition to the two-year playoff ban, the football program was placed on a three-year probabtion; Serra’s entire athletics program was placed on a two-year probation, and the school was mandated to pay financial restitution to Milpitas High, which would’ve hosted the forfeited playoff game. Serra appealed the sanctions and has had more than a half-year’s worth of discussions with the CCS. Prior to the season, Padres coach Patrick Walsh acknowledged that the situation would be part of this season but it wouldn’t affect what the team could accomplish. “I would be remiss to say that it’s business as usual, because it’s not,” Walsh said in early August. “It’s not something that we’re not going to not talk about or try to avoid. It’s part of the story of this team. But we still are eager and intent to prove that we can play Padre football and create wonderful memories in the 2015 season.” On Sept. 15, the CCS announced that it and Serra had finally reached an agreement. The football playoff ban and probationary status was reduced to just this year, and the athletics program-wide probation will be lifted by October. “Both sides have agreed to move forward in the spirit of mutual respect and cooperation,” stated the CCS press release. Walsh’s team has begun the season 1-1, with its only loss being a 37-21 defeat to nationally-ranked De La Salle-Concord on Sept. 4.
following a legend Folsom QB Jake Jeffrey understands he is not likely going to throw for nearly 6,000 yards and 90 TDs like his record-setting predecessor, Jake Browning, who is starting at the University of Washington
Norbert von der Groeben
Serra-San Mateo’s Kelepi Lataimua.
as a true freshman. But, like his signal-calling mentor, Jeffrey has only one statistic that matters: wins. Through Sept. 12, Jeffrey and the Bulldogs had compiled three victories to extend Folsom’s winning streak to 19 games. The Bulldogs have high expectations despite returning just one starter from last year’s CIF State Bowl championship team, and those expectations were placed on Jeffrey as the latest in a long line of outstanding QBs. When the senior appeared to struggle in his first varsity start (175 yards passing, two interceptions against Clayton Valley Charter-Concord), the doubters came out to declare the end of Folsom offensive supremacy and the Bulldogs’ Sac-Joaquin Section reign. None of that mattered to Jeffrey, though, as a hard-fought victory over a 2014 CIF State Bowl finalist was the only thing that mattered to him. “I wish that I had performed better, but the important thing was that we came away with a victory,” he said. “Clayton Valley is probably one of the best team that we faced in the last two years, and I had some bad reads and some throws I would have liked to take back.” Jeffrey has since sharpened his passing game to eliminate any remaining doubters. In his second and third starts, he threw for a combined 700 yards and nine TDs with no interceptions. He also had two rushing TDs as Folsom recorded blowout wins. “A lot of guys are getting more game experience and we are all feeling more comfortable in the offense and on the field,” Jeffrey said. “It’s just about taking what we do in practice and executing in games. We want to get better every week and work on the small details to be the very best team that we can be.” ✪ — SportStars Staff
training time: Tim rudd
Building From The Inside Out Great athletes begin with strength, stability and mobility in their hips and core An athlete’s core, pelvis and hips are the centerpiece of his or her athletic development and the key to becoming a better athlete. The athlete’s hips have a ton of movement and are surrounded by big muscles, such as the glutes, quads and hamstrings — which are incredible power producers. Parents, if you want your kids to become the best athlete possible, they need to train mobility, stability and strength around their hips. Let’s look at each of these qualities in a bit more depth
STEP No. 1 — Improve Mobility Getting more mobility from the hips is an effective way to improve an athlete’s speed, strength and power. Foam rolling the major muscle groups around the hips gets these muscle groups to relax a bit, improving the athlete’s mobility and range of motion, allowing to more effectively load his or her hip muscles.
STEP No. 2 — Improve Stability The next step is to improve the athlete’s pelvic alignment, focusing on improving stability and control over his or her pelvis. If the hips are out of alignment, most notably in an anterior tilt (forward tilt), the athlete is not going to be able to extend his or her hips effectively. Stability is the name of the game when it comes to being fast and explosive, especially when running or coming in and out of cuts. This is why stability is important — if the athlete can’t control the various joints in her body, she’s not going to be as strong or explosive as she should be. And, it could even predispose her to injury. So how do we fix this? In the weight room! This is an ideal time to incorporate split stance and single-leg movements in an athlete’s weekly program.
STEP No. 3 — Strength and Power The goal of strength and power training is simple — to get STRONGER and more powerful. The best athletes in the world use the gym to get stronger. They… Hang clean. Squat. Deadlift. Push and pull. I put a ton of emphasis on developing the backside of my athlet es. I also focus on developing a strong and stable core, which helps to properly align the pelvis, as well as improving mobility, stability and strength. Mobility, stability, and strength — your athlete’s hips really need it all. If the goal is to become the best athlete possible, that player needs to maximize his or her development on all three fronts. ✪ Tim Rudd is an IYCA specialist in youth conditioning and owner of Fit2TheCore.
fall spotlight
HAILEY WHITE monte vista-danville girls golf
As the girls golf season nears the halfway point, we figured it’d be a good time to check in with defending North Coast Section Div. I champion Monte Vista and its standout senior Hailey White. The Mustangs, who went on to quality for the 2014 CIF State Golf Championships after placing third at NorCals, will be among the postseason favorites once again this season. White leads the way along with returning players Vanessa Giampaoli and Ysabel Magat. “Our team this year is looking really strong.” White said. “We lost two seniors who were really great players, but I’m really looking forward to our season. All the girls have consistently been in the 30s (for 9-hole matches) and having really good rounds.” White was Monte Vista’s only player to shoot in the 70s over 18 holes for both NCS (76) and NorCals (79) a year ago. Here’s plenty more about Hailey. NICKNAME: Hailstorm COLLEGE CHOICE: UC Riverside (where she’ll play golf) FIRST STARTED GOLF AT AGE: 4 — “I didn’t get serious about it until age 5 or 6” PLAYED HER FIRST TOURNAMENT AT AGE: 7 — “It was on the hilly course at Castlewood Country Club (in Pleasanton). It was raining and muddy and the push cart kept getting stuck in the mud. My dad said he was surprised I didn’t quit golf altogether.” TOP COURSE ON HER BUCKET LIST: Pebble Beach Golf Links BEST 18-HOLE SCORE: 70 (2-under) at Ruby Hill GC (Pleasanton) FAVORITE/MOST TRUSTED CLUB: 60-degree wedge. FAVORITE ON-COURSE SNACK: Granola bar, apple, banana or beef jerky. DREAM FOURSOME: Annika Sorenstam, Bobby Jones and Francis Ouimet (“Can I have a tensome?”) FAVORITE PIECE OF GOLF ADVICE: “Plan your shot and to have fun while you’re out there. Enjoy the experience.” FAVORITE TV SHOW(S): Pretty Little Liars, Big Break FAVORITE MOVIE: Caddyshack FAVORITE BAND: 5 Seconds of Summer FAVORITE BOOK: “To Kill Mockingbird” by Harper Lee FAVORITE PHONE APP: Snapchat TALENTED YOUNGER BROTHER: Hailey’s only sibling, Landon, is a freshman at Monte Vista and swings a bat instead of a club. He was a pitcher for the Danville Little League Intermediate All-Stars that competed in the 50/70 Little League World Series in Livermore this past August. ✪ Contributed photo