NorCal Issue 153, September 2018 by Sport Stars Magazine

NORCAL EDITION SEPTEMBER 2018 VOL. 9 ISSUE 153

access

ALL

SportStars Official Media Partners

Cal-Hi Sports’ Mark Tennis has written the book on the history of football in California, and it’s a mustread.

EXCLUSIVE: Volleyball is underway and we have the 20 must-see teams.

Beating Cosumnes Oaks will be a tall order this season. A very tall order.

in the magazine

SportStars

EXCLUSIVE: As usual, NorCal is loaded with volleyball talent. Here are the names to watch.

Clayton Valley-Concord football is getting smarter on the football field this season.

Monterey Trail has a talented senior class setting the tone.

CaliforniaSan Ramon 41 is young and hungry. Page 12 42

Premier Partners

Columnist Clay Kallam offers tips on how to ask your coach to slow down. Our Level Up experts give you the knowledge to push yourself to the top.

a look at the biggest stories from the Cal-Hi SportStars Network

in the network

SportStarsMag.com

CalHiSports.com

All-Star Boys Hoops Action In August? Yep. Check Out Mike Wood’s Feature From The Ninth Annual NorCal Clash

SportStars™

September 2018

New State Football Rankings Every Monday. What SoCal Teams Might Meet NorCal’s Best This December?

Subscribe to our Digital Edition at SportStarsMag.com

JOIN OUR TEAM PHONE 925.566.8500 FAX 925.566.8507 EDITORIAL Editor@SportStarsMag.com Editor Chace Bryson • Chace@SportStarsMag.com Assistant Editor Mike Wood Staff Writer Jim McCue • JimMcCue16@gmail.com Contributors Clay Kallam, Tim Rudd, Mark Tennis, James G. Kane, Harold Abend, Jill Daniels, Anthony Trucks, Erika Westhoff, Ike Dodson, Steven Wilson Copy Editor Bill Kruissink Photography James K. Leash, Phillip Walton, Doug Guler, Berry Evans III, Samuel Stringer, Jim Johnson, Dennis Lee, Dave Lawicka Interns Joshua Howser, Krishna Gomatam Marketing/Events Ryan Arter

true Homecoming Cardinal Newman senior Dino Kahaulelio

ver the course of our first 153 issues, SportStars has gone through a variety of different looks and feels. But we’ve always held firm in our belief that we’re a magazine. And magazines tell stories. As we enter another high school athletics season, we’re morphing again and working on finding ways to bring you more stories than just the ones you’ll read in this specific edition. Staying connected with us on our home page at SportStarsMag.com — and by extension, our social media channels of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram — will be more important than ever this season, and beyond. SportStarsMag.com is the only place you’ll find our most up-to-date NorCal Top 20 Rankings, and this year it’s also going to be home to several more web-exclusive features. Many of which will include video content as well. I’m going to promote one of these stories right now. On Aug. 24, we sent one of our regular freelance writers and photographers, Ike Dodson, and videographer Derek Nguyen to Santa Rosa. It was there that Cardinal Newman High was hosting its first football game back on campus since the North Bay Wildfires burned down a number of school buildings last October. The Cardinals spent their final seven games of 2017 in scheduled road games or hosting at neutral sites such as Santa Rosa Junior College or Rancho Cotate High in Rohnert Park. While the program’s true homecoming didn’t carry the same emotional gravity as it might have for the 2017 team, the importance still echoed. “It’s always great to play in front of your home crowd, because they support us, and they always have,” Paul Cronin, Cardinal Newman coach and the 2017 SportStars NorCal Coach of the Year, told Dodson after the game. “More importantly, they deserve to play on this field again. Our kids deserve that feeling, which has been a while.” Understandably, Cronin and the 2018 Cardinals want to close the door on the fire aftermath and storylines. Begin their own chapter. Forge a new path defined by their own experiences. Still, the return to football on campus was important for closure. Not just seniors who were part of the 2017 team, but for the student body and the community. It’s my hope that communities, schools and students affected by the Mendocino Complex and Carr Fires — just to name a few — will see this story and accompanying video. And while doing so, hold tight to the “This Too Shall Pass” mentality and see a return to some form of normalcy eventually comes. And new chapters begin. ✪t

SportStars™

September 2018

Subscribe to our Digital Edition at SportStarsMag.com

CREATIVE DEPARTMENT Art@SportStarsMag.com Production Manager Mike DeCicco • MikeD@SportStarsMag.com PUBLISHER/PRESIDENT Mike Calamusa • Mike@SportStarsMag.com ADVERTISING Sales@SportStarsMag.com, 925.566.8500 Account Executives Camps & Clinics: Ryan Arter • Camps@SportStarsMag.com Alameda County: Berry Evans • Berry@foto-pros.com READER RESOURCES/ADMINISTRATION Subscription, Calendar, Credit Services Info@SportStarsMag.com INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY John Bonilla CFO Sharon Calamusa • Sharon@SportStarsMag.com COMMUNITY SPORTSTARS™ MAGAZINE A division of Caliente! Communications, LLC PO Box 741, Clayton, CA 94517 info@SportStarsMag.com www.SportStarsMag.com

Caliente!

LLC

PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER IN USA

YOUR TICKET TO CALIFORNIA SPORTS ADMIT ONE; RAIN OR SHINE This Vol. #9, September 2018 Whole No. 153 is published by Caliente! Communications, LLC, PO Box 741, Clayton, CA 94517. SportStars™© 2010-2014 by Caliente! Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. Receive FREE Digital Subscription in your inbox. Subscribe at SportStarsMag. com. To receive sample issues, please send $3 per copy, or $8 total for bulk. Back issues are $4 each. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission of Publisher is strictly prohibited. The staff and management, including Board of Directors, of SportStars™© does not advocate or encourage the use of any product or service advertised herein for illegal purposes. Editorial contributions, photos and letters to the editor are welcome and should be addressed to the Editor. All material should be typed, double-spaced on disk or email and will be handled with reasonable care. For materials return, please enclose a stamped, selfaddressed envelope. SportStars™© and STARS!™© Clinics are registered trademarks of Caliente! Communications, LLC.

Read Me. Recycle Me.

Golden State Gridiron Writing Book On State’s Football History A Labor Of Love

t wasn’t exactly a blank canvass, but writing the book “High School Football In California” was a task that quickly became pleasurable, especially when talking to some of the subjects who were targeted to be centerpieces of most chapters. The first book of its kind — and by that meaning, a book that encompasses the entire state of California, all high schools that have ever played football and all years going back to the 19th century — went on sale Aug. 7 at online retailers and major bookstores. It went to No. 1 in the world on Amazon.com among teens and young adults in football within a couple of days, so it appears that doing something like a California high school football book was done at the right time. In researching the book, other state high school historical books were looked at. All were interesting in their own way, but didn’t feature too many interviews of key historical figures. Most tended to take a chronological approach: Here were the top teams and players of the 1920s and the 1930s, etc. The publisher of my book, Skyhorse Publishing of New York, originally contacted legendary Los Angeles Times prep sports writer Eric Sondheimer to be the author. Eric, a longtime colleague, graciously sent them to me due to his own time constraints and the fact that a great amount of his prep football expertise is for Southern California. In agreeing to write the book, the contract stipulated a minimum of 50,000 words. The editor I was working with, Julie Ganz, said the vision of the publisher was that the author should have interviews for most chapters. Other than that, it was up to me to decide the topics and who to interview. Since I also wanted to infuse my own experiences with covering California high school football for nearly 40 years into the book, I quickly decided I wanted the book to lead with a chapter about the most inspirational coach/person I’ve ever met in my career: Los Gatos head coach Charlie Wedemeyer. He was the coach of the Wildcats in the early 1980s, and continued to coach the team despite the destruction caused by ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. I figured it would be easy to contact former Los Gatos assistant, and later a longtime head coach of the team, Butch Cattolico. That’s because Butch is still coaching as an assistant with his son, Joe, at Sheldon-Sacramento. I later found out that my good friend at the 49ers Cal-Hi Sports Report, Robert Braunstein, was in contact with Charlie’s widow, Lucy.

SportStars™

September 2018

Subscribe to our Digital Edition at SportStarsMag.com

Eventually, I talked to her as well which only made telling the story of Charlie and Los Gatos’s amazing 1985 season that much more vivid. Connecting other topics with other individuals who could talk about them was easy in some respects and more difficult in others. Bob Ladouceur of De La Salle for coaches? Easy. Trent Dilfer (Aptos grad) for quarterbacks? Also easy. And Pete Saco, former commissioner of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section for the development of the CIF bowl games? Also easy. Trying to find parents of a former top player to talk about how their son worked his way up to the NFL? Didn’t happen. Looking for a World War II veteran who played high school football for a top team? Took awhile but struck gold in meeting Jack Ferrill (age 92) at the Central California Lions All-Star Football Game in June of 2017. Jack was awesome to talk to and the chapter he’s featured in turned out to be one of my favorites. Having written and edited magazine articles, some of them 2,000 words or more, during an 11-year career with Student Sports from 1993 to 2004 ended up being very valuable to the book. Every chapter in essence was a feature article, but a feature article attached to another one in a grander landscape of California high school football. Many folks have wondered why there wasn’t a photo of a De La Salle player or someone like Jake Browning of Folsom on the cover. It was considered, but the publisher was looking for a photo that would be more reflective of a Friday night game anywhere in the state. Those kinds of images also aren’t dated. They work in 2018, they’ll still work in 2020 and for years beyond. I found what I thought was the perfect image on the SoCalSidelines.com website last fall taken by Roger Clay, a freelance photographer in Orange County. For the record, the team shown is Santa Margarita-Rancho Santa Margarita. ✪ Mark Tennis is the co-founder of Cal-Hi Sports and publisher of CalHiSports.com. Contact him at markjtennis@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter at @CalHiSports

isaiah newell LAS LOMAS-WALNUT CREEK FOOTBALL - JUNIOR After a sophomore season in which he rushed for nearly 1,400 yards, the 6-foot-1, 215-pound tailback is showing every sign that he’s going to well exceed that total in 2018. Newell carried 25 times for 223 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-13 nonleague win over Miramonte on Aug. 24. That performance came on the heels of a 186-yard, two-touchdown effort against Alhambra. The win over Miramonte improved the Knights to 3-0 on the young season. Newell isn’t the only standout for the Knights, who are also getting strong starts from QB Dylan Graham and tight end Blake Thorpe. Thorpe recently committed to UC Davis.

JacketBack Embroidery Official Patch Supplier of SportStars Magazine

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

Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

September 2018

SportStars™

Championsh CAL

SportStarsâ&#x201E;¢

September 2018

Subscribe to our Digital Edition at SportStarsMag.com

hip Librated ALibrated Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, like us on Facebook!

Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

September 2018

SportStars™

ith an impressive cast of impact players back from a section semi-finalist team, California High-San Ramon girls volleyball coach Todd Baham is rightfully optimistic about the Grizzlies’ chances this fall. And as the conversations steers toward the team’s younger stars-in-the-making, Baham’s enthusiasm soars. “Knock on wood, this year we should make playoffs,” said Baham, in his 11th year as Cal High’s coach. “Next year, anything short of making it to the finals of NCS, I’ll be disappointed. Barring injury or anything like that, they have the tools to do it. And I tell them that every day. ‘You have the makings of something special here over the next couple years. ... Enjoy it. Smile. Have fun.’” You can notice the feeling that something special has been brewing. After all, Cal High went 30-5 last season, reaching the North coast Section Division I semifinals and making a trip to the CIF NorCal playoffs. It was their fourth time in the NCS semifinals in eight seasons, with 2012’s run producing an NCS championship.

One Year Removed From A 30-Win Season, Young, Talented Core Has California-San Ramon Set Up For Multiple Title Runs

The talent is there for another potential title, whether this season or next. The future just might be now. Sofia Aguilera, the 2017 team’s MVP, is back for her junior year as outside hitter, opposite and middle blocker. Last year she was a first-team All-East Bay Athletic League choice. Also back is junior outside hitter/opposite/defensive specialist Sadie Peete, who has made the All-EBAL second team both of her high school seasons. “Those two, they are dynamic. They just bring it,” Baham said. “They are really fun to watch and they enjoy it. They do it the right way; they are not cocky. They praises their setters, their teammates that pass and set them up. They are the first ones to go in and hug them and say, ‘Hey, great job!’” Their older teammates realize these young colleagues have matured into stars. “Sofia is so dominant, no one can stop her,” said senior libero Jessica Merchant, one of the Grizzlies’ three captains. “Her, and Sadie as well, are the best teammates, how they handle themselves. It’s weird seeing them as upperclassmen. I was so used to always seeing them as freshmen. On the court, we have very good communication; the three of us work well on serve-receive and defense.” Baham is excited when it comes to the subject of sophomore Genevieve Bane. Baham said the 6-foot Bane has the potential to be a Division I player. “Our most dynamic player is Genevieve Bane,” he said. “She’s 6-foot. Touches 10-1. And just annihilates the ball. She has no idea of how good she is. I am really looking forward (to what she will do in the future.)” Merchant adds: “Genevieve, who we call Veeve, is a good team player and super mature for her age. She has grown up a bit and gained a lot of confidence.” Youth needs leadership, and Cal High has plenty among its three senior cocaptains. There’s Lindsey Burt, or “LB”, in her third year on varsity. Jennifer Dawson, or “J-Daw” wasn’t even slated to be a full-time starter, but her smarts — she has a 4.7 GPA — have made her a natural fit as a captain, Baham said. And there’s Merchant, whom Baham tossed out of practice five times during her freshman year — something Merchant chuckles about now, having long since earned the honor of being asked to be a captain. “When I was a freshmen, we butted heads a lot. But now we have a more understanding relationship,” she said. “He even asks for my input. That’s what I appreciate about Coach Todd; he involves captains a lot in decision-making. “When I was a freshman, he would have the captains talk to me, and now it has come full circle. But on the team now, no one has any issues ... no drama on the team, no egos getting in the way.” This season, Cal (already 7-1 through Aug. 27) has a freshman making a big impact: setter Payton Lee, who displays veteran poise. “Many of us have been playing with her in open gyms since fifth grade. She is definitely not like a newbie,” Merchant said. Initially, Baham envisioned a lineup with two setters. Those plans went awry at the end of summer 14

SportStars™

September 2018

Subscribe to our Digital Edition at SportStarsMag.com

Sadie Peete, left, and Sofia Aguilera

league, when Maddie Damian, a transfer from Dougherty Valley-San Ramon, suffered a terrifying injury, breaking her tibia and fibula. Baham compared the frightful event to the injury suffered more than three decades ago by NFL quarterback Joe Theismann, a career-ender that horrified a national television audience. Damian is recovering after surgery, and Baham is eager to have her contribute next year, when she will be a senior. This season, she remains with the team and is a constant presence. Right now, the Grizzlies are in the thick of competition in the EBAL, the section’s most dominant girls volleyball league in recent years. The EBAL has produced the last 12 NCS Division I champions. Monte VistaDanville has won the past Genevieve Bane four with San Ramon Valley-Danville owning three. The two Pleasanton schools, Foothill and Amador Valley, each have two section titles during that span. For whichever team emerges with this year’s EBAL title — and a likely No. 1 NCS seed — it won’t be easy. The Grizzlies knew that heading in to their Aug. 21 league opener at Amador Valley, the team Baham tabbed as the favorite to win the league. The Dons prevailed 25-13, 26-24, 14-25, 25-16, though the Grizzlies didn’t feel overmatched. “We knew they were probably the biggest competitor in our league,” Merchant said. “We are excited to play them again later in the season. There were some things we could have done better. It was not like we didn’t have a chance against them. I think that next time it should be a pretty good matchup.” Cal’s home EBAL opener on Aug. 23 against San Ramon Valley-Danville showed things coming together, as the Grizzlies posted a 25-19, 25-20, 25-23 victory. On Aug. 25, they won all five matches at the Tamalpais Tournament. “You can tell we are getting our act together a bit still,” Merchant said. “Our first two games, you could tell we were just getting used to each other. Right now, our setter-mid connection is working really well.” Based on recent history, the Grizzlies soon should be hitting on all cylinders and on their way toward another run to the playoffs. Confidence is not lacking. “There’s no doubt in my mind we are going to be successful,” Merchant said. “Even in the rough matches, there’s no doubt we are going to have success, because we have more skill than ever.” ✪ Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, like us on Facebook!

Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

September 2018

SportStars™

NORCAL VOLLEYBALL 20 TEAMS TO WATCH Kari Geissberger

Amador Valley-Pleasanton (17-11) Sarah Rieble and Mahalia Jackson lead an experienced group that some coaches believe to be the favorite in vaunted East Bay Athletic League. Archbishop Mitty-San Jose (37-5) If this were a ranked format, the Monarchs would not be listed second. Five consecutive CIF State titles (including the last two in the Open Division) command top billing. Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland (28-8) Defending NCS Div. II champions return top hitter Michelle Ohwobete and setter Alexandria Hoglund. California-San Ramon (30-5) This Grizzlies group arrived before its time, winning 30 games a year ago while stars Sofia Aguilera and Sadie Peete were still just sophomores. Cosumnes Oaks-Elk Grove (31-11) Fresno State-bound Amaria Kelly is one of the state’s top hitters. She has 1,078 kills in three seasons and still gets to work with star setter Haley Burdo. Dublin (15-16) Sophomore hitter Brya Ashley will pick up where sister Bray Ashley left off and benefit from newcomer Brooke Lohuis at setter. Homestead-Cupertino (22-11) Mustangs return plenty, including junior hitting tandem Sara Olsson and Paige Bensing. James Logan (40-5) The CIF Div. I state runner-up remains loaded with talent, including middle hitter Taumafa Tuinauvai. Marin Catholic-Kentfield (32-5) In any other division but Open (where it lost to Mitty), would’ve won state in 2017. Junior middle Kari Geissberger leads a parade of returning talent. Menlo School-Atherton (29-6) The Knights were another casualty of the CIF Open Div. (falling to Mitty 3-2). Senior Selina Xu is one of the Bay Area’s most versatile players. Notre Dame-Belmont (32-15) Accomplished beach star, senior Kendall Peters, and sophomore sensation Abby Miller combined for 809 kills in 2017. Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove (25-12) Vivian Light and Shelby Young return after combining for more than 400 total kills last season; specialist Riley Tishlarich is also back. Ponderosa-Shingle Springs (34-6) Seniors Julin Kenison, Zoe Zimmerman and Kendal Kott lead a squad returning from a Div. II section title. Rocklin (17-18) Senior Raquel Castro and 6-foot-2 sophomore Kennedy Crane will present matchups problems all season for opposing defenses. Sacred Heart Cathedral-S.F. (25-13) Team graduated just two seniors from a 13-person roster that reached the CIF Div. I Northern Regional final in 2017. Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton (29-9) Power duo of Elena Radeff and Ally Poverari return for the 2017 CIF Div. II finalist. St. Francis-Sacramento (34-9) The Troubadours return serving sensation Sam Chavez and five of the top six hitters from 2017. St. Ignatius-S.F. (34-10) Five of the Wildcats’ 10 losses from 2017 came against Mitty. Wellrounded hitting star, Elizabeth Fleming, will be the focal point of the offense. Tracy (33-11) The defending SJS Div. I runners-up to St. Francis, the Bulldogs return three elite hitters, including all-around sophomore phenom Natalie Laiolo. Turlock (34-9) Three Division I players have graduated, but top hitter Jazmyn Tubbs returns for her senior year. ✪

SportStars™

September 2018

Subscribe to our Digital Edition at SportStarsMag.com

NCVA Crowns Nine Pairs At Its Beach Open Championships The Northern California Volleyball Association’s Beach Season, which began way back in April, came to an eventful conclusion in Santa Cruz on August 11. The No Dinx/NCVA Beach Open Championships determined regional championships across nine different divisions. The divisions included U12 Girls, U12/14 Boys, U13 GIrls, U14 Girls, U15 Girls, U16 Girls and U16/17/18 Boys & Girls. The younger players opened the day with divisions up through U14 competing in the morning wave. In the U12 Girls division, Kayla Rhee-Pizano and Whitney Wallace took first ahead of Catherine and Veronica Mullins. Ethan Durns and Samuel Marshall earned the regional title in the U12-14 Boys Division. In U13 Girls, Kathleen Suayan and Andisheh Turner earned the title as Kailee Kim and Liana Mei finished second. The team of Madison Rocha and Tara Ozdemir took home the U14 Girls gold. Gabriella Oaks and Grace Xu finished as runners-up. The afternoon wave saw Elizabeth Shwaiko and Kylee Moore edge out Kylie Francisco and Grace Brandau for the U15 Girls title. The U16 Girls gold ended up in the hands of Ella Sears and Grace Paulson. Sears and Paulson outlasted the second-place tandem of Indy Desmet and Shirley Morrison. Colin McDermott and Lucas Wright earned the top honor for U16 boys while the top U18 Boys team consisted of Tyler Riggleman and Kalem Cuaresma. Tia Papapietro and Camille Blanc comprised the top U18 Girls team. Next up on the NCVA calendar will be the beginning of the Boys Indoor Power League season. The season-opening qualifiers for U12 and U17/18 take place on Sept. 15-16 at the San Mateo Events Center. The season openers for U13/14 and U15/16 will occur the following weekend, Sept 22-23, also in San Mateo. ✪ 18

SportStars™

September 2018

Subscribe to our Digital Edition at SportStarsMag.com

Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

September 2018

SportStars™

SportStarsâ&#x201E;˘

September 2018

Subscribe to our Digital Edition at SportStarsMag.com

From left, Amaria Kelley, Haley Burdo and Dalia Mays

Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

September 2018

SportStars™

smile normally graces the face of Cosumnes OaksElk Grove senior Amaria Kelley, who overshadows most of her classmates at 6-foot-4. But teammates and opponents alike should beware of her bark. Kelley is the newest commit for the Fresno State Bulldogs volleyball program, and it’s that dog-like persona she’s embodied for the Wolfpack heading into her senior year. “She really sets the tone for us,” Cosumnes Oaks coach Lisa Fowkes said. “She’s not afraid to hold people accountable and they respect her for that. They see how she trains and how hard she works, and they tend to want to emulate that.” Kelley’s bark is backed up by her bite. The senior’s hard work paid off early in her prep career as she earned offers from Pepperdine and Long Beach State, but chose Fresno State over the others because of the Bulldogs’ coaching staff and campus. “They have a new head coach and the team really turned it around under him — they were a lot more competitive and they won a lot of games,” Kelley added. “The school — it’s huge and I love it. It also has my major, kinesiology.” Kelley is one of three key returners for Cosumnes Oaks this season and one of the main reasons the team has immense upside heading into the 2018 campaign. The 6-4 middle blocker has displayed a tremendous drive over the past three seasons and she’s not done yet. “One thing I love about Amaria is that she’s never satisfied with what she’s putting out there,” Fowkes admitted. “She doesn’t care that she won league MVP last year, she wants to do it again this year. She really takes the time or puts in the effort to reach her goals.” En route to that league MVP award last year in the Capital Valley Conference, Kelley put together an all-around impressive junior campaign. She finished the year with an eye-popping 528 kills, which ranked second in the state at that time. Kelley became a six-rotation player but still managed seven 20-plus kill nights, including a pair of matches with a season-high 27 kills. She also tallied career numbers in defensive statistics with 189 digs and kept teams off balance on the serve with 78 aces. Kelley’s doggedness translated to an impressive statistical year, as well as wins for her team. But it also made her more desirable at the next level. As a six-rotation player, she found the skills needed to excel in the college game. “Being a middle, the timing is so much faster, so moving to the outside can be hard,” Kelley admitted. “The sets to the pins are usually a lot slower. But I’ve really tried to

Dallia Mays 22

SportStars™

September 2018

Subscribe to our Digital Edition at SportStarsMag.com

work on my passing. Being tall, it’s hard to get down low, but I’m working on it.” Fowkes has been impressed by her squad so far this preseason. They began their season 4-0 with wins over Whitney-Rocklin, Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills, Christian Brothers-Sacramento and Tokay-Lodi. Despite not being able to get into the gym much over the summer, due to the installation of a new gym floor, the team has put in a fair share of hard work since tryouts. The Wolfpack also added a strength program this year as added preparation for a long season. “It helps minimize injuries, and it helps them get ready for the season,” Fowkes explained. “They’re working hard before practices and after. Kelley was one of those players getting in extra reps as she hopes to improve her vertical jump. She believes that will translate to even more kills on offense and a few extra blocks on defense. “There’s going to be a lot of competition this year, so our team is working hard and I think we’re going to be ready for it,” Kelley said. The Wolfpack make the jump from Div. II to Div. I play this year following section realignment. The new Delta League features a trio of consistently strong programs: St. Francis-Sacramento, Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove and Elk Grove. Cosumnes Oaks, which has been on the rise in recent seasons, adds another dimension to the division and the players are ready to prove they are worthy of the shift up. “We talked about it at our first practice while we were setting our goals — they want a league title, they want to bring home a banner for this school,” Fowkes said. “That’s one goal, but another big goal for this group is going back to state. They were excited to qualify for it last year, but they want to bring that home (this year).” After reaching the second round of the section playoffs in 2017, Cosumnes Oaks has aspirations of a deep postseason run. But first, the Wolfpack look to control their newly aligned Delta League opponents as league play begins in early September. “We have a good group and we’re led by one of the kill leaders from last year, so there’s a target on our backs, but we know that,” Fowkes added. St. Francis poses one of the largest obstacles. With 11 league championships under their belt, including last year’s 14-0 run through the Delta League, the Troubadours are one of a few powerhouse programs in the conference. The team is also led by one of Kelley’s club volleyball teammates, Alexa Edwards, and the two teams were ranked closely last year, which helped form a new rivalry. “We can’t underestimate anybody,” Fowkes admitted. “We had a good round last year in our conference and won nearly every match, but I don’t care. It’s a new season, it’s a new squad and every other team has a new squad. We know it’s going to be competitive. So it won’t matter who we beat last year, or where we finished. It’s a new year.” Cosumnes Oaks returns six players from a year ago and added six new faces.

“We talked about it at our first practice while we were setting our goals — they want a league title; they want to bring home a banner for this school.” — Cosumnes Oaks coach Lisa Fowkes Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, like us on Facebook!

Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

September 2018

SportStars™

Junior setter Haley Burdo will once again lead the Wolfpack’s offense. As the floor general in Fowkes’ 5-1 scheme, Burdo posted impressive numbers as a sophomore last year. She tallied over 1,000 assists, earned nearly 100 aces and racked up the second-most digs on the team. “I feel more confident (this year) because we’ve seen what those great teams (in the section) are like and we have experience playing against them,” the junior admitted. “If we can stay true to our game and play with confidence, I think we’re going to go pretty far.” Fowkes will also rely on senior Dalia Mays, who is one of the team’s most versatile utility players, as a key threat at the net. Although she’s normally a middle blocker during club season, Mays has transitioned nicely to outside hitter for Cosumnes Oaks. But that transition didn’t come easily. “Before (this year), I was getting confused and I wouldn’t know what I was doing at times,” Mays confessed. “But as I continue to practice, I move around a lot and now I know what to do — I definitely feel more comfortable and confident this year.” Mays and Kelley were both on the varsity squad as freshmen back in 2015. But Mays didn’t get to play her sophomore year because of a torn ACL, so she’s making the most of her final year in blue and orange and has her sights set on the state playoffs, with reHaley demption in mind. Burdo “(That state playoff match) is still on our minds, but in a positive way,” Mays explained. “We learned what not to do. We know what we can do better now, and it’s not necessarily a burden. But remembering that feeling can help us understand what not to do again.” As an at-large bid, the Wolfpack didn’t last long in the 2017 state playoffs, losing in three sets to top seed James Logan-Union City. But Kelley says the team is better poised to take the next step in 2018. “I don’t want to get there through an at-large (bid), I want to earn it and then keep it going,” Kelley said. “We got there last year, but now we want to win it all.” With Kelley, Mays and Burdo leading the way, the team has the talent and the experience to make that goal a reality. And with their intimidating stature, their squad will have one extra advantage. “When we walk into gyms this year, teams are going to see tall, athletic-looking girls and that’s going to be our strength,” Fowkes acknowledged. “Whether we’re going for a block or going for (a kill), we’re going to be up at that net.” ✪ 24

SportStars™

September 2018

Subscribe to our Digital Edition at SportStarsMag.com

NORCAL VOLLEYBALL 50+ PLAYERS TO WATCH Ponderosa’s Julin Kenison

Menlo’s Selina Xu

HITTERS Sofia Aguilera, California-San Ramon, Jr. KEY 2017 STATS: 293 kills, 284 digs Julia Cabri, Archbishop Mitty-San Jose, Jr. KEY 2017 STATS: 120 kills, 99 blocks Zippy Dudziak, Berean Christian-Walnut Creek, Sr. KEY 2017 STATS: 532 kills, the most of any of the Bay Area’s returning players in 2018. Alexa Edwards, St. Francis-Sacramento, Jr. KEY 2017 STATS: 521 kills (has eclipsed 1,000 in just two years.) Kari Geissberger, Marin Catholic-Kentfield, Jr. KEY 2017 STATS: 268 kills, 125 blocks (ranked 2nd in NCS). Kaylie Honberger, Whitney-Rocklin, Sr. KEY 2017 STATS: 310 kills, 180 digs, 40 blocks Amaria Kelley, Cosumnes Oaks-Elk Grove, Sr. KEY 2017 STATS: 528 kills, 189 digs, 61 blocks, 78 aces. Olivia Keller, Beyer-Modesto, So. KEY 2017 STATS: 520 kills, SJSbest .464 kill percentage.

SportStars™

September 2018

Subscribe to our Digital Edition at SportStarsMag.com

Julin Kenison, Ponderosa-Shingle Springs, Sr. KEY 2017 STATS: Leading hitter for 34-win SJS champs Michelle Ohwobete, Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland, Jr. KEY 2017 STATS: 363 kills, 207 digs Sterling Parker, Alhambra-Martinez, Sr. KEY 2017 STATS: 359 kills, 50 blocks, 56 aces Kendall Peters, Notre Dame-Belmont, Sr. KEY 2017 STATS: 479 kills, 382 digs Elena Radeff, Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton, Jr. KEY 2017 STATS: 384 kills, 129 blocks. Julie Sangiacomo, Justin-Siena-Napa, Sr. KEY 2017 STATS: 422 kills, 181 digs, 44 aces Megan Trottier, Woodland Christian, Sr. KEY 2017 STATS: 593 kills, 306 digs Jazmyn Tubbs, Turlock, Jr. KEY 2017 STATS: 391 kills, 271 digs, 49 aces Taumafa Tuinauvai, James Logan-Union City, Sr. KEY 2017 STATS: 378 kills, 136 blocks, 111 digs

NORCAL VOLLEYBALL 50+ PLAYERS TO WATCH Woodland Christian’s Megan Trottier

SETTERS Shannon Kuo, Lynbrook-San Jose, Jr. KEY 2017

DEFENSIVE SPECIALISTS/ LIBEROS

STATS: 961 assists, 172 digs, 68 aces

Haley Burdo, Cosumnes Oaks-Elk Grove, Jr. KEY

EVEN MORE TO WATCH Brya Ashley, Dublin, So., OH Shelby Benz, Modesto, Sr., MH

Abby Miller, Notre Dame-Belmont, So., MH

Callie Bickmore, Bear River-Grass Valley,

Sadie Peete, California-San Ramon, Jr., OH

Caty Cordano, Christian Brothers-Sac-

Sr., OH

Leah Pease, Marin Catholic-Kentfield, Sr. KEY

ramento, Sr. KEY 2017 STATS: Averaged

Raquel Castro, Rocklin, Sr., OH

Ally Polverari, Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton, Sr., OH

2017 STATS: 1,136 assists, 192 digs, 71 aces

5 digs/set; league MVP

Haley Davis, Del Oro-Loomis, Sr., S/OH

Ruby Santos, James Logan-Union City, Jr. KEY

Julia Gonsalves, Hilmar, Jr. KEY 2017

Georgia Fusco, Marin Catholic-Kentfield,

2017 STATS: 1,200 assists, 232 digs

STATS: 519 digs, 51 assists, 42 aces

Sr., DS

Catherine Hegelson, Carondelet-

Katie Hulme, Saratoga, Sr., OH

Concord, Sr. KEY 2017 STATS: 542 digs,

Grace King, Menlo School-Atherton, Sr.,

46 aces

Jessica Merchant, California-San Ra-

Kathryn Kramer, St. Francis-Sacramento,

mon, Sr. KEY 2017 STAT: 420 digs

Sr., OH

Helen Xiao, Amador Valley-Pleasanton, Sr. KEY

Kaitlyn Wong, Los Altos, Sr. KEY 2017

2017 STATS: 876 assists, 211 digs

Megan Lenn, Sacred Heart Cathedral-S.F.,

STATS: 570 digs, 68 aces

Jr. , OH

Selina Xu, Menlo School-Atherton, Sr. KEY 2017

Abigail Viado, James Logan-Union City,

Kaitlyn McFall, Amador Valley-Pleasanton,

STATS: 454 assists, 158 digs, 135 kills

Jr. KEY 2017 STATS: 536 digs, 33 aces

Sr., MB

2017 STATS: 1,058 assists, 209 digs, 97 aces

Krissy Smoot, Notre Dame-Belmont, Jr. KEY 2017 STATS: 745 assists, 238 digs Alden Standley, Sacred Heart Cathedral-S.F. Jr. KEY 2017 STAT: 795 assists

Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

Madi Wright, Granada-Livermore, Sr., OH Jenna Richardson, San Marin-Novato, Sr., S Gracie Rowland, Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills, Sr., OH Caroline Smith, Burlingame, Sr., OH Alexandra Sprowls, Hillsdale-San Mateo, So., MB Catherine Vaccaro, Miramonte-Orinda, Sr., OH Emily Wade, El Camino-Sacramento, Sr., MB Stephanie Zhang, Homestead-Cupertino, Sr., S ✪

September 2018

SportStars™

get your

S K KIC

d r o c n o c n i

City Is Home To Several Highly-Rated Martial Arts Schools If any proof was needed to show that Concord is a legitimate locale for martial arts, one needs to look no further than Tomizaki’s Champions Kung Fu Institute. Daniel and Steffani Tomizaki opened the school in March 2007. Daniel is a kung fu Master with over 35 years of experience in training, competing and teaching. He owns multiple Grand Champion Titles and was was recently featured on the cover of Kung Fu Tai Chi Magazine this past spring. Steffani has been training for over 18 years and is passionate about teaching self defense classes, especially for women and girls. Daniel’s son, Braydan, won the title of Overall Grand Champion at the Tiger Claw Elite Championships in San Jose last May. It was the seventh grand championship in a two-year span for the Las Lomas High-Walnut Creek student. He is also an instructor at Tomizaki’s. Their school hosts many events, including self defense, senior classes, banquets, classes on the negative effects of alcohol/vaping/marijuana/prescription drugs with tactics on “How to say ‘no’ and keep your friends,” picnics and international tournaments.

SportStars™

September 2018

Because of Tomizaki’s, Concord is the bi-annual home to the International Traditional Kung Fu Association Chinese Martial Arts Championships. This year, the ITFKA championships, in which Braydan Tomizaki will be competing, take place in October in Brazil. It returns to Concord in July 2019 at the Centre Concord. The Tomizaki Family believes in giving back to its community and has tied many of the school’s events in with fundraisers or collections in the Concord area. Several other notable martial arts schools call Concord home. CCB Martial Arts is an extremely well-rated school run by chief instructor, Jon Rodriguez Hanshi — a 10th degree black belt in Jujitsu and Ninjutsu. Other schools in Concord include Delta Martial Arts & Athletics, One Tribe Martial Arts Academy, Mires Martial Arts, Concord Kung Fu Academy and USKS Martial Arts Center. From adults to young children, beginners to experts, there’s a martial arts program for you in Concord. ✪ — Copy Provided By Visit Concord

Subscribe to our Digital Edition at SportStarsMag.com

Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

September 2018

SportStars™

Clayton Valley senior linebacker Cade Carter 30

SportStarsâ&#x201E;˘

September 2018

Subscribe to our Digital Edition at SportStarsMag.com

Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

September 2018

SportStars™

Clayton Valley quarterback Logan Sumter

he cerebral Eagles? If you have followed Clayton Valley Charter’s football program in recent seasons, cerebral might not be the first description that comes to mind for what has been a somewhat loud, brash team in the past. Oh sure, there have been plenty of brainiacs on Clayton Valley’s teams through the years, but Ugly Eagles, the nickname the school has had for almost half a century (it came about in the early 1970s), has always seemed a perfect fit. Especially for football. But if the 2018 Uglies seem a little quieter than in the past, well, it’s not just your imagination. “This is the most cerebral team I’ve ever had,” coach Tim Murphy said. “Probably the most disciplined team I’ve ever had, too, at least since I’ve been here.” Murphy arrived at Clayton Valley in 2012, taking over for longtime coach and CV alum Herc Pardi. It was under Pardi that the Ugly Eagles tied De La Salle 17-17 in 2004. The Uglies entered 2018 with a 68-12 record under Murphy. He has twice taken Clayton Valley to state championship bowl games, losing to East Valley-Redlands in 2014 and Narbonne-

SportStars™

September 2018

Harbor City a year later. Murphy also was a combined 0-4 against De La Salle and Pittsburg until the Ugly Eagles opened the 2018 season last month with a 38-31 double overtime win against the Pirates in Pittsburg. Three of the four defeats were to De La Salle. Clayton Valley’s surprising victory has put a whole new perspective on this season. Now the Uglies have a shot at a sweet 10-0 regular season, though the Eagles have worrisome encounters with Antioch, Canyon Springs-Las Vegas and CampolindoMoraga during a four-game stretch beginning Sept. 7. All three games are at Clayton Valley. The Ugly Eagles will be favored in those games and in every other regular-season game they play this year. In some contests, complacency might be a bigger concern than the opponent. “There’s no point in taking any team lightly,” senior quarterback Logan Sumter said. If the Eagles can go unbeaten, the reward likely will be an invitation to North Coast Section’s four-team Open Division. The Eagles have played there the past two years, but as the No. 4 seed, and De La Salle as their first-round opponent. CVC lost both games, by a combined score of 73-7.

Subscribe to our Digital Edition at SportStarsMag.com

The victory over Pitt and a 10-0 regular season should allow Clayton Valley to avoid DLS in its playoff opener this November. The celebration after the Uglies stopped Pittsburg from scoring in the second overtime last month was a raucous one. Murphy didn’t believe his team could win. “I didn’t go into the game very confident,” he said. “I told (wife) Christy going over the hill, if we came within 14 points, I would be happy. I think the kids believed we could win.” Injuries were the cause of Murphy’s concern. Six players were either hurt or suspended before the Pitt game. Four more, including linebacker Dusty Mitchell and running back Makhi Gervais, went down against the Pirates. Three minutes into the game, Pittsburg led 10-0. But Clayton Valley went on a 21-6 run before Pittsburg scored a touchdown and two-point conversion with 1:59 left in the half to take a 24-21 lead at intermission. The Pirates took advantage of the Ugly Eagles going for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 10. Pittsburg’s defense stuffed a quarterback keeper for no gain. “The only time you don’t have a chance is when you quit,” Murphy said. “That’s why I go for it so much on fourth down. Punting is a form of quitting.” Yes, the Eagles’ attitude still can be a bit brash at times. But the fourth-down philosophy is one Murphy says he firmly believes in. He went for it on fourth down three times against the Pirates. He employed it last season, too, and it was costly in a 38-22 loss to Reed-Sparks, Nevada, in Clayton Valley’s 2017 opener. Clayton Valley only tried one fourth-down conversion in the second half against Pittsburg, and that was from the Pirates’ 33-yard line. A pass fell incomplete. Pittsburg then drove deep inside CVC territory, where linebacker Cade Carter picked up a Pirates’ fumble and returned it about 35 yards. From that point, the Uglies marched to the Pitt 7, where they attempted a 23-yard field goal on fourth down. Camden Grant split the uprights with 18 seconds to go, sending the contest into overtime. Perhaps it was fitting that Carter, who also caught a 75-yard touchdown pass and had an interception, returned the fumble that set up the tying score. Carter exemplifies what Murphy calls the cerebral Eagles. “In the eighth grade he didn’t want to play football,” Murphy said. “I still tease him about that. Now he’s a leader, one of the most positive people you’d ever want to meet.” He’s also a straight A student, said the coach. He is committed to the Air Force Academy. “They were the first school to show interest in me,” the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Carter said. “I really like the inside linebackers coach. “I kind of decided I wanted to play for one of the academies,” Carter continued. “I was thinking West Point. But after visiting Air Force, I decided that was my best choice. “The academies are a challenge, but it’s something I wanted to do. I would love to serve my country.” Cerebral indeed. Murphy wishes he could have been more like Carter when he was young. “It would have saved me a lot of headaches,” he said. Now in his seventh year as head coach of the Ugly Eagles, with a smart, talented team that has a legitimate shot at playing in a CIF State bowl, Murphy admits he has changed. He is more subdued. “As I’ve gotten older,” Murphy, 48, said, “I realize sometimes the adrenalin that you think will take kids further can make them too tense. Especially this group, if you watch them, on defense you have 11 guys flying to the football. You don’t have to rahrah with this group too much. This group being a little more self-disciplined allows me to be a little calmer. I’ve been known to be tense.” “Also, people from the other side can think you’re arrogant. I’ve got my tattoos, a shaved head. Maybe I’ve got to let people who don’t know me realize what kind of person I am.” Yes, this is a bit of a different Ugly Eagles team. Cerebral. A little quieter. And if the early indications are correct, a team with a serious shot at a championship. ✪ Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, like us on Facebook!

Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

Eagles tailback Makhi Gervais

September 2018

SportStars™

SportStarsâ&#x201E;˘

September 2018

Subscribe to our Digital Edition at SportStarsMag.com

TRAILBL

SportStarsâ&#x201E;¢

September 2018

Subscribe to our Digital Edition at SportStarsMag.com

Monterey Trail’s Zach Larrier

An Experienced And Talented Senior Class Sets The Tone For A Monterey Trail Team Thinking Big Things

LAZERS Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, like us on Facebook!

Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

September 2018

SportStars™

The Monterey Trail defense celebrates a turnover against Sheldon-Sacramento.

onterey Trail High was established in 2004. As one of four new high schools constructed to address the Elk Grove population boom of the early 2000’s, the school and football program needed time to firmly plant roots and build themselves up as a desired destination for students and athletes. T.J. Ewing, the school’s only head varsity football coach since the doors to the school opened 14 years ago, believes that time has come. The Mustangs may finally be establishing themselves as a contending football program in the Elk Grove Unified School District and the Sac-Joaquin Section. Ewing attributes the success — which was reflected in a dominant 41-6 win over local rival Sheldon-Sacramento in the 2018 opener on Aug. 17 — to the establishment of the Junior Mustangs program. “We are at the apex now of all of our junior program kids finally being in high school,” Ewing said. “We started the program nine years ago, and now all of those kids are up here on varsity.

“This senior group is the biggest group that really bought into it, with families into it and alumni coming back to help out. We are all in as a community now, and it’s been a beautiful transition to have this hope and optimism that it’s going to work instead of bailing out if we have a bad season.” Monterey Trail advanced to the SJS Division I final in 2009 and 2010, but ensuing mediocre seasons led to athletes looking elsewhere in the district to play football. But now the local kids are entrenched with the Mustangs from Junior Pee Wee through Midgets, and Ewing sees the continuity as a benefit to his program. “Every year, it all boils down to who has the seniors,” Ewing said of competing at the highest level. “If you have that group that is together and tight, then you will probably do something special.” Ewing’s Mustangs, especially the seniors, showed how that togetherness — paired with talent — can place Monterey Trail among the area’s best teams. In the 41-6 rout of Sheldon, the upperclassmen

Story by Jim McCue | Photos by James K. Leash 38

SportStars™

September 2018

Subscribe to our Digital Edition at SportStarsMag.com

shined and provided an excellent example of how to win and lead on the football field. Returning stars dot the roster, but few will likely have as much impact on the team’s success than Zach Larrier, Jehiel Budgett and Marcus Jones, Jr.. Larrier is the Mustangs’ quarterback, and a dual-threat under center with equal ability to make a big play with his legs and his arm. Larrier had an almost equal number of passing and rushing yards last year (700 yards through the air; 696 yards on the ground), and his athleticism and versatility have recruiters interested in the 6-foot-1, 190-pound signal caller. While his running ability and speed make him dangerous out of the backfield, Ewing does not want his quarterback to be short-changed on his passing skills. “It’s definitely nice to make defenses prepare for his running, but he can drop back and pass,” Ewing said. “We have really good receivers, and he can throw the ball well and run it. So it’s hard for opponents to say ‘We’re going to load up the box,’ when we have guys that can catch it.” Larrier did rush for a touchdown against Sheldon, but his number won’t be called as much as fans might expect. Budgett is a primary reason for making rushing secondary for Larrier. The senior running back will be the Mustangs’ workhorse. As — Coach T.J. Ewing long as he’s healthy, he should eclipse the 913 yards and nine rushing TDs he recorded as a junior. At 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, Budgett is a bigger and stronger back than a year ago. His senior season debut pointed to big things to come. Budgett rushed for 131 yards on 18 carries and three scores before resting in the fourth quarter. He also added four catches out of the backfield for 42 yards. His speed to the outside allows him to beat defenders to the corner, but he can run between the tackles for tough yards just as well. “He’s the old man now.” Ewing said with a laugh. “He gets the tough yards early and then the young guys can come in and run all around.” Just a junior, Jones is a veteran at linebacker after leading Monterey Trail with 120 tackles as a sophomore. The speedy defender was all over the field in the opener, stuffing runs up the middle, beating running backs to the edge and disrupting Sheldon’s passing game. When the dust settled, Jones had 14 tackles, one sack, a pass defensed and caused a fumble on the Huskies’ second play from scrimmage that resulted in a turnover. Jones led the defense to a dominant performance. The unit did not allow a point (Sheldon’s lone score was a blocked field goal returned 80 yards for a touchdown) and created a pair of turnovers during the brief time Monterey Trail had to play defense. In the Mustangs’ opening win, the offense ran more than three times as many plays as the Huskies and completely shut down Sheldon’s big-play capabilities. Key to the time

“(Jehiel Budgett) the old man now. He gets the tough yards early and then the young guys can come in and run all around.”

Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

September 2018

SportStars™

of possession dominance was Monterey Trail’s enforcers at the line of scrimmage. Senior linemen Exavier Malanca, Noah Casarez and Anthony Thompson turned in a stellar performance in the trenches with help from juniors Daniel Ramirez, Germaine Spearman and Lathun Snipes. Senior LB/RB Thaddeus Hills rounded out the senior establishment’s big night. Hills had four tackles, a sack and rushed for a score. However, his biggest contribution was a knockout blow just before halftime. Already leading 20-6 with a little more than two minutes remaining before the break, Hills closed off a scrambling Sheldon QB Francisco Salinas and wrestled the ball away to set up a back-breaking touchdown. Monterey Trail finished with 27 second-quarter points. The Mustangs’ nonleague schedule is certainly putting that senior experience to the test. It has included intersectional battles with strong programs from San Ramon Valley-Danville (North Coast Section) and Spanish Springs (Sparks, Nevada). They will take a bye week following their Sept. 7 rivaly with Cosumnes Oaks-Elk Grove before hosting Paraclete-Lancaster (Southern Section) on Sept. 21. After that slate, Ewing believes his team will be prepared for Metro League play that will pit his team against new foes due to section realignment. “We understand the effort that it takes, and the schedule that we have to play, to be where we want to be in November,” Ewing said. “For us, we have a group that can handle it and do big things. We have only had a group like that a few times, but you can see it (in this team) how they play together and for each other.” ✪

SportStars™

September 2018

Monterey Trail’s Jehiel Budgett

Subscribe to our Digital Edition at SportStarsMag.com

Behind the Clipboard by Clay Kallam

When Slow Is The Way To Go We have a young coach for our position group, and he’s really smart, but he talks really fast and tells us a lot in a hurry. He’s always rushed because he says he has so much to teach us, but a lot of times we don’t feel we understand what he’s trying to tell us. And he doesn’t like questions because it slows him down and he says then he can’t get to everything he needs to get to. So we have to go along and then we make mistakes because we didn’t really understand. What should we do? R.G., San Jose

adly, your coach isn’t the only one — old or young — who doesn’t realize how much coaching is really teaching. It starts with something we all do. We know what we’re talking about, and so it’s obvious to us how what we said before connects with what we’re going to say next, which means we assume anyone who doesn’t get it is either not paying attention or not very bright. As a coach, then, if I’m talking about how we’re going to cover trips, I have in my mind exactly what we’re going to do. So I say it once, and move on, because it’s so clear to me. Often, though, “what we’re going to do” involves two or three basic concepts melded together in a way that not everyone has dealt with before, so really, the coach should a) talk about each concept; b) talk about how they fit together; and c) then, and only then, what the total package will be. So your guy isn’t doing that, and he’s impatient with questions, and no one wants the coach mad at him because then you don’t get to play — but this is a team problem, because if your group doesn’t completely understand what they’re trying to do, they’ll make mistakes that will hurt the team. Unfortunately, the way to deal with this kind of issue — in sports, at work and in life in general — isn’t easy. In your case, you and another player (more than two is really too many) should meet with the coach after practice. You may have to set it up in advance, or he may be the kind of guy you can approach and say “Hey, can we talk to you in private?” OK, sure, that’s hard. But for the good of the team, you have to do it, and then you have even more hard things to say. Start with something like “Coach,

we really appreciate how hard you work and how much you’re teaching us, and we’re getting better every day. But sometimes it’s hard because we don’t quite understand everything, and sometimes it seems like you don’t want us to ask questions.” Another thing we all do: When we’re wrong, we get defensive and make excuses. (It’s easier to stay calm when you know you’re right.) So if you bring this up, the coach will likely defend himself and say you guys don’t listen. You have to be as mature as possible at this point and first, try to see if he’s willing to listen, and second, not get defensive yourself. If it looks like the conversation is going nowhere, just back off and say “OK, coach, thanks for listening. We appreciate that. See you tomorrow.” If, after that first burst of defensiveness, the coach calms down a little and you think you can communicate, then explain yourself further. A good young coach will either think about what you said later, or talk it over with you then. At that point, that’s all you can do. You gave your boss information, and now it’s up to him to use it. So try asking a question the next time he explains things and see if he’s a little more patient, a little more willing to elaborate. If not, you tried, and sometimes that’s what you have to live with. I wish there were a better/easier answer, but that’s a tough question — here’s hoping he figures out that sometimes taking it slow is actually faster. ✪ Clay Kallam has been an assistant athletic director and has coached numerous sports at a handful of high schools throughout the Bay Area. To submit a question for Behind the Clipboard, email him at claykallam@gmail.com.

Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

September 2018

SportStars™

NUTRItion: jill daniels

supplemental

VALUE

Why would athletes even consider taking a supplement? It could be they are looking to increase strength or improve endurance. Maybe they want to increase their tolerance for exercise intensity or recover faster. The bottom line is that they want to enhance their overall athletic performance. Supplement companies know this about athletes, and through their marketing, they promise that their products will help athletes achieve the results and performance they’re looking for. The supplement industry is big business. It made over $28 billion in 2016 and is expected to double that by the year 2022. Some popular supplements in the world of athletics include branched-chain amino acids, protein powder, creatine and caffeine. Oftentimes, athletes take a supplement because a teammate or someone they look up to is taking it or recommends it. Or they hear these great testimonials of others who have taken it. However, testimonials are much different than evidence-based research, which is unbiased sound research that can help us take a look at the effectiveness of a product. One of the problems with supplements is the lack of this evidence-based research to back up the marketing claims. Many supplements have been tested on only a small group of people for a limited time, using only conditioned athletes. For example, maybe a study shows that a particular supplement helped 11 elite male cyclists improve their endurance on a three-hour ride. Great. But can you really take those results and say that it will help high school cross country runners? Or female collegiate basketball players? Probably not. Another shortcoming of supplements is that the 42

SportStars™

September 2018

Subscribe to our Digital Edition at SportStarsMag.com

testing typically focuses on only single ingredients. However, many sports nutrition supplements on the market have multiple ingredients, especially those targeting building muscle mass. Therefore, we can’t know the actual effectiveness or the safety of these products that have multiple ingredients. In most cases, additional research is needed to fully understand the effectiveness and safety of supplements. When shopping for supplements, make sure the product has a U.S. Pharmacopeia or NSF Certified for Sport label. These don’t mean the product is necessarily safe or effective for improving performance, but it does mean the product was properly manufactured, and it contains the ingredients listed on the label, without harmful levels of contaminants. Every year, athletes get suspended for failing a drug test after they unknowingly took a supplement with an illegal ingredient. You can take precautions to make sure this doesn’t happen. Remember that there are no quick fixes for improving sports performance. No number of supplements will compensate for a lousy diet. Following a dietary plan that’s specific for your needs and goals will be a key component in helping you maximize your performance. And in most cases, making improvements to your diet will replace the need for a supplement. Finally, keep in mind that if the claims of a supplement sound too good to be true, they probably are. ✪ Maximize your athletic performance by seeking personalized advice from Nutrition Coach Jill Daniels, MS, RD, CSSD, Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics. www.JillDanielsRD.com Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, like us on Facebook!

health watch: cindy j. chang, MD

make time for

ZZZs

Lee is starting her junior year of high school. She is on the newspaper editorial board, has a heavy academic load and is running cross country. She has the feeling that she will have a lot of late nights, and is already getting anxious about how to balance it all even though she hasn’t even gotten that much homework yet. In fact, she has already found herself lying in bed unable to fall asleep because of worry about newspaper deadlines, and will then start e-mailing the section editors about assignments. Chris is a freshman at a new high school and excited to get involved. He has signed up for the ultimate frisbee club team and is also in the school band during zero period. He is playing club soccer and also wants to keep his summer job at the movie theatre, working the late-night shifts. His parents don’t want him to keep working, but he likes the spending money and his co-workers. Does this sound familiar? Have you had similar feelings and experiences? What is the best solution? What is usually the solution? The answer should not be less sleep! Sleep is important in many ways, and research shows sleep is not only vital to our physical health, in terms of growth, tissue repair (recovery from a hard practice or injury), and immune function (so we don’t get sick), it is also important for emotional regulation, concentration, memory, decision-making and risk-taking behavior. If you don’t get enough sleep, hungry becomes hangry, school gets

harder, and you may not make the best decision on the football field when it comes to trying to block that punt. Speaking of sports, lack of sleep also affects athletic performance, including decreased reaction time (bat speed, block starts), decreased accuracy (tennis serves, free throws), and decreased power (free kicks, bench press). Lack of sleep also increases injury risk. It is important for teens to get at least 8-10 hours of sleep. Aim for a consistent bedtime and wake-up time, even on weekends. It is hard for the body’s internal clock to switch bedtime from 11 p.m. on weekdays and then 3 a.m. on weekends. An occasional late night is okay, but then don’t nap more than 30 minutes the next day or else it will be hard to fall asleep at bedtime. Set a time a few hours before your planned bedtime to jot down a “to-do” list so that you don’t worry while lying in bed. And definitely avoid using your laptop or mobile phone more than an hour before bedtime, as the bright light can stop melatonin (a brain hormone that causes us to feel sleepy) from being released. If you find yourself tossing and turning in bed, get out of bed, get sleepy by reading the instruction manual for your lava lamp, and then head back to bed. Sweet dreams! ✪ Cindy Chang is a UCSF clinical professor of primary care sports medicine.

Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

September 2018

SportStars™

wise up to the

Pull-Up

The goal for all athletes when they enter the weight room is to improve their strength and power. That is the goal because it is known to improve their speed, and if we’re being totally honest, speed is what we’re all really after. If we could improve it without living in the weight room, we all would. One of the most overlooked exercises when it comes to speed is the pull-up. Although most people don’t know it, simply improving your pull-ups can in fact improve your speed. The way it works is kind of like poetry in motion. Observe someone running and you’ll never see the arms moving faster than the legs, or visa versa. In fact your arms drive your legs. So if you can speed up proper arm motion, you’ll speed up your legs and your body overall. The problem is that people’s arms move slower than they’re even aware of. There are two muscle groups responsible for arm motion. The chest and the lats. The chest we work out regularly with push-ups and bench presses. This allows a good forward arm drive. But when there isn’t strength in the lats — developed through pull-ups — the arm can’t drive back very quickly. This slows the entire motion down. So simply improving in pull-ups will allow the arm motion to increase in speed. Which will move the legs faster. Which will in turn improve your overall speed. Crazy how something we think is so unrelated can have such a profound effect on the overall desired outcome. ✪ Anthony Trucks is an IYCA-certified trainer who covers strength training for SportStars. 44

SportStars™

September 2018

Subscribe to our Digital Edition at SportStarsMag.com

get mental: erika westhoff

setback

Strength Setbacks can be incredibly frustrating. It can feel as though you’ve taken one step forward and two steps back. Given all the time and effort we put into developing and mastering our skills, getting stuck can feel unreasonable. But let’s take a closer look at what causes setbacks. Ironically, setbacks tend to show up when an athlete is ready to breakthrough to a new skill level. You may be relearning or fine-tuning a skill you already possess. Or, maybe you’re trying to apply new tactics on the field, after already studying the strategies visually. It’s never as easy as it seems. Even athletes learning how to use mental skills on the field can experience setbacks as they learn how to navigate challenges. New reactions to old problems can feel mechanical and slow at first. The challenge is getting your body to follow your mind. Often, we get clear in our heads, but our bodies are slow to respond. There’s a good reason. The process of learning requires significant remapping of our nervous system to create new movements. This process starts manually by thinking about it. Then, through repetition, the brain learns patterns until the movement is automated. Problems arise when our expectations around learning are amiss. We believe change should come quickly. Or if we get it once, we should do it consistently. We start to push, frustration builds, learning becomes complicated mentally. This process leads to a few common reactions:

›› We start to over work ourselves, driven by fear of not getting it. We start to push for quantity of reps, rather than quality. Staying in this process leads to burnout. ›› We lose motivation to continue, assuming we will never get it. That becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Either way, progress slows or stops. How can you best move through these learning phases? Consider these steps: SLOW DOWN — Rewiring our brains takes time. There’s no way to rush. It takes high-quality repetition to make changes and get them to show up under pressure. Recognize that ups and downs are part of the process and keep your expectations realistic about the time it takes. DO IT DIFFERENTLY — When frustration builds, change your learning tactic. Create simple instructions, get help from a teammate or a different coach. Sometimes hearing it differently or getting a second set of eyes can help tremendously. TAKE A BREAK — Give your brain and body a breather. If you have too much going on in your head, learning will slow. Recover and come back with a fresh mentality. ADD MENTAL REPETITION — Don’t forget to use your imagery skills to help you repeat your skills correctly, without any wear and tear on your body. Feel your way and do it right every time! ✪ Erika Westhoff is a certified mental trainer at EW Performance.

Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

September 2018

SportStars™

SportStarsâ&#x201E;˘

September 2018

Subscribe to our Digital Edition at SportStarsMag.com