NorCal Issue 155, November 2018 by Sport Stars Magazine

NORCAL EDITION NOVEMBER 2018 VOL. 9 ISSUE 155

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Cal-Hi Sports’ Mark Tennis takes you through a who’s who of NorCal QBs who have found NFL glory

Del Oro and special teams ace Johnny Guzman are soaring towards the postseason

Granada girls XC is wellstocked with seniors and aims to have its trophy cabinet well stocked too

Sac-Joaquin volleyball is, as usual, loaded with contenders. Here are five to watch

Inderkum football may not have headliners, but its story is long and deep

Our Level Up experts help you beat the stress, eat better and more!

Dublin’s Brooke Lohuis’ world shook as her former 43 school, Stoneman Douglas, came under attack. Pg. 38

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Columnist Clay Kallam knows that late-season rankings aren’t perfect, but that doesn’t mean they’re awful either

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

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Follow State-Wide Section Football Postseason Coverage Along With CIF Bowl Predictions

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Serve Up Some Volleyball And Read Our Feature On Current NorCal No. 1 Volleyball Team James Logan-Union City

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Remembering A Giant

first met Tom Blackwood as a first-year prep sports writer for the Contra Costa Times in February 2001. Only a handful of weeks into the job, he may have been the first East Bay basketball coach I met and interviewed. I was dispatched to cover Blackwood’s Miramonte-Orinda team in a late-season home game. I don’t remember the opponent, or a lot of the details of the game. Most of what I remember about this game all happened once it ended. Miramonte won — the Matadors did that a lot during Blackwood’s remarkable 38-year tenure — and I caught up to Blackwood before he could join his team in the locker room. Blackwood, who was already 36 years into that aforementioned coaching stretch, caught my eye and glanced down at my notebook. At that point, he could’ve easily big-timed the rookie reporter he’d never met, and asked me to wait while he spoke with his team first. Instead, he flashed a grin, waved me forward and stuck out his big right hand. In addition to answering all of my questions about the game, he asked a few of his own: When did I join the Times? Where had I grown up and had I played basketball? Our conversation probably only lasted seven to eight minutes, but it paved the way for one of my favorite professional relationships during the early part of my Bay Area writing career. I learned in mid-October that Blackwood passed away in late September following complications with pneumonia. He was 81. Upon finding out, I had a number of fond memories of Blackwood surface. None more significant than that first meeting, though. As I’ve read recollections of him in the wake of his death, many have spoken of the passion and kindness that were evident in my first encounter with him. “He was one of those people when you met him, you instantly liked him,” former Miramonte player Chris Kuhner said of his high school coach and longtime friend. “He was just so social. He liked to be around people. He lived life to the fullest.” Approximately eight months after that first meeting with him, the newspaper named me to the regional boys basketball writer position that was vacated when Marcus Thompson II (a few of you may have heard of him) began his journalistic ascent. Blackwood was one of the first people to congratulate me. Unfortunately, just a year later, Blackwood became the subject of one of my biggest breaking stories when parent pressure — largely related to the playing time he was giving to his son, Chris, a sophomore at the time — led to his resignation. I remember the pain in his voice when he called to tell me he wasn’t going to fight it. I told both sides of the story, but it still seemed unfathomable to me that a coach who’d won 638 games and was just five years removed from an NCS title could have such an unceremonious end to his career. We stayed in touch and saw each other often as I covered Chris Blackwood’s teams after he transferred to Miramonte’s archrival, Campolindo-Moraga. In his senior year, Chris Blackwood had 26 points, five rebounds and five assists in an NCS Division III championship win over Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland. That team reached the CIF Div. III Northern Regional final at Sacramento’s Arco Arena, losing to Santa Cruz 46-44. Blackwood led the Cougars with 17 points. While I enjoyed talking ball with Tom in the years after his coaching days, I’ll always regret not getting to see him coach more. There was no doubt he still had the passion for it. I’ll forever be grateful for his kind gesture to a young writer, and his honesty and candidness as a source in the years that followed. A group of Miramonte alums have begun a movement to get the Miramonte gymnasium’s court named in his honor. I think that would be fitting. ✪

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 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

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gracie rowland OAK RIDGE-EL DORADO HILLS VOLLEYBALL - SENIOR In her fourth year of varsity, the outside hitter is helping to lead the Trojans on an inspired postseason run. Oak Ridge likely assured itself an automatic berth to the CIF NorCal playoffs when it upset No. 2 seed Rocklin in the Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I quarterfinals on Oct. 25. The seventh-seeded Trojans rallied from a 2-sets-to-1 deficit to advance to the semifinals. Rowland had a team-best 15 kills and four aces along with six digs and a block. Oak Ridge won the first set 25-16 before Rocklin roared back with 25-12 and 25-13 wins. Oak Ridge won the fourth set 25-23 and clinched the victory by taking the fifth set 15-12. Oak Ridge moved to 19-12 on the season and Rowland upped her team-leading kills to 286 and aces to 46. She was also second on the team with 169 digs. â&#x153;Ş

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NorCal’s QB Royalty A Glance At Some Of NorCal’s Most Notable NFL Signal-Callers

veryone in Northern California football circles probably knows that the currently annointed Greatest Of All Time for quarterbacks is from Serra-San Mateo. That’s, of course, Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, who has been getting that type of attention after he led the Patriots to a win in the 2017 Super Bowl. It was Brady’s fifth Super Bowl win in the eighth time he’s played in it. No other quarterback has more than four and no other player has played in the Super Bowl that many times. But many may not know that the Central Coast Section actually has been the home to many more elitelevel NFL starting quarterbacks. We did the research on that topic recently for the CalHiSports.com web site and finished with a list of every quarterback from a California high school who has started at least once in the NFL, or even the old American Football League, dating back to 1945. The CCS can boast of having one Hall of Fame QB already with Dan Fouts, who is from Serra’s West Catholic Athletic League rival St. Ignatius-San Francisco. Playing for the San Diego Chargers, Fouts was one of the NFL’s most prolific passers for many years in the 1970s and well into the 1980s, and was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993 . The CCS also has a Heisman Trophy winner and two-time Super Bowl winner in Jim Plunkett, who is from James Lick-San Jose. Plunkett won the Heisman in 1970 while playing for Stanford and led the Oakland Raiders to a win in Super Bowl XV (1981) and again in Super Bowl XVIII (1984). There was one season in the 1970s (1977) when there were five front-line starting QBs in the NFL from CCS schools. In addition to Fouts and Plunkett (who was with the 49ers that season), there was Steve Bartkowski (Atlanta Falcons) from Buchser-Santa Clara (which changed its name to Santa Clara High in 1981), Craig Morton (Denver Broncos) from Campbell High (which closed in 1980) and Dan Pastorini (Houston Oilers) from Bellarmine Prep-San Jose. In later years, other than Brady, perhaps the best starting QBs from the CCS have been Jim Harbaugh (Palo Alto), Jeff Garcia (Gilroy), Trent Dilfer (Aptos) and

Trent Edwards (Los Gatos). Dilfer earned a Super Bowl ring in 2001 with the Baltimore Ravens. While the CCS clearly leads the all-time NorCal QBs list, it’s important to note some of those who’ve come from the North Coast Section, Sac-Joaquin Section and even Oakland. The greatest NCS QB, from an NFL historical angle, would still have to be Norm Van Brocklin of Acalanes-Lafayette. Believe it or not, but Van Brocklin still holds the NFL single game passing record with 554 yards from 1951. The late Van Brocklin, who skipped his senior year at Acalanes to join World War II, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971. Perhaps someday soon Jared Goff from Marin Catholic-Kentfield will rival The Dutchman among NCS QBs, but the current Los Angeles Rams standout obviously is still in the early stages of his career. Other than Van Brocklin, the best-ever East Bay starting QB in the NFL is still John Brodie, who played for 12 years with the 49ers (mostly in the 1960s). He’s not from an NCS school, though, but from Oakland Tech. For the Sac-Joaquin, two QBs have started in the Super Bowl — Colin Kaepernick (Pitman-Turlock) for the 49ers and Tony Eason (Delta-Clarksburg) for the Patriots. When Eason was at Delta, however, that school was not in the SJS. For longevity and career passing, the SJS best may be Ken O’Brien (Jesuit-Carmichael), who started for many years in the late 1980s and early 1990s for the New York Jets. Oakdale’s Eddie LeBaron from the 1950s Washington Redskins and early 1960s Dallas Cowboys would be another favorite. Oakdale is known for its rodeo, and the fact its greatest football player was once the starting QB for the Dallas Cowboys is incredibly appropriate. ✪ 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

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Armored Combat League Brings Game Of Thrones To Your Backyard Who is ready for a trip back in time? Medieval times to be exact. The inaugural Feast of Steel, an Armored Combat League tournament, promises to do just that with real knights battling using real steel going full throttle. Placer Valley Tourism is joining forces with the ACL’s regional team, the Pacific Grizzlies, to bring this thrilling event to the barns of @the Grounds in Roseville on Sunday, Nov. 18. The participating knights vary in age from 18 to 58 and are coming from throughout the West Coast to compete. The Feast of Steel is a qualifier for singles champions and regional melee teams. ACL Region Commander Erik Saari explained that singles are individual technical fights and the melees are team against team, which can be brutal yet fascinating at the same time. Plus, they are very historically accurate. “Combat in full armor with steel weapons is something you will never forget and will want to see again and again,” Saari said. “The Armored Combat League is where MMA meets medieval knights. It’s epic. It’s historical, it’s chivalry in action and it’s a whole lot of fun for everyone.” Make sure to experience this incredible event live. @the Grounds is located at 800 All America City Blvd. in Roseville. ✪

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World Youth Football Championship Qualifier Headed To Rocklin Placer Valley Tourism is thrilled to announce its teaming up with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Academy to bring the World Youth Football Championship Bay Area Regional to Placer Valley. This exciting event will take place Nov. 29-Dec. 2 in Rocklin. Teams from all throughout California will arrive on Thursday, Nov. 29 for weigh-ins and official registration. On Friday afternoon the games will begin and continue all day on both Saturday, Dec. 1 and Sunday, Dec. 2 on the football fields of Rocklin and Whitney High Schools. The tournament will showcase players as young as 8 years old up to 14 years old with a two-bracket format that features unweighted and weighted divisions. Only the top eight teams will move on to the World Youth Championship that will take place in Canton, Ohio, at the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Dec. 13-16. Canton is calling and these teams are ready for the challenge! “What makes the World Youth Football Championship so great is that regardless of what league your youth football team is in, you are eligible to compete here,” explained Gary Howard, national scouting director for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Academy. “It really makes this a true championship because you have teams playing each other that typically never would, plus it’s a great representation of the best regional teams from all youth leagues.” Mark your calendars and be sure to come check out the action. These young players are fired up to leave it all on the field in hopes for making it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame field. Admission is $5 and concessions are available at both locations. ✪ — All copy and photos courtesy of Placer Valley tourism

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o r O l e D , n a m z u G y n n h o J c i ed r t e c p e l S E s e e l h g T a E n With e d l o G e h T s a H e c n e Excell

, 8 campaign . t to the 201 n ar w st o d -1 9 ch u a r te nd to n playoffs af r a 12-seco aquin Sectio only asks fo o rs -J te ac al S W e ff th Je d for nd car, but am is boun ts a 10-seco Johnny h, whose te ac co l al . s. r sensation tb ar in Diesel wan o io ye am n fo is te se ro th al to O ci l se d e e n e dit offe on sp -year D ores are cre uly special d explosive The second defense an e of those sc ry team is tr t iv u ve F o e t s. st o a ck N ki d l. e d n locke ills Oct. 5. f the bal has champio turns and b l Dorado H ither side o re -E e e ck n g o ki id l R s, e rn xc ak e rO t retu rograms 6-21 win ove wns on pun But lots of p (26.7). Del Oro’s 5 10 touchdo g e n ri av u h r 187 yards d s s fo le s rd ag rn ya E tu 7 n hat to do.” 9 e re t ld d n o r. u an The G and know w seven p supersta ns of 99 r n w e o ay o ti th d -w o ac e ch an u re to d to in th ap for ), an el Oro’s ard average edge return over. I just sn Guzman, D conds. rough his w turns (a 57-y stinct takes n th re “I d . e ck exactly 12 se d id ki d lo e sa e in st xp n an e la n e zm o an g u s id G zm rd R u ” ya G rns, Oak aged 513 rries, on kick retu rns against . 9, he man nde (108 ca mes my way f his kick retu o co l th al o b By week No b , e Sheldon Co rs th k le n e ac ck h b ta w g e d te in e -b e n hyp , run 00 m r n would “I’m always e fastest 4x1 fact, Guzman on to jettiso th In ti f . o ta si rs am e e te h b d ld ts an d-fie e mem for the SJS wn) are thre d qualified Even with cu Oro track-an . o l d an e d e e D ar ch e u sp ye th k to r st e ac la n fo (o es ips ll that tr Mulholland punter) shin Championsh You might ca ceiver Ryan safety, and e SJS Div. I r, re e th ar iv at ye ce ts) re d rs a n fi o d seco Guzman (als eek No. 9) an mark (42.47 nal downs by w oys set that ch b u n to o to motivatio 6 at 1 b s, e 988 yard would listen istory. Th h l ad o u r.” o e h sq e th sc e th s, all tog in Del Oro past season thill League brought us relay team e Sierra Foo ro routine. In th “That really O . l g e n id D ri sa u e d th an g s to uzm wlin Masters. ue addition ey went bo ng track,” G alters’ uniq activities (th t closer duri W lo y am b a te munity,” d w e ys re d g jo ai “We d work, com gram en eep, and ar ro d h p , r. e e d n o st th io o , ro at 8 rh ic 1 is e un roth ond . In 20 nced comm topic, like b That tight b st speakers ractices adva a particular es and gue p t h u d o ac an ab co rs k e m in n o din u th speeches fr lain what yo weekly team nds during k you to exp o as b d ), n an g d ai n p cam tball arou pass the foo “Coach will

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s m a e T l a i c o’s Spe s f f o y a l P e h T o t n I g n i d

odson D e k I y b y r Sto . Leash K s e m a J y Photos b Ike Dodson & Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, like us on Facebook!

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Guzman said. “It’s a chance for us to talk to our team-

tioned whether we could score points, wondering if

Whitney-Rocklin this year. State powers Folsom and

mates and understand how some people feel about

we would be able to put up points against a great

Oak Ridge joined back in 2014. Granite Bay, Rocklin

the team.”

opponent,” Walters said. “We have been scoring a lot

and Del Oro are the longtime members.

The gridiron tutelage has also paid off. Assistant coach Bill Sherman has directed a magic show on

of points this year.” Del Oro was slowed in a 22-21 win over Rocklin

SFL wins require big moments. Del Oro has plenty of those.

special teams and as of week No. 9, Del Oro had

Oct. 12 and a 20-13 defeat of Grant-Sacramento Oct.

outscored opponents by a 43-14 average. The Golden

19, but cruising against elite SFL programs isn’t easy.

Eagles earned early wins over playoff contenders

SFL squads have won 37 section titles in the last 30

Amador Valley-Pleasanton (7-2), Oak Grove-San Jose

years (Div. I-III), including 12 in the last seven seasons.

the right side of the field, into the arms of another

(5-3) and posted their first win over Oak Ridge since

It’s a conference so good, the SJS just surrendered to

playmaker — Dawson Hurst. The younger brother of

2014.

make it stronger, removing Woodcreek-Roseville and

former University of Washington running back Logan

Nevada Union-Grass Valley and adding Grant and

Hurst and current Cal Poly defensive back Mason

“There have been some naysayers who have ques14

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It all starts with the kickoff, and the Golden Eagles don’t give opposing teams a lot of options. To avoid Guzman, kickers have to boot the ball to

Hurst. Dawson Hurst was featured in the 2018 SportStars Football Preview cover feature this fall, alongside other top flight SJS defensive backs. Dawson and Guzman play about every snap for Del Oro. Hurst has entertained offers from Cal Poly, UC Davis and Stetson University. Guzman (6-foot-2, 180 pounds) has also received an offer from Stetson, and talks with coaches from Boise State and Eastern Washington. The Roseville native is angling toward a collegiate career that bolsters his strong focus on academics. “I just have to keep working hard, knowing my time will come sooner or later,” Guzman said. “I am not worried about letters (of intent) or rankings. “I have to just go out there and do what I do.” Twelve seconds at a time. ✪ Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, like us on Facebook!

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ione Vaki stands quietly on the sideline with teammates as the Liberty High football team’s special teams unit drills during a Thursday afternoon walk-through in late October. Next to a group of teammates, the senior receiver and defensive back’s 6-foot, 190-pound chiseled frame seems to blend in with the crowd. Yet just five days earlier, he was larger than life. In arguably the East Bay’s most anticipated game of the regular season — at one of its best and legendary venues, Pittsburg High’s Pirates Stadium — Vaki delivered an individual performance that will be talked about at the Brentwood school and throughout the community for years to come. It will be known as the Sione Vaki Game. If it isn’t already. “It’s one of the best all-around high school performances I’ve ever seen,” Liberty coach Ryan Partridge told the San Francisco Chronicle a few days removed from the win. Vaki’s performance that Oct. 19 night included 10 receptions for 158 yards and two touchdowns on offense. (He actually caught a third touchdown pass that was wiped out by a Lions penalty). That performance alone would’ve likely made him the star of the 24-21 Bay Valley Athletic League victory. But Liberty likely doesn’t earn that victory without Vaki’s defensive efforts that night, particularly in the fourth quarter. Over the final nine minutes of the game, as Pittsburg was furiously attempting to complete a comeback and secure its second consecutive BVAL title, Vaki was front and center in three defensive takeaways. He had two interceptions and then forced Pittsburg running back Avant Muldrow to fumble just two steps before he would’ve crossed the goal line for a go-ahead touchdown. The ball rolled out of the end zone for a touchback. The play also counted toward one of his eight tackles in the game. It was this play that Partridge said Vaki would single out as the one he was most proud of in the victory. “He’s probably going to say the hit at the goal line,” the coach said at the Thursday walk-through before the team’s regular-season finale. “We practice that stuff and he put it into action. It’s just who he is. He’s 100-percent effort all times.” The coach knows his player. “I would probably say the tackle I made at the 1 (yard line) for the fumble,” Vaki said with barely any hesitation. Amplifying Vaki’s efforts — and why they won’t be forgotten anytime soon — was what the win over Pittsburg represented for one of the East Bay’s oldest programs. — It was the Lions’ first win over Pittsburg since 2005. — It clinched the program’s first league title in more than three decades. Its previous championship came in 1985 as part of the now-defunct Foothill Athletic League. — The win secured the No. 2 seed in the North Coast Section Open Div. playoffs, which places the Lions one win away from a guaranteed California Interscholastic Federation Regional Bowl berth. “It was a mixture of relief and excitement,” Partridge said of the watershed victory, which was also the program’s 14th in a row dating back to the previous season’s 35-0 loss to Pittsburg. “The feeling carried on a little further than other wins.” Notably, what made him most proud about the victory was what came in its aftermath.

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“It was the amount of community members and school district members who reached out to me and were so proud of the boys and this program,” Partridge said. “This program has been around for so long that a win like that is important to the program, and important to the school. and it’s really important to our community.” The day after these comments, Liberty closed its regular season by beating crosstown rival Heritage 49-0. Vaki caught one of quarterback Jay Butterfield’s three touchdown passes in a win that secured the program’s first undefeated regular season. The touchdown against Heritage was Vaki’s 18th scoring grab of the season — out of just 51 catches through the first 10 games. Yes, he’s averaging BETTER than a Jay Butterfield touchdown every three receptions. He’s also scored at least one touchdown in 11 straight contests dating back to the 2017 NCS Div. I championshipship victory over Freedom-Oakley last December. “He works harder than anyone else,” Butterfield said of his MVP receiver. “He’s been working in the weight room. He comes out to the field and tries to improve his craft every day. That’s just what makes him who he is.” Vaki transferred to Liberty after his sophomore year at Antioch. But if it looks like he and Butterfield have been throwing to each other for several years, well, they do have some history. Butterfield, who many recruiting services consider one of the nation’s best junior quarterbacks, began throwing to Vaki as an eighth-grader in 7-on-7 competitions. “I think that me and Jay have a stronger bond from playing in our early years at 7-on-7,” Vaki said. “Just having him around me, after coming here when I trans-

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ferred, it was easier to bond with him really. He just has a great talent, too.” College programs are lining up for both of them. In the case of Vaki, several elite programs have made offers despite knowing he won’t suit up for them for at least two more years. Vaki, the youngest of 11 kids, intends to begin his two-year Mormon mission upon graduating this spring. “They’ve all been very supportive of that,” said Vaki, who has made an official visit to Utah State but is working on planning others to USC and Washington State. His other offers include Oklahoma State, Tennessee, Boston College, Utah, Nevada, San Jose State and Howard University. He plans to commit in January and sign in February. Partridge undoubtedly has touted Vaki to these colleges as both a player — and person — worth waiting for. “Physical toughness. Mental toughness. Commitment to our program. His family. His faith. The guy is the prototypical player you want,” Patridge said. “He’s coachable. He works harder than everyone. He’s a loving, caring individual that loves his teammates and his coaches. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime-type player and person.” And now Vaki, Butterfield and the rest of the Lions have a shot at completing a once-in-a-lifetime season for a program that’s been playing football since 1914. In 2017, they helped bring the school its first NCS title. But the NCS gives its Div. I CIF bowl berth to its Open Div. runner-up. That means a semifinal win over Clayton Valley-Concord on Nov. 10 will assure the Lions of a chance to play for state glory. “We just need to continue to work hard and stay dedicated,” Vaki said. If the Lions are following his example, chances for success are high. ✪

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It was 13 years ago when a commercial construction manager set out to turn his passion for rugby into creating a high school rugby club — in the heart of Oakland. Today, Ryan Burke doesn’t have to quantify the life of his Oakland Warthogs program by counting years. He can count lives touched. Better still, lives changed. “I had a rough time in school and life while trying to figure out what crowd I wanted to surround myself with,” wrote 2014 Fremont-Oakland graduate Tevita Otuafi in a testimonial for the Warthogs. “I had no idea joining the Warthogs would impact me in the way it shaped me for who I am today.” Who is Otuafi today? A student at BYU-Hawaii studying biomedical science in hopes of becoming a doctor. He’s one in a long line of success stories that have began with becoming an Oakland Warthog. The team, which consists of 8th-12th graders, boasts a 100 percent high school graduation rate for every kid that has remained a Warthog through his senior year. A vast majority of those graduates have elected to attend college. Futhermore, every Warthogs player participates in the program for free thanks to the support network of donors and sponsors set up by Burke and his staff of volunteers. The club provides tutoring, requires players maintain a C average and will even take players on college visits. The program doesn’t just keep tabs on Warthogs players during the Rugby NorCal season of January through May, either. “The Warthogs changed my life,” former Warthog and Chico State-graduate Felipe Lopez told Oakland Magazine for a 2017 story. “If it wasn’t for the Warthogs, I wouldn’t have known what’s out there. I’d be working for minimum wage. The Warthogs changed everything for me.” Nearly every testimonial written by former players includes the term “brotherhood.” Burke and Warthogs head coach Yasha Ghaffarzadeh aren’t just teaching rugby. Their goal is to reinforce life skills like responsibility, commitment, confidence and teamwork. “I still keep in contact with my teammates and we still talk about being Warthogs,” Otuafi said. “I can’t thank enough the Warthogs and those that made it possible for us to be a part of this family.” Find out how to join this family, or how you can donate to its noble cause, by visiting the Warthogs website at WWW.OAKLANDWARTHOGSRFC.COM or email BURKE4RUGBY@GMAIL.COM

IN THE WORDS OF WARTHOGS “I made some bad decisions off the field and the Warthog coaches stuck it out with me and showed me that they truly cared about me.” — Austin Ve’e, member of the U.S. Army. “The Oakland Warthogs program absolutely played a part in my academic successes. … Additionally, the Warthog players and coaches are a melting pot of different racial, cultural and religious groups allowing me to meet interesting people and feel more comfortable communicating with people of different backgrounds. Ultimately, the program helped mold the man I am today.” — Tom Bliss, Univ. of Wisconsin graduate pursuing masters degree in Data Science at Columbia University. “The Warthogs helped me and my teammates better our lives. We were taught that the team is more important than the individual, which helps me today as a U.S. Marine.” — Cpl. Jesus Vasquez, USMC aviation technician

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Colleen McCandless, right, charges ahead during the 2018 Stanford Invitational on Sept. 29. McCandless, whose sister Megan was also a dominant runner for the program from 2012-15, is one of four Granada seniors who have been running for the varsity Matadors since their freshman season. 22

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our commitment best be serious. Being part of the girls cross country varsity team at Granada High in Livermore is not for those seeking a leisurely run through the park. “I think our team is built around, ‘if you are not going to try, why are you here?’ type of mentality,” said Kalea Bartolotto, one of a core of six seniors who have set the standard for one of the state’s premier programs. “I think that is what makes us so good,” she added. “I am going to be here for the next two hours; I might as well get out of it all that I can. I am not going to slack off. The coaches have really implemented that into us. If you don’t give 110 percent, you are not giving enough.” With a constant flow of talent, commitment and success, the Granada girls have been prolific in collecting North Coast Section championships. The Matadors won NCS Division I team titles from 2010-2012 and have captured the last three in Div. II. A fourth straight section banner on Nov. 17 would be unprecedented for

A Nucleus Of Four-Year Seniors Look To Close Their Dominant Granada Cross Country Careers With A Golden Flourish Story by Mike Wood Photos by Livermore-Granada Boosters

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the program.

Isabella Romero joined in.

But a bigger goal beckons: the CIF state championships at Woodward Park in Fresno on Nov. 24.

“A lot of them had run together when they were in middle school,” said Noel Mattern, who coaches the

Last year the Granada girls finished third in Div. II,

Matadors with his brother, Jeremy. “And so they came

behind state champion Claremont and just two points

in, being friends but being competitive with one an-

behind Saugus. The Matadors were 12th in state in

other. And I think that has been one of their strongest

2016, and they were sixth in 2015, when this year’s

characteristics. They were always pushing each other.”

seniors were freshmen.

And they are now pushing younger runners. This

The seniors are eyeing the ultimate payoff. Four have been there from freshman year: Colleen Mc-

ize on the collective talent, younger and older.

Candless, Gracie Dupuis, Kinga Bihari and Bartolotto. Along the way, fellow seniors Savannah Maselli and

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November 2018

season is another passing of the torch, and to capital“I feel ‘pressure’ has a bad connotation to it, but I feel it is pressure in that we have come so far together

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and spent the last three years together,” Bartolotto said. “We have so much potential, with the group of girls we have right now, to do great things. Everyone is expecting and waiting and hoping that we are going to accomplish the goals we set our freshmen year.” Going back to that year (2015), the promise was evident as Bihari was eighth, Bartolotto finished 13th and McCandless was 14th in the NCS Div. II race. At that meet, Colleen’s sister Megan won her second straight NCS individual title, capping an exceptional career that saw her in the top four in every NCS race she ran. At state, the elder McCandless was fifth — her second consecutive top-10 CIF finish. All this as that group of freshmen were learning the high school ropes. “I remember freshman year we were probably really annoying,” Colleen McCandless recalled. “I was just so grateful for the wonderful guidance we had from the seniors that year ... my sister, and we had two other seniors who were very important. They were really helpful in leading the way and making sure we knew what was going on when they left.” The next season, those freshmen were sophomores, and suddenly cast in the role of leaders. “The next year was kind of rough, Colleen McCandless said. “We were sophomores who were trying to learn and to lead the team. Now I think we’ve gotten the hang of it.” Bihari added: “We definitely felt like we were thrust into this role of responsibility and leadership that I don’t think we were quite ready for as sophomores. But we have (a group) of us who have been here from the beginning. That little group, we all kind of took responsibility.” In the 2016 postseason, the promise began to blossom. At NCS, McCandless was second in Div. II, with Bartolotto fifth and Dupuis sixth as the Matadors edged Monte Vista by a point for the team title. At state that year, Granada was 12th in Div. II, with Bartolotto 31st. Last year, things really took hold. “Junior year was definitely the turning point,” said Dupuis. “ We started learning how to balance running and school. We started running for each other instead of individually.” At NCS in 2017, it was utter domination. McCandless won the the NCS individual Div. II by running a 17:31.8, and Dupuis, Bihari and Bartolotto went 3-4-5. Then came a strong third-place showing at state, with McCandless eighth, Bartolotto 18th and Dupuis 20th. Their senior year has seen successes and challenges. The first race at Lowell on Sept. 9 showed back-to-school rust. A better performance came at the Woodbridge Invitational. In the top-flight girls sweepstakes division, Granada took third, with Great Oak-Temecula, the dominant Division I team in the state this decade, taking first. Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, like us on Facebook!

Kalea Bartolotto

Savannah Maselli

“It was exciting because it was at night,” Dupuis said. “It was super crazy because there was over 300 schools there. And we had to wait all day to race. And it was under the lights. They announced us before we ran. There was a marching band at the finish.” Then it was the Stanford Invitational, where in the seeded race, Granada was third, behind Claremont and La Costa Canyon-Carlsbad. “The results for Stanford for the girls was not what we were hoping for,” Noel Mattern said. “We had several illnesses and withheld a couple of veteran runners that had injuries.” Crystal Springs was a bounce-back effort, as Granada took first in the top girls race, and McCandless and Maselli finished a strong 1-2. “After Crystal Springs, I feel like the trajectory is back on path despite still not racing two key veteran runners,” Mattern said. “I believe that everything will come together in the championship part of the season just like it is supposed to.” And once again, the veterans are motivating the future leaders for the inevitable transition. “We love our sophomores and freshmen,” McCandless said. “So we know they can step up to the challenge and really compete at the level that we did. And they Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, like us on Facebook!

are wonderful athletes and wonderful people.” And they are learning there are rewards for putting in the hard work. “It’s really fun, and it’s really hard. ... It’s so exhausting sometimes,” said sophomore Shae Hill. “But you have just got to keep going because you will get through that part where you feel really tired. And it’s really awesome this year because we are all having a really great time. There are so many great girls on our team, so it’s really kind of nerve-wracking going into a race because everyone wants to perform. But I think that is what pushes us to do well.” It’s about maintaining that work ethic at a high level. “I have learned to work hard every day,” said Amaiah McIntosh, also a sophomore. “And no matter how I am feeling, I know that I have a team around me and they are always there to support me. They just make me work harder every day.” No letup. It’s ingrained in the veteran runners. “It motivates me when I am in a race and I feel that something is hurting and I have that little voice in my head saying ‘I can’t do it, I have to slow down,’” Bihari said. “But I have my teammates. I run for them and I am not running for myself. If I don’t feel like I can do it, I know my teammates need me and I cannot let them down.” ✪

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St. Francis-Sacramento

Woodland’s Megan Trottier

Zoe Zimmerman, Ponderosa

That clamor ebbing from local gymnasiums isn’t the product of some preseason slam dunk contest gone awry. Postseason volleyball is for real in the Sac-Joaquin Section. Home fans, usually congregated in student cheering sections, defend their courts in mob form. A raucous cheering section can spark long rallies and, in some places (like Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove), the marching band builds that momentum to a crescendo. The best programs also travel well, crafting some electric environments at neutral sites during the postseason. So where is that noise coming from this year? We’ve built a list of five SJS teams with the best chances of winning a Northern California bracket in the 2018 California Interscholastic Federation State Girls Volleyball Championships beginning Nov. 6. Remember, vuvuzela’s aren’t allowed in high school gymnasiums, so take good care of nature’s pipes until rally time. — Ike Dodson

PONDEROSA-SHINGLE SPRINGS Record: 30-2 (through Oct. 30 semifinals) Top players: Senior hitter Julin Kenison, senior libero Sessa Renfrew, junior hitter Zoe Zimmerman, setter Kendell Kott Path to glory: Stay the course. Ponderosa can win the Sac-Joaquin Section Div. II bracket by continuing the style of play that produced a No. 1 seed in the SJS postseason. Ponderosa has marquee victories over elite Northern California programs of all divisions (Christian BrothersSacramento, Granite Bay, Rocklin, Chico, Whitney-Rocklin, River Valley-Yuba City) and can vault into NorCals with a high seed. Kenison is a legitimate star hitter, and Ponderosa can rally behind the experience of a senior-heavy lineup that graduated only two members of the 2017 SJS Div. II championship squad that was upset in NorCal round No. 2 last year by Branson-Ross.

WOODLAND CHRISTIAN Record: 26-7 Top players: Senior hitter Megan Trottier, senior setter Abby Leon, senior libero Amaya Pires, senior hitter Alissa Pascoe Path to glory: This team rides into NorCals on the shoulders of perhaps California’s best smallschool volleyballer. Trottier is No. 12 in the state with 484 kills (5.3 per set, 46.4 hitting average), but it’s her all-around game that makes her special — 236 service points, 91 aces, 17 blocks, 271 digs. She is a menace. Setter Abby Leon has also enjoyed a sensational season, and sits No. 3 in the state with 137 service aces. She’s also No. 31 in California with 817 assists. Woodland Christian was bumped to Div. V for the postseason, and should seriously challenge for a top NorCal seed.

VANDEN-FAIRFIELD Record: 24-3 Top players: Senior setter Lola Petty, senior hitter Bailey Palestini, junior hitter Taylor Whyte, junior middle blocker Emily Casner, sophomore libero Mariah Navat Path to glory: The Div. III SJS bracket has plenty of talent, but Vanden has a unique ability to rally. The Vikings brought a 70-13 ratio set wins into the SJS semifinals and had won 11 straight matches since slipping to Div. II semifinalist Whitney-Rocklin. Vanden earns recognition over Div. III top seed Central Catholic-Modesto because the Raiders lost four of their last eight matches. The two teams even have a common opponent, Lincoln-San Francisco. Central Catholic lost that match 2-1 and Vanden won it, 2-0. Petty, a team captain, is a do-it-all star for the Vikings.

ST. FRANCIS-SACRAMENTO Record: 32-4 Top players: Junior hitter Alexa Edwards, senior hitter Kathryn Kramer, senior defensive specialist Sam Chavez, junior setter Jesiree Moral Path to glory: A NorCal championship will be ultra difficult in Div. I (or the open division), but few programs carry championship pedigree like St. Francis, a perennial contender in the state playoffs and a 12-time section champion. St. Francis plays a monster schedule and has already beaten North Coast Section No. 3 seed Amador Valley-Pleasanton and dropped a tight 2-1 match against Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland, the NCS No. 2 seed. Edwards, a team captain, is one of the best hitters in the state. She has already amassed 458 kills at a sterling 48.3 hitting percentage.

STONE RIDGE CHRISTIAN-MERCED Record: 27-6 Top players: Sophomore hitter Maartje Vander Dussen, senior hitter Sadi Tucker, sophomore hitter Sasha Stillman, senior libero Laura Hooker Path to glory: The first ever Div. VI NorCal bracket will likely debut with Stone Ridge Christian holding down a favorable seed. The Knights play tough and build momentum onto the efforts of lanky do-it-all star Vander Dussen. Stone Ridge has a strong chance to establish a prestige in this division for years to come, considering the youth of this team. ✪ Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

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seatedSENSA Upp A National Standout In Sitting Volleyball

When people watch sitting volleyball for the first time, some assume it is easier than the standing version. Zach Upp is here to inform them that it is not — at least not for him. Upp, who was born without part of his right arm, has been playing both sitting and standing volleyball since he was 13. He joined the U.S. Men’s Sitting National Team in 2017, helping it qualify for the 2018 Sitting World Championships with a second-place finish at the Para Pan American Games. He plays both sitting and standing volleyball with an impressive black prosthetic arm. In the standing game, he can move to his spot on the court and then use the arm to block or pass. But in the sitting game, he uses both his arms to push himself into position, then quickly lift them to block or pass, which can be a clumsy process. “Blocking is such a big part of the game and I’m at a huge disadvantage,” he said. “But I am working on it.” It has been a year of transition for Upp, who graduated from high school in May and then moved from his home near Chicago to Edmond, Oklahoma, to become a resident athlete at the University of Central Oklahoma. He is not enrolled in classes this year, so his time is primarily spent training and getting stronger. “It is definitely different practicing every day,” he said. “The toll on my body is a lot different. To wake up every morning to go to practice is different. “I also have to get stronger mentally. Playing all the time after the three weeks of being overseas for Worlds, it definitely took its toll.” The U.S. Men’s Sitting Team finished eighth at the 2018 World Championships. It was the team’s best finish to date, but not

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ATION as good as it had hoped. “We are still an improving team,” Upp said. “We still need to improve together as a team. Not necessarily each individual.” It has also been a year of personal transition for Upp, the last of three brothers to move away from home. “I moved out and a couple months later my parents put our old house on the market,” Upp said. “They are moving into an R.V. and they are going to travel around the U.S. They are definitely happy about that.” Living by himself has been an adjustment for Upp, but he does not regret his decision to join the Sitting National Team full-time. “I’ve settled in,” he said. “It was just odd, not having anyone to have dinner with. But living on my own, I have definitely matured. I’m not such a little kid anymore.” ✪ — Copy and photos provided by USA Volleyball, NCVA

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Jimmy Williams, front, and Raymond Brown

Aaron Espero

s November arrives, high school football looks to the postseason and gridiron news also centers on student-athletes making commitments to colleges. The Inderkum Tigers have long been in the middle of both the playoff discussion and commitment announcements. Coach Terry Stark’s teams have won more than 85 percent of their games and won at least 10 games in 12 consecutive seasons while sending numerous players to Division I programs. Recent players like Trajon Cotton, Josh Falo and Isaah Crocker had the measurables to attract Pac12 scouts while the Tigers rolled through Tri-County League play to the tune of 62 wins in 64 league games from 2006-2017. The 2018 season brought a new league as part of Sac-Joaquin Section realignment, and no big names on the roster to bring the recruiters to the Natomas neighborhood campus. But, that has not stopped Inderkum from measuring up to the standards and expectations the program has established. The Tigers reached the 10-win mark for the 13th consecutive season with a 10-0 regular season, including a 6-0 record in the Capital Valley Conference for the program’s 11th league title over the 13-year span. And they did so with quantity over quality in 2018. That’s not to say that the Tigers lack talent, or the program’s trademark speed. It’s that they are doing it

with a volume of talent rather than several standouts supported by a strong supporting cast. The 2018 Tigers can all assume lead or supporting roles depending on the night and opponent, with a different star emerging in any given game. “I’m excited with the way that we are running the ball. We have a hard running team and a quarterback that is coming around,” Stark said at the midway point when his Tigers trounced Woodcreek-Roseville in a showdown of CVC unbeatens. “It’s coming together.” That midseason assessment appears to be an understatement now that Inderkum has run the table in the regular season and set the Division II playoffs to run through Natomas. The Tigers beat opponents by an average score of 51-7 as their depth and speed on both sides of the ball proved more than any team could handle. “We just know that we have to come and fight because no one is going to lay down for us,” senior running back Raymond Brown said. “We go week by week and don’t overlook any teams. We break down film every week so that we are prepared for the next game.” Brown is the statistical leader of a running-back-bycommittee that has worn down opposing defenses and would drive fantasy football fanatics crazy at the NFL level. Brown eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in the Tigers’ eighth game and led the team with 14 rushing

touchdowns through nine games. But he is just one of four running backs who have recorded at least one 100-yard rushing game as part of a Wing-T ground attack that raced to 3,526 yards rushing and 10.3 yards per carry in the team’s first nine games. Brown’s “supporting cast” includes seniors Johnny Williams (591 yards, 13 rushing TDs, two 100-yard games) and Savien Pressley (356 yards, seven rushing TDs), and junior Aaron Espero (807 yards, seven rushing touchdowns, and two receiving TDs). Waiting in the wings to make his mark is freshman Dino Watson, who has averaged 15.9 yards per carry in limited action while scoring four times on the ground. In all, the Tigers’ rushing attack has recorded 11 100-yard games with four separate ball carriers reaching the mark. Brown has led the speed merchants with six triple-digit efforts, including a 223-yard explosion in a win over Lincoln. “There is no one player to key on,” Stark said. “It’s really four backs in our backfield, in our starting group.” Add to the mix junior quarterback JJ Ray, whose game has improved throughout the season, and the offense is as lethal as ever. Ray threw for 871 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions through nine games, but has improved his completion percentage and TD-to-INT ratio in the second half of the regular season. Inderkum’s defense has mirrored the offense in its

Story by Jim McCue Photos by James K. Leash 32

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From left, Josiah Tyes, Jojo Mills & Joseph Sapp

all-for-one approach where a new star can emerge any given week. And the lack of a need for measurables is epitomized by junior linebacker Josiah Tyes, who leads the Tigers in tackles despite standing just 5 feet and 7 inches tall. While he has not likely made it onto the radar of big college programs, he has racked up 10 or more tackles in four of the team’s first nine games. What he lacks for in size, Tyes more than makes up for in speed and determination. Fellow linebacker Shamar Brown is just 5-foot-10, but is second on the team in tackles and has recorded six sacks in nine games. Senior defensive ends Devon Williams and Brandon Knott are the closest Tigers to a collegiate defensive prototype standing at 6-foot and 6-foot-2, respectively. They combined for 71 tackles and 11.5 sacks through the Tigers first nine games.. Despite a considerable height disadvantage against Woodcreek, Inderkum’s defense depended on its speed to neutralize the Timberwolves. Woodcreek’s explosive offense was shut down to the tune of zero points and two first downs in the first half (both of which came by way of penalty). “I think that our defense is probably the best in our league,” Williams said at the time. The continued improvement on both sides of the ball throughout the season has resulted in Inderkum impressing with the most important measurable for a team — victories. While some thought the Tigers would be challenged and might stumble in a “stronger” league, they have just continued with business as usual in the CVC. “I think that a lot of people didn’t realize how good the league was that we came from because we won it so many times,” Stark said. “Nobody thought it was a very good league, but they are finding out that it was a hell of a league.” And the Tigers are one heck of a team that keeps moving forward and winning games. With the playoffs ready to begin, though, the biggest measurable Stark and his teams have yet to attain stares this year’s team right in the eyes. Despite the long-term success and wins coming at a steady pace, a Sac-Joaquin Section championship has eluded the program. Thus, will quantity beget quality? Will this Inderkum collective find a way to net the program’s most important win to date? The Tigers are ready to find out. ✪ Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, like us on Facebook!

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Don’t Let

STRESS Win Out get mental: Erika westhoff

t’s no secret that life for our young athletes is stressful. Keeping up with academics, athletics, social media, striving to make the top team, and trying to earn a scholarship. Stress has a huge impact on athletes. It impacts everything from their enjoyment and performance, to their ability to recover, and even in extreme circumstances, impacts their ability to breathe. The stress-prone personality (aka: perfectionists, “Type A”) is a tricky one. These young athletes have so many great qualities such as strong work ethic, self-driven, organized, detailed and they care a lot about playing great and winning. However, there’s another side to these hard working athletes; they worry. They overthink. They are extremely hard on themselves. Frustration and negative self-talk can dominate their performance and take them out of the game very quickly. Let’s take a closer look at how stress impacts athletes. ›› Increased muscle tension — Athlete gets tight and this prevents athlete from feeling what they are doing. Example: Ball-handling skills fall apart, touch on the ball gets hard or less controllable. ›› Overthinking — Athlete begins to think about mistakes and consequences (getting pulled out of the game, not making the team). ›› Emotions get triggered — Overthinking leads to triggering emotions; emotions such as frustration, disappointment and nervousness. Example: Player makes a pass that doesn’t connect, so they begin to think, ‘I HAVE to make the next pass or I’ll get pulled out of the game.’ Athlete feels frustrated and nervous about avoiding another mistake. ›› Focus goes internal — Once the athlete’s focus shifts to thinking and emotions, she loses her ability to read the field/court/course effectively, which slows reactions and causes hesitation. How to manage stress while you play: ›› Spend some time before you start playing releasing tension in your body. Use apps such as Headspace or Calm to relax your body, which also helps you to relax your mind. Lowering your baseline of stress beforehand, allows you to tolerate more stress while you play. ›› When you start to overthink, you first have to become aware that you’re thinking too much. This can be harder than it seems. Once you’re aware, think, “Stop!” Then replace your thought with a concise instruction. Building on our example from before, “I HAVE to make the next pass or I’ll get pulled.” Replace this with, “Look, touch, power.” Focus on HOW you want to make your pass, then follow the instructions. ›› To manage emotions, simply manage your overthinking. Thoughts are the gateway to emotions. To some, it can feel that emotions come first, but raising your awareness of your thinking, will help you to see the connection between thoughts and emotions. ›› When focus gets stuck internally (on thoughts and emotions), you must shift your focus back to the field. Track your opponent, follow the ball, move your feet, literally get back in the game and out of your head. There are a variety of stress management strategies that athletes can use both before and during competition to manage stress and maximize performance. ✪ Erika Westhoff is a CEO and certified mental trainer at EW Performance in Pleasanton. 34

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When Healthy Eating Becomes Unhealthy nutrition: jill daniels

thletes have multiple ways to help improve their performance, including eating a healthy diet. There is much evidence that shows how an appropriate diet can increase energy levels, improve endurance, contribute to muscle mass gains, and much more. It takes time and effort, planning and commitment to fuel the body in effective ways. Sometimes this effort and commitment can turn extreme and can lead to orthorexia, which is an unhealthy fixation on eating only healthy or “pure” foods. There is nothing wrong with being enthusiastic about eating healthy. However, some people have taken this too far and it becomes unhealthy physically, mentally and emotionally. Most people are familiar with eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia. Orthorexia is lesser known and can be more deceptive. People often start off by pursuing a healthier diet, but it can become an obsession and lead to extreme limitations in food choices, often leading to malnutrition. Orthorexia has not been officially listed as an eating disorder diagnosis, but it can still be debilitating. Based on the expertise of Jessica Setnick, MS, RD, CSSD, here are some differences between healthy eating and an unhealthy pursuit of healthy eating: Healthy eating (positive nutrition) ›› Promotes health and successful physical functioning ›› Health-seeking through including nutritious foods ›› Motivated by a desire to live a healthy life ›› Promotes a feeling of accomplishment — yet allows for flexibility ›› Allows for enjoyment of food as one of many aspects of a balanced life ›› Promotes social interaction and relationships Unhealthy pursuit of healthy eating (pathological nutrition) ›› Seeks health but deteriorates it and impairs functioning ›› Health-seeking through excluding unacceptable foods ›› Motivated by a need to manage anxiety ›› Success depends on adherence to food rules — mistakes are unacceptable ›› Views food as source of fear and danger that must be controlled ›› Causes isolation and interferes with relationships What if you or someone else is showing some of these symptoms? Gather a team of specialists including a physician, therapist, and dietitian to assist with: ›› Identifying and resolving/eliminating underlying attitudes and behaviors that contribute to orthorexia ›› Dispelling nutrition misinformation about what a healthy diet is ›› Improving relationship to food ›› Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight (if underweight) A healthy diet will enhance your mood, energize you and bring a sense of enjoyment. If this isn’t your relationship with food, it may be time to get help. ✪ 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!

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Trust The Process training time: tim rudd

talk with parents and coaches all the time who look to take shortcuts and rush the development of athletes. The most common belief is that if you just practice your sports skills (dribbling, shooting, setting, hitting, fielding, etc.) enough, you’ll be a great athlete. Unfortunately, that’s just not how great athletes are developed. Take a look at who dominates most youth sports — it’s usually the fastest, strongest kids. Because they’re faster and stronger, they are almost always more coordinated, which makes learning sports skills much, much easier. Sometimes, kids with amazing skills rise up at an early age, only to be overtaken by the bigger, faster kids down the road. Rarely do you see a slow, weak athlete rise to the top of any sport. I’m not even talking about being the best in the world. Just take a look at high school sports. Faster, more explosive kids are almost always dominating kids who have good skills but just can’t use them — because they’re too slow. Talk to just about any coach, and they’ll tell you that faster, more explosive athletes dominate sports and have a much higher athletic ceiling. There is plenty of research supporting this concept, and just about every national governing body (i.e. U.S.A. Hockey, U.S. Lacrosse, etc.) is trying to implement long-term athlete development systems that don’t focus exclusively on sports skills. They know that the better all-around athletes end up enjoying sports more and eventually outperform those who focus exclusively on skills. But our microwave mentality often gets in the way of this process. So, what are you supposed to do about it? The answer depends on where the athlete is in his/her development and which of the International Youth Conditioning Association’s age-specific model they might fall into: Under-8 years old, 8-to-11 years old, 11-to-14 years old and 15-years and up. But of course, it’s not as simple as how old they are, we also must consider the athlete’s developmental age as well, which includes, physical and mental capacities that can either be more or less developed with each age range. We can figure this out with our initial assessment. In my next column I will give you some guidelines and practical tips that you can apply within each age ranges to give you a framework to work from. ✪ Tim Rudd is an IYCA specialist in youth conditioning and owner of Fit2TheCore.

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touched by

tragedy Dublin Volleyball’s Brooke Lohuis Transferred Into The East Bay School A Year Ago This Month — What Happened At Her Previous School Three Months Later Changed Her, And Maybe The Future Of Gun Control Laws 38

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Brooke Lohuis was in class last February when she got a message that changed everything.

Story By Tony Hicks | Photos By Chace Bryson 40

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November 2018

“I was in a group chat with my family, when my sister texted that there were shots fired at my old school,” says the 17-year-old Dublin High School senior volleyball player. The moment still reverberates for Lohuis. The former student at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, who moved to the Bay Area just a few months before, was immediately on the phone to anyone she could find at her former school. It wasn’t easy, as most students were busy trying to stay alive during one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history. Former Stoneman Douglas student Nikolas Cruz, now 20 and in jail awaiting trial, killed 17 people and wounded another 17 during what media outlets have dubbed the “Valentine’s Day Massacre.” The tragedy surpassed the Columbine shootings in 1999 as the deadliest high school shooting in American history. Just five days before, Lohuis sat in one of the classrooms Cruz tore apart with a semiautomatic assault rifle. “I was visiting over the weekend and was at the school the Friday before,” says Lohuis, sitting at a table after school in the Dublin High quad. “My sister said the news reported shots fired at Stoneman Douglas. Normally, you see those things and you think ‘Oh, nothing happened.’ But even just that freaked me out, because I didn’t know what was going on.” Lohuis started the 2017-2018 school year in Florida. The family moved to Dublin in November after her dad, Dirk, was transferred to the Bay Area for his job running corporate events. Memories of her friends were fresh, as she’d just finished her first visit back since the move. “The shootings happened on a Wednesday,” Lohuis says. “I spent half the previous Friday in Ms. Reoven’s room.” Psychology teacher Ronit Reoven watched Cruz shoot one of her students to death and wound three others. She told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel “I’m playing the what-ifs, and it’s killing me, because there was nothing we could do. We were sitting ducks. We were vulnerable.” Lohuis, who knew many of the victims for nearly a decade (she was born in Southern California and moved to Florida in 2008), finally reached one of her friends on the phone. The girl was taking cover from bullets. “I kept calling and I finally got through,” Lohuis says. “She had to whisper. She was in the building next to one (where there was shooting). “I felt guilty, even though I wasn’t there. What if I was still in that classroom?” The 17-year-old — who lived through flooding and part of her family’s roof being torn off during Hurricane Irma the previous year — knew many of the victims. Among them was the athletic director, Chris Hixon, a Persian Gulf War veteran who, according to the Miami Herald, tried disarming Cruz. Another friend, Luke Hoyer, was the son of Lohuis’ mom’s best friend. “I got in Brooke’s car and on her dash was, and still is, a memorial card for Luke,” says Kate Lohuis. “I texted a picture of her dash to Luke’s mom, Gena. I wanted her to know that Luke really is with us every day.” The Lohuis family also mourned security guard and assistant football coach Aaron Feis, with whom Lohuis and her older sister were friendly. Feis, who drove the volleyball team’s bus to away games, died trying to keep students safe. “He went to close the door of the building, to try to protect people,” says Lohuis, who went back to the school near the beginning of this school year for homecoming. “Another good friend got shot in the leg.” Lohuis spent the rest of that awful Valentine’s Day in the school’s counseling office, trying to figure out which friends were alive, while crying on the shoulder of a new friend

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TOP: Lohuis smiles during a mid-October afternoon on the Dublin High campus. BOTTOM: Lohuis with friend and teammate Colette Florentin a few hours before the volleyball team’s Senior Night.

who left class to console her. “What I went through was hard, and I wasn’t there,” she says, holding a maroon “#MSDstrong” T-shirt. “I can’t imagine …” Kate was part of an eight-person group text, six of whom were MSD parents. Once she made contact, she noticed someone was missing. “We had one friend who was not checking in,” she says, “and I knew that (her son) was gone. I got a text about 11 p.m. California time from a friend. He was one of the first (victims).” “You definitely have some survivor’s guilt,” says Kate. “We were, what, two months out from living there? Your first thought is ‘I’m glad we weren’t there.’” Brooke is adjusting. She works with special needs students at Dublin High and says she really likes the Bay Area. “Last year was hard,” Lohuis says. “After (the shootings) I really wanted to move back. But this community has been so accepting.” Sitting with her is teammate Colette Florentin, 17, a fellow transfer student with whom Lohuis quickly bonded. “She’s been a great friend to me, and has made such a difference,” Florentin says. “She’s really passionate about being involved. She’s always trying to make things better for everyone.” In the months after the shootings, Lohuis watched her former schoolmates become famous advocating for gun laws while appearing on the cover of newspapers, magazines

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November 2018

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Stoneman Douglas student activists Jackie Corin, left and Emma Gonzalez. Taimy Alvarez/ TNS via ZUMA Wire

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November 2018

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and profiled on shows like “60 Minutes.” She’s friends with Jackie Corin, whom Vanity Fair described as the catalyst behind the school’s March for Our Lives movement. The students have spent much of the time since the shootings on a multi-state bus tour, and confronting politicians over the need for stricter gun control laws. She was one of four students appearing on the cover of TIME magazine. “I went to her Sweet 16 party, and went out with her all the time,” says Lohuis, who spent two weeks back in Parkland last summer. “I was in (student) leadership with her.” Being that she’s only part of the way through her first — and last — full year at Dublin High, life would’ve already been different for Lohuis had the shooting never happened. Now, her whole future may have changed. “One hundred percent. It just makes me think more when politicians say things, whether they’re going to carry it out. The ‘thoughts and prayers’ cliché,” she says, shaking her head. “It’s crazy.” Lohuis won’t be old enough to vote until March. She was initially interested in business or marketing as a college major (she also wants to go somewhere she can continue her volleyball career). Now she wants to major in political science and doesn’t rule out running for office someday. “As ‘March for Our Lives’ is showing, you don’t even have to graduate to make a difference,” says Lohuis. “You never realize how bad it is until it affects you.” Volleyball coach Ami Schelin says Lohuis has been “fighting through a knee injury all season. It’s been hard on her, but she has been hanging in there, giving the team everything she can.” Schelin can see her player taking the political path. “She seems to weigh all sides of a conversation when you’re talking to her,” she says. “You can see her mind working.” That likely won’t change anytime soon. “I just want to make a change with people who can’t get their voices heard, whether it’s working on campus or a campaign, or actually being a candidate,” says Lohuis. “I just want to do something.” ✪ Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, like us on Facebook!

Behind the Clipboard by Clay Kallam

Rankings Are Only Numbers; Just Go Win Who is MaxPreps? Our coaches said our MaxPreps’ rating has a lot to do with our postseason seeding, but we lost two games when our quarterback was hurt. Is that part of the rating? If not, the rating can’t mean much, because obviously we’re a lot better when we have our quarterback. It’s stupid that some number determines what happens to us in postseason, not how good we really are. —J.W., Oakland

here’s a lot wrapped up in this question, but let’s start with the underlying philosophy (I was a philosophy major, after all): Teams are primarily rated not on how good they are today, but how good they were over the course of the season. At first glance, as you point out, this doesn’t seem fair. A team that has its quarterback healthy after missing two or three games is likely better than its results show. But if you shift the perspective to the committee responsible for the postseason seeding, it becomes more complicated. OK, the QB for Team A missed two games with an injury; but the star running back for Team B broke up with his girlfriend just before its biggest game. What about the defensive linemen for Team C who was suspended for two games? How does that factor in? Of course, if a committee is doing the seeding, there’s no way they can know all these things. On top of that, let’s say Team A lost to Team B but Team A was missing its quarterback. Does that mean the result of the game doesn’t really count? Should Team A get credit for winning even though they lost? If you were Team B, how would you feel? There are good reasons to go on the body of work of a team as opposed to a very personal judgment by a committee member about how good that team is. People should

have reasons for making these kinds of decisions, and saying “Well, I think they’re better than their 6-4 record shows and that 9-1 team was really lucky” isn’t necessarily convincing. On the other hand, saying “The idea is to win games and the team that won nine games is probably better than the team that won six — especially since the MaxPreps’ formula says the nine-win team is better,” tends to hold more weight. Yes, it’s a formula. MaxPreps (which is owned by CBS) crunches a lot of numbers to come up with rankings. Though no one outside MaxPreps knows the exact formula, it takes into account who teams beat and lost to, the quality of their opponents, home and away records, and even margin of victory. Since all schools in California put their results in MaxPreps, the formula is pretty accurate. It’s even more accurate in volleyball and basketball, where there are more games, and luck tends to even out. But of course the system doesn’t always work. Sometimes that team with the nowhealthy QB upsets a higher seed on the road; sometimes the team with the high MaxPreps ranking plays horribly and gets eliminated in the first round. The thing is, that no system is perfect. The goal is to find a system that works better than most of the alternatives. Over the years, a system that relies on body of work and a computer rating has been more accurate than a system that relies on how a committee feels. “More accurate,” however, is a long way from “always accurate,” so there will always be controversy. There’s one way to fix that, though: Go out and win the game. ✪

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