ISSUE 195, May 2021 by Sport Stars Magazine

MAY 2021 NORCAL EDITION VOL. 12 ISSUE 195

05.30.14 Then freshman Briana Perez slides safely into second base during the 2014 North Coast Section Div. II championship. Perez went on to enjoy a stellar All-State caliber career for Alhambra-Martinez and currently stars as a redshirt junior for UCLA — the No. 2 team in country as of May 6. Her 10 home runs rank ninth in the Pac-12, and her 33 RBI rank 12th. Photo by Phillip Walton

SportStars™

May 2021

Always More To Read at SportStarsMag.com

Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

May 2021

SportStars™

Hand It To Harris

SportStars Official Media Partners

SportStars

Premier Partners

n our 11 years at this, SportStars has been able to cover some incredible individual athletes who have gone on to incredible heights post-high school. Our proud moments started as early as the 2012 Summer Olympics when our issue #10 cover athlete Maggie Steffens (Monte Vista-Danville ’11) earned tournament MVP honors en route to leading USA Women’s Water Polo to gold. Several more of those types of moments have followed over the years. ›› Jared Goff (Marin Catholic-Kentfield ’12) being taken No. 1 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft ›› Sabrina Ionescu (Miramonte-Orinda ’16) breaking numerous NCAA records before going No. 1 overall in the 2020 WNBA Draft ›› The Elk Grove High baseball program having six (6!!) different players make Major League debuts over the past three seasons. There have been so many others too, from Shaq Thompson (Grant-Sacramento ’12) to Joe Mixon (FreedomOakley ’14) to Aaron Gordon and Haley Jones (Archbishop Mitty ’13 and ’18, respectively). Each journey has been enjoyable for us to watch unfold, but seeing Najee Harris (Antioch ’17) taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers as the top running back in the 2021 NFL hit a little different for me. (Quick aside: Does anyone else find it funny that Harris gets to return to his high school colors of black and gold, but now also plays for a city with the same name as Antioch’s most bitter rival?) Anyway, here’s why I think I was affected a little more this time. Out of all the names I listed above, Harris was probably the one I saw play the most. He was one of the most dominant performers I’ve seen on a football field, and he’s also the athlete featured on what remains my all-time favorite SportStars cover. And finally, he also had a great story — one that was fun as a writer to try to bring to life. We’re still telling that story, actually. If you haven’t yet, check out our Najee Harris draft coverage at SportStarsMag.com. We’ve got a story on his selection and how he fits into a rich Antioch High NFL history, as well as a podcast featuring stories and memories from those who knew Najee well during his time with the Panthers. When I see another one of these success stories unfold, it gets me wondering who the next SportStar to shine will be. While we wait to find out, I’ll be over here plotting how to get Najee on all of my fantasy football rosters this fall. ✪

YOUR TICKET TO CALIFORNIA SPORTS ADMIT ONE; RAIN OR SHINE This Vol. #12, May 2021, Whole No. 195 is published by GoSportzStars Media 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, doublespaced on disk or email and will be handled with reasonable care. For materials return, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope. SportStars™© and STARS!™© Clinics are registered trademarks of Caliente! Communications, LLC.

Read Me. Recycle Me. 6

SportStars™

May 2021

Always More To Read at SportStarsMag.com

emmanuel

callas CAMPOLINDO-MORAGA - BASKETBALL SENIOR With star junior Aidan Mahaney sidelined for more than half of the team’s first nine games, Callas has more than shouldered the load. The 6-foot-5 senior leads Campolindo in points (17.0 per game), rebounds (7.0) and steals (2.6). He also ranks second on the team with two assists per game. Meanwhile, the Cougars are widely considered NorCal’s No. 1-ranked team through the first month of the spring season. Callas scored 20 points on May 8 as Campolindo defeated the preseason NorCal No. 1, Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland, 56-47. The Cougars improved to 9-0 with the win.

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

Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

May 2021

SportStars™

May 2021

Always More To Read at SportStarsMag.com

Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

May 2021

SportStars™ 11

orthgate High girls basketball coach Jim Croy got chills recalling the moment. It was mid-April. The Broncos were in just their third full practice preparing for the quickly-cobbled-together spring season in the wake of the COVID-19 shutdowns. Croy’s varsity team was scrimmaging against the junior varsity when a loose ball began bounding toward the sideline. “I think 99 percent of the population would’ve let the ball just roll out of bounds,” the four-year Broncos coach said. Tegan Gaines is part of the other one percent. With a large brace protecting her surgically repaired left knee, and having just been cleared for full basketball activity a few months earlier, the 5-foot-10 junior dove head first toward the ball and crashed into the coaches sitting courtside. “She wanted to test herself,” Croy said. “‘Can I still do it?’ … Then she got right up and said, ‘I’m good.’” As it turns out, Gaines can still do it. And after 17 months without the sport she fell in love with as a first grader, she wants to do it as often as possible. On November 23, 2019, Northgate was hosting De Anza for its season-opener. Gaines was beginning her sophomore year excited to build on a freshman season in which she earned 2nd Team All-Diablo Athletic League honors. But that plan got halted less than four minutes into the opening quarter. “I was going up for a layup on the right side of the basket and the defender hit the inside of my left knee,” Gaines said. Torn ACL. Partially torn meniscus. Season over. “We all felt her pain,” Croy said. “She was here two days after her surgery. She refused to not come to practice. She wanted to be here. It’s in her blood. She knew what she wanted, and that was to be back out on the court. She worked her butt off through physical therapy.” Gaines’ twin brother Reece, a soccer player at Northgate, marveled at her dedication toward the rehab process. “As soon as the surgery was over she wanted to do as much physical therapy as

SportStars™

May 2021

Always More To Read at SportStarsMag.com

possible,” he said. Tegan Gaines attended every practice and game of Northgate’s 2019-20 season that ended with a first-round playoff loss to Newark Memorial on Feb. 18. One full year later, and the pandemic looked as though it might keep every Northgate athlete sidelined through the end of the school year — especially those who played indoor sports. Tegan had all but convinced herself that her junior year would be wiped out as well. “I had completely accepted that we weren’t having a season,” she said. “I was already like, ‘I’m over it.’ Then once we figured out we were going to be able to play, I was really excited. It felt like finding something we weren’t supposed to have.” If you thought Gaines wasn’t going to be prepared for her surprise season, then you haven’t been paying attention. Even before she was medically cleared for all basketball activity, Gaines was training individually at Elevate Basketball and Performance Training in Concord — sometimes twice a day. Beginning in the fall, she and her teammates held practice twice a week on the school’s outdoor courts. Which probably wasn’t the most sound decision for her, considering she was rehabbing a knee injury. Croy wasn’t surprised by any of it. He’s coached Tegan since she first dribbled a basketball. Croy’s daughter Jayley is the same age as Gaines and they began playing together as first graders in the Walnut Creek Youth Association. Jim Croy coached those teams up through fourth grade when they jumped to CYO competition for St. John Vianney and eventually to AAU for Elevate Basketball. “I knew early on that Tegan had the potential to be pretty special,” Jim Croy said. “Growing up in a household with two brothers she established herself as a tough individual at a very early age. “She also just showed a real early love for the game. Something beyond what some of the other girls wanted. She had the ability and desire to want to get better in all facets of the game.” So after waiting an astounding 509 days between putting on a Northgate Broncos uniform and taking the floor, Gaines was ready to showcase that Follow Us On Twitter & Instagram, Like Us On Facebook!

LEFT: Tegan Gaines stands at the top of the key during a May 7 practice at Northgate. ABOVE: Livvy Hiatt, the Broncos’ lone senior in 2021, is among several Northgate players who can be effective both in the paint and on the wing.

Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

May 2021

SportStars™ 13

Jim Croy is in his fourth season leading the Broncos program, though he’s coached a handful of the players for close to 10 years.

all-around game against visiting Concord on April 17. With that head-first dive in practice out of the way, she knew she didn’t have to hold back. Gaines terrorized Concord at both ends of the floor. Starring in Northgate’s defensive press, she accumulated 11 steals before halftime. With the Broncos leading comfortably midway through the second half, Croy subbed Gaines out of the game. “I just happened to go check with our scorekeeper and stats person because I was curious if she had a triple double,” the coach said. “They said, ‘Well she has a triple double. She’s actually two rebounds away from a quadruple double.’” Word of that got to Gaines on the bench. “I begged him to put me back in,” Gaines said with a laugh. “But I thought it was just for a triple double, not a quadruple.” Maybe Croy doesn’t give in during a more normal season setting, but considering all the Gaines had been through, it was a no-brainer. “We got her back in, she got her two rebounds, and we exited her immediately.” Tegan’s final stat line that night: 20 points, 11 steals, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. “It was great to see her just go at it,” Northgate’s lone senior, Livvy Hiatt, said of Tegan’s performance. “We definitely realized what we were missing when she was out.” Reece Gaines certainly knows his sister’s work ethic and competitivedrive, but even he was caught off guard. “I thought for her first game she was going to have like 10 points and five 14

SportStars™

May 2021

Always More To Read at SportStarsMag.com

rebounds,” he said. “But no, she goes out and there and posts a quadruple double.” Tegan hasn’t slowed down since. Through Northgate’s first eight games she’s averaging a double-double of 19.3 points and 10.6 rebounds, both of which lead the team. She also leads the Broncos in assists (2.9 per game), steals (3.8) and blocks (1.0). Meanwhile, the Broncos started the season 7-1 and have shown themselves to be much more than just a one-player show. Jayley Croy averaged 11.3 points and 7.5 rebounds over those first eight games. Junior Kristin Saunders and sophomore Tade Scheid were both averaging over six points per game. “You can just tell they like each other,” Jim Croy said of the team. “They want the others to succeed around them. There’s not a selfish bone in anybody’s body. … It’s the things outside the X’s and O’s — can you find a reason to fight for your sister? Are you willing to make the extra pass, dive on the floor, take a charge? This group likes each other. They’re willing to do that, and whether they’re on the floor or on the bench, they’re all-in on what we’re doing.” With the season coming together so quickly and no playoffs, Croy and his girls took a practical approach to this spring. “A league title would be phenomenal, but our league is really tough,” Croy said. “There’s some awesome coaches and some great teams with a lot of tradition and history. We really wanted to come in and just make our mark. Let it be known that we’re a legitimate program and that we’re going to continue to get better. Just be competitive every night… “Basically, we just said, ‘Let’s go make some noise.’” For Tegan and her teammates, it’s noise that’s never been so much fun to make. “I’m over the moon,” Hiatt said. “I come home every day and write in my journal ‘I love basketball so much!’ … It’s seriously the best thing that could’ve happened this year.” Can they keep it up? Time will tell. As long as Gaines can suit up, she’ll make sure the effort is there. “I think it boils down to just believing in ourselves.” If you’re in the diving range of Tegan Gaines, take cover. ✪

Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

May 2021

SportStars™ 15

“Instead of sitting back and making excuses on what is going wrong and what we can’t do, we made a specific effort to figure out what we CAN do.” Ben Sanguinetti

SportStars™

May 2021

Always More To Read at SportStarsMag.com

IF YOU BUILD IT... San Jose-Based South Bay Sports Training Gets Help From Its Landlord To Build Temporary Outdoor Diamond That Helped Get Its Baseball, Softball Athletes Through The Shutdowns

or more than 14 years, the South Bay Sports Training center in San Jose has been a vibrant hub for baseball and softball players of all skill levels attempting to improve their games. That was not in the case in 2020. As an indoor facility located in one of the Bay Area’s strictest counties, the COVID-forced shutdowns during both the spring and late fall were especially difficult for SBST. By November, the management team that included co-owners Tony Sanguinetti and Adam Varteressian along with general manager Ben Sanguinetti knew something had to be done to help their kids. “Our junior high levels had been on a field just once between February and November,” Ben Sanguinetti said. “They had no field work and were just getting more and more behind. I don’t know how many people understand how difficult it is for anyone playing sports — especially kids — to not be able to play or work out.” So a brainstorming session commenced. “Instead of sitting back and making excuses on what is going wrong and what we can’t do, we made a specific effort to figure out what we CAN do,” Ben Sanguinetti said.

Whatever that solution was, it needed to be outdoors. Public fields were still not an option due to various city and county guidelines. But what if they could find their own outdoor space? What if that space was right behind their current building? As a matter of fact... An empty lot behind their building happened to be owned by the same company that owned the same building that houses South Bay Sports Training. The SBST management attacked the idea like a fastball right down the middle. First Community Housing intends to erect apartments there before the end of 2021, but it gave a thumbs up to South Bay Sports to build a temporary field for use through September. The entire SBST community mobilized to build its own Field of Dreams. “It started with just our core group,” Ben Sanguinetti said. “ We called in some favors from some people we knew who were landscapers, but the biggest factor was that our players and their families all helped out. … That was the biggest thing that really helped us execute it quicker.” The field which is close to the size of a high school diamond, took the group about 60 days to complete. The group began the process in late November and had kids

practicing on it by January. The field isn’t quite big enough to host live games, but South Bay Sports’ teams and players can use it for just about anything else. As California’s coronavirus outlook continues to improve, Santa Clara County has moved into the Orange Tier. That’s allowed more use of the South Bay Sports Training indoor center, but Sanguinetti said they are keeping capacity at minimal levels to use extreme caution. Having the temporary outdoor space will help them in that endeavor. “We knew the field would be temporary, but so would COVID,” the general manager said. SBST built the field mostly at its own cost, but aslo turned to its community for help. A GoFundMe page dedicated to helping finance the field has achieved nearly all of its initial $25,000 goal. However, the group is still attempting to raise money as costs have exceeded original projections. Those interested can still help, by clicking the link. “I’m not sure it’s said enough that one of the saddest things during this pandemic is the damage it’s done to our youth,” Ben Sanguinetti said. “It felt good to see so many people come together to help find a solution for some of those kids.” ✪

Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

May 2021

SportStars™ 17

Named After The Famed Jazz Trumpeter, Bishop O’Dowd’s Marsalis Roberson Features A Smooth All-Around Game And A Drive Fueled By The Memory Of His Father Story By Mike Wood | Photos By Berry Evans III 18

SportStars™

May 2021

Always More To Read at SportStarsMag.com

Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

May 2021

SportStars™ 19

here’s a sense of renewal at Bishop O’Dowd High, and it’s not just about the return to live basketball action after a year of dormancy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Oakland hills campus is booming with activity, beyond the return of sports. Work on the sprawling new O’Dowd Center is underway, with a new gymnasium and strength and conditioning facilities among the coming amenities. The new gym will house the memories created by an illustrious program that’s among the most celebrated in California. For O’Dowd and 6-foot-4 senior guard Marsalis Roberson, there was a sense of unfinished history when the team reconvened April 19 for its first full practice ahead of this rare spring season. Indeed, the Dragons cannot add to their record 19 North Coast Section titles, and won’t get a try at a third state championship in this playoff-less abbreviated season. Yet there is opportunity before Roberson leaves to play at Cal following a remarkable run.

SportStars™

May 2021

The stats are impressive — in 2019-20 he averaged 16.5 points and 6.3 rebounds a game and earned Bay Area News Group’s Player of the Year and SportStars’ All-NorCal First team honors. But it’s all about work and action. “It’s nonstop motion when he gets into the gym,” Dragons coach Lou Richie said in an mid-April interview. “He doesn’t believe in taking time off when he gets into the gym.” Bishop O’Dowd opened its 17-game season on April 27 widely considered the No. 1 team in NorCal. The Dragons cruised to a win over San Leandro that night and entered the second week of May with a 3-3 record. They remain just inside the Top 5 of SportStars’ NorCal Top 20, as their three losses were all to top-ranked teams through May 9 — Campolindo-Moraga (No. 1), Archbishop Mitty-San Jose (No. 2) and Salesian-Richmond (No. 6). Richie said what stands out about Roberson “right now are his work ethic and coachability.” He’s challenging Roberson to “grow into a great leader. You want your best player to be your best leader.” That leadership goal, including getting next year’s leaders prepared, top Roberson’s todo list. “Just bonding with the guys and trying to win every game in NorCal, and for the most part trying to be a leader,” Roberson said. He’s learned from others, and still consults with former teammates like 2019 graduate Iniko McNeil. “I want to teach leadership skills to the younger guys, since they will be trying to get ready for a national schedule next year.” The Dragons’ 10 state title appearances are third-best among California boys basketball programs. Last March they were on the cusp of an opportunity for an 11th. The Dragons were hours away from playing Sheldon-Sacramento for the NorCal Open Division championship when all CIF sports were halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That game never happened, nor did any state championships. Roberson said the news was emotional for several team members. For Roberson, he was denied a chance at redemption after feeling he could have played better in the 73-60 regional semifinal win over Archbishop Mitty-San Jose. He selected Cal, where his mother is an academic advisor, from a list of finalists that included Stanford, Cincinnati and UC Santa Barbara. At the end, it came down to the two Pac-12 schools, and his cell phone acting up. While asleep in his room and his phone well away from his reach, at 3 a.m. the phone randomly dialed Cal coach Mark Fox, who later called back to check that Roberson was OK. That cellular phenomenon helped make up his mind. “It was an epiphany, like God was talking to me,” Roberson said. At Cal he’ll join 2020 Bishop O’Dowd grad Monty Bowser, adding to a strong BOD-Cal connection that also includes Ivan Rabb and Paris Austin in recent years. Roberson wants to carve out his own history. “It’s great to have the connection with Cal and O’Dowd,” he said, “but I want to build my own legacy and build a name for myself.” Remembrance holds a deep meaning for Roberson, who lost his father, Jason, on Oct. 8, 2017 to gun violence in the Sacramento area, as Marsalis was starting his freshman year at Natomas High. He made it a point to announce his commitment to Cal on Oct. 8, 2020. In the aftermath of the shooting death of Jason, Brenaia Roberson found it of utmost importance to find safe surroundings for Marsalis, who moved back to the Bay Area and enrolled at Bishop O’Dowd. “I was so scared when I moved him back from Sacramento; I couldn’t think of any school that I wanted him to be at but Bishop O’Dowd,” she said. “It was so important he would be in a safe environment. I wasn’t even thinking about basketball, and I am from Oakland and know about all the basketball history at O’Dowd.” Jason Roberson had served in the Navy, and thus emphasized discipline and setting goals, Brenaia Roberson said. Often Marsalis can be seen after games in quiet reflection. “There have been times after we’ve won a big game and he is by himself not celebrating,” Richie said. “He puts his dad’s name on his shoes. That’s tough.” “I’m thinking about him a lot,” Marsalis said. “I try to reach my best expectations and I use him as motivation.” There is history in Roberson’s name. He’s named for renowned jazz musician Wynton Marsalis. And his middle name is Payton, for Oakland native and NBA legend Gary Payton. While he has never met Marsalis, he did meet Payton. He was only 10 years old and

Always More To Read at SportStarsMag.com

leave work and cross the campus to see her son play. And his biggest fan, his grandfather, Malgy Blue, is so excited he’s already signed up for the Bear Insider news site. Until then Marsalis will work on passing the Dragons’ mantle to athletes like 6-9 sophomore Jalen Lewis, among the top-ranked national recruits for the Class of 2023 who earned a spot on the 2019-20 SportStars All-NorCal third team. The question now is how the team will respond after a year apart, with different parameters. “If you asked me a year ago, I’d say on paper we had the top team returning to NorCal, but I haven’t seen my point guard in over a year in person,” said Richie, ahead of having the team’s first full practice on April 19. “Perspective has changed,” Richie said. “Now it’s staying COVID-free, and important things like love, happiness, being kindful, and that everyone is emotionally supported. We have to sit down with our players going forward (and ask), ‘What do we want from this?’ Because when you have more engagement, you have more accountability.” ✪

needed encouragement from his mother to talk to the Hall of Fame point guard at a car dealership. His mother noted that current Vice President Kamala Harris is a family friend. Brenaia was proud to see Marsalis participate in a public service spot for the VOICE Project, a nonpartisan advocacy group, joining in an effort to promote voter registration for the 2020 general election. In a video on Twitter, he encouraged young adults to vote, or to pre-register if not yet of age. “Honestly I felt voting was something that had not been talked about a lot in African American households,” he said. “It made me do my own research into the subject.” During the lengthy sports shutdown, Roberson stayed in Sacramento, where his uncle lives, and trained there to protect his mother and younger siblings from any potential COVID-19 exposure. “In addition to me having to deal with the pandemic, to cope with him not being at home with me ... it was a very tough decision,” Brenaia said. “I went out on faith and in the end I thought it was the best decision.” Roberson emerged from distance learning with a fall semester GPA that topped 4.2, taking Advanced Placement psychology and computer science principles. He’ll be close by again at Cal, where his family can experience his games. Brenaia can Follow Us On Twitter & Instagram, Like Us On Facebook!

Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

May 2021

SportStars™ 21

NCVA Girls Tournament Volleyball Returned In Full Over Two Weekends Of Far Western National Qualifiers

fter a grueling, year-long wait, the Northern California Volleyball Association finally returned to hosting tournaments — and did so in style with its signature Reno-based event, the Far Western National Qualifiers. The event had several COVID-19 precautions in place, including mandatory mask-wearing, pre-event and daily testing, and strict fan attendance policies. But the volleyball was as good as it’s ever been. Several programs from throughout the western U.S. came to the Reno Convention Center April 16-18 and April 23-25 to determine USAV Junior National Championship bids for several divisions across the age groups 11U-17U. Absolute Volleyball out of San Rafeal had the best tournament among Northern California programs. Absolute 14-Black claimed the 14 Open championship with an 8-0 weekend that saw the team drop just two sets. Absolute 15-Black finished seventh in the 15 Open Division. Absolute 17-Black went 8-2 in the 17 Open Division and finished second after a dynamite final with Front Range 17 Black of Colorado. Front Range won the first set 25-15 before Absolute rallied to win the second set 25-23. The third set went down to the wire, with Front Range taking it 15-13. Front Range made the most of its road trip west. It’s 17Red team claimed the title in the 17 American Division. A pair of Southern California clubs claimed titles in the 16 Open and 15 Open Divisions. San Diego-based Coast Volleyball Club won the 16 Open tournament and Tstreet Volleyball out of Irvine claimed the 15s title. Pleasanton-based NorCal Volleyball Club had a strong showing in the 16 Open Division. The club’s 16-1 Black team went 4-4 to tie for fifth. NCVA has more tourneys coming, all in NorCal. The Bay View Classic for boys and girls is May 29-31 at The Grounds in Roseville. The Summer Kickoff Tournament for boys and girls is June 5-6 at the Sacramento Convention Center. For more information on all of the upcoming NCVA events, be sure to visit NCVA.com. ✪

SportStars™

May 2021

Always More To Read at SportStarsMag.com

Taylor Huerta of Absolute 15-Black Follow Us On Twitter & Instagram, Like Us On Facebook!

Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

May 2021

SportStars™ 23

Aissa Silva Has Some Of The Best Pitching Stats In The State For A Talented Elk Grove Softball Team Chasing A Delta League Crown Story & Photos by Ike Dodson 24

SportStars™

May 2021

Always More To Read at SportStarsMag.com

Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

May 2021

SportStars™ 25

Elk Grove’s Kate Wolf, center, celebrates after her home run against Del Campo-Fair Oaks.

road trip is only as good as its playlist. Elk Grove softball parents Erin and Manuel Silva prefer 2000s R&B, and they sing shamelessly alongside their daughter Aissa Silva each weekend on sixhour treks to travel softball practices and games in

Los Angeles. “Each trip is a jam session with them,” Aissa said. “We sing pretty much everything together.” Aissa may not have flawless vocal tone inside the family minivan/ mobile karaoke machine, but she has perfect pitch. As of May 11, she led California prep pitchers with 195 strikeouts. She’s also one of only two pitchers in the state with at least 100 innings pitched and an earned run average under 1.00. Aissa’s ERA is a dazzling 0.41. “She goes at hitters, and she’s not afraid of anyone,” six-year Elk Grove softball coach Amanda Buck said. “She wants the ball in her hand.” She also likes to finish the job. Aissa has walked only 23 hitters this year, and hit only five. She’s given up just 54 hits in 120.1 innings. To make it to first base against Aissa, you have to truly earn it. “Nothing rattles her,” Buck said. “She has a lot of confidence in her

SportStars™

May 2021

defense, but she wants to strike everybody out.” And she’s only getting better. Aissa is the only sophomore in the U.S. with an ERA under .50 after 100 innings pitched. She’s thrown two no-hitters this year, and was one error away from a perfect game against Christian Brothers-Sacramento. College coaches can’t talk to her yet, but she said she would like to play in the Pac-12. With five PAC-12 teams in the NCAA top 25 (No. 2 UCLA, No. 5 Washington, No. 8 Oregon, No. 9 Arizona and No. 12 Arizona State) she has some elite options. She’s on the collegiate radar, thanks to those southern commutes. Aissa plays for one of the top travel programs in the state, six-time national champions SoCal Athletics 18U Richardson. “The 18U tournaments down there are where you will find the best competition,” Buck said. “There are some powerhouse teams down there and her 18U experience has made her better.” Aissa’s process starts between innings. “While I am warming up, I am also watching the hitters take their swings,” she explained. “Are they dipping (their barrel)? Is it going up? What are they doing with their feet? “I look for a key point, like what they look like in motion, which pitch they have fouled off, and if I was them, which pitch would I not

Always More To Read at SportStarsMag.com

“Nothing rattles (Aissa Silva). She has a lot of confidence in her defense, but she wants to strike everybody out.” — Elk Grove softball coach Amanda Buck

want thrown at me.” Buck’s team has thrived with Aissa in the circle. Elk Grove was 18-4 through May 6 and ranked No. 7 in the SportStars NorCal Top 20 rankings with wins over Del Oro-Loomis (13-2), Lincoln-Lincoln (11-4), St. Francis-Sacramento (10-3) and Roseville (11-4). Aissa had lost only two games heading into the second week of May: 1-0 to NorCal’s No. 2 team, and 5-2 in nine innings to league rival Sheldon-Elk Grove (No. 6). The Huskies are 10-8, but six of those losses came via forfeit after a reported misstep involving the transfer of a student athlete. Since getting tagged with those losses, Sheldon has won eight straight games. The Elk Grove-Sheldon rivalry matters even more this year, since COVID-19 precautions have forced the Sac-Joaquin Section to cancel its spring postseasons. Ultimately, the Delta League championship is the year’s top prize. “Our motivation this year is to win the league,” Buck said. “We have a tough league, and you can’t take any games off.” COVID-19 ended the 2020 season after just a few games, but since 2000, 22 Delta League squads have reached the SJS Div. I softball finals. Sheldon won the SJS nine times across that span, while Elk Grove reached seven title games and won twice. Sheldon is 3-0 against Elk Grove in championship appearances over that stretch. The Herd had no shortage of confidence heading into the 2021 rematch with Sheldon on May 11. “Sheldon is a great team, but we battled in this past game and I think we are

Brooklynn Pettis

Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

May 2021

SportStars™ 27

Kate Wolf comes in from shortstop to get a chuckle out of Aissa Silva.

ready for the next one,” Elk Grove shortstop Kate Wolf said. “I think this team is just awesome, and with Aissa behind us, we can do anything.” Wolf, one of the top hitters in the SJS, contributes plenty on her own. Through 22 games, she was hitting .413 with 26 hits, 15 RBIs, six doubles, two triples and two home runs. She smashed her first of the season against Del Campo-Fair Oaks on March 31, just one at-bat after slugging teammate Brooklynn Pettis went yard. And though she shines at the plate, Wolf is perhaps even better at improving team morale. She is the unquestioned leader of fun. “Kate is just so great to coach because she loves being out there,” Buck said. “She is the first to get everyone comfortable, she’s the loudest one and the biggest cheerleader.” Wolf and Pettis both play for the LTG Lions travel team. Wolf is headed to Wagner College in New York on a softball scholarship. The fun is likely coming with her. “She is such a positive and great person,” Aissa said. “She’s always there for you. If you are ever down, she will make you smile no matter what.” Pettis hit .493 with 36 hits, 35 RBI, 10 doubles, five home runs and a grand slam over her first 22 games. The catcher leads the SJS in runs batted in and is committed to play softball at Boise State. “Brooklynn is solid all the way around and her mental game is so calm,” Buck said. “She leads this team and brings everybody together to focus on what we need to accomplish. “She also has a cannon behind the plate. Very few people try to run on her.” “Brooklyn and I work together, like ‘You get on, I get on,’” Wolf said. “We are impact hitters who want to create something in the lineup and produce runs.” Aissa helps her own cause by hitting .302 with 19 hits, 10 RBI, six doubles and a home run. Buck has encouraged her to rest her arm and let someone hit for her, but Aissa is far too competitive to sit out half an inning. “To me, hitting is super important,” Aissa said. “I like being able to help myself and help my team in any way.” Like any good singer, it’s just a matter of staying in harmony. ✪ 28

SportStars™

May 2021

Always More To Read at SportStarsMag.com