NorCal Issue 199, September 2021

SEPTEMBER 2021 NORCAL EDITION VOL. 12 ISSUE 199

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or the first time in a long time, we’ve produced what I used to consider a completely normal issue.

It feels as though it’s been quite awhile since we released an issue with features on three different sports from three different sections — all as part of a normal academic year. This is how it used to be, and hopefully continues to trend back to.

We’ve had a lot going on at SportStars Magazine over the first weeks of the season. Much of it has to do with high school football coverage. Our high school football podcast, 7 Friday Night, is now up to seven episodes.

The show has welcomed multiple coaches and players as guests, and continues to gain steam as the season rolls along.

SportStarsMag.com has posted a number of exclusive features from the early football season. One of my favorites to this point was Ben Enos’s story on California-San Ramon running back Trevor Rund scoring two touchdowns just four days after his dad passed away due to a blood clot in his leg. That’s Trevor pictured above with Grizzlies coach, Danny Calcagno (who also was just recently a guest on 7 Friday Night!)

And as much as we love covering football here, we’ve never been one to ignore the other sports.

We debuted our first NorCal Girls Volleyball Top 20 rankings on Sept. 8. Those will appear throughout the season every Tuesday, with the occasional Wednesday release. Our girls volleyball coverage continues with the cover story of this issue on Foothill-Pleasanton, and we dip our toes into the water polo pool with my story on the Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton boys team.

As the fall continues, expect additional features on girls water polo, girls golf and boys and girls cross country.

Got a story suggestion? Don’t be shy. Reach out on our social meda channels or shoot me an email.

It’s all happening, and SportStars is here for it. ✪

YOUR TICKET TO CALIFORNIA SPORTS ADMIT ONE; RAIN OR SHINE This Vol. #12, Football Preview 2021, Whole No. 198 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, double-spaced on disk or email and will be handled with reasonable care. For materials return, please enclose a stamped, selfaddressed envelope. SportStars™© and STARS!™© Clinics are registered trademarks of Caliente! Communications, LLC.

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khai taylor PITTSBURG - FOOTBALL - JUNIOR Of the many high-profile juniors on the Pirates roster, Khai Taylor doesn’t get top billing too often. That could change in a hurry if the cornerback has more games like the one he produced on Sept. 10 against Valley Christian-San Jose.

Taylor helped propel Pittsburg to its first win of the young season by intercepting Warriors quarterback Jakson Berman three times. He returned his last interception of the night 69 yards to set up a game-clinching touchdown run by Charles Brown with 5:36 left in the game. The recruiting website 247Sports.com doesn’t show any offers yet for Taylor, but that might change soon as well. Pittsburg entered the week of Sept. 13 with a 1-1 record and ranked No. 5 in the SportStars NorCal Top 20 football rankings.

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

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9.14.10 Competitors leave the starting line for the girls varsity race of the 2010 Ed Sias Invitational. After a one-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the respected East Bay meet resumed with its 36th running on Saturday, Sept. 11, at Hidden Valley Park in Martinez. Los Gatos freshman Shea Elmore had the top varsity girls time.

Photo by Bob Larson

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After Being Wiped Out In 2020, NCVA Boys Power League Returns This Fall

It may not look exactly the same — there are more masks on the court and less fans in the stands — but the Northern California Volleyball Association has finally been able to revive its boys Power League.

Qualifying tournaments for the 13/14s and 17/18s Divisions took place at @TheGrounds in Roseville on Sept.

11-12. Qualifiers for 12s and 15/16s will happen at the same place over the weekend of Sept. 18-19.

In the first set of qualifiers, the top performing clubs were no surprise. Mountain View Volleyball Club’s 18-Red finished a perfect 7-0 in fourteen straight sets. Bay To Bay Club out of San Jose saw both its 18-1 and 17-1 teams finish 7-0 as well. The Bay To Bay 17-Premier team didn’t go unbeaten, but it was the only squad to take a set from

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Pacific Rim Volleyball Academy’s 18U team.

on Oct. 2-3. The second wave will take place

PRVA went 7-0 but needed three sets to van-

Oct. 23-24 and the third wave happens Nov. 13-

quish the Bay To Bay team after Bay To Bay took

14. The sites for all three weekends remain TBA.

the opening set of their match 27-25. Pacific Rim rallied to win the next two 25-14 and 15-11.

A pair of MVVC teams went undefeated

The teams will return to @TheGrounds in Roseville for Regional Championships weekend on Dec. 18-19. Girls Power League begins that

through 13/14s qualifying. MVVC 14-Red and

same weekend with the 17/18s qualifiers. The

14-Black both finished their weekends without

other divisions won’t have their qualifiers until

dropping a set. Lakas Club out of Union City fin-

the new year, beginning late January and early

ished 6-1 with its only loss coming against

Februrary.

MVVC 14-Red. Once the second week of qualifiers

Visitors wishing to attend any Power League events must be cleared ahead of time by regis-

is complete, the stage will be set for

tering for a wrist band from the Power League

the first weekend of Power League play

page at NCVA.com. ✪

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n’t Quite Is ll a b y e ll o V l o o h c S High out d n ta S t u B l, a rm o N Back To r Foothill e H d n A n o ls O e c y Gra joying n E re A s te a m m a e T High The g in c ra b m E , e g n e ll The Cha M o m e nt Story by Mike Wood

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| Photos by Jean-Pau

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Grayce Olson

aking the quick adjustment back to a fall season in one of the region’s most competitive leagues, the Foothill-Pleasanton girls volleyball team has been thriving in the face of challenges.

While playing with masks presents challenges in a sport where instant communication is so crucial, the Falcons have adapted to that, as well as to traveling once again.

After a brief spring season, they are back to playing outside of their county and once again seeing potential postseason opponents in tournaments.

It’s been a warp-speed trip into the future.

“It’s crazy; last time we were in a full season was my sophomore year, and now it’s two years later,” Falcons 6-foot-4 senior outside hitter Grayce Olson said. “There are all these sophomores and freshmen on all these teams that we are playing who are new.”

Like all teams back with full fall schedules, they have adjusted to protocols.

“We kind of learned how to get around with having masks and not being able to read (facial expressions),” senior middle blocker Sruti Jonnalagadda said. “We’ve really worked on communicating a lot more and being louder.”

So far the Falcons are making lots of noise. Back in their fall domain, they

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won their first 13 matches, including six in the all-powerful East Bay Athletic League. They were ranked 23rd in the MaxPreps statewide rankings and 10th in the SportStars NorCal rankings, through the first week of September.

Dusty Collins has seen a lot of tweaks and changes to the game of volleyball since he began coaching at the school in 1997, serving as both boys and girls coach. He noticed that boys are quieter by nature at high school age and that girls have adjusted quicker to protocols and rules set forth during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Girls are better communicators,” Collins said. “But it has an impact on the game when you put a mask over somebody who is quiet. It makes them even more quiet, You have to get them out of that shell so they can be more comfortable.”

With co-captains Olson and Jonnalagadda providing skillful senior oncourt leadership, the communication is just fine.

Still Collins points to nuances like non-verbal facial expressions that cannot be seen with face coverings.

“Little things like not getting that read from setter to hitter using that cue; no quick facial expressions,” he explained. “But they have adapted well to the circumstances.”

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Dusty Collins

The fall season is giving them a chance to show that. Their brief spring season became even shorter after having a player test positive for COVID-19 following their first match, and were only able to reschedule one of three matches missed during the resulting 10-day quarantine, Collins said.

After being limited to facing teams within Alameda County in the spring, now the Falcons can play familiar EBAL foes from Contra Costa County, north of the I-680/580 corridor, like San Ramon Valley and Monte Vista in Danville and Carondelet in Concord.

They went into high gear right after Labor Day, playing four times in five days. After that there is a crucial stretch of EBAL matchups: at Dublin Sept.

16, and back home against Amador Valley on Sept. 21. It’s no secret these matches will be challenging.

The Falcons swept Monte Vista (the most recent EBAL champion in fall 2019) on Sept. 2, though the 25-13, 25-21, 26-24 games were hotly contested.

“Monte Vista is a very good team, and those were all tight sets,” Collins said.

“It was one of those matches that can go either way.”

Collins is well-accustomed to the tight competition in the EBAL. An EBAL school won every NCS Division I championship from 2006-2017, with Foothill winning titles in 2006 and 2010.

Leading the way is Olson, who committed to UCLA in September 2020.

“Just to have a player of her caliber is great,” Collins said. “They all look for her as that team leader. She is not a real vocal person but she is one who is doing it by her play.”

So many times, Olson has turned a perilous situation into a positive outcome.

“She bails us out of many bad situations, and we’re able to win points because she is so talented; we’re very lucky to have a player of her caliber,” Collins said.

Olson aspires to a career in sports marketing and to be a coach, which is in her DNA. Her father, Greg, is the offensive coordinator of the Las Vegas Raiders. Her mother, Lissa, has coached track and field at colleges like Purdue, Follow Us On Twitter & Instagram, Like Us On Facebook!

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Washington State, Washington, South Florida and now coaches the jumps at Foothill.

Growing up in a coaching environment, Grayce said she is “in my element” as a leader. It’s a gift her teammates recognize and appreciate.

“I will say Grayce is basically the role model of the team,” Jonnalagadda said. “She’s like the mom. She knows what to do and when to do it.”

Upon hearing that compliment, Grayce told her teammate, with a smile: “Thanks, girl!”

Though Foothill year-in and year-out has been a top NCS contender, the Falcons haven’t had many players move on to the Pac12, though they have seen many alumni play collegiately. Collins can just point to one Falcon volleyball alum who ended up in the Pac-12 — 2008 graduate Betsy Sedlak, who played one year at Oregon before transferring to UC Davis.

“This is pretty neat for Grayce,” Collins said in amazement.

Jonnalagadda is planning to play at New York University, noting she is leaning toward studying chemistry.

Chemistry is working quite well for Foothill as newer stars emerge.

Sophomore starters Paige Bennett, a 6-foot outside hitter, and setter Katie Salonga, have elevated their play thanks to older players like Olson and Jonnalagadda showing them the way, Collins said. Opposite Jo Modica is a senior who has really stepped it up, he added. So has outside hitter Kaycie Burdick, the team’s only freshman.

“Kaycie, our one freshman, is amazing and is a great player to play with,” Olson said with excitement. “Our two starting sophomores are also really really good at volleyball and are very good teammates as well.”

Along with returning to a full slate in the EBAL, the Falcons are enjoying getting back on the road to tournament action. They went to the Irvington Tournament for the first time in several years and will also travel up to Sonoma Valley. The road trips are a little different right now, with no overnight field trips allowed, nor other familiar experiences of team-bonding.

“We are not having the potluck or campsite things,” Collins said.

“Now it’s bring your own food, or get your sandwich orders in.”

Earlier this season they returned to the James Logan gym, the site of that NCS championship loss nearly two years ago, and swept the Colts.

“It was really good to beat them and kind of get our revenge for the past couple years that we haven’t been able to,” Olson said.

Even in unusual circumstances and with COVID-19 era protocols in place, younger players have shown maturity and responsibility.

“Everybodys knows what the right thing to do is,” Jonnalagadda said. “ It’s actually not that bad. We don’t have to babysit. It’s really fun.”

Just getting to play has been a thrill, with any potential postseason action still away in the distance.

“We’re grateful for whatever we get,” Collins said. “With the girls playing the whole season, we’re excited about it.” ✪ 14

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A Lightning-Fast Aerial Attack And Hard-Nosed Defense Has Rocklin In Contention For Serious Sac-Joaquin Section Success Story & Photos by Ike Dodson 16

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T

o win games in the Sac-Joaquin Section’s premier football conference, you will have to find creative ways to score. Five Sierra Foothill League teams average under 16 points allowed, and outside of struggling Grant-Sacramento (0-3), teams combine for a 17-4 record with an average scoring ratio of 33-13.

Rocklin’s solution isn’t actually that creative. It’s more of a four-finger death punch — quarterback Kenny Lueth and receivers Nathan Kent, Elias Mullican and Kyran Bell.

These aren’t just starters or options. These are game-changing, highlight reel-nabbing stars.

Because of their exploits, and assistance from the SFL’s top statical defense, Rocklin has outscored opponents 153-22 across three games. This includes three running clocks and lots of fourth-quarter bench spots for starters.

Worth mentioning: All three of Rocklin’s opponents (Turlock, Davis, Capital Christian-Sacramento) were playoff winners during the last full season (2019).

“We have a lot of weapons, and it starts with Kenny, who has a mental approach to the game that is so good,” Rocklin Offensive Coordinator Tim Kenny said Monday.

“He is a field general with a live arm that is spectacular. He has good pocket presence and is willing to stay in the pocket and deliver a throw.”

Despite being yanked in all of Rocklin’s first three contests, Lueth (6 foot, 4 inches, 210 pounds) is 27 for 41 with 651 yards, 12 touchdowns and two interceptions. He passed for 306 yards and four scores against 2018 SJS champion Capital Christian on Sept. 10.

His biggest dogs are also well fed.

Kent (6-3, 170), one of the fastest receivers in the state, grabbed eight balls for 152 yards and two touchdowns through three games. His speed is verified. He ran the state’s top 400 meter time (47.47) during the 2020 track season. The CIF didn’t host a track postseason that year, but the time would have been third on the podium at state in 2019. His 100 personal best (10.73) would have been top-15 at the same meet, while his 200 record (21.68) would have been top-10.

Kent has offers from BYU and Army, and is deeply committed to playing a collegiate career with a military service academy football program.

“Nathan creates problems for any defense,” Coach Kenny said. “His speed is off the charts and he is pretty special in practice.”

Mullican (6-0, 170), Rocklin’s slot receiver, spent most of the 2020 season taking carries from the same position. He’s exploded early in 2021 with eight catches for 201 yards and five touchdowns through Sept. 10.

He brings a dangerous combination of speed and playmaking ability to each snap.

“He has been the guy who gets us started, scoring that first touchdown,” Coach Kenny said. “He also plays physically as a corner on defense, and never really leaves the field.

“He does it all.”

Bell (6-0, 160), is the reigning SFL high jump and long jump champion. He has caught seven passes for 220 yards and three scores over the first three weeks of action.

“Kyran is our ‘Z’ receiver, and he has benefited from those over-the-top throws,” Coach Kenny said.

Despite the overload of talent in Rocklin’s aerial assault, the Thunder have been steadfast in achieving offensive equilibrium. Thanks to players like Anthony Johnston (5-10, 190), Rocklin ball carriers have plowed for 453 yards and eight touchdowns.

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Standout two-way lineman Bobby Piland (70) celebrates a fumble recovery during the Thunder’s season-opening win over Turlock.

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Kenny Lueth

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“We always strive for balance,” Coach Kenny said. “We want to be unpredictable.”

Rocklin’s stout offensive line has made both approaches successful.

The group is led by Brad Baur (6-6, 280) and Bobby Piland (6-2, 295). Much was also expected of tight end Peyton Smith, who injured his shoulder in the second fall practice, and could return this postseason, at the earliest. Smith is a preferred walk-on for Vanderbilt, according to Coach Kenny.

Baur has four college offers, including Cal Poly. Piland is committed to Air Force, and also shines at defensive end. The brawny gridder entered the 2021 season as Rocklin’s biggest name for a reason. He is a four-year varsity senior, also considered one the best wrestling heavyweights in the SJS. He was one of only two underclassmen to win multiple matches at the last SJS Masters Wrestling Championships (2019).

“Wrestling and football go hand-in-hand,” Piland explained. “Wrestling has done so much with my hand-fighting, balance, stamina and strength, even in awkward positions.”

Piland said Rocklin’s team chemistry has been one of the program’s biggest strengths. The team rallies together for team dinners and linemen host another weekly meal, just for the big boys. The Baur family emptied the pantries for Capital Christian week.

“This team thrives because we have learned to work together and to trust each other on every single play,” Piland said. “And it doesn’t matter if it is the weight room or the field, we all get along together and we have great coaches who have helped build us up together.”

Rocklin’s sensational defense is also led by the likes of Rio Patton (59, 180 LB), Derek Houston (6-1, 205 LB), Kaleb Larson (6-0, 195 DL), Kaiden Baker (6-3, 210 LB), Austin Adams (5-9, 165 DB) and Teeg Slone (6-0, 180 DB).

When you calculate what you need to win games in the SFL, this squad just ticks all the boxes. And apparently there is room to grow.

“Looking at film, we know we are not even close to playing our best,” Coach Kenny said. “We must continue to clean stuff up, and that will help us continue to improve.”

Whitney-Rocklin (2-2) looms Sept. 17 in a rivalry meeting that Rocklin has controlled by a 9-2 record since 2010. It’s also the opening day of SFL contests, and the first chance to put teams like No. 1 Folsom (3-0), No. 20 Del Oro-Loomis (4-0), Granite Bay (3-1) and Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills (2-1) on alert.

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Gavin West 22

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Sacred Heart Prep Boys Water Polo Is No Strang er To Title Expectations — B ut This Fall’s Team Has Talent A nd Motivation Exceeding Perhap s All Of Its Championship Pre decessors Story by Chace Bry so

n | Photos by Kathy

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T

here are more stories than are worth counting of high school programs from various sports being robbed of a championship window during the COVID-19 academic year of 2020-21.

When it comes to the Sacred Heart Prep High boys water polo team, every season seemingly has a championship window attached to it. The Gators have won Central Coast Section titles each of the past nine seasons, and 12 of the past 13.

But this year is different. This window is different.

Led by one of the best senior classes in the state, and perhaps the country, the Atherton school’s championship window isn’t just for a CCS crown. The Gators have a shot at finishing as the No. 1-ranked program in the country.

And the players are here for it.

“They’re embracing (the expectations),” Sacred Heart Prep coach Brian Kreutzkamp said. “They’ve been waiting for this year for some time.”

Griffin Price, a Stanford-bound goalkeeper considered arguably the top senior recruit in the country, is one of four seniors who have been playing with each other since they were 10 years old. Price and his three closest friends, Bear Weigle, Luke Johnston and Jack Vort, all grew up in the Stanford Youth program together before each making varsity as a freshman.

“We’re all super excited,” Price said “We’ve been training hard all summer and hard all season. We’re ready to compete. We have all the puzzle pieces that we need. We have shooters, hole sets, attackers and lefties “We’ve got everything we need to be a winning team.”

He’s not wrong.

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Beyond that core four, there’s also senior Gavin West, a transfer from Connecticut and current member of the US Youth National Team. West came in prior to last season. There’s also junior Jake Tsotadze who also has national team experience.

There’s a very real chance that at least 7-8 members of this team will play major college water polo. A few are even on track for significant international careers. All of them know how close they came to missing this window of opportunity.

It was just eight months ago that Price recorded a video plea to Governor Gavin Newsom that was shared by the Let Them Play CA lobbying group.

While he’s unsure if the governor ever saw it, he knows every little bit helped in the movement to get the state’s high school sports back in action last spring.

“Things definitely weren’t normal for any of us last year,” Price said. “We weren’t able to play or practice — and we were happy to do that for the overall healthiness of our community. But once we got that abbreviated season, we were stoked.”

The Gators went 13-0 during the shortened spring season that primarily included just local league games and no postseason. But they made it special for their 2021 seniors while also using it as a tune-up for what they knew could be a special fall campaign.

“What we got out of it were some of the best practices I’ve seen in the course of my career,” Kreutzkamp said of the spring season. “We got a lot out of it, and got a lot better coming into this year.”

The Gators opened their fall season with a 17-4 drubbing of St. Francis-

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Bear Weigle

“People will tell us we’re good. We’ll hear that we’re good from people around us. We don’t want that to get to our head. We’re going to let the season talk for itself from game to game and practice to practice.”

— Goalkeeper Griffin Price, pictured facing page

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Mountain View on Sept. 8. They will visit Menlo School-Atherton on Sept. 15 as a tuneup before they hit the road for their first major tournament on the state and national level. The team travels to Newport Beach for the South Coast Invitational which will run from Sept. 16-18.

Playing in elite Southern California tournaments has been a staple of Kreutzkamp’s program during its current CCS dynasty run. And the South Coast invite will be the first in close to two years.

“I never thought I’d be so eager to go to the embassy suites in Orange County,” the coach said with a laugh. “But I’m really looking forward to it.

“Every couple years you have a chance to make a difference, nationally. We’re making that a goal this year to be one of the best teams in the country. These tournaments, these teams from SoCal are so good that there’s only certain years that you’re able to compete, and this is definitely one of them.”

Price is a big reason for that. He’s the backbone of the defense and often the igniter of the Gators’ devastating counterattack.

“I’ve never had a four-year starter in goal before,” Kreutzkamp said. “He’s considered the best goalie in the country. Everything that we do centers around him. We have a very fast counter system, and that’s just because Griff is in the goal and we trust him to block the ball.

“His overall quickness to the ball is something I haven’t seen in a long time. More importantly for me, he’s an amazing passer. He puts the ball where it’s needed on the counter attack and gets our offense going as well.”

Weigle is Kreutzkam’s swiss army knife, a utility player who can play the 2-meter or create from the perimeter. Vort is a lefty who acts as the point guard of the offense. Johnston, the co-captain

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alongside Price, is the team’s primary 2-meter player now that he’s finally 100 percent healthy after battling some back issues.

That core four alone was a group bound to win a lot of water polo matches, but then West came aboard and supercharged it. “He’s the finishing puzzle piece to this core group of seniors,” Price said.

“He’s super quick and super crafty.”

Kreutzkamp marveled at West’s speed as well.

“He’s super fast in the water,” the coach said. “He gives us another level of explosiveness on the counter and just movement at all times.”

Juniors will play a role too. Tsotadze will be unavailable at South Coast as he recovers from his own back issues, but Kreutzkamp expects him to return by mid-October. Another junior Will Swart is a three-year starter this season and maybe the second-fastest player in the pool after West.

And though the front line has all the firepower, it’s depth that wins in elite tournaments. The play of the Gators’ second unit might have been the area Kreutzkamp was most pleased with in the team’s season-opening win over St. Francis.

“I came away feeling really good about that,” the coach said, specifically mentioning a five-goal effort from Hove. “I played my second unit for most of the game and they did great. These are kids who will be coming off the bench in the major tournaments, and it’s good to see they’re going to be ready.”

Price is confident in the team as a whole, also. He and his teammates have never been more aware that the waiting part is over. It’s time for the Gators to find deeper waters.

“People will tell us we’re good. We’ll hear that we’re good from people around us. We don’t want that to get to our head,” the senior goalkeeper said. “We’re going to let the season talk for itself from game to game and practice to practice.

“Despite obstacles and what might be thrown our way, we’re going to do whatever we can to win — with whoever we have. It’s just a mentality of no excuses. We’re going to use what we have in front of us and we’re going to win.”

The window is open. ✪

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Will Swart

Hassan Hove

Jack Vort

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