NorCal Issue 203, December 2021

DECEMBER 2021 NORCAL EDITION VOL. 12 ISSUE 203

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2 0 2 1 wa s t h e y e a r o f

LET THEM PLAY

I

t was a year ago this week that state guidelines for a return to youth sports were finally released by the state.

I remember opening the press release that was shared by the CIF and scrolling through each sport to see how attainable any of them would be to get off the ground. I also remember the hope I felt, that just a little bit of progress had been made.

Of course, we know that there was still more than a month’s worth of lobbying from the Let Them Play California group and the Golden State Coaches Association before the dam finally broke. But that first night of scrolling through the guidelines will always be a memory that sticks out for me when it comes to the battle to relaunch high school athletics.

As weird as 2020 was for all of us, 2021 might have been even weirder. (Two football seasons were played within a nine-month span!) The spring of all sports with its chaotic pace and unpredictability will hopefully never be replicated again. Then we came out on the other side of it and enjoyed a nearly-normal fall season that transitioned to winter with very few hiccups.

Scrolling through those guidelines last December seems so long ago.

As we get ready to continue on into 2022, here’s our list of the Top 3 things we’ll remember from high school sports in 2021.

3. Spring Football — Not only was competitive football in March and April incredibly jarring to our high school reporter seasonal clocks, it was also equally enjoyable and frustrating. Despite all the last-minute cancellations that came from test results, and the scheduling headaches, we were treated to six weeks of seeing kids make the most of an opportunity they never thought they’d have.

2. Smaller Sports Getting Their Spotlight Moment — While most team sports were still fighting the state to let them play, many of the individual sports like cross country and golf were able to get started. For a couple weeks in late January and early February, runners and golfers got the type of attention usually reserved for football and basketball. And that was pretty cool.

1. St. Francis-Mountain View Ends De La Salle’s NorCal Unbeaten Streak — After 318 games, the Lancers became the first NorCal football team since 1991 to defeat the Spartans. While we all knew it would happen eventually, it still felt a bit surreal as we (along with everybody else) scrolled through the social media storm that followed the 31-28 St. Francis win on Sept. 10.

While the Omicron variant of COVID-19 reminds us that challenges will remain, we can’t wait to dive head first into 2022. Happy New Year, sports fans. ✪

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03.03.18 Carondelet-Concord basketball standout Ali Bamberger goes into hug her dad, Eric, in the aftermath of winning the North Coast Section Div. I championship at Saint Mary’s College in Moraga. Eric Bamberger was a standout player for Saint Mary’s, and now Ali has followed in his footsteps after transferring from the University of Washington. She is averaging a double-double of 15.1 points and 10.8 rebounds through the Gaels’ first 10 games.

Phillip Walton photo

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All coaches are different, and while philosophical differences some times come into play, parental concerns around coaching start at the most basic level: Is my child safe in his or her care?

It’s a question the USA Volleyball and the NCVA take very seriously.

General info about NCVA’s background checks usually amount to this line from the USAV Parent Guide: “Every adult over the age of 18 working with USAV juniors has a comprehensive background check performed biannually.” But what information — social security verification, address search, county courthouse and/or statewide search, national database and sex offender registry search — disqualifies a potential coach?

The following automatic disqualifiers are listed in the USAV Screening Policy: All sex offenses and homicides, regardless of time limit; felony violence and felony drug offenses in the past 10 years; any misdemeanor violence offenses in the past seven years; any multiple misdemeanor drug and alcohol offenses within the past seven years; or any other crimes (not listed) against children in the past seven years. Furthermore, individuals found to have pending court cases for any disqualifying offenses will be disqualified. If the disposition of the pending case does not meet the criteria for disqualification as listed above, the individual would be cleared and reinstated.

But how are crimes collected? Are these background checks effective to filter out people unfit to work with minors? Who performs these background checks for NCVA? The answer is Southeast Security Consultants, Inc. SSCI’s motto is ‘Information is protection.’ Committed to finding the best methods for accurate and complete data, they also seek the cost of its absence. SSCI found in a 2016 case study by Randy Rodebaugh found other companies offer national database-only searches to screen applicants as a cost-cutter for volunteer-driven organizations. As a result, 23 of the 56 individuals disqualified by SCCI throughout the 2015-16 screening period would have slipped through the cracks using only a database search. Pending cases will not appear on a national database, another reason courthouse investigations are imperative.

“We choose SSCI for their comprehensive background checks that include local and statewide search,” NCVA CEO Donna Donaghy said. “We feel it is imperative to use the best services out there as the first line of defense to minimize safety risks for our players and community.”

Unfortunately, some offenders may not have a criminal record, breaching this defense; so it is the community’s responsibility to help ensure the safety of players.

In addition to background checks, USA Volleyball’s SafeSport program is a collection of specific policies, training, supervision and grassroots feedback to help ensure the community identifies and reports abuse. SafeSport also helps coaches be self-aware to not commit misconduct, clearly defining standards for them to conduct themselves.

SafeSport policies define sexual, physical and emotional misconduct; bullying, threats, harassment and hazing to provide a comprehensive picture of abuse, and how to identify as well as report it. USA Volleyball provides training on these issues.

“It is important to be able to coach the game and recognize issues on the court, but it is equally important for coaches to address situations off the court,” Aftershock Volleyball Club Director Craig Hardesty said. “SafeSport training allows them to do that properly.”

Additionally, the SafeSport Handbook has two proactive policies to reduce risk of abuse: The Social Media and Electronic Communications Policy and Travel Policy. If a club does not develop its own policy, these policies become their default. For example, the Communications Policy limits all electronic correspondence topics between adults and minors to team activities, and all content must be readily available to the public, ensuring transparency. Plus, minors must copy or include their parents in all electronic correspondence. This multifaceted approach ensures coaches and the community actively create an environment that deeply minimizes abuse and maintains professionalism.

We owe our children a life free of violence; together, it is possible through active diligence. ✪ — Kim Lampi for NCVA Follow Us On Twitter & Instagram, Like Us On Facebook!

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O

ne of one.

That’s the mantra that the San MarinNovato football team clung to throughout a season that will go down in school history.

Thanks to a 20-14 win over IndependenceBakersfield in the California Interscholastic Federation Division 5-AA bowl game, the 2021 Mustangs will forever be able to call themselves the first state champions in school history.

But it was far from a singular effort.

In fact, the final scene in a landmark season looked more like what a Hollywood producer might try to depict when it comes to the stereotypical high school football experience.

Digital street signs alerted Novato residents that it was championship night. Novato police officers welcomed fans on approach to the stadium. And, once you got in, the most valuable currency for fans was a seat saver because both San Marin and Independence supporters jammed the stands and created the perfect environment for state glory to be bestowed.

This wasn’t a case of a community rallying when it matters most. No, the San Marin faithful have been there all along, filling the stands and providing support throughout the season as the Mustangs turned from a Marin Catholic Athletic League team looking to prove itself into a genuine contender for a state bowl title.

Once San Marin traveled to Sutter and won 35-7 in the NorCal final, the Mustang community knew it would get one more chance to cheer on its team.

And that meant showing up with voices ready in the season’s biggest moments.

“It’s been all week that way with this community,” said San Marin’s Dominic DiMare, who shares the co-head coach title with Cory Boyd. “From the kids going down to the grammar schools and opening doors for them, it’s been a whole week, almost like Super Bowl week leading up to it. We knew we were going to have a big crowd here. This crowd has been absolutely special all year and I thank them a lot.”

Senior Justin Guin has been at the center of the story all season. With over 2,300 yards on the ground, Guin finished his final high school season as the top rusher in all of Northern California. He was also a standout as a safety/linebacker rover, helping to lead the Mustangs on both sides of the ball.

To that point, surely any scouting Independence might have done before coming north would have shown that stopping Guin could go a long way to determining the game’s outcome.

Easier said than done.

When a 1-yard touchdown run by Independence quarterback Ladon Denmark tied the game at 14 with 7:59 remaining, San Marin knew who to turn to.

Justin Guin

Story by Ben Enos | Photos by David Gershon 10

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Guin got the ball three times in a row, beginning with a 15-yard run that included a personal foul face mask penalty on Independence. After a 2-yard gain put the ball on the Falcons’ 36, Guin took his next carry right up the middle, broke a tackle at the linebacker level, broke another in the defensive backfield, and with 6:45 left to play, San Marin had the lead once again.

“Amazing. He is the best player on the field at all times,” senior Dominic Mancuso said of his fellow upperclassman. “I love him. He’s one of my great friends and it’s so awesome to see him succeed.”

A missed PAT by San Marin gave Independence hope, but the Mustangs were up to the challenge. The Falcons drove to the San Marin 24-yard line with just under two minutes left only to see a fourth-down heave by Denmark meet the outstretched hand of Mustangs senior Harry Hughes and carom harmlessly to the ground to end the drive.

Just a few seconds later, the celebration was on.

“It’s been a goal since the beginning of the season to go as far as we can because we knew we had a special group of guys,” said quarterback Joey Cook. “It’s crazy to believe we got this far.”

Exactly when the Mustangs’ dream of a state title started to turn from subconscious to realistic is up for debate.

For some who follow the program, it was the 14-point lead that San Marin built against MCAL power Marin Catholic-Kentfield in week eight that signaled a turning point. The Wildcats, who also went on to win a state bowl title, ultimately won that game 21-14 but the Mustangs showed they could compete with one of the state’s traditional heavyweights.

For others, it was a 26-25 win over St. Bernard’s-Eureka in the North Coast Section Di-

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LEFT: San Marin quarterback Joey Cook warms up before the CIF NorCal Regional championship against Sutter.

RIGHT: Several members of the Mustangs are all smiles as they pose with the 5-AA State Championship trophy following the 20-14 win over IndependenceBakersfield.

Ben Enos photo

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vision 5 semifinals that really showed what potential existed. In that instance, Mancuso played the role of hero, grabbing a key interception with a minute left to ice a narrow win.

No matter the timeline, it would be impossible to accuse the Mustangs of being afraid to dream big.

“They’ve always had a mountain they wanted to climb. Whether it be the Marin Catholic mountain, whether it be the NCS champion mountain, whether it be the NorCal mountain,” DiMare said. “Now, the state (championship) mountain was there and in their reach. Was it ever a dream? It’s always a dream. Here at San Marin, we go to win every game and it just so happens this year was the year.”

The win was especially significant for a senior class that includes several players who have played together since they were in grade school.

Wearing San Marin’s yellow and green for the final time would have been emotional under any circumstance, but as they posed for pictures together with medals and a trophy in hand, the moment didn’t take long to sink in.

“We’ve come together since we were Pintos, little seven-year-olds,” Guin said. “We’ve been dreaming of this moment. It feels great.

Wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else.”

Though Guin and his fellow seniors walked off the field with their place in school history secure, chances are the impact of such a historic season will live for quite some time both inside and outside the walls of their Novato school.

That’s usually what happens when a team captures the hearts of an entire community.

“We’ve inspired so many people to be Mustangs. It’s amazing for the community,” Mancuso said. “It brought us all together. It was the best thing ever.”

One of one? More like the first of many. ✪

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FOR THE

FALLEN Vanden Won Its First CIF State Bowl In Wildly Dramatic Fashion And Closed Out An 18-Month Stretch Full Of Pain, Resiliency And Joy Story by Chace Bryson Photos by Dennis Lee & Chace Bryson Follow Us On Twitter & Instagram, Like Us On Facebook!

J

amai East took pictures with family. He took pictures with teammates. He took pictures with cheerleaders and then signed his autograph on a handful of items.

He smiled.

His smile was one of joy, and one of relief. It was the same smile that could be seen on every other Vanden High football player.

Vikings quarterback Tre Dimes wore that same smile as he stood talking to reporters with a football still cradled in his left arm and resting against his side. It was the same football Dimes threw to East for a pair of touchdowns inside the last six minutes of the CIF 3-AA State Bowl Championship Game.

Two touchdowns that led Vanden to a stirring 14-13 comefrom-behind win over visiting Aquinas-San Bernardino.

The Fairfield school’s first ever state football crown closed out one of the most trying chapters in program history.

Over the last four months of 2020, while players were still waiting for a chance to break free from the state’s COVID-related shutdown of high school sports, Vikings assistant coaches Dan Garner and Michael Belk Sr. both passed away. Then on Easter Sunday of 2021, in the midst of the team’s spring season, Vanden junior receiver and safety Daniel Hughes was shot and killed.

This 2021 fall season was dedicated to them. And one doesn’t need to be a Hollywood screenwriter to believe Vanden’s 11th hour turnaround on that chilly Dec. 11 night wasn’t without a heavenly touch.

Dimes believed it.

“He would be so proud of us. So proud of us,” the junior quarterback said of the fallen Hughes, both a football and basketball standout for Vanden. “One thing is he would never stop fighting, no matter the score. He gave me the strength to get through this game. I was struggling. My confidence was very low in the first half. I talked to my brother and I could feel

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ABOVE: Devin Martin cleanly blocks the punt attempt of Aquinas punter Alex Martinez, a fourthquarter play that would change the entire trajectory of the game.

RIGHT: Jamai East (11) arrives at the Vanden sideline as the home crowd wildly celebrates his go-ahead touchdown catch with less than two minutes to go.

him say, ‘You got this. Go win this.’”

Confidence was in short supply throughout the Vanden sideline after three quarters of play.

Aquinas led the game 13-0 and the Falcons’ defense had proven nearly unsolvable. Vanden’s first nine possessions ended in either punts or turnovers. Dimes was sacked six times through the first three quarters.

The Vikings’ seventh punt of the night came with 9:28 left in the game and followed their fifth 3-andout of the night. Hope was also not in great supply.

Then it arrived like a thunderbolt, delivered by the left hand of Devin Martin as it cleanly blocked an Aquinas punt.

“I did my job,” Martin said. “My coach said go block it, and I did it. Step right, took a left and just got my hand up. Just playing football.”

There was a palpable sense of momentum change in the air — despite the fact that Vanden’s offense had done nothing to that point to prove it could capitalize on Martin’s play. But still, the crowd energy surged not unlike the jet engines that fire routinely at Travis Air Force Base just a stone’s throw from the Vanden campus.

“I think everyone felt it. I think the whole stadium felt it,” Martin said of the collective spark that came from his special teams play. “That just rocked the whole stadium. I think everyone here thought, ‘Oh shoot! Something is about to happen.’”

The Vikings took over at the Aquinas 44-yard line, and Dimes suddenly looked locked in. He hit Brayden Chavez for back-to-back first-down throws of 16 and 15 yards. On the third offensive play of the series, Dimes got the defensive look he and East were hoping for. The Aquinas cornerback covering East moved into press coverage.

“Honestly we saw the 1-on-1 matchup and Trey was like, ‘Oh yeah, he can’t take you,’” East said. “So he threw it up and we made it happen.”

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Tre Dimes

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East was able to outleap the Aquinas defender and bring down the fade pass in the back right corner of the end zone with 6:31 to play. It was 13-7.

Vanden’s defense rode the wave and forced Aquinas into a 3-and-out, and the Vikings had the ball back with a chance to take the lead. The game-winning drive began on their own 42-yard line with 4:12 to play.

Senior tailback Sean Davis made the first big play by breaking the first of two big runs on the drive. But after his 13-yard run put the Vikings in Aquinas territory, Dimes was forced into three straight incompletions. Then on 4th-and-10 he found Amarion York for 12 yards.

A 19-yard run by Davis would get the Vikings down to the 11-yard line with 2:55 left. That was followed by a couple of negative plays and things were growing bleak.

But Dimes still had two more throws in him.

“I think he did what he’d been doing all playoffs long,” Vanden coach Sean Murphy said of his quarterback’s poise. “He sat in the pocket. Trusted his offensive line, stepped up and made big throws. I’m really proud of him. His whole game, but especially the fourth quarter.”

Dimes found York for a 15-yard pass that got the ball to the 4-yard line and set up a 4th-and-3.

You got this. Go win this.

“We called for slants, and the offensive line gave me great time,” Dime said. “After that it was time to go into scramble drill and just make a play. Jamai saw me scramble so he broke the receiver off and I just gave the ball to him.”

East immediately dropped the ball in the end zone and took off in a blind sprint toward the Vanden sideline.

“I don’t remember anything after (catching it),” East said laughing. “I remember I ended up on the sideline and I was tired.”

Dimes remembers still being nervous.

“Any special teams makes me nervous,” the quarterback said. “So I actually was over on the sideline on my knees praying that he would make the (PAT) kick.”

Diego Nunez-Smith drilled the point-after kick for a 14-13 lead with 1:08 left to play. Aquinas would make it just two plays into their last possession before East came up with an interception to seal the win.

Close to 30 minutes after the game, Dimes still stood near the 20-yard line — not all that far from where he released his game-winning touchdown pass — still holding the football. He watched as his teammates laughed, hugged and cried.

“It’s been a long journey,” he said. “I love this team.

I’ve been playing with them since sixth grade. It just feels great to win. We put in so much hard work, blood, sweat and tears, and losing people and being tested as a team. It just feels good to be rewarded.” ✪ Follow Us On Twitter & Instagram, Like Us On Facebook!

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FINAL

No. 1 Folsom

TOP

20 FOOT BALL RANKINGS

1. (1) Folsom 11-4

The biggest news of these rankings resides at

Avenged their lone NorCal loss by topping No. 4

the top. In the history of these rankings, Folsom

St. Francis to claim their fourth Central Coast Sec-

becomes the first team other than De La Salle to

tion title since 2016

close the year at No. 1. Despite Serra-San Mateo being given NorCal’s CIF Open Division State

4. (4) St. Francis-Mountain View 11-1

Bowl slot, we had De La Salle slightly above the

Began the year with 11 straight wins. Snapped

Padres based on an overall comparison. Then Folsom came to Concord and defeated De La Salle 28-27 in the 1-AA NorCal regional, and the top three were pretty much set. State bowl game results did lead to some slight movement within the rankings. McClymonds-Oakland hopped three spots into the Top 10. The Warriors dominated their 3-A championship game. Also, 5-AA state bowl champion San Marin-Novato went from unranked to debuting at No. 19.

Lost hard-fought 1-AA State Bowl game 32-21 to Cathedral Catholic-S.D., but these are NorCal rankings. And the Bulldogs had five wins over teams from our final Top 7 (two of them avenged earlier losses).

2. (2) De La Salle-Concord 10-3 Spartans finish with wins over three section champions, and their two NorCal losses coming by a combined four points.

3. (3) Serra-San Mateo 11-2

De La Salle’s 318-game NorCal unbeaten streak.

WCAL champs. (There are four WCAL programs in the Top 13.)

5. (5) Rocklin 12-1 The 51-48 track meet win over St. Mary’s-Stockton was easily a Top 3 game this season. But it may have left them out of gas in a 20-3 section final loss to No. 1 Folsom the following week.

6. (6) Pittsburg 9-3 Pirates caught some bad breaks, but were still the

GET MORE @ SportStarsMag.com Not Satisfied With 20? How About NorCal’s

20

No. 7 Jesuit

clear-cut No. 2 in the North Coast Section by a pretty wide margin. With so many juniors, they should open 2022 as a Top 3 team.

Top 35 Teams From The 2021 Fall Season? We

7. (7) Jesuit-Sacramento 10-2

Can Do That. Comments For All 35? Got That

Only two losses were to No. 1 Folsom. The second one (22-21) came in a section semifinal and

Too! Jump On Over.

required a last-minute score and 2-point conversation by the Bulldogs.

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8. (8) Bellarmine-San Jose 8-4 The Bells opened their season with a 56-41 win over No. 14 MenloAtherton. It was the first of four wins over teams in our final Top 15.

9. (9) Central Catholic-Modesto 13-2 This team won a Sac-Joaquin Section title, and went unbeaten in a Valley Oak League that placed four teams in our Top 35.

10. (13) McClymonds-Oakland 12-1 Perpetually under appreciated, the Warriors just keep winning state bowl titles. This recent one was a 54-7 obliteration of Birmingham-Van Nuys in the 3-A final.

11. (10) St. Mary’s-Stockton 10-2 All three Rams losses were to Top 10 teams, and the last of the three required an incredulous last-minute comeback by No. 5 Rocklin.

12. (11) Los Gatos 10-1 Undefeated SCVAL De Anza League champions suffered their only

No. 2 De La Salle

loss to No. 8 Bellarmine on a last-minute pick six in a CCS Div. I opener.

13. (12) Valley Christian-San Jose 6-5 Only No. 4 St. Francis played No. 3 Serra better than the Warriors; Valley Christian lost to the Padres by 7 and 11. Wins included CCS Div. I champ No. 16 Wilcox-Santa Clara and 4-A State Bowl champ Sacred Heart Cathedral-S.F.

14. (15) Menlo-Atherton-Atherton 9-3 Bears get a small bump after No. 10 McClymonds stormed its way to a 12-1 finish and dominant state bowl win. M-A was the only team to beat Mack this season.

15. (14) Clayton Valley-Concord 9-4 Ugly Eagles won the EBAL-Mountain title for a second straight season before falling to No. 6 Pittsburg in the NCS Div. I final.

16. (16) Vanden-Fairfield 13-2 Vikings delivered the program’s first state bowl title in thrilling, come-

No. 6 Pittsburg

from-behind fashion. Vanden also won its section and regional titles by convincing margins.

17. (17) Wilcox-Santa Clara 10-5 The CCS Div. II champions nearly pulled off an epic comeback in the 2-A state bowl final, surrendering the game-winning TD inside the final 30 seconds.

18. (18) Marin Catholic-Kentfield 14-1 Wildcats bounced Central Valley Christian-Visalia 33-13 to win Marin County’s first state bowl championship. MC’s only loss was to No. 10 McClymonds.

19. (NR) San Marin-Novato 13-1 Mustangs claimed Marin County’s second state bowl title just five hours after Marin Catholic — which was the only team that beat them this season (21-14).

20. (19) Granite Bay 8-3 With its defense leading the way, Granite Bay was a force within the Sierra Foothill League once again. Its 31-21 over No. 1 Folsom kept them in the Top 20. ✪

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T

o become the fourth CIF wrestling champion in Oakdale High history this season, Michigan State-bound Ceasar Garza has to be better than any other California wrestler at his 170-pound

weight class.

Just to be safe, Garza has widened the search.

Since placing seventh at the 2020 state tournament his sophomore year, Oakdale’s No. 1 ranked senior (The California Wrestling Newsletter) has battled elite competition from across the country, representing multiple weight classes.

Garza won the 162-pound California State Finals in June, but the unofficial state championships were held in lieu of a CIF-sanctioned postseason (cancelled because of COVID-19), and essentially was just a strong invitational.

The real prizes — medals with CIF logos — will be awarded in February at Mechanics Bank Arena

in Bakersfield.

It’s where the footsteps of Oakdale’s past state champions can be followed. If Garza upholds his top ranking, he will be the first Mustang champion since Rudi Burtchi took his second straight championship in 2008. Matt Cox also won a title in 2000, and Trevor Machado-Ching did it five years later.

“I know that I want to be one of the best Oakdale wrestlers in history, so I got to keep growing better and better, day by day,” Garza said.

The history is easy for Garza to recall, because he’s lived it.

He was in the building back in 2011 when his cousin Juan Garza rallied alongside teammates Ronnie Stephens, Garrett Fortado, Tanner Feuerstein, Shane Tate, David Ferry, Dustin Harris, Trent Noon and AC Brown to win Oakdale’s second Sac-Joaquin Section Masters title and first since 1964.

Oakdale coach Steve Strange was an honorary

Story & Photos by Ike Dodson 24

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member of the staff at that point, having already departed Central Catholic to take the Oakdale job the following year. He remembers Ceasar building credibility in youth wrestling, and being a part of Oakdale’s traveling entourage.

“Back then he would be running around the stands, the kid could arm-bar anybody at 8,” Strange said. “He was a standout, just one of those kids you knew was going to be something.”

Strange also won a pair of state titles from 1996-97. Though he did it for Hughson, he knows the path well.

“Ceasar has been working hard and focused, made all the national tournaments and has been getting great competition,” Strange said. “He is unique with big dreams and he knows that he can accomplish a lot.

“He just does things that most kids can’t do.”

After winning his CIF medal, Ceasar competed in the Grand River Rumble (Idaho), the Midwest Iron Man Duals (South Dakota), the Grappler Fall Classic (twice, in South Carolina) and Folkstyle Nationals (Iowa). Since the 2021-22 season began in December, Ceasar has wrestled six out-of-state challengers in just three tournaments, and faced opponents ranked No. 1, 2 and 3 in California.

“Getting this level of opposition early in the season gives me an idea of where I am, and what I need to do,” Ceasar said. “It gives me opportunity to keep getting better.

“It’s important that I keep growing off those matches, take things away from them and try to make more seperation from others.”

Ceasar already has two of the biggest matches of the season under his belt. He beat California’s 160-pound No. 2, Calvary Chapel’s Luke Gayer, in triple overtime to win the 170-pound bracket at the La Costa Canyon Hamada Classic in Carlsbad on Dec. 4.

A week later, he dropped a 1-0 thriller against the overwhelming favorite to win the 182-pound CIF bracket, Joseph Martin of Buchanan-Clovis. That match, featuring two of California’s No. 1 ranked wrestlers, went down in the finals of Oakdale’s own James Riddle Classic on Dec. 11.

The pace of Ceasar’s competition is almost unsettling.

After winning the prestigious Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 18, he rounded out a stretch of 75 days with 13 matches against state place winners. Five of those were also ranked in the top 20 in the country.

Let’s take a closer look at that run:

Northern California talent like Peyton Omania (De La Salle-Concord) and Chase Saldate (Gilroy). Through Dec. 18, the two are a combined 17-3 in NCAA matches this year and Saldate is ranked No. 21 in the country. Michigan State is 5-0 in duals and Omania’s gold medal performance helped Michigan State win the Navy Classic on Nov. 20.

The Spartans hold the key to Ceasar’s ultimate goal, to be an NCAA champion.

It’s a long way away, but progress is the only path.

“I think I have definitely matured as a young man,” Ceasar said. “I have become more in love with the sport, and I took advantage of every opportunity with the pandemic taking a year.

“It’s just made me hungrier.”

Ceasar said he has polished his forward pressure and aggression since his sophomore season, improved his stamina and is tougher in the top position.

Strange credited Ceasar’s attention to fundamentals and his quick thinking on the mat. Ceasar’s re-shot, countering an opponent’s aggression with a sudden surge for the legs, is tough to defend.

It’s a style of wrestling that is fantastic for pupils of Oakdale’s club program which Ceasar also coaches, with a big smile and plenty of energy.

“I like coming back into the practice room, helping train the little guys, bringing everybody up in that type of environment,” Ceasar said. “It’s just something I feel special about, just having fun and being yourself.”

Being blessed with a bright future creates a deep list of kudos.

“I just want to thank the Lord, the community in Oakdale, my coaches, my mom (Irma Garza), my dad (Justino Garza) and anyone who has been a big part of this since I was a kid.

“Hopefully this inspires the little kids to keep working.” ✪

10-2 win vs. North Carolina state placer (second) Aiden McCafferty (Whispering Pines, NC) 7-2 and 12-2 wins vs. Ohio state placer (third) Shadrick Slone (Willard, OH) 8-5 win vs. National No. 18 Kodiak Cannedy (Greensville, KY) 3-2 loss vs. National No. 4 Matthew Singleton (Woodward Academy, GA) 11-5 win vs. Tennessee state champ Tre Morrisette (Kingsport, TN) 6-5 win vs. National No. 8 Stoney Buell (Dundee, MI) 3-2 loss vs. National No. 11 Josh Barr (Davison, MI) 2-1 win vs. CA No. 2 Luke Gayer (Calvary Chapel, CA) 18-6 win vs. CA No. 3 Kristian Dove (Franklin, CA) 1-0 loss vs. National No. 7 Joseph Martin (Buchanan, CA) 1:27 pin vs. Utah state placer (fifth) Ethan Hearne (Layton, UT) 11-1 win vs. Oregon state placer (second) Riley Davis (Salem, OR) 11-2 win vs. Idaho state placer (third) Isaiah Twait (Meridian, ID)

It’s the kind of resume that lands you atop ranking boards, and makes you targeted by your opponents.

“Being (ranked) No. 1 just motivates me, because other guys are trying to get you,” Ceasar said. “They know they got to out work you.”

High-level performances also garner collegiate attention.

Ceasar will join a Michigan State program that has thrived with the help of Follow Us On Twitter & Instagram, Like Us On Facebook!

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DOGS IN THE FIGHT

Kainoa Medina, left

Vacaville’s 2021—22 Wrestling Lineup With NorCal Rankings As Of Dec. 21 106 — (NorCal) No. 1 Kainoa Medina, Sr. 113 — No. 2 Tyler Riley, Sr. 120 — No. 3 Logan Valledor, Sr. 126 — No. 2 Casey Roberts, Jr. 132 — Noah Waldren, Sr. 138 — No. 1 Erik Almarinez, Sr. 145 — No. 1 Ethan Birch, Sr. 152 — No. 5 Jason Brauning, Sr. 160 — No. 7 Arjun Nagra, So. 170 — No. 4 Thomas Sandoval, So. 182 — No. 4 Francisco Ochoa, Sr. 195 — No. 5 Logan Kuehl (Rodriguez transfer), Sr. 220 — Jai Guerra, So. 285 — No. 12 Luke Levengood, Sr.

Story & Photos by Ike Dodson

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T

he first time Kainoa Medina, Ethan Birch and Eric Almarinez qualified for the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Wrestling championships, Vacaville set a section record by scoring 262.5 team points.

Three years later, their last trip to Masters could set that record to seemingly unrepeatable heights.

The first release of SportStars’ 2021-22 NorCal wrestling rankings will showcase six Bulldogs atop the SJS field in their respective weights. Four more are listed among the section’s top three, and 12 total grapplers appear among the designated NorCal top 15 for every class.

If Vacaville can get healthy, settle nicely into projected weight classes and wrestle smart, the team could obliterate a 2019 record set by three finalists, two champions and 11 state qualifiers.

Current rankings would project Vacaville to appear in seven SJS finals on Feb. 19 and advance 12 to the CIF championships.

“It’s super rewarding for all the coaches, including (co-head coach Armando Orozco) and I, to coach all these kids who have stayed with it,” Vacaville coach Clint Birch said. “We want this senior year to fulfill everybody’s dream, and these kids have high hopes.

“We are going to do the best we can.”

The potential is the result of Vacaville’s steely determination to thrive during a COVID-19 stymied season last year.

“It speaks to the courage of our kids and parents, because there were a lot of reasons to not stay with it during the whole COVID thing,” Birch said. “There were a lot of people that went and closed all their doors and ran away.

“There were probably eight programs in California that went off and wrestled in other parts of the country — and some of our kids wrestled in 10 states last year.”

Despite great personal costs and inconvenience, Vacaville families embarked on an untraditional season that included ten entries in the USA Wrestling 2021 Juniors & 16U Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota. Just getting into a Fargo bracket is intensely difficult, but Vacaville targeted the Western Regional Championships in North Logan, Utah and attacked the brackets en masse.

“The parents were all in, and now we get to reap a little bit of the reward from those efforts,” Birch said. “That is how you get a special Always More To Read at SportStarsMag.com

group, when they do what nobody else is doing and work when nobody is looking.”

Vacaville has 14 wrestlers who appear in the top 40 of the California Wrestling Newsletter state rankings, and four of them are slated into medal position (top eight).

Cal Baptist-bound Kainoa Medina is listed No. 2 at 113 pounds, but he probably has even more championship potential once he drops to 106, where he was eighth in the state back in 2020.

Clint’s son, Ethan Birch (committed to Saint Cloud State), is ranked fourth in California at 145. He absolutely carries title ambition, but a genuine shot at state would be a tremendous blessing in itself.

Ethan went 0-2 at state his freshman year after battling a serious knee injury that cut his second day short at Masters. A year later, he was poised for serious CIF hardware, but his postseason was ended by the drunk driver that nearly took his life on Highway 99.

A year later COVID-19 took away CIF hopes, leaving Ethan with one final shot to take the podium in Bakersfield.

Ethan’s sparring partner, 138-pound Eric Almarinez, is ranked sixth in the state. He could climb that list after going unseeded into the prestigious Reno Tournament of Champions and winning six consecutive matches to claim the tourney crown on Dec. 18.

Clint had predicted some bracket-busting by Vacaville wrestlers before the tournament, and the Bulldogs hit the mark. On ten occasions, unseeded Vacaville wrestlers defeated competitors that had earned favorable spots in the bracket by placing at their respective state championships or winning medals at Reno TOC in prior years.

Despite three injury-defaults from the tournament, and two missing starters, Vacaville won five medals and placed eighth in a field of 106 top programs from across the country.

“All the issues we have, like health, match intelligence, getting everyone we need in the lineup, all kept us from really breaking out,” Clint said. “But we were super pleased at how hard and competitively our kids wrestled.”

The Bulldogs also saw medals from Logan Valledor (fifth at 120), Thomas Sandoval (sixth-170), Tyler Riley (seventh-113) and Arjun Nagra (seventh-160).

“Our young guys at 160/170 really showed they are varsity ready.

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Logan Valledor, right

Wrestler Rankings Weight Class Top 5s These rankings reflect results through Dec. 18.

106 POUNDS 1 Kainoa Medina, Sr., Vacaville (SJS) 2 Isaiah Cortez, Fr., Gilroy (CCS) 3 Victor Ramirez, Jr., Central CatholicModesto (SJS) 4 Zack Hooker, Fr., Laguna Creek-Elk Grove (SJS) 5 Bryan Gudino, Sr., Lower Lake (NCS)

113 POUNDS

Eric had a wonderful tournament and proved he has state champ talent,” Clint said. “Tyler and Logan just keep getting better and better. So, like always, we’ll spend the next seven weeks trying to correctly put the puzzle together and hopefully be ready for postseason.”

Vacaville was also fifth at the Clovis West Shootout on Nov. 20 (missing four starters), handily won their host Larry Nelson Classic (a dual tournament) on Dec. 4 and won the Bay Area 58 (48 teams) by exactly doubling the team score (324) of the next closest team (Castro Valley had 162).

Vacaville likely doesn’t have the roster to take down California juggernaut Buchanan-Clovis (12 projected placers) and win the program’s second ever CIF team title (they did it in 2007).

Clint has set a team goal of earning one of the coveted CIF plaques awarded to the top four teams in the state. It’s a benchmark Vacaville has reached just five times, and last achieved in 2013.

The goal shouldn’t distract from day-today operations.

“We do a pretty good job of staying in the moment, and enjoying that moment,” Clint said. “The kids come to practice excited, not worried about something being taken away from them.

“They are going for it.”

Vacaville will be California’s only representative at the best Dual Meet tournament in the country, The Clash National HS Duals XIX, on Jan. 7 and 8 at the Rochester Regional Sports Center in Minnesota.

It’s the kind of action that will propel the Bulldogs toward the 2022 postseason with intentions of busting more brackets. ✪

1 Elijah Cortez, Fr., Gilroy (CCS) 2 Tyler Riley, Sr., Vacaville (SJS) 3 Kekoa Ogawa, Fr., Central Catholic (SJS) 4 Jackson Calvert, Sr., Franklin-Elk Grove (SJS) 5 Ethan Ward, Jr., Turlock (SJS)

120 POUNDS 1 Aden Valencia, So., Sobrato-Morgan Hill (CCS) 2 Clarence Moore, Jr., Gilroy (CCS) 3 Logan Valledor, Sr., Vacaville (SJS) 4 Bobby Cuevas Jr., Sr., De La Salle-Concord (NCS) 5 Eziequel Vela, So., Oakdale (SJS)

170 POUNDS 1 Ceasar Garza, Sr., Oakdale (SJS) 2 Kristian Dove, Sr., Franklin (SJS) 3 Daniil Gorshkov, Sr., Los Gatos (CCS) 4 Thomas Sandoval, So., Vacaville (SJS) 5 Angelo Esposito, Sr., Northgate-Walnut Creek (NCS)

126 POUNDS

182 POUNDS

1 Michael Torres, Sr., Oakdale (SJS) 2 Casey Roberts, Jr., Vacaville (SJS) 3 Daniel Zepeda, Fr., Gilroy (CCS) 4 Talon Niimi, Jr., Granite Bay (SJS) 5 Bryce Luna, So., St Francis-Mountain View (CCS)

1 Ruben Valenzuela, Sr., Central ValleyCeres (SJS) 2 Toure Hendrick, Sr., Folsom (SJS) 3 Naeem Salemi, Sr., Granada (NCS) 4 Francisco Ochoa, Sr., Vacaville (SJS) 5 Oscar Alfaro, Jr., Gilroy (CCS)

132 POUNDS

195 POUNDS

1 Damion Elliott, Sr., Del Oro-Loomis (SJS) 2 Jonathon Hernandez, Jr., Oakdale (SJS) 3 EJ Parco, So., Los Gatos (CCS) 4 Moses Mirabal, So., Gilroy (CCS) 5 Kevin Lopez, Sr., Elk Grove (SJS)

138 POUNDS

152 POUNDS

1 Erik Almarinez, Sr., Vacaville (SJS) 2 Donte Lopez, Sr., Gilroy (CCS) 3 Ryan Luna, Sr., St. Francis-Mountain View (CCS) 4 Elijah Montez, Jr., Gregori-Modesto (SJS) 5 Jacob Yang, Sr., Sheldon-Sacramento (SJS)

1 Jackson Morgan, Sr., Granada-Livermore (NCS) 2 Gavin Fernandez, Jr., De La Salle (NCS) 3 Ammar Khan, Jr., Franklin-Elk Grove (SJS) 4 Payne Perkins, Jr., Oakdale (SJS) 5 Jason Brauning, Sr., Vacaville (SJS)

145 POUNDS 1 Ethan Birch, Sr., Vacaville (SJS) 2 Andre Dargoni, Sr., Clayton Valley-Concord (NCS) 3 Carlos Gallardo, Sr., Foothill-Palo Cedro (NS) 4 Max Wise, Jr., Foothill-Pleasanton (NCS) 5 Gavin Smith, Jr., Chico (NS)

160 POUNDS 1 Timothy Cowan, Sr., Livermore (NCS) 2 Casey Aikman, Sr., Ukiah (NCS) 3 Micah Porter, Jr., Gilroy (CCS) 4 Brayden Schumann, Sr., Orland (NS) 5 Donovan Wallace, Sr., Evergreen ValleySan Jose (CCS)

1 Cody Merrill, So., Gilroy (CCS) 2 Braumon Creighton, Sr., Palo Alto (CCS) 3 Ben Vega-Sanchez, Jr., Foothill-Palo Cedro (NS) 4 Misha Lomboy, Sr., Palma-Salinas (CCS) 5 Logan Kuehl, Sr., Vacaville (SJS)

220 POUNDS 1 Nolan Frank, Jr., Elk Grove (SJS) 2 Donn Greer, Sr., Soledad (CCS) 3 Jack Clarke, Sr., Castro Valley (NCS) 4 Stefan Bakiev, Jr., De La Salle (NCS) 5 Jack Parrot, Sr., Turlock (SJS)

285 POUNDS 1 TJ Takafua, Sr., Fremont-Sunnyvale (CCS) 2 Manny Zavala, Sr., Sierra-Manteca (SJS) 3 Bobby Piland, Sr., Rocklin (SJS) 4 Ashton Patterson, Sr., Turlock (SJS) 5 Xavier Bruening, Sr., Burlingame (CCS) ✪

Elk Grove’s Kevin Lopez (top) and Oakdale’s Jonathon Hernandez.

MORE AT SPORTSTARSMAG.COM: See an expanded Top 15 wrestlers for each weight class on Dec. 22, and look for bi-monthly updates beginning in early January.

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