NorCal Issue 206, April 2022 by Sport Stars Magazine

APRIL 2022 VOL. 13 ISSUE 206 NORCAL EDITION

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Arena Was Proving Ground For More Than Players

uch of this issue focuses on the first state basketball championships since March of 2019. Northern California had a particularly good weekend, grabbing the title in seven of the 12 finals. Many of the winning — and losing — coaches spoke of simply how grateful they were to have the experience after the pandemic-related adversity of the past two seasons. As someone who has covered high school basketball closely for more than 20 years, I feel I can safely say a lot of the media members who showed up at Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center on March 11-12 felt the same way. On March 19, one week after the 2022 state championships wrapped, another event was held in Sacramento. The Sacramento Kings held an event for fans to bid farewell to the organization’s old home, Arco Arena. The venue that hosted the team and several other events from 1988-2016 is finally scheduled for demolition. While not an avid Kings fan, Arco Arena will always be a sentimental place for me. In March of 2000, it became the first professional arena I attended as a credentialed reporter. I was still a student at Humboldt State University, working as a stringer for the Eureka Times-Standard. Hoopa High, a small school on a Native American reservation about 40 minutes Northwest of Eureka, reached the CIF Div. V state championship. The paper inquired if I wanted to drive the approximate fiveplus hours to cover the game. I couldn’t say ‘Yes’ fast enough. Hoopa lost the game 71-66 to PriceLos Angeles, but was extremely competitive throughout. A little less than a year later, I would become a full time reporter in the Bay Area. Nine months after that I would be named the newspaper’s boys basketball beat writer — and Arco Arena became an annual March pilgrimage from 2002-2016. I always loved how media members would enter the arena at court level and walk to their seats through the tunnel behind the basket at the north end of the floor. It never got old. Certainly there were some very memorable games during that stretch, too. These were the first two that came to my mind when as I thought back: 2006 DIVISION I BOYS — De La Salle-Concord defeated Clovis West-Fresno 43-40. My seat was in the front row, just one spot removed from the Spartans bench. De La Salle point guard Justin Joyner went to the free throw line with 7.7 seconds left and a chance to seal the win. The team had missed its last three free throw attempts, which prompted Coach Frank Alocco Sr. to turn to me and a handful of other writers. “Tell me if he makes it,” he said. Joyner, of course, made both. 2009 DIVISION IV BOYS — Easily the most exciting finish to any of the state finals I covered at Arco. Salesian-Richmond forward Desmond Simmons had 31 points and 19 rebounds. The 19th rebound came with 7 seconds left and led to a frantic transition that concluded with Kendall Andrews scoring a game-winning layup at the buzzer as the Pride defeated Bishop Montgomery-Torrance 65-64. Other notable memories: College Park-Pleasant Hill boys reaching the Div. II finals as a No. 11 seed in 2013; An underdog Monte Vista-Danville boys team grinding out a 66-55 win over Centennial-Corona in the 2014 Div. I final; Miramonte-Orinda girls phenom — and now WNBA star — Sabrina Ionesscu sinking a half-court buzzer beater to close the opening half of the 2016 Open Div. championship. ✪

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6.3.17 Josh White delivers a pitch for Monte Vista-Danville during the 2017 North Coast Section Division I championship game against De La Salle-Concord at Saint Mary’s College. Now in his junior year at Cal, White has grown into a dominant ace for the Golden Bears. He earned Collegiate Baseball National Player Of The Week honors on Feb. 21, and Baseball American lists him as one of the Top 200 prospects for the 2022 draft this June. Berry Evans III photo

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After Qualifying Nine Teams For The 18U Nationals, NCVA Gets Set To Hand Out Bids To The Rest Of USA Volleyball’s Girls Junior Nationals

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trip to Reno in early March was well worthwhile for nine 18U girls volleyball programs. The Northern California Volleyball Association’s Sierra National Qualifier delivered

nine qualifying bids to the USA Volleyball Girls 18s Junior National Championship in Phoenix from April 22-24. The nine teams headed to seek national glory in the desert are A4 Volleyball Club’s 18 Joaco, Bakersfield Volleyball Club’s 18 Judy, Dig This! Volleyball Club’s 18 Black-Jaz, Mountain View Volleyball Club’s 18 Red, Pulse Volleyball Club’s 18 Black, Rage Volleyball’s 18 Cory/Katie, Rage Westside Volleyball’s 18 Michelle, SoCal Athletics Volleyball’s 18 Iona and Xceleration Volleyball’s 18 BluT. Now NCVA is preparing to once again make Reno a gateway to national championship contention. The organization’s long-running Far Westerns National Qualifier will take place over two separate April weekends at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center. On the line will be qualifying berths to the USA Volleyball Girls National Championships in Indianapolis from June 23-July 4. The opening weekend of April 23-25 will play host to the 11U-15U divisions. There will be two divisions for 11U, three for 12U, five for 13U and 14U, and three for 15U. The second weekend of competition will run from April 29-May 1 and offer qualifying bids in the 15U-17U divisions. The 15U Open and 15 USA Divisions will be joined by five divisions in both 16U and 17U. There will be two 18U divisions (Prime and Select) that will not offer bids. Both weekends will also offer the same recruiting combine offered at the Sierra National Qualifier. The Far Westerns Elite Potential Recruiting Combines will take palace from 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. on April 22 and April 28 at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center. The recruiting combine is a “video-only combine.” This means that all participating players will be filmed during drills and skills work. Then a recording that includes the player’s contact information will be distributed to every NCAA Division I program. Players who will be competing at the event and are interested in attending the combine can register on the Sierra National Qualifier event page at https://ncva.com/farwestern/. The combine is open to girls from 8th grade through high school. There is a $109 registration fee. For more information on all of NCVA’s upcoming events, be sure to visit NCVA.com ✪

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Makiah Asidanya (below), Kaylie Edge (middle), Neveah Asiasi (top right) and Silivia Fonongaloa. Story by Chace Bryson | Photos by David Gershon

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Behind A Strength-In-Numbers Approach, Salesian Girls Basketball Navigated A Frustrating And Demanding Season To Win The Program’s First State Title

he morning after winning his first state championship in four tries, Salesian High girls basketball coach Steve Pezzola was on a flight to Vicksburg, Mississippi. He and his wife were visiting their daughter Genevieve, a member of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It was Genevieve who helped Pezzola truly feel the impact of winning the CIF Division I championship victory over Windward-L.A the day before. “When I got there, seeing her excitement over what we’d one, I was like ’Wow, we really indeed did it,’” Pezzola said by phone nine days following his team’s big win. This title, which was earned through a 62-51 victory on March 11 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, was always going to take awhile to sink in for the coach of the Pride. Primarily because of the three previous empty trips — all in consecutive years from 2012 to 2014 — and the fact that nothing about the 2021-22 was normal for the team that calls Richmond home. Kaylie Edge

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Between positive COVID tests, other illnesses and a number of canceled games, there was nearly a month of the season in which Salesian was forced to go without its regular season routine. “It still boggles my mind,” Pezzola said. “There were something like 20-25 days of not doing what we normally do.” The team went 22 days between games from Dec. 30 to Jan. 21. And not everybody returned at full health until the CIF Northern Regional playoffs. That’s when the Pride was handed the top seed in Division I and won its first three games by an average of 30 points. Then in the NorCal final against St. Ignatius, the team rallied from a ninepoint, fourth-quarter deficit to win 52-48. “We just started to play like we expected to play all season,” Pezzola said. “Play together, and any given play someone else stepped up. They each had one goal in mind, that was to win the basketball game. … They were all team focused. That’s what got us to where we did.” But where did this journey start? It started with Pezzola keeping 14 players on the roster for the first time in his career. The decision wasn’t easy for the long tenured coach. “I struggled with it initially, because as a coach, I want every one of my players to understand that any given day they can be called upon to play a significant role in the game,” he said. “The larger the roster, the harder it is to make them believe that.”

Steve Pezzola

focused knowing their number would be called. Then when it was, they stepped up and did the best for the team. “It was the starters understanding that a few of their minutes would be taken by people coming in to fill a role, and then being super loud in support of them. Realizing they’d be better served by getting a rest, and just screaming their guts out for those on the floor.” It was actually the reactions and support from

“It was the starters understanding that a few of their minutes would be taken by people coming in to fill a role, and then being super loud in support of them. Realizing they’d be better served by getting a rest, and just screaming their guts out for those on the floor.” — Coach Steve Pezzola But not only did the players believe it, they adopted a motto of “Strength In Numbers.” Though the team lost junior guard D’yani Bernstine to a knee injury early in the season, the rest of the roster bonded together through adversity and what Pezzola likes to call “playing for the Sisterhood.” “We often had 12 or 13 girls in games,” the coach said. “Maybe my strongest memories of this group will be how the girls were able to stay Follow Us On Twitter & Instagram, Like Us On Facebook!

the bench that moved Pezzola the most in the few parts of the state final that he was able to rewatch. “They were going crazy,” he said with a chuckle. Windward scored the first basket of the game and held a pair of very early leads. After Salesian tied the game at 6-6 on a driving layup by junior Nevaeh Asiasi, the Pride would never trail again. It was 25-22 at the half despite the fact that Salesian was shooting under 35 percent from the field and were 0-for-8 from behind the 3-point line. Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

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Everything came together in the third period, though, as Salesian shot 9 of 13 from the field and nailed two 3s. Pride standout senior post Silivia Fonongaloa, who only fully returned to her best health prior to the state playoffs, asserted her will as Salesian outscored Windward 23-12 in the quarter. “I feel like I got myself together,” Fonongaloa said of her standout CIF postseason after fighting illness late in the regular season and section playoffs. “Coming into the (state) playoffs, I knew I had to work and do what I do best. I feel like I came back for the playoffs.” She finished with a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds in the state final, doing so in just 21 minutes of action. “Via is such an inspiration to all of Silivia Fonongaloa our girls with what she does,” Pezzola said. “It was such a rough season for her. She was healthy and ready when we were stuck in our hiatus. Then as soon as we were ready to come out of it, she got sick. But when she has her conditioning and energy together — like she did in the NorCal tournament — she’s a force.” Fonongaloa led the Pride in both points and rebounds while Asiasi and Makiah Asidanya both scored 11. Kaylie Edge added seven points and seven rebounds. However, the state final’s official stat sheet truly showed the team’s strength-in-numbers approach. Twelve girls played. Eight scored. Nine pulled down at least one rebound. And in a joyful press conference after the game, all 13 reveled in talking about teaching Coach Pezzola “The Gritty” dance — which he delivered, as promised, during the on-court celebration. Word of the coach’s rhythm has already spread. “I was introduced to someone in San Francisco just recently, and before (my friend) could even get my name out, the guy asked, ‘Are you going to do The Gritty for me?,’” Pezzola said incredulously. But what spread most quickly in the aftermath of the Pride’s win was the excitement and shout-outs from former Salesian players. Their program and coach were finally hanging a banner next to the two brought home by the boys program in 2009 and 2012. After the game, the press conference, a photo session with the trophy, and being doused in water by his players, Pezzola stepped out into a hallway and finally turned his phone back on. It began a seemingly endless string of vibrations. “It was remarkable,” he said. “It was a group of texts from former players congratulating me and the team. Many said how thankful they were to be part of a program that got to win the state championship. So many kind words and kind thoughts toward me and sharing how much the school had meant to them. That was special.” Maybe the program was about Strength in Numbers all along. Yet this was the team to do it, and it took everybody to pull it off. “It feels great to win,” Fonongaloa said during the postgame press conference. “It was a team effort.” ✪ 12

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Sierra Canyon, Star A Guard Too Much For NorCal’s Best

rchbishop Mitty girls basketball coach Sue Phillips kept her word March 12 in the bowels of Golden 1 Center — after a 24-point loss and her team giving up the most points in her illustrious 29-year coaching

Archbishop Mitty falls to nation’s third-ranked team in CIF Open Div State Championship Morgan Cheli

career. Her Monarchs dropped an 85-61 game to Sierra Canyon-Chatsworth, the No. 3 team in the nation, due largely to the country’s top junior player, Juju Watkins, a picturesque 6-foot-2 whirlwind of basketball artistry. Watkins’ stat line was staggering and complete: 23 points, 19 rebounds, six assists, six blocks and three steals. Phillips, whose resume over three decades is also filled with impressive numbers — 751 wins, 30 Central Coast Section, 13 Northern California and six state titles — honored Watkins and her talented teammates abundantly. She coached Watkins in USA Basketball camps, knew of her vast skills and matching intensity. But knowing and slowing were mutually exclusive in this case. So rather than focus on the humbling defeat or her team’s 29 percent shooting following a brilliant 30-2 season and 21 straight victories, she took a bigpicture stance. She always has, frankly, but earlier in the week she noted that the pandemic taught her to take even a wider view, one of gratefulness and being present. Yes, the Monarchs lost decisively and they perhaps didn’t play their best. But they were there in the state’s final game, playing in an NBA arena, with thousands of fans and a regional television audience looking on. It surely beat being isolated at home in lockdown or playing with masks in an empty gym. “The world has changed over the past two years,” Phillips told a host of reporters after the game. “For us to be here today is truly a blessing. While we’re incredibly disappointed with the outcome, we are extremely grateful to be here.” It wasn’t like the Monarchs flung the game away. They committed just 10 turnovers, and forced 11, and battled evenly on the boards, losing 44-43. As these games tend to go, it largely came down to shooting. The Trailblazers shot nearly 50 percent (30 of 61) from the floor. More importantly, an even 50 on 3-pointers (10-for-20). Mitty’s percentages were well below at 22-for-77 and 6-for-24. They simply couldn’t slow Sierra Canyon, which also got big games from Christy Reynoso (14 points), Mckinley Randolph (13) and Izela Arenas and Leia Edwards, 12 apiece. Reynoso drilled all four three-pointers she tried. Randolph and Arenas, who hit a variety of shots, are the daughters of former NBA players Zach and Gilbert, respectively, who were both at courtside. “Early on, I knew the pace and the way they were scoring was problematic,” Phillips said. “Yet the girls kept fighting.” As they did all year. Makayla Moore, who was brilliant in the team’s resounding comeback win over Pinewood-Los Altos Hills to win the CCS title, led Mitty with 14 points and nine rebounds. Morgan Cheli, one of the state’s top sophomores and the West Catholic Athletic League Player of the Year, added 11 points and seven rebounds. Siena Guttadauro contributed 10 points and Noemie Bariteau and Maya Hernandez combined for 18 points. Besides two games with nationally ranked La Jolla Country Day, the 61 points were the most against Sierra Canyon this season. It simply wasn’t enough. Nearly so. “We tried to pick them up in full-court because that’s what we do,” Phillips said. “Speeding them up gave them numbers at times. We couldn’t keep the ball in front of us. …. Sierra Canyon was just fantastic.” With Cheli leading seven girls back, the Monarchs could very well be back to Golden 1 in 2023. Likely, Sierra Canyon (30-2) will be back also. Besides Watkins, who transferred in as a junior, the entire roster should be back minus one senior. The Trailblazers will likely be the preseason No. 1 ranked in the country. Said Cheli: “They got the best of us today but it was an awesome season. I’m proud of our team and the work we put in.” ✪ — By Mitch Stephens

Mitch Stephens is a senior writer at MaxPreps and content provider for The San Francisco Chronicle. Follow Us On Twitter & Instagram, Like Us On Facebook!

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With A Talented And Ambitious Core Of Seniors Leading The Way, The Elk Grove Boys Delivered The Programs First State Title

here was really no other way for the Elk Grove boys’ basketball season to end. The Thundering Herd celebrating the program’s firstever CIF State Basketball Championship on the Golden1 Center court was a storybook ending that was written long before the final buzzer sounded. “We knew from the start of the season that we could do great things,” senior guard Karlos Zepeda said. “We never doubted that we could win state.” The Herd’s swagger was built more on confidence than cockiness. Led by a tight-knit group of four seniors that grew up together on the basketball court, Elk Grove overcame every obstacle to come out on top. But one has to read the early chapters of the story to appreciate the ending. Zepeda, Ameere Britton, DaJon Lott, Jr., and Jordan Hess began playing basketball together in AAU and by the time the foursome was in middle school, they formed a bond they wanted to build on all the way through high school. The group made a commitment to play together and build something at Elk Grove High where hoops have taken a backseat to football, baseball, and even wrestling for most of the current century. Bill Catrwright put Elk Grove basketball on the map in the 1970s, but Herd hoops had not seen much of a heyday since then. “We stuck together to all play at Elk Grove” said Lott, a 6-foot-8 forward who chose the Herd over his neighborhood school, Valley High. The group committed to see it through for four years — no transfers and no quitting. It did not take long for the pieces to come together and for the confidence to start building. In the group’s second season, Elk Grove posted a 21-9 record and fell to Grant-Sacramento in the second round of the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs. It was the Herd’s first winning season in four years, but the Herd made progress in competing with the league and section heavyweights. After losing their first game against local powerhouse Sheldon-Sacramento 81-35, Elk Grove regrouped to hold the Huskies to just 58 points in their second Delta League showdown and won their playoff opener over Tracy. The strides that the program was making under head coach Dustin Monday and a maturing young core of players boosted expectations for the 2020 season. But, when COVID hit, seasons were delayed and eventually shortened to a disappointing league-focused campaign. Elk Grove finished 10-1, including a 67-57 win over Sheldon, but the Herd knew that an opportunity to build momentum was lost. But the momentum and confidence was renewed when sports were slated to return for the foursome’s last ride. “In our sophomore year, chemistry and talent-wise we weren’t there yet, but we were winning games,” Lott said. “In our junior season, we could have gone to State, too, but that was the COVID season.” “So for our senior year, we knew that we could not go out on a loss.” 16

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Dajon Lott

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Elk Grove Thundering Herd 28-6, 11-1 Delta League champions Lost to Grant in SJS D-2 semifinals Won D-2 State Championship PLAYOFFS Sac-Joaquin Section: W vs. Atwater 67-44, W vs. Jesuit 60-51, L vs. Grant (neutral site) 62-55 (OT) NorCal W vs. Clovis East 57-50 W vs. San Ramon Valley 59-55 W vs. Vanden 42-40 W vs. Branson-Ross 60-54 (NorCal Final) State Final: (@ Golden1 Center – Sacramento) W vs. Foothill-Santa Ana 62-56 Stats: Team 8-17 (47%) 3-pointers; Hess 3-6; Zepeda 2-4 Ameere Britton, G/W, 6-2, 195 18.3 ppg (led team); 6.1 rpg; 4.7 assist/g 20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists in State Final 21.8 ppg in playoffs DaJon Lott, Jr., F/W. 6-8, 215 12.4 ppg, 10.8 reb (led team), 2.4 blk/g 17 pts, 14 reb in NorCal Final Karlos Zepeda, G, 5-9, 160 9.2 ppg, 3.3 reb, 2.5 ast 17 pts in State Final, including game-icing FTs Jordan Hess, G, 5-7, 130 7.8 ppg 14 pts. In State Final

Ameere Britton

The team’s aspirations were high and shared among the entire roster before the 2021-2022 season began. Players stated goals of Delta League and Sac-Joaquin Section championship, but Lott took it one step further. Perhaps the greatest optimist or biggest dream-chaser, Lott, who goes by “Money” to everyone who knows him, was not satisfied with the team’s aspirations and unveiled his “Road to State” mantra. “Before the season even started, guys were talking about needing to win section, and I was like ‘Nah, it’s the Road to State,’” Lott said. That road was smooth to begin the season as Elk Grove raced out to an 8-1 start in mostly tournament action before dropping a pair of games to Dublin and Inderkum-Sacramento. The Herd would rebound and opened league play with a 66-64 road victory over Sheldon and finished tied with the Huskies for the Delta League title with identical 11-1 records. Home playoff wins over Atwater and Jesuit-Carmichael placed Elk Grove into the Section Division II semifinals with a showdown with Grant-Sacramento, the team that eliminated the Herd in the last playoff game they played. A back-and-forth contest needed an overtime period to decide the winner, and the Pacers dashed the Herd’s section title dreams. But, because Elk Grove advanced to the section semifinals, they were assured a spot in the regional playoffs. “We were hurt and disappointed that we would not win a section championship, but we knew that we weren’t done,” Britton said of the team’s biggest adversity. “We weren’t afraid of anyone.” When the NorCal playoff pairings were released, Elk Grove’s resume spoke volumes and the Herd were the top seed in Division II while Grant was placed in the Division I field. So, Elk Grove regrouped and got right back on its Road to State. “After losing at home to Grant in the playoffs, we all talked and watched film together,” Hess said of the transition from section to regional and state playoffs. “We knew what we had to do, and as seniors, we knew that we had to step up as a group.” The seniors and the team as a whole did just that. Elk Grove opened with a relatively easy 67-50 win 18

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Karlos Zepeda

over Clovis East, and followed with a pair of narrow victories over San Ramon Valley-Danville and Vanden-Fairfield. As the No. 1 seed, Elk Grove would host second-seeded Branson-Ross in the familiar confines of their own gymnasium. The Herd trailed all game and entered the final quarter down by two points before outscoring Branson 24-16 in the final eight minutes to win 60-54 and earn the right to continue their Road to State. Britton led all scorers with 25 points and Lott added 17 points and 14 rebounds. Zepeda tallied 12 points which included a 7-for-7 performance at the free throw line to ice the game. On the biggest stage, Elk Grove trailed only once — a 22-20 deficit in the second quarter — and held off Foothill-Santa Ana to achieve its ultimate goal of winning the state championship. “The whole journey was amazing,” Hess said of the postseason. “It was hard at times to stay in the moment and remain focused, but we played in lots of tournaments and big games growing up, so we were comfortable with the atmosphere.” “Winning NorCal was a different feeling,” Lott said. “Winning in front of our home crowd to go to state was amazing, but winning state was the cherry on top. It was the icing on the cake.” The spoils of a state victory included a visit from a Sacramento morning television show, after which the entire team watched the tape of the state final as a group. The gathering provided the team an opportunity to reflect on the season, and thank their coaches, especially Monday, who was always quick to put the spotlight on his players all season long. “He gives a lot of the credit to us and it was our chance to thank him for all that he did,” Lott said .”He knew that we had talent, but he got us all to buy in and come together as a team.” After the film session ended, the realization that the journey was over, especially for the seniors, finally hit. Monday announced that there would be no more practices and called on “Money” Lott to put an official end to the season with one final break—a huddle with a quick “1, 2, 3 ... Herd!”. A fitting finish. ✪ — Story by Jim McCue | David Gershon Follow Us On Twitter & Instagram, Like Us On Facebook!

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2022 All-NorCal The return of wrestling was a resounding success for many of the grapplers represented by SportStars’ NorCal coverage. Some shined a little more than others.

Championships at Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield, 73 Northern California wrestlers found their way onto a CIF medal podium, and eight of them came away with gold.

After three days of the combined Boys-Girls CIF Wrestling

And once again, NorCal girls stole the show.

Leah Brown

GIRLS MOST VALUABLE WRESTLER

GIRLS BREAKOUT WRESTLER OF THE YEAR

LEAH BROWN, SR., WHITNEY-ROCKLIN (SJS)

KAIULANI GARCIA, SO., GILROY

The 150-pound senior sensation enjoyed a dream season that

Garcia was bested in the CIF finals by Kalila Shrive of West-Tracy,

culminated with the first state championship in Whitney’s 19-year

but she was the only underclassman in the girls brackets to see a

history (in any sport). She was a perfect 30-0 and pinned every

match under the famed state spotlight. She was a Super 32 cham-

opponent she faced. That technically added up to 29 pins, since

pion with spectacular national prestige and would have very likely

she won by decision against Gregori’s Mikayla Lancaster in the CIF

medaled last year, if not for a cancelled postseason. She will be a

semifinals, but had also pinned Lancaster the week prior. Brown is

serious gold medal favorite next year.

headed to the University of Cumberlands to continue her wrestling career. 20

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Wrestler Awards Forty-four NorCal girls took home medals (boys had 29), while girls also outnumbered boys champions, 6-2.

Note: SportStars NorCal coverage includes the Central Coast, North Coast, Sac-Joaquin, Northern, Oakland and San Francisco sections. ✪ — By Ike Dodson

Below are the four recipients of special “Most Valuable Wrestler” and “Breakout Wrestler” recognition.

BOYS MOST VALUABLE WRESTLER

BOYS BREAKOUT WRESTLER OF THE YEAR

Ceasar Garza, Sr., Oakdale (SJS)

SAM HINOJOSA, JR., STAGG-STOCKTON (SJS)

One of just two champions in the boys brackets, Garza earns sta-

The lowest seed among CIF boys to make the state finals was

tus as our “Most Valuable Wrestler” for his tenacious hunt for elite

incredible in the biggest moments. A week after stunning medal fa-

competition. His record is loaded with state medal winners (and

vorite Manny Zavala of Sierra, 15th CIF seed Hinojosa pinned No. 2

not just Californians) and he lost only one match to California com-

seed and Central Section champ Javier Martinez of Dinuba, edged

petition this year. It’s the same wrestler who won the 182-pound

out No. 7 seed Andrew Prado of Mayfair 3-0, and bested Aiden Roe

bracket at state, Buchanan’s Joseph Martin. That match was de-

of De La Salle-Concord 2-1 in the state semifinals. Considering Hi-

cided in overtime. Garza is bound for Michigan State after two CIF

nojosa didn’t even start wrestling this year until Jan. 14, he defines

medals in his last two seasons on the mat.

what it means to be a “Breakout Wrestler.

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Hector Serrano Martin

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Robbie Mora

hen Joel Williams took over as the varsity soccer coach at Whitney High School, his vision was to help elevate the Wildcats to become one of the top soccer programs — not just in the Sac-Joaquin Section, but throughout the region and state. So it was fitting when Williams and his team reached the CIF Northern Regional Div. I final, they lined up against a program and coach that represented that very goal. And has so for decades. If the Wildcats were going to reach the apex of NorCal soccer in 2022, it was going to require beating Central Coast Section champion Watsonville and longtime coach Roland Hedgpeth. Hedgpeth has coached soccer for more than five decades and entered the contest with 695 wins and hopes of No. 696 as he nears his 80th birthday. “Roland is a Hall-of-Famer,” Williams said. “I told him before the game that it was just an honor to be able to come out and compete with him. You look at him and some of the other coaches (in Northern California) like Paul (Rose) at Jesuit who have had great, lengthy careers … If you can have a program like that, and have that success, then it’s all worthwhile.” Saturday’s championship match proved he’s off to a great start. Williams and the Whitney boys soccer program got a huge boost in respect and recognition with a 3-1 victory over Watsonville in front of a full stadium of supporters of both schools. The Wildcats added the NorCal title to their Sierra Foothill League and Sac-Joaquin Section championships, and earned more than just hardware for their efforts. “For us, we wanted to gain respect for our league and for our area, and just to show that we do play some pretty good football up here,” Williams added. With its first-ever team championship at the regional or state level since the school opened in 2005, Whitney also became

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the first Sacramento-area boys’ soccer team to claim the Div. I NorCal title. CIF began holding Northern regional championships in 2018. The victory capped an impressive season in which the Wildcats finished with a 21-2-2 record, and went unbeaten once the calendar changed over to 2022. Despite a couple of early road losses to Davis and Jesuit, every member of the Wildcats staff and team knew a CIF title was an attainable goal. In fact, freshman coach Ryan Balbi called the shot four years ago. That’s when the Wildcats’ Class of 2022 first hit the pitch on the Rocklin campus. Balbi, who has been with Williams at Whitney since 2014, told the varsity coach that the program had officially “turned the corner” when the new class of players arrived in 2018. “My freshman coach called it early and said that this class, when they were seniors, can win a state championship,” Williams said. “We knew they were pretty special to begin with.” But the road to the historic win was not a smooth one. Whitney reached the section semifinals in 2019 and lost in the second round of the SJS playoffs the following year. The junior year for the group of 14 seniors on this year’s team was lost to COVID. There was a brief spring season but no playoffs. . The bumps in the road did not deter the Wildcats’ senior class from remaining confident in their abilities and keeping their eyes on the final prize. “At the very start, we said that our No. 1 goal was to win state,” senior midfielder Robbie Mora said. “We knew that we would have to go through all of the steps to get there, but we just worked our butts off and it all came together at the end.” Mora had a solid regular season, scoring six goals and recording six assists in 18 games. But saved his best for last. Over seven postseason contests, Mora set up another four goals and scored five times. All five goals came in the Wildcats’ final three Follow Us On Twitter & Instagram, Like Us On Facebook!

Andrew Vanden Akker

games. The senior scored both goals in a 2-1 NorCal quarterfinal win against Redwood-Larkspur and added a pair of goals in a 4-2 comeback victory over Reedley in the semifinals. Mora would open the scoring in the championship game early. It was just the 10th minute when he forced a Watsonville turnover deep in its own end of the field and fought off one defender to slot the ball into the lower corner. Senior Hector Serrano Martin notched the other two goals in the final, including a walk-in goal in the 50th minute when the Watsonville defense again gave up the ball near the 18-yard line. Serrano Martin took advantage of a miscommunication between the Wildcatz defender and goalkeeper, who seemingly gave the ball up to Serrano Martin at the top of the box to convert the turnover into a 3-0 lead. Watsonville’s No. 1 goalkeeper, senior Edgar Angel, did not start and played only sparingly in the NorCal final after suffering bruised ribs in a collision with a De La Salle player during the semifinals three nights before. Hedgpeth and the Wildcatz were forced to shuffle their lineup and use multiple goalkeepers in the final, which resulted in communication issues with unfamiliar players and voices at the back of the defense. “Coach mentioned to look to test the keepers to see if we could take advantage of the situation,” Serrano Martin said. “I was just fortunate to be able to capitalize off it.” Serrano Martin was a key player in the postseason and especially in the final match, but the senior had his own catching up to do in the chemistry department throughout the season. As a member of the Sacramento Republic U.S. Soccer Development Academy program, the senior forward did not play for Whitney during the previous two seasons. Fortunately, Serrano Martin found his stride down the stretch, scoring five goals and assisting on three more in the Wildcats’ final nine matches. Follow Us On Twitter & Instagram, Like Us On Facebook!

“The great thing about Hector is that he just loves the game,” Williams said of the Saint Mary’s College-bound star. “He just wants to play and enjoys playing for the entire time.” Whitney’s leading goal-scorer, senior Brayden Goularte, was kept off the scoring sheet in the NorCal final, but the captain was a huge contributor throughout his Whitney career. Goularte, who is also garnering Division I attention, led the team with 22 goals and 49 points this season and finished his high school career with 40 goals and 90 points over 53 games. And when the lights shined brightest in the postseason, Goularte carried the offensive load. He scored eight times and collected a pair of assists in a five-game stretch leading up to the final. Senior goalkeeper Andrew Vanden Akker anchored the defense throughout the playoffs. He logged 468 of 560 postseason minutes in the net and posted three consecutive shutouts. After sharing the net-minding duties with junior Kaden Johnson during the regular season, Vanden Akker was Whitney’s go-to guy in goal to cap off his high school career. After leading 3-0 in the NorCal final, Whitney and Vander Akker lost the shutout in the 58th minute but thwarted several Watsonville attacks down the stretch that would have increased the intensity of the title game in the final minutes. His biggest save came in the 71st minute when a shot headed for the upper corner of the net was tipped over the crossbar to the relief of the home crowd. “We’re lucky to have two great goalkeepers,” Serrano Martin said of the Wildcats’ goalkeeping duo. “That last big save was huge, but it’s not surprising to see our guys make big plays.” “That’s just Andrew for you.” And the CIF Northern California Division I Boys’ Soccer champion Whitney Wildcats? That’s just the newest big-time program in the region. ✪ Support Your Advertisers — Say You Found Them in SportStars!

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ARMED & READY

SportStars Advice Podcast Covers Arm Safety In Debut

portStars released its first episode of its new ask-the-expert advice podcast, Know & GO on March 11. For the show’s first episode, one of the East Bay’s most renowned sports medicine practitioners Dr. Charles Preston joined the show. Dr. Preston is the head team physician for Walnut Creek’s NBA G League team, Ignite, as well as an assistant team physician at Saint Mary’s College and the sideline physician for De La Salle High School football. Before settling in the Bay Area where he works for Golden State Orthopedics & Spine, he was also a house physician for the New York Mets — and it’s his baseball medicine acumen that we sought out for this episode. With baseball back in full swing, we wanted to make our first episode about arm safety. What are the most common injuries Dr. Preston sees in patients aged 12-18? What are the best preventative steps to avoid those injuries? There’s a lot of talk of elbows and shoulders, and which sports tend to lead to injuries in both. During the half hour episode, Dr. Preston also debunked a few of the old adages that continue to surface in arm safety conversations. “I’m going to surprise you and tell you that there is not an age limit for a pitcher to throw breaking balls,” Preston said. “There’s research to support the fact that the stress across the elbow throwing a curveball is not more than throwing a fastball. ... A properly thrown breaking ball puts no more stress across the elbow. The key is it’s properly thrown.” Preston also said that while overhead athletes are still urged to take three to four months of annual rest from that specific activity, those months don’t necessarily have to be consecutive. Which means year-round sport, if properly planned, can work for young athletes. And what is the doc’s favorite piece of advice for young athletes? “Become better communicators and better advocates for themselves,” he said. “Explaining to their coaches, parents and friends how they’re feeling.” The Know & GO podcast is currently available on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify and Stitcher. Also, this show is being made FOR ATHLETES. If you’ve got a question you want to ask an expert, or a topic you’d like to hear discussed, you can leave us a voice message here or email host and editor Chace Bryson at editor@sportstasmag.com ✪

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