SportStars Issue 213 October 2022

PERFECTION,

Pressure & Everything In Between

Can

you really just play one game at a time?

I’ve heard the refrain from coaches and players for more than 25 years at this point.

From high school to the pros.

I understand why they say it. It’s a mindset that prioritizes focus, and the other buzz phrase: controlling the controllables. But I’ve found myself thinking about the idea of “playing one game at a time” over the course of 2022. Especially so when it comes to undefeated teams.

I’m mentioning this now because this issue includes a feature on an undefeated team — at least it was undefeated at the time of this digital issue’s design on Oct. 17.

I’m of course talking about the St. Francis-Mountain View girls volleyball team. The Lancers were 24-0 when I caught up with them after the Stockton Classic tournament on Oct. 8. (See the story on Page 14 of this issue). They improved to 25-0 four days later, which is the record they took into their Oct. 18 match with St. Ignatius.

The psyche of an undefeated team this deep into a season has always fascinated me, and it’s always something I ask about when it’s my turn to write about one.

At what point in the season does being undefeated really enter the team’s consciousness?

When does it become part of the narrative of its season?

When does the pressure begin to increase simply due to the team’s success?

Teams that have this sort of success all tend to say the same things, and most notably it’s that they only focus on one game at a time. Or they try to go 1-0 or 2-0 for that week.

It’s nice in theory, but there comes a point where the collective efforts of the season can’t be ignored. I think of it like a baseball or softball pitcher throwing a no-hitter. Over the first five innings, it’s easy for everyone to ignore. In fact, there are some teammates who may not even notice it. But by the seventh inning, it’s on the mind of every player in the dugout.

Same goes for an unbeaten season. Once a team is in the second half of the year, I don’t think “playing one game at a time” is truly possible. There’s added pressure placed on everyone.

We’ve written about two other undefeated teams this calendar year.

Jim McCue wrote a feature on the Ponderosa-Shingle Springs boys basketball team in Febru ary when it was 25-0 and in the last week of the season. The Bruins went 27-0 before suffering a shocking first-round playoff loss to St. Mary’s-Stockton.

In May, I wrote a feature on the Woodcreek-Roseville baseball team that was 24-0 at the time. The Timberwolves were one of the most talented teams in the Sac-Joaquin Section in terms of next-level talent. They would lose two of their last three, including a first-round playoff loss.

St. Francis will be Experiment No. 3 this year. I believe they’ll fare better than the others, but they are about to face a gauntlet of top teams as part of the CCS and CIF Open Divisions.

The Lancers said all the right things when I interviewed them, and I’d be lying if I didn’t have a small feeling that they’d just like to get that first loss over with and out of the way.

But they may run out of time.

✪

SportStars Premier Partners

YOUR TICKET TO CALIFORNIA SPORTS ADMIT ONE; RAIN OR SHINE

This Vol. #13, October 2022, Whole No. 213 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.

Bay girls golfer Hanna Montgomery tracks her iron shot during a Sierra Foothill League match. The Grizzlies took second in the CIF NorCal tournament and fourth at the state championships that season. Montgomery is now a sophomore at Morehead State University. As a freshman, she was named to the Ohio Valley Conference All-Newcomers Team.

Photo by IKE DODSON

Spike!

National Survey Show High School Volleyball Participation Climbs

Overall

high school sports participation may be dipping nationwide — but it’s not volley ball’s fault.

According to a new report from the National Federation of High Schools, high school volleyball participation continues to grow across the country. The report was based off of the 2021-22 school year and was the first one produced since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participation is up in both girls and boys volleyball, according to the new report. Girls volleyball saw its numbers rise 1 percent while boys jumped 4.5 percent — its highest rise ever. The overall high school sports participation numbers showed a 4.7 percent drop in girls sports and a 3.5 percent drop for boys.

“While it is good to see the rise for volleyball, it is disturbing to see a downturn in overall participation,” American Volleyball Coaches Association Executive Director Kathy DeBoer said in a press release that highlighted the report. “School sports have been the entry point for youth from all economic backgrounds, and while more than high school participation is required to make most college rosters, this ac cess point has been critical to the growth of many sports, volleyball included.”

The Northern California Volleyball Association has definitely no ticed the trend. Perhaps the most concrete evidence of volleyball’s climbing participation numbers can be seen in early registrations for NCVA’s premier tournament event, the Girls Far Western Regionals.

The Far Westerns are set to be held at their annual Reno location over the final two weekends of April 2023. As of mid-October — six months before the event — the NCVA announced it already had 900 teams registered. That’s a team registration record for this time of the year, according to NCVA.

In a breakdown in state participation, the NFHS report cited volleyball as the top girls high school sport across 33 states. It was the No. 2 girls sport among 10 others. Texas, California and Illinois, in that order, have the most girls volleyball participants.

Finally, boys volleyball and beach volleyball each saw significant increases across the board. California is easily the most prolific state when it comes to boys participation. The state has more than three times as many players as the next closest state, Illinois.

To view the full NFHS survey, visit NFHS.org. And for more information on the Far Western Regionals or other NCVA events, visit NCVA.com.

Admit

it.

For the first five seconds of Queen’s “Under Pressure,” you secretly hope it’s ac tually “Ice, Ice Baby.”

Sometimes it’s both.

Emcee and quarterback of the Del Oro-Loomis football team, Caden Pinnick is cool as ice under pressure. His steely playmaking on offense and special teams was one of the biggest reasons the Golden Eagles were able to soar to a 7-0 start through Oct. 8. .

It’s not just hyperbole.

Pinnick is so chill in the spotlight (how chill is he?), offensive coordinator and former NFL fullback Josh Parry put the ball in his hands on 4th and 1 from Del Oro’s own 13-yard line with 2:50 remaining in the third quarter on Sept. 30 at home against Granite Bay. His big solo — a two-yard QB sneak for a first down as Del Oro cradled an 11-point lead against Granite Bay.

Pinnick’s electric performances stole the show in Del Oro’s 21-10 victory over the Grizzlies, the first defeat of Granite Bay’s season (5-1), while Del Oro stayed perfect.

It wasn’t all passes and runs.

In a game that was battled so tightly at the line of scrimmage, field position won the day, and no one mattered more than Del Oro’s hybrid punting quarterback.

Pinnick punted seven times, and Granite Bay couldn’t score after any of them. He pinned the Grizzlies behind their own 20 three times (once at the three).

His best punt came after evading an all-out block attempt by Granite Bay, sliding to his right and cooly belting the ball to the Grizzlies’ 14-yard line with nine minutes to play. His longest punt went 54 yards down field.

The game’s pivotal score was also a Pinnick highlight to close the opening half. Parry dialed up a passing play with 10 seconds remaining on the Granite Bay 15, with no timeouts remaining.

The plan: a quick shot at the end zone or a quick pass to the sideline.

The outcome: Pinnick’s 10-second scramble that guzzled the remaining clock, before a deep backfield heave to Jagger French for the game’s last score.

“I believe in my abilities and what I can do,” Pinnick said after the win. One week later, he threw for three touchdowns and ran for another in a 33-20 win over Rocklin. “I also know my guys up

front got my back, my running backs got my back, and with me extending plays, it’s all about relying on my receivers to come back to the ball.

“We work on it all the time, and it’s all about trust.”

That extends both ways.

“I trust (Pinnick) with my life,” 6-foot-3, 285-pound two-way lineman Akio Mar tinson said. “We have a great quarterback, he’s very skilled and he knows what he’s doing.

“We trust him, and we just block for him.”

If Pinnick is the lead singer, Martinson and Brandon Hill (6-3, 230) are guitar and bass in the Del Oro trenches. They are a big reason why the Golden Eagles haven’t been overwhelmed by the hulking talent on Del Oro’s schedule.

It also helps to have a playmaker like Thomas Graham II, who returned a punt for a touchdown against Granite Bay and has two interceptions this year.

The team also relies on its reliable road ie, running back/linebacker Kainoa Acia. He led the squad with 708 offensive yards (four scores) through six contests and also had a team-high five sacks.

“My strength is keeping my feet moving, after contact,” Acia said. “The defense gets so focused on the run, that when (Pinnick) does pass, he has a lot of time.”

That balance will be crucial as Golden Eagle tour dates align Sierra Foothill League jugger nauts to close out the regular season.

Mike Maben, Del Oro’s ninth head coach, in his second varsity season, credited all the po sitions on Del Oro’s depth chart for the teams’ success. He specifically lauded Pinnick’s leader ship and talent, Martinson and Hill’s control of the line of scrimmage, and Acia’s drive to im prove as a runner and teammate.

He also pointed out what it takes for a pro gram to truly shine.

“I think a lot of the credit goes to an amazing, dedicated coaching staff, from our freshman level to varsity,” Maben said. “It’s also the com munity that supports us, from the ‘Black Hole’ (student cheering section), to the cheerleaders, band and leadership of our administration.

“If it takes a village to raise a kid, it takes an even bigger village to raise a football program, and it all comes down to that support from our community.”

It’s the same community that heartily wel comed Pinnick, a Roseville native with alumni ties. Pinnick’s cousin, Stone Smartt (now an injured reserve tight end with the Los Angeles Chargers) was a state championship quarter back for Del Oro back in 2015.

Pinnick said people who know him well would describe him as deeply focused and determined, but also fun. He doesn’t have a huge family, but that’s made connections even more intense.

“It’s just me and my mom (Heidi Pinnick),” Caden said. “She is the biggest person in my life, and I can always rely on her.

“Two weeks ago I was feeling down about Menlo (Atherton), because they are a really good team, and my mom was like, ‘Caden, just play your game, don’t let anyone get to you.’”

Del Oro was expected to lose that game, but Caden passed for four touchdowns and Del Oro won 42-13.

Caden’s encore?

“I love you, Mom.” ✪

LEFT: Kainoa Acia looks for a running lane during Del Oro’s 21-10 win over Granite Bay on Sept. 30. Acia has been the team’s leading rusher through the first two-thirds of the regular season.

BELOW: Senior two-way lineman Akio Martinson was a First Team All-Sierra Foothill League selection a season ago.

Erin

Curtis tracked the pass. As St. Francis teammate and setter Hannah Maguire set tled under it, Curtis began to break for the left corner of the net. Three measured strides before launching her six-foot frame into the air.

The jump was timed perfectly, as was the arm swing that connected with Maguire’s perfectly placed set. The volleyball thundered off Curtis’s palm — a little too hard. Her kill attempt sailed just past the end line. One point for West Catholic Athletic League rival Archbishop Mitty-San Jose.

Curtis immediately turned to her teammates, offered a few claps and flashed what may have been her biggest smile of the match.

Not much later in the match, Curtis would reel off back-to-back kills followed by a shared block with Sacha Touma. It ignited an 8-2 run that put the opening set of the Stockton Classic Tournament championship match out of reach.

Having seen the kills and blocks from Erin Curtis so many times, it’s moments like the reaction to her mis-hit that often stand out to first-year Lancers coach Lake Merchen.

“She’s such a positive kid,” Merchen said. “One of those kids where something goes wrong, the game’s not going your way, you turn around, you look at her, and she has a smile on her face. She makes you feel comfortable.

“I think in any sport, you need those kids who make the people around them better, make them feel comfortable and make them feel confident. I think that’s a huge thing for us.”

Of course, the kills and blocks and general volleyball awesomeness doesn’t hurt either.

Curtis finished with a team-best 13 kills in the 25-19, 25-20 tourna ment win over Mitty on Oct. 8. It was the 24th of 25 straight wins to open the season for Northern California’s No. 1 ranked team.

The dominance the Lancers displayed over the first two months of the season was so complete that it’s notable simply when they lose a set. The first occurrence of that didn’t come until Oct. 1 against San Clem ente at a tournament in Santa Barbara.

After 16 straight-set wins, the 3-1 win alleviated a little of the pres sure brought on by such perfection.

“It was a really fun competitive match and I honestly think we felt a little bit relieved after that,” Curtis said. “Like, ‘OK, we don’t have to worry about this anymore.’”

Even when this St. Francis team expected adversity, the roster’s over all talent has kept it at bay. It was supposed to come at the Stockton Classic where they’d be without starting setter Havannah Hoeft and

middle Faith Crouch while competing in the top flight with eight other teams ranked among NorCal’s Top 12.

They dropped the first set of the morning, 25-22, to Clovis NorthFresno and went 8-0 the rest of the day.

“I’m going to be honest with you, I thought today was the day (for our first loss). I really did,” Merchen said with a bit of a sheepish grin as his players took pictures behind him while sporting their tournament champion t-shirts. “Look, I’m not going to wish that we lose (just to get one out of the way). I’m also not going to expect to win every match and every set.

“For us, as long as we’re playing our best volleyball and we’re leaving it all out on the court, we’re going to be happy, win or lose.”

As this team’s wins pile up, it’s notable who some of them have come against. Most notable might be Mitty, a team that beat the Lancers 3 of 5 times last season — including in both the Central Coast Section Open Division semifinal and the CIF Northern Regional Open Div. championship match.

By Chace Bryson

Whitney Wallace

St. Francis has already clashed with the Monarchs three times this season and have taken all seven sets between them.

“It’s obviously a really special rivalry,” Curtis said. “It always has been throughout all of our school’s history. I think losing last year, especially in those few big games, we have a bit of a fire in us to get back for a few of those games. I think it’s been fun to compete against them. They always bring their “A” game against us, so it’s alway a really fun competitive match.”

Merchen wasn’t able to point to any one thing that’s turned the tide against Mitty this season.

“I just think we’re playing really good volleyball,” the coach said. “The last match we played against them on Tuesday, you look at the stats and it looks like a college volleyball match out there. … I’m sure every time we play them it will get a little bit tougher, but that’s the fun part of it though. They’re a great team. They make us better and I think we do the same for them.”

The two teams could face each other at least three more times this season. The last sched uled one is the WCAL regular season finale on Oct. 26.

In the meantime, the Lancers are going to keep focused on what’s led to their success — and that’s been a deep connection amongst the players.

“Oh man, this group is just so much fun,” junior libero Whitney Wallace said after the Stockton Classic final. “Everyone is so connected and we just have a great time playing vol leyball, and I love it.”

Wallace’s play at libero this season has been a major factor in the team’s success, accord ing to Merchen. Through Oct. 12, Wallace led the team in aces (33), digs (305) and serve receives (317). She’d also provided 78 assists.

“She went from just being a starter, kind of filling the place of a senior who got injured, to being honestly our most valuable player as a libero,” Merchen said. “Her ability to make the passers around her feel comfortable, to take on so much court on defense, and I’ve never seen a libero set the way that she does. … I knew she was going to be good. I didn’t know she was going to be so dominant. That’s been such a cool surprise because that kid works really, really hard.”

Several other players are making impacts beyond Curtis and Wallace.

Taylor Wililams, a 6-1 outside hitter, has nearly as many kills (255) as Curtis (272) through the team’s first 25 matches. Touma and Crouch have each topped 80 kills already from the middle position.

Senior Sammy Franco is second on the team with 41 blocks. She, Crouch and Touma have combined for 134 through Oct. 12. Hoeft had eclipsed 500 assists on the season and was averaging 10 per set. Maguire was already over 200 assists in backup duty.

And of course, the confidence of the entire roster grows with each win.

“They show up every day with a chip on their shoulder,” Merchen said. “I’m not sure whether that’s from the losses we had last year or just the competitors that they are. They show up every day and they get better.

“There’s that fine line: You can be confident, but the second you start to think you’re good enough where you don’t have to get better, that’s when it gets tough. But that hasn’t been the case with this team.”

Curtis doesn’t plan to slow down.

“We know that every time we see a team again, they’re going to be better, so we have to be able to match up against that. It’s a long season, so we have to be ready for it.”

She’ll be smiling either way. ✪

TaylorHerman kept the postgame pep talk to his Northgate boys water polo team brief.

The Broncos had just finished up a relatively easy Diablo Athletic League road win at Alhambra High in Martinez.

As matches go, this one — the Broncos 20th win of the season — didn’t require much review. In fact, the team learned much more two days earlier when De La Salle-Concord dealt it just its second loss of the season.

“We hung right there with them and learned a lot about ourselves,” Herman said of the 17-14 loss on Oct. 10. “We also learned that we can kind of hang with all the teams in this section. I think that was pretty cool for us.”

That was actually more than cool. It was paramount to the confidence of a two-time defending North Coast Section Division II champion that’s likely about to play its first postseason in the Open Division bracket.

And Northgate has been looking every part of a two-time defending champion.

The Broncos have outscored opponents by more than 150 goals over the team’s first 22 games.

“Our greatest strength is our offense. Absolutely,” Herman said. “We score a lot and it’s whether we can defend.”

The scoring was certainly there against De La Salle, but some last-minute breakdowns led to the Spartans being able to hold off the Broncos.

Northgate senior captains Tommy Martin (13) and Colin Parker watch their teammates’ efforts during the fourth quarter of the Broncos’ 19-8 win at Alhambra-Martinez.

There was no such concern two days later against Alhambra. Northgate jumped out to a 5-1 lead after one quarter and then went on a 7-0 run early in the second quarter to pull away from the Bulldogs for good.

Senior co-captain Tommy Martin had the game’s first two goals and assisted on the other three goals of the opening 7 minutes.

“Tommy, if we’re playing good, he’s the one who’s scoring the goals,” fellow senior cocaptain Colin Parker said.

However, the second quarter was the Ben Forer and Jackson Peck Show. Forer, a mem ber of the USA Men’s Cadet National Team that competed at the FINA U16 World Cham pionships in Greece last August, had two goals and four assists in the quarter. Peck, just a sophomore, added five goals and one assist. The defense was anchored by 6-foot-8 senior goalkeeper Cal Albright. His highlight was blocking a penalty shot in the fourth quarter.

“We just have a deep team,” Parker said. “There’s a lot of players who can show up in big games. We have a lot more of those high level players that don’t falter under the spotlight and the pressure.”

The De La Salle match wasn’t the only test of that. Northgate’s wins include the 2021 Division I runner-up (Acalanes-Lafayette) and an Open Division quarterfinalist from last season (San Ramon Valley-Danville).

“Beating Acalanes (to open the season) was definitely a step toward a very strong start,” Martin said. “I feel I can speak for a lot of people on the team: We came out thinking it was going to be a great game, but historically speaking we have lost to Acalanes a lot. To come out and beat them was definitely a great way to start the season. We’ve kept that momentum going.”

From the outset, this Northgate team was ready for its jump in divisions. To the point that players are lobbying for more matchups with top tier teams.

“They have a willingness to always show up and be tested,” Herman said. “They’re ask ing for more games against De La Salle and the bigger teams, San Ramon and stuff like that. And not only are they willing to be tested, but when they get tested, they show up. It’s been nice to see.”

The Broncos feature a fascinating roster mix that includes eight seniors, two sopho mores and two freshmen. Forer is the team’s only junior.

Herman singled out freshman Oliver Knoflick when prompted to name a young player who’s surprised him so far.

Martin offered up sophomore Marcus Manuel. Manuel truly has been a surprise seeing as how this is his first season of competitive water polo at any level.

“He’s got a killer shot,” Martin said. “Coming out from absolutely no experience except for maybe a summer camp. He’s got a cannon and he’s only a sophomore too, so by the time he’s a senior he’s going to be a great asset for the program.”

Northgate will face one last challenge before postseason play begins, a Diablo Athletic League-Valley Division finale against visiting Clayton Valley-Concord on Oct. 19. The Ugly Eagles are 15-6 on the season.

The match with Clayton Valley will close out regular season play before DAL Valley Division playoffs begin the week of Oct. 24. The North Coast Section seeding meeting will take place on Oct. 30. That’s when the Broncos will find out if they’ve earned the honor of an Open Division invite.

They certainly believe they have.

Martin was asked to give the Broncos a grade to this point.

“I’d give us a good A-minus,” the senior said. “I think for the area, if you’re saying De La Salle is the A-plus, I personally think we can hang with them. We showed it a few days ago. The A-minus keeps us wanting more. Keeps us wanting to be better, which I definitely think we can be.

“I think that the Open Division this year is really going to be quite competitive for ev eryone — and we’re going to be up there with all the top teams.”

And yet, De La Salle still came out on top. So what were the ultimate lessons learned in what could prove to be Northgate’s most important loss of the season?

“We obviously made a few mistakes in the fourth quarter that added to two goals,” Parker said. “We just let it slip away. I think we can beat any team in the Open Division if we play our best.”

The Broncos hope their best is still yet to come.

More Student, Less Student Debt.

Find Out How We Put College Within Reach!

The Army National Guard is the ultimate learning experience. Think about it: We’ll help you pay for college, train you in a valuable new career, and put you in position to serve your community in times of need. And it is part-time. Where else can you get all that?