SJ Issue 57, Dec. 6, 2012

Folsom gets its shot at the big dogs.

Pg. 30

vol. 3. issue 57

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20 40 1 top players

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PHONE 925.566.8500 FAX 925.566.8507 Editorial Editor@SportStarsOnline.com Editor Chace Bryson. Ext. 104 • Chace@SportStarsOnline.com Staff Writers Erik Stordahl, Jim McCue Contributors Bill Kolb, Mitch Stephens, Matt Smith, Clay Kallam, Bryant West, Dave Kiefer, Liz Elliott, Tim Rudd, Jonathan Okanes Photography Butch Noble, Bob Larson, Jonathan Hawthorne, James K. Leash, Norbert von der Groeben, Phillip Walton, Doug Guler Intern Ryan Arter Creative Department Art@SportStarsOnline.com Production Manager Mike DeCicco. Ext. 103 • MikeD@SportStarsOnline.com Publisher/President Mike Calamusa. Ext. 106 • Mike@SportStarsOnline.com Advertising & Calendar/Classified Sales Sales@SportStarsOnline.com, 925.566.8500 Account Executives Erik Stordahl • Erik@SportStars Online.com, Phillip Walton • PWalton@SportStarsOnline.com Sac Joaqin edition: Dave Rosales • DaveRosales64@gmail.com Reader Resources/Administration Ad Traffic, Subscription, Calendar & Classified Listings info@SportStarsOnline.com • Deb Hollinger. Ext. 101 • Distribution/Delivery Mags@SportStarsOnline.com Distribution Manager Butch Noble. Ext. 107 • Butch@SportStarsOnline.com Information technology John Bonilla CFO Sharon Calamusa • Sharon@SportStarsOnline.com Office Manager/Credit Services Deb Hollinger. Ext. 101 • Deb@SportStarsOnline.com Board of advisors Dennis Erokan, CEO, Placemaking Group Roland Roos, CPA, Roland Roos & Co Susan Bonilla, State Assembly Drew Lawler, Managing Director, AJ Lawler Partners Brad Briegleb, Attorney At Law

Pleasant grove and its stars — from left, dejza james, malik thames, cole nordquist and avonna lee — aren’t the only ones with high hopes. it’s hoops time! Pg. 14

First Pitch..........................................6 Locker Room...................................8 Behind the Clipboard.....................9 AAA SportStars of the Week.....11 Red Zone........................................30 Impulse............................................33 Training Time..................................34 Health Watch ................................35 Training By Trucks.........................36

ho, ho, ho: Every sports fan has a wishlist and we’re no different. See what Scrooge McKolb wants this year. Pg. 9 Prevalence of AED’s could help save lives. Pg. 35 ON THE COVER: Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove’s Dejza James, left, and Avonna Lee. Photo by James K. Leash

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Not-so-sweet 16 Is current CIF Bowl system asking too much of players?

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e’re a little conflicted this week.

On the one hand, the new wrinkle to the CIF State Football “championships” — the Northern and Southern Regional bowl games — have given us some extremely enticing matchups to watch. On the other hand, we can’t help but be a tad rankled by two things: 1) That each region is eliminating one of its best contenders for a state title by pitting them against each other in the Open Division Regional game. And 2) that some teams are nearing their 16th game of the season.

Sixteen.

Only NFL teams play more (when you count the meaningless exhibition games).

And that feels quite excessive to us. Granted, it’s just one more game on the schedule than in previous years in which most CIF Bowl champions closed the year on their 14th or 15th game. For whatever reason, 16 feels more obscene.

Five of the 10 teams suiting up for Northern Regional bowl games will be playing their 15th game.

It makes us wonder if asking a player to give a statechampionship caliber effort at the end of a 16-week grind is asking too much in an extremely physical sport such as football?

“It’s really only one extra game,” De La Salle defensive coordinator Terry Eidson said Dec. 4, four days before the Spartans (13-0) were to match up with Folsom (14-0) in the Northern Regional Open Division bowl. “I don’t know if it’s really unsafe. What made it dicey for us, is that if we hadn’t gotten a first-round bye in the NCS playoffs we could’ve played 15 straight games without a bye. That’s pretty hard on the kids.

Physically, there is no doubt about it.”

Eidson did point out that of the 160+ teams in the North Coast Section, only three teams are being affected. He also added that the amount of excitement surrounding the regional game is extremely high and that there are programs like Clayton Valley CharterConcord and McClymonds-Oakland that may not have had an opportunity play in a CIF bowl before this step was created.

“These games may be better attended that the state games,” Eidson added.

Chace@ We can’t argue either of those positives. But what SportStarsOnline.com if the individual sections could shorten the length of their own tournaments to reduce games at that level?

(925) 566-8503 For some sections, it would be as simple as limiting qualifying teams to those with winning records. Winning records. More overall wins than losses. Period.

In the meantime, in the system that exists, some good things may come from coaches who want to compete for a state championship but acknowledge the grind it will require. One such thing may be coaches figuring out better ways to rest their starters in lopsided games, or giving some a week off entirely if they feel they can do so while maintaining an advantage over an opponent.

“That’s a good point because it’s an important lesson for all high school football teams,” Eidson said. “Knowing when to take your starters off the field and give them a rest is kind of a lost art in coaching, I think. Some coaches may start to think about it a little more now if they’re aiming to go beyond 13 or 14 games.”

What we do know is the bowl landscape includes more teams, and we’re excited to watch.

We just hope it doesn’t eventually come at a cost. ✪

First Pitch Chace Bryson Editor

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Throughout the week we like to poll our Facebook fans on random things that come to our minds here at SportStars HQ. Come ‘Like’ us at www.facebook.com/sportstars to join the conversation. You just might find your comments in a future issue.

FROM DEC. 3: Five of the 10 NorCal teams playing in CIF regional bowl games this week will be playing their 15th game, with a potential of playing No. 16 if they win and advance to state. We say that’s way too many games? Do you agree or disagree?

■ Agree. Agree COMPLETELY. That’s more than most college programs play, and those athletes spend a LOT more time on strength and flexibility conditioning just to withstand the rigors of a long season. ... To put high school players through the ringer like that flies in the face of any notions of player safety. Not to mention the social and academic impact such a long season has on teenage boys. Is there any wonder we don’t see 3-sport athletes anymore? — Bill K.

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count’EM

■ It’s beyond crazy. Throw into the mix the fact that there are actually people out there saying “And after that, we should have a national champion! You know, we can have playoffs in the west, south, north and east, and then semifinals and then the championship game on New Year’s Day, and ... “ — Mike W.

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Number of CIF State Championships for the Archbishop Mitty-San Jose girls volleyball program after the Monarchs defeated Martin Luther King-Riverside in straight sets at Concordia University in Irvine on Dec. 1.

Mitty didn’t drop a single set throughout the Division II statte tournament, a total of four matches. The nine state titles ties the Monarchs with fellow West Catholic Athletic League foe, St. Francis-Mountain View, for the most all time.

Bob Larson

sayWHAT

“The most important person in a game like this is our ball boy. I’m serious. ... Keeping the football dry is critical.”

—De La Salle football coach Bob Ladouceur, above, after De La Salle won its 21st consecutive North Coast Section championship with a rain-soaked 52-7 win over James Logan-Union City.The Spartans threw four touchdown passes despite constant rainfall throughout the contest. It was career victory No. 397 for the De La Salle coach.

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Football’s many intricacies biggest reason for large coaching staffs Why do football teams have so many coaches? The soccer team has just as many players.

R.J., Kentfield

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Top 5 Things for the Sports Fan’s Holiday Wishlist

Baby, it’s cold outside. And you know what that means: Christmas is right around the corner. So, rather than wish for a Niners non-loss against the Rams (or a Raiders non-loss against, well, anyone), or that Clay Matthews Fathead you’ve been eyeballing (no. Not THAT one. Gross.), we here at SportStars would like to offer you a suggested wish list. Here are the top 5 things any self-respecting sports fan should be requesting from the jolly fat man (no. Not Andy Reid).

1. Replay in baseball — Feliz Navidad, Mr. Selig! To paraphrase the Six Million Dollar Man intro, we have the technology. Howzabout we get the calls right ALL THE TIME, huh? The important thing to remember about “human error” is that it ends with the word “error.” As in mistake. As in the things we seek to avoid. Pleaseohplease give us extended replay.

2. Hockey — Joyeux Noel, Messrs. Bettman and Fehr! Please get off your fat, overcompensated tuckuses and end this labor dispute. It shore don’t feel like Christmastime without somebody lighting the lamp, putting the biscuit in the basket, or standing on his head.

3. Honesty — Season’s Greetings, Warriors ownership and management group! This just in from the medical field: Arthroscopy is NOT freaking MICROFRACTURE SURGERY! You tell people that you traded one of the most exciting players in franchise history (Monta Ellis) for a big man with bad wheels (Andrew Bogut) and then you LIE THROUGH YOUR TEETH about what kind of procedure he had. Pretty good way to end up on the Naughty List. And we know from the Naughty List…

4. Bowl Game moderation — Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, NCAA! Look. We loves us some college football. Couldn’t be happier about the Tree taking its show down I5 to the Rose Bowl. And did you SEE the breakout season San Jose State just turned in? Much to be thankful for, there. But our wives and girlfriends just asked us, not unreasonably, if there was a bowl game for every team. No, dear. It only SEEMS that way. There’s such thing as too much of a good thing. And you’ve found it.

5. Fiscal responsibility — Buon Natale, Sandy Barbour! So. Cal’s football team suffers through a pretty rough 2012 season, and you axe the coach who almost singlehandedly dragged the program kicking and screaming out of the ashes.

Two words for you here, Old Blues: Tom. Holmoe.

How quickly we forget. ... Tedford still has a handful of millions of dollars left on his contract. And you run the athletic program at a PUBLIC UNIVERSITY in a state that is reeling through atrocious economic times. Really? Couldn’t just ride that one out? A lump of coal might Dominic Moore of the be a bit over-generous.

San Jose Sharks — Scrooge McKolb, Damon Tarver/Cal Sport contributor Media/ZumaPress.com

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t does seem like there are a lot of broad-necked men decked out in full Nike apparel on the sidelines of every high school game, but there are reasons that go above and beyond mere money — though of course that’s big part of it.

To get the financial aspect out of the way, football generates more income than any other sport, and winning football teams generate more income than losing ones — so investing in the coaching staff can deliver a solid return on investment. That assumes, of course, that the coaches are worth investing in, but in general, the more coaches any team in any sport has, the better off the players are, and the better the win-loss record will be.

But a lot of those manly men screaming out incomprehensible strings of words on the sidelines are volunteers, because football is the great American sport, and people love to be involved. Getting volunteers to commit the time and energy to the soccer team is much harder, especially given the huge number of club teams and programs that require soccer coaches. In football, there’s only Pop Warner and other youth football, and the only high school-age game in town is, well, high school.

More important, football is a complicated game, both in terms of conception and execution. The head coach and coordinators can do more strategically to win games than can, say, basketball coaches, who must rely much more on talent.

Schemes, scouting and specific plays can have a much bigger impact on the outcome of a football game than in other sports.

At the same time, though, the techniques required for the various positions in football are varied and complex. Soccer players, for example, pretty much all do the same thing — but a defensive back must have a completely different skill set than a defensive tackle, and those skills need to be taught.

Even baseball, with its distinct positional demands, has more common ground from player to player than football, both technically and strategically.

Of course, no matter what the sport, the more coaching the better (assuming the coaches are organized enough not to contradict each other). Look at De La Salle basketball, where Frank Allocco seems to bring out a suit-clad coach for every player on his varsity come postseason — and his success speaks for itself.

All in all, though, football is king, and in more than the size of coaching staffs. It’s a difficult, complicated, brutal, challenging and yes, cerebral game. And to be played as safely as possible, it requires more instruction than any other sport.

And the fact that it makes more money than any other sport doesn’t hurt when it comes to the coaching payroll either. ✪

Behind the Clipboard Clay Kallam

Clay Kallam is an assistant athletic director and girls varsity basketball coach at Bentley High in Lafayette. To submit a question for Behind the Clipboard, email Coach Kallam at clayk@fullcourt.com

December 6, 2012

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Bell finished her amazing first high school cross country season by capturing the CIF State Cross Country Championships Division II title at Woodward Park in Fresno. She set the pace and led nearly wire-to-wire to finish the 5,000-meter course in 17:29, four seconds ahead of the next finisher. Her time was the fourthfastest among all girls racing at the state meet and was the thirdfastest time for a freshman in the 26 years of the CIF Championships. Bell started the season on the Grizzlies’ junior varsity team before quickly moving up the team’s depth chart.

SportStars: What were your expectations at the start of the season and as the year progressed?

Maggie Bell: After a few races, I moved up to varsity and started placing higher in the races, so my goals got higher. I really just hoped to finish in the top five at state. I didn’t really think about winning state at all.

SSM: What was your strategy for the race?

MB: I decided that I would try to stay with the front pack during the race and then try to pass runners at the end. During the race, though, they decided to let me go out front and set the pace, so I went at my own pace and just tried to hold off the field at the end.

SSM: At what point did you start to believe or understand that you might win the race?

MB: When I got to the final

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maggie bell granite bay . cross country . freshman

honorable mention

bailey laolagi Folsom’s sophomore RB scored four TDs to lead the Bulldogs to a 49-22 victory over Buhach Colony in a Division II semifinal on Nov. 22. He also added two more scores in a section finals win over Elk Grove on Nov. 30.

madeleine ankhelyi The Vista del Lago senior runner finished third in the girls Div. III race at the CIF Cross Country Championships with a time of 17:54 on Nov. 23. It was Ankhelyi’s second consecutive third-place finish at state.

zack claiborne Jonathan Hawthorne stretch on the course where you get to a paved section before the finish, I just told myself that I didn’t just run this whole race super hard to not win it. I think I looked back once with 200-300 yards to go and just kept running.

SSM: Do you think the rest of the Division II field might have overlooked you before the race?

MB: I think that I was probably a little bit of an underdog. I don’t think people expected (a state title) from a freshman.

The Oak Ridge senior linebacker recorded 4.5 sacks in the Trojans’ 24-6 victory over Burbank in a Div. I semifinal on Nov. 22. Nicknamed the “Freak” by teammates, Claiborne has a state-leading 25 sacks.

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Above: Antelope’s 6-6 center Isaiah Ellis will anchor a deep and talented Titans frontcourt. Right: Titans coach Rob Richards.

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, ly t p u r b a o s d e d n e n o s a e s k o o b y r o t s s it r e t Af t ip r c s e h t e it r w e r o t Antelope regrouped

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ntelope boys basketball coach Rob Richards likened his team’s amazing 30-2 season a year ago to a storybook tale.

The Titans won 29 consecutive games and captured their first Sac-Joaquin Section Division II title with the school’s first class of seniors.

But it was bookend games against Chico that started and ended the 2011-12 season, and set up the plot for the Titans’ 2012-13 edition and a chance for Richards and this year’s squad to rewrite the ending.

“I think that after we won section last year, we might have gotten too comfortable,” senior forward Isaiah Ellis said of Antelope’s loss to the Wildcats in the opening round of the 2012 California Interscholastic Federation Northern Regional playoffs. “We were on top and winning. We had previously beaten Chico (an 80-65 victory in the season-opener), so I think that some people might have thought we had the game won before we played it.”

The abrupt end to the season pushed Richards and the Titans to start work on a new book — one that they hope will have an even happier ending.

The first chapter of the new book was drafted before the 2012 season ended as tournament organizers lobbied Richards to pit his section champions against top-level competition in December and January.

“We revamped our preseason schedule this year,” Richards said. “After winning the section title last year, I had people coming up to me before we even got out of (Sleep Train Arena) with invites for tournaments this year.”

Antelope will play in the Gridley and Carmel Invitationals in December, as well as the MaxPreps Holiday Classic where they will open against Bellevue (Washington) in the tournament’s elite Invite Division. Richards and his players understand that the stronger nonleague competition is likely to result in more early losses, but their sights are set firmly on postseason victories.

Leash .

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The 30 Club

Antelope was one of just three Northern California programs to reach the 30-win mark in 2011-12. Ten more Southern Calif ornia programs accomplished the feat.

Here’s the list.

34 — SalesianRichmond*, Mater Dei-Santa Ana*, La Costa CanyonCarlsbad 33 — Bishop Alemany-Mission Hills*, Village Christian-Sun Valley* 32 — NONE 31 — Archbishop Mitty-San Jose*, Serra-Gardena, BullardFresno, Etiwanda 30 — Antelope, Taft-Woodland Hills, Pacific Hills-West Hollywood, Cathedral Catholic-San Diego. *denotes CIF State Champions.

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“We have knocked on the door of the NorCal finals in the last two years,” Richards said. “Hopefully some games that we play in December can push us over the top at the end of the season.”

Antelope’s returning talent is strong, but players like forwards Gabe Bealer and Ellis will be counted on to assume new lead roles. The Titans graduated a trio of senior guards — Caleb King, Kei’Shaun Sinclair and Jarvis Watkins. It will be up to returners Ellis and Bealer along with newcomer Tyler Winston to step up and guide the team through the ups and downs of the season.

“There is a shared leadership with Winston, Ellis, and Bealer,” the coach said. “Tyler is an absolute leader that brings a strong presence from the football field. Isaiah is really stepping up and becoming more vocal, and Gabe is the leader by example. Together, they keep the team on an even keel.”

Winston, who missed last season with an injury suffered during the football season, will assume control of the offense alongside senior guard Rashard Thornhill.

The guards may be able to replace the stats of the departed trio, but backcourt depth is a concern for Richards.

“Our (backcourt) can be just as good as last year, but we don’t have the depth there,” he said. “I never had to burn a timeout in the first half with them ever. This year, I expect to do a lot more coaching and being more handson with the guards.”

Fortunately for Richards, he will have more time to work with the guards because Ellis and Bealer anchor a deep group of big men for the Titans.

“We have (frontcourt players) coming out the wazoo with guys 6-4, 6-5, and 6-5 coming off the bench,” Richards said. “The depth is great because we can keep Gabe

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and Isaiah fresh. We won’t get to where the starters are tired which will just make us stronger down the stretch.”

As juniors, Ellis and Bealer were men among boys in the backcourt. Bealer, an athletic 6-foot-5 power forward who can handle the ball like a guard, scored a team-high 16.6 points per game and added 7.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and one block per contest. Ellis led the defense with 8.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks while the long 6-foot-6 post also contributed 12 points and 1.9 steals each outing.

“Size is definitely not an issue,” Richards said of his team’s talented frontcourt depth. “Our bigs can rebound and have the ability to attack the basket. Most teams will not be able to match up with us inside.”

With plenty of lead and supporting characters to use, Richards will attempt to bring them together to write another great tale for the emerging regional power. His ability to combine knowledge of X’s and O’s with an ability to relate to his players as more than a coach makes him the ideal author for the Titans’ tales.

“Coach is great at making sure that guys are up and he keeps the team together,” Ellis said. “We have team dinners at his house and he does a great job to help us to bond.”

After a summer to refine their games, Bealer and Ellis, in particular, appear ready to take the reins to lead Antelope to another successful run through the Capital Athletic League and further into the playoffs than the program has ever been.

“Getting 30 wins last year was great, but with more challenges this season, I don’t think we will win 29 in a row again,” Ellis said. “Our goal is to put another banner in the gym for our school and get even better.”

And perhaps write an even better ending to this year’s story. ✪

Gabe Bealer, a 6-5 forward, hopes to improve upon his team-high 16.6 points per game from last season.

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2. Salesian-Richmond (34-2) Jabari Bird and Co. didn’t lose a single game to a CA opponent a year ago.

3. Sheldon-Sacramento (29-6) Huskies return their nucleus after finishing as CIF DIv. I runners-up last March.

4. De La Salle-Concord (28-3) Some new faces join Arizona-bound Elliott Pitts, but the Spartans’ staple intensity won’t change

5. Deer Valley-Antioch (22-9) Marcus Lee and Kendall Smith are about as good a 1-2 punch as you’ll find.

Archbishop Mitty senior center Aaron Gordon

James K. Leash photo

1. Archbishop Mitty-San Jose (31-3)

With back-to-back CIF Div. II state championships in their pocket, Aaron Gordon and the Archbishop Mitty-San Jose basketball team know a thing or two about finishing a season the right way.

In the coming days, as they embark on quest for a third straight title, they’ll aim to start the season the right way by facing a murderer’s row of opponents. It really can’t get more difficult.

Right out of the gate they face the two CIF Div. I NorCal finalists from last season, Jesuit-Carmichael and Sheldon-Sacramento. It doesn’t get any easier when they take on Fort Bend Travis (Texas), considered one of the best teams in the country, nor does it let up when they play Lincoln-San Diego, the 2012 Div. II SoCal runner-up, at the Drew Gooden Invitational Showcase at El Cerrito High on Dec. 15.

But if anyone’s worried, it’s not the Monarchs. And it’s definitely not their senior big man.

“We just prepare like we always prepare,” said Gordon, a five-star recruit who’s narrowed his college choices down to Washington, Arizona and Kentucky. “We go through practice knowing we have a target on our back. But we’re out to get a few targets ourselves.”

Of all the games on the schedule, the two that Gordon is circling are defending-Div. IV state champs Salesian-Richmond on Dec. 22 and Prestonwood Christian (Texas) on Jan. 21 at the 2013 Spalding Hoophall Classic. The latter will be televised by ESPNU. Could Mitty get stage fright in the national spotlight?

“I mean the exposure, to me, it means a little bit,” said Gordon, no stranger to the national media. “But for the other guys on my team, they get to show everyone in the nation what they do.”

Some of those teammates Gordon mentioned are 6-2 combo guard Connor Peterson, point guard Matt McAndrews and 6-3 forward Brandon Abajelo. What do they all have in common? They all played on Mitty’s two previous state championship teams with Gordon. That experience and depth is the reason why they can play these tough schools and establish themselves as the team to beat for 2013.

Make no mistake, if Mitty wants to dominate they’ll need their 6-8 leader to do it all. Lucky for them, that’s exactly what he worked on over the summer.

“My basketball IQ, understanding the game from different aspects, my ball handling has gotten better, my jump shooting has progressed.

As just an all-around basketball player, I’ve progressed,” Gordon said.

It’s the sign of a player who has aspirations beyond winning three consecutive state titles. And as a top recruit, he gets flooded with phone calls and text messages from college coaches and scouts daily. It’s enough to make him want a second cell phone.

In the mean time Gordon and his teammates have just one thing on their holiday wish list: another state championship. Maybe for starters, they’ll settle for a winning streak to open the season.

— Erik Stordahl

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6. Modesto Christian (28-6) Crusaders with plenty of firepower behind Raymond Bowles and others TJ Wallace

7. Newark Memorial-Newark (28-5) Coach Craig Ashmore still has plenty of talent left over from last year’s NorCal Div. II runner-up

8. Antelope (30-2) Few Sacramento Area frontcourts are more imposing than Gabe Bealer and Isaiah Ellis.

9. Sacramento (23-6) A talented mix of veteran leadership, young talent gives Dragons some serious upside.

10. Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove (24-7) Proven scorer Malik Thames returns along with a strong frontcourt.

11. Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland (26-6) 12. Serra-San Mateo (24-7) 13. El Cerrito (21-9) 14. Palma (17-9) 15. St. Patrick/St. Vincent-Vallejo (21-12) 16. Weston Ranch-Stockton (19-9) 17. Castro Valley (23-8) 18. Heritage-Brentwood (17-11) 19. Skyline-Oakland (18-10) 20. Dublin (17-12)

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Dakarai Allen

SCHOOL: Sheldon YEAR: Senior HT./POS.: 6-6 / Forward THE DETAILS: The San Diego State signee can score in bunches and take over a game, especially in the clutch. As a junior, Allen helped the Huskies advance to the Division I state final with a solid all-around game that he further honed over the summer through AAU competition.

Gabe Bealer

SCHOOL: Antelope YEAR: Senior HT./POS.: 6-5 / Forward THE DETAILS: Bealer has refined his game each year, making his senior campaign likely to be a monster season. Extremely athletic with remarkable length, he poses matchup problems for most opponents as a consistent scorer from the low post to beyond the 3-point line.

Raymond Bowles

SCHOOL: Modesto Christian YEAR: Senior HT./POS.: 6-5 / Wing THE DETAILS: The Pacific-bound senior has been called upon to carry the Crusaders’ offense in the past. However, with new incoming talent set to make the defending SJS Division IV champs even stronger, Bowles will be able to showcase more than his scoring touch.

Malik Thames

SCHOOL: Pleasant Grove YEAR: Senior HT./POS.: 6-2 / Guard THE DETAILS: A three-year starter, Thames will form a potent one-two punch with Cole Nordquist as Pleasant Grove takes on a challenging schedule this year, including the gauntlet of Delta River League foes. Thames led the team in scoring as a junior and will likely fill the stat sheets again this season.

D’Erryl Williams

Dakarai allen, left d’erryl wiliams, above malik thames, right

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James K. Leash photos

SCHOOL: Sheldon YEAR: Senior HT./POS.: 6-4 / Guard THE DETAILS: Williams will join teammate Allen at San Diego State next year, but will use his floor leadership this season to try to take Sheldon back to the state final. The SportStars Winter Athlete of the Year as a junior, his ceiling is still rising.

THEY’VE GOT NEXT ● Justin Beskeen (Bear River), Sr., 6-6, Forward ● De’Von Boyd (Sacramento), Sr., 6-2, Guard ● Isaiah Ellis (Antelope), Sr., 6-6, Center

● Darin Johnson (Sheldon), Sr., 6-5, Wing ● Isaiah Pineiro (Placer), Sr., 6-4, Forward

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Dejza James, left, and Avonna Lee combined to average 27 points and 14 rebounds a game in 2011-12.

James K. Leash photos

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Pleasant Grove’s two lone seniors Dejza James and Avonna Lee are convinced they can keep the Eagles among the region’s elite teams

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By jim mccue | Senior Contributor

ith just two seniors on the roster, the Pleasant Grove girls basketball might be expected to be slowing down and rebuilding this season.

That is until one learns about those two seniors.

Captains Dejza James and Avonna Lee play fast and hard with no plans to stop until they have led a group of underclassmen to heights the program has become accustomed to in their four years on the Elk Grove campus.

“I think we’re going to go far,” James said of her expectations for this year’s team. “We are putting in the work and trying to get the team excited about the season because I think it could be special.”

Pleasant Grove shared the Delta River League title in 2010 and won it outright in 2012, setting up a unique opportunity for James and Lee as four-year varsity players at the 7-year-old school.

“We are definitely trying to get another league title,” coach James McKeever said of the team’s goals. “I told Avonna and Dejza that Marissa Wimbley (a 2012 graduate) got two (league) titles, but they have a chance to get three.”

That opportunity is not lost on the senior pair as they have taken ownership of this year’s team. Though both were captains as juniors, James and Lee have accepted larger leadership roles to share their experience and knowledge with the next wave of Eagles.

“Being a leader is a lot of work, but it’s exciting for me,” James said. “Avonna is the one who is vocal and yells out where everyone needs to be and what they need to do. I am more of the goofy good cop with positive and fun encouragement.”

The pair play off each other in large part to their familiarity with one another.

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“We get feisty with each other, but we do it to make each other better.

We know how to get the other mad to play our best.”

Avonna Lee

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James and Lee have been friends since third grade and teammates for almost as long. Both were brought up to the varsity team during their freshman season and have grown up together in the gym, establishing a strong bond and almost telepathic communication.

“All we have to do is give a look or just glance at one another, and we know what we are going to do,” James said of their unspoken communication. “I think that gives us an advantage on the court.”

That closeness also created unique motivational tactics to be employed between them — tactics which can be misinterpreted by coaches and teammates the first time they experience it. McKeever admits that he was taken aback a bit when the pair “got into it,” but now understands the tactics and appreciates the results.

“We get feisty with each other, but we do it to make each other better,” Lee said. “We know how to get the other mad to play our best.”

James’ and Lee’s best translated to a 22-10 overall record in 2011-12, and a 9-1 mark in league play. The Eagles advanced to the SJS Division I semifinals and qualified for the NorCal playoffs where they fell in the second round. In both cases, Pleasant Grove lost to the eventual champion (Kennedy-Sacramento won the section title and Berkeley won NorCal).

James and Lee are both outstanding all-around talents with a full complement of tools on both ends of the floor. James, who is an inch taller than Lee at 6-feet, can run the point and handle the offensive and defensive responsibilities in the post. She averaged 13 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists, and 2 blocks per game last year.

Lee, is the team’s top shooting guard, and averaged 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals per game as a junior.

“Dejza came back after the summer with the mentality that no one can stop her,” McKeever said of James’ continued progression as a top player. “She has a great command with the ball and she really worked on her jump shot.”

“Avonna is a pure shooter,” he said. “She can light it up any night from the outside and has the ability to score in the low post as well.”

While their contributions can be counted on, the success of the Eagles is likely to rest on the development of the new influx of talent. Junior Aaliyah

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Pena, at 6-foot-1, will patrol the paint from her post position, while guards Kim Schmelz, a sophomore, and Brittany Nguyen, a freshman, will be called upon to handle the ball and score in support of James and Lee. The new talent will be tested early as McKeever set up another challenging nonleague schedule for his team which includes top talent at the Oak Ridge Shootout and West Coast Jamboree in December before the Eagles face state champion Berkeley in early January.

“We go all out,” McKeever said of the gauntlet schedule. “We set it up to prepare for our league schedule and the playoffs. The girls got a little taste of the NorCals last year, and we want to be ready for that level of competition.”

The captains agree that early challenges are necessary to prepare for the postseason in addition to gauge where improvement is needed to reach the playoffs.

“I am honestly a little nervous to see how we do against some of the teams we are playing (in nonleague action and tournaments), but I am excited, too,” Lee said. “It will be good to see what those teams have and where our team is at, and to see what we need to improve before we face teams like that in league and the playoffs.”

Pleasant Grove will also be testing a more up-tempo offense in the early going. McKeever and new assistant Jasmine Cannady, a recent Sacramento State graduate who played for the Hornets, have emphasized conditioning in practice to open things up in an attempt to score more easy baskets and possibly wear down opponents.

With less size and experience, any advantage will be employed by the Eagles to repeat as DRL champions — a tough task with traditional powers like Oak Ridge, St. Francis and rising Sheldon posing threats to Pleasant Grove’s reign.

James, who recently signed with Arizona to continue her basketball career in the Pac-12, is excited about her future, but is focused on making the most of the present alongside Lee for one last hurrah. The pair believe they can keep the program rolling.

“We have the talent,” James said of the goal to win a league title and advance far into the postseason. “We just need the young players to realize their talent and gain the confidence for it to come out.” ✪

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Cole Nordquist, left, and Malik Thames will attempt to guide the Eagles through a grueling nonleague schedule in hopes of preparing the team for a run at the ever-elusive Delta River League title.

Thames, Nordquist have PG boys coveting elusive league title The boys’ basketball program shares a lot in common with its female counterparts. Both teams have grown into perennial league contenders and playoff threats; both have strong senior returners looking to lead an inexperienced roster; and both will play challenging schedules to prepare for the grueling Delta River League.

But, the boys still lack one thing that the girls have: a league championship.

“Our first goal is to get better every year,” said senior Cole Nordquist. “But we have never won a league title, and we want to make it happen this year.”

Taking the DRL will be a challenge as defending league champ Sheldon returns a large portion of the group that won Sac-Joaquin Section and CIF Northern Regional titles last year while also adding talented transfer Darin Johnson to its roster. Despite that obvious obstacle to Pleasant Grove’s goal of a league championship, Nordquist and the Eagles hope they can round into title contenders come February.

Key to a run at the DRL crown will be the senior trio of Nordquist, Malik Thames, and Matthew Hayes. They will be called upon to carry the statistical and leadership load for a team that advanced to the section Division I semifinals and the second round of the NorCal playoffs.

“Many of our returners only witnessed the league and playoff battles from the bench, and didn’t get the experience with respect to game minutes,” coach John DePonte said. “If we can get some guys to step up and be consistent to boost

our Big Three, then I think we can compete with anyone.”

Nordquist is temporarily sidelined with an ankle sprain, so Thames and Hayes will take the Eagles out of the gate and into an early schedule that features Sacramento High’s St. Hope Elite Hoop Classic and a trip to Southern California for the Oaks Christian Holiday Classic to face elite programs in preparation for league battles with Sheldon, Jesuit, and Oak Ridge.

DePonte plans to get valuable court time for players that only witnessed the Eagles’ league and playoff battles last year, but the coach is comfortable knowing that Nordquist and Thames—two three-year starters in the backcourt—will be on the floor with the less experienced players to ensure that Pleasant Grove can compete with any team it faces.

“They’re mistake erasers,” DePonte said of the duo. “They help make up for any mistakes on the court and can make the adjustments on the court to get teammates in the right place.”

The road to the elusive league title for the boys’ program may be uphill and pose a few speed bumps for the Eagles, but DePonte is confident that this year’s group can evolve into a group that challenges consensus DRL favorite Sheldon this year.

“As a team, we have set our goals as high as we can,” DePonte said. “We plan on fighting for a league title. If we grow each day and each practice, then we believe that we can do that.” ✪ — Jim McCue, Senior Contributor

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2. Archbishop Mitty-San Jose (28-5) Junior Kelli Hayes leads the usual deep and skilled Monarchs’ lineup — which is as well-coached as any team in the country.

3. St. Mary’s-Berkeley (27-8) Gabby Green and Mikayla Cowling are the best onetwo perimeter punch in Northern California.

4. St Mary’s-Stockton (32-4) Even losing Courtney Range to transfer won’t slow the Rams’ express.

5. Sacramento (27-7) 6-foot-4 Ayanna Edwards and wing Allie Green are just the tip of the talent iceberg.

6. Carondelet-Concord (27-4)

Oderah Chidom, left, and the Dragons.

Natalie Romeo will have to bear the bulk of the burden for the Cougars.

7. Miramonte-Orinda (31-2)

Jonathan Hawthorne photo

1. Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland

The Matadors only lost twice last year, both times to O’Dowd — and their freshman class is exceptional.

A year ago at this time, Bishop O’Dowd was thinking about what might’ve been.

The program had reached the state championship for the first time in March 2011, and had come up short. With nearly all of its roster intact, the Dragons’ 2011-12 season became a mission to win the California Interscholastic Federation Division III final.

And so it came to pass — in grand and dominating fashion. Bishop O’Dowd didn’t just win the state title last year, they marched into Sacramento and took it with a 62-24 victory over Laguna Hills.

So what now? What does coach Malik McCord have planned for keeping the 2012-13 team hungry?

“We haven’t been national champs yet,” the coach said wryly.

Seeing as how the Dragons entered the season as the No. 1 team in the nation (by MaxPreps.com), Bishop O’Dowd has a very real shot at accomplishing the feat. “They have a chance to have a perfect season,” McCord said. “That’s their push right now. We started ranked no.

1, and it’s still a dream to be No. 1 at the end of the season, but every year we have our goals mapped up. And they are totally motivated for this one and focused toward it. So the hunger isn’t gone at all.”

McCord has put together a schedule befitting a national-caliber program. The Dragons face three of four defending state champions, as well as playing in the prestigious Nike Tournament of Champions in mid-December.

If any roster can sustain that type of grind, it’s this one. The senior class features four legitimate D1 college talents, beginning with the Duke-bound Oderah Chidom and Cal-bound K.C. Waters. Point guard Ariell Bostick and post Breanna Brown round out the Fab Four.

Mix in sophomore guards Asha Thomas and Aisia Robertson — both of whom made significant contributions a year ago — and freshman phenom Daniela Wiliams, and it’s more talent then most programs see in 10 years.

The season in NorCal won’t be defined by Bishop O’Dowd, however. It may be a watershed year across the board, and preparing these preseason rankings were a testament to that. Who’s to say that defending Division II state champion Archbishop Mitty is better than nowhealthy Division IV title contender St. Mary’s of Berkeley? Then there’s St. Mary’s of Stockton, unusually low at No. 4. How can Sacramento, with at least six D-1 prospects, be put at No. 5?

We haven’t gotten to perennial powers like Oak Ridge (No. 15) and Berkeley (way down at No. 17), not to mention up-and-comers such as Heritage (No. 16) and McNair (No. 19). Finally, don’t forget that other defending state champion, Brookside Christian (No. 10). Sure, the Knights are Division V, but they return everyone from a 30-4 team.

In short, this could be one of those very special seasons in girls basketball — and one well worth paying close attention to.

—Chace Bryson/Clay Kallam

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8. St. Ignatius-S.F. (26-6) The rich get richer: Guard Quinci Mann transfers in to bolster an already excellent lineup.

9. Salesian-Richmond (31-5) Defections have hurt the Division IV NorCal champs, but the Pride still have the marvelous Mariya Moore.

10. Brookside Christian-Stockton (30-4) The defending Division V champion returns everyone — and will take on all comers in a brutal schedule.

11. Monte Vista-Danville (22-6) 12. Kennedy-Sacramento (26-9) 13. Modesto Christian (27-7) 14. Deer Valley-Antioch (22-9) 15. Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills (25-9) 16. Heritage-Brentwood (25-6) 17. Berkeley (27-3) 18. Montgomery-Santa Rosa (22-8) 19. McNair-Stockton (28-5) 20. Pleasant Valley-Chico (26-4)

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Dejza James

SCHOOL: Pleasant Grove YEAR: Senior HT./POS.: 6-0 / Wing THE DETAILS: James runs the point for the Eagles, but can do it all for the defending Delta River League champs. She has extraordinary court vision to set up teammates or score at will.

After an impressive junior season, James improved her jump shot over the summer and will be an even bigger scoring threat.

Daijah Joe-Smith

SCHOOL: Florin YEAR: Senior HT./POS.: 5-11 / Forward THE DETAILS: Even with opponents planning to stop Joe-Smith, she poured in nearly 20 points per game as a junior. Another year wiser and stronger, she will again be the Panthers’ top threat, but a more experienced supporting cast could boost her to the next level.

Lynette Johnson

Tucker: Jonathan Hawthorne. James, Johnson: James K. Leash

SCHOOL: Kennedy YEAR: Senior HT./POS.: 5-10 / Wing THE DETAILS: Johnson averaged 18.8 points in the regular season as a junior, but exploded in the playoffs to lead the Cougars to a section championship and the NorCal finals. She can grab a rebound on defense, push the ball up the court and either score or feed an open teammate.

Tyler Ellis

SCHOOL: Antelope YEAR: Senior HT./POS.: 6-1 / Forward THE DETAILS: The twin sister of the Titans boys star forward Isaiah Ellis, Tyler shares a defensive dominance gene as well as the ability to score in the low post. Rebounding is her specialty, but constantly improving offensive skills have established her as a complete player.

Tiara Tucker

SCHOOL: Brookside Christian YEAR: Junior HT./POS.: 5-6 / Guard THE DETAILS: Tucker was the section’s second-leading scorer as a soph with a 25.3 average, and her all-around game helped lead the Knights to SJS and state titles in Division V. The quick guard’s ceiling is very high as her game continues to evolve.

tiara tucker

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dejza james

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THEY’VE GOT NEXT ● Halie Bergman (Turlock Christian), Sr., 5-10, Guard

● Mary-Clare Bosco (Sacramento Country Day), Sr., 6-0, Fwd/Center ● Ayanna Edwards (Sacramento), Jr., 6-4, Center ● Katie King (River City), Sr., 6-1, Wing

● Avonna Lee (Pleasant Grove), Sr., 5-11, Wing

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T

By clay kallam | Contributor

o recap: In 2010, St. Mary’s-Berkeley played for the California Interscholastic Federation Division IV state championship in Bakersfield.

There, they ran into 33-1 Harvard-Westlake, which was powered by two superb senior guards, Nicole Nesbit and Nicole Hung.

But less-heralded Sydney Haydel went off, scoring 20 points, and Harvard-Westlake rolled to a 58-44 victory.

In 2011, St. Mary’s returned to the Division IV state title game, and this time, the Panthers faced nationally-ranked Windward, with 6-7 post Imani Stafford (now at Texas) and elite point guard Jordin Canada.

In state title try number two, the loss hurt even worse, as underdog St. Mary’s trailed almost the entire game, but battled back to take a 45-44 lead on a Danielle Mauldin basket with 5:55 left. Stafford and Canada countered, giving Windward a three-point lead with 4:23 left.

Again, the Panthers rallied, getting a free throw from Emily Vann and another basket from Mauldin to tie the game with just 1:11 remaining. But Canada buried a three from the top of the key 10 seconds later, and Stafford blocked St. Mary’s last gasp shot, and the Panthers were denied again.

Last season, it was clear that the path to a third straight trip to the cham-

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pionship game was going to have to go through league rival Salesian. The first two times the teams met, the Panthers handled the Pride. The third game, in the North Coast Section title game, was a seven-point win for Salesian, but not surprisingly, the two teams met again in the NorCal finals — and Salesian eked out a 47-44 win and moved on to Sacramento to shoot for a state championship.

It was small consolation to coach Nate Fripp and the Panthers that Salesian then got hammered by nationally-ranked La Jolla Country Day 72-41, because after all, you don’t have a chance to win a California title if you don’t play for one.

So this year, it will come as no surprise that St. Mary’s has a to-the-point motto: “Unfinished business.”

“Plain and simple,” said Panthers’ junior wing Mikayla Cowling. “We have set our goal to win state.”

But how did a small school on the border of Albany and Berkeley, competing for talent with Bishop O’Dowd, Salesian, Berkeley, St. Joseph Notre Dame and all the Oakland Athletic League schools, get to this point? After all, most schools would be ecstatic to win a NorCal title once, and get to experience just playing for a state title. But for the last three years, the Panthers have been this close to winning the big one.

Naturally, it didn’t happen overnight, and the process began even beUpload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com

Mikayla Cowling

Photos by Phillip Walton

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fore Fripp took over nine years ago.

“When I got there, we were pretty good,” said Fripp, but there were still issues.

The previous coach had been fired just before the season started, and Fripp had never coached girls before. He adjusted quickly, however, and he’s won more than 200 games since he got the job. His secret, from his point of view?

“If you don’t have good players, it’s hard to be good,” he said. “We try to play a style that’s entertaining, and I’m not the yeller-screamer guy. I’m more a player’s coach. We play uptempo — get up in your face, run and push. We try to have some structure, but we give the kids freedom to play.”

That combination makes it easy for talented players to choose St. Mary’s, and over time, talent follows talent. “You get a kid who’s good,” said Fripp, “and kids see that you’re good, and they want to come.”

Of course, it’s more than that.

“Nate is able to relate to us in a positive way,” said Cowling, who is one of the nation’s top-ranked players in the Class of 2014. “He understands his athletes and is able to relate to us as athletes due to his own experience.

“He definitely knows how to get the maximum out of all his players.”

Kelly Sopak, who has had success at both Northgate and Miramonte, appreciates Fripp’s achievements from a different perspective. “He gets the players he has to buy into his system,” said Sopak. “Even when there are injuries, like last year, he figures out a way.”

And Sopak also sees how Fripp structures his program.

“Year in and year out, he gets his teams prepared for postseason,” said Sopak. “Nate has a good understanding that the season is a marathon, not a sprint — and that’s why his teams are often playing on the last day.”

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Gabby Green “The last day,” of course, is the state championship, and Fripp and the Panthers definitely want to get back there again.

Making the task somewhat easier are the return of eight players, though league MVP Shannon Mauldin is now playing with her sister Danielle at St. Mary’s College in Moraga.

The list of returners begins with Cowling, a 6-1 wing who’s already committed to Cal. “She’s still slender,” Fripp said, but the smoothly athletic Cowling has improved over last year.

“She’s starting to really understand what she’s got to do.”

Teaming with her on the perimeter is Gabby Green, who’s now close to 6-2, and who is also one of the premier players in the Class of 2014. Green was hurt for much of last season, but is ready to go now.

“She’s significantly better,” said Fripp. “She’s more explosive and she’s taller” – and yet, at 6-2, she’ll still play the point on occasion.

Most of the time, however, senior Kwele Serrell will run the show, though Fripp now has the option of calling on sophomore MaAne’ Mosely, who played point guard for Salesian a year ago.

Mosely took advantage of a now-discarded CIF rule that allowed her to transfer after her freshman season and be immediately eligible, and so she won’t have to sit out until Jan. 1 like many other transfers.

“I had heard rumblings she was coming,” said Fripp. “I said ‘I’ll believe it when I see it’ – and then I saw her at school.”

Also look for 5-11 wing Taylor Berry to see lots of action.

Berry missed almost all of last season with foot injuries after transferring from Alhambra, and she will do more than score.

“She’s a real good perimeter defender,” said Fripp.

With all these wings on the roster, Elexis Goodwin is going to have to doa lot of heavy lifting in the paint, but she played very well down the stretch last year and even at 5-10, she’ll give the Panthers an inside presence.

The injuries to Green and Berry took a toll on the team last year in more ways than just a loss of talent.

“Last year was so weird,” said Fripp. “I was juggling lineups.

The chemistry right now is better – the girls know what their roles are.”

They also know they must deal with expectations, and not just their own.

“Everybody’s going to put expectations on us,” said Fripp, “so I don’t need to. I try not to make specific goals. We’re going to work on what we need to do, not where we want to go.”

But no matter what Fripp says or does, his players aren’t going to forget about what they see as unfinished business — and they are focused on making the third time the charm in the Division IV championship game March 23 in Sacramento. ✪

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big shot

folsom

SJS Div. II-champion Bulldogs get ultimate chance at glory By jim mccue | Senior Contributor

Folsom QB Jake Browning James K. Leash photos

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Before Sac-Joaquin Section Commissioner Pete Saco gave the Folsom football team the championship banner that will be displayed in the school gymnasium, he asked the players if any of them had girlfriends.

“Because if you do, you need to cancel your date for next weekend because you have another game,” Saco said to a roaring approval from the Division II champion Bulldogs.

While there was no official word about who Folsom would be “set up with” in a Northern California Regional Bowl game until the following Sunday afternoon, the Bulldogs understood they would likely have a date with the most storied high school football program in the state, and maybe even the

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nation: De La Salle-Concord.

To many observers, Folsom’s date this weekend might be likened to an ordinary kid going out with a supermodel. But, the Bulldogs are hoping that they have a date with history.

“It’s a great opportunity for us,” co-head coach Kris Richardson said after his team won the section title on

Feeling Bowlish!

Following are the CIF Northern and Southern Regional Bowl matchups set for Dec. 7-8. Winners play for the CIF State Bowl Championship in Carson on Dec. 14-15.

OPEN DIVISION (Dec. 8) ■ NORTH: Folsom (14-0) vs.

De La Salle-Concord (13-0) ■ SOUTH: Narbonne-Harbor City (14-0) vs.

Centennial-Corona (13-1) DIVISION I (Dec. 7) ■ NORTH: St. Ignatius-San Francisco (10-3) vs.

Granite Bay (11-3) ■ SOUTH: Long Beach Poly (11-3) vs.

Clovis North-Fresno (12-1) DIVISION II (Dec. 8) ■ NORTH: Clayton Valley Charter-Concord (12-1) vs.

Oakdale (13-1) ■ SOUTH: Serra-Gardena (12-2) vs.

Edison-Huntington Beach (13-1) DIVISION III (Dec. 8) ■ NORTH: Marin Catholic-Kentfield (13-1) vs.

Sutter (13-0) ■ SOUTH: Madison-San Diego (12-1) vs.

Monrovia (12-2) DIVISION IV (Dec. 7) ■ NORTH: McClymonds-Oakland (9-3) vs.

Central Catholic-Modesto (12-2) ■ SOUTH: Santa Fe Christian-Solana Beach (10-3) vs.

Rio Hondo Prep-Arcadia (12-1)

Saturday night. “No one gave us a chance when we were playing Serra-Gardena (in the 2010 CIF State Division II Bowl Championship game) and they had nine Division I athletes, including (current USC star receivers) Marqise Lee and George Farmer, and no one gave us a chance when we played Grant (in the section championship in 2010).”

“We’ll show up and we’ll play, and we’re going to give them everything we’ve got.”

What stands between Folsom and making history is 33 seasons of dominance that the Spartans have recorded under the guidance of National High School Hall of Fame coach Bob Ladouceur. Since Ladouceur took over a program that

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had never had a winning season in 1979, De La Salle has a record of 397-25-3 (a staggering .934 winning percentage).

Consider these mind-blowing numbers for the Spartans: ■ A national record 151 consecutive victories from 1992 to 2004; ■ Five mythical national championships (according to USA Today high school rankings); ■ 28 North Coast Section Division I titles, including the last 21 in a row; and ■ 235 consecutive games without losing to a Northern California opponent.

The last time De La Salle lost to a team from the upper half

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Folsom LB Devon Nooner of the state was 1991, well before any of the players who will face off this Saturday night at Sacramento State’s Hornet Field were born.

The fact that the regional streak precedes the lives of Folsom players like sophomore quarterback Jake Browning could help in making it “just another game” for the Bulldogs.

“When you look at De La Salle, you can easily get lost in all of (the history and winning streaks),” Browning said. “We need to treat it like any other game and be prepared for them.”

Folsom has prepared for lots of great teams this year in compiling a 14-0 record, so the Bulldogs will stick to their regular weekly routine that includes watching film, gameplanning, and practicing.

“We are going to break down the film and see what we’re good at and what we can take advantage of,” junior wide receiver Troy Knox said. “We’re just lucky that we have another week to go.”

The brunt of the film work will fall on the shoulders of the Folsom coaches, including Richardson, co-coach and offensive coordinator Troy Taylor, and defensive coordinator Lou Baiz. “(Coach Taylor) has probably already been watching film and started working on a game plan,” Browning said of his quarterback mentor early Sunday afternoon.

“He may not have slept last night, but we will meet on Monday and go over film and start preparing for them.”

Taylor’s game plans and Browning’s execution has resulted in some impressive numbers that the Spartans will have to plan for as well. The sophomore signal-caller was

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not named the starter until the day before Folsom’s first game, but he wasted no time in piling up huge passing statistics. He threw for 699 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first varsity game and has not slowed since. To date, Browning has thrown for 4,968 yards and 61 touchdowns, putting him on the brink of California records for both yards and scores with at least one more game to play.

In the section final, Browning started slow, but eventually got into a groove to finish with 205 yards passing and three passing touchdowns. He added a one-yard touchdown run as the Bulldogs took control of the game in the second and third quarters to handle Elk Grove 44-18.

The entire Folsom football program understands that it has never faced a challenge like De La Salle. But Richardson and company view the game as an opportunity—to cement the program’s emerging reputation as a regional power and perhaps make a name for themselves nationally.

“It’s a great football program. I’m from that area, so I know them very well,” said Richardson, who attended and played football at College Park-Pleasant Hill. “We’re peaking at the right time. We are not sputtering going into this game at all.”

Fresh off conquering Folsom’s latest challenge — winning its second section crown in three years — players like Knox were already anxious to take on the next one.

“Playing De La Salle is definitely a great opportunity and a big challenge for us,” he said. “We love challenges.”

“They’re a great team, we’re a great team.

It will be fun.” ✪

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Core training, part II: Goals and progression The fact is that core and lumbar stability are vital for both performance and injury prevention in your athletes, and it’s more than just training your abs.

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n my last article I discussed the a foundation the athlete can build importance of core stability and from going forward from the inside how vital it is for optimal force out. The goal is to develop and restore generation in sport performance and inner/deep core function. Teach them injury reduction. This week we’ll take to re-engage the diaphragm (breatha closer look at core training. ing patterns) in the anterior (front), Core training is more than just lateral (side) and posterior (back) training the abdominals, it involves a for creating stability all around the systematic and progressive approach spine. Then integrate these breathing for maximizing on-field perforpatterns into planks teaching neutral mance and the long term health of spine. athletes. So even though my focus 2. Isolated Stability: Tim Rudd for IYCA is more on the trunk muscles in this Increase isolative core stability relaarticle, an athlete’s loss of mobility tive to hip stiffness. In other words, in ankles, hips and thoracic spine (upper-back) we want stability to come from the core not the will negatively affect their stability and ability hips. This is where we start to integrate moveto produce and transfer force for optimal sports ments where your athletes are learning to preperformance. This should hammer home the vent or resist extension, flexion, lateral flexion, importance of coaches and trainers properly flexion and rotation of the spine. assessing athletes before throwing them through 3.Integrated Stability: The goal here movements that can do little in the way of sports is to improve stability in all planes of movement enhancement and injury prevention. and all movement patterns. This is where we put This is how I progress my athletes and the all the pieces together to rebuild and re-groove movements such as the squat, dead lift and specific goals of each phase. Examples for each pressing, etc. of these phases can be found in the online ver4. Sport performance-specific: sion of this column at SportStarsOnline.com Improve stability in sport-specific conditions 1. Foundational Stability: Develop

December 6, 2012

Training Time

that will ensure maximal performance. This is where we separate sporting movement from weight room movement (speed, power and fatigue). At this point the athlete is proficient at creating stability through accelerative movements more specific to sporting movements.

In this phase it’s important to assess the demands of your athletes’ sport (movement patterns, speed, power and fatigue) when it comes to training the qualities that will result in optimal performance transfer from the gym.

The fact is that core and lumbar stability are vital for both performance and injury prevention in your athletes, and it’s more than just training your abs. Your athletes need to be assessed first and then properly progressed through a program that takes them from general preparation to sport-specific situations. This is key for optimal performance and long-term success in their respective sports. ✪ Tim Rudd is an International Youth Conditioning Association specialist in youth conditioning (level 3), speed and agility (level 2), and nutrition specialist (level 1). For more information on anything you read in Training Time, email him at tim@fit2thecore.com.

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Kick start heart safety: Promote AED availability

S

udden Cardiac Failure in the young athlete is not common, but when this occurs the consequences are devastating.

The rate of occurrence is about 1/200,000 per year in the U.S. athletic population. The underlying factors are difficult to screen for, and the most common first symptom is sudden death.

The American Heart Association recommends a 12-element screen to help determine who is most at risk. This involves a detailed personal health history of heart murmur or symptoms with exercise, family history of any heart condition or sudden death at younger than 50 years of age, and physical examination for vital signs of resting heart rate/blood pressure/and listening for a heart murmur.

If red flags are raised during this health screen, further diagnostic methods are warranted including EKG, ECHO cardiogram, and even a CT scan; all very expensive procedures. Still, there is not a foolproof method of preventing catastrophe.

That being the case, there is one device that can avert this disaster — and unfortunately it is not yet as common a sight as the fire extinguisher or exit sign.

Automatic External Defibrilators (AEDs) are important

lifesaving devices that should be readily available in all public places where athletics occur. It is the one item that no one ever wants to use, yet everyone should have access to.

The AED is designed for simplicity, with verbal instruction and pictures to guide the user through the action of saving a life. All CPR instruction includes familiarizing with the AED. There is not one single proven method of saving a life that equals the early use of an AED during a cardiac event. Nearly all young athletes who suffer a sudden cardiac event can be saved with the AED. The problem remains, however, that we as a society have not yet reached the tipping point of having the expectation of finding an AED in any building, field of play, or sporting venue we may find ourselves in. The good news is we are not very far off.

The public’s awareness is rising, with CPR classes covering its use, news and print media covering the issues, and the universal sign of a heart with a lightning bolt becoming more common place. Still, more advocacies are needed and it is the public’s pressure on institutions that wins the money to make the AED a pervasive sight. ✪

have questions or comments regarding the “Health Watch” column, write the Sports Medicine For Young Athletes staff at Health@SportStarsOnline.com

Health Watch Bruce Valentine

Bruce Valentine is a physical therapist assistant for the Sports Medicine For Young Athletes, a division of Children’s Hospital Oakland with a facility also located in Walnut Creek. If you

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I

Time to eat up: It’s bulking season

t’s finally the holidays, and if you’re anything like me, you’re bundled up to avoid the cold weather, and you just can’t help but want to eat everything in sight. So you’re gaining a little weight? Who cares?

Unless you have a figure competition coming up or you’re going to the beach any time soon, this is the perfect time to start adding that muscle without the fear of adding a little

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fat. When summertime comes you most likely want those big muscles that lay under the fat. The problem is that it’s hard to gain good muscle without adding some unwanted fat.

So I like to gain the muscle in the winter, and then cut the fat off in the spring and summer when I want to spend some time with my shirt off selling tickets to the gun show.

Does this mean to gorge yourself like a stuffed pig? No. But it means that you can use those extra calories to help build some great lean muscle. Below are some simple pointers you can use this holiday season to start the process of gaining some good lean muscle for showing off later in the year.

EAT FOOD!: Most people want to spend umpteen hours at their local supplement store looking for the holy grail of products.

All supplements have their ups and downs, but the problem is that most people use them as their sole source of good nutrient intake. I am not a huge proponent of supplements unless you have an already sound nutritional program. This way you can take supplements out of convenience, not because you think they are a necessity.

Go to the grocery store and buy the foods you know you should eat, and then go home and cook. In the long run it will save you hundreds of dollars in supplements and, as long as you eat the same way, you’ll maintain your results longer than if you were on supplements alone and stopped because you couldn’t afford them. I am for supplements, but only if they are taken correctly with a sound diet.

TRAIN FOR SIZE, NOT JUST STRENGTH: Most guys try to be the one to move the most weight (believe me I get it) but you’re going to end up simply getting strong instead of big and strong. The goal is to do 4-6 sets of 8-15 reps using weights around 65-80 percent of your one-rep max. Make sure to go through the full range of motion in each exercise to get the big long muscle that looks good when you cut the fat later.

FEEL THE BURN: When training for size you’re likely going to get into the range where you get the muscle burn mid lift, that’s a good thing for the goal of bulking. Just make sure to take adequate rest in between each set to maximize the ability to get every rep on your own without a spotter to do all

your work.

RECOVER: Listen to your body. No one climbs Mt. Everest in one straight shot; they take breaks at base camps to recover their energy. So when you hit those walls take the time to recover and de-load your body so that you can push past your plateaus and have some great muscle gains.

Now go enjoy stuffing your face this holiday season, just make sure to train the right way so that you use that fuel to gain some good winter muscle. ✪

Powered by Trucks

Anthony Trucks

Anthony Trucks was a decorated football player for Antioch High and the University of Oregon before spending time on multiple NFL rosters. His Trucks Training facility has been operating since 2008. Send your weight training questions to Anthony at Contact@ TrucksTraining.com.

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