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december 18, 2014

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room: We’ve been good all year, right? No? Mostly? Well, we still want things. We want sports things.

Go Sports Team!

Fence: 37 The Tryouts, sign-ups, fund-raisers and more!

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BESTYEAREVER As it’s our final issue of 2014, we feel the need to reflect. This is truly an original idea. We’re quite certain we’re the only publication that indulges in year-end lists to commemorate all the good things of the previous 12 months. We’re not? Well, good luck finding a bunch of other lists on the best things surrounding high school sports in 2014. Take that! ›› The Year of Folsom — Public schools, take solace. The Bulldogs, as well as Campolindo-Moraga in the Bay Area, have proven you can build and sustain success throughout your athletic program without having the so-called advantages of private schools. In 2014, the boys basketball team went 32-3 and reached the CIF Division II state championship, the wrestling team produced a state champ in Nick Fiegener, Austin Carter had a monster track and field season and the football team reached the CIF Div. I State Bowl game with a pristine 15-0 mark. Did we mention the team’s quarterback set a national record? It was kind of a good year. ›› East Bay Football Rises Up — For the first time in the eightyear history of the CIF Bowl Games, three East Bay teams will travel south. De La Salle-Concord goes for its eighth year and plays in the Open bowl, Campolindo makes its second trip to the Div. III game and Clayton Valley Charter-Concord makes its maiden voyage to Carson in Div. II. All three play on Dec. 20 and the games will be broadcast in the Bay Area. Who’s having a viewing party? We’ll bring nachos! ›› Johanna Grauer (right) Finishes On Top — The Bay Area has produced some of the country’s most dominant softball pitchers, and Grauer’s four years at Amador Valley-Pleasanton is noteworthy. After missing a chance at a mythical national title in 2012, Grauer helped the Dons bring one home as a senior. She went 27-0 with an 0.51 ERA, 290 strikeouts and allowed just 60 hits in 191.1 innings. She also carried a .429 batting average with 20 RBI. Amador Valley finished undefeated and No. 1 in the MaxPreps.com final national rankings. ›› Nate Moore Makes History at State Track Meet — It’s unlikely the Bay Area, or the entire state even, will see a jumping talent like Moore again anytime soon. The 2014 Castro Valley graduate became the first boy to win back-to-back state titles in both the long jump and triple jump. Ever. His winning jumps at the state were top national marks of the season in both events. ›› Pleasant Grove Girls Hoops Sports the Glass Sneakers — Our favorite Cinderella story was the CIF Div. I NorCal Championship run by Pleasant Grove girls basketball. Led by Aaliyah Pena, the Eagles — who didn’t win their league and lost in the Sac-Joaquin Section semifinals — traveled 606 miles to win three straight road games by a combined six points. Then they knocked off perennial state power Berkeley 51-42 in the regional championship before falling short in the state final.

There were obviously plenty more worthy stories to mention. We didn’t even get to Monte Vista-Danville girls soccer finishing as mythical national champs, the East Bay’s three McDonald’s All-American girls basketball players or Central Catholic-Modesto football reaching a third straight CIF Bowl Game.

Got a favorite of your own, let us know. Until then, Happy Holidays from SportStars. ✪

join our team PHONE 925.566.8500 FAX 925.566.8507 Editorial Editor@SportStarsOnline.com Editor Chace Bryson • Chace@SportStarsOnline.com Staff Writer Jim McCue • JimMcCue16@gmail.com Contributors Bill Kolb, Matt Smith, Clay Kallam, Ben Enos, Dave Kiefer, Liz Elliott, Tim Rudd, Trevor Horn Copy Editor Bill Kruissink Photography Bob Larson, Jonathan Hawthorne, James K. Leash, Norbert von der Groeben, Phillip Walton, Doug Guler, Dean Coppola, Berry Evans, III Marketing/Events Ryan Arter Editorial Intern Mike Young Creative Department Art@SportStarsOnline.com Production Manager Mike DeCicco • MikeD@SportStarsOnline.com Publisher/President Mike Calamusa • Mike@SportStarsOnline.com Advertising Sales@SportStarsOnline.com, 925.566.8500 Account Executives Camps & Clinics: Ryan Arter • Camps@SportStarsOnline.com Alameda County: Berry Evans • Berry@foto-pros.com Central Valley, World Events: Anthony Grigsby • Area Director anthony.grigsby@worldeventssports.com Darin Wissner • dwissner@wordeventssports.com Reader Resources/Administration Subscription, Calendar, Credit Services Angela Paradise • Info@SportStarsOnline.com Distribution/Delivery Phillip Walton • Mags@SportStarsOnline.com Information technology John Bonilla CFO Sharon Calamusa • Sharon@SportStarsOnline.com community SportStars™ Magazine A division of Caliente! Communications, LLC 5356 Clayton Rd., Ste. 222 • Concord, CA 94521 • info@SportStarsOnline.com www.SportStarsOnline.com

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donovan

brown

Grant-Sacramento, Football, Senior The senior quarterback made an impressive run in leading the Pacers to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championship and establishing himself as one of the best quarterbacks the storied program has had. Brown threw for 722 yards and eight TDs in Grant’s final three section playoff games, including a 5-TD, 268-yard effort in a 63-21 defeat of Downey-Modesto in the second round. For the season, Brown eclipsed 2,000 yards passing and tossed 21 TDs to go along with five rushing scores, including the game-winner in the section final, a 21-14 victory over St. Mary’s-Stockton. He finished his football career with 34 TD passes and 39 total TDs, and will assume point guard duties for the Pacers’ basketball team this week.

IN HIS OWN WORDS: “We feel that we accomplished a lot this year even though we came up one game short of where we wanted to go. Despite the disappointment of the loss, I am happy with what we did in bringing Grant football back to where it belongs.”

honorable mention Megan McBroome: The Rocklin volleyball setter helped lead the Thunder to an SJS Div. II title with 47 assists in the final. She finished the season with 1,117 assists and an average of 9.1 assists per set.

Charlie Tooley: The Granite Bay junior led the Grizzlies to a Mark Macres Tournament title. He scored 25 points in the opener and hit key gametying shots in OT wins later in the tourney.

Nia Johnson: The Antelope freshman averaged 23.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 4.7 steals during a 3-0 start for the Titans. She had 25 points, 14 rebounds, 5 steals, and 4 assists in a win over Granite Bay. Like us on Facebook

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Rapid Fire

Yoonhee Kim Dougherty Valley Golf

Sam Whitney Folsom Football

Plans for your holiday break See swing coach, spend time w/ family

Trending What’s hot this week in the world of stuff that’s hot Ronnie Wood performed with members of One Direction on X Factor UK. For you One Direction fans, Wood is a member of the Rolling Stones. For you Stones fans, One Direction is, like, much hotter than Mick and Keith.

A bridge in Toledo, Ohio remained stuck in the up position as officials scrambled to get it lowered. Hopefully it doesn’t get lowered until the Duke boys use it to get back across the county line.

The San Francisco 49ers were ellminated from the playoffs. When reached for comment, area 49ers fans said ‘WARRRRRRRRRIORRRRRSSSS!’

Celebrate my state title ring

favorite drink on a cold day Hot chocolate

Warm milk with honey

if you could ask santa for anything, what would it be

End world hunger

TV

new year's resolution Improve in To gain 20 pounds golf, academics favorite moment of 2014 as a sports fan Giants winning the World Series

Rams beating the 49ers

Police in Vienna, N.Y., arrested a suspect after DNA from his beard led to his arrest. Finally, tangible means to thin out the hipster herd.

Frozen director Jennifer Lee has apologized to parents for hearing nothing but ‘Let It Go’ for the last year. Ok, that’s settled. You’re up next, Robin Thicke.

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4,899

count 'em

top five items on our bay area sports wishlist It’s the holiday season. With whoop-de-do, and hickorydock, and all that. And in this time of giving, we want to tell you: We have needs. They are pressing. They are urgent. They can only be satisfied by a fat man with a fuzzy hat and a strange method of locomotion. Or possibly a really strong first-year-player draft. Here are the top 5 things we’d like shoved in our grossly oversized footwear.

1. Anonymity — For the Golden State Warriors.

Maybe nobody will notice and they can keep this thing rolling right into May. Hey. It’s a WISH list.

2. Names — For the Oakland Athletics. We’re always gonna root for the name on the front of the ol’ kelly green and gold jersey. But it sure would be cool to recognize some names on the back, too. Billy? In ye we trust. But throw us a frickin’ bone here.

3. Mercy — For the San Francisco 49ers. Sweet Christmas Crackers, let it be over.

4. All the other things — For the Oakland Raiders. It might be easier to list the needs the Silver and Black DON’T have. Quarterback: check. Linebackers: check. Uhhh. Yeah. We’re done. Maybe start with a general manager who speaks in multi-word sentences, and see where the evening takes us.

5. Nothing — For the San Francisco Giants. Seriously? Three rings in five years, and you guys have the stones to write a list? Get out of here with that nonsense.

— Jolly Old Bill Kringle

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Number of passing yards this season from Terra Nova-Pacifica quarterback Anthony Gordon, a Central Coast Section record.

Gordon also finished with 49 TDs (also a CCS record). He passed for 353 yards and 3 TDs to lead the Tigers to the CCS Div. IV finals win over Monte Vista ChristianWatsonville. It was Terra Nova’s fourth CCS title.

say what?

“Growing up, I really fought the idea. I didn’t want to play quarterback at all. I just didn’t want to be like my brothers, for whatever reason. ... I had some success the first game last year against Heritage and ever since then it was just kind of what I was going to do. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”

— Campolindo quarterback Jack Stephens, left, who is the third of three brothers to have started under center for the Cougars. On Dec. 20, he’ll try to do what his brother Brett wasn’t quite able to do — win the CIF Div. III State Bowl championship.

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Bowl Business CIF looks at another makeover for its championship football games

If a proposal passes next month, CIF bowls will no longer exclude any section champion. There will just be a lot more divisions and some of them just might not be that exciting.

Two of the best football teams this season that did not get chosen to play in a CIF Northern California regional bowl game were Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton and Aptos.

Since Sacred Heart Prep won the CIF Central Coast Section Open Division, becoming the first private school from outside of the West Catholic Athletic League to do that, the Gators may not have been that disappointed with not being able to face powerhouse Folsom in the NorCal Division I bowl game.

For Aptos, however, which was involved in a very tough call that also involved Campolindo-Moraga and Sutter for the NorCal Div. III bowl game, there was more bitterness.

There just wasn’t anyplace else for the Mariners to go after they topped St. Ignatius-San Francisco for a second straight CCS Div. III title.

Next year, if a new plan passes next month at the CIF Federated Council meeting, every team that wins a section football title will be playing in a bowl game. The concept is simply to expand the number of divisions to 11 with an open division remaining for the two very best teams plus a small schools open division (enrollments below 1,200).

Some believe that the new system will create a watered down series of champions. This is definitely true if you recall that just last year Folsom and De La Salle-Concord actually played in a NorCal Open Division bowl game, and that starting next year such a matchup still isn’t happening while possible matchups such as Mission-San Francisco traveling to play a rural smallschool opponent such as Winters or Bear River-Grass Valley will be on the CIF bowl game schedule.

Still, even if one accepts it’s a watered-down approach, when the CIF section commissioners next meet for football bowl game selections next December, it will be to seed the teams and just decide who’s playing whom in each division. That will be far more enjoyable for them then conducting a vote that effectively ends the season for many teams.

Looking at a mock selection of teams that the CIF did earlier this year and using this year’s section champions, here is a look at what games this year’s teams from Northern California might have been playing in: OPEN DIVISON: De La Salle-Concord vs. Centennial-Corona — The Spartans still would have received the Open Division bid from the North in the new system.

OPEN DIVISION (Small): Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton vs. Central Catholic-Modesto — Just a hunch, but we think the Gators would rather have had another matchup with a bigger school such as Clayton Valley or Grant.

1AA: Folsom vs. Grant-Sacramento — The NorCal game under the new format would have been the same as this year.

1A: Edison-Fresno vs. Clayton Valley-Concord — In the new plan, the CIF Central Section Division I, Division III and Division V champions also would be in the north.

2AA: Oakdale vs. Campolindo-Moraga — Since Campolindo was clearly ahead of EnterpriseRedding in the rankings, it would be next in line from the north to play Oakdale.

2A: Enterprise-Redding vs. St. Francis-Mountain View — We don’t know how the CCS may restructure its own playoffs for next season so we just used the five champions from this season

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Phillip Walton

Teams like Salesian-Richmond, which missed the cut for a bowl game this year after winning its second straight North Coast Section Div. V title, would’ve been automatically included in the new bowl system proposal. for our mock selections.

3AA: Sutter vs. Aptos — This is about the point in the proposed format in which the available SoCal teams begin to have an edge in terms of enrollment, competitive strength of playoff division and other factors.

3A: Hanford vs. McClymonds-Oakland — Forfeits or not, Mack would have gotten a game in this format and also would have been picked for a higher game than Capital Christian since both teams would still be playing.

4AA: Salesian-Richmond vs. San Benito-Hollister — Yes, it would be strange to see a CCS D1 winner going up against the NCS D5 champ but these divisions under the new plan will be determined by competitive equity and not enrollment.

4A: Capital Christian-Sacramento vs. Terra Nova-Pacifica — Again, there will be matchups in these bowls for state titles between schools that are quite large enrollment-wise vs. those that are quite small.

5AA: Winters vs. Justin-Siena-Napa — A Justin-Siena matchup vs. Terra Nova probably is more accurate looking at rankings, but Winters vs. Justin-Siena makes more sense because the two schools aren’t that far apart on the map.

5A: Mission-San Francisco vs. Bear River-Lake of the Pines — It is true that the San Francisco champion would probably not be competitive in most years until it got down to some of the smaller schools.

6AA: Corcoran vs. Maxwell/Stone Ridge Christian — It looks like there would be at least one play-in game in the north involving small schools that will end their section playoffs one week before the rest of the state. ✪ Mark Tennis is the co-founder of Cal-Hi Sports, and publisher of CalHiSports.com. Contact him at markjtennis@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter, @CalHiSports.

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California football Rankings Receiver Cole Thompson for No. 3 Folsom.

James K. Leash photo

Previous ranking in parentheses; through games of Nov. 15 1. (1) — De La Salle-Concord 13-0 Spartans moved to No. 1 after last year’s CIF Open Div. winner St. John Bosco, was upset by Centennial-Corona.

2. (2) — Centennial-Corona 12-2 Huskies ahead of Folsom because they avenged one loss, other was by one point to national No. 1 Bishop Gorman-Las Vegas.

3. (3) — Folsom 15-0 Could be the state’s best team this season, but since there’s no more Open Div. regional games, we’ll never know.

4. (4) — St. John Bosco-Bellflower 10-1 Loss to Centennial snapped 28-game win streak against California opponents.

5. (5) — Oceanside 14-0 Won its first San Diego Section Open Div. title, then beat EdisonFresno in SoCal D1 regional game.

6. (7) ▲ Long Beach Poly 11-2 After Grant lost big to Folsom, several CIFSS Pac-5 teams moved up, led by the Jackrabbits.

7. (8) ▲ Bishop Amat-La Puente 9-4 Left with what-if after a 2-point conversion fail led to a one-point playoff loss to Centennial.

8. (9) ▲ JSerra-San Juan Capistrano 10-2 One loss was to Amat in the CIFSS playoffs; other was to St. John Bosco by 3 points.

9. (10) ▲ Mater Dei-Santa Ana 9-3 Loss to Centennial knocked Monarchs out of CIFSS Pac-5 playoffs, but they beat Huskies earlier in season.

10. (11) ▲ Serra-Gardnea 8-3 Cavs lost 68-64 in OT to Centennial in the playoffs; keep moving up rankings as Centennial advances.

11. (15) ▲ Clayton Valley Charter-Concord 15-0 After win over Oakdale, Eagles got a rankings bump since 16-0 CIF D2 state champions is possibility.

12. (13) ▲ Mission Viejo 12-2 Missed out on CIF D1 SoCal bowl bid with early season losses to two Cental Section schools.

13. (14) ▲ Crespi-Encino 9-2 Look for the Celts to be a perennial team to watch in SoCal under coach Troy Thomas.

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14. (6) ▼ Grant-Sacramento 14-1 Wide margin of loss to Folsom precipitated drop behind so many SoCal squads.

15. (16) ▲ Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton 13-0 Gators might have given Folsom better game, but same reasons Grant was chosen apply; thus Pacers still ranked higher.

16. (17) ▲ El Capitan-Lakeside 14-0 Vaqueros have been D3 team to beat in SoCal (and perhaps state) since knocking off Helix-La Mesa on Nov. 7 17. (12) ▼ Edison-Fresno 12-2 Lost CIF regional bowl, but winning school’s first large school section title in 39 years was huge step.

18. (15) ▼ Westlake-Westlake Village 8-3 Warriors lost twice to Mater Dei with one of those losses by just one points.

19. (19) — Santa Margarita-Rancho Santa Margarita 6-5 With plenty of top underclass stars for the Eagles, watch out for them next season.

20. (25) ▲ Redlands East Valley-Redlands 14-1 Only loss was to St. Bonaventure (CIFSS Pac 5 team); beat a 13-0 team in section final.

21. (23) ▲ Campolindo-Moraga 15-0 Playing El Capitan in CIF D3 bowl game helps get the Cougars higher in the rankings.

22. (24) ▲ Helix-La Mesa 10-3 This is team that lost to Oceanside in CIF San Diego Section Open Division final.

23. (20) ▲ Alemany-Mission Hills 7-3 Ranked due to win over Eastside Catholic (Wash.), which ended Bellevue’s 67-game win streak.

24. (19) ▼ St. Mary’s-Stockton 12-2 Rams were one play and one bad referee’s call from perhaps being 14-0 SJS D2 champ.

25. (NR) ▲ Cathedral Catholic-San Diego 10-2 Dons beat Helix the first time but lost in playoffs; only other loss was to Folsom.

Dropped out: Previous No. 12 Liberty-Bakersfield.

For the FINAL state football rankings, be sure to check CalHiSports.com the week following the CIF State Bowl games.

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Senior Moment Coaches put a lot of stock in their seniors, but it’s not personal ‚ they have good reasons

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All my coach does is talk about seniors. “The seniors have to step up,” “The seniors are the key to the team,” and he says things like that over and over and over. I’ve heard other coaches say the same things. I’m a sophomore, and I’m sick of hearing about seniors.

J.D., Lafayette

O

K, it is annoying, I’ll give you that. But there are a lot of reasons coaches love seniors, and why coaches say things like that constantly. First, though, let’s look at the other end of the spectrum.

One of the annoying things I do is ask my freshmen players, “What’s the best thing about freshmen?” If they know me at all, they’re not expecting me to say something like “Their enthusiasm is so wonderful,” or “I love to see them jumping around the gym and giggling like 10-year-olds” — and they’re right. My answer is simple: “The best thing about freshmen is that next year they’ll be sophomores.”

Why am I so mean? Well, we don’t have room to go into that, so we’ll settle for why I like sophomores more than freshmen. The obvious answer is easy: They’re more mature. And juniors are more mature than sophomores, and so on. The more mature a player is, the more she can deal with the ups and downs of a long basketball season. She’s less likely to get her feelings hurt by something unintentional, she’s less likely to suddenly have problems with schoolwork and she has a better feel for the reality of high school sports (not to mention life in general).

December 18, 2014

But another factor is experience, and my feeling about experience is this: It doesn’t mean a thing until you have it. If a high school basketball player has played 50 varsity games, he’s way ahead of someone who’s played 15 — but there’s no way the player with just 15 games can understand that because he hasn’t played 50 games yet.

Experience comes into play not just in terms of what happens on the court, but in being familiar with the other gyms in the league, with how to handle a two-hour bus ride, with the best way to keep up on homework, with how to set the inevitable high school drama aside when it’s time to play. The list could go on, but what a sophomore simply cannot see is how much all this matters — though when he’s a senior he’ll understand a bit better.

Finally, most seniors play with a sense of urgency because for most of them, this is the last time they’ll ever play the sport in an organized fashion with fans and media coverage (however minimal) and adults paying serious attention. This focus translates, most of the time, into an intensity that a sophomore or junior simply can’t comprehend, because at 15 or 16, it seems like high school will never end. But seniors fill out college applications and the reality slowly starts sinking in that this whole high school thing — sports and all — is going to end sooner rather than later.

So yes, coaches do like seniors more than sophomores, and yes, it’s not fair. But to quote more common coachspeak, “Who says life is fair?” ✪

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From left: Savannah Lawrence, MaKenzee Hope, Kiana Pisula, Leah Dambacher and Bella Bergamaschi.

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Sonora’s girls volleyball team used experience, depth and confidence to win the school’s first state title just miles from Disneyland

By Jim McCue Photos by James K. Leash

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E

xperience changes everything. And when the right group of players carries that experience into one final quest for glory, the results can be momentous.

For the Sonora girls volleyball team, the result was a California Interscholastic Federation Division IV Volleyball Championship and lasting memories from the Happiest Place on Earth. The Wildcats followed up a wild ride through their 2014 season with the chance to celebrate their state title on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.

“This year, our goal was to win state,” Sonora head coach Kim Evans said. “There was a target on our back (after winning the 2013 Sac-Joaquin Section title) and there was more pressure on us.”

The Wildcats handled the pressure with the maturity, chemistry and experience of a roster featuring nine returners, including seven seniors. In 2013, Sonora rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win the SJS Div. IV title and cap a dream season.

“Last year was a Cinderella ride,” Evans said. “This year, it almost got to the point that it was hard to enjoy the successes as they happened.”

Part of the difficulty in enjoying success was a rash of injuries suffered by the Wildcats throughout the season. Junior middle blocker Kelsie Evans and senior outside hitters Shannon Friend and Savannah Lawrence either missed time or were limited on the court with various ailments. Evans was forced to shut down her hitters’ big swings by limiting their hits to tips and rolls on the outside.

“I have coached for 15 years and never had a season with injuries like this,” Evans said. “We were very quiet about the injuries and still had the girls out on the floor.”

For many teams, such adversity could cause widespread panic or a significant decrease in performance, but Sonora overcame the challenges and remained calm while turning the perceived negatives into positives.

“We weren’t as stressed out about the injuries because the coaches helped prepare us mentally and with different lineups in case we had injuries,” senior libero Bailey Henington said.

“We learned how to play without some big hitters and blockers.”

That calm and increased depth created a lineup that few opponents could conquer. The Wildcats’ offense was so balanced among all of its players that teams could not game plan to stop any single player.

“We have no standout players, we are just the ultimate team,” Evans said. “If you try to stop one girl, then another will just step in and step up.”

The balance is evident when you look at Sonora’s statistics.

Friend led the Wildcats with 309 kills, but five other players recorded triple-digit kills for the season. Seven players had at least 100 digs (Henington led the team with 517) for a tough defense that was key to the Wildcats’ state-title run.

“We were very successful because each offensive player of ours can put the ball away at any given time,” Friend said.

“Some teams have that one player who can put the ball away and be stopped, but with us you never know who the ball is going to go to next.”

Sonora rolled through Mother Lode League play in its first year playing in the realigned league and then sought a final tune-up before the postseason. Evans hoped to fill a Nov. 4 open date with a regular season-ending showdown with the best team in the Sac-Joaquin Section. With the help of athletic directors on both sides, a match between Sonora and Pitman-Turlock was arranged to fill the slot and provide both programs with one final challenge before the postseason. The benefits of the Pitman match far outweighed the 3-2 loss suffered by the Wildcats.

“It was a great move by the coaches to play Pitman,” senior 16

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December 18, 2014

Clockwise from top: Shannon Friend, Savannah Lawrence, Kiana Pisula and Bella Bergamaschi.

Angela Gardella said. “It was a great opportunity to play a powerhouse and to freshen up our game before the playoffs.”

Evans saw her team play at a high level in a highly-competitive match against the team which would go on to play in the CIF Div. I state final. It was an effort the coach believed set the tone for the playoffs.

“It was a big confidence boost to know that we could take them to five games,” Evans said. “That really set the bar high for the expectations we had for our opponents in the playoffs.”

The Wildcats rolled through the section field, sweeping Hughson, Ripon Christian and Escalon to set up a rematch of the 2013 final with Hilmar. This time around, Sonora rolled to a 3-0 victory to earn the No. 2 seed in the CIF Northern Regional tournament. After a sweep of Healdsburg and 3-1 wins over Harker-San Jose and top-seeded Notre Dame-Belmont, the Wildcats were on their way to a state championship showdown with Alta Loma at Santiago Canyon College in Anaheim.

Sonora showed no ill effects of travel or the long season as the team jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the state final. But Alta Loma battled back to win games 3 and 4 and force a decisive fifth game. While Evans took time to think about what final words of wisdom and motivation she could deliver, she al-

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lowed her players to talk things over as a team.

“We are a mentally strong team that knew how to come back, so we never freaked out,” Henington said. “Even when (Alta Loma) came back to tie the match at 2-2, no one panicked.”

“We knew we were going to win that match.”

Evans saw a look of confidence in her players that grew with each word she spoke before what would hopefully be the Wildcats’ final 15 points of offense in the 2014 season.

“I told them that this is what movies are made of and you can write the script, but we know how this is going to end,” said Evans. “I could see in their eyes that they believed we would win and I just told them that ‘this is what teams like us do.’”

And, after a 15-8 Game 5 win to capture the school’s firstever state title in any sport, the Wildcats did what all champions do — they went to Disneyland.

“On Friday night, we went to Downtown Disney to eat dinner and no one really wanted to be there because we were so focused on the next night’s game and winning,” Gardella said.

“But after we won, we all wanted to go to Disneyland and celebrate.” ✪ Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, and like us on Facebook!

Rise of the Pride It was a run like few other SJS teams have made, but Pitman’s dream season ended with a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Redondo Union in the CIF Division I State Championship at Santiago Canyon College.

The Pride rose from an overlooked team to a NorCal power that carried a 44-1 record into the state final. In those 45 matches, the Pride lost just 13 sets as they regularly swept opponents despite playing a challenging nonleague and tournament schedule.

In the section final against Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove, the Pride fell behind 2 sets to 1 for the first time all season, but responded with a 25-15 fourth set and a 15-12 victory in the deciding set. Senior outside hitter Lindsey Vander Weide had season highs in kills (28) and digs (21) and setter Maddy Halteman recorded a season-best 54 assists to help Pitman earn its first-ever section title. The Pride also had to dig deep in the NorCal final to defeat Menlo-Atherton 27-29, 25-23, 17-25, 25-23, 15-12.

“I always believed in my team no matter how far down we were,” Vander Weide said. “I knew that if we stayed consistent and believed in ourselves that we could pull those games off and that’s what we did.”

Vander Weide, who signed with the University of Oregon in November, was the primary catalyst on offense with 430 kills, 240 digs, 33 blocks, and 19 aces through the section final. Halteman was among the section’s top setters, finishing with 865 assists, 107 digs, and 103 kills.

Vander Weide, Halteman and fellow captain Ashleigh Phelps will be three of eight graduates from the 2014 roster. But the future remains bright with rising stars Yisel Perez and Whitney Barnes. The pair combined for 283 kills, and Barnes provided 139 digs, 97 blocks, and 24 aces.

“I definitely think the next generation of Pride players is ready to step up to the challenge,” Vander Weide said. “They’re going to have to work to keep their spot and reputation, but I know that they can do it.”

— Jim McCue

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time to get your JAM ON! PLATINUM DIVISION

The marquee division of this year’s West Coast Jamboree will have one of the strongest fields in the 15-year history of the tournament. At press time, two of the teams are nationally-ranked in the MaxPreps.com Xcellent 25 compiled by Tournament Co-Director Clay Kallam, and all six of the California teams are ranked in the Cal-Hi Sports Pre-Season Top 35, done with the assistance of Tournament Co-Director Harold Abend.

Leading the bunch, and on opposite sides of the bracket, are the Xcellent 25 Top 10- and Cal-Hi Sports Top 5-ranked duo of St. Mary’s-Stockton and Chaminade-West Hills. On the top half of the bracket is a St. Mary’s team coming from the Nike TOC and its nationally-ranked competition. Prior to the TOC, the Rams won the Iolani Classic in Hawaii and beat Hawaii’s top team Kona, 68-59 in the championship game. Sharpshooting junior Kat Tudor was the Iolani MVP with fellow junior Mi’Cole Cayton and 6-foot-2 freshman sensation Aquira DeCosta named All-Tournament.

On the bottom half of the bracket, defending CIF Div. II state champion Chaminade took down preseason Cal-Hi Sports No. 1- and 2013 Jamboree Platinum Division-champion Mater DeiSanta Ana and other state-ranked teams before falling to defending CIF Open Division champion Long Beach Poly. Chaminade comes into the Jamboree on two weeks-plus rest after a stretch in which they played eight games in 11 days, culminating in the Poly loss. The Eagles are led by two of the top juniors in the state, 6-foot Valerie Higgins and 6-2 transfer Leaonna “Neah” Odom.

Another Cal-Hi Sports Top 10 team in the field — with five starters moving on to the next level — is St. Ignatius-S.F. The

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Wildcats feature the front line duo of 6-2 Columbia-bound forward Josie Little and 6-1 Saint Mary’s-bound Sydney Raggio. Two out of state teams that could make some noise are 2013 Oregon Large School state runner-up South Medford and Upper Room Christian-Dix Hills (N.Y.) team making the trip west from Long Island. The New York girls have an international flair to the team and will come into the Jamboree having already played 13 games.

The remaining three teams all hail from NorCal. Previous state

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champs and perennial Bay Area powers Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland and Sacred Heart Cathedral-S.F. have had some bumps in the road to start out the season but both have the potential to play with anyone in the field. O’Dowd opens with Chaminade while SHC opens with South Medford. McClatchy-Sacramento represents the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section in the field and the section’s top-ranked team in the pre-season opens with St. Ignatius.

— CalHiSports.com

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We take an inside look at the three most elite divisions as the 15th Annual West Coast Jamboree gets under way on December 27 DIAMOND DIVISION

The Diamond bracket features three teams that played in the CIF Open Division tournament last year with St. Mary’s-Berkeley, Carondelet-Concord and Sacramento. St. Mary’s lost two McDonald’s All-Americans with Gabby Green and Mikayla Cowling, but returns Cal-signee Ma’Ane Mosley and sophomore guard Carolyn Gill. The Panthers lost to Miramonte-Orinda in the finals of the Marin Catholic Ladycat Classic earlier this month.

Carondelet graduated talented players in Natalie Romeo and Mackenize Cast, but boasts a balanced team under first-year coach Elgin Leslie. With nine freshmen and sophomoresw, two seniors to watch are Loyola Marymount-signee Marcella Hughes and senior Katie Rathbun. The Cougars began their season by rolling to the Dorothy Speck Tournament title at Davis High.

Sacramento lost a slew of Div. I signees and now turns to junior guard Aliceah Hernandez. Sophomore Courtesy Clark is also a player to watch for coach Michele Massari, who has helped build the Dragons into one of the top programs in the Sacramento area and a power in Northern California. All three programs have made multiple appearances in the Platinum Division of the West Coast Jamboree.

Other Northern California entrants are Vanden-Fairfield, Berkeley and Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa. Vanden brings plenty of perimeter talent, led by Pepperdine-signee Kayla Blair, junior Kiana Moore and sophomore Julia Blackshell-Fair are among the top non-seniors in the region. The Vikings have won at least 25 games in six of the last seven years. Berkeley is a Northern California mainstay and will lean heavily on 5-foot-5

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point guard Jaiamoni Welch-Coleman, who is headed to Weber State next year. The Yellowjackets won the Dougherty Valley Winter Classic to start 2014-2015. Cardinal Newman is in its fourth year as a co-ed school, but the girls program is ready to enter the conversation of top programs in the Bay Area. The Cardinals return eight of 10 players from last year’s 24-win team.

Rounding out the field is Bishop Manogue-Reno (Nev.) and Brea-Olinda from SoCal. At press time, Bishop Manogue was 3-0

and makes a stop at Del Oro’s tournament before reaching the West Coast Jamboree. The team is led by Cal Poly-bound Breezi Holt, who is averaging 22 points and seven steals per game.

Sophomore Malia Holt is at 10 points. Brea-Olinda is off to a 4-0 start under legendary head coach Jeff Sink. The Wildcats have just three seniors on this year’s roster that includes six freshmen.

Bishop Manogue and Brea-Olinda meet up to start bracket play.

— NorCalPreps.com

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time to get your JAM ON! GOLD DIVISION

Defending Northern California Open Division champion Salesian-Richmond is one of four Bay Area teams in the bracket.

The Pride lost McDonald’s All-American Mariya Moore, who is now at Louisville. However, the team earned a major preseason win over McClatchy-Sacramento earlier this month. The Pride are led by senior point guard Kian McNair. Juniors JulieAnne Martin, Minyon Moore and Jordan Hobson help round out the new core for coach Stephen Pezzola.

Clayton Valley Charter-Concord is paced by Lehighsignee Hailey Pascoe, who was averaging 33 points and eight rebounds through the team’s first three games. The Ugly Eagles have won 46 games the past two years. Deer Valley-Antioch is the defending North Coast Section Div. I champions and have a solid core returning. Players to watch for the Wolverines are guards Jordan Morales and Armani McCray, as well as post Brandy Williams. Joining Deer Valley from the Bay Valley Athletic League is Heritage-Brentwood. The Patriots are trying to bounce back from a 15-12 season and a first-round loss in the NCS playoffs.

From the Sac-Joaquin Section is Brookside ChristianStockton and Lincoln-Stockton. Brookside Christian became a small school state power under Que Ngo, but Pico Wilburn takes over the helm this year. Wilburn was head coach for back-toback state championships at Oakland Tech. He has talent at his disposal with Washington-bound junior Aarion McDonald running the show. McDonald sat out last year for the Knights due to

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transfer rules. Florida Atlantic signee Ra’Kyra Gabriel is a strong inside presence and senior Ariana Vaughn provides shooting.

The Knights were the NorCal Div. V runner-ups last year. Lincoln is getting good early contributions from underclassmen Zahria Hendrix, Lianna Tillman and Celeste Almendarez. Also, senior Breanna Grisby can fill a number of roles for the Trojans.

At press time, South-Torrance is off to a 5-0 start. The

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Spartans have won at least 20 games two of the last three years and boast a balanced roster with six seniors on the 11-player roster. The final team in this bracket is Prairie of Washington.

Head coach Brett Johnson is in his second year at Prairie as he tries to get the Falcons back to the elite status achieved under Al Aldridge. In his first year, the Falcons went 21-5.

—NorCalPreps.com

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T

he Folsom High football team is not a one-trick Bulldog.

For all of the attention and notoriety brought to the program by the eye-popping numbers generated by senior quarterback Jake Browning, the 2014 NorCal Division I champion is much more than the state and national records its three-year passing phenom has accumulated.

Co-coaches Kris Richardson and Troy Taylor have already won a CIF State Bowl Championship in 2010, but this year’s team is the most complete football team the pair has guided. Beyond Browning, the Bulldogs boast five capable ball-carriers, a deep group of talented receivers, and, perhaps most importantly, an extremely stout defensive unit.

“Obviously, everything gets compared to the 2010 team,” Taylor said while holding back from declaring the 2014 Bulldogs the best Folsom football team ever. “This team is incredibly balanced and deeper than any team we have had.

“The size that we have up front with three D-1 offensive linemen is something that we have never had before.”

Past Folsom teams have compiled huge numbers on offense to the point that observers credit the “system” more than the talented players within the system. However, no group of Bulldog defenders have been as tough and efficient as this year’s group. The Folsom defense has allowed an average of 10.1 points per game and allowed more than 14 points in just two games this year. Many of those points came late in games after Folsom held huge leads and many starters were watching the blowout wins from the sideline.

The adage that defense wins championships has rung true this year as Folsom finally won its first Northern California regional title. After winning Sac-Joaquin Section championships in each of the last two years, the Bulldogs suffered their lone losses of 2012 and 2013 to the De La Salle-Concord buzz-saw in the NorCal Open Division final.

A change in the regional finals format eliminated the Open Division final, and instead gave the section commissioners the power to select Open Division state finalists from Northern and Southern California. That placed Folsom in the 2014 Div. I NorCal final against local- and section-rival Grant-Sacramento. The Bulldogs overcame a slow start— Folsom led just 3-0 after one quarter — and routed the Pacers 52-21 after leading 46-0 after three quarters.

The win that earned a berth in the CIF State Div. I Bowl game on Friday night displayed the dominance Folsom has shown all season long. But it also highlighted just how versatile the Bulldogs are and how many ways Browning and his teammates can beat a quality opponent. The record-setting quarterback’s relatively pedestrian 292 yards passing and three TDs were overshadowed by numerous facets of the 2014 team which casual observers are not familiar with.

The running game was extremely effective, with a trio of ball carriers toting the football 29 times for 215 yards and scoring a pair of touchdowns. Senior Bryan Weldy, a 5-foot-8, 195-pound battering ram, led the way with 85 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown. Bailey Laolagi, who missed much of last year’s playoffs with an injury, added 69 yards and a score, while junior Tre Green raced for 61 yards on just six carries. Junior Roger Neal, who leads Folsom with 520 yards rushing this year, and senior Sam Whittingham, have been used less later in the season to allow them to focus their efforts on defense.

“We have five backs that we can use that are very capable runners,” Taylor said. “We know that we can be efficient throwing the ball, but if we are able to run the ball then we are going to do it.”

The efficient rushing attack kept the Grant defense from focusing solely on Browning, and also allowed the defense to remain well-rested. The Bulldogs defenders turned in an impressive effort against a mammoth Pacers offensive line that few teams could handle all season.

The unsung unit knows that the offense gets the glory, and is 24

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TD record garnered was a quietly outstandcomfortable with its role on what they hope ing season from senior wide receiver Cole will be a state-championship roster.

Thompson. Thompson, who is committed to “As a defense, we understand that if we Harvard, caught a pair of touchdown passes get the ball back to the offense, then we will in the NorCal final to give him a California score points and can win the game,” senior state record-tying 33 touchdown catches this defensive end Sam Whitney said. season.

That’s exactly what Whitney and his defen“(Thompson) was not even a starter last sive teammates did in the NorCal final, and year,” Taylor said, “but he really improved the offense held up its end of the deal. But not and worked very hard in the offseason. He all of the scoring came in the usual way as the is the fastest guy on the team and we thought Bulldogs exhibited versatility to account for that he had potential this year, but he has exa pair of touchdowns in the second quarter. ceeded all expectations.”

First, with a 10-0 lead early in the quarFolsom will next take its diverse talents to ter, Folsom lined up at the Grant 6-yard line Carson where the Bulldogs (15-0) will face with the defense anticipating a Browning undefeated Oceanside (14-0) in the Div. I pass to go for the score. Instead, the quarstate final at 8 p.m. on Dec. 19. The Pirates terback handed the ball off to wide receiver won the San Diego Section Open Div. title Josiah Deguara running what appeared to be and defeated Edison-Fresno 37-22 in the Soan end around. Rather than continue to run Cal regional final. Oceanside features a balright with the ball, Deguara stopped in the LEFT: Receiver Jake Jeffrey comes out of his break with QB Jake Browning anced offense that split its nearly 5,000 yards backfield and tossed a soft throwback pass to locking in in the background. of offense evenly between the passing and an uncovered Browning, who snuck out of ABOVE: Folsom’s defense absolutely stifled the Grant running game running games. the backfield after handing the ball off. The Regardless of what its Southern California receiving touchdown was the first of Brownthroughout the regional championship. foe brings to the state final, Folsom is excited ing’s career. second quarter, Grant quarterback Donovan Brown eluded about the opportunity to show off its multiple talents and give “We always have two or three trick plays, but we don’t get pressure from the Folsom pass rush before throwing the ball the program its second CIF Bowl victory. the chance to run them when we get big leads early in games,” away after the clocked showed all zero’s. The officiating crew “The 2010 team and title definitely had a big effect on the Taylor said. “We have run it only a couple of times in the last conferred and would rule that Brown intentionally grounded program,” said Whitney, who like many on the Bulldogs roster 13 years, but we saw an opportunity to do it.” watched Folsom defeat Serra-Gardena in the Division II state The defense also got into the act by scoring a touchdown the ball from the end zone for a controversial safety.

The two points would not matter as scoring weapons, ex- championship. “We are excited about going to state after comand a safety to close out the first-half scoring. Laolagi jumped a passing route from his linebacker position and returned the pected and unexpected, continued to light up the scoreboard ing so close the last two years and having a chance to write a interception 19 yards for a touchdown. On the last play of the for Folsom. Lost in the attention Browning’s national career new legacy.” ✪

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Fueled by another punishing rushing attack, Central Catholic earned a chance to cement itself as a state small school dynasty

I

t’s been one of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s most successful football programs for decades, but now Central Catholic High-Modesto has grown from a regional power to California Interscholastic Federation State Bowl champion. A two-time CIF State Bowl champion, to be precise.

The Raiders don’t seem to be in any hurry to stop building on that reputation.

With a 35-14 victory over Capital Christian-Sacramento on Dec. 12, Central Catholic won its third straight CIF NorCal Div. IV championship and drew a Dec. 19 matchup with St. Margarets-San Juan Capistrano for an opportunity to join some truly elite company.

A victory would allow the Raiders to join national-power De La Salle-Concord as the only three-time state bowl champions since the CIF launched its State Bowl system in 2006. De La Salle has five state titles in this bowl format, and the Spartans face Centennial-Corona in the Open Div. Bowl on Dec. 20.

That Central Catholic has returned to Carson for the third year in a row isn’t a surprise

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to folks who follow football inside the 209 area code, but the sturdy running back who has brought the Raiders to the brink of another championship certainly is.

An early season injury thrust 6-foot-2, 220-pound Justin Rice into the starting tailback role, and the junior has seized it. He has run for 2,096 yards, No. 3 in the SJS and No. 6 in Northern California, as well as 30 touchdowns. He’s also got a good set of hands, having caught 35 passes for 599 yards and three additional TDs. The featured role in the Raiders’ power-run scheme was expected to be sophomore Montel Bland, but he was hurt the third week of the season. By the time he got healthy, Rice was entrenched at his new position.

“My goal at the start of the year was to lead the Valley Oak League in receptions, because I was going to play receiver,” said Rice, whose 35 catches were third-best in the VOL. “One thing that’s helped me at running back is that I’m tall enough to see over the line, to see where the linebackers are flying to. I’m trying to hit the right holes.”

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FAR LEFT: The 2013 Central Catholic team celebrates its repeat of the CIF Div. IV Bowl championship at the Stub Hub Center in Carson.

MIDDLE: Coach Roger Canepa holds up the CIF championship trophy.

ABOVE: Montell Bland had a breakout game for the Raiders in the 2013 CIF Bowl game, but was slowed by injury this season.

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Kekupa’a Freehauf has been a key component to the Raiders defense in 2014.

Rice has had little problem there. He’s averaging 11.3 yards a carry — he had 167 yards and two TDs on just five carries against CIF NorCal Div. II finalist Oakdale — and enjoyed his finest game of the season in the win over Capital Chrisitan.

His 29 carries produced 307 yards and two TDs, including a 41-yarder to open the scoring against the Cougars. His previous highs were 23 carries in an early season win vs. Manteca, and 255 yards in a playoffopening win over Natomas.

The NorCal Bowl was expected to be a showdown between the section’s finest small-school playmakers, Rice and Capital Christian’s Harvard-bound Justice Shelton-Mosley. However, a rain-drenched field and a gang-tackling Central Catholic defense neutralized SheltonRice Mosley’s quickness. He scored the Cougars’ first TD on a 2-yard run, tying the game at 7 in the first quarter, but was relatively quiet the rest of the night.

The field played a role in Central Catholic’s decision to simplify its offense, sticking to a half-dozen run formations and a handful of passes.

Coach Roger Canepa didn’t conceal his game plan, transforming his offensive line into a battering ram and turning loose his newfound weapon on the Cougars’ undersized defense.

The offensive line of Ryan Dami, A.J. Contreras, Kyle Todd, Austin Cook, Javier Canella and Austin Escobar enabled the Raiders to average 7 yards a carry.

Rice broke loose for a 76-yard TD run in the third quarter, pushing the lead to 21-7, then became a victory-clinching workhorse. He carried the Raiders downfield and junior quarterback Hunter Petlansky scored on two short runs in the fourth quarter for the 35-14 decision.

Central’s defense also dominated, with junior linebacker Kekupa’a Freehauf using his 6-1, 240-pound frame to overpower offensive linemen and get 11 tackles. Junior linemen Escobar and Zack Sandelin combined for 15 tackles.

That performance led to a postgame celebration, with Canepa thrusting the regional championship plaque into the air. He drew cheers from a crowd eager to celebrate yet another state title this weekend.

This could be the parochial power’s last run at a state championship, however, because it’s being promoted to a much more difficult division in 2015. Due to the section’s ‘continued success’ clause, any program that wins three consecutive titles is pushed into a higher play30

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off bracket — and that means the Raiders will be in Division III. That means facing powerful schools like Inderkum-Sacramento, Oakdale, Sacramento High and Vista del Lago-Folsom, rather than the small, rural schools the Raiders have been facing in Div. IV. It won’t be a culture shock because the Raiders played this past season in the Div. III Valley Oak League — one of the state’s most challenging medium-school conferences.

With fewer than 400 kids, Central Catholic will be facing playoff schools that have four times its enrollment.

Canepa took over the program in 2008 and has built a 79-18 record, including 40-6 over the last three seasons. He stepped into a program steeped in glory, with Central Catholic having won a section-record 15 titles under coaches Mike Glines and Chris Wilkinson since the postseason was introduced in 1972.

A successful coach in the Sierra foothills at small-school Calaveras-San Andreas and medium-school Sonora, Canepa stepped into a program that had become accustomed to titles — but his first four years produce none.

In 2012, a transfer changed all that: Running back Rey Vega arrived from a public school on the other side of Modesto and, after sitting out the required five games, electrified a program with his breakaway speed. He ran for 1,500 yards and scored 33 TDs in his final 10 games, and the Raiders rolled in their regional (42-12) and state (66-7) games.

Worth noting, Central also had a 2,000-yard, 34-TD running back that year in Ray Lomas. That tandem of backs fit perfectly into Canepa’s power running game, and the offense has continued to flourish on the strong shoulders of tailback Matt Ringer (2,348 yards, 33 TDs) in 2013 and now Rice.

Unlike his predecessors, though, Rice wasn’t expected to be the centerpiece.

When Ringer suffered a season-ending injury in the 2013 NorCal Bowl, the freshman Bland stepped in at the State Bowl and became an instant star with his aggressive running and quickness.

“We were going to get the ball to Justin, for sure, but everyone who saw Montel run last year realized he was a special back,” said Hylla, noting Bland’s 103 yards and two TDs in the 2013 state game.

“Justin got his shot and he’s refused to give it up. We’re getting Montel back there for some carries, and that’s making us a better team.” ✪

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health watch: dr. nirav k. pandya

More Variety LESS INJURIES Playing multiple sports at a young age can lead to better athleticism and less doctor visits

As an orthopedic surgeon, former collegiate athlete and parent, sports are intricately woven into my life.

For the past several months, the media has focused extensively on the topic of misguided athletic participation, highlighting program’s like Major League Baseball’s “Pitch Smart” guidelines and the STOP Sports Injuries campaign.

Yet, for every story that highlights the potential dangers of athletic participation when not done appropriately, there are ten more stories of professional athletes whose singular focus on athletics has supposedly led to professional stardom. The unfortunate reality is that for the vast majority of young athletes, they have a very slim chance of obtaining an athletic scholarship (around 2 percent) and even slimmer chance of turning professional (less than 0.6 percent). Even if you are one of the lucky few who is able to obtain a scholarship, the average scholarship award is approximately $11,000 — barely covering the cost of tuition.

Children as young as 6 years of age walk into my clinic on a daily basis having exerted their bodies for countless hours; many times specializing in one sport year round. Many are chasing the dream of athletic scholarships or professional contracts. Anterior cruciate ligament injuries, cartilage loss, elbow ligament tears and stress fractures — once the domain of the adult — are common complaints of these athletes, many of whom have not even entered high school. Are we hurting more kids than helping them?

As a former collegiate athlete and coach, I understand the importance of athletics; not for the chance of obtaining a scholarship, but rather for fostering work ethic, teamwork and sportsmanship. Yet, over the past several years, I have seen sports in many of our youth become a means to an end rather than a mean in and of itself. The current landscape of sports is different, and many of the changes we have made have not helped to improve athletic performance but rather have only helped to increase injury rates.

Take the following example. Choosing to specialize in one sport is commonly thought to lead to improved performance in that sport; a la the 10,000-hour rule (i.e. to become an expert in anything you need to practice it for 10,000 hours). To the contrary, there are multiple studies which have shown that playing various sports until a later age is more likely to lead to success

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in athletics (i.e. whether it be scholarships or becoming professional) than specializing in one sport at a young age. This has been repeatedly shown in studies looking at elite athletes in multiple countries as well as collegiate programs in the U.S.. The fact remains that deciding to do “a lot” of one sport only at a very young age will guarantee you only one thing — an increased injury rate and multiple trips to the doctor.

Children should be encouraged to play multiple sports. Play football in the fall, basketball in the winter, and run track in the spring. Use different muscle groups, skill sets and movement patterns. Our bodies need a diversity of activity to stay healthy and avoid burnout.

I choose to live a healthy lifestyle because of my positive experience with sports. I learned more about being an effective physician and parent by participating in multiple sports at varying levels as a child; interacting with teammates of different skill levels, backgrounds and life stories.

The core values I learned have remained with me throughout my life.

What I cherish the most are not the individual accomplishments, but rather working my tail off with my teammates towards a common goal.

Sports are powerful, and physical activity is key to creating a healthy population. Kids should train hard, but train smartly. Strive to become a three-sport athlete, not a one-sport burnout. We need to make sure we are allowing our youth to experience sports in its purest form. If not, we are doing a tremendous disservice to them both now, and as adults in the future. ✪ Dr. Nirav K. Pandya is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon specializing in pediatric sports injuries at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland. He sees patients and operates in Oakland and Walnut Creek.

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Kids on the Run running: hunter greene, m.d.

We’ve all watched kids chasing squirrels in the backyard or sprinting to the playground. We know most kids are natural runners. If you’re thinking about getting your child into a more structured running program, here are some guidelines from the Road Runners Club of America to ensure he or she has fun and stays injury-free: ›› Make running fun — First and foremost, running should be fun. Encourage children to participate and do their best. ›› Focus on participation and self-improvement — In grade school, running should be about participation and developing a healthy lifestyle, not about being the fastest kid out there. Save competition for middle and high school aged students. ›› Consider individual differences — Avoid a one-size-fits-all approach to a running program. Children mature both physically and emotionally at different rates, and this will factor into their ability to participate in running. ›› Limit training and competition before puberty — Before puberty, children are rapidly growing and changing. Excessive training may interfere with normal growth and cause injury. For ages 9 and under, encourage regular exercise, which can include organized running for fun. Around the ages of 9-12, children may enjoy participation in a more organized running program that

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has a more systematic training program. Around the age of 12 for girls and 14 for boys, developmental changes will enable youth to slowly increase training distance and duration, leading to participation in a systematic and competitive training environment. ›› Increase running workload gradually — Running workload includes volume (distance), intensity (speed or effort) and frequency (number of days per week). Just like with adult running, children should start with low volume and low intensity and limit frequency to a couple of days per week. Workload should increase over the duration of the program, but should remain appropriate for the individual child. ›› Participate in age appropriate events — Running in a kids’ fun run or youth track event can be a great experience for kids. Children age 6 and over may want to participate in a 5k run/walk. Be sure to allow for walking and let them go at their own pace. Children ages 13 and older may want to participate in a 10k or longer distance. These are general guidelines and the distance a child can physically and emotionally tolerate will vary by child. However, longer distances (10k and over) should wait until after puberty. ✪ Hunter Greene, M.D., is a board certified orthopedic surgeon with Summit Orthopedic Specialists in Carmichael.

He specializes in adult and pediatric sports medicine.

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FAST FOUR training time: tim rudd for iyca

A look at the four ingredients for reaching peak agility and quickness When you see athletes who are both agile and quick, you never forget it. They look as though they are effortlessly floating across the field or court of play. They can cut and change directions faster than anyone else in the game, and they can do so with great body control.

The recipe for dominating speed and quickness must contain these four ingredients:

1

The athlete must have great proprioceptive awareness: This means their nervous system — the nerves in the muscles, tendons, joints and ligaments which feel pressure, speed and other forces — tells the body how to regulate its position all the time. This allows athletes to make subtle to massive adjustments quickly and accurately, resulting in a high level of control.

2

The athlete must have great force absorption (stopping strength) as well as force production (starting strength): This is critical when changing direction.

When the athlete puts on the brakes, it isn’t usually just to stop; it is to get going in a new direction quickly. Athletes who can go from the stopping to the going, or deceleration to acceleration, at optimum rates will be quicker.

4

3

The athlete must have a great ability to reposition the feet in any direction around his or her center of mass: This means the athlete should be able to replace the feet on angles that promote a positive deceleration and or acceleration angle.

The athlete must understand how to maintain proper levels — or go in and out of level changes — so it doesn’t disrupt the quickness of acceleration: I like to use the term “staying in the tunnel.”

This simply means the athlete understands staying low in order to create optimal acceleration and deceleration angles without any unnecessary up or down movement of the body.

Tim Rudd is an IYCA specialist in youth conditioning and owner of Fit2TheCore.

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Head for the hills Hollister Hills Off-Road Association giving kids chance to ride and experience friendly competition The Hollister Hills Off-Road Association (HHORA) is a non-profit organization that supports Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area by raising money for educational and interpretive outreach programs and other park improvements. This group of dedicated volunteers works with California State Parks and Hollister Hills SVRA to enhance the experience of people visiting the park. They raise money by holding four annual events.

The Hare Ball Scramble is a family friendly race held on Nov. 22. This event offers classes for all ages and riding skills. The Scramble is not a timed event and parents can ride alongside their kids on a fun, easy course. There is also a Main Event for the older, faster folks, as well as a Youth Event for children 8-15 years. You must be an HHORA member to participate in these events, but it is only $20 annually to join or $25 for the entire family.

Hollister Hills Off-Road Association also holds various other events to raise money for worthy causes, such as Child Protective Services.

Bryan Southwood is one of the regular riders at these events and has been bringing his kids to these races for years. His oldest son, 9-year-old Bryan Jr., entered the Youth Event and took first place in his age class. This alone is a great achievement, but he actually took third place overall — beating older riders ranging from 10 to 15 years old.

Bryan Jr. has been riding motorcycles since he was 2½ and had training wheels on his first little motorcycle. He loves riding. Of course. it helps that his father, Bryan Sr. (who won his own class and was first overall) has been racing at Hollister Hills for years and taught his son well.

You can help support Hollister Hills SVRA by making a tax-deductible donation. HHORA is a 501c3 non-profit. You can join or make a donation online at www.hhora.org or by mail: 7726 Cienega Rd. Hollister, CA 95023 — Provided by the SVRA

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power hour

Speaking of last minute, it’s never too late to know what time it is. And Dakota Watches can certainly handle that and more. They can also look stylish while doing it. At SportStars HQ, we recently got to try out the Tough Ana Digi model for men and the Ladies Gloss Sport.

Among the bells and whistles on these bad boys are dual time settings, electro luminescent backlighting and water resistance up to 100 meters. Best of all, they retail under $50. www.

DakotaWatch.com

BOOK IT, SANTA! We came across two books that we thought great for sports fans this holiday. ›› 2014 was a pretty great year if you were a San Francisco Giants fan. Tom Zenner has put together a coffee table book that is sure to help fans remember the championship run fondly. “Giant Dynasty” is a 144-page book which chronicles the team’s entire season and features countless professional photos from the field and the clubhouse. You can order it at www.giantdynasty14.com for $34.95 ›› We’re also giving a shoutout to a local author giving it his first go. Pleasant Hill’s Christopher Georgeovich takes his first swing at self-published book writing and has scored with a nice little book called, “Cup of Joy”. In an insightful and self-analytical style, Georgeovich takes the reader on a not-so spoiled walk in the rain at Pebble Beach on the his 60th birthday. His round mirrors the game of golf itself — filled with emotional, physiological, psychological and physical hazards, but also joy. Check it out at www.AlivePublishing.com

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‘Tis the season!

Rugby action begins at all levels in January

R

nament is considered preseason ugby season is here! Schedules are finalized, tournafor our high school boys and ment dates set, and there’s girls programs, and is a fantastic lots of rugby to be had for everyplatform to introduce the sport to one. I wanted to take some time new club recruits. Over 80 teams in this month’s issue to discuss the participating yearly. upcoming season and the various High school programs begin tournaments the NCYRA will be regular-season schedules on Jan. supporting throughout the year.

31. The format follows the same carney’s The season officially gets as above, with each region playing corner: underway on the weekend of inter-region matches until the Mark Carney playoffs. Our youth and middle Jan. 10. This is the first week of competition for the Junior Youth school seasons conclude in March (under-8, U10 and U12) and middle-school with U8s finishing March 8, U10s and U12s divisions. These divisions compete in on March 15 and the middle school teams round-robin matches, with one team hosting on March 22. between one and three teams; ensuring good The high school season wraps up in April competition and ample playing time. at the Northern California Invitational TourOur league is separated into four distinct nament on April 18-19 at the Cherry Island regions, Sacramento Valley, Bay Area, Soccer Complex in Antelope. This tournaRedwood (Marin County and north) and ment serves as the first and second round of Central Valley (Fresno area). Our leagues playoffs and as a year-end round-robin tourcompete in inter-region competition, with nament for non-playoff teams. The following everyone getting the chance to play each weekend will be a championship weekend other at the end-of-season tournaments. with the location still to be determined.

An interesting aspect of our youth rugby All in all, it is a very busy season — with programs are that we do not keep track of lots of rugby and excitement is to be had by results and standings for U8-middle school. everyone. If you are interested in getting inThe reason for this is to promote character volved and playing with a local club, or comvalues such as camaraderie, sportsmanship, ing to check the sport out for the first time, fair play and respect. Too often in youth please visit our website (www.ncyrugby.org) sports, we see players, coaches and parents or call the NCYRA office at 707-693-8803. getting too focused on winning.

See you on the sidelines! ✪ The season gets underway in earnest on the weekend of Jan. 24 at the annual Sacramento Kick Off Tournament at Rancho Cordova High. This is one of the premier youth tournaments in the country. This tour-

Mark Carney is the executive director of the Northern California Youth Rugby Association.

He writes for SportStars as part of the magazine’s partnership with the NCYRA.

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HOOPHAVEN New Livermore facility on its way to being gym rats dream

Patterson Pass Road in Livermore is already home to a number of destinations for sports enthusiasts, including Umigo Racing, Cabernet Indoor Sports and The Range football training center. And now, former Saint Mary’s College basketball player has brought hoops to the party.

And he’s bringing it in a big way.

NB Courts (short for National Basketball) began a soft open in late summer and is in full swing now with five basketball courts — three high school-length courts, one middle school and one NBA court designed after the Golden State Warriors training facility. Boreman has designed NB Courts to be the one-stop shop for all things basketball.

The facility allows teams and leagues to rent the courts, hosts high school-aged AAU tournaments every weekend, runs its own AAU programs for both boys and girls, and is currently developing a basketball training center called “The Lab” that Boreman hopes will open in January.

“We want this place to offer whatever a basketball player might want or need,” Boreman said. “I like to think of it was the Wal-Mart of basketball. You can go there and get whatever you need. We can help you get in shape, help you tune up your game, whatever.”

Boreman was a gym rat himself as a high schooler in New York. His coach had a tiny basketball facility that he let players use. Boreman said he and his friends had keys and would be there at all hours of the day and night.

NB Courts will offer memberships to The Lab that will allow players to come in and work on any part of their game. There will be a fitness center, a dribbling court and a shooting court with shooting machines that rebound and return the ball. Memberships will also include discounts for personalized training sessions and other perks.

NB Courts’ AAU programs have teams from 8th grade through high school levels. Obviously, players who compete in their programs will have access to The Lab and other parts of the facility.

If you’d like to learn more about the facility or its AAU programs, visit www.NBCourts. com. ✪

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❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒

A Higher Perspective........................................................................................................24 All Out Sports League.......................................................................................................37 Antioch Sports Legends....................................................................................................15 Big O Tires Northern California/ Nevada.............................................................................2 Bigfoot Hoops......................................................................................................21, 32, 48 Boomers!..........................................................................................................................29 Catchflame.com...............................................................................................................45 Championship Athletic Fundraising.................................................................................38 Cheergyms.Com...............................................................................................................23 Club Sport..........................................................................................................................5 Community Youth Center.................................................................................................30 Concord American Little League.......................................................................................37 Concord Cobras Youth Football & Cheerleading................................................................38 Contra Costa Federal Credit Union....................................................................................18 Core Performance.......................................................................................................38, 44 Core Volleyball Club..........................................................................................................36 De La Salle High School Football Coaches Clinic................................................................45 Diablo Futbol Club............................................................................................................39 Diablo Rock Gym..............................................................................................................44 Diablo Trophies & Awards.................................................................................................44 East Bay Bulldogs Basketball............................................................................................41 East Bay Parks..................................................................................................................45 East Bay Sports Academy.................................................................................................16 Excellence In Sport Performance......................................................................................30 Fast Break Basketball Camps............................................................................................26 Foundry Sport..................................................................................................................27 Garaventa Enterprises......................................................................................................19 Halo Headband................................................................................................................45 Heritage Soccer Club........................................................................................................36 Irvin Deutscher Family Ymca...........................................................................................20 Jr. Optimist Baseball / Softball League ( J O B L)...............................................................38 Lone Tree Golf Course.......................................................................................................45 Modesto Magic................................................................................................................41 Mountain Mike’s Pizza......................................................................................................17 Muir Orthopaedic Specialists............................................................................................34 Northern California Youth Rugby Association...................................................................42 Northgate High School.....................................................................................................45 Oakland Police Department Recruiting............................................................................26 Oakland Warthogs Youth Rugby.......................................................................................43 Off- Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division...............................................................40 Pass Tha Ball.....................................................................................................................19 Prepstarsonline.com........................................................................................................12 Renaissance Club Sport....................................................................................................20 Rhino Sports Of Northern California.................................................................................29 Rocco’s Pizza...............................................................................................................36, 44 Sacramento Lacrosse Association.....................................................................................41 San Ramon Slammers Baseball........................................................................................38 Special Olympics Northern California...............................................................................15 Sport Clips........................................................................................................................25 Sports Gallery Authenticated...........................................................................................37 Stevens Creek Toyota........................................................................................................47 Sutter Health East Bay........................................................................................................3 The First Tee Of The Tri Valley............................................................................................37 The Golf Club At Roddy Ranch..........................................................................................26 Tpc / The Pitching Center..................................................................................................42 U C S F Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland......................................................................35 United States Youth Volleyball League.............................................................................46 Walnut Creek Soccer Club.................................................................................................36 West Coast Jamboree.......................................................................................................31 Win Anyway & All For Kids.........................................................................................41, 43 Wingstop.........................................................................................................................13

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