FREE
vol. 4. issue 78 sac-joaquin
December 19, 2013
Get the most out of your magazine
Subscribe for $24/year email for FREE Digital Subscription: info@SportStarsOnline.com
››› Like us Facecbook.com/sportstars on Facebook
follow us on Twitter Twitter.com/SportStarsMag Scan with layar Scan this issue with the FREE Layar app. All pages are enhanced with exciting extras!
James Leash
26 fortitude: We all know that playing football isn’t easy. You have to be tough. Tough only begins to describe what Tyler Meteer and Del Oro was this season. even a loss in the last game 22 Not can take the shine off what the Manteca football team accomplished this season. 4
SportStars™
December 19, 2013
might have heard you are 33 You what you eat. In exercise, you are what you drink, so make sure you’re drinking the good stuff
pitch: At SportStars we’re 6 First always finding ways to improve. 2014 promises some exciting new content. Our Editor, Chace Bryson, lets you in on the fun. Overcoming the 31 clipboard: elements on the road. Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
of the week: 8 Sportstar Brooke Hershberger, Granite Bay
10 locker room Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com
Raising our game
W
hen the clock strikes midnight on Dec. 31, and we roll into 2014, we will essentially be turning 3.5-years old (SportStars, Issue #1 released on June 10, 2010). This makes us only slightly older — and slightly less susceptible to meltdowns — than my son Connor, who turned 3 in mid-October. But it does mean we’re still relatively young. And that means we’re still trying to figure things out. And part of figuring things out is how we can properly blend our detail- and story-driven print editions, with a desire to be slightly more current with a stronger web presence. We think we just might have found the answer. We’re calling it the SportStars Digital Weekly, and the first edition will be available on Jan. 9 — one week before our first print edition of the new year. The Digital Weekly edition, which will be available at SportStarsOnline.com or through a free email subscription, will be a smaller version of our print product. It will include exclusive features, up-to-date rankings, timely news and notes and a handful of the other items that you’ve grown accustomed to seeing in our pages. It will have a different look from any digital publication we’ve put out to date. We’re launching this project in conjunction with a leap to the online magazine platform, Ceros. This means a lot more bells and whistles are at our disposal, including animation and a variety of dynamic layout options that we can’t attempt currently. And because we’re producing this content on a weekly basis, we’re rearranging our print schedule so that we can produce larger issues. Our 2014 print schedule will begin Jan. 16 with a string of 12 editions, which release at the top of month. We’ll also sprinkle in four special-edition double issues: Our Camps and Clinics Resource Guide (March 20), the Yearbook Special Edition (June 19), the Football Preview (Aug. 21) and Basketball Preview (Nov. 20). So what can you expect in the first SportStars Digital Weekly on Jan. 9? Well, we believe in coming on strong or not coming at all. So we thought we’d kick it off with the first ever SportStars All-NorCal Football Team. We’ll also throw in a recap of the West Coast Jamboree girls basketball tournament, which will draw multiple nationally-ranked teams to the East Bay during the last week of December. If you’re interested in joining us on this new adventure, and we hope you are, you can subscribe to the Digital Weekly right now for free at the following URL: http://www.sportstarsonline.com/promotions/index.php Once you’re signed up, you’ll begin receiving the new edition each Thursday (starting with the Jan. 9 debut issue) directly to your email account. Until then, everybody have a safe and happy holidays! ✪
join our team PHONE 925.566.8500 FAX 925.566.8507 Editorial Editor@SportStarsOnline.com Editor Chace Bryson • Chace@SportStarsOnline.com Staff Writers Jim McCue Contributors Bill Kolb, Mitch Stephens, 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 Ivans, III Marketing/Events Intern Ryan Arter 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 Leslie Ellis • Leslie@SportStarsOnline.com Camps & Clinics: Ryan ArterCamps@SportStarsOnline.com Alameda County: Bobby Pope • BobbyTPope@yahoo.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
Caliente!
LLC
PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER IN USA
your ticket to california sports admit one; rain or shine This Vol. #4, December 2013 Whole No. 78 is published by Caliente! Communications, LLC, 5356 Clayton Rd, Ste. 222, Concord, CA 94521. SportStars™© 2010 by Caliente! Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. Subscription rates: 24 issues, U.S. 3rd class $42 (allow 3 weeks for delivery). 1st class $55. To receive sample issues, please send $3 to cover postage. Back issues are $4 each. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission of Publisher is strictly prohibited. The staff and management, including Board of Directors, of SportStars™© does not advocate or encourage the use of any product or service advertised herein for illegal purposes. Editorial contributions, photos and letters to the editor are welcome and should be addressed to the Editor. All material should be typed, double-spaced on disk or email and will be handled with reasonable care. For materials return, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope. SportStars™© and STARS!™© Clinics are registered trademarks of Caliente! Communications, LLC.
Read Me. Recycle Me. 6
SportStars™
December 19, 2013
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com
brooke
Got Send your nominations to: Next? Editor@SportStarsOnline.com or tweet us using #SSOTW
hershberger granite bay • volleyball • junior ›› The middle blocker helped the Grizzlies to a California Interscholastic Federation Division I State Championship and a perfect 45-0 record. She was a major force at the net with 171 kills and 61 blocks for the season. Hershberger averaged 8 kills per match during Granite Bay’s run through the NorCal and State playoffs, which included a 3-1 victory over Los Alamitos in the state final. The state hardware gives the Hershberger household a second state championship in as many years as older brother Beau was part of the Grizzlies’ 2012 state football champions. ›› in her own words: “Going undefeated on the season was something that just happened. (Winning the State championship) is still kind of sinking in. You realize that you did it, but it is still like, ‘How did we do that?’” ›› what you didn’t know: Brooke is extremely superstitious, especially when it comes to volleyball. She kept a number of good luck charms in her volleyball bag all year long and never cleaned out the bag. Included in the stash of superstitious belongings were old headbands that she no longer wore, as well as the Sac Joaquin Section runner-up medal from one of Granite Bay’s last losses, which came way back in November 2012.
honorable mention Tanner Woods: The Del Oro-Loomis senior lineman had a career-high four sacks in the Golden Eagles’ 28-20 win over Serra-San Mateo in the CIF Div. I Northern Regional football championship.
Najah Queenland: Sacramento’s senior guard scored a team-high 20 points in the Dragons’ 65-39 victory over Sheldon-Sacramento in the final of the St. Hope Classic basketball tournament.
Nick Hilton: The JesuitCarmichael senior guard scored a team-high 27 points in the Marauders’ 80-69 victory over St. Mary’s-Stockton in the final of Jesuit’s Father Barry Christmas Classic basketball tournament.
James Leash Like us on Facebook
is powered by: 8
SportStars™
December 19, 2013
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com
Rapid Fire
brooke hershberger Granite Bay Volleyball
breanna Alford Miramonte Basketball
favorite personal moment of 2013 Winning the state title w/my volleyball team
Playing AAU, earning scholarship to Loyola Marymount
new year's resolution To keep my room clean for more than a day
Trending What’s hot this week in the world of stuff that’s hot Beyoncé, the attractive person to your right, released a surprise fifth album — Ghost — that appears to be a hit with critics and fans. It has 14 tracks and 17 videos and it was all a surprise. In related news, Soulja Boy is playing at a local YMCA for gas money.
Nelson Mandela passed away at the age of 95. You can’t know enough about him. Go read a book about this man. We’ll be here when you’re done.
Megyn Kelly of Fox News insists that Santa is white. Read the item right above this one and then tell us why it matters. The World Cup draw was held and the US was placed in one of two dozen Groups of Death. You know, in 2002 the US played a heavily favored Portugal with a No. 7 that couldn’t be stopped. Same thing is happening in 2014. The US won 3-2 in 2002. Just sayin’.
Work harder to prepare for college
candy canes: yum or yuck Yum!
Yum!
favorite tv show Family Guy
Teen Wolf
celebrity you'd most want to meet Miley Cyrus. She seems like she'd be fun to have dinner with
Kobe Bryant
Adam Sandler topped a list of most overpaid actors. He also topped a list of ‘People Who You Can’t Call An Actor Without Snickering.’ Twitter changed how it’s blocking function works. People complained. Twitter changed it back. In response to this development, Mark Zuckerburg rolled his eyes, muttered something about ‘amateurs’ and dove into a pile of money. 10
SportStars™
December 19, 2013
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com
say what?
Top 5 gifts we'd like to give to bay area sports teams Merry Christmuhquanzakkuh, and a Happy Festivus to the rest of us! We here at SportStars are overcome with the spirit of the season, and we’re feeling in a giving mood. So we won’t make you wait for any jolly, redclad, white-bearded offensive linemen to come hurtling through your HVAC unit to start doling out the holiday cheer. Here are the top five gifts we’d give to local sports franchises. 1. The Warriors: Consistency. Any chance we could get Klay Thompson to just post his 20 and 4, as opposed to, say, 35-7 one night and 5-1 the next? And would it be too much to ask to go through one flippin’ season without a significant injury to a big man? Really? 2. The 49ers. Consistency. Are we a running-and-defense team? Or are we a light-it-up, zone-read-pistol team? Who’s got identity-crisis better than us? Nooooo-body! 3. The Raiders. Consistency. Sensing a theme, are we? Well, aren’t you clever. Howzabout we pick a quarterback. And settle on a coach. General Manager anyone? Frankly, the only thing consistent about the Silver-and-Black right now is in the loss column. 8+ for 11 years and counting. Just whatnow, baby? 4. The Giants. Consistency. Next thing you know, Sabean will be snapping up aging, injury-prone outfielders and overpaying for past-their-prime starting pitchers… oh. Wait. Nevermind. 5. The A’s. Consistency. Well. Okay. You’ve got us there. If there is one constant with the A’s, it’s change. And boy did Billy throw us for a loop already this offseason. Smith, Balfour, Blevins, Weeks, Choice, Anderson. Gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone. Welcome Gregerson, Johnson, Gentry, Punto, Kazmir. Did we trade Stomper yet? Pretty sure we couldn’t be more surprised if he announced that they were moving to Lodi and changing their colors to chartreuse and saffron. — Bill “the hobgoblin of little minds” Kolb. Ho ho freakin’ ho.
“We’re almost playing more games than the NFL. It’s nice to go to the state game, but how much can your kids take? Some of these kids played 16 games last year, and now they’re going to play 16 again? We’re happy! Don’t get me wrong, but we’re human, and you get tired.”
— Central Catholic-Modesto football coach, Roger Canepa, after his team defeated McClymonds-Oakland 17-14 to win the CIF Div. IV Northern Regional championship on Dec. 13. The win allows the Crusaders (14-1) an attempt at defending their CIF Div. IV State Bowl title on Dec. 21 against Bakersfield Christian (12-2).
count 'em
249
The number of consecutive football games that De La Salle has played against Northern California opponents without a loss. With its CIF Open Division Northern Regional victory over Folsom on Dec. 14, the Spartans improved to 247-0-2 against NorCal opponents since a December 1991 loss to Pittsburg. De La Salle will put a 67-game winning streak against California opponents on the line when they face St. John Bosco-Bellflower in the CIF Open Division State Bowl on Dec. 21.
Support Your Local Business • Say You Found Them In SportStars™
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
December 19, 2013
SportStars™
11
greatness of the grizzlies With a 45-0 final record, Granite Bay certainly can join the discussion of top teams in state history for girls volleyball. Here is a list of teams with the best dual match records in state history (according to the Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book): Record Team Year
St. Mary’s Dynamic Duo
T
here was much speculation last season in the San Francisco Bay Area about the boys basketball duo of Marcus Lee and Kendall Smith at Deer ValleyAntioch. Were they the best twosome from one team at the same time? This season, the same question can be asked at St. Mary’s-Berkeley with the duo of Mikayla Cowling and Gabby Green. And the early answer is yes — especially if you look at various recruiting rankings. The latest ESPN player rankings had Cowling at No. 11 with Green at No. 13 for the Class of 2014. Others have Green in the top 10 with Cowling lower. In the first Cal-Hi Sports Ms. Basketball State Player of the Year tracker, Cowling was No. 3 behind Jordin Canada of WindwardLos Angeles and Katie Lou Samuelson of Mater Dei-Santa Ana. Green was No. 4. Looking ahead, if both players shine and St. Mary’s as a team does well this season, how would one player be picked as a player of the year above the other? Some would quickly respond that it’s a perfect time to choose co-players of the year. That could be the case for Cowling and Green, except that in the 35-year history of Cal-Hi Sports we’ve never had a tie in the rankings and have never had co-players of the year. Our philosophy is to dig deep for research, watch as
many games as possible and break the tie. An easier solution to this problem also could present itself. Just up the road from St. Mary’s at Salesian-Richmond, Mariya Moore will be starting her fourth season. She’s not as high as the other two on recruiting lists, but she’s generally in the top 50 and postseason high school honors are different. She could lead the Pride to a memorable season and then become a great option to avoid choosing between the St. Mary’s teammates. There are two more legitimate Ms. Basketball State Player of the Year candidates in the Bay Area. Kelli Hayes (Archbishop Mitty-San Jose) is a two-time San Jose Mercury-News Player of the Year headed to UCLA. Natalie Romeo (CarondeletConcord) is one of the top point guards in the state and is going to Nebraska. So, just for the sake of sanity in not having to make such a difficult choice: Let’s go Pride, let’s go Monarchs and let’s go Cougars. ✪
45-0
Granite Bay
2013
40-0
Bonita Vista-Chula Vista
2000
39-0
Archbishop Mitty-San Jose
2009
38-0
Archbishop Mitty-San Jose
2012
37-0
Mira Costa-Manhattan Beach
2007
33-0
Valley Christian-Cerritos
1998
32-0
Corona del Mar-Newport Beach
1978
28-0
Mira Costa-Manhattan Beach
1982
28-0
Mira Costa-Manhattan Beach
1989
26-0
South San Francisco
1984
26-0
La Habra
1990
Mark Tennis is the co-founder of Cal-Hi Sports, and publisher of CalHiSports.com. Cal-Hi Sports is the authority in state rankings for football, basketball, baseball and softball, as well as the recognized state record keeper for all high school sports. Contact him at markjtennis@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter, @ CalHiSports.
gabby green
mikayla cowling
Taylor Nelson, GraniteBay 12
SportStars™
December 19, 2013
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
Phillip Walton
Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com
volleyball Rankings After CIF title games of Saturday, Dec. 7 1. (1)
— Granite Bay.............................45-0
2. (2)
— Archbishop Mitty-San Jose.....42-4
3. (4)
▲ Los Alamitos............................35-6
4. (3)
▼ Santiago-Corona.....................40-1
5. (5)
— Mater Dei-Santa Ana..............33-8
6. (6)
— Torrey Pines-San Diego..........33-4
7. (7)
— Valley Christian-San Jose.......35-8
8. (8)
— Great Oak-Temecula...............27-2
Football Rankings Previous ranking in parentheses; through games of Saturday, Dec. 14 1 (1)
—
De La Salle-Concord
14-0
2 (2)
—
St. John Bosco-Bellflower
15-0
3 (5)
▲
Chaminade-West Hills
13-2
4 (6)
▲
Serra-Gardena
13-1
5 (4)
▼
Centennial-Corona
12-3
6 (3)
▼
Folsom
14-1
Mater Dei-Santa Ana
11-3
Mission Viejo
12-1
Long Beach Poly
11-2
Bakersfield
12-2
Del Oro-Loomis
13-2
Serra-San Mateo
11-3
Mission Hills-San Marcos
12-2
Domination of Northern California rolls on after 45-17 victory over Folsom.
Unlike Narbonne last year, much-hyped SoCal team plays DLS in state bowl game. Both losses (one to Serra, one to Hart) have both been avenged. Cavaliers beat Chaminade 36-0 early in the season; lost 38-35 later on.
It’s like a video game with this team: 943 yards in one game, over 9,000 for season. Jake Browning’s numbers vs. DLS not quite like they are against everyone else. 7 (8)
▲
9. (10) ▲ Lutheran-Orange.....................23-9
Two of the Monarchs’ losses are to St. John Bosco.
10. (9) ▼ Francis Parker-San Diego......29-5
8 (10)
▲
9 (11)
▲
10 (12)
▲
11 (13)
▲
12 (7)
▼
13 (9)
▼
14 (14)
—
Alemany-Mission Hills
10-3
15 (16)
▲
Oceanside
11-2
16 (20)
▲
Eastlake-Chula Vista
10-2
17 (15)
▼
Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills
12-2
18 (18)
—
Elk Grove
12-1
19 (17)
▼
Archbishop Mitty-San Jose
11-2
20 (21)
▲
Vista Murietta-Murietta
12-2
21 (22)
▲
Corona Del Mar-Newport Beach
15-0
22 (23)
▲
Crenshaw-Los Angeles
10-4
23 (19)
▼
Hart-Newhall
12-3
24 (24)
—
St. Augustine-San Diego
11-2
25 (NR)
▲
Enterprise-Redding
13-0
11. (11) — Redondo-Redondo Beach......29-6 12. (12) — La Salle-Pasadena..................32-6 13. (13) — Corona del Mar-Nwprt Bch.....24-6 14. (14) — Lakewood................................26-6 15. (17) ▲ St. Francis-Sacramento..........34-9 16. (15) ▼ Mira Costa-Manhattan Bch.....22-9 17. (NR) ▲ Marymount-L.A........................24-9 18. (18) — Menlo School-Atherton...........32-6 19. (19) — Homestead-Cupertino............27-8 20. (20) — Los Altos..................................34-7 Dropped Out: No. 16 Branson-Ross
norcal bowls
best teams left out 1. Miramonte-Orinda 12-2: The Mats beat 13-0 Casa Grande-Petaluma in the NCS Div. II final. If they had been able to keep playing, QB Drew Anderson may have broken the NCS single-season passing yardage record of 4,451 set in 2010 by Concord’s Ricky Lloyd. 2. Los Gatos 10-3: This was another team on the board, like Miramonte, for the Div. II bowl game. The Wildcats beat St. Francis-Mountain View in the CCS final and St. Francis had a regular season win over Serra-San Mateo. 3. West Valley-Cottonwood 12-1: The Eagles, who lost only to 12-0 Enterprise, were seriously considered for the D3 North berth opposite El Cerrito but lost out to Sacred Heart Prep-S.F. *Note: Team must be a section champion to play in a CIF regional bowl so a runner-up team like Oak Ridge in Sac-Joaquin Division I or Marin Catholic in North Coast Division III wouldn’t be eligible.
The Diablos lost by just 21-14 to Mater Dei in CIFSS Pac-5 playoffs.
Head coach Raul Lara resigned after 13 seasons on Dec. 6. Drillers beat Mission Hills in CIF D1 South bowl game.
Golden Eagles too much for Serra-San Mateo in CIF Div. I North bowl game.
Loss to Del Oro doesn’t diminish winning school’s first CCS Open Division title.
Loss to Bakersfield came after Grizzlies won first San Diego Open Division title. Another strong season for coach Dean Herrington’s program.
When QB was on, the Pirates beat Eastlake and nearly beat Serra-Gardena. One loss was 33-30 to Oceanside; the other was to AZ power Hamilton.
Trojans had to drop couple of spots with Folsom losing by that much to DLS.
The Thundering Herd had 19-0 lead on Del Oro in third quarter of SJS D2 final.
Both losses for the Monarchs were to Serra-San Mateo.
For the fourth straight year, Broncos played Centennial-Corona in CIFSS final. Sea Kings could become first team in state history to finish 16-0 A win over Narbonne gave the Cougars the L.A. City Section title. This is where the Indians fall after their loss to Chaminade.
San Diego D2 champs had win over SD D1 champ Cathedral Catholic. Hornets given Top 25 shout out heading into final game vs. Chaminade. Dropped Out: No. 25 Cathedral Catholic-San Diego.
Support Your Local Business • Say You Found Them In SportStars™
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
December 19, 2013
SportStars™
13
Granite Bay didn’t just deliver on its state championship potential, it posted one of the state’s greatest seasons ever SPIN THAT 45
A few facts and numbers of note from the Grizzlies’ record-setting season. ›› Overall Record: 45-0 ›› Home Record: 15-0. Road Record: 10-0. Neutral Floor Record: 20-0. ›› Record in Sets: 114-6 ›› 45 wins is the most by any California team to finish its season undefeated. ›› Granite Bay wasn’t taken to five sets in ANY of its 45 matches. ›› The Grizzlies won 67 straight sets in a 29-match stretch spanning Sept. 21-Nov. 2. ›› St. Francis-Sacramento was the only school to win two sets against Granite Bay during the season, w–– inning one on Sept. 3 and one on Nov. 2.
16
SportStars™
I
By trevor horn | Contributor
t would be difficult to call it a surprise. There was a feeling in early August that something special was brewing in the Granite Bay girls volleyball program. The Grizzlies returned a bulk of the team that finished second to St. Francis-Sacramento in the SacJoaquin Section and California Interscholastic Federation Northern Regional Division I finals. With the return of a trio of super seniors in Taylor Nelson, Maddy Deters and Nicolette Pinkney, the anticipation was building. So was the target on the team. “They know and we don’t have to remind them,” Granite Bay first-year coach Tricia Plummer said before the season began. “We’ve told them that every team wants to be the team to beat Granite Bay. I think we’ve been hyped a lot and they are excited about that. But they know they have to work hard to ensure they keep it up.” It all started with a SJS Foundation Game exhibition victory over St. Francis on Sept. 3. The Grizzlies were 0-3 in 2012 against the Troubadours and Nelson said that was the moment she knew this team was something special. “That was a make-or-break game for us,” Nelson said. “Ending last season with a loss to St. Francis and then getting to play them the first game of the season was a great way to start and see where we were.
December 19, 2013
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com
Granite Bay’s Cally Chamberlain (11), Taylor Nelson (5) and Brigid Bell (9) celebrate upon delivering the match point in the SJS Div. I final against St. Francis-Sacramento. Photos by James Leash
Support Your Local Business • Say You Found Them In SportStars™
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
December 19, 2013
SportStars™
17
“We knew how much potential we had and how great the season could be.” Granite Bay avenged the losses to St. Francis three more times, including sweeps in the section and NorCal finals, advancing to the state championship for the first time in program history. The Grizzlies took another step towards realizing its special potential on Oct. 15 in Stockton. In the Stockton Classic final, Granite Bay defeated national-power Archbishop Mitty-San Jose. That same Mitty team won the Div. II state title on Dec. 7, one hour before Granite Bay took the court to battle Los Alamitos in the Div. I state championship. For Deters, who along with Nelson, is a four-year varsity player for Granite Bay, the idea that this team could be special didn’t come until the days leading up to the CIF State Championship match at Santiago Canyon College in Orange. “I knew that we had a strong team and I knew we could do anything,” Deters said. “But I wasn’t sure until after we beat St. Francis in the (NorCal) finals. Once we were in (Orange) and having a good time as a team, I knew that we would win state. I knew it right then.” The Grizzlies came into the finals with a 44-0 record and had dropped just five of 115 sets played this season. Against Los Alamitos and Washington-bound outside hitter Crissy Jones, the Grizzlies got off to a 25-22 start in the first set. But playing just 22 miles from their own campus, the Griffins were bolstered by a pro-Los Alamitos crowd that rattled the Grizzlies for the first time all season. The Griffins tied the match with a commanding 25-14 second set. “We were nervous in that second game, being on their side with all of their fans,” Deters said. “But we knew we had to focus.” The Grizzlies regrouped behind the big three and stormed back with straight set wins in the final two frames to beat Los Alamitos 3-1. “It still hasn’t sunk in. That moment after the last play was one of the greatest feelings ever,” Deters said. “I am so glad we ended it like this.” Added Pinkney: “It means so much to me. This whole journey has been amazing. We all put our heart and soul into this match.” Nelson had a game-high 44 assists in the finals. Her precision passing and deceptive strength at the net (192 kills this season), along with her 3.92 GPA and work within the community were recognized as she was honored with the Gatorade California Volleyball Player of the Year award on Dec. 12. A week later, Nelson was named The Sacramento Bee Player of the Year. “I am really proud of her,” Granite Bay coach Tricia Plummer said. “She has worked hard. It’s nice to see this recognition when you put your heart and your soul into the sport.” Nelson will graduate early and enroll at Cal Poly on Jan. 5. The family heritage in San Luis Obispo goes back to her parents. Her father, Rick, was a baseball player for the Mustangs. Her mother, Vera, was a standout volleyball player and is currently the women’s volleyball coach at Sierra College in nearby Rocklin. “It’s been amazing,” Vera Nelson said. “It’s great to see all of her hard work pay off. It’s inspirational to others to know how much time she’s put in and the things she’s sacrificed to get here. Cal Poly is really lucky to have her.” The 45 wins are the most in state history for an undefeated season according to Cal-Hi Sports. Only 10 other teams have finished with a perfect record, giving this Granite Bay squad great reason to make an argument as the best team to come out of Sacramento and possibly the greatest season in state history. Plummer said she realized something was building at a point late in the season when she noticed the Grizzlies were on a streak of 67 consecutive set wins. “I didn’t know how to lose with these girls,” Plummer said. “I think it means more to me that they got what they were looking for. I’m just so happy.” ✪
“We knew how much potential we had and how great the season could be.” 18
SportStars™
December 19, 2013
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
— Taylor Nelson
Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com
(All records through Dec. 14, according to MaxPreps) 1. (2) ▲ St. Mary’s-Stockton 6-0 2. (3)
▲
Miramonte-Orinda
6-0
3. (4)
▲
Carondelet-Concord
3-0
4. (5)
▲
Salesian-Richmond
3-0
5. (7)
▲
Sacramento
3-0
6. (8)
▲
Archbishop Mitty-San Jose
4-2
7. (6)
▼
Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland
3-1
8. (1)
▼
St. Mary’s-Berkeley
4-1
9. (9)
— St. Ignatius-S.F.
10. (10) —
Pinewood-Los Altos Hills
4-0 6-0
11. (11) — Sacred Heart Cthdrl-S.F.
1-2
12. (12) — Vanden-Fairfield
4-1
13. (14) ▲
Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills
5-1
14. (15) ▲
McNair-Stockton
5-0
15. (19) ▲
Enterprise-Redding
3-0
16. (NR) ▲
McClatchy-Sacramento
4-1
17. (NR) ▲
Scotts Valley
5-1
18. (12) ▼
St. Francis-Mountain View
5-2
19. (NR) ▲
Eastside College Prep-Palo Alto
5-2
20. (NR) ▲
Brookside Christian-Stockton
3-3
Marauders Roll To Barry Title No. 11 As Jesuit’s long-running tournament turned 40, the host team improved to 6-0 By trevor horn | Senior Contributor History and tradition will seemingly always be on the side of Jesuit-Carmichael boys basketball coach Greg Harcos when scheduling the iconic Father Berry Christmas Classic each year. Despite the growing number of elite December basketball tournaments across the country, the pool of parochial programs playing in the 40th annual tournament at Jesuit this season still entertained crowds with solid players and great play — despite Harcos admitting this was a tough season to schedule with the likes of Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland and other Barry regulars going elsewhere this winter. Jesuit defeated St. Mary’s-Stockton 80-69 in the finals on Dec. 14 for the Marauders 11th championship in the second-longest running tournament in the Sacramento region behind the Kendall Arnett Tournament in Auburn.
father barry tournament “It’s really been a very top-heavy tournament for a long time,” Harcos said. “This year, I had a tough time finding teams. It was a challenge to get teams this year.” The eight-team tournament consisted of one non-parochial program with nearby Rocklin taking part. And the longesttraveled team in tournament history, Xavier from Melbourne, Australia was in attendance. Led by 6-foot-8 forward Matthew McCarthy, Xavier dropped all three games over the weekend in tournament. But McCarthy drew high praises from coaches throughout the tournament. “I told him he can come play for me right now,” Harcos jokingly said. “We’d love to have that guy. He has a lot of skill.” The tournament has had its share of elite players in the past four decades. Former Duke All-American Mark Alarie was the
DROPPED OUT
No. 15 Modesto Christian, No. 17 Marin Catholic, No. 18 Wilcox, No. 20 Gunn
BIGGEST MOVERS
St. Mary’s (Berkeley) dropped seven spots after losing to Bishop O’Dowd (which lost to Lynbrook, a team Mitty beat by 27), and McClatchy jumped into the rankings at No. 16 by virtue of only losing to No. 1 St. Mary’s (Stockton) by 16.
STILL RANKED FROM PRESEASON TOP 20: 16
Jesuit guard Isaiah Bailey.
Looking for the boys rankings? We’ve got those updated for you right now at www.SportStars Online.com/BHoopTop20. Go there now, or download the Layar App and scan this page.
Support Your Local Business • Say You Found Them In SportStars™
James Leash photo
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
December 19, 2013
SportStars™
19
Jesuit forward Lake Lutes.
James Leash photo
1981 tournament MVP for Brophy College Prep of Phoenix. Most recently, current NCAA starters like Rasheed Sulaimon (Duke) and Aaron Gordon (Arizona) were all-tournament players at Father Barry. “When you have a good tournament, it runs well,” Harcos said. “But the biggest thing is the Jesuit community in terms of the families that house a lot of the kids and really open their doors to give them a good time. “The biggest thing is that we’ve had such great history. There’ve been a lot of great players that helped build a reputation. We need to have the history we have.” This season, St. Joseph Notre Dame-Alameda took fifth place behind Long Beach State commit Temidayo Yussuf. Yussuf led the Pilots with 14 points in a 60-48 victory over Rocklin in the consolation final. Under legendary coach Don Lippi, St. Joe’s lost to Horizon-San Diego in the CIF Division V championships last March. St. Mary’s-Stockton 6-3 senior guard Gabriel Vincent, headed to UC Santa Barbara, scored a tournament-high 35 points in the championship loss to Jesuit. The point total was just three points off the tournament record held by Alarie in 1981 and current Colorado State guard John Gillon-Strake of Jesuit-Dallas in 2011. Led by senior forwards Lake Lutes and Brady Anderson along with sharp-shooting junior guard Isaiah Bailey, Jesuit (6-0) remained undefeated this season after winning the championship. But the play of oft-injured senior captain Nick Hilton has the Marauders playing at a high-tempo that seems to feed off the Energizer Bunny-like energy of their guard. “Nick has been one of the unluckiest kids I’ve had in this program,” Harcos said. “He has dealt with injury after injury, and they aren’t basketball-related. Fluke-like stuff. “It’s great to see him out there and running the team and thriving. I don’t have a guy on my team who has worked harder in the offseason. To see him doing what he’s doing is really encouraging.” ✪
20
SportStars™
December 19, 2013
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com
Manteca’s proud tradition of football reached new heights despite a gut-wrenching CIF Regional Bowl loss Manteca running back Alex Laurel is consoled following tough regional bowl loss.
22
SportStars™
December 19, 2013
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
Story by Jim McCue • Photos by James Leash
Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com
I
t’s so cliché, but football, like so many sports, is a game of inches or feet. The Manteca Buffaloes painfully lived out the cliché in an emotional 27-21 loss to Enterprise-Redding in the Northern California Division II Regional Championship. But, despite the difficult loss, head coach Eric Reis and his team will be able to look back with pride on measured gains realized by the program in 2013. “The goal for this year’s team was to push the bar further,” Reis said of Manteca’s four Sac-Joaquin Section championships since 2001. “We made it to a NorCal final, so these guys did ‘up’ the bar.” “It’s like a high jumper who makes 12 feet, and says, ‘Ok. Let’s do 14 now.’ They put us at a whole new level in terms of the area, and obviously for Manteca football.”
Leading the charge to raise the bar was a talented and hard working group of senior leaders that posted some impressive numbers. Alex Laurel, who saw most of his action at tailback, scored 49 touchdowns in 15 games, including 35 rushing scores to go along with 1,878 yards on the ground. He added receiving, kickoff return, and punt return touchdowns to account for nearly half of Manteca’s touchdowns and total points for the season. Laurel scored twice — once on the ground and once through the air — in the NorCal final, but it was one final deciding touchdown that eluded the scoring machine that was a painful microcosm of the game. Trailing 27-21 midway through the fourth quarter, Laurel carried the ball four consecutive times to advance the Buffaloes 16 yards to the Enterprise 9-yard line. Then, on a secondand-five play from the 9, Laurel broke tackles over the right side and fought for extra yardage with the goal line in sight. Diving and stretching for the end zone, Laurel lost the ball, which eventually rolled through the back of the end zone for a touchback. Were it an NFL game, the play would have been reviewed to see if Laurel had possession of the ball as he reached to break
Support Your Local Business • Say You Found Them In SportStars™
Manteca coach, Eric Reis
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
December 19, 2013
SportStars™
23
Manteca RB Michael Gonzalez the plane of the goal line. Instead, Manteca had to fight on defense to stop the Hornets’ bruising running back Isaiah Matthews in order to get one last shot at victory. Unfortunately, the final gasp came on an incomplete pass in Enterprise territory with just over three minutes remaining. Matthews and Enterprise then effectively ran out the clock. “It was a heavyweight title fight,” senior lineman Billy Sharmoug said of the battle between two strong running teams. “Once we threw a punch, they threw one right back, and they just ended up getting the last punch.” Manteca held the advantage with a pair of first-quarter touchdowns to lead 14-0, but the momentum shifted in the second quarter and emotions built up. A first half of haymakers led to a 21-21 score at the intermission before the two teams traded body blows and clutched at each other over the final 24 minutes. The intensity of the game coupled with the win-or-go-home stakes of a regional final led to several incidents of talking and shoving that finally erupted in a post-game handshake melee. When combatants were separated and cooler heads eventually prevailed, the Buffaloes, who finished with a 13-2 record, had an opportunity to reflect on a successful season. “No matter what, I put this season as a success,” Sharmoug said. “We set out to get a section championship and that’s what we did.” Reis had high expectations for a roster with 26 seniors, and was proud of how the group worked to improve throughout the season, which included an impressive section playoff run. After winning a Valley Oak League title, Manteca steamrolled the competition in the postseason by averaging 53 points per game and nearly doubling its opponents’ output. The fourth section crown — and third under Reis — had special meaning for the coach because he had a number of players who had watched their older brothers don Buffalo green through the years. “What was special about this year’s team was that I had a lot of legacies,” Reis said. “These kids grew up on Manteca football, so they were that class that knew that when we get our chance to be there, we want to do something special.” “And they did it.” Billy Sharmoug watched brothers Mohamed and Gus fight in the trenches at Manteca, and senior wide receiver Brandon Dabney was preceded by older brother Bradley. Dabney led the Buffaloes in receiving this year with 563 yards and added five touchdowns. Senior quarterback Joe Menzel passed for nearly 2,000 yards and 26 TDs while adding six rushing scores from under center. In 2014, a new crop of leaders will emerge as new faces take over the roster, but Reis believes that they will be up to the task of measuring up to Buffaloes past, especially with the higher bar set by this year’s NorCal runners-up. “Overall, this is definitely going to be a year that we will look back on and be so thankful for the effort that these kids put out for us,” the coach said. “Now the bar has been set higher, and it is the job of the next group to try to reach it and take it farther.” ✪ 24
SportStars™
December 19, 2013
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com
26
SportStars™
December 19, 2013
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com
The fortitude of the Del Oro football team is perfectly exemplified by its star two-way player, and his long-suffering father
T
Del Oro senior tight end Tyler Meteer fights for the extra yard in the Golden Eagles’ CIF regional bowl win over Serra-San Mateo on Dec. 13. Photos by James Leash Support Your Local Business • Say You Found Them In SportStars™
By david kiefer | Contributor
he ball left Michael Moore’s hand with the look of indecision, but in truth the pass that floated through the chilly night air was brilliantly precise. Two players stood in the end zone waiting for the ball to come down. Those who didn’t know Tyler Meteer assumed the ball was poorly thrown. Those who knew the Del Oro-Loomis tight end were confident he would find a way to catch it – and they were right. Leaping and stretching with all his might, Meteer outfought an all-league safety to gather in the pass on a play that Serra-San Mateo coach Patrick Walsh would deem as the turning point to Del Oro’s 28-20 victory in the California Interscholastic Federation Division I Northern Regional championship game. The 22-yard play capped a 99-yard drive. Not only did it give Del Oro the lead, but shifted the mental edge permanently to the Golden Eagles. “He threw it in the perfect spot,” Meteer said. Only 20 feet from the catch, Steve Meteer had a front-row seat from the back of the end zone at San Jose City College. Some may have been surprised that Tyler came up with that ball, but not Steve. He’s always seen that kind of resourcefulness and fight in his son. Of course, Tyler got it from dad. For most of Tyler’s life, Steve has been in a wheelchair. Diabetes, nerve damage, and cancer have taken a toll. Steve began chemotherapy during Tyler’s sophomore year, and has been hospitalized seven times in the past 18 months. The diabetes is the biggest immediate worry. There are no warning signs before Steve falls into insulin shock. He says Tyler has twice saved his life, by stabilizing him before he could fall into a coma. The constant pain has been so great that Steve described it as “from Level 7 to Level 10” for the past 10 years. “After five years, I’d given up mentally,” Steve said. “Morally, I knew that suicide was not a way out, but I was hoping God would take me. I didn’t want to deal with it anymore.” There was pain and there was anguish. Steve felt guilty that his oldest son, Andrew, a receiver and defensive back at Del Oro, bypassed college and a potential collegiate playing career to stay and help care for him. He also wrestled with the idea that his poor health did not allow him to be the father he wanted to be for his children, Andrew, Tyler, Alicia, and Madison, or even the husband he wished to be for his wife, Mary Ellen. “It’s been hard,” Steve said. “I can’t do most of the things that I used to relate to being a man. I can’t drive, I can’t work. I think of the lost opportunities with my boys in being a father. It’s hard to rely on other people. It’s been hard and humbling.” But what Steve’s odyssey also has done is allow each of his children to grow a sense of responsibility at a young age. They have learned to appreciate the things they can do
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
December 19, 2013
SportStars™
27
with their father rather than dwell on the things they can’t. It’s drawn the family closer. It’s also allowed Steve to see others in their true light, like the teachers, coaches, and friends who have been willing to give of themselves to help the family in any way they can. Though the pain has not subsided, Steve has changed. He decided to rededicate himself to living. Now, he’s in it for his wife, children, and grandchild. Steve has missed only one game in Tyler’s high school career, giving him a front row seat to the maturation of a young man. Not only is Tyler a standout tight end and inside linebacker, but he carries a 4.1 gradepoint average, excels in math and sees a future as an engineer. Tyler also has been eager to serve the community, something that head coach Casey Taylor encourages for all his players. Tyler reads stories to elementary school children and, for the past two years, has been a date at An Evening of Dreams, a Sacramento event that gives special needs teens and young adults a full prom red-carpet experience. Tyler has been one of 12 Del Oro players to participate each year. More want to, but the event has been full. “He does everything for us,” Taylor said. “He’s very valuable on offense, defense, special teams. He’s one of the best players to come out of our program and a great kid as well. He does it right on the field, in the community, and in the classroom.” Meteer had 64 catches for 849 yards and scored 11 touchdowns this season through the NorCal title game. He also had a team-high 126 tackles, including 81 solo, and six sacks. At 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, Meteer sees himself as a linebacker in college. Despite no scholarship offers, he may have opportunities to walk-on at major-college programs. “He’s pretty much the biggest player on our team,” senior defensive back Jonathon Tuttle said. “He’s the one we turn to. He’s the leader on the field and off the field. He motivates us to be better.” Tyler and fellow captain Tanner Woods, a lineman bound for the Marines, played on the team that reached the 2011 state Division II bowl game and lost to Helix-La Mesa, 35-24. This season was filled with similar hopes at a downtown Loomis kickoff event that featured all levels of Loomis football, from high school varsity to junior pee wee. Taylor chose to sharpen the team with a brutal nonleague schedule. Del Oro lost two of its first three games to powers Notre Dame-Sherman Oaks and De La Salle-Concord. But the Golden Eagles regained their balance with a 38-35 double overtime thriller over Sacramento titan Grant. A few weeks later, Del Oro outlasted Sierra Foothill League rival Granite Bay, 30-28, when running back Dylan Kainrath carried 54 times for 244 yards and scored three touchdowns. Meteer, who blocked on every one of those carries, said he gained strength from Kainrath’s refusal to show any sign of fatigue. That would prove to be a character trait. In the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championship played in rain, cold, and a biting wind, Del Oro fell behind Elk Grove 19-0, but rallied in the fourth quarter, winning 20-19 on a five-yard scoring pass to Kainrath with 1:05 left. Steve Meteer recalled one play in particular. Tyler and Tuttle chased a ballcarrier downfield, with Tuttle making a tackle at the goal-line. The runner scored anyway, but the Del Oro effort was memorable. On Serra gameday morning, the team gathered in the cafeteria for their weekly breakfast. Mary Ellen has been active in the preparation of those meals for 120. Biscuits and gravy, breakfast burritos, bacon and eggs, French toast, chocolate chip pancakes, and cinnamon rolls, have been favorites. A parent also is invited to address the team. On this day, it was Steve. He related his own trials to those on the football field. He talked about Tuttle’s tackle against Elk Grove, how Tuttle never quit on the play, and how he himself has vowed to live his own life the same way. “I’m not quitting,” Steve said. Tyler Meteer had seven catches for 81 yards that night, and helped stop the Padres’ running game by filling the inside gaps and spying dual-threat quarterback Matthew Fa’aita, who was held to 16 yards on 16 carries. The Golden Eagles (13-2) earned a return trip to Carson to play Bakersfield in the state Div. I bowl game. Steve Meteer will be there. “My dad has been an inspiration,” Tyler said. To that, Steve can’t help but smile. The feeling is mutual. ✪ 28
SportStars™
December 19, 2013
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com
Del Oro tailback Dylan Kainrath cuts up field between the Serra defense. Support Your Local Business • Say You Found Them In SportStars™
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
December 19, 2013
SportStars™
29
Records are through Dec. 14
1. (1)
— De La Salle-Concord
14-0
3. (6)
▲
Del Oro-Loomis
13-2
2. (2)
4. (3) 5. (4) 6. (5) 7. (9)
8. (18) 9. (10)
— Folsom ▼ ▼ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▲
10. (12) ▲ 11. (14) ▲ 12. (19) ▲ 13. (20) ▲ 14. (7) 15. (8)
▼ ▼
16. (NR) ▲ 17. (NR) ▲ 18. (17) ▼ 19. (19) ▼ 20. (NR) ▲
Serra-San Mateo
Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills Mitty-San Jose Elk Grove
California-San Ramon Pittsburg
Deer Valley-Antioch
Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove Enterprise-Redding El Cerrito
Marin Catholic-Kentfield Campolindo-Moraga Miramonte-Orinda
Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton
Clayton Valley Charter-Concord Valley Christian-San Jose Central Catholic-Modesto
14-1 11-3
12-2 11-2
12-2 11-3
10-3 11-2
10-3 13-0 12-3 12-1 11-1
12-2
Central Catholic coach Roger Canepa talks to his young quarterback Hunter Petlantsky.
8-4
Run-first Crusaders get back to CIF bowl with shot from their arm
11-2
14-1
DROPPED OUT
No. 13 St. Francis-Mountain View, No. 15 Bellarmine- San Jose and No. 16 Granite Bay
CINDERELLA STORY
Three new teams played their way into our penultimate rankings, and the one that most impressed us was Miramonte-Orinda. The Matadors petitioned up to Division II and stormed their way to a title behind the arm of quarterback Drew Anderson. On the way, they knocked off then-No. 17 Clayton Valley Charter (on Clayton’s home turf) in the semifinals, and then traveled to the North Bay to defeat an undefeated Casa Grande-Petaluma team in the championship. They were passed over for a CIF regional bowl berth, but we still slotted them one spot ahead of Div. III regional bowl winner Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton. The Gators are newcomers as well, but Miramonte’s strength of opponents gave them the nod for us. If Sacred Heart Prep goes on to win the Div. III State Bowl, we’ll have to reconsider.
BIGGEST MOVER
California-San Ramon got to take the biggest jump after the NorCal playoffs concluded, leaping 10 spots to No. 8. The Grizzlies followed up their first ever East Bay Athletic League title with a run to the NCS Div. I final where they played De La Salle very tough for a little more than a half. They lost 4517, but it was a vastly improved effort than the 55-0 loss they suffered to the Spartans just five weeks earlier.
TEAMS STILL RANKED FROM PRESEASON TOP 20: 12
30
SportStars™
December 19, 2013
James K Leash
13-1
With no due respect to 2012 Central Catholic-Modesto quarterback Garrett Ardis, the Crusaders may have been able to win the California Interscholastic Federation Div. IV State Bowl championship with anybody behind center. That’s how good the the team’s rushing attack was behind the senior tandem of Ray Lomas IV and Rey Vega — each of which had standout games in the program’s 66-7 bowl romp. But in this year’s CIF Div. IV Northern Regional bowl on Dec. 13, Central Catholic coach Roger Canepa needed his quarterback. And sophomore Hunter Petlantsky came through in a big way. Petlantsky was 7-for-10 for 133 yards and had four completions of 40 yards or more, one of which went to tight end Jared Rice for a touchdown that put the Crusaders up 17-8 late in the third quarter and served as the clinching score in a 17-14 win over McClymonds-Oakland. “Shoo! He had some big passes there,” Canepa said after the game. “That was three big passes that got us out of some trouble. We also got a couple key turnovers. People don’t understand, you need stuff like that to happen to make it to this kind of game.” True to form, Central Catholic still did its work on the ground. Senior tailback Matt Ringer battled through a thigh bruise in the cold weather to grind out 84 yards on 18 carries. Donovan Townsend and Reggie Bland also contributed to the effort. Central Catholic will look to repeat as Div. IV bowl champs against Bakersfield Christian on Dec. 20. “It’ll help that we’ve been there, and we get to stay at the same place,” Canepa said. “You’d hope that would help us. We’re just happy to get back, and I don’t know if people know how hard it is to get back. ... We’re just going to go down there and play hard.”
DIVISION I
After a 2012 season that ended with a 17-12 loss to Bellarmine-San Jose in the Central Coast Section Open Division semifinals, Serra-San Mateo vowed that the 2013 season would be different. Coach Patrick Walsh understood the need for change. Serra
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
had never won a CCS title in the top division or played in a state bowl game. It is true Serra was experiencing its most sustained success since future NFL Hall of Famer Lynn Swann led the Padres to league titles in 1968 and 1969. In Walsh’s 12 seasons, Serra won three league championships and the 2011 CCS Division I crown. But Walsh wasn’t satisfied. He took a long look at the program, and at himself. Change starts now, he said, and it begins with me. Not only did Walsh examine his offensive philosophy — he always ran the Wing-T and called the plays — but he realized he needed to improve himself. Walsh rededicated himself to his health, lost 30 pounds, and surrendered control to newly hired coordinators Steven Lo (offense) and Chris Vassuer (defense). Walsh also took a chance on Matthew Fa’aita, who had never played quarterback. The left-hander completed 13 of 27 passes for 213 yards in his debut against mighty De La Salle. Serra was missing six starters to injury — including lineman Matt Dickerson, a Notre Dame recruit who did not play all season — but heralded itself as a power despite the 21-14 loss. Serra (11-3) beat Archbishop Mitty, 31-7, to force a co-league title and again in the CCS Open championship, 21-7. Hamilton Anoa’i, a receiver/safety, was the WCAL co-Player of the Year and running back Kava Cassidy gained 1,459 yards on 227 carries and scored 19 touchdowns. On Dec. 13, after Serra lost to Del Oro-Loomis, 28-20, in the Northern California Division I championship game at San Jose City College, Walsh considered the journey. “We started lifting the day after our season ended just to be here playing on this night,” Walsh said. “I remember sitting in the weight room today just thinking about that. “We have nothing to be disappointed about.” — Chace Bryson and David Kiefer
Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com
We went to a tournament and stayed overnight, and we did OK, but the refs were so biased. We played local teams twice and each time, they got all the calls. Our best player fouled out in one game. Does that always happen when teams go on the road? T.M., Concord
H
ere’s my favorite story about getting homered: One year at Campolindo, we traveled to Winslow, Arizona, to play in a tournament on the Navajo reservation. We were very good, and got to the finals. The night before, one of our parents asked me how we would do. I said, “We’re probably going to lose because they’re going to foul out our best players.” She was shocked. So when we come into the gym the next day, I notice one of the refs walking into the opposing coach’s office (we were playing Winslow), and he stayed there for 20 minutes. When the game started, the whistles started blowing, and our top players were all in foul trouble. Winslow was pretty good, so going into the fourth quarter, we were down 13 in front a packed gym of Native Americans screaming for the home team. Our little suburban enclave of parents and players was huddled around our bench, frustrated and beaten down. But then the referees lost focus, and we came storming back, and managed to send the game into overtime. The crowd is going crazy the whole time, and once in OT, our remaining top players fouled out and we lost.
After the game, people were coming up to me and saying “Winslow never loses at home,” or “Great game,” or “Too bad your girls fouled out.” Finally, one old Native American comes up next to me, puts his arm around me and says “Now you know how Custer felt.” Or, to answer your question another way, any time you’re playing far away from home, you’re likely to get hosed. Even in your own gym, you need to be at least 10 points better to guarantee a win because high school officials, like high school players, work hard but may not be all that talented. But when you’re playing in a situation where the officials know the other coaches by their first names and have never seen you before, you should plan on playing 15 points better if you expect to win. Or maybe 20. It’s not that anyone’s cheating, it’s just human nature — and that’s why it’s the mark of a superior team to be able to go on the road and beat a quality opponent. So don’t whine about the officiating; just play better. ✪ 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 him at clayk@fullcourt.com
Support Your Local Business • Say You Found Them In SportStars™
Overcoming
the Elements Winning on the road requires sharper focus and better play, because often the breaks — and whistles — fall to the home team
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
December 19, 2013
SportStars™
31
?
nutrition: dr. mo mortazavi
What Fuels You FILLING THE TANK
Nutrition and hydration recommendations before, during and after exercise are as follows:
PRE-EXERCISE:
›› Fluids: Pre-hydration with water ›› Carbs: 4g/kg 3-4 hrs before exercise; then 0.5-1g/ kg 1-2 hrs before exercise ›› Choose familiar foods, low-fat and low-fiber foods to minimize stomach upset
DURING EXERCISE:
›› Fluids: Water (if less than 1 hour exercise); Sports drink (if more than 1 hour exercise or heavy sweating), 12 oz. every 20-30 minutes. ›› Carbs: 30g every 30 minutes
AFTER EXERCISE:
›› Fluids: Sports drink and water, 15-20 oz. per 1 pound of body weight lost during exercise event. ›› Carbs: 1-1.5g/kg every 2 hrs; begin immediately after event and through 4 hrs after event. ›› Protein: 0.2-0.4g/kg every 2 hrs; begin immediately after event through 4 hrs after event.
Every athlete is limited by one common factor: You are only as good as what fuels you. A complete and diverse diet is critical to provide optimal nutrition to every athlete. Although suboptimal nutrition can lead to poor performance, many athletes suffer from nutritional deficiencies that also lead to poor health. Nutritional deficiencies can be caused by inappropriate caloric intake or limited dietary diversity. With the right balance of quantity and quality, a complete balanced diet is all that is required for athletes to perform at their best. Despite this, the following myths about the optimal athletic diet still exist: › One must use supplements › Protein-dominant diets are needed to gain muscle › Stimulants are needed for optimal energy › Performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) sold in stores must be safe and without serious side effects Optimizing your diet begins with knowing how many calories you need. Highly active athletes need about 15-20 times their weight (in pounds) of total calories per day. Approximately 50 to 60 percent of these calories should come from complex carbohydrates, which include non-processed foods such as whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables. Fats also serve a critical role in optimal nutrition, contrary to the belief that athlete’s diets must be low in fat. Up to 20-25 percent of their diets should come from healthy unsaturated fats, such as plant oils. These fats are rich in antioxidants, micronutrients and energy production. Although proteins help with muscle building, only 15-20 percent of all calories need to come from proteins. Protein requirements are 1-2g/kg of protein daily. Endurance athletes may only need 1-1.2g/kg, while power athletes may need 1.5-2g/kg. Protein in excess of this is burned as fuel or excreted by the kidneys. Meat, dairy, fish, poultry, beans, nuts and soy are great sources of protein. Micronutrients, hydration and electrolytes are also an important part of an athlete’s diet. Iron, vitamins B, C, D and calcium are critical micronutrients that are commonly deficient in athletes. Diets rich in fresh non-processed foods, dairy and produce with a variety of colors typically are richest in these micronutrients. Dietary supplementation should only be considered when a complete diet is not possible through natural foods, such as athletes not able to consume enough calories or tolerate a diverse diet. When considering supplementation with additional calories, protein or micronutrients, one should consult with a nutritionist or physician. Other supplements that have been marketed to enhance performance include creatine phosphate, stimulants and anabolic aids. These supplements come with significant risks and may be contaminated with other supplements that are banned or more dangerous to your health. These supplements are not well regulated and many athletes have suffered liver failure, sudden cardiac death, and strokes after using these marketed substances. For these reasons, the PEDs are not medically recommended and high caution is advised. ✪ Dr. Mo Mortazavi is a pediatric sports medicine physician for the UC Davis Children’s Hospital.
Support Your Local Business • Say You Found Them In SportStars™
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
December 19, 2013
SportStars™
33
weightlifting: anthony trucks
Three tips to help you prevent lifting injuries I recently made a trip to Russia, where I spent seven hours teaching at a huge fitness convention in Moscow. While there, I met trainers from several countries and learned a great deal about strength training and its uses around the world. One thing that made a significant impression on me was Americans’ view of taking care of the body while strength training over extanded periods of time versus the rest of the globe’s perception. The common thread was, they didn’t seem to think that far ahead. After hearing that, I spent time educating and teaching them tips and tools toward avoiding lifting injuries. I will share the tips with you now. ›› Warm up the muscle groups you will be using specifically to increase blood flow and joint fluid to allow proper motion when increasing weight ›› Use de-load weeks in your training periodically. This is where you keep the same program going but modify the weights way down and focus on stability and range of motion. This actively recovers the muscles and allows the nervous system to recover. ›› Include multi-joint, and multi-planar movements into your training to maintain range of motion, and minimize muscular compensation which could lead to injuries to other muscles by overuse in the incorrect pattern. For example, get a PVC or wood stick and put it above your head, then perform an over head squat. In the down position, lower the stick behind your head, raise the stick, then raise your body. You’re body will only last if you take care of it. So make sure to focus on longevity and training with the “law of the harvest” concept. When you plant seeds you don’t get the crop tomorrow, you get it over time with careful attention to the plants. ✪
facility in Brentwood Anthony Trucks is the owner of Trucks Training tars. SportS for g trainin
34
SportStars™
December 19, 2013
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
and covers weight
Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com
training time: tim rudd for iyca When you see an athlete who is 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 do so with great body control. Here are four qualities that an athlete must posses to have the ability to control their bodies with such precision:
First key
The athlete must have great proprioceptive awareness. This means the athlete’s nervous system — the nerves in the muscles, tendons, joints, and ligaments that feel pressure, speed, and other forces — tell the body how to regulate its position all the time. This allows the athlete to make subtle to massive adjustments quickly and accurately resulting in a high level of control.
second key
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 that can quickly go from the “stopping” to the “going” or deceleration to acceleration will be quicker overall.
third key
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 or acceleration angle.
fourth key
The athlete must understand how to maintain proper levels, or be able to 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.
36
SportStars™
December 19, 2013
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com
tristeps: liz elliott
Stay Warm Build strength
You can keep out of the cold and still train for the upcoming season Strength work done with good form helps support your joints, and helps your muscles perform better as a team. In less than two months there will be plenty of swimming, biking and running. Use these cold months to get in lots of strength work. Make sure you are not hurting your joints in the process. The purpose of strength workouts is to strengthen the muscles above and below and/or surrounding the joints, so that: 1. You’ll be stronger, and... 2. There will be less stress on your joints when you add more load. If you are doing a strength move and feel tension or pain, in your joint, then you are probably going too far with the move. Small movements are just fine. If you are doing a move and are shaking, that muscle is probably weak. You will probably experience one side being weaker than the other as well. For example, walking lunges: Make sure your knee never goes more than 90 degrees (which means you may need to step out further), and concentrate on your weight coming down instead of forward. And you do not need to touch your back knee to the ground. In fact, that is not really helping. Do them in the mirror to see what you are actually doing. Attend an aerobic strength circuit class to learn how to perform simple strength moves correctly to incorporate into your workouts. ✪ Liz Elliott was an All-American collegiate swimmer and is the head coach at Tri-Valley Triathlon Club.
Support Your Local Business • Say You Found Them In SportStars™
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
December 19, 2013
SportStars™
37
specialization: travis moore At what age should someone specialize in a given sport? This question is a hot topic today; from parent to researcher, everyone has an opinion. Unfortunately, there isn’t a universal answer. Past research suggests that 10,000 hours are needed to be elite at a skill, while current research states that this is inaccurate. Some individuals might need 2,000 hours, while some may devote 15,000 hours and never reach an elite level. The current tide of opinion is shifting to promoting multiple sports before the age of 15, not just for injury prevention but also for overall performance. In order to make the best decision, there are some things that should be considered: Rest is necessary. Overuse injuries are becoming an epidemic, especially in young athletes. When injuries occur muscles do not work well, which means less strength for the athlete. There should be a break to let the body recover from a specific sport. This does not have to be complete rest, but rather a different sport or cross training. The dangers from playing one sport year-round are due to the overloading of specific muscles. If one switches from soccer to baseball, they will be using a whole different group of muscles. Assessment by a trained professional can help performance and keep us healthy. Some aremore susceptible to injury than others; for example, baseball pitchers who have shoulder weakness or soccer players with hip weakness. Any female who has participated in youth soccer probably knows someone who has suffered the dreaded ACL tear. However, studies have shown the application of training programs referred to as PEP (Prevent injury and Enhance Performance) can reduce risk by as much as 75-80 percent. We all think that in order to be elite, we have to be specific. There are many elite athletes who were not sport-specific until they reached high school or even college. This list includes: Tom Brady, Kobe Bryant, Roger Federer, and Lebron James. The experts are still unsure about how to make it to the top, but playing through injury and pain is certainly not the way. ✪ Travis Moore is a Doctor of Physical Therapy at Sports & Orthopedic Leaders, PT Inc.
38
SportStars™
December 19, 2013
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com
get mental: erika carlson
Commitment matters. It’s a factor in your sport enjoyment, in your long-term sport success and your life skill development. Research tells us that long-term participation in sports help is more psychologically beneficial than with intermittent participation. However, it’s not unusual to see a mismatch between how committed a player thinks he/she is and how committed his/her coach thinks he/she is. Jeff Janssen’s book, “The Team Captain’s Leadership Manual” offers an excellent measurement tool, “The Commitment Continuum,” which can be used for both self-assessment and in a unique way to get extra feedback from your coach. First, rate yourself. How committed are you?
40
SportStars™
December 19, 2013
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
COMPLIANT
Compliants will do what they are told by their coaches and team leaders. They are obedient soldiers who do what is expected, but they lack the initiative to go above and beyond the call of duty.
committed
Committed people willingly go the extra mile in order to reach their goals. They are self-motivated, meaning that they do not need someone else to tell them what to do, or watch over their shoulder to make sure they are doing it.
ARE YO
Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com
compelled
No matter what obstacles, adversities, or distractions might stand in their way, compelled people are going to find a way. They won’t rest until they get the job done. They prepare, train, and compete at the highest level. This means they never go through the motions or skip workouts, they eat well and get their proper rest, and they take advantage of every opportunity to get better. Now that you’ve assessed yourself, ask your coach to rate your commitment and give you a brief explanation. Be brave. This is an excellent opportunity to open a conversation with your coach about your commitment. If you and your coach disagree — you feel you’re “committed” and coach says you’re “compliant” — then ask how you can better demonstrate your commitment. This may be the difference maker in your career. ✪ Erika Carlson is a certified mental trainer and owner of Excellence in Sports Performance in Pleasanton.
OU ALL IN?
Support Your Local Business • Say You Found Them In SportStars™
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
December 19, 2013
SportStars™
41
Heidi-ly Ho! ››› ››› Looking good isn’t enough if you can’t look good while you’re at the gym trying to look good. Good? Look, I know it’s confusing. But Heidi Hat is the perfect product for the active fashionista. These is a custom handmade collection of yoga inspired attire. Plus they have winter gear: ski, snowboarding, skating hats and accessories. Seriously, is there anything Heidi Hat can’t make look good. Did we mention that it looks good? Good. Look here: www.HeidiHat.com
42
SportStars™
December 19, 2013
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
Happy Merry-Mas Holiday Season to one and all! We’ve been good this year — oh so good. If you’re like Impulse, and we hope you are, you’ll be expecting some good loot this year (even if that’s not what the season is all about ... but c’mon). And what more can you ask for that what Uncle Impulse brings to the party? Nothing. That’s what.
Play Ball! U.S. Baseball Academy, which operates a national network of affordable hitting, pitching, catching, field and base running camps for players in grades 1-12 will be hosting camps this winter and spring — chances are, there’s one near you. I mean, they’re hosting camps at 200 sites. No excuses. Be a better ball player. Camps range from 4-6 weeks and take place on weekends. Find a camp near you at www.USBaseballAcademy.com
Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com
oh, you dirty rat ››› ›››
It’s that time of the year. No, not the goodwill to man stuff. The part where we get a wee bit chunky because of the holiday parties. And then comes New Year’s where we’ll vow to go to the gym. Then comes February where we stop going. Dive into the seedy underbelly of the gym world in Max Hawthorne’s new book ‘Memoirs of a Gym Rat.’ He tells you how to get ripped without getting ripped off. Available at your local bookstores.
Support Your Local Business • Say You Found Them In SportStars™
clean h2o
We all have our favorite water bottles. Meet your NEW favorite water bottle — The Eco Vessel. Not only is this made from 100% recyclable, light-weight materials but each bottle has a unique filtration system built in that will filter your water while you drink. Plus, when you buy an Eco Vessel they’ll donate to Water for People. No downside, just clean water. Get some. www.Ecovessel.com
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
December 19, 2013
SportStars™
43
44
SportStars™
December 19, 2013
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com
❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒
Ajax East Bay Soccer Club.......................................................................................................43 Army National Guard Recruiter................................................................................................7 Athletic Placement Services...................................................................................................42 Bears Bitty Youth Basketball League & Academy...................................................................22 Big O Tires Northern California/ Nevada...................................................................................2 Bigfoot Hoops.................................................................................................................. 15, 48 Boomers!...............................................................................................................................27 C Y C Soccer............................................................................................................................45 Championship Athletic Fundraising.......................................................................................31 Cheergyms.Com.....................................................................................................................26 Children’s Hospital And Research Center................................................................................35 Club Sport Renaissance..........................................................................................................37 Community Youth Center.......................................................................................................29 Core Performance............................................................................................................ 42, 44 Core Volleyball Club...............................................................................................................43 Crowne Plaza.........................................................................................................................45 Diablo Futbol Club........................................................................................................... 42, 44 Diablo Trophies & Awards......................................................................................................44 Diablo Valley Futsal................................................................................................................44 East Bay Bulldogs Basketball.................................................................................................42 East Bay Sports Academy.......................................................................................................28 Excellence In Sport Performance............................................................................................36 Fast Break Basketball Camps..................................................................................................44 Fit 2 The Core.........................................................................................................................41 Garaventa Enterprises............................................................................................................38 Gregg Jefferies Sports Academy ............................................................................................38 Halo Headband......................................................................................................................45 Heritage Soccer Club..............................................................................................................47 Image Imprint.......................................................................................................................36 Impact Soccer Club................................................................................................................24 Kangazoom............................................................................................................................27 Livermore Downtown..............................................................................................................3 Lone Tree Golf Course.............................................................................................................45 Modesto Magic......................................................................................................................43 Mountain Mike’s Pizza............................................................................................................14 Muir Orthopaedic Specialists.................................................................................................39 National Scouting Report.......................................................................................................43 Passthaball............................................................................................................................45 Pro Hammer Bat....................................................................................................................44 Rhino Sports Of Northern California.......................................................................................24 Rocco’s Pizza.................................................................................................................... 24, 44 Saint Mary’s Athletic Summer Camps....................................................................................25 San Ramon Soccer Club..........................................................................................................39 Sport Clips.............................................................................................................................23 Sports And Orthopedic Leaders..............................................................................................41 State Farm Jimmy Harrington Agent......................................................................................34 State Farm Lisa Truesdell, Kelly Sopak Agents........................................................................20 Stevens Creek Toyota................................................................................................................9 Summit Orthopedic Specialists................................................................................................5 Surewest Sports Show...........................................................................................................20 T D P Sports...........................................................................................................................44 The First Tee Of Contra Costa..................................................................................................45 Tpc / The Pitching Center........................................................................................................41 Tri Valley Orthopedic Specialists.............................................................................................40 United States Youth Volleyball League...................................................................................32 Uno Chicago Grill...................................................................................................................29 West Coast Jamboree.............................................................................................................17 West Coast Soccer Club..........................................................................................................44
Support Your Local Business • Say You Found Them In SportStars™
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
December 19, 2013
SportStars™
45
De La Salle running back Antoine Custer gets his thoughts in order in the Dublin High locker room prior to the Spartans’ NCS Division I championship game against California-San Ramon. PHOTO BY Bob Larson
Want to submit your pic for Photo Finish? Send it to us at editor@SportStarsOnline.com. Photos must be 300 dpi and at least 10 inches wide in the jpeg format. Please identify every person in the photo and include your contact information. 46
SportStars™
December 19, 2013
Score Digital Content: Scan SSM With LAYAR
Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com