SJ Issue 41 Feb. 23, 2012

in a golden state of mind. Pg. 6

endure | excel | achieve

february 23, 2012

vol. 3. issue 41

FREE sac-joaquin

folsom keeper’s lucky save

Pg. 14

gamers! sjs playoff hoops insight, analysis Pg. 36

under the recruiting radar.

Pg. 40

linside: lockerroom zeroes in on norcal icon. Pg. 10

T

a he Raiders have

shion. Pg. 32 a f d n a r g in d e rriv

14

ed pages of expand golf coverage

PHONE 925.566.8500 FAX 925.566.8507 Editorial Editor@SportStarsOnline.com Editor Chace Bryson. Ext. 104 • Chace@SportStarsOnline.com Contributors Bill Kolb, Erik Stordahl, Mitch Stephens, Doug Gardner, Matt Smith, Clay Kallam, Jim McCue, Eric Gilmore, Dave Kiefer, Liz Elliott, Tim Rudd, Jonathan Okanes Photography Butch Noble, Bob Larson, Jonathan Hawthorne, Darryl Henick, Norbert von der Groeben, Phillip Walton Creative Department Art@SportStarsOnline.com Production Manager Mike DeCicco. Ext. 103 • MikeD@SportStarsOnline.com Publisher/President Mike Calamusa. Ext. 106 • Mike@SportStarsOnline.com Advertising & Calendar/Classified Sales Sales@SportStarsOnline.com, (925) 566-8500 Account Executives Erik Stordahl • Erik@SportStars Online.com, Phillip Walton • PWalton@SportStarsOnline.com (Sacramento Sales), Stacey Harris • SHarris@SportStars Online.com. Sac Joaqin edition: Breck Phillip • BreckPhillip@ gmail.com, Dave Rosales • DaveRosales64@gmail.com, Finn Jensen • finnjensen1@mac.com.

James K. Leash

a family approach has River City riding high atop the world of girls basketball. Pg. 34 clipboard: If you’re not giving it your all, you’re not giving enough. Pg. 9 blue chippers: Sacramento had a staggering amount of football talent this season. Pg. 40 First Pitch............................................. 8 Behind the Clipboard........................ 9 Locker Room....................................10

When teammate Jack Munoz was found to have a tumor in his lungs, his teammates such as Miguel Medina, left, from the Folsom Soccer club rallied to his side. Pg. 14 Will Brueckner, far left, and Austin Smotherman are two of NorCal’s best golfers. Pg. 20

AAA SportStars of the Week........13

Reader Resources/Administration Ad Traffic, Subscription, Calendar & Classified Listings info@SportStarsOnline.com • Deb Hollinger. Ext. 101 • Distribution/Delivery Mags@SportStarsOnline.com Distribution Manager Butch Noble. Ext. 107 • Butch@SportStarsOnline.com Information technology John Bonilla CFO Sharon Calamusa • Sharon@SportStarsOnline.com Office Manager/Credit Services Deb Hollinger. Ext. 101 • Deb@SportStarsOnline.com Board of advisors Dennis Erokan, CEO, Placemaking Group Roland Roos, CPA, Roland Roos & Co Susan Bonilla, State Assembly Drew Lawler, Managing Director, AJ Lawler Partners Brad Briegleb, Attorney At Law 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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Impulse...............................................26 In the Paint........................................36 Training Time.....................................39 Health Watch....................................39 Photo Finish.......................................46 ON THE COVER: River City’s (from left) Isabella Gomez, Katie King, Jordan Ligons. Photo by James K. Leash

your ticket to bay area sports admit one; rain or shine This Vol. #3, January 2012 Whole No. 39 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.

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SportStars™

February 23, 2012

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SportStars continues its baby steps toward global awesomeness

I

t’s been a little more than year since I used this space to announce SportStars’ plans for world domination.

That was back in January of 2011 when we debuted our California edition filled with coverage of schools throughout Northern California and essentially scattered it to as many places we could could across the North State.

That endeavor proved successful. Which is why I’m back to explaining some new changes with the magazine.

As more people outside of the East Bay learned about SportStars, we started getting calls from a number of different folks asking how their team or school could be featured in the magazine, as well as where they could find more copies. Many of those calls came from the Greater Sacramento area, and after enough positive feedback we figured we better take the hint.

The California Edition is changing names. This issue will mark the debut of our Sac-Joaquin Edition, which will cover schools and clubs from throughout the SacJoaquin Section — a region that goes as far east as the Nevada border and as far south as Turlock. We aren’t diving into this region lightly, either.

In the past few months we’ve put together a modest sales team in the Sacramento area. These guys, whose names and email addresses you can find in our staff box on page 8, will be hard at work looking to bring in advertisers from the region who are also excited about the magazine. We’ve already come across a few.

Our primary writer and photographer from the region will continue to provide the type of content that had us receiving positive feedback in the first place. We like where this is headed, and we hope our readers in that area do too.

Making this change is also requiring us to tweak our original East Bay edition.

The California Edition brought us fans in the South Bay and North Bay in addition to those in the Sacramento region. We didn’t want to completely cut them out of the loop with the creation of the Sac-Joaquin Chace@ Edition. Therefore, the East Bay Edition also gets a name SportStarsOnline.com change and has become the Bay Area Edition.

To our most loyal East Bay readers, this is no time (925) 566-8503 to panic. Or riot. Trust us on this one. We plan on delivering the same amount of East Bay coverage that we always have.

Now you’ll just be getting some bonus coverage. For instance, just in time for the North Coast Section basketball playoffs, we’ll be including a three-page feature on two of the most successful coaches from the North Bay/Redwood Empire region — Rick Demartini of the Marin Catholic-Kentfield girls basketball program and Tom Bonifigli, who earned his 600th career victory this season with the Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa boys.

We like to think of this as the best of both worlds. It takes the two editions we already had and brings us closer to our original concept for SportStars, that when our readers open up the magazine they either see their school, or their friend’s school, or a school they play against.

You get the point.

I also should bring up that if you haven’t seen our newly-redesigned website yet, you should. That’s another part of this transition. We’ll be adding occasional stories and game coverage that we run exclusively at SportStarsOnline.com. While you read, keep an eye out for prompts about what you might find online.

We haven’t forgotten about world domination. We’ll get there. Give us time. ✪

First Pitch Chace Bryson Editor

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SportStars™

February 23, 2012

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Meeting expectations, Part III: Playing with maximum effort When the game begins, you have to be ready to go, and successful athletes, like successful actors or successful musicians, develop a ritual that helps them play at 100% from the opening seconds.

It’s probably going to be my first year on varsity this spring, and I’m a little nervous. What do varsity coaches want from their players?

K.L., Windsor

o here’s part three of the answer to that very good question, and the starting point is something I heard John Madden say long ago when he was coaching the Raiders: “I only have three rules,” he said. “Be on time; pay attention; and play like hell.”

This time, we’re on the “play like hell” part, and the answer, as always, is a little more complicated than it appears. After all, nobody goes out on the field thinking “You know, I don’t think I’ll play very hard today. I think I’ll just relax and let the other kids do the work.”

In reality, of course, there are games when it just isn’t happening, no matter how hard you try.

Your energy level might be low, you might have trouble concentrating, or things just don’t go your way — and the result is you can’t quite get yourself into gear.

So let’s go back to another famous coach: John Wooden. Like all coaches, he knew it was too late

S

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to prepare yourself for a game when you got to the locker room. No dramatic speech was going to make a player ready who wasn’t already good to go.

Typically, then, coaches will emphasize a couple of things. Get to bed early the night before, eat well, spend some time thinking about what you need to do to help the team win. But Wooden, not surprisingly, took things a step further. He knew that the night before a really big game was not necessarily a night when an athlete was going to sleep all that well. Playing for a championship, or against a rival for a postseason berth, is going to make it hard to sleep like a rock (though some athletes can sleep no matter what).

So what John Wooden told his players was that preparation for a game began two nights before.

That was the night to make sure you got a lot of sleep, and that day was also the day to make sure you had your life more or less under control.

Good nutrition is also not something that just happens the day of the game, or even the day before. Eat well, drink a lot of liquids, all that stuff that you hear over and over again — you may be really tired of hearing it, but it’s also really true.

Behind the Clipboard Clay Kallam

Another aspect, aside from physical and mental preparation, is learning how to be aggressive on demand. Girls especially have a tough time turning it out when the game starts. Sometimes they need someone to elbow them or push them a little to get fired up — and if no one does, they are too passive to play at their best.

When the game begins, you have to be ready to go, and successful athletes, like successful actors or successful musicians, develop a ritual that helps them play at 100% from the opening seconds.

Some players listen to rap; others are quiet; others bounce around and pump themselves up with motion and noise. It doesn’t really matter what you do, but the first step is to find out what works for you, and then make sure you create space and time so that you can do it.

Again, though, that ritual won’t help you if you haven’t done all the other things that give you the best chance to play like hell. And if you don’t play like hell, the odds are someone will be doing the playing — and sooner rather than later. ✪ Clay Kallam is an assistant athletic director and girls varsity basketball coach at Bentley High in Lafayette. To submit a question for Behind the Clipboard, email Coach Kallam at clayk@ fullcourt.com.

February 23, 2012

SportStars™

9

Yup, he’s everywhere Most annoying things about Linsanity It’s the story that’s taken the sports world by storm. It’s inescapable. It’s ubiquitous. It’s omnipresent. It’s forcing us to use Roget’s Thesaurus at an unprecedented rate. It is, obviously, the A’s signing of Cuban sensation Yoenis Cespedes. No. Of course it isn’t. It’s New York Knicks phenom guard Jeremy Lin. And it is, quite possibly, the most overblown sports sensation since Tom Brady’s hair. Say it with me now: Slow. News. Week. Here are the top 5 most irksome things about Linsanity.

1. D-League highlights. On television. Seriously. If it’s the D-League, isn’t it, by definition, NOT a highlight?

2. All these Knicks highlights are crowding out the NHL highlights. Oh wait.

3. Plays on words. Lin-sanity. Super Lin-tendo. All we do is Lin Lin Lin. Right.

We get it. Hilarious. Enough already. The pun is the lowest form of humor.

4. Tim Tebow. That’s right, we blame EVERYTHING on Tebow. But look.

The NFL season is looooong over. The Broncos got bounced in the second round. Why oh why are we talking about Tim Tebow again? And yet there he is, all over our LCD screens.

5. Honestly? We’re anti-anything-that-means-more-Stephen-A.Smith on SportsCenter.

— Bill Kolb

So is he. Hi, Tim!

Lin: Zhang Jun/Xinhua/Zuma Press Tebow: Rupert George/MaxDenver.com

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SportStars™

February 23, 2012

countEM

7

The number of soccer teams with double-digit seeds to earn upset wins in the first round of the North Coast Section soccer playoffs on Feb. 15.

Pilar Souder and the 12th-seeded College ParkPleasant Hill girls soccer team were the lowestseeded girls team to win, defeating Berkeley 2-0.

The biggest upset of them all was in the Division II boys bracket where No. 16 St. Mary’s-Berkeley shocked No. 1 Acalanes-Lafayette 1-0.

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rapidFIRE

Oscars: What category Favorite Super Bowl would you be commercial nominated in

M&M dancing naked

Best advice from a coach

Chili cheese fries

Let your actions speak for themselves

Kenneth Walker III, KennedyRichmond hurdler

My phone

Ice cream Always

Karlie Garcia, OakmontRosemont distance runner

Cereal

NorthgateWalnut Creek hoops team

My phone

Directing

Acting

Amenity you couldn’t live without

Worst guilty pleasure

Michael Barton, De La Salle, track

Geico with Maxwell the pig

Biggest personal rival

have fun

Carrie Verdon, Campolindo, track

Skechers with the dog

Acting

Mikey Eggleton, College Park BB

Fried chicken

Don’t force things, let the game come to you

getREEL With the Oscars airing on Feb. 26, we at SSM are getting into the movie awards spirit and debuting Get Reel — an occasional Locker Room feature where we’ll provide our humble opinions on an offering from the film or TV realm. Last month, we were treated to a sneak peek of ‘Undefeated’, an Oscar nominee for Best Documentary this year.

‘Undefeated’ follows the rise of the Manassas Tigers football team of Dan Lindsay/TJ Martin/Weinstein Company North Memphis, TN., where coach Bill Courtney leads his inner-city players on a quest for the school’s first playoff victory in more than 100 years.

Once hired out as a practice team for more privileged and successful schools, the Tigers begin to turn the tables on the local high school football landscape. Full of heart and passion, ‘Undefeated’ will have you cheering on these underdogs to the last play. The film opened in theaters Feb. 17 and will have a wider release on Mar. 2.

RATING (out of four stars):

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February 23, 2012

SportStars™

11

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February 23, 2012

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Powered by

brianna burgos sheldon-Sacramento . senior . basketball

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After one round of Delta River League action, the Sheldon girls basketball team found itself on the outside of the playoff picture. The Huskies’ record stood at 14-7 overall and 2-3 in league play, prompting the need for a strong finish. They won their final six games and earned the No. 7 seed in the SacJoaquin Section Division I playoffs.

Brianna Burgos capped the Huskies’ 6-0 finish with a pair of big games — a 25-point effort to help the Huskies defeat Brookside Christian 62-61, and a team-high 29 points in a 6560 win over Pleasant Grove.

SportStars: Was there extra motivation to beat a local/league rival in Pleasant Grove?

Brianna Burgos: It is always great to win a big game against a rival, but it was even bigger playing in one of the toughest leagues in the area. St. Francis (which won the Section title in 2011) is in our league and had to win its last game just to make the playoffs, so every league game is huge.

SSM: What has been the biggest difference for you down the stretch?

BB: I feel like I am at full strength now. I was recovering from a tibia fracture at the start of the season, and felt like during the first half of the season I was getting back into shape.

SSM: Did the Pleasant Grove victory provide the team with a confidence boost?

BB: That win definitely gives us confidence heading into the playoffs. We feel real good knowing that we beat the top seed.

honorable mention christopher schwartzedmisten The Sacramento Waldorf senior averaged 37.3 points in the Waves’ final three games to capture the state scoring title. The guard scored a season-high 51 points against Woodland Christian in January.

Courtney range The junior point guard scored 21 points to lead St. Mary’s-Stockton (23-3) to a 76-67 victory over Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland in a final regular season test.

joseph barnes Sacramento’s junior guard averaged 15 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in the Dragons’ final four regular season games, and is the team’s secondleading scorer for the season with an 11.8 ppg average

February 23, 2012

SportStars™

13

No Ordinary Save Young Folsom goalkeeper Jack Munoz’s best stop on the soccer field, might be the one that saves his life

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SportStars™

February 23, 2012

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W

hen Jack Munoz dove to stop a shot in a midDecember scrimmage, it seemed like a meaningless save.

The match was just a practice game for the Folsom Force, an under-13 (U13) select soccer team affiliated with the Folsom Soccer Club. The team was merely tuning up for the California Youth Soccer Association Cup tournament.

As it turns out, that innocuous stop became the most important save in the young goalkeeper’s life.

Munoz, 13, landed on his wrist when he kept the ball out of the net.

He figured the pain in his ribcage, like so many other soccer aches and pains, was just another brief sting that would soon be forgotten. After the initial blow wore off, Munoz went to bed on December 21 thinking more about Christmas than the pain in his ribs.

When he woke up the next morning, though, the pain had returned and he found breathing difficult. Concerned his son may have bruised or cracked a rib, Steve Munoz arranged for Jack to see the family practitioner. An initial X-ray showed a slight shadow on his lung, so another X-ray was taken to get a different look. The shadow still appeared.

Finally, a CT scan was ordered for the next morning to determine if the shadow was a slight hemorrhage or something more serious. What the scan detected was a mass in Jack’s chest the size of a tangerine – a likely tumor measuring about 7.5 cm.

“It was definitely lucky that we found out Jack had a tumor because of the save he made,” Steve Munoz said. “We don’t normally go to the doctor for something like that, so maybe it was more than luck. I think that someone was looking out for us.”

Story by Jim McCue Photo by James K. Leash Support Your Local Business • Say You Found Them In SportStars™

Christmas Day brought a brief respite from the gravity of Jack’s medical situation, but the family was already thinking about how their lives would soon be changing.

“The doctors were fairly sure they knew what it was,” Steve Munoz said. “They still needed to test the blood marrow and the tumor to verify it, but we pretty much knew it was a tumor.”

The mass was confirmed to be Ewing’s Sarcoma, a cancerous bone tumor that affects children. The tumors usually develop during puberty when bones are growing rapidly, and may arise anywhere in the body. They typically develop in the long bones of the arms and legs, the pelvis or the chest, and often spread to the lungs and other bones.

Steve and his wife, Cecilia, received confirmation of the diagnosis of Ewing’s Sarcoma while they were away from the house and returned home to discuss the news with Jack. At the sight of his parents clearly upset when they returned home, Jack’s thoughts turned to worst-case scenarios, including death. However, he was quickly able to do what goalies do better than many other athletes — forget about the negative and move on to the face the next shot or challenge with a positive outlook.

“They were real sad when they first came in.” Jack said of that initial conversation.

“But after they talked to me about it, I knew I was going to get better, and that there would just be some bumps in the road. I decided that I would just do whatever it takes to get better.”

On December 27, the Munoz family took Jack to UC San Francisco Medical Center, and the start of a long road back to cancer-free health and a care-free teenage lifestyle.

With a closer look at the tumor and surrounding area of Jack’s chest, doctors determined that the mass had only been in his chest for only a couple of weeks. While most Ewing’s Sarcoma tumors are only detected after symptoms develop — swelling, fever, and bone fractures resulting from relatively minor injuries — Jack’s minor chest injury and subsequent doctor’s visit detected the tumor before it could spread further to his bone marrow, lungs and beyond.

“Obviously, this has been a tragedy,” Steve Munoz said. “But if it has to happen, everything has been perfect so far. Anything that could go perfect has been perfect.”

After the second of six initial chemotherapy treatments, a CT scan revealed that the tumor had shrunk to 5.7 cm, providing some relief to the family and even greater optimism for a happy, cancer-free ending. In addition to the medical support Jack has received from his team of experts at UCSF, the Munoz family has experienced overwhelming support from Jack’s Force teammates, families, friends and the community.

When Steve Munoz realized that Jack’s chest injury was much more than a minor February 23, 2012

SportStars™

15

Jack Munoz gets down to make a save during action in 2011. He was the team’s starting goalie prior to having to sit out due to his illness.

Folsom Soccer Club

ailment, he alerted Force coaches Brian Altman and Chris Camp. Being a former coach, Steve wanted to let the team know that they would need a backup plan for the Association Cup tournament.

“I got an e-mail from Steve giving me a heads up about Jack’s situation,” Altman said.

“He wanted to let me know what was going on because it was just days away from the Association Cup. But I didn’t care about losing a goalie. We were concerned about Jack’s health, not who would play in goal.”

When news of Jack’s tumor spread to teammates, classmates, friends and neighbors, the Munoz family was quickly overwhelmed by the generosity of their community. Force teammates reached out to Jack via text messages, and volunteers came forward to donate meals, time and money.

“The support has been overwhelming and very humbling,” Steve Munoz said. “There are so many people out there willing to help out. We definitely feel indebted to so many people.”

The Force donned “We’ve Got Your Back, Jack!” purple bracelets (Jack’s favorite color), and more than 250 of the bracelets were sold to friends, neighbors and students at Folsom Middle School, where Jack and many of his teammates attend class.

A Caring Bridge website was set up for Jack and the Munoz family to relay updates and messages to followers who receive news via e-mail, allowing everyone interested in Jack’s situation to remain informed.

In all, Jack is scheduled to undergo six chemotherapy treatments over 12 weeks before a major surgery is scheduled in the spring. The surgery will remove what’s left of the tumor as well as the portions of Jack’s ribcage that came in contact with the tumor (all of the No. 4 rib and parts of Nos. 3 and 5). Bone grafts taken from his tibia bones will replace the ribs, and 11 additional chemotherapy treatments and radiation will follow.

Despite the long road to recovery, Jack has 16

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February 23, 2012

been able to enjoy some reality — which included watching the Force’s Association Cup tournament run. The team pulled together and rallied to post a perfect 6-0 record in pool play and elimination rounds to claim its second consecutive Association Cup. Jack was able to catch some of the action, including the final, a 5-0 shutout of the Rocklin Red Devils.

The players showed their support for Jack with tributes on athletic tape of Munoz’s “00” number, as well as a special tribute from striker Miguel Medina, who shaved the digits in his hair. As time wound down in the championship match, Altman and Camp tried to insert Munoz into the game, but Jack was dressed as a spectator and did not get on the field until the final whistle blew.

“The coaches and players made me feel like a part of the team throughout the tournament,” Jack said. “They gave me the game ball and had me sit in the middle of the team picture with the trophy after we won.”

Despite knowing that he will be unable to play soccer for at least a year, Jack attended tryouts for the Force in early February — just so he could have an official spot on the roster.

Just being a part of the team helps Jack to stay positive in the healing process and remain focused on a healthy return to the field.

“We are a lot more than just a team,” Jack said. “We are all linked up together and are one big family.”

Steve echoed Jack’s belief that soccer, the team and friends are now an extended family that plays a role in his son’s recovery.

“I really believe the doctors are doing everything they can, but that’s just part of the treatment,” he said. “You need to stay positive and believe that you are going to beat the cancer, which he does. He has always been super positive and I think that’s a huge part of the long-term success.”

Success that Jack Munoz believes will be measured by meaningful saves on the soccer field. ✪

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BAY AREA GOLF SHOW Exhibitors A to Z

Tee off on everything golf Golf season officially returns with a new Bay Area Golf Show

P

ull the clubs out of storage, clean off the spikes and iron those golf shorts — golf season is almost here!

How do we know? Because on March 2, the doors of the Santa Clara Convention Center will be thrown open to the 2012 Bay Area Golf Show — the largest annual consumer golf expo in Northern California and the golf sale of the year for golfers throughout the Bay Area. The three-day show runs Friday through Sunday, March 2-4.

The Bay Area Golf Show has become the annual kickoff event to the spring golf season for thousands of local golfers. It’s earned that status on the strength of unbeatable savings on name-brand clubs and merchandise, a free try-and-buy driving range featuring the hottest new clubs on the market, free lessons from top PGA pros, skills contests that allow golfers to compete for great golf prizes, and more.

In addition, every attendee at this year’s show receives a goody bag valued at up to $90, including greens fees at Spring Valley Golf Course and a subscription to Golf Digest. Early birds will pocket extra goodies in the form of golf balls from Bridgestone and 2-for-1 greens fees at the worldfamous La Quinta Resort.

One of the show’s major appeals is the Golf Mart Testing and Fitting Zone, where representatives from up to a dozen manufacturers show off the latest clubs for free on a massive, indoor driving range. Bay Area golfers will be among the first in the country to get their hands on the TaylorMade RocketBallz, the Callaway RAZR Fit, the Cobra Amp, the PING i20 and the other new clubs that have been the talk of the golf industry since the PGA Merchandise Show in January. In addition, manufacturer’s reps will give golfers fitting tips to find the right clubs for you — for free!

The Golf Mart Superstore will offer up to 60-percent off on name-brand clubs, apparel and accessories from the biggest names in the industry — save on drivers, hybrids, irons, wedges, putters, shoes, apparel.

Last year’s show packed more than 5,000 attendees into the all-new Santa Clara Convention Center, popular for its free parking and central location for golfers from the Peninsula, East Bay and San Jose. As a thank you to those golfers and others who have made the show a success over the last seven years, show producers have brought in new exhibitors and features designed to give golfers even more value for their $10 ticket.

This year’s show will include: ■ Up to $90 in front door giveaways — including a round of golf, golf balls, a magazine subscription and more!

■ The lowest prices of the year on name-brand merchandise in the Golf Mart Superstore ■ A free indoor driving range lined with manufacturer’s reps showcasing the hottest new products ■ Putting, long drive and short game contests for the chance to win rounds of golf, stay-and-plays and more ■ Free lessons from top PGA pros ■ And much more!

Complete show information, including hours, lists of exhibitors, daily activities and more can be found at bayareagolfshow.com. We’ll see you there!

— Varsity Communications

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February 23, 2012

Here’s a list of all the vendors you can expect to see at the Bay Area Golf Show on March 2-4. This list was current as of Feb. 15.

■ A2Z Marketing

■ Massaging Insoles by Soles

■ Acupuncture & Chinese

for Comfort

■ Adams Golf

■ Moffett Field Golf Club

Herbs

■ Amazing Sheets ■ American Golf

■ Ameriprise Financial

■ Best Western Plus Villa Del Lago Inn

■ Biltmore Hotel and Suites ■ Bobby Jones

■ Mizuno

■ Morgan Stanley Smith Barney

■ Nakoma Golf Resort

■ New Mexico Golf Destinations ■ Nike Golf

■ NK Products

■ Northern California Golf

■ Bridgestone Golf

Association

■ Callaway

■ Parfection Golf

■ Central Chiropractic Center

■ PSP Golf

■ Cleveland Golf

■ R-Mac Properties

■ Crossroads Health Center

■ Red Rock Golf Trail

■ EWGA - San Francisco

■ Reno-Sparks Convention &

■ Family Life Chiropractic

■ Ridgemark Golf & Country

Care

■ ShankMeister.com

■ Fore2yourdoor.com

■ SportStars Magazine

■ Global Travel

■ Stevens Creek Toyota

■ Golf Mart

■ Stormy Point Village

■ Golfing Nevada

■ Sun Country Golf House

■ GolfNow.com

■ SWAG Bag by Molhimawk

■ Greenhorn Creek Golf

■ The First Tee of San Jose

■ GroupGolfer

Lakes

■ Hammerhead Golf

■ Titleist Golf

■ Kerry A. Adamo Golf

■ TPC Stonebrae

■ Laser Eye Center of Silicon

■ Wintonbury Hills

■ Butler Golf

■ Orange Whip Trainer

■ Carson Valley Inn

■ PING

■ Central Oregon Golf Trail

■ Puerto Rico Tourism

■ Cobra Golf

■ Rapid Fire Fitness

■ Divine Nine

■ Renewal by Andersen

Chapter

Visitors Authority

■ Firestone Complete Auto

Club

■ Fisher Golf

■ SKLZ

■ Forever Putting Greens

■ Spring Valley Golf Course

■ Golf Balls Only

■ Stevinson Ranch Golf Club

■ Golf Today Magazine

■ STX Golf

■ Golfing Oregon

■ Superbandz.net

■ Golfswitch, Inc

■ TaylorMade

Course

■ The Golf Club at Genoa

■ Half Moon Bay Golf

■ The Links at Bodega Harbour

■ IGOLPING

■ Total Effects Technologies

■ La Quinta Resort and Club

■ West Coast Golf

Valley

■ Zengryo

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2012 NorCal Boys Golfer to Watch

Auburn Journal

Austin Smotherman •Senior • Del Oro-Loomis It’s been more than nine months since Austin Smotherman fired a 1-under par 71 at Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach to snag a Top 5 finish at the California Interscholastic Federation boys golf state championship tournament.

And if you think Smotherman spent much time away from the golf course in those nine months, think again.

An intense summer and fall schedule took him to premier tournaments from Washington to Mississippi. He will enter his senior season with the Golden Eagles as a definitive favorite to win the Sac Joaquin Section Masters Tournament and a serious threat at the CIF NorCal and State championships.

— Jim McCue ■ TOP 2011 FINISH: Won California State Junior Amateur Championship (14-under (69-66-67) at The Country Club at Soboba Springs, San Jacinto, CA) ■ LOWEST 18-HOLE ROUND OF 2011: 7-under 65, Del Paso Country Club (Sacramento) ■ CAREER BEST 18-HOLE ROUND: 9-under 63 Del Paso Country Club (Sacramento), 2010 ■ TOUGHEST COURSE PLAYED: Trump National Golf Course (Bedminster, New Jersey) ■ BEST CELEBRITY GOLF MOMENT: Competed in a pickup putting contest with George Lopez, Fred Funk, and Greg

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See more of NorCal’s top golfers to watch, including defending CIF/NCGA NorCal champion Jonathan Garrick, at SportStarsOnline.com.

Norman at Del Monte Golf Course (Monterey). Smotherman and fellow local golfers had an impromptu putting contest after the group was practicing after a round at the 2011 event.

■ BEST FEELING YOU CAN REMEMBER ON A GOLF COURSE: Shooting the 63 at Del Paso. “I didn’t really feel anything. It was one of those rounds where it all feels right and you can’t miss.”

■ AVG. DRIVING DISTANCE: 300 yards ■ AVG. PUTTS PER ROUND: 30-31 ■ DREAM FOURSOME: Payne Stewart, Ernie Els, Troy Smotherman (father)

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2012 NorCal Boys Golfer to Watch

Chris Scott/SportStars

Will Brueckner • Sophomore • Acalanes-Lafayette Most high school golfers don’t enter their sophomore year with high expectations.

Not the case with Will Brueckner. He set the bar pretty high for himself as a freshman in 2011, winning the North Coast Section on a drizzly afternoon at Contra Costa Country Club in Pleasant Hill. He then cruised into a very successful summer and fall that included a Top 5 finish at the American Junior Golf Association’s Montverde Academy Junior All-Star Invitational in Montverde, Florida.

Brueckner has spent the last few weeks tuning up for the high school season with the occasional round at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, which will play host to the U.S. Open in June.

“They are definitely making it harder to play,” he said. “Too hard.”

— Chace Bryson

■ TOP FINISH 2011: Won the NCS championship with an even 70 at Contra Costa CC; Won the AJGA Junior All-Star at River Ridge (72-73, 36 holes).

■ LOWEST 18-HOLE ROUND OF 2011: 6-under 65 at Rancho Cañada (Carmel) ■ CAREER BEST 18-HOLE ROUND: The same round at Rancho Cañada ■ TOUGHEST COURSE PLAYED: Spyglass Hill (Pebble Beach) or Torrey Pines (La Jolla) ■ STROKE PLAY/MATCH PLAY: Match Play ■ BEST CELEBRITY GOLF MOMENT: Played in a fundraiser over the summer that featured a number of PGA Champions Tour players, including Lee Trevino.

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■ BEST FEELING YOU CAN REMEMBER ON A GOLF COURSE: Playing in Pinehurst, N.C., as an 11-year old and making an up-and-down from a green-side bunker (including a 10-foot breaking putt) to save par, finish at 1-under for the round, and clinch a Top 5 finish to qualify for the following year’s tournament.

■ AVG. DRIVING DISTANCE: 290 yards ■ AVG. PUTTS PER ROUND: 27-28 ■ FAVORITE ON-COURSE SNACK: Fruit snacks, hands down ■ DREAM FOURSOME: Bubba Watson, Aaron Rodgers and Jack Nicklaus.

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First Tee Silicon Valley

First Tee using Golf Show to put clubs in kids’ hands Anyone who plays the game of golf cherishes that one great shot they hit over the course of a round and only wishes they could replicate it. “If only…!”

There’s one great “shot” at The First Tee of Silicon Valley that I cherish, and that we are replicating because of the generosity of donors. That “shot” is the joyful look on a young person’s face when she or he receives their very own set of clubs. Then that joy is replicated every time that young person shows up at the course for a life skills class.

At least once a week, we receive donated clubs from folks who want to see them used to benefit kids. We resize and re-grip the clubs then put them in a new or lightly used bag for any young person in our program that needs a set.

We all know that the game of golf can be expensive, so we do this to make the game and our classes financially accessible to all youth regardless of background. Variations of this sort of policy are in place at The First Tee of Silicon Valley, Oakland, Tri-Valley and Contra Costa.

All four of us will be together providing a club to the first 250 youth who visit our booth at the upcoming Bay Area Golf Show in Santa Clara from March 2-4.

Volunteer coaches at The First Tee walk alongside young people in their character development. They form safe, trusting relationships with the kids. Helping participants feel a sense of belonging in our programs and at the course is critical. Clubs for kids ensures that all the kids belong — nobody is excluded.

Each kid has an equal chance to learn about the game while learning important values and life lessons. I’m convinced that the care our young people feel when they receive their very own set of clubs — and not the clubs themselves — is the true source of their joy.

Attendees at the Golf Show will see it when the witness the faces of youth who stop by our booth. And new volunteers can share in it again and again as they mentor youth in classes at The First Tee. While I cherish my own (infrequent!) great shots, I cherish the joyful faces of kids much, much more. ✪

First Tee Files George Maxe

First Tee Files is a rotating column featuring administrators of four Bay Area chapters of The First Tee — Contra Costa, Oakland, Silicon Valley and Tri-Valley. George Maxe is the executive director for the The First Tee of Silicon Valley. Check out your local chapter by visiting one of the following websites: www.TheFirstTeeContraCosta.org, www.TheFirstTeeOakland.org, www.TheFirstTeeSanJose.org and www.TheFirstTeeTriValley.org.

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Welcome to Impulse, your one-stop shop for gadgets, gizmos and gear. Compiled by staff writer Erik Stordahl, Impulse provides you with the latest and greatest of what’s hot. Since this issue is going to the Bay Area Golf Show in Santa Clara, we’re gonna give you a heads up on the products on which to keep an eye.

Greenhorn Creek

Now is the ideal time for a weekend getaway. The ideal spot is Greenhorn Creek. Enjoy a few days of peace and quiet in what is essentially God’s country in Angels Camp.

Experience the new Caddyshack, a home away from home. The Caddyshack is complete with five bedrooms, living room, kitchen, 55” LCD TV and best of all, it sits right smack dab in the middle of the golf course.

It’s ideal for the whole family or just you and up to 11 of your friends. Go online now to reserve your spot at www.greenhorncreek.com

DriveLine Laser

Fore 2 Your Door

To be the best you need the right equipment, but racking up birdies and eagles requires something extra. No, not blind luck. Get the top-line products of DriveLine. Pick up the DriveLine Laser Muscle Memory Training System to perfect muscle memory. You’ll get step-by-step instructions for positional, putter and fast-speed training. You can use it at home or in the office. Plus, the equipment looks like it came from a sci-fi movie so, regardless, you’ll be the talk of your foursome. Go to www.drivelinelaser.com for more.

The mobile golf service will be there again serving up a smorgasbord of golf goodies. New shafts, club re-gripping, balls, tees and other items will be at your purchasing disposal come early March.

Forever Putting Greens

One of the beauties of golf is that you can practice short game anywhere. Whether you have a rollout mat in your office or your backyard is actually Pebble Beach, there are plenty of options to perfect your game. For those wanting to liven up their backyards with a state of the art putting green, look no further than Forever Putting Greens. Give ‘em a call or reach ‘em at their website: www. foreverputtingreens.com to find out more info on special deals.

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Nick’s Net Works

It’s not like you’re gonna go to the driving range whenever you want to hit a bucket of balls. Pick up the Sports Practice Net, hook it up on your garage door and you’re good to go. It’s easy to install and it’s also good for other sports like soccer, tennis, baseball and hockey. Hit up www. nicksnetworks.com for more info.

ShankMeister

Go to www.shankmeister.com and immerse yourself in what is the Craigslist for golfers. Buy and sell golf gear.

They’ve got a library of products, whether you’re looking for the TaylorMade R11 or an affordable set of clubs. Maybe your wife is eager to get rid of your clubs which are collecting cobwebs in the attic? Sell ‘em on ShankMeister! It’s easy to sign up, just go to www.shankmeister.com to create a free account and you’re ready to buy or sell.

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Heavenly Greens Birdie Mate

SSM will be at the show, so come pay us a visit. If you do, we’ll make it worth your while. We’ll be giving away the Heavenly Greens Birdie Mate to a lucky winner. All you have to do is step up, sink your putt and you’re entered to win. Also, you’ll get a SportStars goody bag with a $500 coupon from Heavenly Greens which you can put toward your own putting green for your backyard.

Adidas Golf

If you can’t play with the best, you might as well dress like the best. Adidas Golf has you covered. They’re rolling out the Jason Day collection. Pick up one of the outfits he wore at the Northern Trust Open or collect all four. Think of it like Cracker Jack prizes, only it might be a little more $$$.

iGolping

Who wants to play a FREE round at Pebble Beach? You heard us right. Stop by the iGolping booth and play their SwingTrack 320IG kiosk to win. Finish six holes as fast as you can and those with the lowest scores will advance to the playoff round.

The winner gets to play 18 holes at Pebble Beach with a caddie and a one-night stay the historic Lodge at Pebble Beach. You’ll also get an awards dinner in your honor where you can pretend you’re Tiger or Phil, which is pretty cool. Your first crack at it is FREE then $5 after. You’ve really got nothing to lose. Well… other than a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity to play the greatest golf course ever. But no pressure. For more info, hit up www.igolping.com

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Fisher Golf

With top flight technology, Fisher Golf continues to produce some of the best putters in the game. Known for being silky smooth, Fisher Touch putters will turn around your short game in a few rounds. If you don’t believe ’em, you can try out one of their putters. If you don’t like it, they have a 30-day money back guarantee. Boo yeah!

Go to www.fishergolf. com for more info.

American Custom Golf Cars

If you’re gonna drive a golf cart, why not ride one with some style? Choose from a Hummer, Escalade, hot rod, you name it! At American Custom Golf Cars, just tell ‘em what car you want and they’ll make it. So even if your golf game is lacking, your presence on the course will be a force to be reckoned with. For more info go to www.californiaroadster.com.

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Artificial turf has changed so much, you may not know you’re standing on it

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You may not be able to tell, buts it’s everywhere.

At first it was only at high school or college football fields and the occasional shopping center — however, since these products look and feel so real now, it might even be installed in your neighbor’s front yard and you don’t even know it.

Yes, we’re talking about artificial turf.

The latest generation of artificial turf products are nothing like your father’s AstroTurf. The combination of new product developments and lower-than-expected water levels (a real problem facing Northern California residents) are only part of what is driving the adoption of these products. In fact, some towns like Foster City are offering artificial turf rebates (some of the highest in the state) as an alternative to real grass. The real driver for people who are installing these products is simply – how good they look.

Who wouldn’t want green grass year-round?

These incredible products have been customized to have the look and feel of real grass, and the durability to withstand even the harshest elements. Thus, it makes them ideal candidates to replace the real thing. Many of these new products are even pet proof. Imagine no more muddy paws, yellowed patches, or holes that cause unsightly turf issues. In fact, these products have become so popular that many kennels, SPCA’s and Humane Societies have installed all types of this kind of wonder grass.

Heavenly Greens, the leader in Bay Area artificial turf, has been installing these products

for well over a decade. The company’s focus is offering products that are “Best of Class” from the world’s top turf manufacturers, including FieldTurf.

With a variety of different products to choose from, Heavenly Greens can bring the showroom to you.

Since he started the business in 2001, owner Dan Theis says rapid changes in the artificial turf market have led to the proliferation of exceeding lower-quality products. And even worse is the emergence of other companies using shortcuts on proper installation methods in the name of profit.

“Our products, some of which are 100 percent recyclable, are used to address specific drainage requirements and help homeowners enhance their properties,” Theis said.

All Heavenly Greens’ turf systems are installed with proper drainage systems and backed with 8-to 15-year warranties.

“We’ve performed more than 7,500 installations at homes, businesses, golf courses, dog facilities, child day care centers and more,” Theis added. “So we know how to do the job right the first time.”

Customers can visit Heavenly Greens’ San Jose showroom, www.heavenlygreens.com located at 370 Umbarger Rd. in San Jose. Choose from a variety of artificial turf products on display. Or, call 866-724-8873 for a free site survey and allow us to bring the showroom to you.

— Heavenly Greens

BE

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EFORE

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Rise of the Raiders The ascent of River City-West Sacramento has been gradual; the arrival has been emphatic

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By jim mccue | Contributor

he River City girls basketball program has been around for 35 years, never truly establishing itself as a contender.

Despite the lack of past success on the court or an intimidating appearance, the 2012 Raiders have finally made their mark and hope to be in the early stages of becoming a perennial force on the court.

“If you look at our team, we are not the most athletic or gifted group,” said Isabella Gomez, a senior center and tri-captain on the team. “We just come out and surprise people with how hard we play and how good we play together as a team.”

The Raiders — who finished the regular season with a 25-2 record— are no longer a surprise as they entered the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoffs as the No. 7 seed. River City has served notice to the Sierra Valley Conference and the section that a new tradition and expectation of success is being established on the West Sacramento campus.

Head coach Jamie King is a River City graduate.

He’s been coaching basketball at his alma mater for 20 years, spending time with both the boys and girls programs. King hopes that the successful 2012 season will serve as both an inspiration as well as an expectation for greatness.

“At first, there were no expectations for winning from anyone — the community, the school, the girls or anyone,” King said of the outlook when he took over the girls varsity program eight years ago. “It was a very slow transition, but I think that it can set up the expectations for the program — for young girls

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River City senior guard Jordan Ligons, center, in action on Feb. 17. Photo by James K. Leash Support Your Local Business • Say You Found Them In SportStars™

February 23, 2012

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James K. Leash

Raiders coach Jamie King finished off the last few strands as RIver City cut down the net following a Feb. 17 win over Vista del Lago that clinched the program’s first league championship. watching us play to say, ‘I want to be that.’ To establish that with the younger players at the school and in the area would be cool for us.”

King and the Raiders set goals before the season to earn the recognition and reputation as winners. The goals were 20 wins, a league title and reaching the second round of the section playoffs.

After losing to Kennedy-Sacramento in the second game of the season, River City rattled off 23 consecutive victories. That streak included a Jan. 20 victory over El Dorado-Placerville that halted the Cougars’ SVC winning streak at 40 games. They reached their 20-win goal five nights later with a win over Vista del Lago-Folsom.

The league title goal was more challenging.

The Raiders needed every last bit of their 27-game regular season schedule to earn their first league championship. When El Dorado gained some revenge and a share of the league crown with a 48-45 victory over River City on Feb. 14, the Raiders were forced to win their final regular season game against Vista del Lago, three nights later.

The Feb. 17 final? Raiders 55, Eagles 23.

The first league title had an extra personal meaning for Jamie King and his daughter, Katie.

“I have seen my Dad coach this program since I was in the fifth grade,” said Katie King, a junior forward and tri-captain. “The goal for my Dad was always to get better each year.

But this year, we have finally become what we always wanted to be. To play hard every night, and play our game to win the first league title.

That means the most to me and my family.”

Coach, daughter and every Raiders player enjoyed every minute of that title-clinching 34

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victory —from the pregame anticipation to the final buzzer and well into the night.

Gomez, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in River City’s earlier win over El Dorado, saw action—and even scored—in the game to provide her with a proud finish to a memorable season. After the game, the Raiders hoops family relished the moment and cut down the nets.

The family feel to the triumph is no cliché or fake rallying cry. The Raiders, led by captains King, Gomez, and senior guard Jordan Ligons, created a genuine sisterhood, complete with regular team bonding events, including movie nights and sleepovers.

“Being on the team since a freshman, I can see the difference that our bonding has made,” Ligons said. “Now that we are a family, it is finally paying off, and that is something real special.”

Ligons had a special senior season, averaging 13.8 points, 3.7 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.2 steals per game. She also had the opportunity to cap her high school basketball career by sharing the team’s accomplishments with her father, Jerold Ligons. He has been an assistant coach since their family moved to West Sacramento before Jordan’s freshman year.

Coach Ligons and King both benefited from guiding their daughters on the court despite the challenges of being fathers and coaches.

“We talked before Jordan’s freshman season and made a pact that I would get out of the way if we could not differentiate between Dad and Coach,” Jerold Ligons said. “It’s been great to watch her grow as a person and a player up close. To spend extra time with her because I am a coach, that has been some-

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thing special.”

River City’s special season has certainly been new in many ways, but the results are not sudden.

Jamie King has long followed a coaching philosophy that he learned by observing Fresno City College coach Ed Madec.

The Raiders run very physical practices with heavy medicine balls and football blocking pads followed by weightlifting.

Players are encouraged and rewarded for physical plays, such as taking charges, and often end up with plenty of evidence of their physical play. The players take pride in sporting bruises, claiming the black and blue marks as “trophies.”

“We get hurt more in practice, but it is just how we are and how we play,” Jordan Ligons said. “It’s the only thing we know.”

What Ligons and the rest of the 2012 River City teams want future Raiders to know is success. Regardless of the fact that they reached their goals, the Raiders see the opportunity to aim higher and raise the bar.

“In my freshman year, the goal was to get a winning record,” Ligons said. “Then, it was getting to the playoffs. Now, we have hopes to go all the way to (Power Balance Pavilion for the section finals) because we know that we can do that.”

Coach King echoed the sentiment that accomplishing the goals is not an end point, but rather the continuation of a longer process to reach higher goals.

“Two years ago, some of the girls were part of being the first team to make the playoffs in 13 years, so that was one milestone,” King said. “I think, for them, this is a legacy thing that they can point out to girls who play after them and say, ‘This is what we started.’ We are enjoying the success and the recognition, but our long-term goal as a program is to not be just a flash in the pan.” ✪

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I have seen my Dad coach this program since I was in the fifth grade. The goal for my Dad was always to get better each year. But this year, we have finally become what we always wanted to be. To play hard every night, and play our game to win the first league title. That means the most to me and my family.”

James K. Leash

Katie King, left

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CRUNCHTIME

Breaking down the SJS basketball playoffs There were many storylines as the Sac-Joaquin Section basketball playoffs began on Feb. 21 with more than 150 teams holding onto the dream of a section crown. We dig into the brackets and offer our thoughts on each of the boys and girls tournaments from Divisions I-V. — Jim McCue

Division I boys

■ THE FAVORITE: SheldonSacramento (22-5). The Huskies have only one loss against SJS opponents. Senior Kyi Thomas is a versatile threat and junior guards Dakarai Allen and D’Erryl Williams form one of the best postseason backcourts.

■ THE BRACKETBUSTER: Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove (215). Despite the loss of Arik Armstead to early graduation, the team’s fast-paced offense has not wavered. Senior two-sport star Cody Demps (15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists per game) is one of four Eagles averaging Dakari Allen. Photo by James K. Leash double figures in points.

■ ONE PLAYER TO WATCH: Parker Uu (Jesuit-Carmichael). The senior has a knack for coming up big in clutch situations. With the playoffs as his stage, Uu could make the big shots to help Jesuit (22-5) improve upon its runner-up finish from 2011.

■ FINALS PREDICTION: Sheldon 77, Jesuit 7

Norcal Top 5

Here’s who we see as the Top 5 boys and girls teams in Northern California heading into the postseason. Records are through the end of the regular season.

BOYS

1. Salesian-Richmond (26-2) 2. De La Salle-Concord (24-2) 3. Archbishop Mitty-San Jose (24-3) 4. Newark Memorial-Newark (22-4) 5. Sheldon-Sacramento (16-4)

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GIRLS

1. St. Mary’s-Stockton (23-3) 2. Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland (23-3) 3. Carondelet-Concord (22-3) 4. Berkeley (20-2) 5. Sacramento (21-6) For our full NorCal Top 20s, visit SportStarsOnline.com.

Sacramento’s Joseph Barnes, left. Photo by James K. Leash

Division II boys

■ THE FAVORITE: Sacramento (22-5). The second-seeded Dragons are three-time defending SJS champions, but all three titles came in Div. III. Derek Swafford recently won his 300th game as Sacramento’s coach and a loaded roster has plenty of weapons to add to his playoff win total.

■ THE BRACKETBUSTER: Bella Vista-Fair Oaks (23-4). Senior forward K.J. Logue is among the section’s top players, but head coach Dave Gonzalez can go 10-11 players deep. Bella Vista uses defensive pressure to wear down opponents with a steady flow of fresh players that could key an upset.

■ ONE PLAYER TO WATCH: Matt Hayes (Yuba City). Hayes ranks in the top five in the SJS in scoring (23.6 ppg) and rebounding (12.6 rpg) and has made most 3-point field goals (80). Yuba City (17-9) is seeded in the lower half of the field at No. 11, but Hayes makes them dangerous.

■ FINALS PREDICTION: Sacramento 68, Antelope 64

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Division III boys

■ THE FAVORITE: Foothill-Sacramento (24-3). The Mustangs have won 19 straight with their three losses coming by a combined 10 points. Coach Drew Hibbs’ senior-laden team sees its title hopes improve with the move of three-time defending champ Sacramento’s move up to Div. II. Defense will be key to the team’s title hopes.

■ THE BRACKETBUSTER: Center-Antelope (19-7). The third-seeded Cougars defeated Foothill in early December at the Jack Scott Tournament. Christopher Smith, who averages 20.9 points/game, missed five games with a sprained ankle before returning for the final two games of the season. Smith scored 25 in his first game back, a loss to Foothill.

■ ONE PLAYER TO WATCH: Michael Bryson (Foothill). Bryson is among the Section’s top scorers at 20 points/game. Headed for UC Santa Barbara in the Fall, the senior guard is a scoring threat anywhere on the floor.

■ FINALS PREDICTION: Foothill 66, Sierra-Manteca 54

Division IV boys

■ THE FAVORITE: Modesto Christian (21-5). The Crusaders have won 14 of 15 entering the playoffs. Junior guard Raymond Bowles has scored in double figures in 23 of the team’s 26 games. The Crusaders, Div. IV champs from 2008-10, lost in the semifinals as the top seed a year ago.

■ THE BRACKETBUSTER: San Juan-Citrus Heights (17-9). The No. 6 seed Spartans have lost only once in 12 games in 2012. Senior forward Kevin Daniels (18.3 points/game and 5.2 rebounds) missed five league games before returning to score 22 in the regular season finale.

■ ONE PLAYER TO WATCH: Rolaun Dunham (Riverbank). Dunham is just a sophomore, but he leads the team in scoring (14.2 points/game) and rebounding (8.2) despite playing guard.

His versatility has helped the third-seeded Bruins to a 20-3 overall record.

■ FINALS PREDICTION: Modesto Christian 80, Riverbank 67

Division V boys

■ THE FAVORITE: Capital Christian (22-5).

The Cougars had their 15-game winning streak snapped in their regular season finale, but still earned the top seed. Senior forward Matt Donlan (17.2 points/game) is one of only two seniors on the young team. Freshman power forward Trey Belton scored in double figures in each of the team’s final 14 contests.

■ THE BRACKETBUSTER: Elliott ChristianLodi (23-4). The Eagles are seeded fifth after closing the year on an 18-game winning streak.

Senior guard Sam Gotelli and younger brother Adam, a sophomore, Christopher Scwartz-Edmisten. Photo by Chris Austria combine for 26 points and 7.5 assists per game.

■ ONE PLAYER TO WATCH: Christopher Schwartz-Edmisten (Sacramento Waldorf). The senior guard led the state in scoring at 34.6 points/game for the fourth-seeded Waves. He made 52 percent of his field goals and 45 percent from beyond the 3-point line.

■ FINALS PREDICTION: Capital Christian 79, Ripon Christian 72

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Dejza James. Contributed Photo

Division I GIRLS

■ THE FAVORITE: Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove (19-8). Winners of 10 of their last 12 games, the Eagles enter the playoffs with confidence and big-game experience.

Senior guard Marissa Wimbley (14.8 points/game) gets plenty of support from junior post players Avonna Lee and Dejza James. The top-seeded Eagles have come a long way from a young No. 11 seed in 2011.

■ THE BRACKETBUSTER: Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills (20-7). The No. 6-seed Trojans relied on their size to secure second place in the highly-competitive Delta River League. 6-foot-2 senior forward Lauren Sende leads a trio of players six feet or taller. Oak Ridge is no stranger to SJS titles with crowns in 2009 (Div. II) and 2010 (Div. I).

■ ONE PLAYER TO WATCH: Lynette Johnson (Kennedy-Sacramento). The junior forward leads Division I scorers at 19.8 point/game and adds 8 rebounds per contest. Johnson is clearly the Cougars’ number one option, and has scored in double digits in every game this season.

■ FINALS PREDICTION: Pleasant Grove 63, Lincoln-Stockton 48

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Division II GIRLS

■ THE FAVORITE: St. Mary’s-Stockton (23-3). The Rams are fourtime defending state champions, and have not lost to any Northern California schools this season. La Jolla Country Day is the only team from California to defeat them. St. Mary’s took an 18-game winning streak into the playoffs along with No. 19 national ranking by MaxPreps Freeman Rankings.

■ THE BRACKETBUSTER: River City-West Sacramento (25-2).

The No. 7 seed Raiders captured the first league title in the program’s 35-year history were owners of an impressive 23-game winning streak.

Senior Jordan Ligons and junior Katie King lead the team in scoring.

There’s probably nobody in the bracket that can beat St. Mary’s, but River City may have the toughness to at least get a shot at the Rams.

■ ONE PLAYER TO WATCH: Daija Joe-smith (Florin-Sacramento).

The junior forward has dominated at both ends of the floor all season by recording 21 double-doubles. Joe-smith is among the section’s leaders in scoring (19.6 points/game) and rebounding (13.8).

■ FINALS PREDICTION: St. Mary’s 78, El Camino 56

Courtney Range. Photo by Bob Larson

Division III GIRLS

■ THE FAVORITE: Sacramento (21-6). The Dragons suffered all of their losses consecutively at a pair of national tournaments in December. They finished the season with 17 straight wins to gain the top seed. Sacramento has not lost to an SJS team this season and is looking to play in its eighth consecutive SJS final (they won in 2007 and 2011).

■ THE BRACKETBUSTER: El Dorado-Placerville (18-7).

The eighth-seeded Cougars are a regular playoff participant and boast a seasoned roster with eight seniors, including leading scorers Sam Reeder and Courtney Macklin. They will rely on their experience to challenge higher seeds.

■ ONE PLAYER TO WATCH: Jazmin Strane (Weston Ranch-Stockton). The senior forward led the No. 9 Cougars (20-7) in points (13.7 points/game) and rebounds (12.2). She has six 20-rebound game this season, including a seasonhigh 29 against Manteca.

■ FINALS PREDICITION: Sacramento 72, Christian Brothers-Sacramento 59

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Division IV girls

■ THE FAVORITE: Calaveras (24-3). The Redskins earned the No. 1 seed by winning 10 of their last 11 games. Senior captains Rb Ruhl, Nikki Gleason, Madison Cox, and Savannah Duncan anchor a veteran team that finished runners-up to Modesto Christian in 2011.

■ THE BRACKETBUSTER: San Juan-Citrus Heights (21-6). The No. 9 Spartans have no seniors on the roster, but have plenty of offensive weapons like junior captains Rashell Casey (17.5 points/game; 8.5 rebounds) and Brandi Abercrombie (14.7 points, 10.8 rebounds). San Juan’s stingy defense allowed opponents and average of just 30.7 points.

■ ONE PLAYER TO WATCH: Crystal Cervantes (Venture Academy-Stockton). The senior guard led all scorers in Div. IV at 25.5 points/game, which includes a season-high 39 against Foresthill. The Mustangs (22-2) entered the postseason winners of their last 18. But with only a No. 15 seed, spectators may have to catch her playoff opener against No. 2 Colfax to witness her talents.

■ FINALS PREDICITION: Colfax 59, Calaveras 57

Division V girls

■ THE FAVORITE: Brookside Christian-Stockton (23-4).

Sophomore Tiara Tucker leadis the all-SJS players with a 25.8 points/game scoring average. The Knights have victories over bigger programs, St. Francis-Sacramento, El CaminoSacramento, and Deer Valley-Antioch. With four-time defending Div. V champion Bradshaw Christian now in Div. IV, the Knights are first in line to lay claim to the title.

■ THE BRACKETBUSTER: Sacramento Waldorf-Fair Oaks (17-9). The No. 5 Waves are led by senior guard Cara Pittman, who has scored double figures in all but three games.

■ ONE PLAYER TO WATCH: Halie Bergman (Turlock Christian). The leading scorer for the Eagles (24-3) carries a 25 points/game average into the postseason, but is also recovering from a high ankle sprain that limited her in the final two games of the season. Bergman will need to be shooting on a healthy ankle to lead her team to a shot at Brookside Christian in the final.

■ FINALS PREDICITION: Brookside Christian 66, Ripon Christian 59

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Attention to core stabilization, flexibility will protect against back injuries

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Health Watch Judy Pang

ow back pain (LBP) is a frequent complaint among young athletes. Spinal structural differences, muscular imbalances, decreased flexibility and poor body mechanics may predispose an adolescent to LBP. Repetitive motion and loading of the spine in sports can put the back at risk for overuse. Common injuries range from a simple muscle strain to a fracture in the bones and compression of the discs.

Non-specific LBP affects 60-75 percent of children. Maintaining the natural curves of the spine during activities is imperative. If the natural curves are compromised, the core muscles have to work harder to support the spine, resulting in muscle strains.

Spondylolysis is another common back injury among young athletes. It is a fracture in the spinal bone due to repetitive twisting and over-arching. Sports at risk for this injury include gymnastics, volleyball, football and cheerleading. Symptoms include low back or buttock pain that increases with backward bending.

It is critical to seek treatment before the fracture gets too severe, causing the vertebra to break off and slip forward, resulting in a spondylolisthesis. Slippage usually occurs during a growth spurt, and is rarely due to trauma. Rest is recommended until the athlete is able to move the spine in all directions without pain. An exercise program focusing on flexibility, proper body mechanics and core strength should be implemented. Surgical treatment may be required if persistent pain or nerve involvement occurs.

Here are some areas to focus on to help avoid these back injuries.

Flexibility During a growth spurt, bones may grow faster than the muscles and ligaments, causing muscle imbalances and pathologic tightness.

Stretching the muscles in the back, hips and hamstrings may help reduce the risk of a low back injury.

Proper body mechanics Modification of activity, correct posture and body mechanics with movement is necessary to reduce overall stress on the back. Each movement of the lumbar spine should be accompanied by core activation to help support the back.

Core Strengthening The core muscles, which include the abdominals, back and hip muscles, need to be strengthened to maintain postural control, provide a base of stability, reduce loads on the spine and to facilitate movement in the arms and legs.

Begin core exercises in a controlled, gradual and progressive manner. Common core strengthening exercises include bridges, planks, clamshells and mini-squats. Each exercise may be progressed by changing the plane of movement, the firmness of the surface, the amount of time, resistance and/or speed.

Core stabilization will not only help prevent LBP, but it will also improve athletic performance. Several studies have shown improved vertical jumping and sprinting after a core stabilization program. A regular routine of low back exercises with an emphasis on flexibility and core strengthening will help athletes avoid stiffness and core weakness, aiding in the prevention of LBP and enhancing athletic performance. ✪ Judy Pang is a physical therapist intern for the staff of Sports Medicine For Young Athletes, a division of Children’s Hospital Oakland with a facility also in Walnut Creek. If you have questions or comments regarding the “Health Watch” column, write the Sports Medicine For Young Athletes staff at Health@SportStarsOnline.com.

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Top-end speed shouldn’t be the goal; good acceleration is what to aim for

f you watch any field or court game you will notice that you see frequent accelerations. Therefore it should come, as no surprise that sport is about acceleration — not top-end speed.

Coaches, trainers and even parents often focus on the wrong strategies or use the wrong term when talking about speed, one of the most important qualities an athlete can possess.

The reality is that you should be more interested in your athlete’s acceleration: how fast they can get from zero to sixty, metaphorically speaking.

Most people see 40-yard dash tests as an indicator of speed, when actually it’s an indicator of how fast an athlete can accelerate. How fast an athlete accelerates in the first ten yards determines how fast they will run the 40.

This brings me back to a point I always come back to when discussing speed development — your athletes must get stronger and more powerful to increase their ability to accelerate rapidly.

It takes years to make an athlete fast. I’m not saying your athletes won’t get faster in the short term (they will), but how much faster will be a factor of strength and power development — which can only be optimally developed over the long term.

Most people think a great first step is required to accelerate quickly, when in reality it’s a great first push. Athletes who can produce the greatest force into the ground (action) will yield the greatest benefit from the ground (reaction).

Training Time Tim Rudd for IYCA

Most people think a great first step is required to accelerate quickly, when in reality it’s a great first push.

Coaches need to stress the importance of the push-off when your athletes are accelerating. When I get new athletes, the three biggest issues I see are a weak or incomplete push-off, a step instead of a push, and a weak arm drive. Arm action plays a big role in the pushoff, so it’s not practical to discuss acceleration without mentioning the importance of the arm drive.

I try to get my athletes to master three steps for five yards and five steps for ten yards, and do so without a reaching (over-striding) action. I continue to emphasize stride length from back-side action-reaction (push), not front side reach. Stride length is increased by great forces applied into the ground, not by coaching high knee-lift.

Here are a couple keys for evaluating your young athletes acceleration. Look at them in a 10-yard sprint. Are they moving quickly? Or do they just look like they’re moving quickly?

Many athletes come out of the start with fast feet and go nowhere; they look fast and run slow. Great accelerators often look slow coming out because they are producing great force and minimizing how many steps they are taking.

Running is all about action and reaction. Force placed into the ground produces forward motion. The start is not about how fast your young athletes feet are moving, but how much force they can push into the ground. ✪ Tim Rudd is an International Youth Conditioning Association specialist in youth conditioning (level 3), speed and agility (level 2), and nutrition specialist (level 1). For more information on anything you read in Training Time, email him at tim@fit2thecore.com.

February 23, 2012

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Two state record-setters seemed to get lost in the hoopla of a banner football recruiting year for the Sacramento area

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Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove lineman Arik Armstead was ranked among the nation’s top recruits throughout the 2011 season.

His decision-making process was followed daily throughout January before he finally announced his firm commitment to Oregon three days before National Signing Day. James K. Leash

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lue chippers, or five-star high school football recruits, have become big news online and over the airwaves.

Seventeen-year-old athletes are now announcing their likely college destination on nationally-televised all-star games on ESPN and Twitter feeds blow up with praise —and sometimes hatred — over the decision a kid makes about his own future.

In Northern California, the buzz around recruits and their verbal commitments to a college football program has increased in recent years, much like the physical stature of high school football players. Everything is bigger and faster than it was in the past.

National Signing Day this year came on Feb. 1, and while some players had long known and publicized their college plans, others turned them into made-for-TV dramas with plot twists and changing characters at nearly every turn.

In the East Bay, San Ramon Valley quarterback Zach Kline committed to California before taking a single snap in his senior season and enrolled at the Berkeley campus for the spring session after playing in the Under Armour All-America Game.

There were plenty like Kline, who never wavered and faxed in their signed letter of intent at the crack of dawn.

Other players committed and de-committed due to changes of heart or changes in staffing at their original college of choice. Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove defensive lineman Arik Armstead, arguably the best DL recruit to ever come out of the greater Sacramento region, originally committed to join his older brother, Armond, at USC, but then the landing spot for both brothers became unknown.

With more than a half dozen schools hoping to land his football and basketball talent, including USC, Cal, Oregon, Washington, UCLA, Alabama, Auburn, and Notre Dame, Armstead announced his decision Jan. 29 in front of family, friends, and some media at his family’s church in Sacramento.

In the end, the mammoth talent chose to be a two-sport athlete for the University of Oregon, a choice that had the Ducks faithful rejoicing.

While headliners like Kline, Armstead, Grant-Sacramento’s Shaq Thompson, and Buhach Colony-Atwater defensive end Aziz Shittu garner much of the attention and multiple scholarship offers from big-time Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs out of the Pacific 12, Southeastern Conference, and Big Ten conferences, there is still plenty of talent left for colleges big and small to consider.

Folsom quarterback Tanner Trosin and Vista del LagoFolsom wide receiver Logan Smith both starred for their respective teams and both set state high school records. Trosin passed for a record 5,185 yards and added 1,179 rushing yards to also set the state mark for the most total yards of offense in a season at 6,349. Trosin’s passing mark exceeded the previous record held by David Koral of Pacific Palisades by nearly 300 yards and the total offense record was more than 1,000 yards better than the previous record-holder.

Smith’s 152 receptions in 2011 shattered the previous record of 121catches, which was set by Steve Martinez of Wilson-Los Angeles way back in 1977. The Vista del Lago star accounted for 1,899 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns while also playing at defensive back and returning punts for the Eagles.

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Logan Smith of Vista del LagoFolsom shattered a handful of state receiving records, which included 152 receptions in the season — surpassing the previous mark, which had stood since 1977, by more more than 30.

James K. Leash

One might think that a winning quarterback (Folsom advanced to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II final) and wide receiver that posted statistics never before seen in the state would warrant quite a few looks from Pac-12 schools and other programs throughout the state. After all, the pair’s record years exceeded any season ever put forth by the likes of Pat Haden, John Elway, Steve Beuerlein, Todd Marinovich, Keyshawn Johnson, Steve Smith, and DeSean Jackson.

Despite the impressive numbers both players produced, neither Trosin nor Smith received a single offer from an FBS school.

Instead, both got one single offer from Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) programs — Trosin signed to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Smith accepted his offer to play receiver for the University of San Diego.

“I’m amazed at this point that guys like Logan and Tanner don’t have more (offers) in front of them than they do,” Vista del Lago head coach Chris Jones said a week before Signing Day. “Nothing against Cal Poly and USD, but I think that what they (Smith and Trosin) have done is more than that.”

The biggest factor in the lack of offers from big-time schools may be size. Both players stand just over six feet tall and weigh close to 185 pounds. Their size may not be considered too small, but the measurements

do not meet the size standards for the prototypical recruits of FBS programs.

“Unfortunately most of the Division I programs out on the West Coast are always looking for the 6-foot-3, 225-pound quarterbacks,” Folsom head coach Kris Richardson said. “Tanner is a shade over six feet tall and the big programs like an Oregon, Washington, or Cal are a little size-biased.”

As witness to their players’ abilities to match up with big players and top-notch competition, both Jones and Richardson believe Trosin and Smith are worthy of at least a chance at a bigger program. Folsom was the defending California Division II champion in 2011 and faced quality opponents and five-star recruits throughout the season.

Likewise, Smith and Vista del Lago matched up with some of the best teams in the Sacramento area.

“It was frustrating for me because I know that Tanner put up those numbers this year against high-quality competition,” Richardson said. “He had his best games against some of the best teams in Northern California.”

Despite the perceived snubs, both Smith and Trosin are at peace with their current situations and anxious to prove themselves as college players.

“I’m a hard worker and I know what I am capable of doing,” Smith said. “I work hard

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Despite becoming the state’s first-ever 5,000-yard passer, Folsom’s Tanner Trosin received just a single scholarship offer from Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo.

Butch Noble

to get the respect of others on the football field and I feel that I have something to prove. I believe that I can work harder than other guys and I will continue to put in the work to show people that I can compete at a high level.”

Trosin offered similar sentiments.

“I guess that I was a little curious,” the quarterback said.

“But there’s nothing more you can do than to play your best to help your team win. I just feel blessed to have the opportunity to play football at Cal Poly.”

Another potential explanation for the lack of attention is the lack of preseason hype for Trosin and Smith. While guys like Kline, Thompson, Armstead and Shittu showed up on every preseason “watch list” based on combines and previous years’ performance, neither Trosin nor Smith were expected to post the huge numbers that they did in 2011.

Trosin backed up Dano Graves, the 2010 Max Preps National Player of the Year, at quarterback, and had thrown just 19 passes as a varsity signal caller before the Bulldogs’ 2011 opener. Smith missed four games in his junior season recovering from a broken ankle before hauling in 34 catches for 619 yards and three scores.

Richardson discounted the theory of relative anonymity as a valid reason for schools passing up or missing out on Trosin and Smith.

“To a point, many of the top kids are determined before the season, but take a guy like (Sheldon-Sacramento tight end/ 42

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linebacker) Nate Iese,” Richardson said. “Before the season, no one knew much about him, but by the end of the year, he was on everyone’s radar.”

Iese (6-foot-5, 250 pounds) dominated at defensive end and as a tight end/wide receiver for the Huskies, and parlayed his breakout year into a scholarship to play at UCLA for new head coach Jim Mora, Jr. Iese may be taking a higher profile trip south for college, but both Smith and Trosin are looking forward to the start of a new chapter in life filled with athletic and academic opportunities. It also doesn’t hurt that both will be close to friends and families in their new locations. Smith’s older brother, Kalib, is a student at San Diego State, and Trosin will be joined at Cal Poly by good friend and Folsom wide receiver Carson McMurtrey, along with other local players like Josh Letuligasenoa (Elk Grove) and Norm Sadler (Del Campo-Fair Oaks).

So, with so much attention focused on what big-time programs will end up with the best recruiting classes when the dust settles, Jones offered a different perspective on any perceived gains and losses made by the schools like Alabama, USC, and Notre Dame.

“The other way, and maybe the best way, to look at it is that the Cal Polys and USDs are doing a great job of recruiting,” Jones said. “They are getting very talented players that some big schools overlooked, and building very good programs.

More power to them.” ✪ Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com

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February 23, 2012

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Freedom’s Daniels is ready to be tested at Football University By adam liberman | For FBU Camps

From April 27-29, Football University is coming to Dublin High School with its staff of NFL-caliber instructors to teach 18 hours of intensive football study.

Among the Bay Area natives who will be coming to FBU looking to make his mark is standout wide receiver Darrell Daniels from Freedom High in Oakley.

Daniels, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound wide receiver, is one of the 2013 class’ premier players. He will be looking to show off his skills against the Bay Area and Central Valley’s best at FBU, with the hope of receiving an invitation to FBU TOP GUN — a camp which takes place in Williamsburg, Va., in July and features the best-of-the-best from FBU’s more than 40 camps throughout the United States and Canada. Daniels will also be looking to impress enough to earn a possible selection in the 2013 U.S. Army All-American Bowl next January in San Antonio.

Rivals.com has Daniels ranked as a four-star recruit — the fifth-best athlete — and 170th on its Rivals 250. And 247Sports has him as the 10th-best wide receiver in the country, the 99th overall recruit, and as the eighth-best player in California.

In January, Daniels went to San Antonio and competed in the U.S. Army National Combine for the top 500 juniors in the country. He so impressed that he was named to 247Sports’ All-Combine Team for skill-position players and he was an honorable mention member of Rivals.com’s All-Combine Offense Team.

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“When we saw him at the U.S. Army National Combine he had no problem separating from defenders,” said Rivals. com West Coast Analyst Adam Gorney. “Even when the ball was thrown a little short or a little too high, Daniels made the necessary adjustments to catch the ball. He has great hands, he’s fast for his size and he seems like a natural playmaker.”

Daniels is a big receiver who creates mismatches with his size and his excellent speed for such a large frame. As a junior, he had 30 receptions for 526 yards and seven touchdowns and rushed for another 266 yards and four touchdowns.

This helped make him the MVP of the Bay Valley Athletic League and a first team All-East Bay selection.

“The thing that stands out most about Daniels is his athleticism,” Gorney said. “He can be used down the field because he’s so much taller and stronger than a lot of cornerbacks, but his high school team also uses him on short passes and they let his speed and elusiveness take over.”

Don’t make the mistake of thinking Daniels is a onetrick pony. In addition to his standout offensive play, he also earned postseason recognition for his play at defensive back.

The colleges have taken notice. According to Rivals. com, Daniels has received offers from Colorado, Oregon State and UCLA. He is also being recruited by Cal, Oregon, Stanford and USC. For more information on the FBU camps, visit Football University.com. ✪

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February 23, 2012

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Campolindo boys soccer player Harlan Raine leaps in celebration following a goal in the Cougars’ quarterfinal match against Concord on Feb. 18. Concord won 3-2 in a penalty kick shootout.

Photo by Jonathan Hawthorne.

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Please identify every person in the photo and include your contact information.

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