SJ Issue 96, Feb. 2015 by Sport Stars Magazine

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February 2015

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anuary is supposed to be the quiet before the storm when it comes to high school sports. Most of us don’t get out of our holiday coma until the middle of the month —usually in time for the Martin Luther King Day basketball events — and then it’s sort of a slog until mid-February when the winter postseason begins and spring sports start to percolate. But this January didn’t go quietly. At least not on the governing side of things. There were a couple of hot-button issues which transpired over the first month of 2015. The Central Coast Section handed down multiple sanctions on Serra-San Mateo and its football program for its voluntary forfeiture of the Open Division Consolation Championship game in December. Also, approximately a week later, the California Interscholastic Federation’s Federated Council voted 71-64 in favor of expanding the CIF State Bowl football championship games from five to 13 games. We have writers speaking more at length on each issue later in the magazine, but I wanted to offer up some quick thoughts as well. Let’s first start with the CCS vs. Serra Football rumble. Our columnist Clay Kallam fires shots at both entities in a commentary on page 12, which I encourage you to read. His stance is that both are right and both are wrong. Walsh, who used concern over player safety and his team’s growing number of injuries as the catalyst for his decision to forfeit, deserves the skepticism that he would not have done the same thing had his team been preparing for the championship game rather than the consolation final. But it’s my opinion that the CCS comes out looking far worse. Demand financial restitution for the approximate expected gate and concessions fees for the game that never happened. Fine. Put the team’s football program on probation. Fine. Force Walsh to complete a course on CIF and CCS bylaws. Fair. However, a twoyear postseason ban is an over-reach which punishes kids who had no influence in Walsh’s decision to forfeit. And it’s especially tough to watch the CCS defend its errant

decision to create consolation football games anyway — extending a season which is already too long (in an era where concern over football safety is at an apex) for games which hold little to no meaning. Walsh certainly factored into his decision that the fastest way to an injured football player is to take his will and drive out of the game. Execution gets sloppy and attention wanes. Not a good combination in a collision sport. The CCS Open Division consolation bracket was drawn up due to the possibility of the CIF expanding its state football bowl games and leading to possible at-large berths for non-section championships. The theory being that the Open Division is full of the section’s top teams and a consolation bracket would help first-round losers continue to build their resumé for an at-large berth. But there was no need for a trial run. And the CCS should’ve realized that, or at least acknowledged it in the wake of the Serra fiasco. Meanwhile, we of course DID see the CIF expand the bowl games and we’re not super impressed with that either. Once again, this now lengthens the football season (to as many as 15 or 16 games) for at least 33 more teams across the state. That’s a 183 percent increase. We get that the CIF is trying to give every section champ a shot at playing itself into the CIF Bowls. You know what’s a great system for that? I think it’s called a playoff. Our suggestion? Reduce the size of section playoff brackets to a maximum of eight teams insuring they take no longer than three weeks to complete and that the top teams are competing (i.e. no first-round section matchups with a 10-0 team facing a 3-7 team.) Then you have a four-team regional bracket for each division, which allows for some at-large berths to certain deserving section runner-ups, and then you have a championship. It would take the same amount of weeks and feel much more cohesive. Are there some logistics that we’re glossing over? Obviously. But if this change had been restructured as a state playoff system, would it have met as much opposition? We don’t think so. Now, please return to your enjoyment of high school sports. Almost playoff time, baby! ✪

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

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your ticket to california sports admit one; rain or shine This Vol. #6, February 2015 Whole No. 96 is published by Caliente! Communications, LLC, 5356 Clayton Rd, Ste. 222, Concord, CA 94521. SportStars™© 2010-2014 by Caliente! Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. Subscription rates: 16 issues, U.S. 3rd class $35 (allow 3 weeks for delivery). 1st class $55. To receive sample issues, please send $3 per copy for $6 total fo bulk. Back issues are $4 each. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission of Publisher is strictly prohibited. The staff and management, including Board of Directors, of SportStars™© does not advocate or encourage the use of any product or service advertised herein for illegal purposes. Editorial contributions, photos and letters to the editor are welcome and should be addressed to the Editor. All material should be typed, double-spaced on disk or email and will be handled with reasonable care. For materials return, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope. SportStars™© and STARS!™© Clinics are registered trademarks of Caliente! Communications, LLC.

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Landon

McBride Del Oro-Loomis - Wrestling - Junior The Golden Eagles’ 120-pounder took second place at the recently-completed Tim Brown Memorial Tournament, which attracted athletes and teams from Central and Northern California. McBride dominated the competition leading into the finals, including a 13-2 rout of LincolnStockton’s Alejandro Olivera. In the final, McBride suffered a narrow defeat to top-seeded Isaiah Palomino of Bellarmine Prep-San Jose, who is ranked No. 3 in the state at 126 pounds by CalGrappler.com. McBride’s finish helped Del Oro claim second place as a team, only finishing behind state-power Buchanan-Clovis. McBride, who finished third at the 2014 Section Masters at 113 pounds, is currently ranked No. 13 in the state, but hopes to climb the rankings and finish strong in the postseason. IN HIS OWN WORDS: “I like to feel out the competition at 120 pounds and wrestle guys that are bigger now, so that when I drop down at the end of the season, I can be the bigger guy,” he said. “I am working out hard, so that I can be strong and mobile for the postseason.”

honorable mention Gigi Garcia: The McClatchySacramento junior scored 18 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and added six blocks in a 58-48 victory over rival Sacramento that moved the Lions into first place in the Metro League.

Eric Toles, Jr.: The Cosumnes Oaks-Elk Grove senior hooper scored at least 20 points nine straight games for the Wolfpack, including a 26-point effort in a Jan. 24 win over AnalySebastopol.

Kim Schmelz: The Pleasant GroveElk Grove senior hoops standout entered February averaging 19.9 points per game in Delta League action. She has scored in double digits in 20 of the team’s first 21 games.

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Rapid Fire

milan moses Dublin Basketball & Soccer

Nick Bonniksen El Dorado Football & Baseball

Valentine's day: good or bad Good

Trending What’s hot this week in the world of stuff that’s hot Katy Perry played the Super Bowl halftime show. For the record, Katy: Bam Bam Bigelow wore it better. Kanye West featured in a selfie two fans took at the Super Bowl and subsequently went viral. His lifeless, sad, uncomprehending stare is better known as ‘The Kardashian.’ The Patriots are the Super Bowl champs. People who root for the Patriots are the same people who wanted to see Billy Zabka get the girl. We’ll wait while you Google that. A deputy sheriff in Wyoming decided to resign instead of adapt to the new dress code that forbids cowboy boots and cowboy hats. You can’t uphold the law unless you’re a cowboy. Everybody knows this.

Good

who performs at super bowl 50 halftime Usher Miley Cyrus if you won an oscar, what would it be for

Acting

song you can lip sync best Firework, Katy Perry

Love Story, Taylor Swift

more exciting: NCAA Hoops tourney or baseball returns NCAA Hoops

Baseball

The Super Bowl set records as the most-watched program of all time. When asked why, viewers reportedly were hoping both teams would lose. Alas.

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February 2015

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top five suggestions for new nfl controversies Well. The so-called “Super” Bowl is behind us, and with it the swirling cloud of recrimination, denial and ridiculousness known as Deflate-Gate. But you know how the NFL is. Even when the season is over, the season isn’t over. Nothing is ever over. Which got us thinking about some other stories worth revisiting. Here are our top five gate-worthy (real and imagined) topics from the NFL. 1. Debate-gate. Can we stick Marshawn Lynch and Bill Bellichick in a room together and let them wax rhapsodic on the broader nature of life, the universe and everything? We wonder if Al Michaels can do play-by-play on a staring contest. 2. Incarcerate-gate. Was it just us, or did the National Felons League realize a significant uptick in truly reprehensible behavior this year? And that’s just Roger Goodell’s press conferences… 3. Officiate-gate. So, Anthony Hitchens got flagged for pass interference, and then he didn’t, and the Cowboys beat Detroit. Then Dez Bryant caught the ball, and then he didn’t, and the Packers beat the Cowboys. Anybody miss the replacement refs? 4. Still-Irate-gate. Speaking of refs, is it too late to go back and check the air pressure on the ball that Tom Brady didn’t fumble when the Raiders didn’t get screwed out of a trip to the AFC Championship Game in 2001? Here’s guessing it was well within the league-defined acceptable range. Just sayin. 5. Kate-gate. Katy Perry. Super Bowl Halftime Show. Nothing scandalous. Really? There has to be some missing footage. We want those tapes! —Woodward & Bernstein Kolb

count 'em

Number of matches without a loss for the Davis High girls soccer program from 1998-2000 — a NorCal record according to Cal-Hi Sports. The Blue Devils went 55-0-2 during that stretch. The current Monte Vista-Danville team entered February with an unbeaten streak of 40 matches (38-0-2).

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February 2015

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Bigger&Faster Thoughts on the CIF’s massive expansion of its football bowl games, plus a look at a new speed camp coming later this month While many are glad that the CIF commissioners will no longer be voting for which teams will play in regional bowl games — and that every CIF section champion will now be playing beyond its section final — the inner workings of the projected new bowl lineups suggest it may be difficult for Northern California schools to beat their southern counterparts in many of the new divisions. Yes, De La Salle-Concord has won the Open Division five of the last six seasons and Folsom won this year’s Division I state bowl game 68-7, but the new bowl games outside of the Open Division and the other top two or three divisions will be more about the depth of larger, stronger and bigger schools in the South compared to the North. That’s not a knock against the North, but reflects the reality that about two-thirds of the state’s large enrollment schools are in the South. In mock-up lineups from this year’s section champions and last years, there are many examples of SoCal schools pushing enrollments of 3,000 being in the same divisions as NorCal schools well below 1,000. One of the mock-ups from 2012, in fact, had San Fernando in the south (nearly 3,000) in the same division as LeGrand in the north (less than 400). These inequalities will exist because the CIF is going to use competitive equity to determine divisions, with the north and south continuing to be split. In essence, the top section champions in the north will be seeded from first to last with the top section champions in the south done the same way. And when you get down to the eighth or ninth best section champion in the north compared to the south, historically the teams in the south are just much bigger and better. It’s the same problem the NorCal schools face in the Open Division for boys and girls basketball. Too many top NorCal teams get pulled up into the Open Division, which sets it up for SoCal teams to win easily in some of the other divisions.

NEED FOR SPEED

The first Cal-Hi Sports/Gold Medal Excellence Northern California All-Sports Speed Camp coming up on Feb. 28 at Stagg High in Stockton has the benefit of being held one month after the first one was held at Palisades High in Southern California. A perfect example of the speed camp’s philosophy was on display at Palisades on Jan. 31. Justin Johnson, who just completed his sophomore season at Calabasas, came to the event and was clocked at 4.97 and 5.04 in the 40-yard dash to begin his day. Johnson then underwent more than two hours of learning from camp director Chris Asher and other coaches how to start properly, how to drive with his legs properly and how to position every part of his body during a sprint. Before he left the camp, Johnson was timed again. His 40 had dropped to 4.82. Not all of the campers had the same experience because the second timing is done after a long day, but according to Asher all of them would see improvement if they continue to practice what was learned. Athletes from any sport can benefit with this type of coaching, but it’s especially good for football players getting ready for camps and combines, and for track athletes and baseball players getting ready to start their seasons. For information about this camp, please visit CalHiSports.com today. ✪ Mark Tennis is the co-founder of Cal-Hi Sports, and publisher of CalHiSports.com. Contact him at markjtennis@ gmail.com and follow him on Twitter, @CalHiSports.

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girls basketball Rankings Previous ranking in parentheses; through Jan. 31

1. (1) — Mater Dei-Santa Ana 21-1 Looking like the nation’s No. 1 team will be No. 1 seed in CIF Southern Section Open Div. playoffs.

2. (2) — St. Mary’s-Stockton 21-1 Cal-Hi Sports doesn’t count forfeits in win streaks, so Rams are at 192 league wins and counting.

3. (3) — Long Beach Poly 20-2 Held off No. 17 Alemany 58-54 on Jan. 31 to hold on to state’s No. 3 ranking.

4. (4) — Chaminade-West Hills 18-2 Before Southern Section playoffs, Eagles aim for Mission League title over Alemany.

5. (5) — St. Ignatius-S.F. 16-3 Wildcats entered February looking to avenge a loss to Sacred Heart Cathedral

6. (6) — Miramonte-Orinda 19-2 Mats are just trying to stay healthy for the upcoming NCS and NorCal playoffs

7. (7) — Pinewood-Los Altos Hills 15-2 NorCal Open Div. looms for Panthers, but they’ll be in the CCS Open Div. first.

8. (8) — Sierra Canyon-Chatsworth 16-4 Trailblazers got a well needed rest last week after NorCal trip for MLK showcase.

9. (9) — Oaks Christian-Westlake Village 16-5 Lions continue to hold down a Top 10 spot after two easy Marmonte League wins.

10. (10) — Vanden-Fairfield 19-2 Vikings will be eligible for the NorCal Open Div.; Top 10 ranking seals that deal.

11. (11) — Carondelet-Concord 17-2 The Cougars don’t have much competition this year in the EBAL.

12. (12) — Archbishop Mitty-San Jose 15-3 A 61-58 win over Sacred Heart Cathedral keeps Mitty in thick of the WCAL race.

13. (13) — Salesian-Richmond 21-2 Defeated St. Mary’s-Berkeley 53-42 after only beating Panthers by 3 earlier in year.

14. (14) — Garces-Bakersfield 19-1 Like Vanden in the North, it’s too bad they are eligible for the SoCal Open Div.

15. (17) ▲ Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland 13-7 Young group seems to be getting better and better with postseason approaching.

16. (18) ▲ Brea Olinda-Brea 19-2 Ladycats aren’t in same class as county rival Mater Dei. In one more year? Maybe.

17. (16) ▼ Bishop Alemany-Mission Hills 17-5 Only a one-spot drop for Alemany after a close loss to Long Beach Poly.

18. (19) ▲ Narbonne-Harbor City 16-4* The Gauchos looked good in their two wins in Stockton during MLK weekend.

19. (20) ▲ Sacred Heart Cathedral-S.F. 10-9 Latest loss was to Mitty by three with St. Ignatius coming up this week.

20. (NR) ▲ Vista Murrieta-Murrieta 17-6 Tough call for the last spot this week, but strength of schedule is difference. *Forfeit loss not included.

Dropped Out: No. 15 Redondo Union-Redondo Beach.

boys basketball Rankings Previous ranking in parentheses; through Jan. 31

1. (1) — Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland 15-3 It will be a surprise if the Dragons get much of a test the rest of the regular season.

2. (3) ▲ Mater Dei-Santa Ana 19-3 Monarchs play No. 3 Fairfax in huge game Feb. 7 in their own Nike Extravaganza.

3. (4) ▲ Bishop Montgomery-Torrance 23-1 Stephen Thompson Jr. rained down 37 points in win over Loyola-Los Angeles.

4. (5) ▲ Fairfax-Los Angeles 23-0 Some have Lions among top 5 in nation; trending up after win over former No. 2 Sierra Canyon.

5. (2) ▼ Sierra Canyon-Chatsworth 16-2 Trailblazers drop three spots after their 64-47 loss to unbeaten Fairfax.

6. (7) ▲ Centennial-Corona 16-4 Huskies have overcome a loss to Redondo Union by one point; other loss to Fairfax.

7. (10) ▲ Damien-La Verne 20-2 Spartans could end up with two league wins over both Chino Hills and Etiwanda.

8. (8) — Cathedral-Los Angeles 17-4 No drop for a loss this week because it came vs. one of the top teams in Chicago.

9. (9) — Long Beach Poly 18-3 Not a ton of competition this year for the Jackrabbits in the Moore League.

10. (6) ▼ Redondo Union-Redondo Beach 17-5 Team still adjusting to life without national recruit Billy Preston (transferred out of state).

11. (11) — Price-Los Angeles 19-4 The Knights seem headed for the CIFSS Open Division playoffs. 12. (12) — Chino Hills 16-4* Lonzo and LiAngelo Ball can make it close no matter the opponent.

13. (13) — Moreau Catholic-Hayward 15-5 Frank Knight’s club has played a tough schedule compared to rest of state.

14. (14) — Etiwanda 16-6 Eagles edged Gahr-Cerritos (63-62) in a showcase game at Azusa Pacific.

15. (15) — Campolindo-Moraga 18-2 May end up with a higher overall state rank than Campo’s Div.III state football champs.

16. (17) ▲ Orange Lutheran-Orange 19-3 Lancers have emerged as a solid No. 2 team in the Trinity League behind Mater Dei.

17. (19) ▲ Monte Vista-Danville 18-2 Defending Div. I state champs entered Top 20 after win over De La Salle.

18. (20) ▲ Folsom 20-3 Bulldogs still will likely go up to the NorCal Open Division this season.

19. (NR) ▲ Sacramento 18-4 One of Dragons’ losses was to King-Milwaukee; other three all to CA teams ranked higher.

20. (NR) ▲ De La Salle-Concord 18-2 Only suffered two close losses to Bishop Montgomery and Monte Vista so far. *Forfeit loss not included.

Dropped Out: No. 16 Drake-San Anselmo and No. 18 St. Francis-Mountain View

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Serra, CCS both to blame in consolation calamity

n some quarters, Serra football coach Patrick Walsh is being hailed as a hero for refusing to have his team play a meaningless consolation game in the Central Coast Section Open Division playoffs — a decision that recently resulted in stiff sanctions against the school and program, including a two-year playoff ban. Walsh claimed the reason he took the forfeit — and the resulting CCS sanctions — was his concern for the safety of his players. One question: If Serra had been in the championship game, would Walsh have taken the forfeit? Would the safety of his players have trumped the chance to win a title and maybe play in a state championship game? And if Serra had indeed gone on to play yet another game for a California title, would Walsh have forfeited because of his concern for player safety? I have no particular background with Walsh, though I saw him play for De La Salle, and he was a gritty warrior who every coach would love to have on his team. His coaching resume is exceptional and he’s turned Serra into a regional power. But the level of hypocrisy displayed in his supposedly moral stance is simply off the charts. This is not about player safety; this is about winning. And winning held little value in a consolation final — so now player safety is the most important thing? Please … On the other hand, the blatant greed of the California Interscholastic Federation and CCS is simply disgusting. The CIF is now going to play 73 state championship football games, or some such number, just to fill its coffers, and why anyone in CCS thought consolation football games in a season that’s already way

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February 2015

too long were a good idea can only be explained by a laserlike focus on the bottom line at the expense of the health and academics of the players it is supposed to protect. What makes the actions of these administrators even worse is the growing mountain of evidence that the physical price of playing football is simply too high. With the increased emphasis on weight training and speed training, and the increasing size of the players, the force of the many collisions in every game and practice have jumped dramatically — and that jump simply means more knee injuries, more shoulder injuries and of course, more head injuries. So at one level, Walsh was right. There are too many games, and CIF and CCS are putting profit over the health and safety of teenagers, who just happen to be the people those agencies are supposed to protect. But on the other hand, Walsh’s hypocrisy undercuts his supposedly moral stance. If indeed he thought the schedule was too long, he should have taken his stand prior to the season. If he were sincere, he would have said in July that his team simply would not participate in the playoffs at all because of the health and safety of his players, and the discussion would have taken place when there was time to make a change. But to decide that player safety was first and foremost after his team had lost — and there is no one who believes he would have forfeited the championship game — is quitting, plain and simple. In the end, then, there are no winners in this sorry scenario. The greed of CIF and CCS is reprehensible; the hypocrisy of Walsh is not far behind — and the only heroes are the young athletes who risk their long-term health so adults can reap the rewards. ✪

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Clay Kallam’s “Behind the Clipboard” feature will return in March. Instead, he uses his space this week to write an opinion piece on a hot-button controversy which has recently unfolded in the Central Coast Section.

1. Davis...............................2,850 2. Central Catholic...............2,300 3. Folsom.............................2,250 4. Sonora.............................2,200 5. Jesuit............................. 2,000 6. Vista del Lago..................1,700 7. (tie) Oakdale.....................1,500 Oak Ridge.........................1,500 Placer...............................1,500 10. Bella Vista.....................1,400 11. Dixon......................................... 1,400 12. (tie) Benicia............................... 1,300 Vacaville Christian..................... 1,300 14. (tie) Del Campo........................ 1,200 Capital Christian........................ 1,200 16. Vintage-Napa........................... 1,100 17. Pitman....................................... 1,000 18. Rio Americano............................. 900 19. (tie) El Dorado............................. 800 Lodi............................................... 800 21. (tie) Consumnes Oakes.............. 700 Gregori.......................................... 700 Ripon Christian............................. 700 24. (tie) Atwater................................. 600 Downey......................................... 600 Franklin......................................... 600 Granite Bay................................... 600 Los Banos..................................... 600 McClatchy..................................... 600 Modesto........................................ 600

Riverbank...................................... 600 St. Mary’s Stockton...................... 600 Sierra-Manteca............................. 600 34. (tie) Amador................................. 500 East Union.................................... 500 El Camino..................................... 500 Grant............................................. 500 Rocklin.......................................... 500 Sumerville..................................... 500 Weston Ranch.............................. 500 41. (tie) American Canyon................ 400 Armijo............................................ 400 Inderkum....................................... 400 Merced.......................................... 400 River City...................................... 400 Turlock.......................................... 400 Vacaville........................................ 400 48. Bear River.................................... 300 49. 30 schools tied............................ 200

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With winter sports taking up most of our time and pages, we take a quick break to look back at the fall season to see what Sac Joaquin Section schools dominated the sports landscape at the close of 2014. The annual SportStars Cup competition recognizes the top athletic programs in the section. Based on a points-based formula, we track the top schools throughout the academic year, updating the standings after each of the three sporting seasons (fall, winter, spring) to finally crown the SSM Cup winner in June. Points are awarded as follows: 100 — Have an athlete named SportStars of the Year (Fall, Winter or Spring) 200 — Win a team league title 250 — Have an athlete be named All-State (First-team only) 300 — Win a section championship (team or individual) 400 — Win an individual NorCal title 500 — Win a team NorCal title 700 — Win an individual state title 1,000 — Win a team state title With the formula weighted to reward teams and individuals that win CIF State titles, it is not surprising to see state champs dominating the top of the standings. State football champions Folsom and Central Catholic-Modesto grabbed the headlines and got most of the area’s attention for travelling south to claim CIF State Bowl game victories, but Davis ran to the front of the pack with an individual cross country championship. Junior Fiona O’Keeffe raced to her third consecutive Division I section title and her second straight state championship. With five Delta League team titles to add to O’Keeffe’s hardware, the rest of the section’s schools are chasing Davis as the winter postseason approaches. Central Catholic finished the fall season with a state football championship three-peat that placed the Raiders in second place just ahead of the Folsom Bulldogs, who rode an undefeated, record-breaking season to claim the third slot in the SSM Cup standings. Rounding out the top four was another state champ. Sonora won the Division IV section and state titles in girls volleyball to take fourth. The school’s first state title in any sport gave the Wildcats the edge over Jesuit, which was the final school to reach 2,000 points. The Marauders claimed a water polo section title and an individual cross country section title to round out the top five. When the basketball and wrestling seasons conclude in March, there will likely to be plenty of movement up and down the leaderboard. Until then, here’s how the leaderboard looks. ✪ — Jim McCue

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February 2015

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Jordan Roberson, left, has grown into the sectionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most prolific scorer & Cordova is very much in the SJS title hunt Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, and like us on Facebook!

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February 2015

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rowth is an important part of high school athletics. No sport puts as high a value on growth — specifically physical growth — as basketball. Cordova senior guard Jordan Roberson has been a high-profile example of an athlete growing in a variety of ways during his four years on the Lancers’ varsity basketball roster. From the time he arrived as a 5-foot-11 sharp-shooting freshman to his senior season as a 6-foot-4 player attracting interest from multiple Division-I college programs, Roberson has been growing into the star he has worked to become. Here are Roberson’s top nine scoring “I want to become the player that I know I performances of the season through can be,” Roberson said. “I just want to put in the January. The Lancers won all nine work to get there and be a great scorer.” games. DATE Pts Opponent The devoted gym rat has developed from a slender freshman who cracked the starting 12/2 36 Wood-Vacaville lineup to score 10 points per game with a catch12/11 36 Oakland and-shoot outside game, into the Sac-Joaquin 12/12 37 Jesse Bethel-Vallejo Section’s leading scorer at 32 points per game as 12/16 39 Vista del Lago-Folsom a senior. Roberson’s first growth spurt came be12/19 37 Foothill-Palo Cedro tween his freshman and sophomore years, and 12/23 39 Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills his frame and game have continued to grow 12/27 40 McClatchy-Sacramento each year since. “He has become a more complete basketball 1/2 38 Valley-Sacramento player and leader as he has developed,” Cor1/22 44 Liberty Ranch-Galt dova head coach Fletcher Johnson said. “He is much more than just a shooter. He shares the ball and leads his teammates in practice and on the floor by showing them how to work hard and by being more vocal.” Roberson continues to work on his strength in order to absorb the physical contact he seeks near the basket and to prepare for the next level. For now, his improved game has helped Cordova to an 18-5 overall mark through January and a current spot at the top of the Sierra Valley

FILLING IT UP

Story by Jim McCue | Photos by James K. Leash

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February 2015

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;I want to become the player that I know I can be. I just want to put in the work to get there and be a great scorer.â&#x20AC;?

Conference standings at 6-0. He is averaging 32 points per game and grabbing a careerbest six rebounds per contest, up from 21 points and three boards from a year ago. Roberson is in the top 5 in the state in scoring, thanks in part to a season-high 44-point outburst in a key league road victory over Liberty Ranch-Galt. That game featured a shootout of sorts between Roberson and Hawks senior guard DeAndre Stallings, who averaged 23.4 points per game as a junior and is scoring at a clip of

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February 2015

26.4 points per game this season. Roberson and the Lancers jumped out to a 23-8 lead after one quarter, and held Stallings in check for much of the first half. Stallings heated up after the intermission when Cordova was forced to play a zone defense, yet Roberson got the better of the matchup, outscoring Stallings 44-37 as the Lancers won 97-82. More important than the individual duel was the road win over the team that is most likely to challenge Cordova in the Sierra Valley Conference. The emphasis on team wins over in-

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dividual stats is just another indicator of Roberson’s growth. That growth extends beyond games to the classroom, weight room and practices. Roberson has embraced the importance of good grades and leadership to his high school team and recruiting resumé. He has raised his GPA to 3.2 overall with a solid 3.67 first semester GPA this year. And those smarts are carrying back over to the basketball court. “He is scoring in every way that you can,” Johnson said. “He sees the floor so well that he can find his shot, or draw defenders and get the ball to one of our other guys for easy baskets.” Cordova can score in more ways than just Roberson. Seniors JaQuan Lewis and Christian Munoz are averaging double digits scoring and contributing a combined 12.3 rebounds per game. Johnson knows Roberson can light up the scoreboard, but also enjoys the fact that the Lancers can do just fine if opponents decide to spend all of their time defending the section’s top scorer. “If you think we are just him, then you will end up getting caught by our other players scoring,” Johnson said. “If we ever have a game where all of our starters are clicking at the same time, then we could put up a crazy number.” With this season’s high-water mark at the 97 points the Lancers scored against Liberty Ranch, the idea of reaching triple digits is not a stretch. But Johnson says that Cordova’s defense is more important to the team’s goals of winning a second consecutive league title and advancing further in the section playoffs. “Everything falls into place when we play good defense,” Johnson said. “When we play with intensity on the defensive side of the ball, it opens up so much for us on offense.” Which brings it back to Roberson. Johnson credits his senior’s scoring improvement to defense and an expanded offensive repertoire. Roberson is averaging three steals per game, which often lead to easy lay-ups. But a more aggressive game on offense has been vital to Roberson’s jump in scoring. “He has figured out how to get to the basket where he can make easy baskets or draw fouls.” Johnson said. “His breadand-butter has been hitting the outside shot, but his ability to get to the basket and get to the foul line has added 8-10 points per game for him.” His expanded game and increased scoring has attracted more interest from college recruiters, which includes Pac12 programs. A Cal scout was in attendance at a recent road game against Rosemont in which Roberson had 31 points, six rebounds and five steals in a 75-34 league rout. He can expect to have more eyes on him as the stakes rise in March. “It started off slow, but it picked up after a couple of tournaments over the summer,” Roberson said of the recruiting process. “I have a couple of schools in mind where I would like to go, but I am going to wait until after the season to decide. I am waiting for the right time.” Among the schools Roberson is considering are Cal, Washington State and Utah State. But the senior is focused on the likes of Liberty Ranch and El Dorado in the SVC, and a Division II playoff field that could include Sacramento, Antelope and St. Mary’s-Stockton. Sacramento handed Cordova its worst loss of the year in an opening-round game at the Dragons’ St. HOPE Classic in December. But Roberson and his teammates look at their experience at the St. HOPE and other tournaments against top competition as the key to growing into a team capable of making noise in the postseason. “It was good preparation for some of our newer players who got to see action,” Roberson said. “That is what we will need in order to win in the playoffs. We understand what we have to do.” Getting it done in the playoffs would be the ultimate sign of growth for Roberson and a an up-and-coming Cordova program. ✪ Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, and like us on Facebook!

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February 2015

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February 2015

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here’s another Vanderdoes doing big things at Placer High in Auburn. But this one doesn’t sack quarterbacks. And she doesn’t have a burger named after her — yet. Her name’s Baylee. She is a 6-foot-1 junior post and the little sister of former Hillmen star defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes, who is currently playing football on scholarship at UCLA. While Eddie rules the trenches on the gridiron, Baylee makes her mark on the hardwood floor. She’s a shot-blocking, rebound-grabbing, high-scoring force to be reckoned with in and out of the paint. The three-year varsity hoopster is putting up double digits in the point column on nearly a nightly basis, including a 15-game stretch that lasted from early December until the end of January. “She’s improving every game,” Hillmen coach Tony Camillucci said of Vanderdoes, who made strides during the offseason playing for the Just Believe Sports travel team against top-notch competition in Georgia, Oregon, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. “She’s working hard and doing the little things that are helping her get more points, like following her shots and attacking for rebounds. “She broke her pinky three weeks before the season started on her shooting hand. It affected her early but she’s starting to get her shooting touch back.”

Raven Lewis

Vanderdoes is currently connecting on about 32 percent of her 3-pointers and 76 percent of her free throws. In a Pioneer Valley League game at Center-Antelope on Jan. 23, she went off for a season-high 25 points, draining 13 of 15 foul shots. She’s averaging three blocks a game, rejecting six shots in a single outing three times this year, and has posted four double-doubles on the season. Vanderdoes dropped 21 points on Jan. 28 against Lincoln, helping the Hillmen jump out to a promising 4-0 start in PVL play. Camillucci has enjoyed coaching Vanderdoes for the past three years, noticing improvement in her shooting, footwork on defense and maturity on and off the court. He says her work ethic is always getting better, too. “She’s a nice kid,” the veteran Hillmen coach said. “She really enjoys playing the game and she’s a nice teammate. She has a good time with it. She takes it seriously and works hard in the offseason but she has fun playing and enjoys the game. She’s fun to be around.” Vanderdoes currently leads the PVL in scoring and swats. She’s fifth in rebounds, coming up with an average of 7.7 a game. She credits her fellow Hillmen for her statistical success. “It’s a team effort,” she said. “It’s not like I grab the ball and go coast to coast. We have great guards this year. Maddy Hernandez, Sidney Wegener, Amber Birchell and Raven Lewis are amazing. Raven is a sophomore and the youngest on the team and is showing up a lot.” While Vanderdoes is averaging 16 points a game, she isn’t the team’s only scoring threat. Senior forward Raquel Quirarte, who recently signed a letter of intent with Central Connecticut State’s volleyball team and was the PVL girls MVP in the fall, is averaging 11.6 points a contest. Point guard Hernandez is dropping nearly 10 a night. Vanderdoes said Placer’s goal for the 2014-15 campaign is to take the PVL crown. The Hillmen, who see Colfax and

Lincoln as their toughest competition but never count Bear River-Grass Valley out, settled for third place last year in a three-way tie after going 5-5 in league play. “We’re confident but not overconfident,” Vanderdoes said of this year’s squad. “We know that we need to work. “We’re playing really well. We started league off great. We have chemistry and we’re clicking. In the preseason, we weren’t clicking in games. As soon as we started scrimmaging more in practice, we started to mesh together.” Like her brother, Vanderdoes is attracting attention from college coaches across the country. Just not to the same magnitude as Eddie, whose recruitment process is well-documented. “It’s nothing like football, for sure,” Baylee’s father, Eddie, said of the women’s college basketball recruiting process. “It’s not as cutthroat. The level of recruiting is different. Things went bonkers with Eddie. “The getting down to the nuts and bolts about learning about schools without visiting them — it has helped that they know we’ve been around the block. We’ve dealt with nothing but really great people. It also helps that they know the level of recruitment that Eddie went through. Basketball is more low-key.” Baylee, who is interested in majoring in communications or history, already has offers from Florida Atlantic, Hawaii, Loyola Marymount, San Diego State, University of San Francisco, UNLV and Utah State, while Santa Clara, Fresno State and others are expressing interest. A school with Placer ties has also been keeping tabs on Vanderdoes. Gonzaga, whose head coach Lisa Mispley Fortier played under Camillucci at Placer, has attended multiple Hillmen practices this season. Ironically, Fortier’s assistant is her husband, Craig, a Placer alumnus who played for current Hillmen boys basketball coach Mark Lee. Vanderdoes is also getting mail from plenty of other uni-

"It's a team effort. It's not like I grab the ball and go coast to coast. We have great guards this year" Sidney Wegener 24

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February 2015

— Baylee Vanderdoes, highlighting Placer’s deep roster Subscribe to the Digital Weekly at SportStarsOnline.com

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February 2015

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Placer’s Baylee Vanderdoes, left. versities on a daily basis. “Not as much as Eddie,” she said, laughing. Added her dad: “The amount of mail that (my son) got, the mailman thought it was funny. We finally met him and now he’s thinking the same thing. (Baylee’s) getting mail every day. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens next year.” Baylee’s excited about competing at the next level — it’s something she’s been preparing for since the third grade when her grandfather, Bernhard Peat, first got her hooked on hoops. Like his grandchildren, Peat is also rather athletic. He played basketball professionally in Germany for nearly 20 years after suiting up for the Hillmen in his high school days. Baylee and Peat play 1-on-1 occasionally. But the result is always the same. “I can’t beat grandpa,” she said. “But it’s nice having him coach me in the off-weeks.” Can Baylee beat her 6-foot-4, 305-pound big brother when he comes home from school on vacation? “I stopped playing Eddie 1-on-1,” she said. “He tries to dunk on me and plays way too seriously. He doesn’t want to get beaten by his little sister.” One thing Eddie can boast about to Baylee in a sibling rivalry kind of way is that he’s graced the front cover of SportStars Magazine. In 2012, Eddie, nicknamed “The Floor Safe,” had a photo shoot for this magazine with a — wait for it — floor safe rolled out to the grass of Placer High’s LeFebvre Stadium. Baylee still has one more year at Placer. And if she has things her way, a floor safe might be visiting historic Earl Crabbe Gym for a photo shoot next year — just so she can even the score with Big Eddie. ✪ 26

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February 2015

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The Future is Fragile

Next Level Knowledge By Scott Mayo

Several things factor into the recruiting process, but there’s one guiding principle you should follow I recently spoke with a former Division-I college lacrosse player named Matt. Matt was lightly recruited and received a partial scholarship at Towson University in Maryland. His younger brother, who also played lacrosse, was one year behind Matt in school. The younger brother became the No. 1 recruit in the country with full-ride offers from Duke, Johns Hopkins, Virginia and many other great lacrosse schools. During the younger brother’s recruiting process, an Ivy League head coach arrived for an in-home visit. Upon hearing both kids played, the coach told two rather proud parents, “I have roster spots for both your boys.” Matt transferred and the two brothers began what appeared to be a dream come true. Unfortunately, that athletic dream came to a screeching halt. Midway through his second season, Matt developfed persistent hairline fractures in both legs. Unable to run, his college lacrosse career ended abruptly. To make matters worse for the family, that same season, the younger brother suffered a career-ending concussion when he was accidentally kneed in the back of the head. While athletics did not work out for either boy, they both ended up with degrees from a top tier school. Near the end of our conversation I asked Matt if he had any words of advice. He replied, “Plan like you’re

gonna break your leg tomorrow.” His words hit very close to home. After his junior season of football, our oldest son, Mitchell, was getting preliminary contacts from some great schools. Always motivated to succeed, Mitchell spent many, many hours on the field, in the gym and at the library preparing for his senior year. With only two weeks left in the summer, and with football’s dreaded double days just around the corner, I was sitting downstairs as Mitchell made his way out the door. “I’m going to the park to play pickup soccer,” he said. Two hours later, the phone rang. “Dad?” Mitchell said, “I sprained my ankle pretty bad. Can you have a bucket of ice ready? Justin is bringing me home now.” My heart sank. Mitchell would be out for ten weeks with a broken leg and college football disappeared from his future. At some point, your sport will end, so be sure to do well in the classroom. Also… “Plan like you’re gonna break your leg tomorrow.” ✪ Scott Mayo and his wife Jennifer are the founders of Next Level College Advisors, a consultation and support service for aspiring college athletes and their families. The Mayos have gone through the recruiting process with all three of their children. To learn more about NCLA, visit NextLevelCollegeAdvisors.com

Did you sign a letter of intent during the NCAA Late Signing Period? Let SportStars know by emailing us at editor@sportstarsonline.com. We hope to publish a full list of NorCal athletes by Feb. 11.

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February 2015

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February 2015

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hen the Liberty High football team roared back to life this fall, Jesse Gregerson had a front-row seat as the Lions community embraced the most successful team in program history. The senior linebacker certainly played a big role. Recording 90 tackles from his linebacker position, Gregerson found himself in the middle of the action more often than not. While he helped revive a football program long dormant, Gregerson’s true talents lie on the mat. There, in the Liberty wrestling room, the senior doesn’t need to lead any sort of epic turnaround. Instead, his role as one of the few upperclassmen on a young team is the polar opposite. Now, his focus is centered on continuing a tradition of excellence. Gregerson knows the history because he grew up in it. A product of the Delta Wrestling Club program that has produced so many state-caliber wrestlers, he competes for a coach in Greg Chappel that ranks among the most respected in the nation. As he tries to put his final stamp on the Liberty program, the weight of what lies before him hasn’t escaped Liberty’s 160-pounder. “It’s been an honor wrestling for Chappel and being part of the program. He’s been my mentor since I was young,” Gregerson said. “We are (known) around this area for good wrestling and I’m glad to keep that going.” Always an intense figure in the room, Gregerson has at times found it hard to find a consistent training partner. With a unique style that relies on his physical nature, Chappel said assistant coach Jake Edwards has played the role of workout partner most frequently. “He’s been doing a good job. He’s lost a couple matches but it’s been when I’ve had him up wrestling against bigger guys,” Chappel said. “That’s my whole idea, to keep him wrestling the tougher people and, when state comes along and he’s at his weight class, he’ll be a little more physical.” Gregerson cruised along early in the season as one of the favorites to top the podium at the North Coast Section individual tournament later this month. He placed first at 170 pounds at the Lou Bronzan Invitational, went 7-0 at the Moanalua Holiday Duals in Hawaii and placed third at the Joe Rios Invitational in Chico. That brought Gregerson to the Tim Brown Memorial in Sacramento and, wrestling at the 160 pounds that he’ll carry into the postseason, Liberty’s senior leader let his guard Phillip Walton photos down and lost the championship match by pinfall to Windsor’s Beau Colombini. While that resulted in Colombini being ranked two spots higher (No. 12 to No. 14) in the most recent state rankings released by TheCaliforniaWrestler.com, Gregerson now knows the game plan should the two meet again. “I feel like I need to get my mind right before the match, be focused and have a game plan, not just go in there and see whatever happens,” Gregerson said. “I beat him the last two years, so I kind of underestimated him and got caught.” In the meantime, Liberty’s quest for another Bay Valley Athletic League title seems in good shape. A 55-15 win over Freedom on Jan. 28 saw Gregerson stick Falcons standout Stephen Carter in just 40 seconds and the Lions win 11 of 14 matches. “That was a huge deal,” Gregerson said. “We thought it was going to be a close one. We went in there and did our thing.” Though the focus will turn primarily toward individual accomplishments once the middle of February rolls around, Gregerson is still very much invested in the development of his younger teammates. League titles still mean quite a bit in wrestling, which means the Lions definitely have their sights set on the BVAL Championships that take place Feb. 20 at Liberty. To add yet another crown to an already crowded trophy case, work continues for the Lions. Senior Grant Ferris has been a key team leader alongside Gregerson. Sophomore Sergio Napoles won the 120-pound title at the Lou Bronzan Invitational while junior Bryar Edwards had to default out of the Bronzan, but placed second at the Joe Rios Invitational at 120 pounds. Junior Justin Hansz has had a strong start to the season with runner-up finishes at both the Bronzan and Joe Rios and a fifth-place showing at the Tim Brown and Chappel mentioned Cole Zanarini as one underclassman who has taken also taken a big step forward. “We have a very young squad,” Gregerson said. “I didn’t really know what we were going to be like because a lot of people graduated. We went to Hawaii and wrestled our butts off. The young guys showed they were the real deal and showed they can keep the tradition going.”

wrestling NOTES

›› As one of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s top meets every year, the Tim Brown Memorial routinely attracts some of the state’s best to the Sacramento area. Held this year at Jackson Sports Academy in McClellan Park, fans got a chance to see a host of state-ranked grapplers including the state No. 1 at 126 pounds, Israel Saavedra of Modesto. But, even though there was plenty of talent on display, it was the one match that didn’t happen that could have been the star attraction. Woodcreek’s Dominic Balmer and Casa Roble’s Jake Minshew, ranked No. 2 and 3 respectively at 285 pounds, were set for a showdown in the final that would have been the first meeting of the year for the two Sac-Joaquin Section standouts. The match never got off the ground, as Balmer defaulted out with a rib injury sustained earlier in the tournament. The two heavyweights remain prohibitive favorites to battle for not only the SJS but also a high place at the state tournament in March. ›› The postseason unofficially begins Feb. 7-8 for several state powers when the Mission San Jose Invitational kicks off for the 40th time. Defending California Interscholastic Federation state champion Clovis returns to try and defend its 2014 MSJ crown, while Central Coast Section champion Gilroy, NCS powers De La Salle and James Logan and a host of other strong teams are confirmed to compete at one of Northern California’s premier tournaments. ›› Speaking of Gilroy, one of Northern California’s greatest active wrestlers at the collegiate level is back on the mat. Mustangs legend Jesse Delgado returned to the University of Illinois lineup on Jan. 30 after being out of action since an injury at the Illini Quad on Nov. 9 sidelined him. Delgado, who placed in the top four at the CIF state championships all four years and won the 2009 state title, is the two-time defending NCAA champion at 125 pounds. ✪ — SportStars Staff

es n i l d a e h n o s r e eg r G e s s e J r e l t s ter s o r Senior wre y t r e b i L g un o y g n i s i m o r p a Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, and like us on Facebook!

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February 2015

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February 2015

Phillip Walton photo

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National Spotlight Jesuit Rugby begins its quest for another U.S. title while seven NorCal players earn All-America Team invites

he 2015 high school rugby season officially started with the 31st An- with Jesuit players during the stay. nual Kick-Off Tournament (KOT) at Cordova High School, and the “It’s very special to play and host touring teams, which we have done for seven-time national champion Jesuit Marauders were present Satur- 18 years,” Shorey said. day to begin their quest for an eighth national title. “It is a great exchange of cultures and rugby.” Jesuit came as close as they could get without winning number eight last year, falling 27-26 to Washington D.C.’s Gonzaga College High School. But USA Rugby just recently announced its Boys High School All-America head coach John Shorey is hopeful that the Marauders can find the extra team, which will be competing in the 2015 Las Vegas Invitational in early points at the end of what he calls a “reload and rebuild year” in 2015. “We are not as deep as last year, but we have a lot of talented players, in- February. Twenty-eight players will be competing for the team when play cluding some that won the Tier 2 National Championship last year,” Shorey begins on Feb. 10. The competition will start alongside the USA Sevens, the fifth leg of the said. “We probably have a better team across the board, but we don’t have that 2014-15 World Rugby HSBC Sevens World Series. The HSBC Sevens World Series is an annual elite-level series where top professional rugby players home run threat that we have had in the past.” A trio of returning seniors bring plenty of leadership and talent to the compete against each other throughout the year for the World Series Chamlatest championship quest. Robert Paylor, a 6-foot-5, 240-pounder who also pionship. National teams compete for the title by accumulating points based played defensive end and offensive tackle for Jesuit’s football team, is a team on their finishing position in each of the nine series tournaments. The fifth captain and is committed to play rugby at Cal next year rather than pursue “leg” is being held in Las Vegas February 13-14. Leading up to this Sevens World Series is the Las Vegas Invitational which football further. Luke Bagley had a strong opening tournament and will be relied upon includes competition amongst many different ages and levels from middle school-aged players to the top men’s and to lead the Marauders’ strong forward pack, women’s club teams in the country. This is according to Shorey. Wing Joe Deterding is where the Boys High School All-American a solid scoring threat who also looked sharp team will be competing in the High School at the KOT. The Sacramento Eagles, a multi-school team that Elite Division against other teams from the “We will rely on returning seniors and includes players primarily from El Camino and Rio U.S and Canada. will be leaning on their experience and Americano High Schools, also kicked off their season at Picked to the BHSAA team were seven physical gifts as we move forward,” Shorey the KOT. student athletes from Northern California, The young program has seen a shift in its roster from added. mostly El Camino athletes to a Rio majority this year for including Chase Bixby and Matthew Rogers Jesuit will spend most of February and the first time. Coach Mark Fuller attributes the growth of of Granite Bay, Erik Cortinas and Leki Fotu March facing local and regional singlethe Rio Americano contingent to the acceptance of the of Peninsula Green Rugby Club, Christian school teams, including Dixon and Granite Raiders’ football coaches allowing and encouraging playDyer of Jesuit, Kyle Makaiwi of Danville Bay, before hosting international foes in late ers to try rugby in football’s offseason. Oaks Rugby Club and Nathaniel Short of March as a mid-season tune-up for the 2015 “The Rio football coaches are completely on board, Dixon Rugby Club. Boys High School Rugby National Chamfrom the freshmen to the varsity program,” Fuller said. “I have been attending the winter camps pionship in May. The national tournament, “Getting the football players before they are seniors helps in Arizona since my sophomore year and did which features single-school and multipleto elevate their rugby skill set and can be great in the not get the call. But this year, my senior year, school club team competitions, has been developmental years for both football and rugby.” I was chosen,” Short said. “I am truly honheld in Elkhart, Indiana, each of the last two Senior captain Nick Hyrekewicz is a former football ored. This is my seventh year overall playing years, but organizers are still finalizing a loplayer whose focus on rugby has led him to Saint Mary’s rugby and I just love the game.” cation for the event. College where he’ll compete collegiately. John Maves, Short looks to advance his rugby playing Many rugby observers and experts are a senior OT/DE for the Raiders, is in his fourth year days at Arizona State next year while majorbetting on an East Coast location for the with the Sac Eagles. Juniors Jonah Cartwright and Ben ing in Kinesiology & Sports Medicine. Short May 14-16 tourney. Maves have both played football and rugby for three will be manning the scrum-half or fly-half At the end of March, the Marauders will years now and have developed into strong players for the positions. Both positions are akin to being host two teams from New Zealand, and will Eagles. Junior Logan Lathrop played inside linebacker for the quarterback of the team and often the play them as well as an all-star team from Rio Americano and joined the rugby team this year where lead decision-maker. ✪ England over a nearly two-week span. The Fuller says he could develop into a star on the pitch. — Jim McCue & Darin Wissner student-athletes from New Zealand will live

NORCAL REPRESENT

EAGLES GET GRIDIRON BOOST

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February 2015

SportStars™

Records are through Jan. 31 1. (1)

— St. Mary’s-Stockton

21-1

2. (3)

▲

Miramonte-Orinda

19-2

3. (2)

▼

St. Ignatius-S.F.

16-3

4. (5)

▲

Pinewood-Los Altos Hills

15-2

5. (6)

▲

Vanden-Fairfield

19-2

6. (7)

▲

Carondelet-Concord

17-2

7. (9)

▲

Archbishop Mitty-San Jose

15-3

8. (12)

▲

Salesian-Richmond

19-2

9. (11)

▲

Eastside Prep-Palo Alto

15-3

10. (10) — Dublin

18-2

11. (NR) ▲

Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland

13-7

12. (4)

St. Mary’s-Berkeley

17-7

13. (14) ▲

Scotts Valley

17-2

14. (13) ▼

Berkeley

14-7

15. (8)

▼

Brookside Christian-Stockton

18-2

16. (NR) ▲

Sacred Heart Cathedral-S.F.

10-9

17. (16) ▼

Antelope

18-1

18. (17) ▼

Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills

19-3

19. (18) ▼

James Logan-Union City

17-3

20. (19) ▼

Modesto Christian

17-4

▼

Las Lomas’ Rob Prince

DROPPED OUT Dennis Lee photos

No. 15 Sacramento and No. 20 Inderkum-Sacramento

BIGGEST MOVER Because of some logistical issues, this is the first set of girls basketball rankings we’ve run since Jan. 11, so of course there was going to be some heavy shuffling. The big mover was Bishop O’Dowd, which began the season No. 4 in these rankings but dropped out after a 5-7 start. Since then, the Dragons have gone 8-0 and re-enter at No. 11 after big wins over Berkeley, Sacred Heart Cathedral (also returning to the rankings) and La Jolla Country Day. Sacred Heart jumps back in the rankings after a big WCAL win over then-No. 2 St. Ignatius and a nonleague win over Vista Murrieta-Murietta on MLK Day.

TEAMS STILL RANKED FROM PRESEASON TOP 20: 17 32

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February 2015

On the surface, it was just another Diablo Foothill Athletic League game on a Friday night at Las Lomas High in Walnut Creek. But after 26 minutes of game action on Jan. 23, it became something else to the host Knights. Las Lomas was facing a 53-49 deficit to Dougherty Valley-San Ramon with 6:35 left in the game. The team was reeling from back-to-back tough defeats at Dublin (on a buzzer-beater that made SportsCenter) and at home against state-ranked Campolindo. A third straight loss had the potential to derail the season for a young, promising Knights squad. Coach Sol Henik put all three of his freshmen on the floor. It

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was going to be a sink-or-swim moment. And the Knights responded. Back-to-back 3-pointers by freshmen Jason Holman and Devin Payne effectively iced the game with a little more than a minute to go. Las Lomas scored 20 points in the fourth quarter and Holman, Payne and freshman point guard Rob Prince combined to account for 13 of them in a 68-63 win. “Since I’ve been here I’ve never had a freshman on the varsity, and now I have three in one season,” said Henik, now in his third year running the varsity program. “You get a lot of talk from the public, and they don’t know what goes on. Everyone knows that

“I can’t say enough about Rob Prince. He’s just doing an unbelievable job under pressure. ... When he came to me in the summer I was just about to cut him. But he’s so coachable and works so hard.” — Las Lomas coach Sol Henik these three freshman deserve to be on varsity and get playing time.” After winning that game, the Knights reeled off three more wins to close out January with a 15-6 record on the season. They will travel to Campolindo for a rematch against the league’s top dog on Feb. 6. The first meeting ended in an 80-73 win for the Cougars, but Las Lomas kept the score close throughout. The Knights trailed by just fiveafter three quarters. Though they all finished the game on the floor, Prince was the only one of the three youngsters to start the game against Dougherty Valley. He finished with 10 points, five assists and three steals. “I can’t say enough about Rob Prince,” Henik gushed. “He’s just doing an unbelievable job under pressure. ... When he came to me in the summer I was just about to cut him. But he’s so coachable and works so hard.” Meanwhile, Holman finished as the second-leading scorer for the Knights in the pivotal win against Dougherty Valley. He scored 12 on four 3-pointers. “For being 5-foot-7, 117 pounds, I know what he can bring,” Henik said of Holman. “He’s the most fundamentally sound player in the entire program, and he’s also the best 3-point shooter in the entire program. ... He’s got the green light. I always let him know, ‘Man, just let it rip.’” As much as the freshmen have played a role in Las Lomas’ strong start, the Knights wouldn’t be where they’re at without the leadership of senior co-captains Ben Wood and Andrew King. Wood was especially dynamic in the win over Dougherty Valley, posting team-highs of 19 points and 12 rebounds to go with three blocked shots. “He’s a workhorse,” Henik said. “I rely on Ben to do everything. ... I can demand things and he’s like ‘Yes, Coach. I’ll do more. What else can I do?’ He’s a rare breed and he’s the most valuable player on our team.” Beyond the stats, the greatest value Wood and King have been able to provide is stability and camaraderie amongst the roster. That’s not always easy when there’s such a gap between ages on a roster. Other than Henik and his coaching staff, the biggest supporters of the freshmen are their upperclassmen teammates. “The entire team trusts all three of them,” Henik said. Las Lomas enters the final month in great shape to grab a Top 5 seed in Division II and give itself the potential of hosting at least one North Coast Section playoff game. The Knights are 2-2 in the postseason under Henik. They’ve been eliminated in the quarterfinals each of the past two seasons, including a tough 70-62 overtime loss to Concord a year ago. The program’s last NCS title came in 2008 and its last trip to the finals was in 2011 when the Knights lost to Montgomery-Santa Rosa 58-51. This year’s Division II bracket is sure to include both Montgomery and Concord among the top seeds, as well as NorCal-power El Cerrito. The Gauchos, a Division III finalist a year ago before being pulled into the CIF Open Division for the state playoffs, has petitioned up a division for 2014-15.

Las Lomas’ Ben Wood

Henik and the young Knights aren’t concerning themselves with any of that just yet. “It’s always one game at a time,” he said with a grin. Should Las Lomas find a way into the NCS semifinals, thereby guaranteeing a trip to the state playoffs, Henik might very well look back to that Jan. 23 game when his team made the choice that it wanted to swim, not sink. NOTES: On Jan. 28, Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland’s Ivan Rabb was named to the West roster for the McDonald’s All-American Game on April 1 in Chicago. Rabb’s selection marks the fourth straight year that a Bay Area native has earned the prestigious honor. Last year three East Bay girls (Mariya Moore, Mikayla Cowling and Gabby Green) were selected. Three boys (Jabari Bird, Marcus Lee and Aaron Gordon) and one girl (Oderah Chidom) got the call in 2013. And in 2012, Brandon Ashley was selected to the boys roster. We count him because he was born in Oakland and played three years at Bishop O’Dowd before spending his senior season at Findlay Prep-Henderson (NV.). ... St. Mary’s-Stockton girls, riding a 16-game win streak through Feb. 2, remain at No. 2 in the Cal-Hi Sports state rankings. The Sac-Joaquin Section actually has two Top 10 teams as VandenFairfield is ranked No. 10. ✪ — Chace Bryson

Records are through Jan. 31 1. (1)

— Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland

15-3

2. (2)

— Moreau Catholic-Hayward

15-5

3. (3)

— Monte Vista-Danville

18-2

4. (4)

— De La Salle-Concord

18-2

5. (5)

— Folsom

20-3

6. (7)

▲

Campolindo-Moraga

18-2

7. (8)

▲

Sacramento

18-4

8. (10)

▲

El Cerrito

20-3

9. (11)

▲

Modesto Christian

17-3

10. (13) ▲

Woodcreek-Roseville

17-4

11. (18) ▲

Archbishop Mitty-San Jose

11-7

12. (9)

▼

St. Francis-Mountain View

16-2

13. (6)

▼

Drake-San Anselmo

19-3

14. (15) ▲

Half Moon Bay

21-0

15. (14) ▼

Serra-San Mateo

14-4

16. (12) ▼

Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove

16-5

17. (19) ▲

Sheldon-Sacramento

12-5

18. (17) ▼

San Ramon Valley-Danville

16-4

19. (20) ▲

Salesian-Richmond

15-7

20. (NR) ▲ Archbishop Riordan-S.F.

13-5

DROPPED OUT No. 16 St. Patrick-St. Vincent-Vallejo

BIGGEST MOVER The biggest mover was definitely Archbishop Mitty, which spent the first half of January nestled in our No. 3 spot before it lost four out of five and dropped all the way down to No. 18. The Monarchs rebounded over the last week of the month, beating then-No. 9 St. Francis by 19 points and then schooling St. Ignatius by more than twice that number. That week, coupled with their full season resume, paved the way for a big jump back to No. 11. Riordan is the fourth West Catholic Athletic League team to crack the rankings by debuting at No. 20 this week. The Crusaders have won four straight, including a 53-40 victory over Mitty.

TEAMS STILL RANKED FROM PRESEASON TOP 20: 13

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February 2015

SportStars™

Sweet Golden Snitches

It’s Quidditch! As the days warm up and get a little longer, the Placer Valley region will be playing host to several sporting events. Each year, Placer Valley welcomes some of the biggest title events in youth, amateur and professional sports in the West. State-of-the-art sports facilities, teamfriendly hotels, awards banquet space, professional tournament organizers and convenient access off Interstate 80 make Placer Valley Northern California’s sports destination. One of the first events of 2015 is the sixth annual West Regional Quidditch Championship. Teams will descend upon the soccer fields of Maidu Regional Park in Roseville on Feb. 14-15 to represent clubs and schools from all over the Western United States for two action-packed days of excitement and magic! Teams from Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah will compete for the opportunity to attend USQ’s national championship, the World Cup. After consecutive wins by teams from Los Angeles, will another LA team take the crown, or will a team from Northern California or another steal the title? With nearly two dozen teams competing over the course of two days, this is surely an event that is not to be missed! This event is free for all ages and magical backgrounds

SportStars™

February 2015

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accio quidditch teams Here’s a list of teams which are expected to attend. Some of the team names are sure to please the Harry Potter geeks of your household. Of course, everyone knows that House Gryffindor would’ve schooled all of these clubs, right? (We’ve said too much.) Anteater Quidditch

Santa Barbara Blacktips

Arizona Quidditch Club

Silicon Valley Skrewts

ASU Sun Devil Quidditch

Silicon Valley Skyfighters

Cal Quidditch

SJSU Spartans

California Dobbys

Stanford Quidditch

Crimson Elite

The Lost Boys

LA Gambits

UCLA Quidditch

Long Beach Funky Quaffles

University of Arizona

Mission Blues Quidditch

University of Southern California

NAU Narwhals

Utah State Quidditch Club

Riverside Quidditch

Wizards of Westwood

and will include live entertainment between games. Chase your luck and see how you fare on a broom between games while enjoying food and beverages. Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, and like us on Facebook!

James K. Leash/file photo

Rugby Wraps At Cherry Island

On April 17-18 the best of the best in Northern California high school rugby will descend upon Cherry Island Soccer Complex in Antelope for the sports season-ending Northern California Invitational Tournament and High School Championships. The 2014 NCIT saw just shy of 50 teams compete to determine titles over 12 different divisions. Multiple champions are crowned in both boys and girls competition, and for varsity and JV levels. Some winners of this tournament can advance to the next level of competition and carry it all the way to Nationals. Jesuit, last year’s Single School Varsity Boys champion reached the National Championship final and lost by a single point. It would’ve been the eighth national title in the history of the school’s storied rugby program.

high school CHAMPIONSHIPS

Single School Varsity Boys — Jesuit Single School JV Boys — Jesuit Boys Varsity Gold — Hayward Boys JV Gold — Pleasanton Boys Varsity Silver — Davis Boys JV Silver — Napa Girls Varsity Gold — Amazons Girls Varsity Silver — Dixon

NCIT

Boys Varsity Gold — Sacramento Eagles Boys JV Gold — Sierra Boys Varsity Silver — Lancers Girls Varsity Bronze — Sierra Foothills

Think your son or daughter’s team may be competing in the event this season? Placer Valley Tourism provides access to over 20 hotels within 15 miles of Cherry Island Soccer Complex. To learn more about the NCIT, visit ncyrugby.org. And for more on Placer Valley events and accommodations, see placertourism.com. Placer Valley Tourism photos

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February 2015

SportStars™

Overuse Overload

Sports participation promotes well-being, but too much can lead to injury

Repetitive injuries: hunter green In recent years, we’ve started seeing a noticeable increase in overuse injuries in kids. While sports participation is a great way to stay active and promote a lifelong habit of exercise, too much activity can lead to injury. Overuse injuries occur gradually over time. These injuries often happen when a child specializes in just one sport throughout the year, continually using the same muscle groups and applying stress to the same parts of the body. Below are three of the most common overuse injuries in youth. SEVER’S DISEASE: Sever’s disease is a common causes of heel pain in children, and often occurs during adolescence. It is a painful bone disorder resulting from inflammation in the growth plate (an area of growing tissue at the end of a developing bone) in the heel. Running, jumping and being active lead to repetitive stress on the growth plate as the foot strikes the ground. The primary treatment for Sever’s disease is to rest the foot until the pain goes away. Additional treatments may include heel pad inserts in sports shoes to help absorb the impact, stretching exercises for the Achilles tendon, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication. It’s not uncommon for Sever’s to recur during adolescence, typically when a child increases sports activities. Wearing shoes that provide good support to the foot and heel may help prevent recurrence. OSGOOD-SCHLATTER DISEASE: Osgood-Schlatter disease is very similar to Sever’s disease, but occurs at the knee joint rather than the heel. Patients experience pain at the front of the knee due to inflammation at the upper end of the tibia (shinbone). This growth plate is a bump near the top of the tibia where the tendon from the kneecap (patellar tendon) attaches to the bone. When a child is active, the quadriceps muscles of the upper leg pull on the patellar tendon, which in turn, pulls on the knee. Sometimes, this repetitive traction on the growth plate leads to inflammation, swelling and tenderness with a visible bump just below the knee joint. Running, jumping and other activities can bring on painful symptoms. Similar to Sever’s, limiting activity until the pain subsides is the focus of treatment for OsgoodSchlatter disease. In addition, stretching and strengthening the quadriceps and hamstring muscles may help relieve pain and prevent the problem from returning. Anti-inflammatory medication is also helpful. JUMPER’S KNEE: When an athlete has jumper’s knee, he or she will experience pain in the lower portion of the kneecap (patella). Repetitive contraction of the quadriceps muscles in the thigh can stress the patellar tendon where it attaches to the kneecap, causing pain and tissue damage. In growing children, the patellar tendon attaches to the growth plate of the kneecap, and repetitive stress on the tendon can irritate and injure the growth plate. Although these conditions in the kneecap most often occur in youth who are active in sports that involve jumping, such as basketball and volleyball, they can be seen in almost any sport. In addition to rest, it may be helpful to apply an ice pack to the knee every two to three hours for a few days until the pain begins to go away. Anti-inflammatory medications may also help to relieve painful symptoms. With all of these injuries, adequate rest is vital to preventing more serious problems, such as fractures. One of the best pieces of advice I can give to parents and young athletes to prevent overuse injuries is to do multiple activities. It’s much healthier to participate in different sports and activities throughout the year to avoid burnout and injury. We all need to remember that the number one reason kids play sports is to have fun. ✪ Hunter Greene, M.D., is a board certified orthopedic surgeon with Summit Orthopedic Specialists in Carmichael. He specializes in adult and pediatric sports medicine.

SportStars™

February 2015

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Power Step

A look at common ankle and foot injuries and how they often occur health watch: michelle cappello Increased competition can lead dedicated young athletes to push themselves to their limits, causing more foot and ankle injuries than ever. According to the Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, 25 percent of athletic injuries are foot and ankle related. These injuries result in athletes being sidelined from competition in order to rehabilitate. The foot/ankle serves as the shock absorber and propulsion engine for the athlete. For the foot to sustain enormous pressures (several tons over the course of a one-mile run), it requires coordinated use of its numerous muscles and bones. During running sports, the body must be able to absorb tremendous ground reaction forces, upwards of 2-8 times the body weight. On average, the foot strikes the ground 1,750 – 2000 times per mile. This means an average high school soccer player will need to have the foot/ankle strength, along with optimal form, to control 250 pounds of force 3,000 times during the course of one soccer game. If you hit the ground with good form, good strength and endurance, you will be able to avoid the pitfalls of an injury into other joints throughout the body. Here are the top foot/ankle injuries we see in the sports medicine clinic. Read how to recognize the risky habits during these sport

skills that can predispose you to injury and limit your sports performance: Ankle Sprain: Most commonly sprains are to the outside ligaments of the ankle during decelerating (quick change of directions, or landing from a jump). During high-speed agility movements, if you land on the outside of your foot (the pinky side) versus the big toe side, your ankle is at risk to roll over to the outside (ankle sprain), and create compression of the bones on the outer part of your foot (metatarsal stress fractures). Achilles tendonitis and calcaneal apophysitis (heel pain): With this, you feel pain with running and sprinting. If you push off your foot with your toes pointing more to the outside, rather than the direction you are sprinting, it can place an excessive strain on the arch of your foot and your Achilles tendon (calf muscle tendon). Turf Toe: This injury involves pain at the joint typically known as the ball of the foot. Usually caused by too much pushing off the big toe and not enough push off with the back of the ankle. You will need to stretch and strengthen the calf to take pressure off the ball of the foot. ✪ Michelle Cappello is a physical therapist and clinical director for Sports Medicine For Young Athletes, a division of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland with a facility also located in Walnut Creek.

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February 2015

SportStars™

HARDCORE

Charting a sure path toward core stability starts with functional movements training time: tim rudd for iyca One of the most common flaws I see with athletes is lack of core stability when performing dynamic (performed under sub-maximal velocities) and ballistic movements (exhibit maximum velocities). Many are surprised that they lack core stability. But if an athlete just performs long duration planks and hundreds of crunches and sit-ups, it is no surprise that they don’t have much of a functional carry-over to his or her sport. In all sporting environments the core must be able to resist the ballistic movements demanded by the sport, such as extension, flexion and rotation when throwing, hitting, swimming and accelerating. These movements create ballistic extension, flexion and rotational forces through a stable spine, transferring forces from the ground up through the feet, ankles, legs and hips. A core that is ill-prepared, results in inefficient movement, greatly affecting the athlete’s ability to reach his or her full potential. Athletes need to train their core to resist extension, flexion and rotation through all three planes of motion:

SportStars™

February 2015

›› Sagittal plane: Resist Forward Flexion / Backward Extension ›› Frontal plane: Resist Lateral Flexion ›› Transverse (rotational) plane: Resist Spinal Rotation. Athletes also need to make sure they progress from staticto-dynamic-to-integrated-to- ballistic by building a foundation from the ground, to their knees and eventually to their feet. Here is an example: Static Anti-Rotation: Tall kneel to half-kneeling to standing band press-out holds Dynamic Anti-Rotation: Tall kneel to half-kneeling to standing band or cable chops Integrated Anti-Rotation: Offset kettle-bell squats Ballistic Anti-Rotation: Medicine ball side tosses to lateral shuffle side tosses. The goal when training athletes is to choose exercises that will give them maximum transfer to their chosen sport, while minimizing the chance of injury. They need to train the core to resist explosive movements in short burst intervals throughout a game for optimizing their performance. ✪

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Tim Rudd is an IYCA specialist in youth conditioning and owner of Fit2TheCore. For video examples of the exercises described above visit the following URL: http://vimeo. com/117641022

There’s a difference between training to perform and training just so you can look good Like many others, this year I made it a point to kick up my physical training. In fact, I dug out my original training program from Oregon when I used to play football for the Ducks. In the back of my head, I recall how hard the workouts were, but my body hasn’t been a fan of the memory lately. Why? Because I’m training to perform, not just to look good with my shirt off as I have been. The massive difference between the training I have done over the last six years — since leaving the NFL — and the training I’m getting back into, is the sheer focus on power development: strength and bar speed combined. Since I stopped playing, I haven’t had to focus on the physical attributes it takes to perform on the field of play. The change has been a shock to my system and made me think about all the other athletes out there who may be wasting time in the weight room. The worst thing an athlete can do is use the weight room as a place to improve his or her reflection in the mirror. If your goal is to lose weight, shred, tone, etc., then you are kidding yourself if you think its going to translate to you being the most powerful athlete in the game. Because power is the name of the game, and those who have it harness the speed, agility and vertical jump necessary to dominate their competition. Moral of the story: don’t train for show, train for go. ✪ Anthony Trucks is an IYCA-certified trainer who covers weight training for SportStars.

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February 2015

SportStars™

Commitment

CRUNCH Being recruited brings tons of pressure; committing early won’t help you sidestep it get mental: erika Carlson

A growing trend in youth sports, especially female youth sports, is early commitment to college. In 2014, the New York Times ran a story about Haley Berg a 14-year-old 8th grader who, just a few weeks before her first day of high school, accepted an offer from the University of Texas to play soccer — in four years. While it might seem like an unusual scenario, in today’s hyper-competitive sports world, it’s not as unusual as you might guess. So what’s wrong with making a decision early if you can? Why not accept the offer and play without the pressure of being recruited? At a first glance that’s exactly how it looks — the work of recruiting is complete. No more evaluations; no more official and unofficial visits; no more emailing and discussions about possible options. And of course there’s the status and “glory” that comes along with being an early recruit, “I’m going to Texas to play college soccer!” Sounds cool, right? Not entirely. When one looks a little closer, there are many unintended consequences that come along with early commitment. Being “that kid” who committed to college at 14 leaves a lot to live up to. Even with tremendous talent, teens are going to have some tough games. Playing with those expectations every weekend will wear on someone and make him or her fearful of mistakes and not meeting expectations. Successful athletes will tell you that being at the top of one’s game is never easy. It comes with a lot of pressure, and that pressure can turn to fear very quickly. Then there are other factors like injury. Will the commitment still be honored if the athlete is injured? And, what exactly does a verbal commitment really mean? Is it binding? What if the coach the athlete committed to leaves the school? What are the options? It can get complicated very quickly. Academic concerns and whether a school is the right fit for the athlete is a concern too. Most of us are different students as seniors than we were as freshmen. Committing early may also create tremendous fear and anxiety about what the future actually holds. Almost every concern listed above (others expectations, injury, whether or not the school keeps up its end of the commitment) is out of the athlete’s control. So, what’s in your control? Your grades — the most important piece of the puzzle. Yes, you MUST meet the schools academic requirements to get accepted. The better your grades, the more “recruitable” you are. Bottom line, despite the early commitment, there are many factors that still have to fall into place for an athlete to actually attend the school. And while you wait it out, will you miss another, more promising opportunity? So what’s the solution? Patience and due diligence. Being a college athlete can be one of the best experiences of your life. It opens a door to becoming a member of a very elite club. Sadly, parents and athletes alike can get sucked into feeling like they have to make a decision as soon as possible. Kids need parents to be patient, present and ready to help guide them through the decision-making process. Remember, the process itself is an excellent teaching opportunity on how to carefully consider and make big decisions. Mental toughness skill No. 1 is “control the controllables.” In recruiting, that means working hard on your grades, being patient, doing your recruiting “homework” and taking the time to carefully weigh your options. ✪ Erika Carlson is a certified mental trainer and owner of Excellence in Sports Performance in Pleasanton.

SportStars™

February 2015

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training: keith power for kpa elite

Achieving Elite

Maximizing a child’s performance potential could boil down to fostering six skill sets

Having been involved with elite-level youth sports for 25 years, it is clear the expectations today for our young athletes have never been higher. Parents and kids alike feel the pressure to navigate this hyper-competitive, pressure-filled, makeit-or-break-it world of youth sport. As parents, we often ask ourselves, “Am I doing enough?” “Am I doing too much?” As parents we need to take a couple of steps back and ask two key questions. Do I understand student-athlete performance, and do I know where my child’s performance strengths and areas for development actually are? Over the past 25 years, KPA Elite Performance has studied and worked with hundreds of elite performers in student athletics, sport, business, the military, performing arts and show business. This led us to develop The KPA Elite Performance Model™ below, which is a simple, yet powerful way of understanding performance and how to execute at the elite level. It can be applied to any performance environment — not least for parents and student athletes. The KPA Elite Performance Model™ Talent and hard work alone are not the secret of your child’s long-term success. The basis of our model is that your child’s performance as an athlete, a student and individual is made up of six key skills or “cogs”. Success is ensuring that every one of

those six skills is nurtured, developed and implemented. ›› Performance Culture — This is the day-to-day environment, which is created for your child. It’s the bedrock of performance, because it can have such an enormous positive or negative impact on your child’s academic performance, sports performance and behavior. ›› Physical Skills — These are the physical requirements of your child’s sport(s) or position(s). This includes speed, power, strength, endurance, agility and mobility. It’s important to note that these areas develop at different rates. ›› Mental Skills — This is the mental toughness and winning mind-set required by your child to excel in your sport, at academics and in life. This includes resilience, focus, confidence, the ability to perform under pressure and motivation driven by passion and a “love of the game.” ›› Technical Skills — These are general and sport-specific motor skills, or techniques that need to be developed by your child (e.g. passing, running, jumping, catching and throwing). ›› Tactical Skills — Understanding the X’s and O’s of your role, event or sport. In team sports such as basketball, baseball, football, softball, lacrosse and water polo players need to learn offensive and defensive formations. ›› Lifestyle Skills — This is your child’s ability to achieve

balance and to manage the challenges of academics, life and sport. It’s the “off the field” stuff. This includes their ability to manage themselves, their workload, social media and sleep. These six cogs are all skills because they can be learned and are not set in stone. Typically, young performers and parents tend to over emphasize the importance of the technical, tactical and physical skills — especially after the formative years. Parents need to ensure they work on developing an “elite” performance culture and their kids cultivate excellent mental and lifestyle skills. These six skills do not live in a vacuum and each cog affects another. For example, we know from research that regardless of how physically, technically and tactically talented your child is, if the performance culture you provide is too challenging or not challenging enough they will stop playing or studying hard. Every child is different. Where do you think your child’s performance strengths and development needs really lie? For a more comprehensive explanation of this model head over to KPA Elite Online. ✪ Keith Power is founder of KPA Elite Performance. He has competed, coached, led and consulted at the very highest level in sport and business, as well as working for 25 years in elite youth sports as a coach. Previously High Performance Director at Cal. He is also a Professor of Sport Psychology at JFK University.

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February 2015

SportStars™

SNO-PARKs:

Where To Have Your Winter Fun

here’s no shortage of winter recreation opportunities in Northern California, but among the most inexpensive is the state’s SNOPARK program. Distinctive brown highway signs located along highways identify the SNO-PARKs. The program is coordinated and administered by the OHMVR Division of California State Parks, in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service, the California Department of Transportation, the California Highway Patrol and various community organizations. Through this collaborative effort, winter recreation opportunities are provided at 18 SNO-PARK sites along the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. Each SNO-PARK provides visitors access to snow-cleared parking lots and sanitation facilities. The sites can accommodate self-guided activities such as snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and general snow play. The Over-Snow Vehicle (OSV) Program program supports 30 trailheads and 26 groomed trail systems, providing more than 1,700 miles of motorized opportunity on 11 National Forests. These trails are used each year by an estimated 159,000 OSVs bringing upwards of 200,000 visitors to the trail systems. The OSV Program benefits not only motorized recreation, but also non-motorized recreational pursuits such as cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and even dog sledding. Snow conditions determine accessibility and opportunities available at each site. SEASON & PERMITS: SNO-PARKs are open seasonally between Nov. 1 and May 30. A SNO-PARK permit is required for each vehicle parked at a SNO-PARK site during that period. Permits are sold as Day Permits or Seasonal Permits by vendors throughout Northern California. Day permits are sold for $5 and are valid for one single day. Season permits are sold for $25 and are valid for the entire six-month span. You can purchase permits online at www.snowparkpermits.com or from various vendors that can be located using the same website. The SNO-PARK permit must be displayed on the left side of the vehicle dashboard where it can be seen clearly from outside the vehicle. All permits sold are non-refundable. PARKING & RESTRICTIONS: Parking is on a first-come, first-served basis at all SNO-PARK sites. No refunds are issued if your favorite SNOPARK is full. Park and drive carefully within SNO-PARK sites. Watch for pedestrians. Overnight parking, including in-vehicle camping is allowed except where noted or signed at SNO-PARK sites. Tent camping or sleeping outside a vehicle in the parking area is prohibited at all SNO-PARK sites. Do not build campfires on paved areas. Do not litter SNO-PARK sites. Trash containers may not be provided, pack out your own refuse. Carry a shovel and tire chains. Vehicles parked overnight need to be staked at all 4 corners with 1x2-inch thick 8-foot poles to prevent accidental damage by snow removal equipment. Lock your vehicle and do not leave items of value in sight. Winter recreation activities may be hazardous. Your common sense, skill level, use of proper clothing, respect for the terrain and weather will combine to affect your safety. For details, you can call the SNO-PARKs hotline at (916) 324-1222. ✪ — Natalie Lohi for SVRA

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February 2015

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Fundraising.................................................................................18 ❒❒ Cheergyms.Com...............................................................................................................14 ❒❒ Club Sport........................................................................................................................21 ❒❒ Concord American Little League.......................................................................................40 ❒❒ Concord Cobras Youth Football & Cheerleading................................................................41 ❒❒ Core Performance.............................................................................................................40 ❒❒ Core Volleyball Club..........................................................................................................40 ❒❒ De La Salle High School Football Coaches Clinic................................................................46 ❒❒ Diablo Futbol Club............................................................................................................25 ❒❒ Diablo Trophies & Awards.................................................................................................42 ❒❒ East Bay Parks..................................................................................................................46 ❒❒ East Bay Sports Academy.................................................................................................39 ❒❒ Excellence In Sport Performance......................................................................................27 ❒❒ Garaventa Enterprises......................................................................................................23 ❒❒ Halo Headband................................................................................................................46 ❒❒ Heritage Soccer Club........................................................................................................40 ❒❒ Irvin Deutscher Family Ymca............................................................................................27 ❒❒ K P A Elite Performance....................................................................................................37 ❒❒ Lone Tree Golf Course.......................................................................................................46 ❒❒ Mike Murphy Baseball Academy......................................................................................28 ❒❒ Mountain Mike’s Pizza......................................................................................................19 ❒❒ Muir Orthopaedic Specialists............................................................................................43 ❒❒ Northern California Youth Rugby Association...................................................................30 ❒❒ Off- Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division...............................................................45 ❒❒ Placer Valley Tourism Board........................................................................................34, 35 ❒❒ Renaissance Club Sport....................................................................................................21 ❒❒ Rhino Sports Of Northern California.................................................................................26 ❒❒ San Ramon Slammers Baseball........................................................................................41 ❒❒ Sports Gallery Authenticated...........................................................................................41 ❒❒ Stevens Creek Toyota..........................................................................................................5 ❒❒ Sutter Health East Bay........................................................................................................3 ❒❒ The Golf Club At Roddy Ranch..........................................................................................30 ❒❒ The Sports Authority........................................................................................................20 ❒❒ Tpc / The Pitching Center..................................................................................................26 ❒❒ U C S F Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland......................................................................38 ❒❒ United States Youth Volleyball League.............................................................................47 ❒❒ Walnut Creek Soccer Club.................................................................................................24 ❒❒ Win Anyway & All For Kid.................................................................................................41 ❒❒ Wingstop.........................................................................................................................13

SportStars™

February 2015

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