SJ Issue 92, Nov. 2014 by Sport Stars Magazine

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ROOM: You can’t fool us, college football. We’ve got five reason why we are checking out. We could probably do more, but it’s called Top Five.

FENCE: 33 THE Tryouts, sign-ups, fund-raisers and more!

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Lean Into the Fall

e’ve already reached November, which means two things: 1) We all have friends and family who are already Christmas shopping (this annoys us), and 2) We’ve reached our first championship season. It’s true. The next six weeks should be quite eventful, taking us right up to the California Interscholastic Federation State Football Bowl Championship games on Dec. 19-20. As is our tradition here, we wanted to highlight a few of the story lines we’ll be keeping an eye on during fall championship season. So here goes. ›› It could be a really good month for girls cross country. Maybe we haven’t had the big feature on cross country yet, but we’re not ignoring it. For instance, we know that the Campolindo-Moraga girls team is currently ranked No. 3 in the state through Oct. 20 results. The Cougars look every bit prepared to defend their CIF Div. III state championship. But the girls running landscape is a lot more than just Campo. In fact, DyeStatCal.com has six Bay Area girls inside the top 15 of its state individual rankings. Chloe Hansel (Las Lomas-Walnut Creek), Megan McCandless (Granada-Livermore), Gillian Meeks (Gunn-Palo Alto), Brooke Starn (Monte VistaDanville) and Brighie Leach (Campolindo) are all state medalist threats inside their own divisions. Oh, NorCal also owns No. 2 in the DyeStatCal rankings with Davis’ Fiona O’Keeffe. ›› Albany’s Allison Chuang has a chance to make a run at North Coast Section girls tennis history. The two-time defending NCS singles champion will have a chance to beome just the second girl to win three consecutive singles crowns. Karen Laurer of Berkeley High was the last and only girls tennis player to accomplish the feat, winning from 1986-88. ›› Can a girls golfer — perhaps Palo Alto’s Michelle Xie or Justin-Siena-Napa’s Kathleen Scavo — break the NorCal drought of CIF individual state champs? The last top medalist from NorCal was Alameda’s Grace Na in 2010. We think it’s time for a change. ›› Can anyone stop Archbishop Mitty-San Jose girls volleyball from winning a third CIF state title in four years? The Monarchs have appeared practically unbeatable on their climb to the No. 2 in the MaxPreps.com national rankings. Those reading the Bay Area edition right now can turn or click to page 20 and learn about what’s made Mitty such a dominant team this year and a special program over the past few decades. ›› Also, there’s plenty more NorCal volleyball teams looking as though they could be legit title threats. Those include Pitman-Turlock (a story you can read about on Page 14 if you’re currently within the Sac-Joaquin edition), Campolindo-Moraga, Monte Vista-Daville, San Ramon Valley-Danville, Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland and Branson-Ross. ›› San Ramon Valley-Danville girls water polo and Kat Klass, right, has a winning streak that’s exceeded 50 games now. Can they win their fourth straight NCS Div. I crown? If they don’t, that’ll be big news. ›› Oh yeah, there’s football too. Plenty of stories to follow there. Is there anyone in the SacJoaquin Section that could upset Folsom? Grant-Sacramento, perhaps? Can McClymonds-Oakland still challenge for a CIF Bowl berth now that star quarterback Kevin Davidson has been declared ineligible? Will any team come out of the West Catholic Athletic League with enough stamina left to compete for the CCS Open title and CIF Northern Regional bowl bid? That’s a lot to keep tabs on. Just be glad we’re happy to do it for you. We’re also going to slip in a 2014-15 Basketball Preview into November too. So, just watch us for the changes and try to keep up. ✪

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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Got Send your nominations to: Next? Editor@SportStarsOnline.com or tweet us using #SSOTW

DeShawn

Collins

GRANT-SACRAMENTO- FOOTBALL-JUNIOR The junior has sparked a potent Pacers running attack despite starting the season expecting to contribute primarily as a wide receiver. After injury slowed senior Deondré Whittington-Grays, Collins stepped in as a nice complement to junior backfield mate Mike Green II as the two seized control of Grant’s rushing game. Collins leads the team with 1,297 yards rushing through eight games, picking up the majority of those yards (1,150) and 16 of his 17 rushing TDs over the last six games for the undefeated Pacers. He has topped 100 yards in each of those 6 games, including a pair of 200-yard efforts to help land Grant at the top of the Delta League standings. He rushed for a season-high 233 yards and 5 TDs in a 54-29 victory over Monterey Trail-Elk Grove and followed that outburst with an effective 131 yards and 2 TDs in a rout of Sheldon. IN HIS OWN WORDS: “Our goal is to win state, but we know that every game we have to go out and try to win to keep that goal in sight. If we don’t win a state title, it would not be a disappointment, but it would not be a true success because we would know that we did not finish where we wanted to be.”

honorable mention GURMAN KAUR: The FranklinElk Grove junior shot a courserecord 62 (10-under) at Wildhawk Golf Club to win the Delta League individual championship and earn league MVP honors.

NICK YANKE: The Millennium-Tracy junior soccer star has racked up 20 goals and nine assists in October to assume the section points lead. He has scored 32 goals and added 17 assists for the season.

MAYA GILARDI: The Davis senior outside hitter posted 24 kills in a 3-2 win over Delta League rival St. Francis and vaulted Davis into a tight race for the league volleyball title.

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Rapid FiRe

MICHAEL VIANO Alhambra-Martinez Cross Country

MEGAN MCBROOME Rocklin Volleyball

FavoRite on-campus snack peanuts

Trending What’s hot this week in the world of stuff that’s hot Taylor Swift’s eight-second song of annoying static went to No. 1 on iTunes. Annoying static hitting the top of the charts is called the Full Bieber. Walmart was selling costumes under the unfortunately titled ‘Fat Girl Costumes’. Walmart: Come For The Low Prices, Stay For The Low Blows.

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FavoRite thanksgiving dinneR item turkey & mashed mashed potatoes potatoes new movie you’Re most excited to see

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The NBA season is about to tipoff. America celebrates by not caring until football season is over.

Oh, that wacky Ukraine. A man legally changed his name to Darth Vader and is running for parliament, but was denied a chance to vote when he wouldn’t take off his helmet to be identified (we assume he wouldn’t give Donald Trump his birth certificate either).

ginger (my dog’s name)

top item on youR chRistmas wish-list hunting & fishing, running gear

new puppy & green Bay pakcers shirt

A teaser trailer for Batman v Superman is to be attached to the IMAX version of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. That’s a lot of money to buy an IMAX ticket and leave before The Hobbit.

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top 5 Reasons we’Re saying ’meh’ to college FootBall

162

count ’em The number of combined points in Tennyson’s 85-77 football victory over Castro Valley on Oct. 17. The shootout set multiple NCS records, including the combined point total and the most points scored in a loss (77). Both numbers rank No. 2 in state history behind a 2012 game in which Porterville beat Tulare 86-79. More crazy numbers to consume from Tennyson’s win: 1,462 combined total yards and 23 touchdowns.

Stanford is scuffling. Cal is, well, Cal. The Pac 12 is in total disarray (except for, sigh, Oregon). I mean, UTAH looks like it might be the best team in the Pac 12 South, for Utes’ sake. And San Jose State just got keelhauled by Navy. It’s an undeniably disappointing season in college football, as far as we’re concerned. So of COURSE the first set of rankings under the new playoff format comes out this week. Yawn. Wake us when March Madness starts. Here are the top five reasons we’re taking a sabbatical from the remainder of the college football season. 1. HOOLIGANS. How many more Florida State players have to get arraigned before they have to start playing both ways? Two? Three? Is James Caan just wearing a Jimbo Fisher mask on the sidelines? 2. SHENANIGANS. Our criticism of the ‘Noles notwithstanding, how does FSU drop from No. 1 in the AP Poll to No. 2 despite winning every game it’s played this year (after winning every game it played LAST year, too)? The SEC, that’s how. Mississippi State, which has been relevant in football exactly not at all for the past decade, is somehow the No. 1 team in the country. Because the SEC has to have the No. 1 team in the country. Because they said so. Because because. Here’s guessing that at least three of the four teams invited to the playoff come from the SEC. We just threw up in our mouth a little. 3. THE SABANS. Speaking of the SEC, did you see where the Alabama boosters just paid off Nick Saban’s $3.1 million house? And everybody thinks that’s just hunky-dory? Um. Reggie Bush is on the phone. He wants his Heisman back. 4. THE FIGHTING CHAD PENNINGTONS. How come We Are Marshall is ranked No. 23? The Herd is 8-0 — one of just three undefeated teams in the country right now. The other two are ranked Nos. 1 and 2. Marshall, on the other hand, is ranked behind FOUR two-loss teams. Seems legit. 5. THE FIGHTING STEVE SARKISIANS. After last week’s last-minute loss to the Utes, USC just dropped out of the rankings. Snurk. Okay. Actually that one we like. — Bill ‘the fix is in’ Kolb

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say what? “We have 10 seniors on the team and we’ve been working so hard in practice. It’s unbelievable and everyone’s crying. We’re so excited because we know we did it as a team.”

Monte Vista-Danville volleyball player Hailey Lindberg after the Mustangs defeated cross-town rival San Ramon Valley in five sets on Oct. 14. It was Monte Vista’s first EBAL win over the Wolves in more than five years, and it put the Mustangs in the driver’s seat to win their first EBAL title since 1996. The two teams meet again Nov. 6.

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Lovin’ it

AT LevI’s

First high school football event at Levi’s Stadium; 5 suggested matchups It wasn’t the Friday night lights of the Corral at Oakdale High, but for senior fullback Frankie Trent the Saturday afternoon sunshine he felt on Oct. 11 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara will warm him up until he’s an old man. Trent scored a whopping six touchdowns to lead Oakdale past Manteca 42-21 in a matchup of Valley Oak League rivals that was moved to the new NFL home of the San Francisco 49ers when Manteca’s August game against WilcoxSanta Clara had to be postponed due to turf conditions at the stadium. “All week long it never hit me that we were playing here, but when we first walked on the field I got so excited and so pumped up,” Trent said. “After the first snap is when it started to feel a little like a real game.” Although it was a tough afternoon for Manteca, its players sopped up the experience like a hungry dog lapping up tuna juice. “The whole experience was just great,” said Luis Reyes of the Buffaloes, who scored twice on long plays. “Just unbelievable to see yourself on that screen. It just would have been much better if we won.” The first Friday game in the event — which was dubbed Friday Night Lights — produced a tie in the state record book. It happened in the category for most interceptions by one team after Wilcox-Santa Clara collected nine of them in its 67-20 win over Santa Clara. The other games during the weekend were between JesuitCarmichael and Elk Grove (Jesuit won 41-38 in Friday’s second game) and De La Salle-Concord and James Logan-Union City (DLS won 51-7 in Saturday’s second game). In talking to at least one 49er official on Saturday, the concept of bringing in local high school teams to experience the thrill of playing at Levi’s was from the team’s Chief Executive Officer Jed York himself. Judging from the crowds — 11,115 on Friday and 8,906 on Saturday — and the reaction of the players, it’s an event that certainly could be called a success.

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Phillip Walton

Manteca quarterback Jakarai Charles launches a pass during the Buffaloes Levi’s Stadium game against Oakdale. It doesn’t seem like the 49ers, however, are interested in building the Friday Night Lights event into something bigger. It’s more about giving back to the local communities and letting as many local schools, their players and their fans get the experience of playing and being inside the stadium. With that in mind, here are some suggestions we have for

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possible future matchups in the Friday Night Lights series. These are done with 49ers history in mind and with the condition that the games will be scheduled earlier in the season and would not be league games like they were this year due to the earlier cancellation from Aug. 30. 1. PALO ALTO VS. PITMAN-TURLOCK This would be a competitive matchup and would involve the alma maters of head coach Jim Harbaugh (Palo Alto) and current star quarterback Colin Kaepernick (Pitman). 2. WASHINGTON-FREMONT VS. HAYWARD This matchup could be dubbed the Bill Walsh Bowl similar to San Jose State vs. Stanford. Walsh is a graduate of Hayward High and later began his legendary career as the head coach at Washington. 3. VALLEY CHRISTIAN-SAN JOSE VS. PITTSBURG Valley Christian has tons of 49er connections, and may have more than any other school. Three straight head coaches — Steve Mariucci, Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary — all had sons who played there. Former 49er QB Trent Dilfer has a daughter, Maddie, who led VC to a state title in volleyball last year. (Maddie’s younger sister Tori is now a sophomore captain for the Warriors.) And there also are former 49ers who’ve been coaches there, including current offensive line coach Ron Stone. Pittsburg is the home of the late John Henry Johnson, who is the greatest 49er (so far) from a Northern California high school. Johnson is an NFL Hall of Famer who still ranks as one of the top running backs to ever play for two teams — the 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers. 4. PALMA-SALINAS VS. EDISON-FRESNO They’ve got to get Edison-Fresno into this deal somehow since the Tigers are where 49er Super Bowl winners Tim McDonald, Charles Young and Greg Boyd all went to high school. Palma is the alma mater of 49er Super Bowl-winner Chris Dalman, who is now Palma’s dean of students. His son, Drew, also is a promising 6-foot-2, 225-pound sophomore lineman. 5. ROCKLIN VS. ST. FRANCIS-MOUNTAIN VIEW Rocklin is where the 49ers held their training camp for many years before Rocklin High even existed. St. Francis has been where the sons of several former 49er players (such as Ronnie Lott) have played in the past. ✪

California football rankings

Foothill-Pleasanton’s Isaiah Floyd Previous ranking in parentheses; through Saturday, Oct. 25 1. (1) — St. John Bosco-Bellflower 6-1 If you don’t know by now, the Braves will remain No. 1 in the state until they lose to an in-state opponent. 2. (2) — De La Salle-Concord 8-0 St. John Bosco has almost lost three times in its league but still remains unbeaten, so the Spartans stay in the No. 2 position. 3. (4) ▲ Folsom 8-0 After Mater Dei lost to JSerra Catholic, it was time to move the Bulldogs to third in the state. One computer ranking has them ahead of DLS, but that may not hold. 4. (8) ▲ JSerra-San Juan Capistrano 7-1 Lions’ 17-10 win over Mater Dei was school’s first-ever over vs. Monarchs after 8 tries. 5. (3) ▼ Mater Dei-Santa Ana 6-2 Have losses to JSerra and St. John Bosco, but own head-to-head win over Centennial.

Servite’s Travis Waller 13. (15) ▲ Westlake-Westlake Village 6-2 Senior kicker Kevin Robledo recently made 40th field goal to become state’s No. 1 on career list. 14. (17) ▲ Bishop Amat-La Puente 5-3 Two of the three losses were to higher-ranked teams, and Lancers have been red-hot. 15. (18) ▲ Serra-Gardnea 6-2 Hungry defense turned loose in 38-21 over Alemany as Cavs eye Mission League title. 16. (7) ▼ Servite-Anaheim 4-4 22-17 setback to Santa Margarita came with a hobbled Travis Waller (Oregon commit) at QB. 17. (14) ▼ Lutheran-Orange 4-4 Like Servite, all losses to higher-ranked teams, some very close. 18. (20) ▲ Notre Dame-Sherman Oaks 6-2 Having win over San Mateo Serra still paying off for the Knights.

6. (5) ▼ Centennial-Corona 5-2 Despite winning, the Huskies had to drop a spot to stay behind Mater Dei.

19. (21) ▲ Serra-San Mateo 5-2 Close call between Padres, Milpitas for No. 1 in CCS, No. 2 in Bay Area.

7. (6) ▲ Oceanside 8-0 Pirates beat Carlsbad 28-14 on a night they honored greatest alum – the late Junior Seau.

20. (22) ▲ Milpitas 8-0 Trojans can have best season in school history by a wide margin.

8. (8) — Long Beach Poly 7-1 As CIFSS teams in the Trinity and Mission Leagues beat each other up, Poly is cruising in Moore League. 9. (11) ▲ Santa Margarita-Rancho Snta Mrgrita 6-2 Eagles move up after beating then-No. 7 Servite 22-17; only losses are to Bishop Gorman (NV.) and JSerra 10. (10) — Grant-Sacramento 8-0 Pacers have four effective RBs and use them behind o-line with three 300-pounders. 11. (13) ▲ Crespi-Encino 7-1 Using the veer offense, it might be the hottest team in SoCal. 12. (12) — Bakersfield 7-1 Coach Paul Golla recently won 100th game and team is sharper with Lameshio Hill moving to QB.

21. (16) ▼ Foothill-Pleasanton Solid effort in 56-21 loss to De La Salle puts Falcons behind Milpitas but in front of Cathedral Catholic.

7-1

22. (23) ▲ Cathedral Catholic-San Diego 8-1 The Dons’ only loss is 55-10 to Folsom, have 9-7 win over Helix. 23. (19) ▼ Alemany-Mission Hills Warriors’ final two opponents for regular season are ranked higher (Notre Dame & Crespi).

6-2

24. (25) ▲ Helix-La Mesa 7-1 Best wins for Highlanders: Del Oro-Loomis, St. Bonaventure-Ventura 25. (NR) ▲ Upland 6-2 Former No. 24 Rocklin lost to Folsom which opened door for the CIFSS West Valley leaders. DROPPED OUT: Previous No. 24 Rocklin

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Great Game, Little Attention Why don’t water polo players get more respect? It’s a really hard sport; it’s got tactics, and there’s plenty of action. But other sports get more coverage, and it seems like water polo is something no one cares about but the players and coaches. A.N., Orinda verything you say is true (even if this magazine DID have a water polo cover story just last month), but the biggest difficulty is that a lot of the action takes place under water where no one can see it. (There is a reason, after all, that water polo players wear two swimsuits. The risk of embarrassment is way too high to wear just one, what with all the clutching and grabbing going on beneath the surface.) Another issue is the rules. The players swim up and down, and the ref blows his whistle for no apparent reason and the ball goes over to the other team. And then suddenly a player gets sent to the side, again for no apparent reason, and one team plays with a man advantage. OK, OK, anyone who knows the sport knows what’s going on, but for the uninitiated, it’s confusing — and those are just the people you’re talking about. Still, there’s a lot even a newbie can appreciate: The strength and skill of the hole set, the agility of the goalie, the

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November 2014

stamina of the players as they relentlessly swim up and down. And when two good teams go at it, the energy from the fans close to the pool is exhilarating. But I still think it’s going to be a long road before water polo is a big-time sport in America. For one thing, it’s not a good TV game — again, because so much of the action happens underwater. On top of that, only a small percentage of Division I colleges offer the sport — 22 men’s Division I teams and 33 women’s teams — which means that there’s less

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interest at that level. (The scholarship count is low too: Eight for each women’s team, and 4.5 for each men’s team.) All of that said, how much does the outside attention really matter? High school sports are valuable not because of newspaper stories or scholarship offers or the number of students who watch from the pool deck, but rather for what the process of playing at a competitive level teaches those who compete. It’s about the experience, not the respect of outsiders who don’t know the rules or appreciate the difficulty of water polo. If you love to play, if you love to compete, and you’re excited about your high school water polo career, you should be thankful you have the opportunity to play. (In fact, so should every high school athlete.) The coaches, the swimming pools, the buses to away games, all of that is support and structure that allows you to do what you love to do. Sure, it would be nice if more people really understood what a good game water polo is, and what went in to being successful, but it’s still fun, right? And someday maybe you can challenge the football players to a game, and see how long they last before they’re hanging on to the side of the pool just trying to remember how to breathe. ✪ Clay Kallam is an assistant athletic director and girls varsity basketball coach at Bentley High in Lafayette. To submit a question for Behind the Clipboard, email him at clayk@fullcourt.com

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“W

here is Pitman High?” “Who is Pitman High?” These questions were a familiar refrain throughout the day during the high-profile Stockton Classic volleyball tournament at Delta College on Oct. 18. And for Pitman — the fast-rising volleyball program out of Turlock — it’s been a common

theme this year. Despite entering the Stockton Classic nationally-ranked with a 28-0 record and having lost only one set all season, Pitman has remained a relative unknown in the Northern California volleyball world over the first half of the season. That should change after the Pride’s performance at the Stockton Classic. Pitman reached the finals after wins over Central Coast Section-stalwart Presentation-San Jose (2-1), the Sacramento Bee’s top-ranked volleyball team, El Camino-Sacramento (2-0) and another strong CCS team, Notre Dame-Belmont (2-0). Archbishop Mitty-San Jose — the state’s top-ranked team and No. 2 team in the nation, according to MaxPreps.com — awaited Pitman in the finals and rolled to a straight-sets win. But by then, a lot more people knew the answer to the question, “Who is Pitman?” “I am very proud of the way my team played and battled against the very best competition this tournament provided,” said Pitman coach Kristen Pontes-Christian, who is now in her eighth year of leading the Pride. “We knew this was going to be a good test for us as we had to earn every point instead of being given easy points that we are accustomed to (in league play).” Pitman plays in the Central California Conference (CCC), which is not known as being a hot-bed for volleyball. Being that there are only six teams in the CCC, Pitman has three rounds of conference play amongst the other schools. This is unique and it does hamper Pontes-Christian from scheduling nonleague matches. “Part of the reason we are so unknown is that we have fewer contacts than most big programs prior to league,” the coach said. “We would love to play Sacramento teams. Our league just is not that competitive, yet, so our practices are where we get most of our intensity. We are able to play all 14 players during league play so that helps out our depth.” Pitman, like most schools in the sprawling Central Valley, depends on its homegrown talent. “Yup, our girls are all from little ol’ Turlock and one player from Hilmar, but I knew this when I first started,” PontesChristian said. “I started a club volleyball team a few years back. I saw that the skills and techniques were simply lacking in junior high volleyball programs. I wanted to change that for the Turlock area. Five of my current seniors played club ball for me as well as some of my underclassmen.” Outside hitter Lindsey Vander Weide, a University of Oregon-bound senior, is one of those players who has developed under coach Pontes-Christian. Vander Weide was named to the MaxPreps.com 2013 All-State Volleyball team and she is undoubtedly ticketed for that honor again this year. Vander Weide had 257 kills with a near-50 percent hitting percentage through the Pride’s first 34 matches. She simply

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Maddy Halteman, left, and Whitney Barnes

crushes the ball. Like her coach, she loves the “underdog” label. “Everyone knows that Bay Area teams are good because they play beach volleyball too, but not too many squads are concerned about valley teams because it’s just this little team from down south,” Vander Weide said. “But what they don’t realize is that we have good players, too. Our win versus El Camino was big. It was the best game we played all season and it (will) certainly help us as we start the playoffs knowing we can compete against the best schools.” Fellow senior Maddy Halteman, a setter, has intangibles. The ability of the Fresno State-commit to see the floor is invaluable. Kills and assists are planned, but having the knack to know exactly when and where to dump or dink the ball gets those unexpected points and not everyone has those abilities. Halteman’s keen sense of the opponent’s floor positioning is what makes her dangerous. “Our team wants to start strong and be smart,” the setter said. “We have to play smart, especially against tournament competition. We want to go all out all the time and stay focused. We now know we are at a level where we can accomplish a lot. Our play in (the Stockton Classic) has helped us. We will bring it in the playoffs.” Vander Weide and Halteman earned All-Tourney selections at the Stockton Classic, but the two senior leaders can’t do it alone. The Pride is also getting contributions from freshman Whitney Barnes (88 kills and a team-high 62 blocks) and sophomore Yisel Perez (105 kills). Pitman’s ball-control and defense is also boosted by the play of junior Lauren Solis (92 digs) and senior Ashleigh Phelps (104 digs). Predictably, Pitman has rolled through conference play and is on a 30-plus match winning streak in the CCC. They sit on the cusp of winning their third straight CCC title but rest on the knowledge that they are capable of playing with just about any team in Northern California. The Pride’s loss to Mitty dropped it out of the national rankings — which, in truth, is just the way the team wants it. They will continue to be that little ol’ school from Turlock that nobody knows about — until they do. ✪

"Our team wants to start strong and be smart. We now know we are at a level where we can accomplish a lot.” — Maddy Halteman, below center

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The Sac Joaquin Section girls volleyball playoffs begin Thursday, Nov. 6, and will conclude with championship matches being played at UC Davis on November 21

DIVISION I ›› THE FAVORITE: Pitman-Turlock. The Pride have top talent led by seniors Lindsey Vander Weide and Maddy Halteman, but competitors are still learning about the team. Pitman turned heads when it advanced to the championship match of the Stockton Classic, defeating El CaminoSacramento, Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton and Notre Dame-Belmont. Pitman suffered its only loss of the season, as of Oct. 24, to nationallyranked and state-No. 1 Archbishop Mitty-San Jose. The Pride will likely earn the top seed in the section playoffs, a berth reinforced by Pitman’s 77-4 set record through Oct. 20. ›› CONTENDERS: Granite Bay, St. Francis-Sacramento, Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills and Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove. ›› ONE PLAYER TO WATCH: Brooke Hershberger (Granite Bay). The senior outside hitter has thrived as the Grizzlies’ primary offensive threat after the graduation of Maddy Deters and Nicolette Pinkney from the 2013 CIF State Div. I Championship team. Hershberger has racked up a team-best 279 kills by hitting through, around, and off opponents’ blocks. She’s also added 187 digs. ›› PREDICTION: Pitman 3, Granite Bay 1.

DIVISION III Maddie Haynes of Rocklin

DIVISION II ›› THE FAVORITE: Oakmont-Roseville. The Vikings have a first-year head coach in Devon Quok, but plenty of experience on the court. Middle blocker Kyra Rogers leads a quartet of seniors that contribute the majority of Oakmont’s offense. Rogers leads the team with 335 kills and has hit with a .421 kill percentage. Outside hitters Abby Downs (152 kills) and Kalala Strickland (151 kills) provide additional weapons for setter Ally Wubben. Wubben has pounded down 119 kills to go along with her 782 assists. Oakmont’s lone SJS loss came against Div. I-power Oak Ridge. ›› CONTENDERS: Rocklin, Rodriguez-Fairfield, Roseville and Vintage-Napa.

›› THE FAVORITE: El Camino-Sacramento. The Eagles are loaded with playoff experience that head coach Martin Soyama hopes will translate to a third section championship in four years. Seniors dominate the El Camino lineup headed by four-year contributors Mikaela Nocetti and Devin Herenda. Nocetti has been a key cog as an outside hitter and the recipient of a fraction of Herenda’s nearly 3,300 assists as an Eagle. The setter has 595 assists thus far in 2014 (10.3 assists per set) and plenty of offensive weapons to distribute the ball to. In addition to Nocetti, senior opposite hitter Makenzie Reeder-Esparza has tallied 131 kills while middle blockers Elizabeth Dahlberg and Kate Nicknig have added a combined 242 kills and 154 blocks. ›› CONTENDERS: Christian Brothers-Sacramento, Benicia, PlacerAuburn and Vanden-Fairfield.

›› ONE PLAYER TO WATCH: Maddie Haynes (Rocklin). The 6-foot-4 outside hitter seeks a second consecutive Div. II section title, and the junior will have one more year to add more accolades. The UC Berkeley-commit, who earned a spot on the USA 18U national team over the summer, leads the Thunder with 335 kills and enjoys excellent service from junior setter Megan McBroome.

›› ONE PLAYER TO WATCH: Mikaela Nocetti (El Camino). The senior has the section’s best kill percentage, winning points at an astounding .561 clip. The Portland-commit has 238 kills (4 kills per set), 117 digs, and 68 aces. Both she and Herenda are attempting to win their third SJS championship as Eagles.

›› PREDICTION: Oakmont 3, Rocklin 2.

›› PREDICTION: El Camino 3, Christian Brothers 2.

DIVISION IV ›› THE FAVORITE: Sonora, pictured left. The Wildcats edged Hilmar in a thrilling section final with a large group of talented juniors that return for a shot at a second straight championship. Hitters Savannah Lawrence, Angela Cardella and Shannon Friend are all seniors with thoughts of capping their high school careers with back-to-back crowns. Setter Bella Bergamaschi quarterbacks the potent offense that came within one game of a state title last year. ›› CONTENDERS: Hilmar, Escalon, Amador-Sutter Creek and Bear River-Grass Valley. ›› ONE PLAYER TO WATCH: Emily Baptista (Hilmar). Just a junior, the 6-foot-2 three-year starter leads the section with 401 kills, averaging 7.7 kills per set. Despite opponents knowing that Baptista is the Yellowjackets’ main source of offense, she has an impressive .476 kill percentage, and has added 294 digs and 54 aces. ›› PREDICTION: Hilmar 3, Sonora 1.

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November 2014

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Jesuit soccer’s senior captains turned 2013 section finals defeat into foundation for a stronger team and singular focus

eams often face a crossroads after a heartwrenching loss on the biggest stage. The path chosen can lead to destruction or reconstruction. The Jesuit boys soccer team experienced a painful loss at the feet of Granite Bay in the 2013 Sac-Joaquin Section Division I Championship which has defined the 2014 Marauders and their season-long quest. After giving up two late goals in the final minutes of a 2-1 overtime loss in the section final, Jesuit chose to come together rather than fall apart. “Individualism last year impacted our performance,” senior captain Gonzalo Garcia said. “In the section final, the leadership was not there and Granite Bay showed up, played well, and made us pay for that. “As a team captain, I want to change that and make sure that we are all part of the team and one family.” Garcia and co-captain Luc Barbe, a three-year starter in goal for the Marauders, made it their mission to pull the team together, so that the program could return to what they consider its rightful place — atop the section and among the best in the nation. “I decided to make it my goal to make everything inclusive,” Barbe said of rallying the team together for his final season on the high school pitch. “Last year’s team was a bit divided, so we made it our goal this year to be one team and have no separation of seniors from underclassmen. This year we are truly a team.” That team spirit has resulted in Jesuit compiling an 21-1-1 record through Oct. 27 that includes a first-place standing in the Delta Valley League with an 8-1-1 mark. The Marauders’ lone loss— a 3-1 defeat inflicted by league- and section-rival Davis — came in mid-September when Jesuit was without the majority of its starters due to injuries, red card suspensions and disciplinary actions. Since the loss, Jesuit has been perfect in 15 games, including a 2-1 victory over Davis in the rematch. That contest was played at Bonney Field, home field for local USL Pro League franchise Sacramento Republic FC, and illustrated the strength and depth of Jesuit’s roster this season. Senior and leading scorer Diego Buenrostro opened the scoring and sophomore Lucas Churchill added the deciding goal before the Blue Devils pulled to within one goal with a late penalty kick. That a senior and sophomore lead the Marauders’ offense is testament to the newfound integration of the team, united for a common goal. “We are integrated as a team this year with everyone willing to compete and put in the effort to succeed,” said

From left, Gonzalo Garcia, Luc Barbe and Diego Buenrostro Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, and like us on Facebook!

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November 2014

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Luc Barbe

Gonzalo Garcia

Buenrostro, who leads the team with 18 goals. “We might not be as talented as some past teams, but the chemistry is definitely there. We feel that there is no reason we should be losing any games.” Losing has long been uncommon at Jesuit. Head coach Paul Rose, who began coaching in 1979, is the winningest high school soccer coach in California history and has guided the Marauders to nine section championships and a Top-25 national ranking every year since 1996. The program has lost just one game per season in each of the last three seasons, including the current campaign. Jesuit’s attempted return to the top has been a total team effort, just as planned by the senior leaders. Barbe, an Army-commit, has been solid in the net and vocal in practice and games as he prepares for his leadership goals at the military academy in West Point. He will not likely match the state record of 24 shutouts he set as a sophomore on Jesuit’s 2012 section championship squad, but postseason victories — regardless of goals scored against — are far more important to posting a clean sheet. Garcia, the other co-captain, anchors the midfield and provides a presence much larger than his frame. The Westmont College-commit has six assists this season, but teammates point to his work ethic as an inspiration and motivation. “The work he puts in transfers onto the rest of the team,” Buenrostro said. “He is always working hard, and his energy amps up the team.” His energy has led to a heightened level of play on both ends of the field and from all classes. 22

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Diego Buenrostro Buenrostro (18 goals, 10 assists) and Churchill (10 goals, 12 assists) have filled the net with help from senior Nick Kolokotronis (eight goals, three assists). Junior Michael Mellor, who has missed time due to injury, is expected back soon to give the Marauders’ back line a boost for the postseason. Still, Rose sits at the heart of the Jesuit program. He became the state’s winningest high school soccer coach by way of a calm and steady approach, but he leaves the worry of rankings and notoriety to others. The coach understands that his teams can only control the results of the games played on the field. “I try to preach not to worry about the rankings because that is something we can’t control,” Rose said. “If you don’t win a section title, then the rankings don’t matter. “You go out and try to win a league title to control home field in the playoffs, but none of that matters if you lose your last game.” After Jesuit did just that — lost its last game — Barbe committed himself to lead the team to a victory in this season’s final game, with a painful reminder of 2013’s pain as motivation. “On my desk at home, I still have the Division I bracket printed out with each round updated,” Barbe said. “After the final, I wrote ‘GRANITE BAY’ in big letters to serve as a reminder.” Meanwhile, a rematch with Granite Bay seems more possible every day. The Grizzlies were 17-1-0 through Oct. 27, well on their way to taking the Sierra Foothill League title. “I know what it’s like to win one and what it’s like to lose one,” Barbe concluded. “And I’m not going to lose another one.” ✪ Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, and like us on Facebook!

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Oakdale’s Shelby Stender 24

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fter enough baby steps, you can eventually make a giant leap. Since the Oakdale girls’ water polo program started 12 years ago, the players and coaches have worked to make small improvements in order to gradually become an established playoff contender. Those small steps finally became a giant leap for the Mustangs when they claimed the program’s first Sac-Joaquin Section title by dethroning Division II power Rio Americano-Sacramento. “At first, we went for fifth in league, then third, and then to win the league,” coach Diane Kline said. “Finally, we made the playoffs and got further each year to the point where we reached the section final in 2011 and won it last year.” Success bred a hunger for more victories and a realization that Oakdale water polo was no one-hit wonder. Returning the core group for that title team, the Mustangs understood they were just scratching the surface of what they could become. “Last year, we were very young with lots of room to grow,” senior center Emily Stolken said. “The success that we experienced motivated the players because we knew that we could get even better.” Oakdale has followed up its 2013 campaign — which included a 27-7 record along with the section title — with a 20-4 start in 2014 against bigger and better foes. The Mustangs have yet to lose to an SJS team, having compiled early-season victories over section stalwarts Rio Americano, Del Oro-Loomis and Division I-contender St. Francis-Sacramento. The biggest step was still to come when Oakdale recently ventured into the deep end of the competition in the A Bracket of the Western States Tournament in Modesto. Behind the steady offense of seniors Stolken and Shelby Stender and the stifling defense led by junior goalkeeper Caitlin Golding, the Mustangs rolled through the competition to set up a semifinal showdown with 11-time SJS Division I champion and regional measuring stick Davis. Overcoming any intimidation or apprehension about facing the section’s best, Oakdale prevailed 7-4 over Davis and nearly claimed the prestigious tournament title. The Mustangs lost the championship match to Bay Area-power Miramonte-Orinda 12-11 in overtime. “It was a good bonding experience for the team,” Stolken said of their Western State performance. “It was very communal, and a moment that really showed us what we have all worked so hard for. It was a big boost for our team morale and attitude.” That attitude will benefit the Mustangs when they inevitably end up as the top seed in the Division II playoff field. “We have always been the underdogs, including in the section final last year,” Stender said. “We are not used to being the team with the target on our back, and we tend to play better as an underdog.” The continued success of the girls water polo program may never supplant football as the town’s favorite athletic pastime, but it certainly has caught the attention of locals as well as the broader water polo community. Stender comes from a line of water polo talents. Her father, Alan Stender, was an accomplished player in high school and college before entering coaching. He is the former boys coach at Oakdale and is now co-coaches the girls with Kline in addition to coaching in the USA Olympic Development Program. Shelby’s older sister, Savannah, graduated in 2012, and was a member of the Mustangs’ squad that advanced to its first section final in November 2011. Stender’s speed and play-making ability in the pool make her a dangerous complement to the steady presence of Stolken in the two-meter/center position. In the 2013 season, Stender led the team with 107 goals and 14 assists while Stolken added 103 goals for a rare duo of 100-goal scorers. That dual threat has only gotten better this year as opponents are forced to pick their poison between the powerful Stolken in the middle or cutting Stender on the outside. Golding anchors a defense that has allowed an average of just 5.5 goals per game and allowed double digits to an opponent just twice (both in losses to Miramonte). As a sophomore, she shut down defending champion Rio Americano to record a 5-3 victory in the historic section final. “Outside shooters stand no chance against her because she is very long and her leg strength is unbelievable,” Stender said. “She is also an excellent passer and has the capability to read exactly where to throw outlet passes to set up counter attacks.” With a growing youth program and young talent ready to assume lead roles when today’s stars graduate, Oakdale has developed into a legitimate power. “It’s nice to have the acknowledgement, and it’s a different vibe when we play the top teams in Northern California now,” Stender said. “I definitely hope to come home from college and still see the program competing for section titles as an established contender.” Just another step. ✪ Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, and like us on Facebook!

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ook good, feel good. Feel good, play good. The debate over whether a football team’s looks can translate into wins may not have many supporters. But that has not stopped Under Armour, Nike, and adidas from forging on in their growing uniform/brand wars. Under Armour was the latest to up the ante in college football when the rising sports equipment and uniform brand paid a reported $90 million to Notre Dame to outfit the Irish athletic teams for the next 10 years. That deal was richer than the $82 million that adidas paid in cash and product to Michigan. The primary catalyst for the uniform rage was Nike’s transformation of the University of Oregon’s uniforms around 2000. Alum Phil Knight created a new era in football uniforms and the battle for supremacy has raged on the college gridiron ever since. More recently, the trend to “dress up” uniforms and create an innovative athletic test lab on campuses has moved to high schools across the nation. Bishop Gorman-Las Vegas, the top-ranked team in the nation, has a seemingly infinite number of combinations to mix and match its Nike uniforms. Other top programs have been targeted by the “big three” in recent years as well. Folsom, the Sac-Joaquin Section’s top-ranked powerhouse, switched from Nike to Under Armour before the 2014 season, and is looking and feeling very good with the agreement. The Bulldogs were approached by Under Armour to become a part of the company’s Undeniable Program, which was launched in

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Records are through Oct. 25

2006 to partner with high-profile high school football programs to supply uniforms, apparel, shoes, and equipment. Del Oro is also in the Undeniable Program and has enjoyed the UA brand for three seasons now. While both the Golden Eagles and Bulldogs are among the area’s most prominent football programs, success on the field is not the sole factor in Under Armour selecting schools for its top-tier uniform program. “Nationally-ranked programs are naturally the first teams to be approached to partner with Under Armour Undeniable, but we are looking for more than just the latest top program,” said Matt Valentine, who works in Northern California team sales for Under Armour. “We are looking for programs that are built on consistency and that we believe will be positive representatives of the brand. “With Casey Taylor at Del Oro and Kris Richardson and Troy Taylor at Folsom, we believe that we are getting quality coaches and people with programs that can be excellent representatives.” Folsom has enjoyed the partnership that has provided fashion and financial flexibility. With discounts on uniforms and equipment provided by the Undeniable Program, and apparel included in the deal, the Bulldogs were able to use some funds typically raised for uniforms and instead buy a second set of varsity helmets. With the white alternate helmets added to the traditional blue helmets and multiple pants and jerseys, Folsom has sported a different look for the majority of its games this season. “In many ways, this has been real positive for us,” Folsom co-head coach Kris Richardson said. “It’s really all about the kids. They know that they have college-level gear and uniforms, they run out of the Bulldog head through the smoke,

and our facilities are great. There is a sense of pride in that for players, fans, and alumni.” Players from all over the section take pride in their schools and that also translates to their uniforms. All of the players asked about the subject of uniforms and brands had favorite uniforms at the college and local high school level, but every one of them also played down the importance of brand in relation to performance. “I think that there are more important things to worry about than what brand you are wearing on the field,” Elk Grove senior defensive back Shaunard Harts said. “Once you get on the field, the uniform and brand does not matter.” Folsom wide receiver Josiah Deguara and Del Oro defensive back Justin Burrage both professed to value function over fashion. Still, both have been impressed with the innovative designs and technological features included in today’s uniforms and equipment. “I had never worn Under Armour except for the compression shirts and gear under uniforms before, and I have never been one that has to have the latest stuff,” Deguara said. “But the uniforms are comfortable, they look cool, and the cleats are way better than I thought they would be.” While Under Armour is the “youngest” of the big three brands — it was founded in 1996 and entered the high school uniform arena just 8 years ago — it has supplanted adidas as the No. 2 supplier in the United States due in large part to the company’s constant desire to provide the most advanced athletic equipment. “We are still pushing innovation to give athletes every advantage on the playing field,” Valentine said, “and that is what will drive athletes and programs to Under Armour.” Sounds good. ✪

1. (1)

—

De La Salle-Concord

8-0

2. (2)

—

Folsom

8-0

3. (3)

—

Grant-Sacramento

8-0

4. (4)

—

Serra-San Mateo

5-2

5. (5)

—

Milpitas

7-0

6. (9)

▲

Valley Christian-San Jose

5-2

7. (7)

—

Clayton Valley Charter-Concord

8-0

8. (6)

▼

Foothill-Pleasanton

7-1

9. (8)

▼

Rocklin

7-1

10. (10) —

Bellarmine-San Jose

6-1

11. (12) ▲

Campolindo-Moraga

8-0

12. (13) ▲

St. Mary’s-Stockton

7-1

13. (14) ▲

Los Gatos

6-1

14. (15) ▲

Palma-Salinas

7-0

15. (16) ▲

Pittsburg

6-2

16. (NR) ▲

St. Francis-Mountain View

4-3

17. (17) —

Elk Grove

6-2

18. (18) —

McClymonds-Oakland

7-0

19. (19) —

Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton

7-0

20. (20) —

Concord

7-1

DROPPED OUT: No. 11 Vacaville BIGGEST MOVER: St. Francis-Mountain View, which becomes the first three-loss team to be ranked after it took then-No. 9 Valley Christian-San Jose two overtimes to beat the Friars. St. Francis also has a 15-14 win over Archbishop Mitty-San Jose, which took No. 10 BellarmineSan Jose to the wire before losing 20-17. St. Francis deserves to be — and still should be — ranked when it gets its own shot at Bellarmine on Nov. 7. None of the teams which lost their head-to-head matchup with another Top 20 team got bounced from the rankings. No. 20 Concord (who lost 48-40 to No. 7 Clayton Valley Charter) was the most at risk, but coming back from a 34-8 deficit to have a 1st-and-goal opportunity to tie the game showed enough spunk to keep them around another week. KNOCKING ON THE DOOR (alphabetically): AnalySebastopol (7-1), Archbishop Mitty-San Jose (4-3), California-San Ramon (6-2), Enterprise-Redding (7-1), Freedom-Oakley (6-2), Granite Bay (6-2), Inderkum-Sacramento (7-1), Jesuit-Carmichael (7-1) Monterey (7-1), Salesian-Richmond (6-2), Sierra-Manteca (8-0) and St. Mary’s-Berkeley (8-1).

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tri steps: liz elliott

Three mistakes new triathletes make during the offseason months For most triathletes, the official season is February through September each year with some late season races in October and early November. It’s a long season. October through January is technically an offseason, but what is it “off” from? There are proven ways to make your next season better, and proven ways to sabotage it, depending on what you do and don’t do during your break. Following are the top three mistakes triathletes make in the offseason which can greatly affect their next season: 1. THEY CONTINUE THE SAME ROUTINE of swim, bike and run at the same intensity, volume and balance that they were during triathlon season. The offseason is the time to rebuild a base of strength, aerobic fitness and get better at your form in your area of weakness. If you continue to push your muscles at the same intensity, you will actually get slower, and have a much higher injury and illness rate. During the intensity of racing and/or hard practices, small muscle fibers break down around your joints, leaving your joints weak. Recovery is needed. During the offseason, work on form in swim, bike and run, but spend more time on your area of weakness for endurance and add a strength routine. If you need to, take swim lessons, or bike lessons. Take the time to get the right bike fit. And most importantly, do a regular routine of resistance strength training in all planes of motion. Doing strength routines in the gym and after an endurance session is great, but only if you’re using correct form and technique. Learn from a professional. Start with body weight in exercises you need the most stability and coordination, then add weight and tempo for more of an endurance workout. 2. THEY DON’T REST. Nearly 85-90 percent of our training is about pushing through and completing a goal. We become very familiar with what it takes to advance and achieve, and we forget to rest. Rest is essential for physical, mental and emotional health. Rest is when the muscles recover and get stronger. Rest comes in many forms. There is actual sleep and naps, taking a day off of training, active recovery workouts and stretching and massage as well. Learn and practice dynamic stretching, foam rolling and other form-based exercises with a trained professional to make your time in the gym more effective while reducing your chances for injury and illness. Incorporate rest into each workout, each week, each month, each training phase and each season. 3. THEY CONTINUE THE SAME DIET as if they are still training like they were during peak training periods. During the off season, work with a professional to find out the exact intake of calories you should be eating, and how to best hydrate for your sweat rate. Learning and practicing how to “eat right for you” is essential, even more so during the offseason when you are not working out as much or as hard. Learn how to use your offseason wisely. Triathletes have only so much time in a day, a week and a season. Come February, it’s all swim, bike, run, and triathlon skills and workouts. Focus on form, strength and areas that need extra attention. And hang out with your friends and family and recharge your mind. ✪ Liz Elliott is the head coach at Tri-Valley Triathlon Club and also works as a National Academy of Science and Medicine-certified Elite Level personal coach at Crunch! Fitness in Blackhawk.

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BUILDING FROM THe

INsIDe

OUT Training to becoming the best possible athlete starts with the core, pelvis and hips TRAINING TIME: TIM RUDD FOR IYCA Tim Rudd is an IYCA specialist in youth conditioning and owner of Fit2TheCore

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An athlete’s core, pelvis and hips are the centerpiece of his or her athletic development and the key to becoming a better athlete. The hips have a ton of movement and are surrounded by big muscles, such as the glutes, quads and hamstrings, which are incredible power producers. In order to become the best athlete possible, athletes need to train for mobility, stability and strength around their hips. Let’s look at each of these qualities in a bit more depth:

STEP #1: IMPROVE MOBILITY

STEP #2: IMPROVE STABILITY

STEP #3: STRENGTH AND POWER

Getting more mobility from the hips is an effective way to improve an athlete’s speed, strength and power. Foam rolling the major muscle groups around the hips gets these muscle groups to relax a bit, improving their mobility and range of motion, allowing them to more effectively load their hip muscles.

The next step involves improving the athlete’s pelvic alignment, focusing on improving stability and control over his or her pelvis. If the hips are out of alignment, most notably in an anterior tilt (forward tilt), the athlete is not going to be able to extend his or her hips effectively. Stability is the name of the game when it comes to being fast and explosive, especially when running or coming in and out of cuts. This is why stability is important — if athletes can’t control the various joints in their body, they’re not going to be as strong or explosive as they should be. And it could even predispose them to injury. So how do we fix this? In the weight room! This is an ideal time to incorporate split-stance and single-leg movements to an athletel’s weekly program.

The goal of strength and power training is simple – to get STRONGER and more POWERFUL. The best athletes in the world use the gym to get stronger. They perform hang cleans, squats, deadlifts and push-and-pulls. I put a ton of emphasis on developing the backside of my athletes. I also focus on developing a strong and stable core, which helps to properly align the pelvis, as well as improving mobility, stability and strength. ✪

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health watch: jamie faison

ReTURN TO RUN What steps should injured athletes follow before they begin running again? After getting injured, it is important for athletes to use a structured and systematic program to return back to your prior level of function. Here at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Sports Medicine Center for Young Athletes we have a specific and progressive sequence of requirements that we use to get athletes back to running in an efficient and gradual way. Our Return to Run program consists of certain stages or benchmarks that athletes need to meet in order to move their way back to pain-free running. Each stage must be completed without increasing pain, tightness or stiffness. The most important of these stages is building adequate strength in the legs, hips and trunk. We use exercises such as squats, lunges, planks and heel-raises to assess an athlete’s readiness to start full-effort impact loading. Once an athlete has adequate strength in the core and lower body, we make sure they have adequate balance and form with single-leg impact activities. Since running occurs on a single leg, it is of utmost importance that our athletes are strong and

stable on a single leg without any compensation. Once we have established that they have sufficient balance and stability, then we start the athlete on an interval running program — usually with a walk and one-minute jog. From there, we will progress to longer intervals of running, then sprinting and lastly multi-directional activities that require planting and cutting. If an athlete is unable to complete these basic exercises, they will not be cleared to start running or returning to their sport. If there is any report of pain or any compensation with these basic movements, then that athlete is not ready to increase his/her running speed, intensity or distance. Using a systematic program for getting injured athletes back to running helps us make sure our kids have the proper fundamental movement patterns to progress onward safely. ✪ Jamie Faison is a physical therapist assistant at UCSF Benioff’s Children’s Hospital Oakland and its Sports Medicine Center for Young Athletes in Walnut Creek. He is also a certified athletic trainer who specializes in treating, rehabilitating and educating injured high school athletes.

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knee pain: hunter greene, m.d.

KNee KNOWLEDGE

Looking at factors behind general knee pain in young athletes

As a teen who is active in sports, it is not uncommon to experience knee pain behind the kneecap. It’s not caused by an abnormality in the knee and does not cause lasting damage. However, it does mean that you may need to adjust your training routine. The pain usually begins gradually. You might hear popping or crackling sounds in the knees when you climb stairs or stand up and walk after a prolonged period of sitting. Pain may flare up when you do activities that repeatedly flex the knee, such as jumping, squatting or running, and at night. The knee may become swollen and tender. Without treatment, you may also develop tendon strains and thigh muscle weakness. What’s causing this knee pain? Because of the complex anatomy of the knee that allows it to bend while supporting heavy loads, it is very sensitive to small problems in alignment, activity, training and overuse. Pressure may pull the kneecap sideways in its groove, causing pain behind the kneecap. In teenagers, a number of factors may be involved: ›› Imbalance of thigh muscles (quadriceps and hamstrings) that support the knee joint ›› Poor flexibility ›› Problems with alignment of the legs between the hips and ankles ›› Using improper sports training techniques or equipment ›› Overdoing sports activities If your knee pain is lasting, see your doctor to diagnose the cause and to get treatment. Tell your doctor when the knee pain started and provide details about your sports participation and training. Also let your doctor know which activities aggravate your knee pain. An exam will help determine the cause of pain and rule out other problems. Your doctor may ask you to stand, walk, jump, squat, sit and lie down. He or she will check alignment, stability and other issues. Both of your legs will also be X-rayed. Ice, rest and rehabilitation are the usual treatments for teens with pain behind the kneecap. After the pain and swelling go down, you will probably need to exercise your knee to regain range of motion, strength, power, endurance, speed, agility and coordination. You may be able to prevent recurrences of knee pain by: ›› Wearing shoes appropriate to your activity ›› Warming up with stretching exercises before physical activity ›› Stopping or reducing any activity that used to hurt your knees ›› Limiting the total number of miles you run in training and competition ✪ Hunter Greene, M.D., is a board certified orthopedic surgeon with Summit Orthopedic Specialists in Carmichael, CA. He specializes in adult and pediatric sports medicine.

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November 2014

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scary strong Four strength training regimen tips with a Halloween flare It’s the holiday season and the first one happens to be a personal favorite, Halloween. On this holiday, I get to scare everyone without getting yelled at. One thing I also like to see is people get “scared” at how freakishly strong they become when applying the next simple techniques to their strength training regimen. ›› No Trick or Treat. Don’t trick yourself into thinking that if you miss days on your lift you’ll still get the treat of scary strength. The body needs to continuously train in order to properly adapt. You miss days, and you’ll miss gains. ›› Get a training partner who knows how to spot you safely, and push you PAST your mental limits. It’s those extra reps at a little more weight that you need to get you past those strength barriers. ›› Have a progressive plan based on your current strength that allows you to know when, and by how much, to increase the weight during your lift. ›› Less is more. When it comes to strength gain you don’t want a bunch of reps. Everyone is always wondering how many sets and reps a person needs to improve strength. For strength, you’re looking at between one to six reps. Increase the weight as you decrease the reps. Also, keep it to around three to six sets with ample rest in between each one. Now go out there and get strong. Always remember there’s no shortcuts to the candy in this process. You have to earn it, baby! ✪ Anthony Trucks is an IYCA-certified trainer who covers weight training for SportStars.

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November 2014

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POCKET RADAR A Santa Rosa-based company has developed a hand-held radar device that has turned the use of radar in sports on its head. You can lug around one of those big old radar guns, or something that does the same thing and is the size of an iPod. SportStars will be doing a larger story on this device in our Nov. 20 issue, but in the meantime, check it out at Pocketradar.com

INDOOR SOCCER AT USA Sooner or later it’s going to start raining more often. We think. When that happens, what’s a better way to burn off some energy than joining an indoor soccer league? Universal Sports Academy in Martinez is holding winter leagues for kids (U8-U14) and adults (coed and men’s). Teams are registering now, though individuals can also register. More info: contact Julio Borge @ jborge6017@aol.com, or at 925-783-3564

SLAMMERS SOFTBALL CLINICS Well, if soccer isn’t your game then maybe softball is? The San Ramon Slammers softball club will be providing winter clinics every Saturday from December through January. They will be held at the team training facility and are open to kids of all ages. Coaches from various college programs will teach strength and conditioning, hitting, defense, pitching and catching and hold scrimmages to get you ready for spring. More info: email Ali Palmero at alipalermo7@yahoo.com.

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November 2014

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Rugby continues rapid growth in NorCal & beyond

he sport of rugby is a relative unknown in the United States. Over the past three years just here in Northern California, the youth playing community (under 8s through high school) has grown 24 percent to a solid number of right around 5,000 registered players in 2014. Rugby continues to be one of the fastest growing sport in America with over 450,000 players at all age grades. There is always room for additional growth and information about the sport, which this monthly column will hopefully provide. Over the coming months, we will continue to update you with league progress, stats and rankings for our high school league here in NorCal, and opportunities for you to get involved in this fantastic, family friendly sport. For this first column I wanted to set a bit of an introduction to the sport and talk about it’s growth and standing, not just in NorCal, but nationally and internationally. Rugby has certainly grown to something that’s more than just a club sport at carney’s the interscholastic levels. In fact, it has really taken off in the college ranks over corner: the last two years. Many colleges and universities now provide financial assistance Mark Carney or full scholarship opportunities for rugby players to attend their institutions. With the sport of rugby being reintroduced to the Olympic Games in 2016 in Rio de Janiero, in the 7-a-side version of the sport, rugby will continue to garner the national attention. If you are reading this on or before November 1, tune into NBC at 12:30 p.m. to watch the USA Men’s National Team take on the New Zealand All-Blacks, arguably the world’s best team, live at Soldier Field in Chicago in front of a sellout crowd of 60,000 fans! This is an opportunity for the American public to really be introduced to the sport at the National level, and to see what rugby means to those who know and love the sport. It will certainly be a tough test for our National Team, but the USA has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, from this historic test match. If you have questions about the sport, or want to know how to get involved, or find a club near you, visit our website: www.ncyrugby.org for more information. ✪

Mark Carney is executive director of the Northern California Youth Rugby Association. EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first issue featuring our expanded rugby coverage through a partnership with the Northern California Youth Rugby Association. Mark Carney’s column will be a regular part of the package that will expand further when the high school season begins in late January.

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November 2014

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A Higher Perspective .......................................................................................................37 Bay Area Rhino Court ......................................................................................................23 Big O Tires Northern California/ Nevada ............................................................................2 Blaze Volleyball ...............................................................................................................35 Catchflame.Com ..............................................................................................................37 Championship Athletic Fundraising ................................................................................12 Cheergyms.Com ..............................................................................................................15 Club Sport .........................................................................................................................5 Core Performance .......................................................................................... 25, 34, 35, 38 Diablo Futbol Club ...........................................................................................................36 Diablo Rock Gym .............................................................................................................25 Diablo Trophies & Awards ................................................................................................33 East Bay Bulldogs Basketball ...........................................................................................34 East Bay Parks .................................................................................................................37 East Bay Sports Academy ................................................................................................16 Excellence In Sport Performance .....................................................................................31 Football University I350 ..................................................................................................25 Foundry Sport .................................................................................................................40 Garaventa Enterprises .....................................................................................................21 Halo Headband ...............................................................................................................37 Home Team Sports Photography .....................................................................................32 Kangazoom .....................................................................................................................32 M L B Scout Online ..........................................................................................................33 Modesto Magic................................................................................................................35 Mountain Mike’s Pizza .....................................................................................................18 Muir Orthopaedic Specialists ...........................................................................................30 Northgate High School ....................................................................................................37 Oakland Police Department Recruiting ...........................................................................26 Oakland Warthogs Youth Rugby ......................................................................................26 Passthaball......................................................................................................................37 Prepstarsonline.Com .......................................................................................................22 Renaissance Club Sport ...................................................................................................31 Rhino Sports Of Northern California ................................................................................23 Rocco’s Pizza....................................................................................................................33 Sacramento Lacrosse Association ....................................................................................33 San Ramon Slammers Baseball .......................................................................................35 Sky High Sports ...............................................................................................................33 Sport Clips .......................................................................................................................17 Sports Gallery Authenticated ..........................................................................................34 Sportstars Magazine Wing Stop......................................................................................36 Stevens Creek Toyota .......................................................................................................19 Sutter Health East Bay .......................................................................................................3 The First Tee Of The Tri Valley ...........................................................................................34 The Golf Club At Roddy Ranch .........................................................................................23 Tpc / The Pitching Center .................................................................................................22 U C Davis Health System ..................................................................................................29 U C S F Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland......................................................................29 U S Cryotherapy...............................................................................................................16 United States Youth Volleyball League ............................................................................39 Wingstop ........................................................................................................................13

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November 2014

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