SJ Issue 56, Nov. 22, 2012

garcia watches and waits

vol. 3. issue 56

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Sac Joaquin

BIG TIME aaron cochran & Buhach colony are hoping to make history

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it’s ballin’ time: check out our must-see games.

Pg. 26

rankings sportstars’ top football Teams

back-to-back: El Camino, St. Francis each repeat as volleyball champs

Perfect 10

PHONE 925.566.8500 FAX 925.566.8507 Editorial Editor@SportStarsOnline.com Editor Chace Bryson. Ext. 104 • Chace@SportStarsOnline.com Staff Writers Erik Stordahl, Jim McCue Contributors Bill Kolb, Mitch Stephens, Matt Smith, Clay Kallam, Bryant West, Dave Kiefer, Liz Elliott, Tim Rudd, Jonathan Okanes Photography Butch Noble, Bob Larson, Jonathan Hawthorne, James K. Leash, Norbert von der Groeben, Phillip Walton, Doug Guler Intern Ryan Arter Creative Department Art@SportStarsOnline.com Production Manager Mike DeCicco. Ext. 103 • MikeD@SportStarsOnline.com Publisher/President Mike Calamusa. Ext. 106 • Mike@SportStarsOnline.com Advertising & Calendar/Classified Sales Sales@SportStarsOnline.com, (925) 566-8500 Account Executives Erik Stordahl • Erik@SportStars Online.com, Phillip Walton • PWalton@SportStarsOnline.com, Tommy Enriquez • Tommy@SportStarsOnline.com Sac Joaqin edition: Dave Rosales • DaveRosales64@gmail.com Reader Resources/Administration Ad Traffic, Subscription, Calendar & Classified Listings info@SportStarsOnline.com • Deb Hollinger. Ext. 101 • Distribution/Delivery Mags@SportStarsOnline.com Distribution Manager Butch Noble. Ext. 107 • Butch@SportStarsOnline.com Information technology John Bonilla CFO Sharon Calamusa • Sharon@SportStarsOnline.com Office Manager/Credit Services Deb Hollinger. Ext. 101 • Deb@SportStarsOnline.com Board of advisors Dennis Erokan, CEO, Placemaking Group Roland Roos, CPA, Roland Roos & Co Susan Bonilla, State Assembly Drew Lawler, Managing Director, AJ Lawler Partners Brad Briegleb, Attorney At Law

Jesuit justifies ranking with another title

Story, Pg. 20

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First Pitch...........................................6 Locker Room....................................8 AAA SportStars of the Week......11 Behind the Clipboard....................12 10 to Go..........................................26 Red Zone.........................................30 Training Time...................................34 Health Watch .................................35 Impulse.............................................36

follow aaron: Buhach Colony football has a pretty simple plan — let Aaron Cochran lead the way. Pg. 14 Granite Bay’s Paige Lee delivered another top 10 effort at state. Pg. 18 on the cover: From left, Stefon Gold, Aaron Cochran, Leon Miles. Photo by James K. Leash.

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your ticket to sac joaquin sports admit one; rain or shine This Vol. #3, November 2012 Whole No. 56 is published by Caliente! Communications, LLC, 5356 Clayton Rd, Ste. 222, Concord, CA 94521. SportStars™© 2010 by Caliente! Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. Subscription rates: 24 issues, U.S. 3rd class $42 (allow 3 weeks for delivery).

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November 22, 2012

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Walk Then Run After losing her 2011 state championship race by one second, Karlie Garcia had to put redemption on hold

C

arrie Verdon’s come from behind victory that won her a second-consecutive Division III state title was the feel-good story of the California Interscholastic Federation State Cross Country Championships a year ago.

The Campolindo-Moraga senior began feeling pain in her right foot one-third of the way into the race and pushed through it to finish Fresno’s Woodward Park course in a winning time of 17 minutes, 19 seconds.

Karlie Garcia’s time of 17:20 was a footnote.

“It happened pretty fast,” Garcia recalled of the final moments of the race. “I wasn’t really mad I didn’t win, though. I was happy with my time, and was more like ‘Darn it! She got me right at the end.’ If anything, I think the experience helped me run better the following week.”

The then Oakmont-Roseville junior dusted herself off and won the Foot Locker Western Regionals — Verdon’s foot injury kept her from competing — and then the week after that, finished fifth at the Foot Locker Nationals in San Diego.

She came home from Southern California viewed as one of Northern Calfornia’s brightest cross country stars and was deemed an immediate state championship favorite for 2012.

But when the starting gun went off for the CIF Division III state championship race at Woodward Park on Nov. 24, Garcia was a spectator.

She was only a few weeks removed from re-training her body to walk normally after a stress fracture in her left foot had her in a walking boot for four weeks.

“You really do have to re-teach your body how to walk, and then run,” she said. “After walking in a boot for so long, your hips feel lopsided and your foot still hurts.”

The injury was discovered just a few days before the Stanford Invitational on Sept. 29. And Garcia knew right away that her shot at the state title was gone.

“During track season in my sophomore year — one day after the (Sac-Joaquin Section) Meet of Champions — I had the same thing happen in my right foot.

So I’m all evened out now.” Garcia said jokingly.

Garcia expects to be at full strength when the track season arrives in March, and perhaps she can still attain some CIF redemption in a distance event at the State Track Meet in June.

But her true love is cross country.

So was the week leading up to the state championships as excruciating as we might expect?

Chace@ “YES!,” she exclaimed emphatically. “Really bad.”

SportStarsOnline.com And while nobody would’ve blamed Garcia if she planned on catching a matinee showing of “Skyfall” (925) 566-8503 or “Flight” — or BOTH, back-to-back — during the afternoon of Nov. 24, Garcia was adamant that she’d be glued to the live webcast of the state championships.

She will have a teammate running as Oakmont’s Marisa Carino qualified as an individual.

She also said she’d be following a few strong competitors and friends from other schools, including Vista del Lago-Folsom’s Clare Carroll and Madeleine Ankhelyi.

“I’ll be all into it,” she said.

And that’s pretty cool. ✪

First Pitch Chace Bryson Editor

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November 22, 2012

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rapidFIRE Item at top of your Christmas list

Date at which Christmas carols can be played

What product do you hope survives, unlike Twinkies

Martin Lawrence

New Jordan shoes

Day after Thanksgiving

Skittles or Starburst

Zach Galifianakis

GoPro

Dec. 17Dec. 26

Loofas

Favorite Thanksgiving dinner item

Favorite rainy day activity

Funniest actor/ actress

Sweet Potatoes

Hanging out indoors

Run

James Prothero, James Logan FB

Butternut squash soup

2 5 .

to tape adventures with teammates

only

I like them

count’EM

Aidan Goltra, Campolindo XC

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November 22, 2012

Recorded rainfall in inches for Hayward on Nov. 17, the day of the North Coast Section Cross County Championships.

Many who were at the event remarked it was the worst conditions they had ever seen for the 3-mile Hayward High course.

And seeing as how the 0.52 inches set a new record for Hayward rainfall on the date of Nov. 17, it’s probably true. Moreover, 60 percent of that rain total fell over a 70-minute span during the heart of the competition. For more rain-soaked images of the event, turn to page 24.

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Throughout the week we like to poll our Facebook fans on random things that come to our mind here at SportStars HQ. Come ‘Like’ us at www.facebook.com/sportstars to join the conversation. You just might find your comments in a future issue.

FROM NOV. 6: Happy Election Day! Who did everyone vote for as the best Bay Area sports team?

■ A week after the world series? Is this a real question ? — Anthony N. ■ NFL — 49ers, MLB ‚ SF Giants, College football — Stanford Cardinal, High School football ‚ De La Salle Spartans, of course! — Dave M.

sayWHAT “She was our go-to girl.

Everyone looked to her when it got tough out there and she was just amazing.”

Oakmont-Roseville volleyball coach Shelby Weinberger on the play of Katie Carle, right, who posted a team-high 25 kills and helped lift the Vikings to a come-from-behind, five-set victory in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III final.

Oakmont trailed 2-0 after the first two sets.

Jonathan Hawthorne

Brooke Starn of Monte Vista.

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kful Top 5 Reasons To Be Un-Than that means

ally, Well, folks, it’s Thanksgiving. Tradition -blah-blah columns blah for kful than we ’t aren smarmy, sappy, s suck. We here at and lists and such. Well. Those thing rning, sophisticated audidisce SportStars know you’re a more intelligence with that your lt insu ’t won ence. Which is why we offer you our top 5 reasons nonsense. Nope. Instead, we now to be Un-Thankful. , Giants win; there was 1. The World Series — Sure sure t we are unthankful for wha w Kno . much rejoicing, la-dee-da and swordsman Inigo there? To paraphrase the great sage not satisfied.’ Less baseMontoya, ‘Over too quickly. We are shoulda gone seven. Now It . ball is ALWAYS a bad thing, folks League World Series Little h? watc to what are we supposed reruns? hard it is to be a sports 2. Greatness — Do you realize how you look there’s ere ywh Ever fan in the Bay Area right now? championship a or er winn ion divis a a playoff contender or ay. Our DVR Anyw . riors War the ’s there , Also favorite. Oh. have time ldn’t wou we can’t handle all the options. And ay. to watch everything, anyw and potatoes and 3. Ubiquity — Turkey and stuffing TV and blockbuster family and company and football on day hasn’t even The h. movie releases… it’s all too muc just so hard to It’s d. uste exha dy started and we’re alrea pace yourself. of itself is an4. Greatness, Part II — That, in and had to break we s, noying. There’s so much greatnes — are know you Do ble. it over two items. Unforgiva is in Area Bay the t grea how of — re you FULLY awa and nalnatio have high school sports? You think they in ts spor all in ls idua state-ranked teams and/or indiv , tello Poca in ears their of out all seasons coming They do NOT, Idaho or Bismarck, North Dakota? old. I little a my friends. They do not. It gets a state t abou ed excit mean. How do you get one her anot ’s there know you title run when hum.

Ho er. corn the nd arou right ing com et: 5. Haste — Dirty little magazine secr you re befo aay waa stuff We had to write this at was it that ns mea h Whic it. had to read ing and least FIVE DAYS before Thanksgiv s decostma Chri we had already seen flipping initly, Crim . such and ials rations and commerc t abou said just we t wha see not people. Did you re holiday befo pacing yourselves? Let’s finish one you know, thing t Nex we? l shal , next the onto moving too.

Day, g we’ll be jumping the gun on Groundho at SportStars, oges Scro and ches From the Grin ng. have a very un-happy Un-Thanksgivi

James K. Leash

November 22, 2012

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November 22, 2012

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Defending your title is difficult enough. But doing it in the pouring rain and running in the mud definitely throws a wrench in strategy. Jena Pianin did just that when she captured her second straight NCS Div. I cross country title with a 3-mile time of 17 minutes, 56 seconds on Nov. 17 at Hayward High School.

SportStars Magazine: How was it running in those conditions?

Jena Pianin: It was kinda crazy. We had some idea that it might rain and that it might be muddy. I didn’t expect it to downpour during the race, though. You just have to tell yourself everyone is running in the same conditions. … You just have to put the conditions aside and you keep running.

SSM: How do you prep for that?

JP: We have to run on all different types of surfaces. … The more you run, the more used to surfaces you get.

SSM: When did you know you were going to win?

JP: I wasn’t 100 percent sure because nothing is ever guaranteed until I crossed the finish line.

I knew what I had to do to qualify my team for state. … It was just win at all costs.

SSM: Where does this performance rank amongst your personal bests?

JP: I’m happy I was able to defend my title. … It was such a huge goal (to qualify our team for

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jena pianin amador valley . cross country . senior

honorable mention

lilly walker The Diablo FC ’00 Blue Rampage goalkeeper allowed only two goals in three games at the Heritage Harvest Cup on Oct. 27-28.

harris ross The Pittsburg running back had himself a game on Nov. 9 at Monte Vista. He put up 269 rushing yards and four TDs as the Pirates won 55-29.

savrinah oliveros

Jonathan Hawthorne state) and season-long fight and I was glad to contribute to that.

JENA’S QUICK HITS Favorite athlete: Mo Farah Favorite class: We the People program, Civics team Favorite Starbucks item: Pumpkin Spiced Latte w/ extra whipped cream

In her first year in gymnastics, she moved on to the Level 4 State competition with a 36.45 all around score at the Harvest Moon Invitational on Oct. 27.

November 22, 2012

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TRUST US Refs aren’t plotting against your school

The refs have always hated our school, and we just lost a football game because of some really horrible calls. Why aren’t there better refs?

— F.K., Oakland

ctually, there are two questions, and the first is “Why do the refs hate my school?”

The answer to that one is simple: “They don’t.”

Look, officials work a lot of games in a lot of places and they simply don’t have the energy to remember that they really dislike this school so they’re going to call a lot of penalties, but they love this other school so they won’t. And think about it: When a ref sees what might be a penalty, does he stop and think which team did it before he throws the flag?

The answer is obviously no, and here’s proof. Presumably if officials go out of their way to make bad calls against one team, another team, or teams, is getting a bunch of good calls. So what team is that?

What fans and what team anywhere believes the refs love them and give them good calls all the time?

Again, the answer is obvious: No one. Everyone feels like the refs are against them, everyone feels like they get robbed every game, and everyone wishes there were “better” refs — that is, refs who wouldn’t call any penalties on their team, and a bunch on the other team.

So first, refs don’t hate anyone, and don’t think about what schools are playing when they make calls. They’re just out there trying to do the best they can.

Which leads to question two, which is “Why aren’t there better refs?”

The answer to that one is simple too: “If a ref is exceptional, he’s doing college or pro; most likely, he’s doing high school games for the same reason coaches are coaching in high school — he wasn’t quite good enough to make the jump to the next level.”

Now let me be very clear: There are excellent officials and excellent coaches at the high school level, and plenty of both. But the cream of the crop, the 1 percent if you will, get promoted to the next level — and the result is you have high school-level coaches, high schoollevel officials and, more to the point, high school-level players.

Again, there are good players in high school, and some very good ones, just as there are good (and very good) coaches and refs, but all in all, the level of playing, coaching and officiating in high school is not at the level of the same game in college. And that’s why the refs are going to be shaky sometimes, just as coaches and players make mistakes as well.

There are other reasons for the perception that officiating isn’t good at the high school level, but I only have so much room in these columns, so I’ll let it go now. But remember, the refs probably don’t even know what your team mascot is, and don’t care whether you win or lose. And, just like the players and coaches, they’re doing the best they can every time out. Maybe they aren’t spectacularly good, but how many people involved in high school sports really are? ✪

A

Behind the Clipboard Clay Kallam

Clay Kallam is an assistant athletic director and girls varsity basketball coach at Bentley High in Lafayette. To submit a question for Behind the Clipboard, email Coach Kallam at clayk@fullcourt.com

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November 22, 2012

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James K. Leash photos

Buhach Colony’s Aaron Cochran, center, is flanked by teammates Stefon Gold, left, and Leon Miles.

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November 22, 2012

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With 6-foot-8 offensive lineman Aaron Cochran, Buhach Colony seeks first SJS finals appearance

I

By jim mccue | Senior Contributor

t’s not easy to get attention in the far southern reaches of the Sac-Joaquin Section.

With Sacramento-area programs like Grant and Folsom winning CIF State Bowl games in the upper divisions, Central Valley programs struggle to earn recognition despite having bowl game winners like Escalon in the lower divisions.

Buhach Colony is a relatively young school (the Atwater campus opened in 2000) that has fought to gain traction even in its own county, battling for regional headlines with traditional powers such as Merced and Golden Valley.

Buhach Colony doesn’t even have it’s own field. The Thunder use Atwater High School’s Falcon Field for home games, but has recently earned ownership of the Atwater turf by defeating the Falcons each of the last four years.

That four-year span coincides with the emergence of Buhach Colony as a local and section power. The Thunder earned its first playoff berth (as the No. 16 seed) in 2009 before grabbing the top seed in Division II in both 2010 and 2011. The run of playoff success started in head coach Kevin Swartwood’s fourth year at the helm and has continued with a third consecutive semifinal appearance after defeating Antelope 35-28 on Nov. 16.

“It’s a process,” Swartwood said of the program’s rise to prominence. “It takes a couple of years to get things in order and set the culture. Pretty soon, the kids take the reins and you can let them grow the program.”

The talent Swartwood has to work with has increased as the program has grown, and there may be a direct correlation with the arrival of sizeable talent from Texas in 2009.

That year, Rodrick Cochran moved his family to Atwater to become pastor of the Friendship Baptist Church in Merced, bringing along his wife and two sons. Matt, a sophomore in 2009, and Aaron, a freshman upon arrival in Atwater, played a large role in shaping the success of the Thunder program.

Before Matt accepted a scholarship to California, the brothers were part of Buhach Colony’s two top-seeded teams that fell in the Div. II semifinals to eventual section champions. And with his older brother gone, the offensive line was left in the capable hands of Aaron to lead for one final shot at reaching new postseason heights.

At 6-foot-8 and 350 pounds, Aaron Cochran is an imposing presence who demands respect and attention from opposing defenses and teammates. As

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November 22, 2012

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November 22, 2012

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“Aaron is exactly that guy. He’s not about the glory, but is all about the team.”

Head coach Kevin Swartwood the lone returning starter from the offensive line that powers the Thunder’s dangerous fly offense, Cochran has rallied all of his teammates in the quest for breaking new ground in the playoffs.

A soft-spoken giant on and off the field, Cochran leads by example and picks his spots to voice his opinion with teammates. His quiet leadership has directed the team toward collective success rather than personal milestones.

“Aaron is exactly that guy,” Swartwood said of what makes a team player. “He’s not about the glory, but is all about the team.”

Thus far, Cochran and his Thunder teammates have compiled a 10-2 record that includes a third consecutive Central California Conference title. Buhach Colony will face Folsom in the semifinals of the Div. II playoffs with the hopes of reaching its first-ever SJS final.

The Thunder is hopeful it will achieve greater success as the underdog than it did as the favorite the past two seasons. In both 2010 and 2011, Buhach Colony entered the playoffs undefeated and did not get its first taste of defeat until it resulted in the end of its season. This year’s team, the No. 5 seed in the playoffs, is hoping early season losses can translate to playoff victories. Buhach Colony lost to Clovis North in Week 2 and suffered a 36-35 overtime defeat against Bay Area-power SerraSan Mateo 36-35 two weeks later.

“I definitely think (the more difficult schedule) has helped during league play and now in the playoffs,” Swartwood said. “The physicality of Clovis North taught us a good lesson, and I don’t think that we have been outhit since that game.”

Cochran echoed similar sentiments.

“When we went into the playoffs undefeated, we had not faced as much adversity,” the senior lineman said.

“We have a different outlook going into the playoffs and feel more battle-tested.”

Before the league season started, the Thunder was still in a transitional phase as the potent offense had yet to jell and reach previous levels of production. In 2010 and 2011, behind the steady blocking of Aaron and Matt Cochran, Buhach Colony averaged more than 300 rushing yards per game and approached 10 yards per carry in each of those seasons.

In the first four weeks of 2012, senior running backs Stefon Gold and Leon Miles were finding the way a bit

tougher. The offense averaged less than 7 yards per carry. Since the losses, the running game has taken off with Gold and Miles making multiple trips to the end zone and the offense averaging nearly double digits per touch.

“It was a pretty tough transition because I was used to having much bigger guys lined up next to me in the past,” Cochran said of the new-look offensive line. “We have a bunch of average-sized guys, so I was skeptical at first about how well we would be able to run the ball.”

Cochran is happy to share credit with linemates David Waites, Christian Ochoa, Victor Garcia, and George Lopez, as well as tight end Rafael Sosa. After Cochran, just one player in the group weighs more than 230 pounds. But most observers, which include recruiters from around the nation, point to Cochran as the large straw that stirs the Thunder’s offensive drink.

“He is the whole package,” Swartwood said of the blue chip recruit. “From his behavior and effort to his physical size, he has it all. His size is obviously his greatest asset, but his work ethic is pretty spectacular.”

That work ethic has translated into Cochran growing from a big body with little football experience (he had played just two years of organized football before entering high school) to a big-time NCAA Div. I prospect and potential NFL blocker. Still, some opponents have doubts about a young man as large as Cochran being able to move well enough to block them.

“People underestimate my quickness and think that a big guy can’t get off the line like I do.”

With a nearly 90-inch wingspan, Cochran can reach out and flatten opposing linemen or opt to pull around the end of the line to seek out unfortunate linebackers and defensive backs as he looks to clear a path for his runners.

The next path the huge lineman hopes to clear will be through the same Folsom team that abruptly ended the Thunder’s season two years ago.

“I’d be lying to say it wouldn’t be sweeter to beat them, but the satisfaction of reaching the section final would be greater than any revenge,” Cochran said of his team’s focus. “We really just want to get past the semifinals and reach the section finals for the first time.”

And a berth in the CIF Division II Regional final at Sacramento State would surely deserve attention and respect for a program and community thirsting for it. ✪

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November 22, 2012

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not backing down The State Girls Golf Championship tends to be a SoCal affair, but that didn’t stop a few NorCal standouts from crashing the party

H

By jim mccue | Senior Contributor

ard and fast greens at Red Hill Country Club in Rancho Cucamonga made for a challenging day for the 54-golfer field at the 2012 CIF Girls’ State Golf Championship.

And in an event that has historically been dominated by Southern California participants, the NorCal contingent battled respectably — placing a team inside the top three and pair of individuals inside the top 10.

Granite Bay’s Paige Lee was Northern California’s top individual, as the senior claimed a top-10 finish for the second straight year with a 5-over 79. It was a solo ninth-place finish for Lee, who finished in a 12-golfer tie for eighth place in 2011. She also qualified for the tournament as a sophomore in 2010.

“Qualifying for State three years in a row means so much for me,” Lee said. “(Playing at State) shows me where my game stands against some of the best California golfers.”

She attributed the difficulty of the greens to the higher scores from the entire field, and pointed to her putting as the one component of her game that could have pushed her farther up the leaderboard.

“I think if more of my puts dropped, things might have been different,” she said via text message. “Just from putting alone, I could have improved my score by at least four strokes.”

Her 79 was five strokes off the winning pace set by Torrey Pines’ Minjia Luo, who won the individual title along with the Falcons’ team title. Diamond Bar finished second as a team, 19 strokes back of Torrey Pines. And, in a bit of a surprise, third place belonged to Mission San Jose-Fremont as it edged out Palm Desert by a stroke.

It was the second straight state appearance for the Warriors, though less may have been expected of them this year after they finished third at the NorCal Tournament behind Foothill-Pleasanton and St. Francis-Sacramento. However, at Red Hill they were 13 strokes better than Foothill and 19 better than St. Francis.

Foothill’s sister engine of seniors Alex and Katie Sborov still showed well, as they each landed inside the Top 17 finishers.

Alex fired an 80 and Katie was one stroke behind her at 81.

And while St. Francis finished in sixth place, the future is bright for the Troubadours. With just one senior in the team’s starting six, St. Francis will return the majority of its players

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November 22, 2012

Butch Noble

Granite Bay senior Paige Lee lines up a putt during the SJS Masters Tournament. She finished up her high school career with a second straight Top 10 finish at the CIF State Championships on Nov. 12.

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to make another run at State in 2013.

Junior Emily Laskin, who is likely to lead that charge, was the team’s low scorer in Rancho Cucamonga despite battling pneumonia. She shot an 88, but felt that she could have done better despite the illness.

“I was disappointed that I shot 88, knowing that I could have done better even being sick,” she said via text while continuing to recover. “I learned a lot and hope to make it next year to make a good last impression.”

Sara Scarlett, the Sac Joaquin Section Masters champion, finished tied for 18th after firing an 82 on the difficult course. With practice rounds on the course not allowed, first-time players such as Scarlett lack the course knowledge to be familiar with where to best miss shots.

“Overall, the scores were high, but I have no doubt that I could have performed better,” said Scarlett, who will head to the University of Texas to continue playing after graduation in the Spring. “It was a great experience, though.” ✪

LEADERBOARD

Mark Hirsch

The Mission San Jose girls golf team is all smiles as it holds up its scorecard to celebrate a third-place finish at the state tournament. It was the second straight CIF appearance for the Warriors, who finished fourth in 2011.

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Following are the team standings and the top individuals from the CIF Girls State Championship Tournament held on Nov. 12 at Red Hill Country Club in Rancho Cucamoga. Par was 74.

TEAM RESULTS Torrey Pines-San Diego.................................401 Diamond Bar...................................................420 Mission San Jose-Fremont............................439 Palm Desert....................................................440 Foothill-Pleasanton.........................................452 St. Francis-Sacramento.................................458 TOP INDIVIDUALS Minjia Luo (TP).................................................74 Esther Lee (Los Alamitos)................................75 Sarah Cho (TP)................................................76 Jessica Vasilic (Canyon-Anaheim)..................77 Elizabeth Bernabe (Canyon)...........................77 Alice Jeong (North Torrance)...........................78 Haley Moore (San Pasqual)............................78 Lilia Vu (Fountain Valley)..................................78 Paige Lee (Granite Bay)..................................79 Alex Sborov (Foot) ..........................................80 Sandy Choi (TP)...............................................80 Katie Sborov (Foot)..........................................81 Grace Park (Cupertino)....................................81 Isabella Bosetti (Justin-Siena).........................81 Jiyoon Jang (PD)..............................................81 Bethany Wu (DB).............................................81 Kristie Yang (DB)..............................................81

November 22, 2012

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Nationally-ranked Jesuit wraps up 10th SJS title in dominating fashion; Bella Vista scraps out another title

A

By jim mccue | Senior Contributor

s the winningest boys’ soccer coach in state history, Jesuit-Carmichael’s Paul Rose is no stranger to his Marauders claiming Sac-Joaquin Section titles. But the fact that this year’s team, ranked No. 3 nationally in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America rankings, won the program’s tenth section championship with such ease was a mild surprise to Rose, who is in his 34th year of coaching.

“It was a little bit of a surprise, but we scored very quickly and played very well in big games this year,” he said. “I felt that if we got an early goal that it would lead to more goals.”

That was certainly the case as Jesuit jumped out to a quick lead en route to a 5-0 victory in which Rose was able to clear his bench and get his full roster playing time in the section final.

The Marauders (27-1-1) expected a strong challenge from the Grizzlies, who handed Jesuit its lone tie early in the season, but overwhelmed Granite Bay in the final as they did to so many teams throughout the season.

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Doug Guler photos

LEFT: Jesuit defender Evan Glass (13) is fired up after goalkeeper Luc Barbe (in red) makes a save during the Marauders’ win. ABOVE: Kaba Alkebulan, a senior striker for Jesuit, heads the ball past Granite Bay’s Daniel Sedin.

Senior midfielder Niko Hansen and a deep compliment of talented teammates made sure that Granite Bay (20-4-1) had no chance in the title match. Hansen scored in the second minute of play by flicking in a corner kick sent into the middle by Anthony Ayala, and added two more goals to record hat tricks in both the section semifinals and finals.

“Niko has a nice combination of speed, strength, quickness, and skill that make him very difficult to defend,” Rose said of the team’s leading scorer. “He is special, for sure, but it helps if you have more than one talented player attacking.”

Rose said senior strikers Kaba Alkebulan and Miguel De Sousa, and junior Evan Barrett comprised “the best front line I have seen in my 34 years of coaching.” And the trio made Hansen a more dangerous threat.

Barrett added a goal in the eighth minute to break the game open, and the offense rolled the rest of the afternoon. The quick strikes ensured that the Marauders would not have to endure the heartbreak of a section final loss in penalty kicks, as they did a year ago against longtime rival Davis.

With the scoring handled, Jesuit’s stingy defense anchored by sophomore goalkeeper Luc Barbe recorded its 23rd shutout of the season to tie a state record.

The Division I championship was Jesuit’s third in the last four years. Granite Bay, making its first appearance in the top division, finished as runner-up for the second consecutive year. The Grizzlies fell to Bella Vista in the Division II final in 2011.

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November 22, 2012

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Division II Bella Vista-Fair Oaks 2, Turlock 1 (Bella Vista won 5-4 on penalty kicks) The Broncos found themselves in unfamiliar territory before finding their way to a familiar spot at the top of the Div. II field. Bella Vista (20-0-2) trailed at halftime for the first time all season, and needed an extra round of penalty kicks to finally vanquish pesky Turlock to win its second consecutive Div. II title and fourth in seven years.

“I didn’t worry too much about the fact that they scored,” Bella Vista coach Zack Contreras said of his team’s halftime deficit. “I knew that we would score, but just didn’t know when or how many.”

After the intermission, it took just four minutes to deadlock the score at 1-1, but the Broncos could not penetrate the Bulldogs’ crowded defensive set for the remainder of the game and overtime. Only Matt Waldron found the back of the Turlock net when Stefan Sarkovich sent a corner kick to the near post that Trevor Jackson headed on to Waldron for the equalizer.

With the score tied, Bella Vista dominated the possession, but would have to rely on its freshman goalkeeper to preserve the team’s unblemished record and first-ever back-to-back section titles.

Drake Callendar, one of just three underclassmen in the Broncos’ starting lineup, saved two penalty kicks, including the final attempt by Turlock to extend the tiebreaker further. After senior Tyler Miguel buried the ball in the back of the net to give Bella Vista the advantage, Callendar blocked a hard shot to set off the Broncos’ celebration.

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November 22, 2012

“It would have been disappointing to lose with the team we had,” Contreras said. “With the caliber of players we had, anything short of a championship would have been tough to take.”

Division III River Valley-Yuba City 2, Central Valley-Ceres 0 Alfredo Hernandez scored both goals for the Falcons (10-2-3), who handed Central Valley its third title match loss in four years. River Valley relied on its defense and taking advantage of the few opportunities on offense that it had to capture the Div. III championship. Often loading their own penalty box with six or seven defenders, the Falcons frustrated and stymied Central Valley’s potent offense, which featured a pair of talented attackers in Diego Duran (22 goals) and Omar Orozco (19 goals).

River Valley goalkeeper Triston Montoya made just three saves for the shutout as the Hawks (24-3-2) could not finish despite dominating possession for most of the match.

Division IV Vista del Lago-Folsom 1, Galt 0 The Eagles capped their season with a third consecutive Div. IV title with a narrow defeat of their Sierra Valley Conference rival. Vista del Lago (14-2-2) had split a pair of regular season games with Galt (17-4-1), but won the important rubber match. Matt Raymond set up Will Dubay for the game’s lone score and the Eagles posted their seventh shutout of the season. Vista del Lago did not allow a goal in three playoff games, outscoring opponents 4-0 in the postseason. ✪

Bella Vista’s Mathew Waldron, left, scored the Broncos’ only goal in regulation as the Div. II final was decided on penalty kicks after the teams finished in a 1-1 tie.

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Sac-Joaquin volleyball championships 24

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James K. Leash photos

LEFT: El Camino senior Cassidy Denny embraced her leadership role to lead the Eagles back to a championship after the 2011 team graduated six seniors.

ABOVE: Oakmont coach Shelby Weinberger, center, admitted to her team being a little intimidated by the championship setting before regrouping to win the program’s first title.

November 22, 2012

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El Camino, St. Francis each earn back-to-back titles; Oakmont claims first

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By jim mccue | Senior Contributor

he 2012 Sac-Joaquin Section Girls Volleyball Championships had a very familiar look. Finalists from the top four divisions were returning to UC Davis to defend their titles or make another run at a championship after falling last year.

In Division II, the El Camino Eagles were seeking a second consecutive title, but coach Martin Soyama’s team had a very different look from the 2011 squad.

After six seniors graduated, including the majority of the Eagles’ starting rotation, few observers believed El Camino would make a return trip to the finals.

“All year long, we really wanted to prove people wrong and show them we were just as good as last year’s team,” senior Cassidy Denny said.

As one of the few returning players with extensive playing time, Denny assumed a leadership role. The outside hitter was ready to replace graduating star Natalie Riddering at outside hitter, and she wanted her supporting cast to hit the ground running as well.

Soyama’s team escaped a grueling preseason schedule with just three losses — all to Div. I powers — and a feeling that all would be well in defense of the Eagles’ Capital Athletic League and section titles. El Camino (33-5) shared the league title with rival Rio Americano and continued to jell as a unit.

“I started talking to the girls during the summer to establish chemistry,” Denny said. “My sophomores trusted me enough to follow me and I trusted them to pick me up and lead the team when we needed them to do so.”

The end result of the Eagles’ trust and hard work was a 25-19, 22-25, 25-23, 25-18 victory over Gregori-Modesto. El Camino also earned a home match to open the CIF Northern Regional Championships against Chico.

Sophomores Mikaela Nocetti (outside hitter), Devin Her-

enda (setter), and Elizabeth Dahlberg (middle blocker) rose to the occasion all season long and the playoffs were no exception.

“I am so proud of my sophomores and the whole team,” Denny said. “We have grown so much throughout the year, and their development took pressure off of me. Now, we just want to go out and keep proving people wrong.”

DIVISION I St. Francis d. Granite Bay 3-0: The most familiar face at the SJS Volleyball Championships may be St. Francis coach Alynn Wright. Her St. Francis team claimed its 12th section title overall and second in a row with a 25-23, 25-14, 25-10 sweep of No. 2 seed Granite Bay. In contrast to El Camino, the Troubadours (35-2) graduated just one player from their 2011 championship team and fielded perhaps the program’s most talented and deepest roster ever. Seniors Gabrielle Palmeri, Loni Kreun, Hannah Liserra, and Allie Wegener led St. Francis during a season in which even set losses were a rarity.

St. Francis earned the No. 1 seed for the NorCal playoffs and an opening match at home against Skyline-Oakland.

With a goal of a state title established at the start of the season, Wright’s talented Troubadours have a very good shot at adding a second CIF State Championship to the coach’s impressive resume. St. Francis won the state crown in 2005.

DIVISION III Oakmont d. Vista del Lago 3-2: When Section Commissioner Pete Saco met with the finalists in the tunnel to go over the logistics for the evening, he asked the coaches and players if they knew what to expect and where to go for pregame introductions at the venue. Oakmont coach Shelby Weinberger and her top-seeded Vikings were the only ones who quietly raised their hands to get further instructions.

“I think all of the girls were nervous being in that venue and the setting,” Weinberger said. “I was nervous, too.”

The second-year coach even forgot to bring her own volleyballs for pregame warmups and had to borrow some from Bear River-Grass Valley for serving and hitting drills before the team’s match with two-time defending champ Vista del Lago.

Oakmont (34-2) remained nervous and fell behind the Eagles two games to none before turning around the match

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to justify their No. 1 seed and continue their dream season.

“We knew we had to come back and lay it all on the line after going down 2-0,” the coach said. “I told the girls to forget about the crowded venue, and just play volleyball like they know how to do.”

While the Vikings may not have known how to march out before the championship match, they did know how to celebrate after pulling off a 16-25, 20-25, 27-25, 25-18, 15-4 comeback victory to claim the school’s first girls volleyball title.

Middle blockers Maura Uebner and Kyra Rogers slowed down the Vista del Lago attack and senior outside hitter Katie Carle put the offense on her shoulders and carried the team to victory with a team-high 25 kills. “She was our go-to girl,” Weinberger said. “Everyone looked to her when it got tough out there and she was just amazing.”

Vista del Lago (24-12) could not three-peat as section champs, but reaching the final match was an accomplishment for the Eagles. Playing most of the season without senior outside hitter Caroline Sipiora, who suffered a major knee injury in the offseason, the team persevered to claim another Sierra Valley Conference title and the No. 2 seed. Sipiora returned in October, but contributed only as a defensive specialist, which shuffled the team’s lineup. Senior Kelsey Sampson assumed the lead role on offense, and nearly helped the program claim a third straight title in Division III. Oakmont was overlooked at the start of the season, but has won 14 straight matches heading into the NorCal tournament.

“If we didn’t win the section title, it would still be a great season, but I don’t know if we would have felt like it would have been complete,” Weinberger said. “I think we really wanted that to show we deserve to be among the best teams.”

DIVISION IV Bear River d. Ripon Christian, 3-1: The Bruins (30-12) returned to the finals and completed the job they couldn’t quite finish in 2011. Bear River downed perennial small-school power Ripon Christian 25-22, 20-25, 25-19, 25-23. Senior Sara Schell lead the Bruins in her final playoff run. Schell had 18 kills, four aces, 21 digs, and three blocks to overpower the Knights (28-7). Bear River earned a home opener in the NorCal playoffs against Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa (25-8). ✪ November 22, 2012

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Bay Area Must Go Nor Cal Tip Off Classic, Nov. 24, Newark Memorial High Close to eight months since the Newark Memorial High boys basketball team saw it’s California Interscholastic Federation Northern Regional Division II run end with a loss to eventual state champ Archbishop Mitty-San Jose, Joey Frenchwood remembers the post-game locker room scene like it was yesterday.

“It was sad at first,” said Frenchwood, who is a captain this year. “We were like a family. We were losing six seniors and it was like we can’t play basketball anymore.”

Ah, but a new season always dawns.

Frenchwood and the new-look Cougars look to start the new basketball season on the right foot when they host the 6th Annual Nor Cal Tip Off Classic on Nov. 24. The showcase event, which in recent years has seemed to mark the official “start” to the boys basketball season in the Bay Area, features seven games on its slate this season. Newark Memorial takes on Castro Valley in the sixth game of the day at approximately 7 p.m.

Among the seniors the Cougars will be replacing this season is Casey Norris, a four-year varsity player and the unquestionable leader of the 2011-12 team.

“Casey’s always real calm,” said Frenchwood, who in the offseason played for the Oakland Rebels Red AAU team. “He never gets real irritated on the court. … At certain times, he knew when to take over. When he was a junior, I was a freshman. He’d do stuff like that so that was a learning experience for me.”

Now it’s Frenchwood’s turn to take on that leadership role. A defensive stopper and one of the key ingredients to Newark Memorial’s postseason run last year, he’s relishing the opportunity.

“Last year, Casey led the team. I feel like I’m gonna take over the leadership role, so I’m gonna have to be the one who steps up,” Frenchwood said.

Joining the fiery junior as captain is big man Damien Banford, whose football season just ended on Nov. 17. There’s also Sultan Siddiq, Josef Zamora and Matthew Thomas. Coach Craig Ashmore should have the luxury of a deep bench once again.

Winning the first game of the season sets a positive tone.

Last year, Newark Memorial defeated Deer Valley in the Nor Cal Tip Off Classic, which worked as a barometer for gauging where they stand in the competitive Bay Area landscape.

“We were hearing that Marcus Lee was a top recruit and we won pretty easily,” Frenchwood said. “That gave us the confidence that we could beat anybody.”

The 74-58 win over Deer Valley sparked a season-long run that featured a 12-game winning streak, the school’s first NCS title since 2000, and getting one game from the state championship before giving Mitty, back-to-back Div. II state champs, all it could handle.

What’s in store for this season? Frenchwood said winning state is the goal and it all starts against Castro Valley, a school that was also one game from the state title in the 2010-2011 season before being upset by De La Salle.

“A couple of their players were AAU teammates of mine,” Frenchwood said of Castro Valley. “I know they’re gonna be good.”

– Erik Stordahl, SportStars

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November 22, 2012

6th Annual Nor Cal Tip Off Schedule

All games on Sat., Nov. 24, at Newark Memorial HS

11 a.m.

Dublin vs. Freedom-Oakley

12:30 p.m. Heritage-Brentwood vs.

McNair-Stockton

2:15 p.m. St. Patrick-St. Vincents-Vallejo vs.

Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove 3:45 p.m. El Cerrito vs. Miramonte-Orinda

Jonathan Hawthorne

Newark Memorial junior guard Joey Frenchwood takes on a leadership role for the Cougars this year.

5:30 p.m. McClymonds-Oakland vs. Antelope 7 p.m.

Newark Memorial vs. Castro Valley

8:30 p.m. Deer Valley-Antioch vs. Sacramento

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GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

CIF State Championships, Concordia University, Irvine, Dec. 1, all day — For the past two seasons, the California girls volleyball world has belonged to the North. NorCal has won eight of the past 10 state titles, with the Central Coast, North Coast and Sac-Joaquin Sections all getting in on the fun. Can it continue? Maybe not at an 80 percent clip — the South didn’t dominate for a decade for no reason — but there are plenty of NorCal programs who hope to have a say, including Campolindo-Moraga, which claimed the 2010 state title and is the top seed in Division III. If you can’t get to Irvine, games are likely to be both telecast and webcast. We’ll post that information to our Facebook and Twitter sites, so be sure you’re liking and following us (@SportStarsMag).

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MAGAZINE HUNT

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SportStars 2012-13 Basketball Preview Issue release, throughout the Bay Area, Dec. 6, all day. — If you couldn’t tell from our No. 1 entry on this list, the hoops season is here. What better way to kick off a month of tournament-crazed weekends then to pick up our fullyloaded preview, set to include both boys and girls features, preseason rankings, players to watch, predictions and more.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Chris Vontoure Spartan Classic, De La Salle HS, Concord, Dec. 6-8 — The first of several boys tournaments is also one of the most competitive. Between host De La Salle and Deer Valley-Antioch, there are already two teams ranked among the Top 10 in CalHiSports.com’s preseason state rankings. Add in four more teams (Acalanes-Lafayette, Fairfield, Serra-San Mateo, St. Patrick/St. Vincent-Vallejo) who had at least 18 wins a year ago and you’ve got the ingredients for three days of strong competition.

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FOOTBALL

CIF Northern Regional Playoff Games, various sites, Dec. 7-8 — For the first time, the CIF State Bowl Game participants are going to be determined through regional playoff games. We have no idea how this will turn out, or if this is the same format we’ll have five years from now, but we say bring an open mind and enjoy what should be some pretty enticing NorCal matchups. Dates, times and broadcasts are still to be determined, so watch our Facebook and Twitter feeds to find out specifics.

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sac joaquin Must Go BOYS BASKETBALL

Archbishop Mitty-San Jose at Sheldon-Sacramento, Dec. 8, 7 p.m.

— How can we not list a matchup between the two-time defending CIF Division II state champions (Mitty) and last year’s Div. I state runners-up? We can’t. Embrace it. Mitty features senior center and national recruit Aaron Gordon, who recently narrowed his college list to Arizona, Washington and Kentucky. Sheldon returns a pair of starters, Dakarai Allen and D’Erryl Williams III, who have already committed to San Diego State.

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BOYS SOCCER

Cathedral Catholic-San Diego at De La Salle, Dec. 15, 7 p.m. — Much like De La Salle’s ‘Chris Vontoure Spartants Classic’ tournament is the first notable boys hoops tourney of December, the De La Salle Soccer Showcase is the first major boys soccer event of the winter season in the Bay Area. The two-day showcase has been known to include as many of six matches on each day. The final match of the last day this year caught our attention as the host Spartans — fourtime defending NCS champions — take on a Cathedral Catholic team that posted 18 wins and reached the San Diego Section Div. III final a year ago.

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FOOTBALL

CIF State Bowl Championship Games, Home Depot Center, Carson, Dec. 14-15 — After the North returned from Carson with four state titles in 2010, the South re-asserted its dominance a year ago. Only De La Salle won (a 35-0 shutout of Westlake-Westlake Village in the Open Division). Might things even out this year?

And how much will the regional playoff games the week before play a factor? We look forward to finding out. Per usual, the Small School and Division I games will be Friday night, and Division III, II and Open are Saturday. If you can’t go, these games will be broadcast up North, so don’t fret.

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WRESTLING

Lou Bronzan Invitational, Liberty High, Brentwood, Dec. 2122 — Any selfrespecting wrestling fan in the Bay Area knows that the Lou Bronzan is the first local tournament to pay attention to. The host Lions are perennial contenders, and they typically bring in a number of top Bay Area programs to grapple with. This year’s list includes De La Salle and James Logan.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL

West Coast Jamboree, East Bay Area, various sites, Dec. 27-29 — The mammoth girls basketball event celebrates its 13th year, and will once again have well more than 100 teams on hand for its multiple-bracket affair. For girls hoops fans, there’s no better way to spend the second half of your Holiday break than flitting around to various gyms to see some of the top girls basketball talent in the Bay Area and beyond. For a full list of participants and the an2012 WCJ MVP Jordin nouncement of the brackets, keep Canada of an eye on the tournament’s site, Windward-LA Phillip Walton www.westcoastjamboree.com

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November 22, 2012

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More than 350 bowlers converged on Mardi Gras Lanes in Sacramento on Nov. 10 to participate in the Special Olympics’ 2012 Sacramento Bowling Championship.

Athletes from Sacramento, Yolo, El Dorado, and Placer Counties filled the alley along with 120 volunteers for a day filled with strikes and smiles. At the same time, nearly 170 athletes bowled in Rocklin, and another Special Olympics bowling competition took place in Stockton later in the week.

In all, more than 600 Special Olympics athletes spread their spirit and joy for competing throughout Sacramento and the Central Valley. SportStars photographer James K. Leash came away with these images after attending the Sacramento competition.

For a schedule of Special Olympics events to participate in as an athlete or volunteer, please visit the Special Olympics of Northern California website at www.sonc.org. The organization’s headline event is the Summer Games, which take place each year on the UC Davis campus.

—SportStars

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November 22, 2012

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FAR LEFT (Clockwise from top): Anissa Zaragosa of Team Davis proudly points to her score. A sea of volunteers in neon green spread out to help the bowlers.

Everybody bowls; everybody medals. A group of Laurel Ruff Tigers that includes Candice Blackman, Jasmine DicksonSherman, Riley Sturdevant, Erin Jappert, Nick Mahoney and Sierra Wise.

CENTER: Laurel Ruff Tiger, Elizabeth Shaw cracks a wide grin as she gets ready to bowl.

ABOVE: Laurel Ruff Tigers’ Candice Blackman, top, and Team Davis’ Tyler Sierras both strut their stuff after a strong frame.

Photos by James K. Leash

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November 22, 2012

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Petaluma’s Gentle Giant

Cas Banaszek, right, and Steve Spurrier were both first-round selections of the 49ers in 1967. Contributed photo

Former 49ers All-Pro lineman Cas Banaszek continues to make impact 30

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November 22, 2012

By harold abend | Contributor Casimir Joseph Banaszek II isn’t your typical grammar school physical education instructor.

Most grade school PE teachers aren’t 67-years old and ex-professional football players.

But at the Meadow School in Petaluma, the grandfather of five and former San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman, not only instructs the kids in a unique type of PE, the “knowledgeable teddy bear,” as principle Melissa Becker calls him, is the school’s only PE teacher.

In fact, Banaszek, who for three years has been teaching 22 half-hour periods a week at Meadow to supplement physical education instruction given by the kids’ regular teachers, is the only PE teacher in the two-school Waugh District – and he accepts

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SportStars NorCal Top 20 EDITOR’S NOTE: These rankings were compiled once all regular season games were finished throughout the six Northern California sections. The next update will come following the CIF Northern Regional bowl games on Dec. 7-8.

All records through Nov. 10

Rank (Last Wk.) School

Record

1. (1)

De La Salle-Concord

10-0

2. (2)

Bellarmine-San Jose

9-1

3. (3)

Franklin-Elk Grove

11-0

4. (4)

Folsom

11-0

5. (6)

Elk Grove

10-1

6. (5)

Serra-San Mateo

8-2

7. (7)

Placer-Auburn

11-0

8. (8)

Marin Caholic-Kentfield

10-1

9. (9)

St. Mary’s-Stockton

9-2

10. (10)

Burbank-Sacramento

11-0

11. (11)

Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills 10-1

12. (13)

California-San Ramon

8-2

13. (14)

Buhach Colony-Atwater

9-2

14. (NR)

Granite Bay

8-3

15. (15)

Oakdale

3-1

16. (16)

Oak Grove-San Jose

10-0

17. (17)

James Logan-Union City

10-1

18. (18)

Freedom-Oakley

9-2

19. (19)

El Cerrito

11-0

20. (20)

Clayton Valley-Concord

9-1

Top 20 Facts-Figures-Fallout ■ DROPPED OUT: Archbishop Mitty-San Jose ■ BIGGEST MOVER: It was clearly Granite Bay, which after a 1-3 start to the season quickly morphed back into the juggernaut many expected it to be. The Grizzlies forced their way back into the poll at No. 14 with seven straight wins that included a perfect run through the Sierra Foothill League.

■ TEAMS REMAINING FROM PRESEASON TOP 20: 10 ■ KNOCKING AT THE DOOR: Sutter (11-0), AnalySebastapol (11-0), Rancho Cotate-Rohnert Park (110), Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa (10-1), InderkumSacramento (9-2), Archbishop Mitty-San Jose (7-3), Del Oro-Loomis (6-5)

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November 22, 2012

Harold Abend

Caz Banaszek, here with students Bryce Olson, Cole Becker and Sophia Kandler, has become a beloved volunteer physical education teacher at Meadow School in Petaluma. no pay to boot.

“He’s an amazing man,” Becker said. “One of the kindest men I know. I like the fact he’s old school, not just teaching but he encourages the kids and gives them hugs.

“At his age and situation he could be doing whatever he wants. Instead he’s choosing to invest his time in children at no pay. He’s the real deal. The whole staff loves having him here and the kids really look forward to his class. I can’t imagine not having him.”

Banaszek is not new to teaching physical education.

Despite being a first-round choice of the 49ers and the 11th player taken overall in the 1967 draft, Cas had an off-season job like most players back then.

“The first three years in the NFL, I taught school back home in the off season,” said Banaszek, who after graduating from Gordon Tech Catholic in Chicago went on to star at Northwestern.

Not only does the staff love Banaszek, the kids love “Coach B,” too.

“I give them options,” Banaszek said. “An ideal class is 20-

25 kids so if I can have four activities going with six in each activity. The kids get exercise. They can play basketball, volleyball, tetherball, wall ball, kick baseball, dodge ball, football, tag games, or running.”

Cole Becker, another third-grader and the principal’s son, claims those sports are just scratching the surface.

“He lets us play capture the flag too,” the third-grader said.

“And cops and robbers.” ◆◆◆ “Its unfortunate so many schools have cut PE, but I love it here and the kids love me, Banaszek said. “It’s a win-win situation.”

Banaszek has another connection to Meadow School that’s tearing at his heart right now.

His 12-year old grandson C.J. (Casimir Joseph Banaszek IV), a student at Meadow, is waging a courageous battle against chronic myeloid leukemia, a bone marrow disease that rarely affects children. C.J. is currently undergoing a second round of chemotherapy in wait of a second bone marrow transplant after the first one didn’t take.

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“I call him OG, the original guard. I saw pictures of him in high school and a little film.

OG man, he’s the original.”

Elijah Qualls, Casa Grande-Petaluma football player

“It’s a day to day situation for C.J.,” Banaszek said. “All I can say is kudos to Petaluma and how they’ve supported him.”

When Banaszek leaves Meadow School he doesn’t head home or to the golf course.

He heads over to Petaluma’s Casa Grande High School for football practice.

There he assists coach Trent Herzog and offensive line coach Frank Giammona — all while mentoring some of the players.

“Trent is a great coach and a great young man, and Frank does a great job. I’m another set of eyes,” said Banaszek describing his role with the Casa Grande team that had its season end with a 14-6 North Coast Section quarterfinal loss to visiting Concord on Nov. 16. “The kids like it, knowing there’s a pro looking at them. I give them advice like bend your knee, get your hips through, and keep your head up. If I say something it lends some credence.”

It didn’t take long for the Gaucho players to pay attention when Banaszek spoke up.

“I call him OG, the original guard,” said 6-foot-1, 282-pound Washington-bound Elijah Qualls. “I saw pictures of him in high school and a little film. OG man, he’s the original.”

The former 49ers right tackle who played his entire 11-year pro career in San Francisco, only started at Casa Grande three months ago, but he’s hooked.

“I haven’t had that feeling in 40-years since I left the Niners. It’s the Friday night lights, he said. “I look forward to it so much. If it hadn’t worked I’d have been out of there in a week.

“And the team has been unbelievable for C.J. He cherishes the helmet they gave him they all signed.” ◆◆◆ With everything he’s doing in retirement, when does Banaszek have time for family?

His wife Diane, whom he met at Northwestern, and married the same year he was drafted by the 49ers, is busy in her own right.

She’s the head of marketing for Apple American Group, where she and Cas are partners in 436 Applebee’s restaurants in 13 states.

The couple opened an Applebee’s 20-years ago in Santa Rosa, moved to Petaluma 11-years ago, and eventually operated six stores in the North Bay before joining Apple American Group seven years ago.

Their son Cas III also works for Apple American. He’s C.J.’s father and also has a daughter named Gabby, a freshman at Casa Grande, playing varsity volleyball.

After leaving the 49ers and before Applebee’s, Banaszek worked for 20 years in Silicon Valley selling electronics components while he and Diane lived on the Peninsula raising Cas III and daughter, Jennifer, who lives and works at UC San Francisco.

His stint at Casa Grande isn’t his first as a coach, either. Banaszek coached two years at Cal under Roger Theder, and two years with the 49ers under Bill Walsh.

“I was in the press box on the headphones with Walsh when Dwight Clark made ‘The Catch,’” he said. “Roll right option was the play call.”

That was one of the few times he was able to get the best of the Cowboys.

As a player in the 1970-71 season — in the last game at Kezar Stadium — the 49ers were ahead in the NFC Championship game with just over a minute to play when Dallas scored and recovered an onside kick and score again in a bitter 17-10 49ers defeat.

In the following season, the 49ers went to Dallas for the NFC title game and lost 14-3.

And the year after that, the Cowboys eliminated them 30-28 in the Divisional playoffs.

“I hate the Cowboys,” Banaszek said.

Offensive linemen don’t get a lot of recognition, but as a player Banaszek was First Team All-Conference in both 1970 and 1971 and played in the Pro Bowl game both seasons.

“Cas is one of the greatest people I have ever come across,” Herzog said. “He’s very humble and friendly. He’s a great addition to our family at Casa Grande. A great coach, but a better person – a true gentle giant.”

One who has become an unsung hero to a lot of kids in Petaluma, small and big. ✪

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November 22, 2012

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Reaching a CORE understanding: It’s all about stability

T

oday I want to cover the subject of core training for performance with the intention of giving more of an understanding of what it is, why it’s important, and how it not only improves performance, but can go a long way in reducing injuries.

When I go off site for team training I usually see the traditional type of core training that I believe most people think of: sit-ups, crunches, leg lifts and Russian twists. A lot of the training is focused on spinal flexion,

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extension and rotation. in pain, injury (knees, ankles, The main job of your athlete’s lower back, shoulders, etc.) and core is lumbar stability (lower decreased performance. back), which allows it to redisWhen the core is stable and tribute and redirect force through strong and athletes have a more movement and posture. It’s essenneutral position of the pelvis tial to get stability in the lumbar and spine, then the forces are spine, not movement. If athletes redistributed throughout many of train the core through spinal flexthe lumbar segments of the spine ion, extension and rotation they resulting in a healthy and highare not efficient at redistributing performing athlete. and redirecting force.

RediRECTION OF FORCE: Tim Rudd for IYCA RediSTRIBUTION OF Most elite athletes are built like FORCE: Let’s use an example tree trunks from their thighs up. from Formula One. These cars are Let’s use Albert Pujols for an example: This made to collapse and break apart on impact guy is built like a Mack truck from his lower (redistribute the force to the car on impact thighs, hamstrings, glutes and trunk. He has so the driver assumes less force). If the car great stability, and when he goes to swing was not made this way, all the force would his bat, he produces a great amount of force go directly to the driver, killing him on into the ground from these powerful force impact. We need to think of the spine in the producers. These forces then travel back up same way. If we have a weak core (external through his lower extremities and hips, and obliques, hamstrings and glutes) leading to are redirected through his core, upper body, an anterior-tilted pelvis (forward tilt), the all the way through his bat, producing the spine is in excessive hyper-extension. This force necessary to smash the ball out of the leaves a very concentrated area of force to park. be redistributed where maybe two lumbar Thus, the core is not a force producer, it’s segments get excessively stressed resulting a force transmitter. Athletes don’t need the

Training Time

core to flex, rotate and extend their spine, they need it to produce stability (redistribute) in the spine so it can optimally transmit force (redirect) from our power producers.

Yes, athletes need rotation and extension to produce forces, but it shouldn’t come from the spine. It should come from the lower and upper extremities. If an athlete wants to produce maximal strength, speed and power they must stabilize their body effectively.

Coaches and trainers need to understand not only the functional anatomy and how it works, but also how to properly assess athletes. This way coaches can make informed decisions on how to best program and coach their players. This requires more than just abdominal training and needs to be a systematic and progressive approach to developing the athlete’s core for maximizing on-field performance and the long-term health of your athletes. ✪ Tim Rudd is an International Youth Conditioning Association specialist in youth conditioning (level 3), speed and agility (level 2), and nutrition specialist (level 1). For more information on anything you read in Training Time, email him at tim@fit2thecore.com.

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Causes of shin splints, and why the best medicine is rest

M

edial tibial stress syndrome, commonly referred to as shin splints, is the most common leg injury in distance runners.

This problem is primarily characterized as pain and tenderness when running, along the posteromedial tibial crest, where deep flexor muscles attach to the tibia. The pain will vary from mild to severe, and can be experienced before, during and after running. In more significant cases swelling can appear, and normal gait can be adversely affected, resulting in the dreaded forced abstinence from running.

So, what are the causes of shin splints, how should this condition be treated and can they be prevented?

The causes may be one, or more likely a combination, of several variables: from anatomical to bio-mechanical to training methods to footwear to training surfaces.

Anatomical factors may include high or low arches, hip angles or hypo/hyper mobility in foot and ankle joints. These factors may require solutions that include stability or mobility training of muscles around the hip or ankle. But it is not conclusive that anatomy can be compensated for through exercise or stretching alone.

The bio-mechanical factor most often linked is excessive pronation at the ankle during running, a repetitive strain by nature. Pronation is a medial collapse of the arch and ankle during the loading stance phase of running when the most

force is placed on the foot and ankle. Muscles about the ankle have to work very hard to counteract this collapse and the result strains the tibia, where these muscles originate.

In response, the bone develops an imbalance between resorbtion of minerals and the formation of new bone. When a bone demineralizes faster than it heals, shin splints result and can progress to the “dreaded black line,” seen on an x-ray as a stress fracture.

Studies show the most significant factors in the development of shin splints are a sudden increase in work load and/or speed, and working on uneven surfaces. These problems can be mitigated by gradually increasing these variables and avoiding sudden changes.

Methods that have not been shown to be effective include tapping, strapping and bracing, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications and — oddly enough – stretching. Off the shelf orthotics have shown promise in correcting the overpronation problem of some runners.

If the problem becomes chronic or severe, consultation with a physician will be necessary to rule out a stress fracture. In these cases, sadly, the only solution is rest for four to eight weeks, possible vitamin/mineral nutritional supplementation, or cross training with pool work or cycling. Once pain-free, a gradual return to impact activities is imperative.

Rest is what frustrates a dedicated runner the most, but

rest is the best medicine. ✪ Bruce Valentine is a physical therapist assistant for the Sports Medicine For Young Athletes, a division of Children’s Hospital Oakland. Email him at Health@SportStarsOnline.com.

Health Watch Bruce Valentine

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November 22, 2012

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Windows 8

iPad mini

After taking a backseat to Apple for so long, Microsoft is starting to make some headway. And it starts here.

Windows 8 is touchscreen enabled and employs splitscreen, which means you can watch the Twilight series on one side and The Avengers on the other. Though that doesn’t even begin to scratch the… surface! (sorry for that).

Disclaimer: This is a naive snap review of one of the more revolutionary products for our generation to behold. It’s the same awesome iPad, only now it’s easier to hide in class or at home when you’re supposed to be doing homework. That’s probably the only advantage we can think of. And when the one advantage is making sure you don’t get caught, then what’s the point? Still, we want one of these.

this week in addic

Warp that brain into

mush

ting iPhone game

s

Windows Surface

We’re not gonna pretend we know everything about this thing and how it works. OK, we know very little. But what we can tell you is: 1) It’s a formidable opponent to the iPad, 2) It looks freakin’ awesome, 3) We want one, and 4) Now!

Angry Birds Star Wars

Could their timing be any more perfect? With the recent sale of LucasFilm to Disney for, like, a bajillion dollars, Star Wars Episode VII is all anyone can talk about. Rumors galore of who’s going to direct and getting the old cast members back are flooding the Internet. Well, to help keep your mind razor sharp on it, you can download the latest Angry Birds entry for only 99 cents. Download it or don’t download it.

There is no try (sorry, again).

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Mikey Shorts

Run through each level as quickly, efficiently as you can.

Skylanders Lost Islands

Customize your own island village, unlock skylanders and get in adventures.

Zookeeper DX

This is on the Gotta Have It level for everybody. Capture as many as animals as you can, level up every time you get 100 of the same animal. Good stuff.

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❒❒ NorCal Courts........................................... 12 ❒❒ Passthaball............................................... 38 ❒❒ Rocco’s Pizza............................................. 34 ❒❒ Rockin Jump....................................... 35, 40 ❒❒ Sheldon Jr. Huskies Youth FB & Cheer....... 34 ❒❒ Sky High Sports........................................ 37 ❒❒ Sports Stars Magazine.............................. 39 ❒❒ State Farm Jimmy Harrington Agent.......... 6 ❒❒ Stevens Creek Toyota................................ 17 ❒❒ Sutter Delta................................................ 3 ❒❒ The First Tee Of Contra Costa..................... 38

❒❒ Excellence In Sport Performance.............. 15 ❒❒ Tpc / The Pitching Center.......................... 37 ❒❒ Fit 2 The Core............................................ 29 ❒❒ Trucks Training......................................... 38 ❒❒ Halo Headband........................................ 38 ❒❒ U S K S Martial Arts.................................. 35 ❒❒ Home Team Sports Photography.............. 33 ❒❒ Velocity Sports Performance.............. 35, 37 ❒❒ Image Imprint.......................................... 38 ❒❒ West Coast Jamboree............................... 31

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November 22, 2012

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