SJ Issue 54, Oct. 18, 2012

fan rollercoaster: Hang tight!

vol. 3. issue 54

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fourpeat granite bay’s forlini sisters are double trouble

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October 18, 2012

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Perfect

10s

gotta-go games, Pg. 30 10 more: rio americano seeks landmark title Pg. 16

top

20

rankings

rising: oak ridge vows late-season charge

norcal’s top football Teams

Smashing Forlini sisters want their fourth straight doubles title.

Pg. 20

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

ground & pound: Elk Grove’s opponents know what’s coming. Doesn’t mean they’re gonna stop it though. Pg. 22 red zone: Oak Ridge may have taken a step backwards, but they vow to take two more forward. Pg. 26 on the cover: Elk Grove High running backs Robert Frazier and Wadus Parker. Photo by James K. Leash.

First Pitch...................................................................6 Locker Room............................................................8 Behind the Clipboard..............................................9 AAA SportStars of the Week............................. 11 Training Time.......................................................... 14 Club Scene.............................................................. 15 10 To Go................................................................. 30 Tri Steps ................................................................. 31 Impulse.................................................................... 32 Health Watch ........................................................ 34

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your ticket to sac joaquin sports admit one; rain or shine This Vol. #3, October 2012 Whole No. 54 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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Teachable Moment When everything clicks between a teacher and student, it can change lives — don’t be afraid to make it happen

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ore often than not with this column, I try my best to write to our magazine’s dual audience — high school students as well as their parents and the community of adults who follow high school sports.

This week won’t be one of those times.

This one is for the students.

On Oct. 5, I took a drive back to my old high school. I had been informed by my parents earlier that week that a high school teacher of mine had passed away suddenly of a heart attack at age 63. His name was Dwight Evans. He was two-years retired from Red Bluff High School where he served as a freshman English teacher and the longtime advisor for the award-winning student newspaper, “The Bluffer.”

Outside of my parents, he was the single biggest reason why I’m writing this column and work in the profession that I do.

I struggled mightily with whether I would want to write about his passing, or whether doing so would appear selfish, forcing SportStars readers to share my grief about a person they probably didn’t know.

His memorial was attended by an estimated 300 current and former students and faculty, many of whom took a chance to share a story about how Mr. Evans impacted their life. Though I didn’t speak, I realized that I would need to write something. (I mean, for someone who taught writing and specifically produced a handful of journalists into the profession, it wouldn’t seem right if some of us didn’t use written word to honor him.)

More importantly though, as I listened to others speak of their experiences with Mr. Evans, I also realized the message that I could send in his honor.

The student-teacher relationship is meant to be a two-way street. It’s not always accomplished. Sometimes that’s the fault of the student, the teacher, or both. When it is accomplished, it can be enlightening and rewarding — even life-changing, as some of Mr. Evans’ former students attested.

It can also be taken for granted.

I don’t believe I ever took it for granted. I always remembered and appreciated the encouragement and avenues Mr. Evans provided me as an aspiring sportswriter, and for a time, a photographer as well. In June of 2010, I proudly sent him the first two issues of SportStars and thanked him. He, predictably, responded with further encouragement.

As a quick aside: A very big reason for what gave me the opportunity to build upon my relationship with Mr. Evans was the mere existence of a school journalism program. In an education system that is always ravaged by budget cuts, school newspapers like “The Bluffer” are constantly on the chopping block. However, just like athletics, they are very much worth supporting and saving. Many of the things I learned as an athlete, I had reinforced as a member of the school newspaper staff.

Now, though, back to the message I wanted to deliver to the students who read this magazine.

If there’s a teacher with whom you’ve developed a connection with, or one who may have inspired you, it’s time to make sure that teacher knows. The same can be said for a coach. Because in the end, the best coaches are also teachers.

You can be too cool for school tomorrow. But today, reach out. You’ll be glad you did. ✪

First Pitch Chace Bryson Editor

Chace@ SportStarsOnline.com (925) 566-8503

The student-teacher relationship is meant to be a two-way street. It’s not always accomplished.

Sometimes that’s the fault of the student, the teacher, or both. When it is accomplished, it can be enlightening and rewarding — even life-changing, as some of Mr. Evans’ former students attested.

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rapidFIRE What Best thing to get Worst thing to family member in a trick or treat get in a trick or screams loudest Favorite basket treat basket at your games movie villain

The Joker

Last TV show to make you laugh out loud

Lollipops and Starburst

Milky Way

Grandma

Definitely the football game

Modern Family

Kit Kat

Candy Mom Corn

The girls

Ed, Edd n Eddy

Annika Jensen, Campolindo-Moraga

The Joker

Best part of Homecoming week

656

count’EM

Trevon Lampley, Franklin-Elk Grove

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Number of career victories for Jesuit-Carmichael boys soccer coach Paul Rose as of Oct. 10, according to the Sacramento Bee. Rose is the winningest high school boys soccer coach in state history, and he was one of 43 new inductees to the Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame on Oct. 14. Other coaches inducted included Sheldon-Sacramento softball coach Mary Jo Truesdale (597 career wins), El Camino-Sacramento girls basketball coach Bill Baxter (601 wins) and the winningest SJS football coach Max Miller (255 wins). You can find the full list of inductees at www.cifsjs.org.

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Three-sport athletes are a thing of the past — and that’s OK My dad can’t understand why I only play one sport. He says that things were better when there were three-sport athletes and kids didn’t focus so much on one thing. Should I really try to play three sports in high school?

K.D., Piedmont

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his a complicated question in some ways, but it’s simple in the most obvious: No, you shouldn’t try to play three sports in high school.

It’s possible, and probably even beneficial, to play two, at least for a couple years, assuming you’re good enough. But things have changed since the good old days your dad seems to want to go back to. The proliferation of summer leagues and workouts means that young athletes are almost forced to specialize to some degree in order to keep up (except for the truly elite athletes who can do pretty much everything better than everyone else with three days of practice).

In short, the sport you focus on in the summer is the sport you’ll be good at — and that needs to be a conscious choice. At the same time, though, playing another sport isn’t a bad idea, even though your coaches might not want you to. For example, football players can benefit from running track, even if they’re not pounding away in the weight room.

And volleyball players, who are in a sport prone to repetitive stress injuries, should ignore those club coaches who make a lot of money by having them play 12 months a year, and do something else in the winter or spring.

Nine months a year of volleyball, or any sport, is plenty for a 15-year old — and very likely too much for a 12-year old.

And three-sport athletes? A horrible idea, but not necessarily from the perspective of the kid who can play three sports.

Let’s start with this: There are benefits to athletic participation, or schools wouldn’t sponsor sports and there wouldn’t be magazines like this.

I could run through the arguments in favor, but let’s just assume we’re convinced that it’s a good thing to do.

It’s a fact, however, that there are only so many spots on varsity and junior varsity teams, so there’s a limit to how many high school students can take advantage of the benefits of interscholastic sports.

But what if the same 12 boys, or the same 12 girls, play three varsity sports, as they did back in the day? Do they get three times the benefit of playing one sport? And even if they do, that means that 24 other kids, presumably, don’t get any benefits at all.

So if participation in high school sports is good for students, at a certain level it makes sense that as many students as possible should get that opportunity — but if the same group of athletes hogs three sports’ worth of spots, then opportunities are lost for others.

And of course, in today’s more focused and competitive world, seasons of sport overlap, summer competition is ferocious (and sometimes more important than high school) and pressure to succeed is greater. So not only is it physically demanding to play three sports, it’s a mental crusher as well. There’s just not enough time to do everything well, get good grades, have a social life and sleep nine hours a night (which might be the single most important thing you can do to improve athletically).

The halcyon days of the three-sport athlete are as gone as the one-dollar gallon of gas, and even playing two varsity sports is asking a lot, so tell your dad to chill. We’re in the 21st century now, and things have changed — and two sports is way more than enough. ✪

Behind the Clipboard Clay Kallam

Randy Pench/MCT/ZumaPress.com

Top 5 Stages to the Fan’s Emotional Roller-coaster

sayWHAT

If you are a baseball fan in Northern California, please consult your physician. There is a good chance that the past couple of weeks have shortened your life expectancy measurably. Giants fans by hours or days.

A’s fans, by as much as a year. But what a year, right? The words ‘emotional roller-coaster’ barely begin to describe the ride we’ve been on of late. So we’ll try to elaborate..

1. The Ascent. We are doing this. On our way. Slowly, slowly rising. Inexplicably climbing the standings, defying gravity. What’s that ratcheting sound? We’re clicking, baby! This is gonna be AWESOME! 2. The Initial Drop. Ohmybob we’re all gonna die! Why are we doing this? How can this all have gone so suddenly, horribly wrong? This was a terrible idea! Who did this to us? This is NOT what we signed up for!

3. That Part Where You’re Sure You’re Going to Hurtle Off Into Space. Things seem really bad right now, what with the impending doom and all. Our hearts hurt. But just remember, we’re in this together. We can get through this. Solidarity.

4. The Loop-de-Loop. WHOA! We survived! We’re on our way back up… and around? We’re back in this thing! This is kinda fun. We feel a little queasy, and our lungs and small intestine may have just switched places, but we think we like it.

5. Return to the Boarding Platform. Awww. It’s over? So soon? Can we go again? *Editor’s Note: Please keep arms and legs inside the car until the ride comes to a full and complete stop.

Also, line-jumping and classless acts (we’re looking at you, Al Alburquerque…) may be cause for ejection from the park.

— Bill Kolb

“We bent but didn’t break.

Well, we broke, but mended things back together in time to make a play at the end.”

— Freedom-Oakley football coach Kevin Hartwig following his team’s 49-48 win over Pittsburg. Freedom’s defense surrendered 365 yards rushing, but forced two key turnovers in the fourth quarter, including an interception that clinched the victory with 30 seconds to go.

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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.

October 18, 2012

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The setter led the Vikings to sweeps of Capital Valley League foes Del Campo, Bella Vista, and Rio Linda to improve Oakmont’s record to 25-2, including a 4-0 mark in league play. The captain has been key in helping the team to a somewhat surprising vault to the top of the CVL standings and into the discussion of potential Sac-Joaquin Section title contenders. Gladwill leads the league with 52 aces. Her 204 assists are tops on the team with big efforts in the Vikings’ recent wins, recording 54 assists in nine games.

SportStars Magazine: Have you been surprised by the team’s success this year?

Brennah Gladwill: We haven’t been that surprised as a team. At the beginning of the year, we had a good feeling that this could be our year. We are a senior-loaded team and have two sophomores that have been real good.

SSM: Do you consider yourselves underdogs still?

BG: We felt like underdogs until we got our first big win over Christian Brothers. Now, I think that maybe we have outgrown the underdog label and we feel that we should be on people’s radars now.

SSM: As a three-year varsity player and second-year captain, what is your leadership role?

BG: I am definitely the positive one that is always encouraging teammates and trying to keep

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brennah gladwill oakmont-roseville . volleyball . senior

honorable mention

isaiah saunders The Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove senior running back rushed for 268 yards and six TDs in the Eagles’ 55-20 victory over SheldonSacramento. He has 1,002 yards rushing and 11 TDs for the season.

hannah gregg The PlacerAuburn senior continued her Pioneer Valley League dominance by earning medalist honors in team victories over Center and Bear River. She was also the overall medalist of the PVL Tournament.

niko hansen Contributed

everyone smiling. Our other captain (senior Katie Carte) gives more direction on the floor, but our jobs are made easier by having so many seniors.

SSM: Has the team’s success brought more attention and recognition to the program?

BG: Definitely. Our crowd has grown so much from where we started this year. There used to be just a few people in the gym, but the school is absolutely more interested and the gym is packed now.

The JesuitCarmichael senior scored twice, added an assist in the Marauders’ 4-0 boys soccer victory over defending SJS Div. I-champion Davis. He added three more goals over Jesuit’s next two matches. As of Oct. 11, the Marauders (18-1-1) were ranked No. 5 nationally.

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Most high school athletes aren’t equipped to benefit from plyometrics

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energy is wasted as heat and the power release his week I’m going to throw you for a loop and tell you that plyometric training from the spring is compromised. So to take full means absolutely NOTHING for a lot of advantage of the energy stored and created in the high school athletes. compressed spring, it must compress and release Why? Let me first give a very simple descripquickly for an explosive jump, which requires a tion of plyometric activity: It’s basically defined as strong stiff spring. movement that enables a muscle to reach maxiWeak athletes need to have the strength (and mum strength in as short time as possible. rate of force development) to decelerate with Plyometric activity involves three distinct control in order to allow for fast eccentric and phases: amortization phases to occur.

1. Eccentric (deceleration, preloading) — Think I’d estimate that 95% of the young athletes about a basketball player who drives for a slamTim Rudd for IYCA who walk through my door on their first day to dunk. As the player takes the last step toward the train are nowhere near strong enough to derive basket, the supporting leg must take the full bodyconsiderable benefit from advanced progressions weight and stop the horizontal force of the run up. This loads of plyometrics. the leg by rapidly forcing its muscles to stretch and undergo Sure, young athletes need to learn deceleration and landrapid eccentric contraction (Just think of compressing the ing mechanics as well as change of direction techniques. But coils of a strong and stiff spring). the true progress comes from the resistance training they do 2. Amortization (isometric, pause) — This is the transition in an appropriately progressed program with respect to longterm development. from the eccentric to concentric phase of the jump and takes The fact is many high school athletes (especially females) place within hundredths of a second. Elite athletes usually don’t have the underlying strength to effectively make use of are on the ground for a mere .12 seconds! (How long the the reactive training that typifies the training presented to spring stays compressed before releasing) them by a lot of trainers and coaches.

3. Concentric (propulsion) phases — This is the release These same trainers erroneously start them with advanced of the stored energy from the eccentric loading phase. The levels of plyometrics without truly understanding how inefenergy stored in the spring is then released as the athlete fective and dangerous it can be. There seems to be no respect leaves the floor. or understanding given to assessments, proper strength If the coil is compressed for too long or is not strong,

Training Time

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training and the long-term development of high school athletes.

When athletes are put through inappropriate plyometric programs, or do a lot of jumping and change of directions in their sports, they have somewhat of an injury predisposition.

They aren’t strong enough (relative to their body weight) to get much out of advanced levels of plyometrics, and would benefit more from strength training, bilateral jumping variations, and single-leg low hops with an emphasis on landing with reduced gravity, and eventually progress to a true plyometric program.

The shortcomings of plyometrics occur when coaches and trainers don’t understand how to appropriately assess the current status of the athlete. Problems kick in when this misunderstanding leads to ineffective prescriptions of exercises that are not only ineffective, but also can lead to decreased performance and increased injury potential.

So what does all this mean? Well if your athletes don’t have a decent foundation of strength along with progressive reactive force development training, then jumping right into a plyometric program is a waste of time. ✪ 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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Ryquin Lacrosse photo

Loyola Chacon, left, tries to turn the corner.

After big summer, Ryquin Lacrosse preps for Harvest Tournament Ryquin Lacrosse of Sacramento will be hosting their fourth annual Harvest Tournament on November 10-11 at Sacramento State University. The tournament will feature boys and girls team competition on both days, as well as a Fastest Shot Competition, youth expo games, and a vendor village. Activities will take place on the weekend from 9 am until 5 pm both days.

More than 20 lacrosse clubs from throughout Northern California, including the Bay Area, and parts of Nevada will participate in the action. Saturday’s action will feature under-19 (U-19) and U-15 boys games with U-17 boys and U-19 girls hitting the fields on Sunday. The U-19 boys championship game is slated for the Sacramento State stadium field while regular action will take place all weekend on the university’s soccer fields.

Ryquin Lacrosse was founded by East Coast natives, Tasha and Steve McLaughlin in 2009, and has hosted the Harvest Tournament every year since its founding. The organization was formed to teach new and experienced players and to organize lacrosse teams and tournaments in the Sacramento area.

Ryquin’s focus is to provide quality opportunities for young athletes to learn the game from knowledgeable and experienced coaches. In addition to the McLaughlins, Ryquin has

been supported and advised by Sacramento lacrosse legends, Pete Lee and Pete Winn, in an effort to grow the sport and provide quality, informed instruction to players at every level of ability.

Ryquin Lacrosse draws players from Stockton to Reno and throughout the Sacramento region with players that play for local high school programs, including Jesuit, Oak Ridge, Pleasant Grove, River City and Woodcreek. The club includes boys and girls teams for players as young as three years old — the coed Lil Fiddlers team is in its second season this year.

The club’s teams concluded a busy summer schedule before players got back to school, including the All-West Showcase in Morgan Hill, the Tahoe Lacrosse Tournament at Incline Village, and the Pacific Highlight Tournament in Danville. Kevin Dowling, a 2012 Jesuit-Carmichael graduate, earned All-Tournament Defensive MVP honors at the Tahoe tournament while 2012 Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove graduate Cole Hikutini won the Fastest Shot Contest in Tahoe with a qualifying shot speed of 102 mph and final round shot clocked at 98 mph.

For more information about Ryquin Lacrosse and the 4th Annual Harvest Tournament, go to www.ryquin.com/Lacrosse or contact them at 916-333-2433.

— SportStars Staff

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After shocking semifinal upset denied Rio Americano, Raiders reload for another run

A

By jim mccue | Senior Contributor

dversity can present itself in varying levels of intensity and difficulty, but the sign of a true champion lies in how one responds to it.

While some may consider a semifinal loss in the 2011 Sac-Joaquin Section Division II girls water polo playoffs that denied Rio Americano a tenth consecutive section title far from a devastating event, the Raiders considered it a hardship that would test their resolve. The senior-laden 2012 team has thus far responded well to such adversity. The team entered the third week of October on an unblemished run in the Capital Athletic League and are increasing momentum as the playoffs near.

“The loss kicked our butts and reminded us that we needed to work hard to get back on top,” senior Emily Perry said. “It was sad that we could not win (a tenth straight Div. Pool pOWERHOUSE II section championship), but we want to start a new The Rio Americano girls winning streak.” enter the 2012 postseason tied for the most SJS titles Despite graduating only one player and returning since water polo was recogall starters from the 2011 team, the Raiders have ennized as a section championcountered plenty of newness this season. ship sport in 1996. Here’s Tyson Frenn, who coached the Rio Americano the breakdown of girls titles. boys’ water polo team in 2011, added double duty by There are currently just two assuming the coaching responsibilities for the girls’ divisions, Division I began in team in his second year at the school.

1996 and Division II in 2002.

Frenn’s coaching style has been embraced by the Davis.......................................9 girls, who give their new leader a share of the credit Rio Americano........................9 for creating an improved atmosphere and renewed Johansen-Modesto................4 St. Francis-Sacramento.........3 confidence.

Del Oro-Loomis......................1 “The whole environment is better this year,” senior Emmy Savidge said. “The coaching is different, the communication is improved, and the whole team chemistry is better.”

Talent was not an issue for the 2011 Raiders, but the players struggled to get the most of their skills in the pool, especially in big games and important situations.

“Our biggest competition was ourselves last year,” senior goalkeeper Avery Dotterer said. “Sometimes we would get down on ourselves and didn’t pick each other up.”

“We have made a big change in our communication both in and out of the pool,” she added. “Everyone is talking more and helping each James K. Leash photos other in the water. There is a much better chemistry.”

Rio Americano senior attacker, Emmy Savidge takes aim during an Oct. 10 match against El Improved chemistry has brought out the best from a deep and talCamino-Sacramento.

Savidge netted 20 goals ented roster that boasts a few players receiving increasing interest from over the team’s first 14 matches.

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Senior goalkeeper Avery Dotterer anchors a defense which was allowing just 4.3 goals per game through 14 matches. college programs. Savidge, who is likely to commit to Brown University, will be taking visits to Harvard, George Washington, Bucknell, and the University of the Pacific in addition to an upcoming trip to Brown’s campus in Providence, Rhode Island. Perry and Savidge are also looking at several four-year colleges to attend for education and water polo.

Dotterer anchors a consistently solid defense, allowing just 4.3 goals per game, and assumes a leadership role from her perspective in the net.

“She does a good job talking to us and seeing the whole pool,” Savidge said. “A good goalie can make or break a team, and we are fortunate to have a very good player in the cage.”

Dotterer is not alone in protecting the net. The Raiders’ players have exceptional two-way talent, according to Frenn.

Centers Celeste Brown and Maigrie McDougal both stand six feet tall and utilize their size and length to control the post or two-meter position at both ends of the pool.

“We have a huge advantage at the center position with two girls that are six feet tall,” Frenn said. “The game is all about body position and the girls can get more separation with their length on offense and regain position better on defense.”

Denying shots and goals starts the offense and allows shooters like Perry and Savidge to release quickly to gain position and set up the offense. The pair of senior utility players showed their scoring prowess in the Raiders’ recent 11-3 victory over Capital Athletic League rival El Camino. Perry found the back of the cage five times to up her team-leading season total to 37 goals and Savidge scored twice to give her 20 goals in 14 games.

Brown has added 23 goals and McDougal 16, showcasing Rio Americano’s diverse talent and high-powered offense.

That potent attack has been a work in progress that Frenn hopes will peak when the postseason arrives in early November.

“How well we do depends on our offense,” the coach said.

“We don’t give up many goals, but sometimes we struggle to 18

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score. We have lots of weapons, but the girls need to focus on the common goal of scoring and take the shots they get.”

The Raiders’ schedule includes plenty more opportunities to test their offense against top competition prior to the start of the postseason. They will travel to high-level tournaments featuring top programs from Sacramento, the Central Valley, and the Bay Area. Rio Americano travelled to Modesto as one of 47 teams competing at various sites on October 1213. Oakdale, who handed Rio Americano its first playoff loss ever last year, is one of the hosts. The field will also include traditional powers such as Davis, Northgate-Walnut Creek, Clovis North and Miramonte-Orinda. The Raiders will also play in the Davis Fall Classic on October 19-20 to test itself against Buchanan-Clovis, St. Ignatius-San Francisco, LelandSan Jose, and Woodcreek-Roseville.

“It’s important to go to tournaments, so that we are used to playing in big games before the playoffs start,” Savidge said.

“We only play each league opponent once this season, so we need the extra games and the competition is good.”

Savidge and her teammates will benefit from the tournament games, but the results will be secondary to the value of logging pool time in preparation for the only title they truly want — a tenth SJS championship. The Raiders have already defeated Oakdale earlier this season and have played Div. I opponents very tough, setting up a title run that is achievable in the eyes of every player on the team.

“We all believe that we can win sections this year,” Dotterer said. “But I don’t think that we are cocky or arrogant about it. I just have so much faith in each one of my teammates to get the job done that there is a lot of confidence that we will get it done.”

Regaining the section title that was once owned by the program for nearly a decade would give Rio Americano another championship banner to proudly display, and a response to adversity worthy of true champions. ✪ Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com

Forlini sisters aim to cap perfect career at Granite Bay

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By jim mccue | Senior Contributor

he family that plays together, stays together.

The Forlini family of five from Granite Bay regularly mix and match to compete in doubles competitions, and have earned their fair share of tennis hardware.

Fraternal twin sisters Chloe and Lily form the family’s most prolific duo, having won three consecutive Sac-Joaquin Section Division II doubles titles in their first three seasons at Granite Bay High School. They have played competitively since age 10 and formed their partnership as a doubles team two years later.

The familiarity with each other—they spend the majority of their waking hours together at home, school and on the tennis court—gives the Grizzlies’ duo an almost unfair advantage.

“They have been at it together for so long that the comfort level they have with each other is a huge advantage over opponents,” head coach Rory Wood said. “Others have to take time to get comfortable as a team and learn how the partners play and position themselves on the court.”

While practicing and playing together for so long has created a deep understanding of each other’s games, it has not 20

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created identical games for Chloe and Lily. Lily, who is a few inches taller, is a power player who prefers to set up crushing passing shots with long, hard ground strokes. Chloe, in contrast, relies more on finesse with a slicing stroke that can frustrate opponents who want to trade power strokes.

“I am more aggressive while Chloe is a slice and dice player,” Lily said. “Together, it’s like the yin and yang.”

The oneness extends beyond the tennis court as the pair are almost inseparable. Until this year, Chloe and Lily had all of the same classes in Granite Bay’s International Baccalaureate program. This year they initiated some separation with Lily taking a more science-driven course load compared to Chloe’s focus on language arts.

In all endeavors, whether identical or not, the sisters have an intense competitive fire that drives them to succeed and outdo their sibling. Grades and accolades are often compared as competition is found in most things they do.

In their early years, Chloe and Lily played in singles competitions and occasionally faced each other, with usually unpleasant results. With neither sister enjoying a loss, the sting of defeat was even greater when delivered by a sibling. Squabbles resulting from tennis or other sibling rivalry were becom-

ing more frequent, so their mother, Laura, stepped in and set things straight for the girls with an emphasis on the off-court sibling bond.

“One day mom sat us down and talked to us about how, at some point, they would be gone and we would have to be there for each other,” Lily said. “She said that (the siblings, including older brother Drew, who is now 20) would have to be a support system for one another at some point.”

That life lesson and the decision to eliminate head-to-head competition on the tennis court began a partnership that has blossomed into great success together without snuffing out the girls’ competitive fire.

“Family comes first,” Chloe said. “We are very competitive with each other in everything we do, but that has always helped us to push each other. We make each other better.”

Chloe and Lily are hoping that they will be at their best for the section playoffs, which begin on Oct. 29. They have a legitimate shot to become the first tandem in section history to claim four doubles titles, and Granite Bay is among the favorites to win a team championship despite a move up to Division I in 2012.

The Grizzlies have already defeated Division I powers Davis Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com

and Oak Ridge in dual matches, and Wood believes that his team matches up well against seven-time defending champion St. Francis-Sacramento. While the stakes have been raised, the Grizzlies, and Chloe and Lily Forlini in particular, are confident that they can rise to the challenge.

“Going into the sections our freshman year, we didn’t know how far we could go or what our potential really was,” Lily said. “Once we won that year, we wanted to win it again each year.”

“It will be tough to win in Division I, but I think that we have enough tournament experience to do it.”

Granite Bay also has the defending Division II singles champion in senior Kammy Kecki, so Wood is hopeful that his veterans can finish their high school careers on top.

“I want them all to go out with a bang and finish their high school careers by defending their titles,” Wood said. “They will have to really pick it up, but I believe that they can and it will make for a fun final.”

The Forlinis are equally motivated to finish high school with four titles, but proceed with cautious confidence.

“We take it brand new each year and don’t want to be overconfident,” Lily said. “We are motivated to win every year and want to leave a mark or a legacy.”

Win or lose in the section tournament and beyond (Northern California regionals and state competitions follow the section championships), the pair plan to build their bond.

With their success in tennis and in the classroom, the sisters are getting interest from a number of colleges to prepare for potential careers in medicine. The Forlinis are a package deal, seeking a university with a pair of spots on the tennis team.

Where the journey takes Chloe and Lily Forlini after high school, the one constant for the twin sisters will be family.

“We would really like to continue our tennis success at the collegiate level,” Chloe said. “We prefer to be together, stay together and play together.” ✪

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James K. Leash photos

Chloe Forlni, left, and her fraternal twin sister Lily are always together on and off the court.

Both are outstanding students and are looking for a package deal when they head off to college.

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Story by Jim McCue • Photos by James K. Leash 22

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October 18, 2012

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“We believe that we have a reputation to uphold.

This is still our city, and we want to prove that we are the best.”

N

ew schools have been built all over Northern California, and the SacJoaquin Section is no exception to state-of-the-art classroom and athletic facilities sprouting up to address population growth and modernization

needs.

Elk Grove High School was among the very first high schools in the state of California, and is certainly the oldest of the nine high schools in the Elk Grove Union High School District. Its current campus was built in 1964, and the school and its student body have stood the test of time in an environment that encourages innovation and expansion.

The Thundering Herd athletics programs have a deep tradition that is almost as old as the campus itself. Notable alumni includes nine current or former Major League Baseball players, professional golfer Spencer Levin, NBA legend Bill Cartwright, and current Chicago Bears Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs. And so, the “original” Elk Grove school is proud of its roots and athletic success.

This year’s version of the Thundering Herd football team is seeking to add its mark on the athletic legacy of the “old school” at the corner of Elk Grove Boulevard and Elk Grove-Florin Road.

“We believe that we have a reputation to uphold,” senior running back Robert Frazier said of being the first high school in Elk Grove. “This is still our city, and we want to prove that we are the best.”

Despite no longer being the only school in town or even the biggest, Elk Grove remains a draw for the City’s athletes.

“Each one of the new schools has taken a little chunk out of Elk Grove’s enrollment, so we are not the big school in town anymore,” head coach Chris Nixon said.

“We still get real committed hard workers that want to come to Elk Grove and be a part of the tradition.”

The Thundering Herd, who are presently 7-0 overall and 2-0 in the Delta Valley Conference, play on a modern synthetic turf field, but have stayed true to James K. Leash

The Thundering Herd’s offensive engine starting with the self-proclaimed “Hammerheads” up front (L to R), Noah McMahon, Marcus Worthy, Matt Loller, Dior Vela and Jaime Cruz.

The back row (L to R) features running backs Elijah Jones and Wadus Parker, quarterback Tommy Arnold and running back Robert Frazier.

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their old-fashioned, run-heavy wing-T offensive scheme.

With so many programs moving to spread offenses and gimmicks, Elk Grove is a straight forward “three yards and a cloud of dust” offense.

“Familiarity is a big deal. You see the offense run the same from Junior Herd on up,” said Nixon, who was the offensive coordinator in the 1990s before taking over the program in 2008. “We tried to toy with the ‘pistol’ offense a little bit in 2008 and 2009, and have thrown in a few wrinkles on occasion, but you go back to what the kids know and what works.”

That tried and true formula has yielded amazing success.

The Thundering Herd has recaptured its glory with 19 wins in its last 20 games, including a 12-1 season in 2011 that ended in the Division II section semifinals. Defending state champion Folsom derailed Elk Grove’s perfect season with a 42-28 win,

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courtesy of uncharacteristic turnovers.

The defeat dealt a crushing blow, but also served as huge motivation to finish the 2012 season on a better note.

Key to the shot at redemption is once again the old school offense with plenty of returning talent and some new pieces to plug into the scheme. Frazier, a senior running back/defensive back who rushed for 1,494 yards and 21 TDs last year, heads a veteran backfield that includes junior quarterback Tommy Arnold and junior running backs Wadus Parker and Elijah Jones.

Frazier, Parker and Jones are the latest runners to carry the load. The trio and an undersized offensive line still run the same plays that Nixon has called for years, but with more of a reliance on speed and quickness. The results thus far are a combined 2,080 yards rushing and 25 touchdowns.

“We have had to adapt to the game and the turf fields since

I was running the offense in the 1990s,” Nixon said. “You still need some horses to carry the ball, but they are just not as big as the horses were in the ‘90s.”

Frazier is just 5-foot-8, but has a burst and cutting ability that can leave defenders doing a lot of chasing. He has accounted for 1,097 yards on the ground and 18 tackles on defense, as well as three interceptions, including one returned for a score. His athleticism has wowed recruiters, but his lack of the size has kept major Div. I programs at a distance.

“He may be undersized, but there are programs that will find a way to use that kind of athlete,” Nixon said. “It’s not all about height, it’s about the heart.”

Parker and Jones are equally athletic and dangerous on both sides of the ball. Parker has 762 yards rushing and a 9.4 yards per carry average to go with 14 touchdowns on offense.

He has added 19 tackles and a team-leading four sacks from his linebacker position. Jones, who is as good of a third option at running back as there may be in the section with 221 yards on just 31 carries, has shined brightest on defense with 42 tackles and a pair of interceptions.

“It is a luxury, but also a necessity because those guys also play defense,” Nixon said. “You can give guys a rest and you don’t lose anything on offense, and keep them fresh for the defense.”

While the backfield gets the glory and the statistics, each member of that group is quick to heap praise and credit on the linemen who make their jobs on the field easier.

“The credit goes to the offensive line,” Frazier said. “They work their butts off in practice and hit the sled every day. It’s all about the scheme and effort. When you go up against bigger guys, the low man wins.”

The self-named “Hammerheads” may lack size — only tackles Marcus Worthy and Jaime Cruz top 240 pounds — but technique and desire fuel the group to pave the way for their running backs and quarterback. Every practice, you can find Worthy, Cruz, Noah McMahon, Matt Loller, Dior Vela, Casey Whalen, Mikey Wright, Noah Letuligasenoa, and B’won Canada attacking the blocking sled for nearly an hour.

“We probably emphasize the sled work a lot more than other programs,” Nixon said of line coach Moe Loller’s routine with his charges. “They work on fundamentals, working details with their feet, hands and hips constantly. We even watch film of the sled work to get better.”

Nixon attributes the Hammerheads’ talent — both physically and intellectually — for the success of the offe nse. He and his coaches rely on the linemen and quarterback to pass along information about defensive schemes to make adjustments that will keep the Thundering Herd running game moving forward.

In all aspects of the game, Nixon emphasizes effort and accountability. At the start of the 2011 season, Elk Grove began a practice of establishing individual goals to help achieve the team goals. Every player writes down his goals for each game at the team’s weekly meal on a “goal card.” The players then give the card to a teammate to commit their goals in writing and make themselves accountable to their teammates.

The goal cards are a new tradition, but the accountability is a long-standing part of the responsibility and tradition of representing Elk Grove High School.

“There is a pride that we take in being the original school in town,” Arnold said. “We know that we are under a microscope as representatives of the school and the team, and that it is real big how you conduct yourself in school and outside in the community.”

So far, the Thundering Herd are representing quite well as they strive for a successful present and future built on past traditions and schemes established long before they set foot on campus. ✪ Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com

Doug Guler photos

Oak Ridge junior linebacker Thomas Mahlman, right, attempts to bottle up Folsom’s Bailey Laolagi on Oct. 5.

&

Tough talented Trojans vow to use Folsom loss to get better, stronger Story by Bryant West | Photos by James K. Leash 26

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October 18, 2012

When the Oak Ridge High Trojans joined the Delta River League three seasons ago, they gained all the benefits of becoming a Division 1 program. For head coach Eric Cavaliere and his program, the greatest advantage was the improved competition.

“The Delta River league is a no joke league,” Cavaliere said this week after a late practice with his squad. “If you don’t play your best game, you’re going to lose. There isn’t one team in our league that isn’t capable of beating us, beating anybody.”

The Trojans experienced that first hand in their Delta River League opener against Folsom on Oct. 5. In a matchup of two unbeaten squads, the Trojans couldn’t keep up with the Bulldogs potent spread offense and faltered at home 49-21.

Starting quarterback Jason Samuels remained positive after the game.

“We just didn’t come out and execute like we planned to, and it’s frustrating because I think we’re the better team,” he said. “That’s how it works out some nights; plays just don’t go as you want them too. It was a tough loss.”

In a deep league like the Delta River League, the losses will come, especially when the conference offers challenges like Folsom—in the past four seasons, the Bulldogs are a combined 42-5.

oak ridge-El Dorado hills

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“Probably the biggest thing that Jason (Samuels has) done for himself this season has been his physical development.

He’s always been accurate.

He’s always had a strong arm. But he’s added more strength, which obviously has made him a more durable and overall better football player.”

— Oak Ridge coach Eric Cavaliere Trojans quarterback Jason Samuels Just don’t expect Cavaliere to fret over the tough opposition.

“I love (the Delta River League)”, he said. “It isn’t like the Gold League we used to be back in Division II, where there would be a team or two that we could beat even without playing our best games. You don’t get any better doing that.

This is a challenge league, it’s a new challenge. It makes you better.”

Oak Ridge moved up to Division I three seasons ago, and this 5-1 team is the best squad they’ve had since. The Trojans don’t have one great strength, but they don’t have any great weaknesses either.

While the defense wasn’t able to contain Folsom’s offense, they’d been remarkably resilient in the first five games of the season, allowing just 48 points and earning 12 takeaways.

The squad has 19.5 total sacks, led by 11.5 from leagueleading senior Zack Claiborne.

The efficient, pro-set offense is led by Samuels, who has

1,100 yards and 15 TDs against four interceptions. He’s been kept clean all season by a ferociously tough offensive line that has only allowed one sack, and that was in the opening night 42-6 rout of Vista del Lago.

Samuels missed extensive time last season, including all five of Oak Ridge’s Delta River Conference games, with a broken collarbone. He did manage to play in the Trojan’s final game of the season, a loss against Granite Bay in the CIF Sac-Joaquin section playoffs. If he’d played all season, the Trojans may have finished better than their 7-5 record. In the six games Samuels was suited up, the Trojans were 4-2; without him they went 3-3.

“Jason has really growing into the role of being a senior,” Cavaliere said. “Probably the biggest thing that Jason’s done for himself this season has been his physical development.

“He’s always been accurate. He’s always had a strong arm. But he’s added more strength, which obviously has made him a more durable and overall better football player.”

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Samuels also has a ton of weapons at his disposal, including six receivers with seven or more receptions. Senior Byron Spain leads the squad with 22 receptions for 348 yards and seven touchdowns. On the ground, the Trojans boast the very definition of “running back by committee”, with five backs splitting 149 carries totaling 790 yards and 10 touchdowns.

None of the team’s individual stats pop off the page, but that’s fine with their coach.

“We don’t have a lot of ‘me’ players, we have a lot of ‘we’ players,” he said. “We’ve got a real good bond in this group; they want to work hard for each other.

Samuels said this was the best team he’s been on in the three years he’s been at Oak Ridge, but believes it’s more than football.

“We have a strong brotherhood,” he said following the loss to Folsom. “That’s the best thing about us. We will bounce back from this together.”

Cavaliere wasn’t as ready to call this the best team he’d had at Oak Ridge.

“I’m not so sure about that,” he said, noting that he’d been with the team since 1998. “Ask me that in a few months,” he said with a grin.

Still, Cavaliere did admit that this particular squad goes much deeper than football.

He agreed with Samuels that the team has formed a brotherhood, and said he’s been working on instilling that for years.

“That’s something that I’ve been working TOP: Oak Ridge coach Eric Cavaliere hard at with this football program for quite addresses the Trojans following the some time, and this team has really bought team’s 49-21 loss to Folsom. As of into it,” he said. “They’re playing for each other Oct. 13, it was the team’s only loss.

ABOVE: Senior wide receiver Byron and for the brotherhood of this program.”

Even though this is one of the better Spain runs with the ball after one of squads he’s worked with, Cavaliere believes his four catches against Folsom. that the brotherhood element would make this squad enjoyable even if they weren’t winning.

“I knew at the beginning of this season, I was going to enjoy this team regardless of how many games we won or lost. If we’d come in at 5-1 or 1-5, I was going to really enjoy this group. Winning is just icing on the cake.”

As for the loss to Folsom? The squad has to put it behind them.

“Situations like this tell you what you’re made of,” Cavaliere said. “When you get knocked down, you gotta get back up and go at it even harder.” ✪

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Do football players grow on trees in Elk Grove?

SportStars NorCal Top 20 All records through Oct. 13 Rank (Last Wk.) School 1 (1)

De La Salle-Concord

2 (2)

Elk Grove

4 (4)

Franklin-Elk Grove

3 (3) 5 (6) 6 (5) 7 (7) 8 (8) 9 (9)

10 (10) 11 (11)

12 (12) 13 (13) 14 (14) 15 (15) 16 (16) 17 (17) 18 (18) 19 (19) 20 (20)

Record

Bellarmine-San Jose Folsom

Serra-San Mateo Placer-Auburn

Marin Catholic-Kentfield St. Mary’s-Stockton

Burbank-Sacramento Monte Vista-Danville Oakdale

Deer Valley

Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills

Archbishop Mitty-San Jose Oak Grove-San Jose

California-San Ramon

7-0 7-0 5-0 7-0 7-0 5-1 7-0 7-1 5-2 7-0 6-1 6-1 6-1 6-1 4-2 6-0 6-1

Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa 7-0 James Logan-Union City El Cerrito

6-1 7-0

Top 20 Facts-Figures-Fallout ■ DROPPED OUT: None ■ BIGGEST MOVER: Everybody held serve this week, except for Serra-San Mateo who drops just one spot to No. 6 after an overtime loss to No. 3 Bellarmine PrepSan Jose. That opened the door for Folsom to climb one more rung into the Top 5.

■ TOP 20 MATCHUPS TO WATCH: One week after having a 3 vs. 5, we’ll get a 2 vs. 4 when Elk Grove hosts Franklin-Elk Grove in a Delta Valley League showdown on Oct. 19. Top-ranked De La Salle plays No. 11 Monte Vista on the same night. No. 18 Cardinal Newman faces its toughest test of the season against unranked Rancho Cotate-Rohnert Park (7-0) on Oct. 26.

■ TEAMS REMAINING FROM PRESEASON TOP 20: 10 ■ KNOCKING AT THE DOOR: Stagg-Stockton (7-0), Clayton Valley-Concord (6-1), Concord (6-1), West Valley-Cottonwood (6-1), Palo Alto (4-2), Buhach ColonyAtwater (5-2), Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove (5-2), FreedomOakley (5-2), Granite Bay (4-3).

There was a time when the mention of football in Elk Grove meant only one thing—the Elk Grove High Thundering Herd.

But, with the population boom of the 1990s, the city quickly expanded and so did the Elk Grove Unified School District.

Where there was once just a single high school serving the entire community, a total of nine high schools— Cosumnes Oaks, Elk Grove, Florin, Franklin, Laguna Creek, Monterey Trail, Pleasant Grove, Sheldon, and Valley—are in the school district. Three are technically in a Sacramento zip code, however.

The city’s growth and subsequent development of new schools has resulted in a distribution of the community’s football talent. Despite the fear that new schools would water down the strength of the city’s football programs, Elk Grove boasts a large number of top schools that contend for Sac-Joaquin Section supremacy year in and year out.

Currently, four of the schools within Elk Grove city limits still boast winning records, In 2011, more than half of the teams from Elk Grove qualified for the playoffs, with Pleasant Grove advancing to the Division I title game. The Eagles won the D-I championship in 2010.

“It is amazing that schools that are so close together can all produce great programs,” said Chris Nixon, head coach at Elk Grove High School.

His Thundering Herd is currently the top-ranked team in Elk Grove as well as the Sacramento region, but Franklin is on their heels as the two programs set for an Oct. 19 showdown at Elk Grove.

“Everyone’s rival in town is Elk Grove,” said Franklin head coach Mike Johnson, who has led the Wildcats since the school opened 10 years ago. “Some rivalries exist with other teams, but you are nothing until you beat the Herd.”

Most of the kids squaring off with city bragging rights on the line at the high school level have already done so many times previously as Mighty Mites, Pee Wees, Midgets, and at the junior varsity level.

“We all know who the players are,” said Tommy Arnold, junior quarterback at Elk Grove High. “I’ve been playing against guys like (Franklin High School’s) Joey Banks and Steven Rogers since age 8, and we know who has the better record even from way back in junior football.”

The local coaches also enjoy talking football and each one wants to be the best in town. But the city’s coaches have built strong friendships and enjoy watching every program in the city thrive.

“The competitiveness is there, but there is also a lot of camaraderie,” Pleasant Grove coach Joe Cattolico said. “We share common philosophies as coaches and understand that we are also teaching some life lessons beyond football.”

Said Johnson: “I always wish the other coaches good luck for nine weeks of the season. I hope they win all of their games except when they play us.”

BELLS BOUNCE BACK

Reports of Bellarmine Prep High’s football demise have obviously been greatly exaggerated.

The Bells, who graduated all but five starters from last season’s magical 12-2 season, were left for a “rebuilding season” following an unfair 41-7 opening-game defeat to De La Salle.

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James K. Leash

The Elk Grove High offense is a big reason why the Thundering Herd remain the team to beat in a city bursting with new, successful programs.

It was unfair that such a young and inexperienced team had to open with the nationally-ranked Spartans, who feature four Division I-college seniors on defense alone. “(Bellarmine) will be OK,” De La Salle coach Bob Ladouceur said of the San Jose program afterward. “That’s a great program and (Mike Janda) is a very good coach.”

The Bells licked their wounds from that night, went back to work and following an absolute stellar 35-34 overtime win at Serra-San Mateo on Oct. 13, they are right back in the state bowl picture.

It was Bellarmine’s fifth straight victory and second straight WCAL barnburner, the previous a 14-10 triumph over Archbishop Mitty-San Jose on a 46-yard touchdown pass from K.J. Carta-Samuels to Jared Vallner with 2:14 remaining on Oct. 6.

Against Serra, the Vanderbilt-bound Carta-Samuels was absolutely brilliant, completing 12 of 15 passes for 201 yards while accounting for all four of Bellarmine’s offensive touchdowns.

The other score, which proved decisive, came right before halftime when Curt Calomeni blocked a punt and Daniel Fields returned it five yards for a touchdown. The defense’s other big play came on the game’s final play when Serra coach Patrick Walsh decided to go for the win on a 2-point conversion play in overtime.

Eric Redwood, who had burned the Bells with 187 yards rushing and four touchdowns, was met at the line of scrimmage by linebacker Austin Changras and a sea of Bellarmine defenders for no gain.

“We’ve heard all season how we graduated so many seniors from last year’s team,” Carta-Samuels said. “We proved today we can still move the ball. We’re still Bellarmine.” ✪ — Jim McCue and Mitch Stephens

October 18, 2012

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7

GIRLS GOLF: North Coast Section Tournament of Champions, Windsor Golf Course, Oct. 29, 8 a.m. shotgun — The top female golfers in the section will go North this year to battle it out for CIF Northern Regional Championship berths. Defending NorCal champion Mission San Jose-Fremont will be considered a top contender to take the NCS title this year after finishing second a year ago to Amador Valley-Pleasanton. Other teams that could play a factor include Foothill-Pleasanton, Granada-Livermore and Acalanes-Lafayette. Kathleen Scavo of Justin-Siena-Napa will be looking to defend her individual NCS crown from a year ago, as well.

sac joaquin Must Go

1

FOOTBALL: Franklin-Elk Grove vs. Elk Grove, Oct. 19, 7:15 p.m. — There will be a lot more than city pride on the line when the Wildcats pay a visit to the Thundering Herd in this Delta Valley League showdown. The winner will not only have an inside track to the DVL crown, but will also gain an edge in the seeding for a potential Open or Division I Regional Bowl championship berth. Both teams rely on powerful running games fueled by multiple backs. This should literally play out to a last-man-standing type of finish.

2

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL: Las Lomas-Walnut Creek at Campolindo-Moraga, Oct. 23, 6 p.m. — Campolindo hasn’t missed a beat this season under new head coach John Vuong. The perennial DFAL powerhouse is on pace for another league crown and top NCS playoff seed thanks to seniors Annie Shurtz and Sophie Seiberth, right.

Las Lomas is the up-and-comer, though, and the Knights think they just might have the firepower to make this match interesting. The first meeting between the teams on Sept. 27 went 3-0 in favor of Campolindo, but the first two games were decided by a total of five points.

3

FOOTBALL: Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa at Rancho Cotate-Rohnert Park, Oct. 25, 7:30 p.m. — A North Bay League title and a top seed in the North Coast Section Division III playoffs will ultimately be on the line when these two rivals clash. As of Oct. 14, the teams were a combined 14-0. Cardinal Newman has been especially dominant behind a defense led by Arizona-bound LB Rancho Cotate’s AJ Davidson, right Phil Wright. The Cardinals posted three shutouts in their first six games.

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Christian Fonbuena, Franklin

October 18, 2012

As die-hard high school and teen sports enthusiasts, we realize that you face many tough choices on what games to see, which athletes to watch and everything in between. 10 To Go is our attempt to lend a hand with such quandaries. Behold our list of the Top 10 things to put on your prep sports bucket list through the end of October.

4

WATER POLO: Bellarmine Memorial Cup Invitational, Oct. 26-27, Bellarmine Prep HS, San Jose, all day — The two-day boys tournament not only brings in some of the top programs in the Bay Area, but the state as well. The defending champion, Newport Harbor, went on to be a semifinalist in the Southern Section Division I tournament a year ago. Matches begin at 9 a.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. on Saturday.

5

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL: Northgate Invitational, Northgate HS, Walnut Creek, Oct. 27, all day — Michelle Lawrence (pictured) and her teammates host the last of the big East Bay tournaments before North Coast Section playoffs get under way two weeks later. Therefore, it’s also the last chance for some of the top East Bay programs to gain some seeding priority over other playoff-bound programs. Typically the semifinals and finals feature some playoff previews which are well worth the price of admission.

6

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL: Granite Bay at Del Oro-Loomis, Oct 29, 6 p.m. — The Grizzlies rolled to a convincing 3-0 win over Del Oro in the teams’ first Delta River League meeting on Oct. 8, but the Golden Eagles are sure to target their chance at redemption. Both teams have more than established themselves as the DRL frontrunners as well as strong SJS contenders.

Following Granite Bay’s win over Del Oro, the teams were a combined 41-8 overall.

GIRLS GOLF: Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Tournament, The Reserve at Spanos Park, Stockton, Oct. 29, 8:30 a.m. shotgun — This will be the fifth consecutive year that the SJS has held it’s section championship tournament at the renown Stockton course. St. Francis-Sacramento won the first three held at The Reserve, and Christian Brothers won in 2011. Teams expected to make a run at this year’s title include Granite Bay, behind standout Paige Lee, right, St. Francis-Sacramento, Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove and Rocklin.

9

BOYS SOCCER: Sac-Joaquin Section Divisions I-III playoffs, first round, Oct. 30 — Action on the pitch gets serious as the brackets in the top three divisions get underway. Among the favorites for each division are Jesuit-Sacramento (Div. I), Bella Vista-Fair Oaks and Granite Bay (Div. II) and Lincoln (Div. III).

Bay Area Must Go

10

BOYS/GIRLS WATER POLO: North Coast Section playoffs, first round, various sites, Oct. 31 — It would be awfully hard for the NCS water polo tournament to deliver a more exciting postseason than what we saw in 2011. Three of the four championship matches were decided by one goal; two were decided in overtime. In the Division II boys bracket alone there were seven matches decided by three goals or less. The level of play in the pool continues to rise each postseason, and we expect nothing less this year.

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Coaching dedicated young swimmers reinforces what I’ve learned from sport

I

possible. have been an endurance athlete for most of my life — a swimmer for over 20 years, Think big. and approaching 10 years as a triathlete.

Discover what you want from life.

In the past 20 years, I’ve also When to socialize and when to taught and coached thousands put my head down and work. of athletes of all levels and ages.

When to be an athlete and From both sides of the water, I when to be a coach. have learned the most valuable Make your own luck. lessons of my life, and continue Fail. And come back from to do so as I work with different failure. types of athletes.

To be humble.

For the past 10 months I’ve been Remember that I am only huprivileged to work with a group of man. high school swimmers who barely Re-focus (a skill I notice is make a blip on the radar of most most difficult at times). people outside the swim world.

Liz Elliott Forgive.

For the swimming world, they are I also picked up integrity: in a powerhouse: the Senior Elite myself, my work and when I regroup of the Pleasanton Seahawks. quest it from others. Also, time management, What makes them elite? It’s not just that planning and a whole host of other life skills they are extremely talented and can swim that have helped me in business and personal fast. It’s not that they are in high school that relationships. While I do not exhibit all these grants them access to this group. To be in qualities 100 percent of the time, they help to this group, they have to want to be there. bring me back to reality quickly and send my Being a top athlete is not just about bemind into the clouds at the same time. ing fast or talented. Being fast doesn’t just I am the group’s substitute coach for happen. The Senior Elite is a training group morning workouts. At first, the kids would about building character. The philosophy for thank me for being there, but not understand the group that has sent multiple swimmers why I prefer to coach the 4 a.m. practice. I to Olympic Trials and on to swim for top make a choice Tuesday, Thursday and Friday college swimming programs for the past 25 mornings to slog down a cup of coffee at 3:40 years is, “Character is what you do when no a.m. so I can open the pool by 4:10. I believe one is looking.” These kids live it every day. in this program. I believe in the individuals it They swim nine times a week, upwards of creates and sends into the world.

6,000 strokes per practice, week in and week Character is what you do when no one is out through pouring rain, beating sun, AP watching. Character is about constantly makclasses and just trying to be normal kids. ing a choice. It may not always be the right They travel the world swimming. They are choice, but that is how we learn. Thank you the definition of dedication.

Pleasanton Seahawks Swimming for teaching The question that each has to decide is ‘Why do I want to be in this group?’ They are me as a youth, and reminding me as an adult, that I benefit every time I stand on the deck in defining their character every time they get the pouring rain. ✪ out of bed for practice.

Watching these young, talented, hard working individuals, I’ve been reminded that the most valuable lessons I’ve learned have been from sport.

From sport, I have learned how to: Respect — others, and myself.

Follow a plan.

Trust in a plan.

Win the adoration of others.

Patience.

Focus.

Do math by multiples of 25.

Build stuff.

Create.

Not worry about the adoration of others.

Use my mind.

Exert my mind beyond what I thought

Tri Steps

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Welcome to Impulse, your one-stop shop for gadgets, gizmos and gear.

Compiled by staff writer Erik Stordahl, Impulse provides you with what’s currently hot on the market. As the football season kicks into high gear, fans get more passionate and start tailgating like there’s no tomorrow. We highlight some of the tailgating essentials and also take a look at some cool bike products. If you want more info on these products, reach ‘em online.

Ion Tailgater AM/FM

This thing plays your whole rockin’ Bieber or Lady Gaga collection, but it also plays your favorite radio station too. Convince mom and dad that this is a must-have for tailgating and that all the cool kids have one, too. That argument usually works to perfection.

CyFy WristView Riding a bike in traffic is about as death-defying as the Running of the Bulls in Spain. You gotta be safe out there and this gadget is the first of its kind. It’s a rearview mirror that slaps around your wrist. Oh yeah, we can get behind this.

BioLogic PostPump 2.0

We couldn’t possibly think of anything snazzier (Yes, that’s a word. Well, at least the red squiggly line didn’t come up…). Grab one of these so you don’t have to lug a stupid bike pump around.

ICEdot Crash Sensor

There are times when you definitely know you’re gonna bail big time. Like when your brakes give out and you’re heading for a concrete truck. Or when you’re going full speed into your mom’s rose bushes. Other times it might not be so clear, so get the ICEdot Crash Sensor. This thing will save your life, or if you’re a daredevil like us, it might do it multiple times.

Blacktop 360 Party Hub Grill-Fryer

Suction Coozies

No more spilling alcoh-- err, soda on your dad’s truck! Insert one of these suction coozies around your drink and LIKE MAGIC it doesn’t move. It comes in tons of colors too. Boo yah!

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October 18, 2012

Get your grill on (get it?) at the next Raiders or Niners game and cook for everyone in attendance (or even people that just wander by). That’s not asking too much, is it? We like our steaks medium rare with BBQ sauce and potato salad on the side. Thanks!

Bean Bag Baseball Toss Game

Get one with your favorite team’s logo and start piling up those homers! Great for tailgating or good old-fashioned fun in the living room.

Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com

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ACL Tears, Part II: How to reduce the risk Editor’s note: This is the conclusion to a two-part look at ACL tears in young athletes. Part I was written by Dr. Nirav K. Pandya and can be found in Issue 53 at SportStarsOnline.com

I

n Part I, Dr. Pandya discussed the intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors associated with ACL injuries. In Part II, we will discuss ways to reduce some of the intrinsic risk factors with this devastating injury.

■ Everything BUTT the quads Next time you watch a professional athlete, take a look at their backside. Some of the fastest, strongest, and most successful athletes have learned that the key to decreasing injuries is to train their posterior muscles.

On the other hand, many of the athletes we see for physical therapy have overdeveloped quadriceps and underdeveloped gluteus and hamstring muscles. The reason this imbalance occurs is that most of the activities of life favor the front. The way to counterbalance this is to perform exercises such as bridges, clamshells, and deadlifts.

■ The CORE can give you more Improved stability of the muscles that make up the core, i.e. abdominal, spine, pelvis, and hip, is very important to injury risk reduction. The core forms the foundation for the movement of your legs. Exercises such as planks, supermans, and laces can improve your core stability.

■ Soft landings are good landings

Faulty landing mechanics are a major contributor to ACL injuries. Many athletes land with their knees collapsed inward and forward past their toes or with their knees completely straight, both of which puts increased stress on the knees. Proper landing involves keeping the knee in line with the second toe, hips and knees slightly flexed, and trunk upright. Practice must be done with double and single leg landing, as well as in game-like situations.

■ The importance of a dynamic warmup Proper warm up is key to getting your muscles and nervous system ready for the demands of your sport. Jog for 5-10 minutes to get your blood flowing to the muscles, followed by active stretches such as walking lunges and Frankenstein marches.

■ Practice makes better The key to any injury reduction program is practice. Your neuromuscular system needs repetition so that you don’t have to think before you move.

Performing exercises and learning how to land properly requires constant attention. This is especially true in the young athlete since their bodies are undergoing regular changes.

Remember that over 70 percent of ACL injuries are noncontact injuries. That means that changing the way you train and move can help reduce your risk and keep you in the game.

If you have questions about exercise or technique, contact your school’s certified athletic trainer or a licensed physical therapist. ✪

Tuan Mai is a physical therapist, certified athletic trainer and a certified strength and conditioning specialist for Sports Medicine For Young Athletes, a division of Children’s Hospital Oakland with a facility also located in Walnut Creek. If you have questions or comments regarding the “Health Watch” column, write the staff at Health@SportStarsOnline.com.

Health Watch Tuan Mai

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