Spotlight Sports Magazine Fall 2013

Fall 2013 VOLUME 5 NO.1

Volleyball in San Diego Three of the County’s Best

INSIDE: • Oceanside’s Thai Cottrell • Carlsbad’s Jordan Perez • Donnie Dee’s The Heart of a Champion • UCSD’s Ask the Jock Doc

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• BRITTANY ABERCROMBIE • REILY BUECHLER • MCKENNA HOLLINGSWORTH

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contents Fall Edition Football 8 Four Star Recruit Headed to Stanford, Jordan Perez, Carlsbad

SPOTLIGHT SPORTS FALL 2013 VOL.5 NO.1

Visit Spotlight Sports Magazine on Facebook to nominate and read about our recent PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

18 Receiver’s Speed & Agility Among Best in County, Thai Cottrell, Oceanside

Volleyball 10 Pac-12 is Next Chapter for these Three Volleyball Superstars 12 Brittany Abercrombie, La Costa Canyon 14 McKenna Hollingsworth, Tri-City Christian 16 Reily Buechler, Torrey Pines All Athetes Features Written by Brad Hollingsworth

Departments 5 The Heart of a Champion by Donnie Dee Are you a Character Kid? 7 Ask the Jock Doc : From the experts at the UC San Diego Health System - Sports Medicine

SPOTLIGHT SPORTS

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>> FEATURE The Heart of a Champion

ARE YOU A CHARACTER KID? If you are a junior high, high school or college athlete, then here is a question for you.

How would your coaches describe you? Maybe they would say you are talented or that you have great potential. Would they say you are the hardest worker or a great team leader? The best thing that a coach can say about you is that you are a character kid.

What is a character kid?

A character kid is a player who does things the right way and for the right reasons. A character kid does the following right: A Character Kid Plays with the Right Priorities If your sport is the most important thing in your life, then you are going to be disappointed.

Just ask Kobe Bryant, Marcus Lattimore or Kevin Ware how fast things can change. An injury can change everything. A character kid has the right priorities and knows there are more important things in life than sport. Let me suggest the top three: 1. Faith – If God gave you the ability to play, then being an athlete is a gift. Make Him your top priority by growing spiritually and playing for Him. 2. Family – our family will always be your family. Make time to enjoy life with them, and remember they are your biggest fan.

3. School – If you don’t make the grades, then you don’t get to play. Your education will take you much farther than sports ever will.

A Character Kid Plays with the Right Perspective Perspective is the way you see things. How

do you see your contribution as an athlete and teammate? Are you playing for you, or are you playing for the team? There are too many professional athletes that beat their chest or flex their muscles after a big play as to suggest, look at me, it’s all about me.

A character kid has the right perspective and sees that it’s about the team. We win and we lose as a team. Coaches love players who put the needs of the team ahead of their own desires or egos. In a recent article by CNN, Tim Duncan, the 4-time world champion of the San Antonio Spurs, was described as a “team guy; he doesn’t play for the press or for himself.”

We need more athletes with the perspective of Tim Duncan.

A Character Kid Plays with the Right Purpose The primary purpose to play sports is to have fun and see how much you can develop the gift God gave you. You shouldn’t play because you expect to play professionally or get a college scholarship. That’s the wrong purpose. Playing in the NBA or NFL or getting a college scholarship is a dream come true for any athlete, but is it realistic? Statistics show that only two percent of all high school athletes will receive an athletic scholarship, and a smaller percentage of those scholarship recipients will play professionally.

The goal should be for you to see how good you can be with the abilities God has given you.

Play for the right purpose, and you will be surprised at the opportunities you will have.

May you be remembered as an athlete that worked hard and led the team well.

More importantly, may you be remembered as a character kid!

Donnie Dee has been with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for 20 years and now serves as FCA’s Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer at the Home Office in Kansas City, Mo. As a Kansas City native, Dee played football and basketball for Oak Park High School and was a four-year letterman in football at the University of Tulsa. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts and played in the NFL for two years. Today, Dee directs the daily ministry of FCA’s Home Office, which serves more than 400 local and regional offices that annually impact more than two million people across the country.

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By Donnie Dee

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>> FEATURE

and your athletic trainer. Remember that many other factors influence sports performance, including: Skill development through practice; Good nutrition; Mental skills training; Adequate recovery; And most of all – “heart”. As Albert Einstein said “Not everything that counts can be counted. Not everything that can be counted counts.”

Q

There are stories popping up all the time about professional athletes using performanceenhancing drugs (PEDs). As a high school athlete, I want to give myself every advantage going into a competition.

It’s tempting to think about using PEDs. What are the risks vs the benefits to my body or my athletic career?

JD: It’s important to stay educated about the substances you put in your body. Whether it’s an energy drink, water, food, or performance-enhancing drug (PED) you need to know what’s good for you and what’s bad. PEDs are defined as any substance taken to perform better athletically. Even though that extra edge may sound tempting, the use of PEDs is very risky for your health and doesn’t yield definitive results. One PED we typically hear about is anabolic steroids.

Many PEDs were originally created to treat certain medical conditions and illnesses in defined dosages for specific time periods under the guidance of a physician. Unfortunately, athletes are trying to use them to gain an edge over the competition by taking these substances at significantly higher doses than has ever been shown to be safe in the human body.

For example, there are many risks to taking anabolic steroids some of which are: enlarged heart, stunted growth, balding, increased risk of injury to tendons, ligaments, and muscles, accelerated puberty changes and abnormal

“Ask the Jock Doc” is brought to you by the sports medicine experts at UC San Diego Health System – Sports Medicine. Let us help you get back on track. Call 858.657.8200. For answers to your sports injury or performance questions email jockdoc@spotlightsportsmag.com.

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Q

When I’m working out in the weight room, no matter how hard I try, I just can’t lift as much weight as my teammate.

We’re doing the same strength training program given by the coach. He’s about my same size but with a little different build. What can I do?

JD: There are several factors that influence muscle strength. First of all, the size of a muscle usually determines the amount of force it can generate. So an athlete with larger muscles will generally have greater strength. However, biomechanical factors also play a role, factors that you can’t change: limb length and tendon insertion location.

An athlete with longer limbs is typically at a mechanical disadvantage when lifting weights. The amount of torque (rotary force) required to lift a weight is related to limb length. In addition, long limbs mean that more work is required to complete a lift at a similar resistance. For example, people with short arms don’t have to move the bar as far to complete a bench press. (However, longer limbs are an advantage when blocking a pass on the football field or shooting a basketball over a defender.)

Every muscle attaches to your bones through tendons that insert somewhere on the bone. Those tendon insertion points aren’t the same for everyone. For example, if you think about the biceps muscle, one athlete’s biceps may attach farther from the elbow joint than another athlete’s. This changes the length of the lever arm and influences torque.

Individual genetic differences in hormones and body type also play a role in the body’s response to strength training.

What does all this mean for you?

Don’t compare yourself to anyone else in the weight room. Focus on maximizing your personal potential for strength and power by working with the coach

sexual development, increased emotional changes like anger and depression, even suicidal thoughts, atrophy (shrinking) of the testicles, abnormal breast development in men Adolescent girls in particular may suffer from: severe acne, excessive body and facial hair, deepened voice, permanent enlargement of the clitoris, disruption of the menstrual cycle, permanent infertility.

As you’ve seen in the media, PEDs do not make you the good guy. We are frequently witnessing athletes apologizing for taking PEDs with their careers and reputation in shreds.

Our society breeds a competitive environment. With the incentive of college scholarships and professional sport paychecks we are seeing young athletes reach for PEDs to get them there. Keep in mind that if you need PEDs to get to the next level, you are in for a rude awakening. All colleges, professional sports, and the Olympics have some degree of drug testing. Within these programs you will find it very challenging to cheat and soon you will be penalized and lose your ability to compete. Not to mention that you may end up with irreversible damage to the body.

There are great resources to educate and protect you from PEDs. Drug Free Sport is a resource used for all levels of sport including high school. Try going to these links to learn more about the negative effects of PEDs and many other substances: drugfreesport.com and playhealthy.drugfree.org and www.taylorhooten.org.

The bottom line is… if you don’t know exactly what’s in a PED or what it does to your body – don’t take it! Ask your doctor. Supplement labels are often inaccurate and meant to deceive you, with promises that cause you to buy. The best way to maximize your athletic performance is through hard work, practice and healthy eating.

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SPOTLIGHT SPORTS

>> FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT

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Four Star Recruit Headed to Stanford

Jordan Perez Carlsbad High School

By Brad Hollingworth

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has enjoyed his psychology and science courses at Carlsbad that have challenged and pushed him to his limits.

“I really enjoy psychology because I have always had an interest in people and how they interact with others and themselves,” Perez said. “I have really enjoyed those classes at school.”

While his success in the classroom has been steady, it hasn’t always been that way on the football field. In fact, it wasn’t until he put on a Carlsbad High uniform as a freshman that Perez really fell in love with the sport.

“I really didn’t like football when I played Pop Warner,” Perez remembered.

“I didn’t play the position I wanted and I was always on the offensive line because I played with kids two years older than me.

That all changed when I came to Carlsbad and played positions that I liked.”

With all the publicity surrounding concussions and head injuries, Perez knows the inherent dangers of the sport, but believes it is something that you can’t worry about when you hit the field.

“I am not concerned necessarily about head injuries, but injuries in general,” he said. “Football is a great way to get an education paid for and it is a big risk, but the reward, I believe, is greater.”

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Photo by Skip Clark Photography

T’S HARD TO IMAGINE Carlsbad High linebacker/tight end Jordan Perez being intimidated by anything, especially something as harmless as a piece of paper. However, there are times when the senior would rather face a shifty running back in the open field than a grueling AP exam with his grade on the line.

Perez has succeeded on both fields, football and academic, as the 6-foot-1, 210-pounder is headed to Stanford, but there is more apprehension squeezing into a tiny desk in one of his classes during test time, than roaming sideline-to-sideline under the lights on a Friday night.

“When you’re taking a test, it is to decide whether you are going to get an A or a B, so there is some uncertainty there,” Perez explained. “In a game, you prepare all week and if you do it right, then you will be alright. The only reason to be nervous on the field is if you did not prepare during the week.”

Perez and his teammates have led a

resurgence with the Lancers, who are poised to make a deep run in the playoffs.

The process of rising from mediocrity has taken three years and Perez points to coach Thadd MacNeal, who went to Carlsbad and turned Lakewood High School into a Southern Section power during his tenure there.

“Coach Mac has changed the culture here,” Perez said. “He made more things mandatory that had more structure and he brought the discipline that we needed. It took us about seven or eight games when I was a sophomore and kept trusting and believing in us.”

The organized, calm approach that MacNeal brought to Carlsbad is the same thing Perez saw at Palo Alto when he attended Stanford’s football camp. Coach David Shaw has taken over Stanford and made a national impact with his physical, no-nonsense approach; all of which appealed to Perez.

“I liked the way the coaches were at the camp and how they handled themselves,” he said. “The academics are great there and it had everything I wanted.”

Perez is a four-star recruit according Scout.com, and is torn between his course of study on the Farm, which will be either psychology or sports medicine. He

Photo by Skip Clark Photography

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>> VOLLEYBALL SPOTLIGHT

Pac -12 is Next Chapter for thes Brittany Abercrombie Photo by Kevin Mummau

By Brad Hollingsworth

SPOTLIGHT SPORTS

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HE FUTURE OF SOME PAC-12 Conference volley-

ball players came together on a crisp, fall day nearly five years ago near Highway 56. On that fateful day at Carmel Valley Middle School, the top four middle school teams in North County gathered to decide who would reign supreme.

Reily Buechler’s Earl Warren Middle School team was the clear favorite. Located within walking

Photo by Kevin Mummau

distance of the beach, many of the girls on that team had grown up playing on the nearby beach courts.

An added advantage was Earl Warren’s coach, Jud Buechler, Reily’s father, who was a former NBA player and avid beach player who had learned his lessons of coaching from Lute Olson at Arizona and Phil Jackson of the Chicago Bulls.

Oak Crest Middle School had a solid squad with the tallest player in the gym. Brittany Abercrombie stood 6-foot-1 in the eighth grade and had

the long arms and legs that project into a college player even at that age.

She never seemed embarrassed by her height. In fact, she always walked slowly into the gym with perfect posture and her head held high.

Finally, there was the team from Aviara Oaks, who with their third coach in three months, had scrambled to get this far. Their team’s best player, McKenna Hollingsworth, was so powerful that she injured three players at a middle school camp earlier in the season. Her game was a mix of power

se Three Volleyball Superstars and grace that was rare for someone her age.

In the end, it was Buechler’s team with all that experience that won the title, defeating Abercrombie and Oak Crest, which beat Hollingsworth’s Aviara Oaks squad in the semifinals.

Flash-forward from fall 2009 to fall 2013, and not much has changed.

Buechler, the reigning county player of the year, is one of the top players in the nation and leads top-ranked Torrey Pines, while Abercrombie is the No.4 recruit in the country according

McKenna Hollingsworth to Prep Volleyball.com and leads La Costa Canyon, a power in the county for nearly two decades. Hollingsworth, the two-time Division 5 player of the year, shattered the county career kills record for Tri-City Christian, a school that is one of the top small-school programs in the state.

When the high school season concludes, these three will write the third chapter in Pac-12. Buechler will head to Westwood and play at UCLA, Abercrombie will be 10 miles away at USC, and Hollingsworth

will go to the Pacific Northwest to play at Oregon State. Each has had a tremendous effect on the local, as well as, the national volleyball scene and it can all be traced to that one-day tournament back in middle school, yet each has taken a different road to get to the nation’s best college volleyball conference.

Continue onto the following six pages to read individual profiles on these three athletes.

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Reily Buechler

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>> VOLLEYBALL SPOTLIGHT

SPOTLIGHT SPORTS

I stay calm on the court because I am always thinking of the next play...

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La Costa Canyon High School

By Brad Hollingworth

Photo by Deb Hellman

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OFTBALL’S LOSS HAS BEEN VOLLEYBALL’S GAIN for Abercrombie who came to the sport at age 11, where she split her time between the diamond and soccer field. The LCC senior believes that change was barely noticeable.

“Softball helped make the transition to volleyball easier for me because throwing a softball is a lot like hitting a volleyball,” she said. “When I started playing volleyball, the arm swing motion came naturally.”

It’s that natural arm swing that can terrorize opposing back row players.

Like a great pitcher, Abercrombie has all the shots, but when she whips her left arm into a good set, it’s more than likely to find the floor or bounce off a defender. No matter what shot Abercrombie pulls off, one thing will not change and that is her calm demeanor.

“I stay so calm on the court because I am always thinking about the next play,” Abercrombie explained. “If I get a kill or make a mistake, that play is immediately in the past and the next play is at hand.”

Such focus has become commonplace for Mavericks coach Pat McDougall to observe. He realizes that Abercrombie, a three-year starter, is his go-to player who seemingly will stifle a yawn between points.

“She’s been the one constant for us through all the lineup changes we were forced to make,” said McDougall last year after Abercrombie was named North County Player of the Year. “You have to marvel how level she is on the court. Nothing excites her. Nothing scares her. Nothing

shakes her. She just keeps playing.”

And Abercrombie will play her way to the Galen Center as the key recruit for USC’s Class of 2014.

The opposite hitter blossomed her sophomore year during the club season and had letters from every top school filling her mailbox; however, Abercrombie found the Trojans had everything she wanted in a university.

“I chose USC because it felt like a great fit for me. The coaching staff is amazing, the campus is beautiful, and all the girls on the team seemed like they really loved the school and the volleyball program,” Abercrombie said. “The girls always made me feel welcome on my visits and I felt like I would fit in with the team. The decision was not extremely difficult because it felt like a home that I would love for four years with or without volleyball.”

And while she is a dominant player at high school level,

Abercrombie knows her game is far from complete. If she wants to play her freshman year for the nationally ranked Trojans, Abercrombie must fine-tune her game.

“Before I go to USC, I will have to improve my overall strength in the gym,” she said. “I need to jump higher and hit harder to be able to physically compete with the college seniors. On the technical side, I’ll need to improve my blocking and defense.”

Aside from the technical aspects of volleyball, Abercrombie enjoys the sport because of all the places she has traveled and all the friends she has made, especially during the club season when she plays for Coast Volleyball Club, where she has led her team to a gold and bronze medal the past two seasons.

“The best part of volleyball is making the relationships and memories with your teammates that will last a lifetime,” Abercrombie said. “During club, we are always playing really strong teams and are being pushed to win and be the best in the country.”

Having grown to 6-foot-3, Abercrombie knows the expectations that come with it on the court. However, off the court, Abercrombie has some advice for those young players struggling with being the tallest girl in their class.

“My advice to other tall girls would be to walk with confidence every day,” she said. “Have good posture and don’t be afraid to wear heels when you want. Give the short guys a chance and always take the ‘you’re so tall’ comments as a compliment because everyone is just jealous.”

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Brittany Abercrombie

Photo by Kevin Mummau

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>> VOLLEYBALL SPOTLIGHT

Tri-City Christian High School

By Brad Hollingworth

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SPOTLIGHT SPORTS

HEN HOLLINGSWORTH WENT through her first

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few practices at TriCity Christian, Joy Reinke, the leader of the Eagles at the time, was asked about how the lone freshman on the varsity was doing.

“She isn’t your ordinary freshman,” Reinke said.

And the outside hitter’s words rang true in her first match as Hollingsworth pounded her first kill on the 10-foot line against Mt. Carmel en route to a rare volleyball triple-double (12 kills, 13 digs and 14 assists). It’s her no-fear attitude that has enabled Hollingsworth to re-write the Eagles record book and hang championship banners in TCC’s tiny gymnasium.

“In her freshman year in the CIF Finals (against Horizon), some of our older kids were a little tight. Not her, she was so loose and even better than ever before in the year,” said TCC coach Kristen Wright. “But at a tight point in the game she got up and just annihilated the 10-foot line and turned around with this fire and leader-like look in her eye. ‘I thought, wow, this kid is going to be insane, if she can handle pressure like this as a freshman.’”

Hollingsworth, who plays on the same Coast Volleyball Club team as Abercrombie for the past five years, has continued to handle the pressure for the Eagles. During her four-year career, she has played every position except libero, and it’s that versatility which makes her unique in a volleyball world full of specialists. While many players get close attention dur-

ing the club season, Hollingsworth drew the eyes of Oregon State when she went to their camp two years ago.

“At camp, you get to know the coaches and how they operate and you get to know the players,” Hollingsworth said. “You also get to play against them in open gym. They have really nice coaches and I like Corvallis.

“I have to work on getting in better shape and increase my vertical jump and get to the point where I am technically sound in all aspects.”

While Hollingsworth has the physical skills, Wright believes it is her leadership and tenacity that will help her find the court in the Pac-12.

“McKenna is such a good player because she gets the game. She’s tactically very knowledgeable. She’s like a mini coach on the court,” Wright explained. “She physically works hard at just barely 6’0”, plays likes she’s 6’ 2”- 6’3” due to her strength and vertical. McKenna also can play anywhere on the court. She never gets rattled or confused.”

Hollingsworth has been a hitting machine for the Eagles; surpassing Kelly Reeves’ career kills mark (1,548) and it’s a record she hasn’t really thought much about unless someone brings it up.

“Honestly, I can’t believe it happened. I don’t worry about things like that,” she said. “(Setting records) is not the reason that I play the game. I play for the memories and friendships. For me, it’s about the people, not about the statistics.”

In the last year, it has been about the injuries. First, it was a concussion during a scrimmage at Escondido High, then had four wisdom teeth pulled, followed by a high ankle sprain in the CIF Finals.

That was followed by a second

concussion at a tournament in Las Vegas that forced her to finish her junior year a month after her classmates. Then, minor shoulder and knee injuries pretty much derailed her club season and it hasn’t been until recently that she has returned to form, just in time for the Eagles’ last season run.

It’s those battles with injuries that Wright believes will help Hollingsworth when she heads off to college where every practice day is like game day.

“She has competitive greatness; an ability to rise up and play with any competition and be her best,” Wright said. “Also, she loves challenges and when she sets her eyes on something, she’ll probably get it. She doesn’t quit.

Last year she suffered from a concussion and I can honestly say she’s completely herself after a year-long battle with side effects.”

Perhaps what has helped Hollingsworth deal with those injuries is her faith. Being a strong Christian has been important in her recovery and continues to be her passion.

“McKenna also has grown spiritually (a personal reason of why she originally came to TCC),” Wright said. “She now is leading as a witness in her Christian faith which is very important to her. She’s learned how to be a Christian first who happens to be a phenomenal volleyball player.”

Photo by Deb Hellman

McKenna Hollingsworth

McKenna is such a good player because she gets the game. She’s tactically very knowledgeable...”

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Kristen Wright, TCC coach

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>> VOLLEYBALL SPOTLIGHT

Torrey Pines High School

By Brad Hollingworth

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SPOTLIGHT SPORTS

HEN YOUR FATHER

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played a dozen seasons in the NBA and your mother is one of the best setters ever at the University of Arizona, Buechler’s DNA was doublehelixed for success.

Jud Buechler had a successful professional basketball career, mostly notably with the Chicago Bulls and earned three championship rings along with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Before that Buechler had a stellar time at the University of Arizona and had a legendary prep career at Poway High, where he and his Titan teammates broke through defeating Crenshaw in a memorable state playoff game. Reily’s mother didn’t do too badly herself, ranking in the top 10 in assists (1,939) and digs (1,155) as a setter at Arizona.

Buechler has spent her childhood, first on the beaches of Del Mar and then playing club volleyball with girls older than her and it has resulted in a scholarship to UCLA. However, this year has been different for Buechler who has had to shoulder the leadership load, in addition to carrying Torrey Pines’ offense.

“I have to take care of myself and now everyone else as well,” said Buechler in an interview with the Union Tribune. “It’s not easy doing this for the first time. I’ve kind of had to kick myself into that role.”

And Buechler has adjusted well to her new responsibilities. She led the Falcons to a second consecutive Durango Classic title in Las Vegas earlier this year and kept Torrey Pines perched atop the county standings.

Torrey Pines coach Brennan Dean, who also serves as club director at Wave Volleyball for which Buechler has always played, knew she would easily fill the leadership role.

“I kept reminding her that her time would come,” Dean told U-T San Diego. “She’s been bred to take on this job. This will be her final accolade from here.”

Buechler, the two-time Durango MVP and last year’s county player of the year, is looking to lead the Falcons to a third straight county championship and a deep run in the state playoffs.

Individually, Buechler has the

entire package and could contribute immediately for the Bruins. At 6-foot2, she is tall enough to be an effective outside hitter, where she possesses all the shots. In addition, she is an accomplished passer, which in the Pac-12, arguably the toughest conference in the country, is a must in the serve-receive game.

Prep Volleyball. com ranked Buechler as the 28th best player in the country because of the aforementioned all-around skills.

“One of the most polished players in the class, Buechler can do everything well. Her explosive swings from the back and front rows have carried teams to championships and high national rankings,” said John Tawa, editor of Prep Volleyball.com “She is developing great range and off speed shots to mix it up. Her passing technique is flawless and her back row defensive skills are so good that she could see time at libero in college. A strong leader even though she has always played up, Buechler’s desire to be great means never taking a drill off, never settling for less than her very best.”

However, things have not always been trophy-laden for Buechler. She spent almost her entire sophomore year on the sidelines nursing a sore shoulder and that taught Buechler to take nothing for granted.

“After one season of not playing, I had to come back and prove myself,” Buechler said in an interview with Student Sports. “I wanted to go to UCLA ever since I was a freshman.

All along, I knew where I wanted to be and where I belonged.”

Photo by Deb Hellman

Reily Buechler

Photo by Kevin Mummau

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At 6-foot2, Buechler is tall enough to be an effective outside hitter, where she possesses all the shots. But she is also an acomplished passer which in the Pac-12 is a must in the serve-receive game.

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>> FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT

Receiver’s Speed & Agility Among Best in County

Thai Cottrell Oceanside High School

By Brad Hollingworth

SPOTLIGHT SPORTS

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IKE NEARLY ALL CHILDREN, Oceanside High’s Thai Cottrell played the school yard game of ‘Tag.” And while many of us took our turn being “it” and chasing our friends around, Cottrell can’t ever remember being touched.

Nearly a decade later, the playground has been replaced by field turf, the yard duty has transformed into officials, and the chain-link fence has changed into a shiny football stadium. Still, Cottrell can’t be touched underneath the Friday Night Lights.

The Pirates’ slot receiver does a little

bit of everything to take advantage of his speed and quickness. He will carry the ball on one of Oceanside’s patent fly sweeps on one play and then slip out of the backfield for a screen pass on the next.

Cottrell is also a vital part of the kicking game, returning punts and kickoffs. In fact, during one game, he even took care of the place kicking duties because of an injury.

No matter where he lines up, it all comes back to one thing; Cottrell is just simply faster than everyone else when he takes the field. For example, in the Honor Bowl against nationally ranked Gardena Serra, Cottrell caught the ball along sidelines and ran away from anyone in a white, Serra jersey until he reached the end zone.

“I was listening to the Serra coaches on the sideline and they said, they have never seen anyone run away from them…

ever,” said Jesse Gullien, who works the chain gang on Friday nights and doubles as Cottrell’s track coach in the spring.

Perhaps what makes Cottrell, who runs a 4.59 40-yard dash, special is his ability to maintain top speed no matter what situation he is in on the football field. Oceanside coach John Carroll has seen many speedsters on the sidelines during his 24 years with the Pirates, but no one as unique as Cottrell.

“He is able to cut at full speed and has little or any body movement when he is running. Thai works in a straight line,” Carroll explained. “His film is a highlight tape against any opponent. Had he been 5-10, he would be a Pac-12 guy.

His height has forced schools to do the personal eyeball test on him before considering him for a scholarship.

“For a guy of small stature, he is dominant. There aren’t many players who are

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as explosive. Large people play the game of football from high school to college to the NFL and Thai is one of the special few who isn’t, and is still dominant.”

So despite being the most mesmerizing player on a roster littered with Division I prospects, Cottrell, who stands a generous 5-foot-7 and 165 pounds, didn’t have many colleges knocking down his door. In fact, Cottrell only had offers from Western New Mexico, Northern Arizona and San Jose State, before finding his way to San Jose.

“The coaching staff was really great at San Jose State and they run the spread offense like we do here,” Cottrell said. “They want me to play running back and return kicks and it seemed to fit my skills the best.”

Cottrell’s best skill is his unique ability to make people miss in the open spaces of a football field. Many athletes see such things in slow motion, but Cottrell sees it like an old VHS player stuck on fast forward.

“It moves real fast for me,” he said. “I don’t hear the crowd. It looks like a cartoon out there with things just moving around.

I try to look at the defenders and it just comes natural to me to look where they are and how they are pursuing me.”

Such a Zen-like philosophy may come from all those karate classes Cottrell took from ages 5 to 9. He believes the sparring he did at such a young age helped him with his fast feet and hands. Then, in the fourth grade Cottrell began playing Pop Warner football and success didn’t come quickly.

“I was a running back and tight end and we were terrible,” Cottrell said. “ We were 0-6 and didn’t score a touchdown. It wasn’t until the seventh game that things started to get rolling.”

It also helped that he had current teammates Alijah Holder (scholarship to Stanford), Mikah Holder (San Diego State) and Jace Whittaker (Arizona) on that team. But one thing is certain; Cottrell was the smallest on the team, which today is a source of pride for him.

“I kind of like it (being shorter than his teammates) because it gets more attention and I can show those kids playing Pop Warner what little people can do,” Cottrell said.

And Cottrell has proven that little people can do a lot even if you can’t catch ‘em.

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