July 22, 2016
Concord Pioneer • www.concordpioneer.com Forest Park team records including two six and under, all five 7-8 and four 9-10 marks. Coach Jeff Mellinger says, “She is a critical member of her relays and of the team as a whole. Her workout ethic is nearly unmatched. She has a very bubbly personality and craves pushing herself to her limits...and loves doing it. A real pleasure to coach.” Out of the pool “Jules” is a member of the State Cup champion Diablo FC 05 premier soccer team where her mom is assistant coach, an MVP on Warriors Lacrosse and basketball player for St. Bonaventure CYO. She will be in fifth grade this fall at Sequoia Elementary School.
Athlete Spotlight
Juliannah Colchico-Greeley
Age: 10 Teams: Forest Park Gators, Diablo FC 04, Warrior Lacrosse Sports: Swimming, Soccer, Lacrosse, Basketball
Juliannah Colchico-Greeley comes from an athletic family. Her grandfather Dan Colchico went from Mt. Diablo High School to an eventual pro football career with the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints. Her mom Kris Colchico is a member of the Clayton Valley High School Athletic Hall of Fame and also played professional soc-
cer in Japan. The younger Colchico offspring has been a member of the Forest Park Swim Team since she was five and has qualified with County times every year since she was six, losing only one City Meet race since then. She broke the City 7-8 IM record by six seconds and was County Meet high point that year. She holds two City and a slew of
The Concord Pioneer congratulates Juliannah and thanks Athlete Spotlight sponsors Dr. Laura Lacey & Dr. Christopher Ruzicka who have been serving the Clayton and Concord area for 25 years at Family Vision Care Optometry. www.laceyandruzicka.com Do you know a young athlete who should be recognized? Perhaps he or she has shown exceptional sportsmanship, remarkable improvement or great heart for the sport. Send your nomination for the Pioneer Athlete Spotlight today to .
Diablo FC teams win titles, Nationals rankings
Photos courtesy Diablo fC
DIABLO FC 05 PREMIER GIRLS are ranked in the top 20 in the United States among under 11 teams and No. 2 in Northern California. They won the San francisco evolution Cup and were runners-up in the California Cup in their most recent tournaments. Coach Miguel Gonzalez’ team includes, from left, Amanda Monohan, Courtney Wagner, Indigo Whitely, emily Beeson, Lil Bailey, Jackie Bellamy, erika Upson, Alyssa Pringle, Juliannah Colchico and Grace Dausses. Not pictured, Ananda Walker, Gonzalez and assistant coach Kris Colchico.
THE NEWLY-FORMED DIABLO FC 2000 NPL GIRLS TEAM has vaulted all the way to No. 4 in National U16 girls rankings. They dominated the super group bracket in the US Club Soccer Regionals last month, taking first with three wins and one draw. The 2000 girls allowed only one goal in four games as the defense and UC Berkeley commit goalkeeper Amanda Zodikoff controlled the action. Coach Zach Sullivan’s team lost the championship game in a penalty kick shootout to host Davis Legacy in this month’s Davis Legacy College Showcase. The team is headed to the prestigious Surf Cup in San Diego next weekend. The Diablo fC 2000 team includes, from left, Sophie Harrington, emily Kaleal, Marianna Giovannetti, Sophia Runte, Jenae Packard, Kylie Schneider, Samantha Götz, Stephenie Neys, Zodikoff, Cassie Bizicki, Holly Gallagher, Jessie Verderame, Sullivan, Kylie Zentner, Santana Merryfield and Katie Hollister. Not pictured are Katelyn Beasley, Colette Cardinale and Catie Logan.
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Concord infielder Miller plays for Boston Red Sox JAY BEDECARRÉ Concord Pioneer
His first experience didn’t last long but you can never take away the fact that Clayton Valley Little league and De La Salle High School grad Mike Miller made it to the major leagues and played for the Boston Red Sox just before the Major League Baseball All-Star game break last month. The Concord native was called up June 27 and was in at second base that evening against the Tampa Bay Rays in the eighth inning for a game the BoSox lost 13-7. In the ninth inning Miller got his first MLB at bat and grounded out to shortstop. He took over at second base the previous inning for former American League MVP and rookie of the year Dustin Pedroia. His journey from Clayton Valley Little League to the majors includes time at De La Salle, Cuesta College and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and then minor league stops at Lowell (MA), Greenville (SC), Salem (VA), Portland (ME), Surprise (AZ) and Pawtucket (RI). The infielder was with his AAA Pawtucket Red Sox on a bus ride to Rochester, NY June 26 when his manager Kevin Boles told him to check his email. The email contained information he had dreamed about since he was a young kid growing up in Concord. Miller recalls the moment. “We were on the bus to Rochester and our manager emailed me. He didn’t want to make a big commotion on the bus, so he told me to check my email and said ‘Keep it quiet. Don’t show a lot of emotion right now, but congratulations.’ And he sent me the itinerary for my flight [to meet up with the Red Sox]. It was cool to see.” The Red Sox had purchased his contract and he needed to get to St. Petersburg, Florida to join up with the “big club” for a threegame series against the Rays that started Monday night. Wasting no time Miller caught a “4:30 [a.m. ET] shuttle to the airport. Didn’t get any sleep with the calls and excitement, first time coming up here, just a whirlwind, but it was fun.” The versatile infielder was drafted in the ninth round of the 2012 MLB Draft after his senior season at Cal Poly. He was the Mustangs leading hit-
MIKE MILLER
ter at .354, topping the team in hits and runs and had a 14game hitting streak for the 36-20 Mustangs. He was firstteam all-Big West shortstop. He had batted .306 as a junior before his breakout senior season. At De La Salle he was second-team all-Bay Valley Athletic League as a 2007 senior batting .299 for the league and North Coast Section champion Spartans and coach Eric Borba. Miller wasn’t a heralded prospect coming up through the Red Sox minor leagues since beginning his professional career in 2012 at Lowell in the Class A short season. He had never been on the 40-man roster until his promotion to the Major Leagues. Miller was with the Red Sox for the three-game series against the Rays before being optioned back to Pawtucket on July 1, before he had a chance to play in legendary Fenway Park. On July 4 he was outrighted to Pawtucket and taken off the 40-man roster. He’s batting .251 in 53 games for Pawtucket this year playing at second, third and shortstop. “Dream come true,” said Miller. “Wasn’t expecting it at all. So to get the opportunity to come up and play at the highest level, it really is a dream come true. And to play with the guys in the clubhouse — I started my Red Sox career with [AL All-Star] Mookie Betts in Lowell, so it’s cool to catch up to some of those guys and see them a few years later is great.” A right-handed hitter, the 26-year-old Miller hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games for the PawSox before getting called up, sporting a .326 average in that span. He is a .267 career Minor League hitter.
Concord American Little League Bulls are champs
Photo courtesy Concord American Little League
DURHAM BULLS CLAIM CONCORD AMERICAN LITTLE LEAGUE FARM DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP Carrying the name made famous in the move “Bull Durham” the team included, front row from left, assistant coach Antonio Borja, Ryder McCabe, Avery Down, Marco Borja, eric ford; back row, assistant coach John Borba, Nicholas Veran, Jake McCabe, Johnny Borba, Adesh Sivakumar, Cody Martin, Nicolas Voss, coach Ryan McCabe, Zeke Chapman and Kiani Kali.
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