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C a l i f o r n i a ’ s O l d e s t N e w s pa p e r – E s t. 18 51
South 1 skiers and boarders take their spots on the podium. mtdemocrat.com
Monday, March 8, 2021
Volume 170 • Issue 28 | 75¢
Sports, page 10
Mountain Democrat photo by Dawn Hodson
Volunteers gather signatures to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom on Placerville Drive in Placerville Feb. 11.
Newsom recall effort hits 1.9 million signatures Dawn Hodson Staff writer It looks like a ballot measure to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom is getting closer to going to voters based on the number of signatures already verified. Aaron Bate, who is coordinator for the recall effort in El Dorado County, said in a virtual meeting with other recall organizers from around the state this week that 1.927 million signatures have been collected as of March 3. Needed are 1.5 million verified signatures to get the measure on the ballot. Bate said 1.512 million signatures were turned into the California Secretary of State’s Office, which will verify the signatures. Out of roughly 1.1 million processed signatures, 668,202 (83.7%) have been validated, according to the latest data released by the Secretary of State’s Office Feb. 5. Volunteers continue to collect an additional 100,000 signatures a week and Bate said he expects the recall effort will break two million signatures by the March 17 deadline to turn them into the state. Recall organizers said they are also using the accounting firm GOCO to verify signatures. Bate said 1.668 million signatures have been validated with thousands more in the pipeline. Calling the response in El Dorado County “amazing,” Bate said the goal was to collect 10,732 signatures. Instead, 21,844 have been collected so far. An effort that is attracting people from across the political spectrum, Bate said Democrats, Independents as well as Republicans are signing the petition. He said reasons expressed for signing include higher taxes, Newsom not following his own rules (i.e. gathering for a party at the French Laundry restaurant), his ordering shutdowns amid the COVID-19 pandemic and keeping some schools in the state closed while his own children reportedly attended private schools.
Mountain Democrat photo by Thomas Frey
Ponderosa High School junior quarterback Ryan Hardt works with head coach Davy Johnson on his footwork and mechanics. The Bruins will open their season Friday at Oakmont High School.
Football kicks-off Thomas Frey Staff writer Football is back and El Dorado, Golden Sierra, Oak Ridge, Ponderosa and Union Mine high schools are returning to action this week after more than a year without a sanctioned game. On Friday El Dorado will host Galt, Golden Sierra will welcome San Juan, Ponderosa will head to Oakmont and Union Mine will play at home against Truckee. On Saturday Oak Ridge will travel to Folsom in a clash between the two past Division 1 Sac-Joaquin Section champions. All five schools will have newcomers at quarterback when the season opens. The teams will play anywhere from a fourto-six-game season and there will be no playoffs. It’s still up in the air exactly what restrictions will be imposed for spectators or if they will even be allowed at all but area head coaches say they expect parents and/or gaurdians will be able to attend. Friday’s games will start between 7 and 7:30 p.m. and Saturday’s match at 6 p.m. Don’t miss Wednesday’s edition of the Mountain Democrat as we look at the talent the Union Mine, El Dorado and Golden Sierra football teams have in their lineup this pandemic-abbreviated season.
Bruins packing a punch Thomas Frey Staff writer
The Ponderosa High School Bruins will be led by quarterback Ryan Hardt when they hit the turf at Oakmont High School in Roseville Friday night. Hardt, a 6-foot, 3-inch junior played junior varsity last season and will be taking over for Stanford University baseball commit Ty Uber, who is focused on the diamond this season. Since taking over the offense, Hardt has been working with the team’s receivers, including senior Cody Pomi. “He’s improved a lot in the last couple years,” Pomi said. “He’s gotten a lot better. I can see him becoming a leader.” Joining Pomi as offensive weapons at wide receiver will be seniors Gagan Singh, Josh Callaway and Trace Nordquist, who will also be the backup quarterback. Seniors Henry Seymour, Joey Mendenhall and Garrett Elzinga will be three of the starters on the offensive line who will block for a n
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Oak Ridge all business as season approaches Thomas Frey Staff writer
he was thinking ‘this year I get to learn from one of the best quarterbacks ever to come through here’ and the next year would be his time. Since getting the official word, he’s been taking the lion’s share of the snaps and taking a leadership role in our offense.”
The last time Drew Cowart threw a pass in a game was during the 2019 football season for the Oak Ridge High School freshman team. The next time he lines up behind center, it will be March 13 against one of the most storied programs in the region, the Folsom High School Bulldogs.
Cowart said his goal was to start at quarterback from the moment he got called up to varsity. At the time, he was behind Lamson on the depth chart but he became a sponge. For eight months before Lamson left to Syracuse, Cowart worked tirelessly with the star quarterback to learn everything he could.
Fall 2020 was supposed to be Justin Lamson’s senior season but with the uncertainty of whether a season would occur, Lamson graduated high school early and enrolled at Syracuse University at the end of January.
Mountain Democrat file photo by Thomas Frey
Oak Ridge wide receiver Brandon Barthel was one of the Trojans’ leading returners in 2019. This season he will also play defensive back.
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“He was always mentoring me,” Cowart said. “I think he put me in a perfect place to be able to lead
“Drew was put in a situation I’m sure he was not expecting,” said Oak Ridge head coach Eric Cavaliere. “I’m sure in his mind
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