BA Issue 102 June 18, 2015

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NorCal vol. 6. issue 102 june 18, 2015

I join our team PHONE 925.566.8500 FAX 925.566.8507 Editorial Editor@SportStarsOnline.com Editor Chace Bryson • Chace@SportStarsOnline.com Staff Writer Jim McCue • JimMcCue16@gmail.com Contributors Bill Kolb, Matt Smith, Clay Kallam, Ben Enos, Dave Kiefer, Liz Elliott, Tim Rudd, Trevor Horn Copy Editor Bill Kruissink Photography Bob Larson, Jonathan Hawthorne, James K. Leash, Norbert von der Groeben, Phillip Walton, Doug Guler, Dean Coppola, Berry Evans, III Marketing/Events Ryan Arter Editorial Intern Mike Young Creative Department Art@SportStarsOnline.com Production Manager Mike DeCicco • MikeD@SportStarsOnline.com Publisher/President Mike Calamusa • Mike@SportStarsOnline.com Advertising Sales@SportStarsOnline.com, 925.566.8500 Account Executives Camps & Clinics: Ryan Arter • Camps@SportStarsOnline.com Alameda County: Berry Evans • Berry@foto-pros.com Central Valley, World Events: Anthony Grigsby • Area Director anthony.grigsby@worldeventssports.com Darin Wissner • JustAGameEvents@gmail.com Reader Resources/Administration Subscription, Calendar, Credit Services Angela Paradise • Info@SportStarsOnline.com Distribution/Delivery Phillip Walton • Mags@SportStarsOnline.com Information technology John Bonilla CFO Sharon Calamusa • Sharon@SportStarsOnline.com community SportStars™ Magazine A division of Caliente! Communications, LLC 5356 Clayton Rd., Ste. 222 • Concord, CA 94521 • info@SportStarsOnline.com www.SportStarsOnline.com

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t always comes faster than we expect.

One day we’re working on the Football Preview edition, then we blink and it’s graduation time.

The 2014-15 year in high school athletics — which we’re celebrating with this special edition — was an incredibly successful one for Northern California.

Which of course made it fun for us here. It also made for an enjoyable year to review.

To start that look back, I’d like to continue a tradition I began last year by offering up some of the key things I learned from August to June.

I learned that... ›› You never count out a CampolindoMoraga football team. Like. Ever. The Cougars 21-point comeback victory over El Capitan in the CIF Div. III State Bowl championship will go down as one of my favorite games covered as a reporter. Truly special. ›› Folsom’s Jake Browning simply could not be stopped. There may not be another SportStars-featured athlete whose posthigh school career we’ll anticipate more than that of the Bulldog football team’s now-former quarterback. There will be a lot of Univ. of Washington football fans in the 916 area code the next few years. ›› Postseason consolation football games were a really dumb idea. It’s a shame it led to such a mess between Serra-San Mateo and the Central Coast Section. With still no resolution to Serra’s appeal, here’s hoping a compromise can be reached. ›› De La Salle-Concord vs. TrinityEuless (Tex.)— in Texas — is going to be a big deal this coming August. We’re pumped. ›› We should’ve given LibertyBrentwood girls soccer a chance. In our (weak) defense, we weren’t the only ones

What I learned in

anticipating Monte Vista-Danville — undefeated and the nation’s No. 1 team at the time — to defeat a Lions team making its first ever trip to a North Coast Section championship game. Liberty won 2-1.

Bright side: The Lions only graduated six from their 23-player roster. We’ll make good next December, Lions. ›› The CIF State Basketball Championships belong in smaller arenas. The atmosphere at Haas Pavilion was electric for the Division I and Open Division games. ›› It would be hard to meet two more humble high school stars than Bishop O’Dowd basketball’s best-friend tandem of Ivan Rabb and Paris Austin. Watching them complete their journey with a CIF Open Div. championship — sealed

by Rabb at the free-throw line with 0.8 seconds left in overtime — was very cool to see. ›› With Briana Perez (more on her later in this issue) and Karlee Sparacino only slated to be juniors, and just one senior being lost to graduation, the future of the Alhambra-Martinez softball team is ridiculously bright. Perez and Sparacino combined for 87 RBI this spring as the Bulldogs went 25-3. ›› The CIF State Swimming and Diving Championships were cool to see. Though they’ll be much cooler if more of the elite swimmers can sacrifice the week of longcourse training to compete in the event. ›› Compiling the popular Bay Area 75 athlete rankings — which comes out in our next issue on July 2 — is going to be insanely difficult.

It will be almost as difficult as getting through the next six weeks before we begin work on the next Football Preview.

Enjoy the summer, sports fans! ✪

LLC

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June 18, 2015

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Park’s place

Exactly where should the 2015 College Park baseball team rank among North Coast Section’s best?

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ith its 26-4 final record, including a win over Central Coast Section Open Division champ St. FrancisMountain View plus an avenging win over De La Salle in the North Coast Section Division I championship, it ended up not being too hard to elevate College Park to the final No. 1 baseball ranking in the state for this season.

The Falcons getting named State Team of the Year also quickly forced us to start flipping pages in the state record book. It turns out the last time that an NCS baseball team was No. 1 in the state was 1983 when El Cerrito went 27-1.

With a stellar cast of players led by pitcher-hitter Joe DeMers, College Park had the pieces, in fact, to be even stronger this season. While the Falcons did indeed finish No. 1 in the state and deservedly so, their three losses to East Bay Athletic League teams does prevent them from being in the stratospheric reaches of El Cerrito 1983, Redwood-Larkspur of 1977 and perhaps a few other teams in all-time rankings of NCS baseball champions.

EL CERRITO 1983 Of all the teams we’ve seen in person from Northern California since 1980 (not including the CIF Central Section), this group of Gauchos guided by head coach Larry Quirico is still the best. The simple reason is speed.

This team not only had the pitching and hitting, but had a lineup on offense and defense that took advantage of its quickness and athleticism.

In addition to winning the CIF North Coast Section Class 3A title, El Cerrito also went to the Fresno Easter Classic and took top honors. One of its players, outfielder Terry Brown, also led the North to victory in that year’s North-South all-star series.

Including Brown, seven of the nine regular players would eventually sign pro contracts. The group was led

by State Junior of the Year James “Pops” Mitchell, who hit .425 and went 10-0 with a 1.96 ERA. Future USC standout Brian Nichols was the closer and led the team in hitting at Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, and like us on Facebook!

.432 with 36 RBI. Steve Pearse, Brian Brooks and Brown also contributed to the team’s .325 average. The Gauchos also had Antoine Pickett and Andy McDonald at the top of the lineup with 27 stolen bases each.

REDWOOD 1977 The Giants (33-3 and coached by the legendary Al Endriss) were awarded a mythical national title after this season by the Easton Bat Company, but we have them No. 2 in the state behind Edgewood-West Covina, which was 29-1. Both teams just happen to be considered among the best in state history and are from the same season. Think De La Salle and Long Beach Poly football for 2001. The 1977 Giants also were better than Redwood’s 1978 squad (30-5) that is listed as State Team of the Year.

One of Redwood’s losses was 2-1 to the Taiwan national team in a game that was tied 1-1 after seven innings. Two losses were to league rival Terra Linda (a team the Giants also beat) while two notable wins were against top teams from Oregon and Washington.

The most famous player on the team was infielder Buddy Biancalana, who was a hero for the Kansas City Royals in the 1985 World Series. Third baseman Greg Zunino set a state record by scoring 65 runs and helped the team score 356 runs for a NorCal record. The Giants also had 358 hits, a total that still makes the state record book.

Pitchers David Hoffmeister and Steve Travers (both who pitched at USC) along with outfielders Steve Hoffmire and Jim Connor were among the team’s other standouts.

So where does College Park 2015 fit in? Since the Falcons also were a section champion from 2014, probably in or near the top five. In addition to the two above, De La Salle’s 26-1 squad from 2000 probably ranks higher. The Spartans weren’t State Team of the Year, but ended No. 2 behind national and state No. 1 Rancho Bernardo-San Diego. ✪ Mark Tennis is the co-founder of Cal-Hi Sports, and publisher of CalHiSports.com. Contact him at markjtennis@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter, @CalHiSports.

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10

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Welcome to our favorite part of our Yearbook Specials, the Year In Pictures. The following 12 pages feature some our favorite images (some previously published, some not) from the 2014-15 season in the Central Coast, North Coast and Sac-Joaquin Sections. Enjoy!

Inderkum-Sacramento senior Nu’umotu Falo emerges from a dry ice haze as his school band sets the groove.

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TOP: A giant flag is stretched across the Del Oro-Loomis field during the Honor Bowl ceremonies in September. BELOW LEFT: Dougherty Valley-San Ramon golfers (left to right) Tiffany Cha, Sophie To, Reini Lin and Jessica Ha. BELOW RIGHT: The El Camino-Sacramento volleyball team celebrate its SJS Div. III title.

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LEFT: Albany’s Claire Chuang returns a shot as her sister and doubles partner, Allison, watches from the baseline during their NCS Div. I doubles finals victory.

RIGHT: Monte Vista-Danville fans storm the court as the girls volleyball team celebrates a five-set win over cross-town rival San Ramon Valley.

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TOP: Encina and Millenium-Tracy battle it out in a boys soccer playoff match. bottom: Las Lomas-Walnut Creek’s cross country state champion, Chloe Hansel (third from left), hangs with teammates (left to right) Megan Wenzel, Katie Saenger and Sydney Polich.

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Jake Browning’s record-setting season helped Folsom to a percect season, a state bowl title and our No. 2 NorCal ranking.

TOP: De La Salle-Concord football players dive into the end zone while celebrating the program’s fifth CIF Open Div. State Bowl Championship in six years. BOTTOM: Campolindo-Moraga football players celebrate their thrilling CIF Div. III State Bowl victory with the school’s Red C cheering section.

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1.

De La Salle-Concord

14-0

2.

Folsom

16-0

3.

Grant-Sacramento

14-1

4.

Campolindo-Moraga

16-0

5.

Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton

13-0

6.

Clayton Valley Charter-Concord

15-1

7.

St. Mary’s-Stockton

12-2

8.

Bellarmine-San Jose

10-3

9.

Milpitas

12-1

10.

Los Gatos

10-3

11.

Pittsburg

10-2

12.

Central Catholic-Modesto

13-2

13.

Serra-San Mateo

8-5

14.

Valley Christian-San Jose

9-4

15.

Oakdale

13-2

16.

St. Francis-Mountain View

9-4

17.

Archbishop Mitty-San Jose

8-5

18.

Foothill-Pleasanton

9-3

19.

Concord

12-2

20.

Salesian-Richmond

12-1

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TOP: Alex Raymond (25), Austin Tobian (9), Mike Maul (8) and Matt Labrie (17) celebrate after San Ramon Valley-Danville won the NCS Div. I soccer title on penalty kicks over De La Salle-Concord. BOTTOM LEFT: Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland girls basketball teammates Aisia Robertson, left, and Asha Thomas celebrate a 2012 NCS championship as freshmen. BOTTOM RIGHT: Robertson and Thomas celebrate a CIF Div. III state title as seniors.

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TOP: Bradshaw Christian-Sacramento’s Ramia Griffin celebrates the Pride’s SJS championship win in the arms of teammate Jolene Delaney. BOTTOM: Woodcreek-Roseville standout freshman Jordan Brown soars for a dunk.

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final boys rankings

1.

Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland

3.

Monte Vista-Danville

5.

Folsom

2.

4.

6.

30-4

San Ramon Valley-Danville

27-6

El Cerrito

7.

Moreau Catholic-Hayward

8.

Campolindo-Moraga

9.

De La Salle-Concord

10.

Serra-San Mateo

11.

Archbishop Mitty-San Jose

12.

Woodcreek-Roseville

13.

Sacramento

14.

Sir Francis Drake-San Anselmo

15.

St. Francis-Mountain View

16.

Capital Christian-Sacramento

17.

Sierra-Manteca

18.

Sheldon-Sacramento

19.

Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa

20.

University-S.F. final girls rankings

1.

Archbishop Mitty-San Jose Eastside Prep-Palo Alto

Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland

8.

McClatchy-Sacramento

9.

St. Ignatius-S.F.

10.

Vanden-Fairfield

11.

Dublin

12.

Brookside Christian-Stockton

13.

Carondelet-Concord

14.

Salesian-Richmond

15.

16

St. Mary’s-Berkeley

17.

18.

19.

Modesto Christian

Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills Piedmont

Scotts Valley

20. Antelope

18

22-7 28-5 27-5 23-6

20-11 27-6 28-6 28-6 22-6 27-9 30-3 21-8 30-4 28-9

18-11

Pinewood-Los Altos Hills

7.

29-4

Sacred Heart Cathedral-S.F.

4.

6.

28-5

34-1

Miramonte-Orinda

5.

27-4

St. Mary’s-Stockton

2.

3.

28-4

Modesto Christian

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30-3 24-4 25-6 25-6 25-9 27-7 22-7 30-4 28-4 27-4 28-4 28-4 24-9 27-5 27-5

21-12 25-6 27-3

TOP: Folsom star junior point guard Jordan Ford poses at sunset during a photo shoot for our basketball preview. This photo recently earned our photographer James K. Leash first-place honors for feature photo in the California Prep Sports Writer’s Association annual awards. BOTTOM: Folsom’s Mason Koshiyama and Oakdale’s Abel Garcia battle fiercely in 170-pound semifinal at the SJS Masters Tournament.

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SJS Athletes Show They’re Positively Dreamy

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Evening of Dreams 2015: 258 special needs guests, 456 volunteers 2014: 211 special needs guests, 413 volunteers 2013: 185 special needs guests, 384 volunteers 2012: 161 special needs guests, 382 volunteers 2011: 81 special needs guests, 226 volunteers 2010: 64 special needs guests, 178 volunteers Website: eveningofdreams.com Facebook: facebook.com/ eveningofdreams?ref=ts Promo Video: vimeo. com/95701648

he pages of SportStars Magazine have been filled with stories and pictures of outstanding athletes, teams and coaches achieving greatness and making history in the form of individual and collective section titles, state championships and record-breaking performances. But the words, statistics and images do not tell the entire story of teamwork, sacrifice and dreams realized.

On Saturday, May 16 — after most of the year’s athletic events were memories — more than 450 volunteers, including athletes, cheerleaders and coaches, helped make dreams come true on a scale far more impactful than any game-winning touchdown pass. The Capital Christian Center saw scores of local athletes escorting 258 special needs guests to an extraordinary experience at the 6th Annual Evening of Dreams.

The prom was founded and is still directed by Michelle Raby to reach out to the special needs community with a red carpet event for teens and young adults with disabilities. The goal was to create a prom experience complete with limousines, formal pictures, music and refreshments with the ability to provide for a variety of special needs.

The event, which started in 2010 with 64 special needs guests and 178 volunteers, has seen its profile rise. The Evening of Dreams attracted stars like Folsom’s Jake Browning, Capital Christian’s Justice Shelton-Mosley and Paige Florio, and Oak Ridge’s Laurel Maunder and Ryan Sullivan as 42 local high schools and 22 colleges (including athletes returning from as far away as Ole Miss) were represented.

“The atmosphere that is created is amazing and it allows

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you to step into a comfort zone where you can be yourself and just laugh and dance around,” said Mosley, who attended for the first time in 2015. “My goal in life is to serve and give back, and it was a very humbling experience.”

Athletic directors, principals and coaches are happy to lend their time, services and athletes for such a great cause.

Del Oro football coach Casey Taylor was one of the first to encourage his team to participate in the Evening of Dreams as part of the Golden Eagles’ character-building program.

Despite less-than-overwhelming media coverage of the event, one of the area’s best-kept secrets has schools and athletic programs seeking to volunteer, where in years past Raby and her crew hunted for help. “(Evening of Dreams) has always been a big part of the football program,” said Sullivan, a 2015 graduate from Oak Ridge, which had the largest contingent of student volunteers. “Our Leadership Program on campus and the football players have sparked a movement of all students signing up to be a part of it. I had people contacting me and asking about it, and I told them to do it, and to sign up early because the slots fill up so fast now.”

In the end, the goal of reaching out to the special needs community was fulfilled, and the schools and community at large were reached and positively affected even more.

“We live in a society today where everything is about self, but when you are at the event, you can see and feel the empathy and compassion,” Raby said. “Athletes have a big voice in school, and we hope that they can take the awareness of the special needs community back to their schools.” ✪

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TOP: Amador Valley-Pleasanton’s Sammy Salustri connects with a pitch in a mid-April game against California-San Ramon.

BOTTOM: Woodcreek-Roseville pitcher Darrell Doll rocks and fires in a midseason matchup against Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills.

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TOP LEFT: Merced softball’s Katelynn Gietler somersaults over the fence to make a catch. TOP RIGHT: Jessica Groen (center) and her Modesto Christian teammates celebrate a goal during the SJS Div. VI final.

BOTTOM: De La Salle-Concord hurdler Jonathan Harvey in the starting blocks.

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LEFT: The Sac-Joaquin Section’s fastest boy, Lincoln-Stockton sprinter John McDonald, gets impressive height as he limbers up before the 100-meter finals at the SJS Masters Meet. RIGHT: Casa Roble-Orangevale junior Naomi Terrazas flashes a huge grin after her walk-off hit in a 6-5 win over Vista del Lago-Folsom.

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final NorCal Baseball Top 20 1. (1) — College Park-Pleasant Hill 26-4 2. (2) — St. Francis-Mountain View 29-5 3. (4) ▲ Los Gatos 30-6 4. (3) ▼ De La Salle-Concord 16-8 5. (5) — Elk Grove 24-10 6. (6) — Valley Christian-San Jose 22-8 7. (7) — Monte Vista-Danville 18-9 8. (8) — Archbishop Mitty-San Jose 20-11 9. (9) — Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills 25-6 10. (10) — Serra-San Mateo 18-10 11. (11) — San Ramon Valley-Danville 16-10 12. (12) — Franklin-Elk Grove 22-7 13. (13) — Bellarmine-San Jose 17-11 14. (16) ▲ Amador Valley-Pleasanton 17-10 15. (18) ▲ Redwood-Larkspur 27-3 16. (15) ▲ Granite Bay 19-13 17. (17) — Soquel 24-7 18 (NR) ▲ Livermore 17-11 19. (19) — Jesuit-Carmichael 19-9 20. (14) ▼ St. Mary’s-Stockton 21-14 DROPPED OUT: No. 20 Vintage-Napa final NorCal softball Top 20 1 (2) ▲ Archbishop Mitty-San Jose 27-3 2 (3) ▲ Amador Valley-Pleasanton 24-3 3 (1) ▼ Pioneer-San Jose 29-1 4 (4) — East Union-Manteca 30-3 5 (5) — Alhambra-Martinez 25-3 6 (6) — Benicia 28-4 7 (8) ▲ Pioneer-Woodland 26-4 8 (9) ▲ Elk Grove 28-4 9 (10) ▲ Sheldon-Sacramento 24-7 10 (11) ▲ San Benito-Hollister 24-5 11 (12) ▲ Notre Dame-Salinas 25-5 12 (14) ▲ Newark Memorial 21-6 13 (15) ▲ James Logan-Union City 23-3-1 14 (7) ▼ Heritage-Brentwood 20-4 15 (NR) ▲ Wilcox-Santa Clara 24-6 16 (13) ▼ Carlmont-Belmont 22-6 17 (16) ▼ Vacaville 21-10 18 (17) ▼ Woodcreek-Roseville 25-3-1 19 (20) ▲ Castro Valley 22-6 20 (NR) ▲ Redwood-Larkspur 27-3 DROPPED OUT: No. 18 Freedom-Oakley, No. 19 Petaluma

TOP: Bellarmine-San Jose discus thrower Marshall Godsil winds up. MIDDLE: College Park-Pleasant Hill’s Trevor Larnach slides safely into home.

BOTTOM: Davis’ Fiona O’Keeffe leaves the 3,200-meters competition behind.

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: Jonathan Hawthorne, James K. Leash, Berry Evans III, Norbert von der Groeben and Phillip Walton.

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June 18, 2015

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here really was no other way the College Park High baseball season should’ve ended.

It’s the North Coast Section Division I championship game at Louis Guisto Field on the campus of Saint Mary’s College. One out. Bases loaded. De La Salle-Concord has the winning run at the plate. College Park has Joe DeMers on the mound.

As tremendously talented as the College Park roster was in 2015 — including the well-publicized seven Division-I college signees — DeMers was always the bellwether.

His teammates referred to him as ‘Big Joe,’ and nobody was better in the big moments.

Therefore, it was no surprise that DeMers reared back and struck out the last two batters, stranding three and earning the win with six innings of relief. He finished the year with a 13-1 record, 0.51 ERA, 103 strikeouts and just 10 walks over 96 innings.

“He has an ability to take a team and put it on his shoulders,” College Park coach Andy Tarpley said. “No matter what kind of situation you’re in, no matter what kind of adversity you’re dealing with. Crowds. Big De La Salle name. He’s always the same.

He knows how to compete. He’s incredible.”

His season, which also included a dominant offensive year of batting .447 with 42 hits, 44 RBI, 26 runs scored, 16 doubles and six home runs, DeMers made an easy selection as the Bay Area Male Athlete of the Year for Spring. It’s the second consecutive year he’s earned the honor, joining Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland boys basketball star Ivan Rabb as the only two-time SportStars Athlete of the Year selection.

The hype around DeMers and College Park was never higher than it was this season when the Falcons entered the year as the No. 1 high school team in the nation according to Baseball America. Several other media outlets had College Park nationally ranked, with DeMers on a slew of watch lists. The Falcons showed they belonged in the national conversation with a 3-1 showing and runner-up finish at the National High School Invitaitonal in Cary, North Carolina, in March. In April, College Park finished as runner-up in the Elite 8 Tournament at St. Francis-Mountain View.

The win over De La Salle, which avenged a 3-0 nonleague loss to the Spartans in early May, was enough to propel College Park to finish the season No. 1 in the state.

The Falcons are the first NCS team to do so since El Cerrito in 1983.

And it brought to light yet another nickname for Big Joe. “We call him ‘Zeus,’ the God of all Gods,” Falcons outfielder Nick Oar said. “He took that game and he said ‘This is mine. I’m going to put the team on my back.’ We got that lead for him and he said, ‘That’s it. We’re gonna win now.’ And look, look what happened.” ✪ — Chace Bryson

THE DEMERS FILES

THE STATS: He compiled a 13-1 record with a 0.51 ERA. He threw 10 complete games, five shutouts, three no-hitters. Led the team in RBI (44), doubles (16) and home runs (6).

SIGNATURE PERFORMANCE: On March 10, DeMers threw a perfect game, striking out seven against Monte Vista-Danville — a team which would reach the NCS Div. I semifinals.

WHAT’S NEXT: DeMers will take his talents to the University of Washington, where it’s unknown whether he’ll continue his career on the mound or transition to a full-time infielder.

honorable mention

Maxime Rooney (Granada-Livermore), Junior — He set new NCS Championships record in 200 freestyle during preliminaries (1 minute, 34.58 seconds). In the finals, he won the same event and the 500 freestyle (which he already owns the record for, set in 2014).

Jacob Solomon (Dublin), Senior — After tying for fourth at the NCS boys golf Meet of Champions, and 16th at the CIF NorCal championships, Solomon shot a 3-under 68 to win the CIF State Championship at Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach.

Phillip Walton

BOYS COACH OF THE YEAR: David Chen, Campolindo boys volleyball — While he’s undoubtedly had a number of very talented rosters to work with, Chen has pulled all the right strings and masterfully guided the Cougars. Campolindo won its fifth straight North Coast Section Div. III title (fourth under Chen) and its third straight CIF Div. II Norther Regional crown.

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MALE RISING STAR: Sanjay Kettels (St. Mary’s-Berkleey), Soph. — It was another banner year for the Panthers track and field team and new talent has arrived. Kettels made his presence known at the NCS Meet of Champions. Kettels ran the second leg on the Saint Mary’s 1600 relay team which dominated the field and won by more than second. Kettels also finished second overall in the high jump.

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hen Kylee Perez graduated from Alhambra High in June of 2014 — one week after she led Alhambra to the North Coast Section Division II championship — she was confident she could begin her UCLA career knowing her alma mater was in good hands.

How did she know? Because the person most likely to replace her as the Bulldogs shortstop and lead offensive weapon was a player she watched for quite some time — her sister, Briana. “Growing up, she was always competing with me,” Kylee said. “But I’d say when she reached her eighth-grade year, that’s when I realized that this kid is probably going to be better than me. She’s a real competitor.”

Briana, who played alongside Kylee as a freshman in 2014, stepped into the spotlight and shined in 2015. The sophomore shortstop was an offensive juggernaut for the Bulldogs. The numbers are almost staggering. She hit a team-best .608 while also leading Alhambra in runs (55), hits (48), extra-base hits (26), home runs (14), triples (6), walks (27), stolen bases (26) and on-base percentage (.721). She did this while leading Alhambra to a 25-3 record and a second consecutive Div. II championship.

It was a resume that made her selection as the SportStars Bay Area Female Athlete of the Year for Spring an easy one.

“I know last year, I was there and she kind of let me lead the way a little bit,” Kylee said. “But she’s always been a hard worker and she has a presence about her. Even though she’s a sophomore, a lot of kids look up to her and her work ethic.”

The fact that Kylee and six other seniors were gone from the 2014 championship team was a fact that Briana and her teammates were constantly reminded of prior to starting their season in March. They used it as fuel.

“We came out and were kind of underestimated with all the seniors that we lost,” Briana said. “So that motivated us to work really hard at practice every day, and we ended it just how we wanted to.”

The Bulldogs needed a few weeks to put things together, opening the season 2-2 before winning 23 of their last 24 and closing the season with 17 straight wins. That 17th win, a 4-2 defeat of Redwood-Larkspur in the NCS Div. II final, featured a fan in the Alhambra cheering section who was attending her first game of the season. It was Kylee. “It was awesome,” the older sister said. “I love watching her play. Whether she’s having a good day of a bad day. She’s always so positive and she makes sure her teammates are positive. But just the way she plays in general, I just love it.” ✪ — Chace Bryson

THE PEREZ FILES

›› THE STATS: After batting .608 with 42 hits, 55 runs scored and 42 RBI, Perez is on pace to surpass her sister Kylee as the most prolific hitter in Alhambra history. In two seasons, Briana has a .536 batting average with 81 hits, 88 runs, 69 RBI and 19 home runs.. ›› SIGNATURE PERFORMANCE: On May 9 against Petaluma, Perez went 2-for-3 with two home runs, three runs scored, four RBI and one stolen base. ›› WHAT’S NEXT: Briana will spend her summer playing for her club team, the Sorcerer Softball Club. She’s given an oral commitment to UCLA, where she hopes to join her sister.

Honorable Mention

Phillip Walton GIRLS COACH OF THE YEAR: Arpedge Rolle, Valley Christian-San Jose — We’re going a bit out of the box here by selecting the throws coach of the Warriors Track & Field team. But then again, if you have two different girls combine to sweep the shot put (Elena Bruckner) and discus (Ronna Stone) gold medals at the CIF State Championships, then you must be doing something very right. Bruckner also finished third in discus.

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Madelyn Murphy (Carondelet-Concord), Junior — One week after losing the NCS 100 butterfly to Acalanes’ Brittany Usinger by more than two seconds, Murphy beat Usinger to the wall at the CIF State Championships, the only East Bay girl to win gold at state.

Holly Azevedo (Pioneer-San Jose), Sophomore — Azevedo allowed just one earned run in 177 innings of work (a 0.03 ERA) and finished with more than 250 strikeouts. She went 28-1 with one save. She also batted .381 with 18 RBI. FEMALE RISING STAR: Danielle Williams (Amador ValleyPleasanton), Frosh. — Stepping into the shoes left by the 2014 Bay Area Female Athlete of the Spring (Johanna Grauer), Williams was sensational in the circle. The freshman went 24-3 with an 0.79 ERA. She also led the NCS Div. I champion Dons with 42 hits and a .532 batting average.

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I

saiah Garcia is a believer in the line that baseball, like all sports, is a business. But the 2015 SportStars Male Athlete of the Year for spring does not see the business side of sports being cut-throat endeavors where finances dictate actions. Garcia believes in a simpler bottom-line mentality.

“No matter what you do or achieve, you have to work hard and make sacrifices to be successful,” the Lincoln shortstop said of the life and sports lessons his father, Raymond, taught him. “That defines who I am and what I do.”

It is no surprise the blue-chip baseball star, who batted a Sac-Joaquin Section-best .627 while leading his team to its first section baseball championship, did so with a quiet, business-like approach.

Lincoln entered the season with high expectations after reaching the Div. IV section final in 2014. With a new coach and plenty of returning players, the Zebras set three primary goals: Win 20 games, win the Pioneer Valley League title and claim the program’s first SJS baseball championship. The year-end report showed excellent yields with a 23-6 record, a PVL crown and the section title.

Garcia spent four years on the varsity baseball team, and in his senior campaign he led the section in hitting and was also a top contributor with 44 runs, five home runs, 33 RBI and 34 stolen bases. But personal numbers were never his focus.

“I want to be as much of an asset to my team as I can,” he said. “Stats are not as big of a thing. I just want to do what I can to help the team.”

Garcia played a large role as a team leader, sharing his baseball knowledge as well as his work ethic. The end result was a shared determination that culminated in an undefeated playoff run to win the section championship for more than just themselves.

“It was great for my teammates, the school, the community and alumni,” said Garcia, whose parents also attended Lincoln High School. “To see how proud everyone was really put things into perspective.”

Garcia will be competing all summer long as a member of the Auburn Wildcats, a college wooden-bat league baseball team that plays its home games at James Field in Auburn. “It’s always been a goal to play professional baseball,” Garcia said. “It’s every kid’s dream. I hope that I can develop my game and win a spot at CSUN early to get drafted after junior year.” ✪ — Jim McCue

THE GARCIA FILES

›› THE STATS: Garcia batted an SJS-best .627, which included a .750 batting average (9-for-12) in the postseason, while leading the Fighting Zebras to their first section championship. He also was in the top 10 in the SJS in home runs, stolen bases, runs and hits. A four-year varsity starter, Garcia compiled a career .474 average. ›› SIGNATURE PERFORMANCE: In Lincoln’s 9-7 win over Placer in the Div. IV final, Garcia was 2-for-3 with a triple, two runs and two RBI. His high school finale was his fifth consecutive multi-hit game. ›› WHAT’S NEXT: Garcia signed on with Cal State Northridge. After playing a full slate of summer ball with the Auburn Wildcats, he will leave for Southern California in August.

honorable mention

Cavan Stewart (Whitney-Rocklin), Senior — Stewart was a three-time SJS champ and led the Wildcats to their first Div. I boys volleyball championship. He had a section-best 413 kills leading Whitney to a 30-12 record and the CIF NorCal Div. I semis.

Austin Laut (Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills), Senior — The pole vaulter followed up his Section Masters title by winning the CIF State Track & Field Championship with a vault of 15 feet, 9 inches. Laut was the lone state champ from the SJS.

James K. Leash

BOYS COACH OF THE YEAR: Jeff Carlson, Elk Grove baseball — In his 16th year leading the Thundering Herd, the veteran coach guided the program to a sixth Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I championship. Carlson navigated the 2015 team through a typically challenging schedule, a variety of injuries and the playoff gauntlet, leading to a 2-0 finals series sweep of St. Mary’s-Stockton.

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MALE RISING STAR: Bryce Mefford (Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills swimming), Soph. — Set SJS records while winning the 200-yard freestyle (1:37.19) and 100-yard backstroke (48.07) titles at the Section Masters Meet. Mefford followed up his section wins by claiming state titles in both events at the inaugural CIF State Swimming and Diving Championships.

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J

urnee Woodward’s story is far from finished. The aspiring screenwriter penned a thrilling finish to the second act of her high school track and field career, winning her second CIF State Track & Field Championships medal with a second-place finish in the 300-meter hurdles and being named SportStars Female Athlete of the Year for spring. But what’s left to write is what drives Woodward.

“Track is what inspires me to go after my dreams of being an entrepreneur in the movie/film industry,” she said.

The sophomore was 0.44 seconds short of a state title in the 300 hurdles and was eighth in the 100-meter hurdles (she was sixth as a freshman). Other highlights of her sophomore year included her first sub-42 seconds (41.99) in the 300 meter hurdles at the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays, and Sac-Joaquin Section Masters titles in both hurdles events with a Masters-record time of 41.10 in the 300. “There is always room for improvement, always that little thing that can be tweaked or perfected,” she said. “Nobody is a perfect hurdler, but I think that perfection is the goal for my junior year.”

While that might be a tough script to live up to, Woodward has shown the ability to improve by leaps and bounds. Despite participating in track and field since age 11, Jurnee did not get serious about the hurdles until eighth grade. After taking a liking to hurdles while goofing around after a high-jump camp, Woodward started training with 1976 Olympic Trials semifinalist Janet Benford to learn technique, but joining the hurdling sorority at Vacaville High provided a new perspective as well.

Woodward practiced, ate lunch and hung out with Bulldogs’ hurdlers Pattriana Perry, Daria Cook, Nia Vance and Hannah Davis, and soaked up the knowledge and experience of her older teammates. “It was a community or family with those girls last year, and I had a lot to learn about what to expect, especially at state,” Woodward said.

Seeing, hearing and feeling the thousands of fans packed into Buchanan High School’s Veterans Stadium for the 2014 state meet prepared Woodward for 2015.

“I had good technique with no ‘wild arms,’ and was getting my feet back on the ground quickly,” Woodward said, “but I did a lot of speed training and it all came together this year with technique and speed.”

That combination led to unparalleled success for the Bulldogs’ top hurdler. With two years left in high school, Jurnee Woodward’s story is not close to being done. ✪ — Jim McCue

THE WOODWARD FILES

›› THE STATS: Woodward was among the fastest hurdlers in the state all season, posting top times in both the 100 and 300 hurdles. She was the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Champion in both events, and finished second in the 300 and 8th in the 100 at the state. ›› SIGNATURE PERFORMANCE: Her time of 41.10 in the 300 hurdles at Section Masters was a meet record, the fastest in the state and second-fastest in the nation at the time. ›› WHAT’S NEXT: Woodward has medaled twice in two years at state (sixth in the 100 hurdles as a freshman, second in the 300 hurdles as a soph). With the graduation of Roosevelt-Eastvale hurdler Jasmyne Graham — who needed a national-best 40.73 to beat Woodward in the 300 hurdles — Woodward’s path to state gold seems wide open.

Honorable mention

James K. Leash GIRLS COACH OF THE YEAR: Mary Jo Truesdale, Sheldon-Sacramento softball — The Huskies’ long-time leader directed a young squad that featured just two seniors to the SJS Div. I title and a 24-7 record. The section championship was the program’s sixth overall and first since Sheldon won back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012.

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Shelby Thompson (Benicia), Junior — Led the Panthers softball team to a 28-4 record and a second consecutive SJS Division II championship with five multi-hit games, 3 HR and 11 RBI in the playoffs. For the season, she batted .597 with 10 HR and 38 RBI. Mikaela Lujan (Nevada Union-Grass Valley), Senior — Lujan won her third consecutive SJS Section Masters diving title and finished second at the inaugural CIF State Swimming and Diving Championships.

FEMALE RISING STAR: Ilena Rivera (East Union-Manteca soccer), Soph. — The midfielder was among the section’s scoring leaders with 35 goals and 11 assists, and led the Lancers to a second consecutive SJS Div. III championship. She scored both goals in the team’s 2-0 victory over rival Manteca in the championship game, and has scored 64 goals in two years leading East Union.

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Junior Olympics come to Roseville Top swimmers from Sierra Nevada Swimming will be out in force from July 23-26 at the prestigious Roseville Aquatics Complex to compete in the Sierra Nevada Long Course Junior Olympics.

There is expected to be at least 700 swimmers, ranging in ages from 6 to 18. California Capital Aquatics, a premier Roseville team, is set to defend its title as well as play host along with Placer Valley Tourism for this exciting event.

Sierra Nevada Swimming draws from Northern California and several counties in Nevada, bringing more than 35 teams from as far north as the Oregon border and as far west as Solano County, and down south as far as Turlock. Since this is a qualifying meet, all swimmers must meet time standards in their age group.

Denna Culpepper, Executive Director for Sierra Nevada Swimming, explained that this is a trials/ finals meet. “This means trials of all swimmers occur in the morning session and then the ones who are lucky and fast enough to place in the top eight are invited to come back to compete again in that event for finals,” Culpepper said.

Individual awards will be given to the top three swimmers in each gender in each age group from U8 through 15-18. The top five scoring teams overall receive awards as well.

This is the first year the meet will be known as the “Bill Rose Classic”. This decision was made in order to bring distinction to Bill Rose for his outstanding dedication to Sierra Nevada Swimming.

Rose, a member of USA Swimming for nearly 30 years, has served as a timer, stroke-and-turn judge, starter, deck referee, administrative referee and meet referee for Sierra Nevada Swimming. He is also a highly decorated official in USA Swimming and has served as an official in the last four U.S. Olympic Trails.

Alex Ongaco, Meet Director for CCA, said that “this is a wonderful tribute and dedication to Rose for his service to our local swimming community as well to all of USA Swimming.”

Congratulations to Bill Rose for this honor and thank you for your incredible service to Sierra Nevada Swimming! ✪ 30

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M

aidu Park in Roseville swung into full action May 29-31 when Swashbuckler Lacrosse and Placer Valley Tourism hosted the first Laxapalooza Recruiting Showcase in Placer Valley. This major lacrosse tournament featured games for 4th grade through High School Elite Boys, and 6th grade through High School Elite Girls. It also served as a recruiting showcase for high school players.

In the 4th/5th grade division, Granite Bay Lacrosse took home the win. In the 6th/7th grade division Homegrown Lacrosse from Northern California came out on top. In 8th grade it was the local Plundering Swashbucklers that were the winners. In true comeback style, the Sea Town Kings 9th/10th grade boys high school team from Seattle defeated the Sacramento ADVNC team 6-3 after losing to them earlier 7-2. Another NorCal team won the High School Elite tourney: Team Bagettaway. All the winning teams qualify to play in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions in Florida on New Year’s Eve. From the college recruiting aspect there was approximately 30 college representatives from colleges ranging from California to West Virginia. Swashbuckler Lacrosse took it a step further by providing acclaimed recruiting specialist and author for Inside Lacrosse, Ken Miller of Long Island Everest Lax Recruits, to speak on the recruiting process.

April Van Patten, Director of Events for Swashbuckler Lacrosse, explained that the tournament provided much more than just college recruiters coming to the games and looking at player’s stats.

“At Swashbuckler the focus is on matching the player with the right college for the level of play they are looking for and teaching players how to get noticed through seminars and meetings with top-level recruiters,” Van Patten said.

Along with being a major recruiting event, this tournament was also a huge fundraising effort for the Autism on the Seas organization, as are all of the Swashbuckler Tournaments. They had a photo booth for players, parents and coaches to preserve their memories. Players also had the opportunity to get their coaches soaking wet in a dunk tank. Both contributed portions of their proceeds to the fundraising efforts.

Great competition, college recruiting at its best and fundraising for an important cause sums up this Laxapalooza Recruiting Showcase and we can’t wait to see it return in 2016. ✪ — All copy and photos provided by Placer Valley Tourism Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, and like us on Facebook!

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The power of flexibility Knowing how and when to stretch will help you to maximize your game Heading into a workout of event, I see athletes off to the side sitting down and reaching for their toes. I assume that they are trying to stretch their hamstrings, but the only real work I see getting done is the sharing of weekly gossip. As a physical therapist in the sports medicine realm, I think to myself, do people really know when to statically stretch versus when to dynamically warm-up? My answer is, probably not.

So I ask, “What exactly is flexibility? Why should we stretch?”

Flexibility is basically a joint’s ability to move freely through a full and normal range of motion (ROM). You can achieve greater flexibility through stretching.

Benefits of stretching are: ›› Increased flexibility ›› Improving ROM ›› It aids in relaxation ›› Reduced muscle tension ›› Promotes better posture ›› Boosts skill execution ›› It’s essential for top performance And, if you don’t stretch before an activity, you may experience restricted movement, reduced performance, breakdown in body tissues and long-term injury.

Some stretching essentials are: always include a warm-up.

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health watch: ryan sargent

Target major muscle groups. Perform balanced stretching with correct technique. Avoid over-stretching and focus on pain-free stretching.

So, what is the buzz regarding dynamic warm-ups? What is it and why is it important?

A dynamic warm-up is a more active, sport-specific method of preparing the body for the demands of the sport. It helps to maintain warmth in your muscles, primes the fast-twitch muscle fibers, increases coordination and helps with injury prevention.

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If you think about it, sports require active movements. So what better way to prep the body for activity than a dynamic warm-up.

Static stretching is ideal to do at the end of your workout or sport.

It is a great way to help cool down the body, remove lactic acid, help regulate your heart rate and breathing, increase recovery rate and improve ROM. Physiological reasons for performing a dynamic warm-up include: ›› Increasing the core temperature ›› Increasing heart rate and blood flow to skeletal tissues to improve oxygen uptake ›› Removal of carbon dioxide and lactic acid ›› Increasing the activation of the central nervous system ›› Increasing rate & force of muscle contraction and efficiency Research surrounding dynamic warm-ups show that preexercise static stretching may actually reduce performance by decreasing force and power.

Some examples include a 3-percent decrease in sprint performance, a 9.6-percent decrease in lower extremity power in teen gymnasts, a 5-percent decrease in vertical jump height after static stretching and a reduction in strength persisting for up to 60 minutes. ✪ Ryan Sargent is a certified athletic trainer and program manager for the Athletic Development Program within UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland.

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Consistency is King Performing well is one thing, performing consistently takes a lot more preparation get mental: erika carlson Competitive athletes know that with strong commitment and dedicated practice you can perform well — sometimes, maybe often. But performing consistently well, that’s so much harder!

The greatest athletes excel at performing consistently, that is, playing with excellence on a daily basis.

The Warrior’s own Steph Curry is an excellent example of tremendous consistency throughout the NBA postseason. His work ethic, routines and insistence on quality reps in practice is paying off in the biggest way, playing with consistency during the biggest series of his life. His practice routines have created incredible game skills, and his mental preparation allows him to leverage every bit of that prep work.

Let’s take a closer look at what factors into your performance consistency. ›› Does your physical conditioning change from day to day, week to week? Not significantly ›› Do your technical skill change from one day to the next? No ›› Does your tactical (strategic) knowledge of your sport change? No (your knowledge base doesn’t change but your decisions to use that knowledge can change). ›› Does your mental performance change from day to day? YES ›› How does your mental game impact consistency? I often tell my clients it’s your mental game that determines your physical game. Here’s why: Recovering from mistakes — Great athletes are not immune to mis-

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takes. Instead, they are able to recover quickly when mistakes happen so they don’t carry negative emotions or let negative thinking take over. They simply learn and move on. Learning to manage thinking and emotions is the “secret” to quick recovery.

Preparation — Consistent athletes know how to work harder AND smarter. Quality repetition, both physically and mentally (imagery), allows athletes to capture, repeat and commit correct technical and tactical plays to muscle memory. Without mental rehearsal, you are lacking a key learning strategy, and someone else is capitalizing on it everyday.

Confidence — Confidence, that unquestionable belief in yourself, is absolutely required for consistency. Smart preparation (physically and mentally) is key to building confidence. Taking ownership by planning and staying accountable to your daily and weekly preparation is a guaranteed confidence booster. Are you doing the work?

Routines — Great athletes create routines to establish familiarity and a sense of control. Why? So, when under pressure, they can follow routines and let muscle memory take over. Pregame routines, stoppage routines even postgame routines are key components for consistency.

Do you see your strengths and weakness on this list? Physical practice is incredibly important, but it is not enough. Mental preparation allows you to leverage all that hard physical work. ✪ Erika Carlson is a certified mental trainer and owner of Excellence in Sports Performance in Pleasanton.

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SPOT

ON

Reaching your lifting goals will literally require someone at your side powered by trucks: anthony trucks The weight room is a place you go to get bigger and stronger. The problem is that many people never push themselves quite far enough to get the progress they desire. The truth is that in order to get past that threshold and hit a new level you have to approach a barrier that is unsafe to approach alone.

The way the body primarily works to increase muscular size and strength is through adaptation. Adaptation occurs once the load surpasses the body’s ability to successfully move it. When you get to this point you can start making progress, but it’s unsafe to do so without the risk of injury by dropping the weight.

This is where the next necessary step comes in. Getting a spotter. A spotter is the person who allows you to safely approach your maximum output levels to get your body to adapt, without incurring a high level of physical injury risk.

The proper way to spot another person is, however, a mystery to many people who consider themselves a good spotter. So here is a brief list of the biggest tips to spotting properly. ›› Make sure you and the lifter are on the same page for cadence to begin and when to take the bar and rack it. ›› Make sure you reiterate cues to the lifter so they keep up the correct technique through the lift ›› When helping the lifter through the lift, only give enough help to allow them to keep the speed of the bar consistent. Don’t do the work for them. ›› Always be prepared to grab the bar in case it drops unexpectedly As a lifter, having a good spotter can literally be the difference between you making and not making the progress you want. So find someone who can be “spot on” when spotting you. ✪ Anthony Trucks is an IYCA-certified trainer who covers weight training for SportStars.

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❒❒ Alameda County Fair..........................................................................................................4 ❒❒ All Sports Training Center.................................................................................................35 ❒❒ Bay Area Equestrian Vet Camp..........................................................................................35 ❒❒ Big O Tires Northern California/ Nevada.............................................................................2 ❒❒ Bigfoot Hoops..................................................................................................................40 ❒❒ Blankenship Baseball.......................................................................................................34 ❒❒ Cal Athletic Camps...........................................................................................................37 ❒❒ California Football 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❒❒ San Ramon Slammers Baseball........................................................................................34 ❒❒ Special Olympics Northern California...............................................................................36 ❒❒ Sports Stars Magazine......................................................................................................26 ❒❒ Stevens Creek Toyota..........................................................................................................9 ❒❒ Sutter Urgent Care..............................................................................................................3 ❒❒ Tpc / The Pitching Center..................................................................................................14 ❒❒ Tri Valley Quarter Midget Racing......................................................................................36 ❒❒ Tricityeliteallstars.Com.....................................................................................................22 ❒❒ U C S F Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland......................................................................33 ❒❒ U S Sports Mike Allen Sports Camps.................................................................................36 ❒❒ United States Youth Volleyball League.............................................................................39 ❒❒ Walnut Creek Soccer Club.................................................................................................19 ❒❒ West Coast Training Center...............................................................................................37 ❒❒ Win Anyway & All For Kids.............................................................................................. 35

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