BA Issue 101-June 2015

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room: Late night has a void with the departure of David Letterman. We know just how to fill that void.

Hint: No Lenos allowed.

The Fence: 42 Tryouts, sign-ups, fund-raisers and more!

44 Advertiser’s index 4

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June 2015

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It’s All Happening I

ncredibly, we’ve already reached the last nine days of the 2014-15 interscholastic sports season.

And what an action-filled nine days it will be. The spring sports season has always been a blessing and a curse for publications which focus on high school sports. It’s always reminded me of the AM/PM slogan, “Too much good stuff.”

Over the next week-plus, there will be two CIF State Championship events (track & field and boys golf), one CIF Northern Regional Championship event (boys volleyball) and section championships in baseball, softball and track. Then if you take into account the previous two weeks: CIF State Swimming & Diving Championships, CIF/NCGA NorCal Boys Golf Tournament, CIF Northern Regional Boys Team Tennis Championships along with section finals in boys and girls lacrosse, swimming, boys golf and boys volleyball. Well, you can see how our heads get to spinning.

Having so many championship events being decided at once makes the spring equally exciting and challenging on our end.

But we wouldn’t change it. And we didn’t even grumble when the CIF added Swimming & Diving to its state championship roster. It made sense. And, from all accounts, it sounds like it was a smashing success.

Northern California and the Bay Area in particular has long been a region rich with swimming talent, and those swimmers have long deserved a chance to showcase it on a stage beyond the section meet. So it was nice to see that NorCal talent take its opportunity and swim with it.

“I thought (the CIF) did a pretty good job of making it special,” said Mason Tittle, who helped lead Northgate-Walnut Creek to the boys team title. “It was a really big venue and it was probably the most spectators I’ve ever seen at a meet. The awards were awesome and it was a really fun experience overall.”

We’ve begrudged the CIF more than a time or two in this space, so this time we gladly give the thumbs up. Check out more of our swimming coverage beginning on Page 16.

This time of the year, in addition to constant playoffs and championships, also means awards season. On May 24, we helped the Sacramento River Cats honor more than 400 of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s top athletes as part of their All-City Team Awards program. That event has got us in the mood to start thinking about our third installment to our annual Bay Area 75.

We’ll be releasing the 2015 Bay Area 75 in our July issue, and we’d like to add a new wrinkle this year.

We believe the 75 should be THE authoritative list of the region’s best athletes for the given school year. Which means we hate being told we missed one. Therefore, we’re taking nominations this year. If you feel a certain male or female athlete deserves consideration as one of the Bay Area’s best athletes of 2014-15, please tell us why by emailing me at the address under my smiling face.

Or heck, tweet us @sportstarsmag (and then follow us and tell all your friends and random people on the street — if that’s your thing).

We’ll get to reading those emails in, oh, about 10 days from now. Enjoy the final flurry of the high school sporting season. We’ll be doing the same. ✪

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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Mason

Got Send your nominations to: Next? Editor@SportStarsOnline.com or tweet us using #SSOTW

Tittle

Northgate - Swimming - Senior Everything aligned for the Northgate boys swim team this season. One year after winning the North Coast Section title for the first time since 1996, the Broncos returned almost their entire roster in 2015 — the same year the California Interscholastic Federation would be hosting its first State Swimming Championships. Northgate repeated as section champions on May 16, and then headed south to Clovis where it became the first boys team to win a CIF State Swimming title. The Broncos dominated the event with 192 points (59 better than second place) and Tittle led the way as part of gold medal swims in the 200-yard medley relay and the 400 freestyle relay. He also delivered a bronze medal performance in the 50 freestyle and took fifth in the 100 butterfly. Tittle and teammates Eric VanBrocklin and Calvin Kirkpatrick will each attend UC Santa Barbara in the fall.

IN HIS OWN WORDS: “(Leading up to the meet) we were all still really excited about winning North Coast and were on that high and had to realize we had another meet left. When we got the pysch sheets (for state) we looked at the qualifying times and tried to calculate our chances.

We knew there was a chance, but we definitely weren’t going in cocky.”

honorable mention Madelyn Murphy: The Carondelet junior was the East Bay’s lone female gold medalist at the CIF State Swimming Championships. She won the 100 Butterfly with a time of 53.01 seconds.

Danielle Williams: The freshman pitched a complete game with six strikeouts and went 1-for-3 with an RBI to lead Amador Valley to a 2-1, eight-inning victory over rival Foothill on May 22.

Ryan First: The Campolindo senior lead the boys volleyball team to a fifth straight NCS title with a teamhigh 11 kills from the outside.

Campolindo defeated Las Lomas in three straight sets.

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Rapid Fire

preston kilwien College Park Soccer

Ben Robinow Clayton Valley Charter Water Polo

Will the Warriors win the nba title Yes

Yes

upcoming movie you're most eagerly anticipating Entourage Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Trending What’s hot this week in the world of stuff that’s hot

favorite pregame snack

Kanye West may release his new album exclusively on iTunes. If that makes you smile, stop before a camera catches you smiling. You know Kanye hates when that happens.

Pancakes

Gatorade Gummies

whom would you most like to see in concert

Ireland voted to legalize gay marriage. So that’s what was at the end of the rainbow.

As part of their punishment for their latest cheating scandal, the New England Patriots were forced to admit that their earlier assertions that Tom Brady invented Thanksgiving was in fact fabricated by a junior employee, who was then fired.

A Russian woman reportedly shot herself in the head while taking a selfie. If only phones had an automatic self-destruct when it detects ‘duck face’ we could really thin out the selfie herd.

Kendrick Nirvana Lamar & J. Cole first thing i'm doing this summer is ...

Going to the beach in Florida

Surfing

Arnold Schwarzenegger will be reprising his role as Conan the Barbarian. The 67-year-old actor will hop back into this fur loin cloth in the upcoming ‘Conan The Barbarian vs.

Sagging Man-Boobs’.

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count 'em

7

The number of individual titles (out of a possible 13) won by NorCal boys at the inaugural CIF State Swimming Championships on May 23. The NorCal boys dominance was also present in the team scores Northgate won the overall title and four more NorCal schools filled out the Top 5.

Say What top 5 sports personalities fit for late night It’s the end of an era, folks. No. Not the Spurs Dynasty (but we’ll admit to being pretty pleased that the Clips took care of The Big Fundamental and the boys in the first round). The Age of Letterman, ladies and gents, has come to a close. We figure late-night is in decent hands, what with Colbert and Fallon and of course… who is that guy taking over for Jon Stewart again? Riiiight. Anyway. The whole genre could use a bit of spicing up. Here’s our list of the top five sports figures we think should take over late-night TV. 1. Gregg Popovich: Let the Grump Who Stole Championships ask some questions for a change.

Either that or just stare piercingly at guests until they break down and confess their darkest sins.

Maybe he can get Tim Duncan to co-host. That’s the kind of sparkling repartee that is really lacking on the late-night scene.

2. Charles Barkley: If only so that he can be the first guy to interview Steve Kerr, Bob Myers, et. al., after that “jump shooting team” wins an NBA title. Suck on that, Chuck.

3. Memphis Grizzlies guard Tony Allen: Get ready for him to just say, “First team. All Late Night.”

Over. And over. And over.

4. Tim Tebow: And then, after that, go ahead and gouge your eyes out with a melon-baller. Should feel about the same.

5. Stephen Curry: Pretty sure that kid can do anything. Added bonus: He comes with a pretty engaging 2-year-old co-host/scene-stealer.

— Bill “Shouldn’t This Have Been a Top 10?” Kolb

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“I would rather lose 40 games and play with these guys, than win all 40 games with another team.”

Deer Valley-Antioch boys volleyball standout Jordan Ewert, left, on the chemistry of his Wolverines team which won its third straight NCS Div. I Championship on May 23.

June 2015

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600 & counting C

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Bay Area hub for softball coaching greatness

Butch Noble/SportStars file

alifornia has another softball coach who has reached the 600-win total after Teri Johnson from James Logan-Union City won her 600th with her team’s 10-0 triumph over American-Fremont on Tuesday, May 19.

Johnson, who is in her 30th season, became the 12th softball coach in state history to achieve the 600th win.

Earlier this season, Mike D’Amato from Garces-Bakersfield won his 600th game. Johnson also is the first on the list from the CIF North Coast Section.

“It’s exciting,” Johnson told the Contra Costa Times.

“I never thought we’d ever get to 600, that’s for sure. A big milestone.”

Johnson has that one constant of all great coaches: she helps the more average athlete become a very good player and she helps the very good ones become great.

The state’s winningest softball coach is also from the Bay Area: Jim Liggett from Carlmont-Belmont is still going strong.

Liggett, in fact, is in his 40th season coaching at Carlmont. Counting this year’s 21-5 record entering the CIF Central Coast Section playoffs, Liggett had a record of 985-210-4. His teams have won eight CCS titles and he’s been inducted into numerous Halls of Fame. Since no one else in California history has even gotten to 800, we think he belongs in another one: the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame.

The state’s second winningest softball coach for career wins is Ron Clarke of Fairfield, who unfortunately is no longer with us.

Clarke passed away on April 4 at age 72 in Stockton while preparing to coach the NorCal Tremors club team. He was more well-known by Cal-Hi Sports for his many years as the softball coach at Fairfield High. From 1978 to 2010, he guided the Falcons to a 732-256-5 record that included four CIF Sac-Joaquin Section championships. According to a story in the Stockton Record, Clarke was planning to return to high school coaching when a great-granddaughter was old enough to play.

In addition to his focused approach to coaching, what stood out about Clarke was that he lived in Stockton but made the commute through Lodi and over Highway 12 for all those years to Fairfield. In 2012, he was inducted into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame.

Clarke’s most famous player was pitcher Alicia Hollowell, who went on to star at the University of Arizona. Hollowell struck out a national record 2,328 batters in four seasons, with state records that included 131 wins and 43 no-hitters. ✪

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softball Rankings

baseball Rankings

After games of Saturday, May 23 1. (1) — Mission Viejo 27-0 Diablos looking to be No. 1 in the state and nation for second straight season.

2. (2) — Pioneer-San Jose 27-0 Standout soph Holly Azevedo has had tremendous senior leaders to rely on as Mustangs were headed to CCS Div. II semis.

3. (3) — Yucaipa 27-3 University of Nevada-bound Brook Bollinger has led the Thunderbirds to outstanding season.

4. (4) — Santiago-Corona 28-3 Since Mission Viejo, Pioneer and Yucaipa are all Div. II, the Sharks are state’s No. 1 team for Div. I. 5. (5) — Pacifica-Garden Grove 21-5-1 Two of Pacifica’s losses have come to Mission Viejo. The team won CIFSS Div. I title last year.

6. (8) ▲ Amador Valley-Pleasanton 21-3 Danielle Williams of the Dons may be state’s top freshman; great timing considering they had last year’s top senior.

7. (7) — Grand Terrace 23-3 This team is also No. 1 statewide in Div.III. 8. (10) ▲ Archbishop Mitty-San Jose 25-3 Monarchs were hurt in the rankings for most of season due to loss to Heritage-Brentwood.

9. (11) ▲ Los Alamitos 24-6 Griffins have outstanding pitching depth for run at CIFSS Div. I title.

10. (12) ▲ Murrieta Valley-Murrieta 24-6 Nighthawks won another of the top leagues in SoCal. 11. (13) ▲ West Ranch-Valencia 23-5 After first round CIFSS Div. I win over Edison-Huntington Beach, this team had a 13-game win streak.

12. (14) ▲ Lutheran-Orange 25-3 Lancers didn’t quite win Trinity League title, but one-loss record outside of league earns high ranking.

13. (16) ▲ Norco 23-8 Head coach Rick Robinson always has Cougars ready for playoffs due to facing one of nation’s toughest schedules.

14. (19) ▲ Chino Hills 24-7 Tannon Snow entered second-round of CIFSS playoffs with state records of 28 HRs, 88 RBI. 15. (NR) ▲ Poway 23-6 Cal-bound Kourtney Shaw has set school record for career shutouts.

16. (17) ▲ Highland-Palmdale 25-2 UCLA-bound Rachel Garcia is one of nation’s top dual hittingpitching threats.

17. (9) ▼ Heritage-Brentwood 20-3 Loss to Freedom-Oakley in regular season finale caused a solid drop for the Patriots.

18. (20) ▲ Alhambra-Martinez 21-3 Slow start caused the Bulldogs to be unranked, but they entered NCS Div. II playoffs on 13-game win streak.

19. (NR) ▲ Etiwanda 23-8 Eagles are from the same league as No. 14 Chino Hills and beat Huskies the second time they played them.

20. (NR) ▲ East Union-Manteca 30-3 SJS Div. III champs are section’s best overall due to also having win over Central Section champ Clovis.

Dropped Out: Previous No. 6 Elk Grove; No. 15 Patrick Henry-San Diego and No. 18 Bonita Vista-Chula Vista.

After games of Saturday, May 23 1. (1) — San Dimas 29-0 If Saints were to end unbeaten with CIF Southern Section Div. III title, they’d be State Team of the Year.

2. (3) ▲ St. Francis-Mountain View 27-5 Since San Dimas is Div. III for state divisions, Lancers moved up to No. 1 for Div. I. 3. (4) ▲ JSerra-San Juan Capistrano 26-4-1 This was team St. Francis edged for Boras Classic title, a win that may pay off for Lancers in final rankings.

4. (5) ▲ Buchanan-Clovis 29-4 Bears bombed Clovis 15-1 in CIF Central Section Div. I championship to conclude season.

5. (6) ▲ College Park-Pleasant Hill 22-4 Falcons may come back to win NCS title, but may be one loss short to eventually be No. 1 in state for season.

6. (2) ▼ La Costa Canyon-Carlsbad 23-6 Top seed in San Diego Section Open Div. lost twice in final week of regular season.

7. (7) — Huntington Beach 22-8 Team also went 3-1 at National High School Invitational.

8. (11) ▲ Agoura-Agoura Hills 23-4 Yet another team to watch from the CIF Southern Section Div. I bracket.

9. (13) ▲ Los Gatos 29-5 Wildcats also moved up to No. 1 in state for Division II. 10. (15) ▲ Harvard-Westlake-North Hollywood 24-5 Outside of the Mission League, the Wolverines were the best team in the state for the regular season.

11. (12) ▲ San Clemente 23-7 If Los Gatos doesn’t win CCS title, Tritons would be next in line for the No. 1 Div. II state ranking.

12. (16) ▲ Heritage-Brentwood 20-4 Patriots weren’t seeded high by NCS, but entered playoffs with half as many losses as those seeded at the top.

13. (NR) ▲ El Camino Real-Woodland Hills 25-7 This team entered L.A. City Open Division semifinals with 22 wins in its last 24 games.

14. (9) ▼ Rancho Bernardo-San Diego 22-7 Perennial power earned No. 2 seed in San Diego Open Division behind La Costa Canyon.

15. (NR) ▲ Norco 22-5 UC Santa Barbara-bound Kyle Hatton has been lights out on the mound in recent weeks.

16. (NR) ▲ Arlington-Riverside 22-4 Owning three wins over J.W. North of Riverside pushes the Lions upward.

17. (NR) ▲ Cathedral Catholic-San Diego 20-8 School that had No. 1 pick in last year’s MLB Draft has another strong club.

18. (NR) ▲ De La Salle-Concord 16-8 Spartans split with Monte Vista in EBAL, but got wins over College Park and Elk Grove in regular season.

19. (19) — Monte Vista-Danville 16-8 A win over San Ramon Valley in regular season finale gave Mustangs a co-title in EBAL. 20. (NR) ▲ Torrey Pines-San Diego 21-8-1 Falcons are coached by former MLB pitcher Kirk McCaskill.

Dropped Out: Previous No. 8 Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills; No. 10 Notre Dame-Sherman Oaks; No. 14 Centennial-Bakersfield; No. 17 Valley Christian-San Jose; No. 19 Lutheran-Orange); No. 20 Dana Hills-Dana Point.

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Tough

Call When it comes to the pressure to choose between sports, a lot should be considered

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I play two sports, and both coaches have summer programs. I’m going to be a sophomore, but both coaches have said they definitely want me involved.

I really can’t do both because they overlap and I don’t have time — but if I tell a coach I’m not doing his sport, I probably won’t make varsity. How can I deal with this?

R.B., Antioch

ome people say that what getting older really means is that you just have fewer options. At age five, you can be a fireman or a cowboy or a rock star or president. At age 25, you can be an insurance salesman or a bartender or a carpenter. At 45, well, you can do what you’re doing or maybe one or two other things, and when you get to be my age, you’re just happy to be able to do anything.

But where you are, at 15, you’re just discovering this harsh truth about getting older. Sure, you’ve always wanted to be older because it looks like you’ll have more freedom, but really, what you have are harder choices.

And you’re faced with one. At 10, you probably could do both sports. You had the energy, the time and the demands of each weren’t so great. But now, you’re getting to the point where you have to make a choice — in short, you’re running headlong into being an adult.

Sometimes, the joy of sport is forgetting the real world for a while and losing yourself in the game, but sometimes the reality of sport is that you can’t always get what you want.

Now maybe, just maybe, if you’re a superior athlete, you can manage to play two varsity sports at the high school

S

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level and excel at each. But more likely, even at a smaller school, one sport will be your priority and another will be secondary — and the only one who can decide which is which is you.

Some people will tell you to focus on the sport you’re better at, which might be the right call, but don’t trust yourself to determine what you’re better at, and certainly not the two coaches involved.

Look around in your life and try to find someone who a) will tell you what they think, regardless of what you want to hear, and b) knows something about high school sports.

But should you play the sport you’re better at if you enjoy the other sport more? Now maybe if you’re scholarship material, you should focus on the one you excel in, and on the other end, if playing time is going to be an issue, maybe you should go with your strength. But all things being equal, there’s a lot to be said for doing what makes you happiest.

Your sports career is going to be over in the wink of a young girl’s eye, as Bruce Springsteen once sang, and you should try to enjoy every minute as best you can. Spending a lot of time on one thing when you’d rather be doing something else generally isn’t the best choice — but sometimes it is.

So there’s no easy answer here. It’s up to you to make a hard decision, and then, as adults always do, hope that it turns out to be the right one. ✪ Clay Kallam is an assistant athletic director and girls varsity basketball coach at Bentley High in Lafayette. To submit a question for Behind the Clipboard, email him at clayk@fullcourt.com

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FUN in the SUN Oceano Dunes SVRA gears up for its popular Junior Lifeguard Program

A

s the school year ends, junior lifeguard programs start up along the California coast and inland waterways. Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA), located adjacent to Pismo Beach on the central coast, will offer its third season of the Junior Lifeguard Program with an action packed program.

The California State Parks Junior Lifeguard Program emphasizes teamwork, leadership and aquatic safety. The aquatic course is fun and physically challenging to help teach youth about ocean awareness, first-aid techniques and water safety, that includes self-rescue and how to rescue others. The four-week program is open to youth, ages 9-17, and runs from July 6 through July 31.

Each program day, Monday through Friday, starts off with a morning briefing before warm-ups for athletic events which include running, beach games and swimming. The instructors teach safety through activities such as open water swimming, paddle boarding, body surfing, surfboarding and skin diving. As a bonus activity to water sports, the Junior Lifeguards take a four-hour all-terrain vehicle (ATV) safety training course that teaches the students to ride safely and responsibly on the dunes.

Participants build self-confidence through improving their physical conditioning, skill building and personal accomplishments.

Through daily physical contact with the environment and team building activities, Junior Lifeguards learn first-hand about the coastal environment. Knowledge of coastal currents, riptides, swells and aquatic life helps students make informed decisions about their safety. During lunch breaks, participants learn about cultural history, natural resources and

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conservation topics to broaden their knowledge of the park environment and its resources.

Junior Lifeguards gain respect of the environment and each other during team building extracurricular activities.

Junior Lifeguards at Oceano Dunes SVRA will attend competitions at Pismo Beach, Carpinteria Beach and Santa Barbara. The competitions involve a total of 15 events, such as running, swimming and paddling. It’s like a track meet, but for the beach.

During the Junior Lifeguard program, the kids have the time of their life building new friendships and learning skills from aquatic safety to leadership. For further information about the program and tryout dates, visit www.ohv.parks.ca/?page_id=27359 or call (805) 602-2372.

California State Parks currently offers Junior Lifeguard Programs at state beaches in the Los Angeles, Ventura, Monterey, Orange County, San Diego, Santa Barbara County, and Santa Cruz areas and at Lake Perris, San Luis Reservoir, and Folsom Lake State Recreation Areas. Remember, the friends you make at Junior Lifeguards are Friends for Life. ✪ — All copy and photos provided by California State Parks

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Granada junior freestyle standouts Maxime Rooney and Moriah Simonds are leaving the rest of the North Coast Section in their wake

W

ith black-rimmed glasses, broad shoulders and GQ good looks, Maxime Rooney is a wringer for Clark Kent.

The 6-foot-3, 170-pound 17-year-old also sports a 4.2 grade point average and pierces one’s pupils while speaking with precise diction and clarity.

According to Granada swim coach Julian Avilla, “He’s extremely respectful and polite. He offers nothing but ‘please,’ ‘thank you,’ and ‘you’re welcome.’ And he’ll talk to you whether you are 6- or 90-years-old.

“He’s a pretty old soul.”

Moriah Simonds, on the other hand, is a 5-11 bundle of youthful energy. She’s a classic California teenage girl, bubbly and vivacious, brimming freely with auburn locks, good nature and a big, bold, milliondollar smile.

“It’s so cool to see her laughing and smiling all the time,” Rooney said. “It’s infectious.”

Said Avilla: “She’s definitely more of a social butterfly. She has fun and really enjoys her friends. At the same time, she knows exactly when to flip the switch to practice and compete. She’s a workhorse.”

That switch is what both bonds Simonds and Rooney, and what sets them apart.

Though All-American in every other way — looks, personality and academics — the duo are known around the country for their swimming prowess. The teammates for both Granada and club-power Pleasanton Seahawks are each ranked among the nation’s best for the Class of 2016.

Rooney, who has already committed to the University of Florida, is the No. 3 male recruit in the country according to collegeswimming. com. The un-committed Simonds is No. 26 among the females.

Both excel at long distance freestyle — especially Simonds — having each won the last two North Coast Section 500-yard championships.

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NCS Championships2015 All events are measured in yards. * - NCS record

Girls 200 Medley Relay San Ramon Valley

1:44.51

200 Freestyle Brittany Usinger (Acalanes)

1:47.51

200 Individual Medley Riley Scott (Petaluma)

1:59.52

50 Freestyle Mary Ashby (Campolindo)

23.25

100 Butterfly Brittany Usinger

52.43*

100 Freestyle Mary Ashby

50.26

500 Freestyle Moriah Simonds (Granada)

4:47.41

200 Freestyle Relay Mission San Jose

1:34.38

100 Backstroke Marie-Claire Shillinger (Miramonte)

1:01.12

400 Freestyle Relay Carondelet

3:26.13

Boys

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200 Medley Relay Northgate

1:30.26*

200 Freestyle Maxime Rooney (Granada)

1:35.49

200 Individual Medley Carson Sand (Castro Valley)

1:48.0

50 Freestyle Mason Tittle (Northgate)

20.37

100 Butterfly Grant Watson (College Prep)

48.28

100 Freestyle Dom Dalpaiz (De La Salle)

44.88

500 Freestyle Maxime Rooney

4:28.33

200 Freestyle Relay Terra Linda

1:24.69

100 Backstroke Cole Stevens (Campolindo)

49.38

100 Breaststroke Carson Sand

53.50

400 Freestyle Relay Northgate

3:00.21

Story by SportStars Staff Photos by Phillip Walton June 2015

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Moriah Simonds Rooney, a more versatile sort, has also won the last two 200 freestyle titles and as a freshman he placed second in the 100 butterfly and 500 freestyle.

He also contributed to legs on two NCS relay titles for Granada in 2014, including the NCS record in the 400 freestyle (2 minutes, 59 seconds). At the same meet, he set section records in the 200 free (1:35.69) and 500 free (4:20.60).

Rooney is considered a serious Olympic hopeful for both the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro and the 2020 games in Tokyo. Though at this point she is not, Simonds is still California’s top prep 1,000-yard freestyler.

She also pushes Rooney to the brink at Seahawks practice.

“She has such incredible endurance,” Rooney said. “She can go a long time maintaining the same pace, and I think that’s pretty special. I know some days when I’m not feeling very well, she’s my training partner and she’s always on top of it. She’s definitely someone to race every day and that’s pretty cool.”

It’s equally cool to have two such elite swimmers in the program, especially in a city more known for rodeo and wrestling than aquatics.

Avilla, whose dad Darrel was the former football coach and mom Pat the former swim coach at rival Livermore High, said there’s no extra pressure on him with Rooney and Simonds on board. Quite the opposite, really.

“It’s really incredible to have that type of talent on one team,” Avilla said. “But what makes it even better is that they’re such great academic kids too. They add a lot of pieces to our program.”

Including team spirit.

Though they don’t practice with the Matadors — instead training with the Seahawks and head coach Steve Morsilli — Rooney and 18

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Simonds are team players first and foremost, Avilla said.

That showed at the CIF’s inaugural state meet in Clovis May 22-23.

Like many national swimmers, Rooney had made the tough decision not to swim individually at the state meet, instead preparing for the long-course season that concludes in early August with the Junior Nationals and Nationals in San Antonio, Texas.

Rather than bypass the meet completely — he was the heavy favorite to win the 200 and 500 freestyle races — Rooney traveled with the team and led the Matadors to a third-place finish in the 200 freestyle relay along with fellow juniors Jared Brandley and twins Michael and Ryan Eckles. Their 1:24.56 finals’ time bettered their NCS third-place time by a half-second.

Later, the 400 free relay team of Rooney, Michael Eckles, Brandley and Nathan Sproul improved by almost a second from NCS and placed 13th.

Rooney said the road trip was the highlight of his season.

“To get up on the medal stand with my teammates, knowing all the hard work we all put in was incredible,” he said. “Honestly, that’s why I get up in the morning, to see my friends and train to get better.”

Avilla said Rooney isn’t blowing smoke.

He said he’s never had a better team player, noting that Rooney helps set the lineups and strategize in the talent-laden East Bay Athletic League — which featured top-five state teams San Ramon Valley and De La Salle as well as No. 13 Monte Vista. Granada finished 5-2 in EBAL action.

“He knows all the swimmers in the league so we sit down and game plan,” Avilla said.

“He’s really serious about the team stuff. Not just in planning, but he brings it in the pool.”

Like at state. His opening legs at state for

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the 200 and 400 relays were 20.19 and 43.58 seconds. His 100 free would have won by more than a second (44.60 won it), and his 50 free would have placed second.

Those aren’t even his top events. He’ll swim everything but the individual medley and breaststroke at junior nationals and nationals.

His versatility and star power makes him sort of a rock star around swimming circles, Avilla said. But you’d never know it just being around Rooney.

“More than once we walked by a couple kids (at the state meet) and I’d hear them say, ‘That’s Maxime Rooney,’ “ Avilla said. “None of it gets to him.

He maintains his focus and humble nature. Honestly, he was happier to represent his school than himself there.”

Same for Simonds.

She was the big 500 free favorite going in and was the top qualifier by almost three seconds, 4:46.97 to 4:49.80. She also earned a finals spot in the 200 free.

Unfortunately, Simonds got ill the morning of state finals, and had to drop out. It wasn’t so disappointing because she missed out on a potential pair of medals — she has boxes full of those.

“I really want to win a state title for my school and coach,” she said May 16 after the NCS finals.

“We’re not the top team by any means, but it would mean a lot to (Avilla) who does so much for us and the school.”

So how did they get here?

Rooney won early and often for the Livermore Fireballs youth swim teams. He started at age 5. The oldest of three boys, Rooney stuck with aquatics,

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while younger brothers Adrien and Olivier have branched off to tennis, soccer and even ping-pong.

His mother Charlotte, from Belgium, swam and played tennis to stay active, while his father Kennan, from Missouri, thrived in academics, music and the arts.

The intricacies and consistency of his sport — flip turns, breathing techniques, stroke details — have kept Rooney hungry for the sport. Watching Ian Thorpe and Michael Phelps in the Olympics have allowed him to dream, but he never gets ahead of himself.

His strong faith always keeps him grounded. He sets constant daily, seasonal and long-term goals.

“At the end of the day, I know who is in control and that’s God,” he said. “Whatever He has graced me in the past and graces me in the future, I accept and am grateful for.”

Simonds didn’t start to swim competitivly until the age of 9. She played soccer and excelled at gymnastics, but when she began to sprout, her choices were largely made.

“When I hit 5-8, gymnastics were out,” she said.

“I quit soccer when I was 12, just because of time commitment.”

Why did she pick swimming in the first place?

“Honestly, I have the worst hand-eye coordination in the world. This is what I’m best at. Plus, I like competing as an individual and as a team. I like doing this as an individual and with other people.”

That's music to the ears of Avilla, who gets Simonds and Rooney one more high school season.

"I'm a very lucky coach," he said. ✪

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Moriah Simonds

Maxime Rooney

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Northgate’s Eric VanBrocklin

NorCal boys take inaugural CIF event by storm The Northgate-Walnut Creek boys relay teams seconds. made a memorable bookend to start something the “I am just really happy. It’s cool, for the first year, CIF hopes is an annual event for years to come. to be here,” Mefford said. “I want to be here next On May 23, the Broncos’ 200-yard medley relay year, I want to be here the year after that. It’s excitteam of Calvin Kirkpatrick, Mason Tittle, Stanley ing.”

Wu and Maxwell Bottene won the first boys swimMefford was the lone champion from the Sierra ming final at the inaugural CIF State Swimming and Foothill League and the Sac-Joaquin Section. A Diving Championships at Clovis Olympic Swim competitor, Mefford had winning, and just that, on Complex at Clovis West High School in Fresno. his mind going into the finals.

Kirkpatrick, Tittle, Bottene and Eric VanBroklin Bryce Mefford “I didn’t want to lose,” Mefford said. “I hate to ended the two-day event with a second title in the lose. More than liking to win.”

400 freestyle relay in front of a crowd of over 3,000.

Also coming away a double-champion was SaraWith the championships long overdue, many of the state toga junior Xiangefei Xie, who won the boys 200 IM (1:46.04) swimming dignitaries found a cool spot on a seasonably mild and the 100 fly (46.75). San Ramon Valley’s Hank Poppe day with perfect conditions for a spectacular event. claimed gold in the 100 breaststroke by a mere three one-hun“Look at this venue. They made it look like an Olympic dredths of a second.

Trials-like venue for these kids. It’s spectacular,” CIF executive Tittle, who came away golden in the two relay events for director Roger Blake said.

Northgate, was a scoring machine for the state-champion “I’m not sure there is another high school facility like this in Broncos as he also scored a bronze in the 50 freestyle and finCalifornia that we could do this.” ished fifth in the 100 butterfly. In the 50 free, it was another For Northgate, it was an event to remember. In a monumen- NorCal boy — Los Altos junior Albert Gwo — who took the tal day for NorCal boys, the Broncos won the state team title gold in a time of 19.90. Tittle’s time of 20.45 missed out on going away. Northgate’s 192 points was 59 points better than silver by two one-hundredths of a second. second place, fellow North Coast Section foe San Ramon ValIt wasn’t quite as big of a banner day for the NorCal girls, ley-Danville (133). NorCal teams swept the top five spots as but there were a few bright spots. Carondelet-Concord’s Madthe Wolves were followed by Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills (123), elyn Murphy and Acalanes-Lafayette’s Brittany Usinger finDe La Salle-Concord (119) and Campolindo-Moraga (102). ished 1-2, respectively, in the 100 butterfly. Also, Palo Alto’s Oak Ridge sophomore Bryce Mefford began the day with 200 freestyle relay team of Grace Zhao, Kayleigh Svensson, a title in the 200 freestyle at one minute, 37.08 seconds. Mef- Zoe Lusk and Claire Lin took gold. ✪ ford came back to the pool to win the 100 backstroke at 48.13 — Trevor Horn Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, and like us on Facebook!

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HIT MACHINE With two four-year starters leading the way, Deer Valley boys volleyball won a third straight NCS title Story by Chace Bryson Photos by Phillip Walton 22

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J

ordan Ewert and Jared Stark are close to inseparable.

The Deer Valley High boys volleyball duo have known each other since kindergarten, and been members of the Wolverines’ varsity program since they were freshmen.

But on the eve of the North Coast Section Division I Championship, which Deer Valley is attempting to defend for a second time, the Wolverines were practicing without Ewert’s best friend who was home with a 102-degree fever. Nobody knows whether Stark, the team’s second-leading hitter, will even be able to attend the final the following night against De La Salle-Concord.

But Ewert — one of the best high school boys volleyball players in the country and a starter for the the USA Youth National Team — knows where he’d probably be were it not for Stark.

On a soccer field somewhere.

“I came to a Deer Valley (volleyball) camp in sixth grade and absolutely hated it,” Ewert said. “I was a soccer guy. I played 12 years. I was going to play soccer in high school; I was going to play soccer in college, Olympics; I was all about soccer.”

That changed in junior high when Stark convinced his buddy to come play in a volleyball tournament in Sacramento. Ewert had just finished a soccer tournament there and

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thought “what the heck.” At the tournament, Ewert caught the eye of Gabe Gardner, a renown club volleyball coach and former Olympian for Team USA. Gardner recruited him into his club, and just a handful of years later, Ewert has a rare fullride scholarship to play college volleyball for Stanford.

“My mom played in college at Berkeley and my older sister played (for Deer Valley),” Ewert said. “Volleyball has always been in my life. But I never considered it until I got a call from my best friend, who I now play with.”

Stark proved healthy enough to play in the NCS championship the following night. Understandably a bit sluggish, he contributed a modest seven kills. Ewert blistered De La Salle for 32 kills. The Wolverines rolled to a four-set victory, 25-18, 22-25, 25-20 and 25-16. In doing so, Deer Valley became the first NCS Division I program to win three straight championships since De La Salle strung five together from 1998-2002.

For all the success that Ewert and Stark and have helped bring to the program, a California Interscholastic Federation Northern Regional Championship has eluded them each of the past two seasons. In 2013, the Wolverines lost in the Div. I NorCal final to Archbishop Mitty-San Jose. And last season, they were knocked out in the semifinals by St. FrancisMountain View.

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“Not gonna lie, we went in expecting to win that first one,” Ewert said of the 2013 NorCal final. “I think we went into that with our heads a little too big, and then last year I think we went in a little too scared.”

This year, the outlook is much different. Ewert, Stark and three-year starting middle Jacob Brannon lead an experienced core that fuels an expectation of winning.

“There’s a real truth to success breeding success,” longtime Deer Valley coach Lou Panzella said. “At the end of games, when the score is close, these guys EXPECT someone to do something. To make a block. To get a kill or serve an ace.

Teams who are not successful are more like, ‘Who is going to screw up.?’ It’s not something you can teach. It’s something that happens as it happens in the natural flow of games.”

Many times its Ewert who steps up and makes those plays.

His 32 kills in the NCS title match pushed his season total to 561. His hitting percentage is 53.9 percent, meaning his kill attempts go for points slightly more than half the time. He also had contributed 86 assists, 248 digs and 416 pass-receives out of 430 chances.

The program’s recent success has seen some wildly successful players, including Jason Agopian (a first-team all-conference middle blocker for UC Irvine), Derrico Kwa (Deer Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, and like us on Facebook!

Jordan Ewert thunders home one of his 500-plus kills during the 2015 season.

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Valley’s all-time aces and assists leader now playing for UC Santa Barbara) and Marcus Lee (who was a dominant middle blocker as a side hobby to basketball, where he was a McDonald’s All-American and now plays at Kentucky).

What Ewert has accomplished already puts him on par with those players, if not above them.

“It’s like asking me to rank my kids, which child I like best,” Panzella said. “But the college coaches have said something about that.

He’s the only boys player I’ve ever had who has gotten a full scholarship for volleyball. ... I can’t think of anyone who is better than him.

How’s that?”

But what may set Ewert apart, and potentially lead them to being the last of eight Division I NorCal teams still standing when the tournament ends on May 30, is his sense of humility. His lasting friendship with Stark, the team’s other captain, has created a strong chemistry that drives the team forward.

“Playing with Jordan is really fun,” Brannon said. “He’s really competitive and really good. He can be really supportive too. And Jared is the guy who brings everyone together. The one who’s always positive.”

Together they’ve helped forge a group that Panzella finds unique.

“They just kind of play,” he said. “(Earlier in the playoffs) we were up something like 23-7 in the fourth set,” Panzella went on. “There was a dig that was shanked and three guys chased the ball to the wall and somebody dove. That would’ve been an easy play for someone to say, ‘Ah, we don’t need this point.’ But they have that philosophy that we play every point until it’s done. ... So coaching this group has been pretty easy.”

And make no mistake, the team has fun doing it. It’s that which will drive them over the last week of May, if they’re to reach their NorCal title goal.

“We’ve played with each other so long, we don’t want it to end,” Ewert said. “We don’t want to win because we want the medal, we want to win because who wants to stop playing with their best friends?” ✪

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Jared Stark

Jacob Brannon

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The CIF State Track and Field Championships are traditionally among of the fastest and most competitive high school meets in the country, and the 2015 version should be no different. Plenty of Bay Area athletes will make the annual trek to Buchanan High in Clovis on June 5-6. Based on the first three months of the season, we’ve singled out 14 Bay Area standouts and one relay team with as good a shot as any to grab a spot on the victory stand (Top 6).

Photos by Berry Evans III, Norbert von der Groeben and Phillip Walton.

Jamaun Charles

Colin Burke

SCHOOL: Amador Valley-Pleasanton | YEAR: Senior EVENT: 100 Meters THE RUNDOWN: He’s been the North Coast Section’s fastest boy since winning both 100- and 200meter races at the 2014 NCS Meet of Champions. His best 100 time this season (10.63 seconds) ranked him eighth in the state as of May 23.

SCHOOL: Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland | YEAR: Senior EVENT: 3200 Meters THE RUNDOWN: Following up on a stellar crosscountry season in which he finished third in the CIF Div. III State race, Burke owned the state’s ninth-fastest 3,200 time as of May 23.

Jade Harrison

Aidan Kirwan

SCHOOL: Cupertino | YEAR: Junior EVENT: 400 Meters THE RUNDOWN: Harrison cracked the state’s Top 10 on May 4 when she posted a 55.29 at the SCVAL El Camino League Finals, a time that ranked her ninth heading into the section championships.

SCHOOL: Branham-San Jose | YEAR: Senior EVENT: 110 High Hurdles THE RUNDOWN: Kirwan’s blistering race of 14.28 seconds at the St. Francis Invitational on March 21 still ranks as the third-fastest, wind-legal time in the state.

He also owns the top 400-meter hurdles time in the state, though it’s not a CIF event.

Brighie Leach

Mecca McGlaston

SCHOOL: Campolindo-Moraga | YEAR: Senior EVENT: 1600 and 3200 Meters THE RUNDOWN: A former NCS Cross County champion, Leach was slowed earlier this year by vocal chord dysfunction leading to asthma-like symptoms.

She’s rebounded this spring to own 3200 and 1600 times that rank fourth and fifth in the state, respectively.

D’Airrien Jackson

SCHOOL: Dublin | YEAR: Junior EVENT: 100 Hurdles THE RUNDOWN: McGlaston is the defending state champion in this event after surprising a very fast field as a sophomore a year ago. Her winning time a year ago was 13.54. Slowed by injury to start 2015, she posted a 13.86 at the NCS Tri-Valley Meet on May 23.

That time ranked her fifth in the state.

Jonathan Harvey SCHOOL: De La Salle-Concord | YEAR: Junior EVENT: 300 Hurdles THE RUNDOWN: Harvey broke into the state’s Top 10 times on May 22 when he won his NCS Tri-Valley Meet heat in a time of 38.14. His time ranks 10th, but only two-tenths of a second separates him from No. 7.

Ron Smith

SCHOOL: Wilcox-Santa Clara | YEAR: Senior EVENT: 400 Meters THE RUNDOWN: Jackson’s time of 55.17 at the SVAL El Camino League Finals on May 4 gave her the Bay Area’s fastest girls time of the season to date and ranked her sixth in the state.

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SCHOOL: St. Mary’s-Berkeley | YEAR: Senior EVENT: Triple Jump THE RUNDOWN: Headed to San Diego State on a football scholarship, Smith posted the third-best mark in the state with a jump of 48 feet, 9 inches at the NCS Tri-Valley Meet on May 23.

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Carondelet-Concord Relay

EVENT: 4x400 THE RUNDOWN: The relay team of Mikayla Scott, Christina Chenault, Julianna Ruotolo and Avery Avina blazed to a time of 3 minutes, 46.24 seconds at the Sacramento Meet of Champions on May 2. It stood as the top time in the state for three weeks, before Roosevelt-Corona bumped it to No. 2 on May 23.

Christina Chenault SCHOOL: Carondelet-Concord | YEAR: Senior EVENT: Triple Jump & Long Jump THE RUNDOWN: The younger sister of USC standout and Olympichopeful swimmer, Chelsea, Chenault may be the North Coast Section’s best all-around female athlete. She has the third-best triple jump mark in the state (40-2.5), the ninth-best long jump (18-11.5) and is part of both of the Cougars’ top-end relay teams.

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Darius Thomas

Elena Bruckner

SCHOOL: St. Francis-Mountain View | YEAR: Junior EVENT: High Jump THE RUNDOWN: Thomas is one of just three athletes in the state to reach 7-feet this season. He hit the mark at the West Catholic Athletic League Championships on May 15.

SCHOOL: Valley ChristianSan Jose | YEAR: Junior EVENT: Shot Put and Discus THE RUNDOWN: Bruckner may be the biggest Bay Area favorite in any event at the state finals this year. She holds the top mark in the state for both the shot put and the discus. Her top discus throw of 182 feet, 8 inches is 18 feet better than the next best mark.

Erika Malaspina

Marshall Godsil

SCHOOL: Pacific CollegiateSanta Cruz | YEAR: Junior EVENT: Pole Vault THE RUNDOWN: Her mark of 13-feet, 2-inches at the Buchanan West Coast Relays on April 18 ranked third in the state as of May 23. She trails the second-place mark by just one inch and the top mark by five.

SCHOOL: Bellarmine-San Jose | YEAR: Senior EVENT: Discus THE RUNDOWN: Godsil has the fourth-best mark in the state with a throw of 187-2 from the Arcadia Invitational in April. As of May 23, that distance is a little more than five inches behind the state-leading mark.

June 2015

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With Eddy Lai leading the way, the Bellarmine High boys golf team came about as close to a perfect day on the course one team could have at the CIF/NCGA NorCal Tournament on March 18.

With Lai surviving a five-player playoff to win medalist honors, and the rest of the Bells posting a five-golfer score of 356, Bellarmine looked especially at home at Corral de Tierra Country Club in Salinas.

Lai and teammate Jensen Li both carded a 2-under 70. They were followed by teammates Austin Murphy (71), Jake Haselden (72) and Boots Del Baggio (73). It was the San Jose program’s first NorCal title since 2005.

“It’s all about effort,” Bellarmine coach Louie Agelson told NCGA. com afterward.

Bellarmine will look to apply that effort at the CIF State Golf Championships at Poppy Hills on June 3.

Joining the Bells at Poppy Hills will be NorCal runners-up, Granite Bay. The Grizzlies (361) finished just five strokes back of Bellarmine and were 14 strokes better than third-place Foothill-Pleasanton which was led by Ryan Knop’s 71.

“We knew that we could make it if we played our game,” said senior Mason Troike who shot a 73 at Corral de Tierra. “We said that we didn’t want to make any mistakes, and no one made double bogey or higher throughout the round.”

Two Grizzlies finished below par at NorCals: Bryan Baumgartner’s 70 and Riley Sullivan’s 71. Senior Jeffrey Inouye-Wong (an even 72) is the only player on the team who has competed at the state tournament before, having carded the low round on the 2012 CIF State Championship squad as a freshman and as an individual qualifier last year.

With his teammates looking to their leader and No. 1 player for guidance and advice on competing at the highest level of high school golf, Inouye-Wong will offer a simple answer to their inquiries.

“I’m just going to tell them to have fun,” he said. “We just need to concentrate on each shot and enjoy the experience.”

Inouye-Wong points to the 2012 team’s approach that led to the program and the Sac-Joaquin Section’s first-ever state team championship. As the third-place team at the NorCal tourney three years ago, the Grizzlies enjoyed the role of underdogs and avoided the grind of the competition en route to the unlikely victory.

“We have the people it takes to win state, but we need to keep our nerves in check,” Troike said. “We have not shot our best yet, and we hope that it all comes together at State.”

The nine NorCal individual qualifiers for the state tournament included Noah Woolsey (Amador Valley-Pleasanton), Noah Norton (Pleasant Valley-Chico), Sunny Yan (Stevenson-Pebble Beach), Shirsh Dwivedi (Harker-San Jose), Christian Banke (Monte Vista-Danville), Daniel Pena (Dublin), Chris Ebster (Gregori-Modesto) and the defending state medalist Justin Suh (Evergreen-San Jose). ✪ —SportStars Staff

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DIVISION I baseball

›› THE FAVORITES: No. 1 De La Salle and No. 2 College Park ›› THE KEY STORY LINE: With all due respect to the other eight teams in the field, this bracket boils down to College Park vs. the East Bay Athletic League. Seven, yes, SEVEN EBAL teams occupy the bracket, and all of them are within the top 10 seeds. The perennially-tough league was particularly competitive this year as all eight teams finished .500 or better. College Park has been expecting this, however. The Falcons, who opened the year as Baseball America’s No. 1 team in the nation, built the EBAL into their schedule. College Park went 3-2 against four EBAL teams with two wins over No. 8-seeded California, a win over No. 3 Monte Vista and losses to No. 5 San Ramon Valley and No. 1 De La Salle. ›› THE DARK HORSE: No. 5 San Ramon Valley. The Wolves stumbled to the finish line in the EBAL, dropping five of their last six. But that shouldn’t rule them out. The 2013 Amador Valley team lost four of five heading into the playoffs before storming to a title. Plus, San Ramon Valley has pitcher Joey Matulovich — the only starter in the field who can claim wins over both De La Salle and College Park this season. ›› DID YOU KNOW: College Park is the defending NCS Div. II champion. No East Bay team has won an NCS title, moved up a division and then won a section title again. ›› FINALS PREDICTION: College Park 3, De La Salle 2

DIVISION II baseball

De La Salle’s Armani Smith, above, leads the top-ranked Spartants into the NCS Division I tournament. Meanwhile, San Ramon Valley will be relying on the pitching of Joey Matulovich, right, in its bid for a title.

Photos by Phillip Walton

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›› THE FAVORITES: No. 1 Redwood and No. 2 Cardinal Newman ›› THE KEY STORY LINE: This championship is undoubtedly going to go through the North Bay and Redwood Empire. It’ll be a tough road for any East Bay team hoping to make a run. Each of the Top 5 seeds hail from the northern region, and at no point will any of them be forced to venture to the East Bay. Top-seeded Redwood has been remarkably consistent over the course of the season and picked up the No. 1 designation by virtue of an early-season win over Cardinal Newman. The Cardinals come into the tournament having won 9 of 10, including back-to-back extra-inning wins over No. 5 seed Maria Carrillo and a 2-0 win over No. 4 Casa Grande. ›› THE DARK HORSE: No. 10 Livermore. Remember all that talk about the seven EBAL teams in Division I? Well, the league has eight teams. The Cowboys went 7-7 in EBAL play and had wins against six of the other seven teams. De La Salle was the only team they couldn’t solve. How that equaled a 10 seed in this field is beyond us. ›› DID YOU KNOW: Since the NCS adopted the current six-division playoff format in 2009, no Redwood Empire team has won a Division II crown. Only two teams have reached the final, Marin Catholic in 2014 and Casa Grande in 2013. ›› FINALS PREDICTION: Livermore 5, Maria Carrillo 3

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DIVISION I softball

Records through May 23 1. (1)

— College Park-Pleasant Hill

22-4

2. (2)

— St. Francis-Mountain View

27-5

3. (8)

▲

De La Salle-Concord

16-8

4. (5)

▲

Los Gatos

21-2

5. (10)

▲

Elk Grove

22-10

6. (4)

▼

Valley Christian-San Jose

22-8

7. (13)

▲

Monte Vista-Danville

16-8

8. (6)

▼

Archbishop Mitty-San Jose

20-11

9. (12)

▲

Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills

25-6

10. (3)

▼

Serra-San Mateo

18-10

11. (7)

▼

San Ramon Valley-Danville

15-9

12. (11) ▼

Franklin-Elk Grove

22-7

13. (9)

Bellarmine-San Jose

17-11

14. (15) ▲

St. Mary’s-Stockton

21-12

15. (NR) ▲

Granite Bay

19-11

16. (NR) ▲

Amador Valley-Pleasanton

15-9

17. (NR) ▲

Soquel

24-6

18. (NR) ▲

Redwood-Larkspur

23-3

19. (16) ▼

Jesuit-Carmichael

17-5

20. (18) ▼

Vintage-Napa

23-7

▼

›› THE FAVORITES: No. 1 Amador Valley and No. 2 Heritage ›› THE KEY STORY LINE: Not many programs who win mythical national championships get a chance to begin the season under the radar the following year. But, after graduating eight seniors and five starers, that’s sort of how the first third of 2015 went for Amador Valley. No chance of that happening in this bracket as the Dons enter the postseason on an 11-game win streak and are widely considered the East Bay’s top team. But it doesn’t mean they’re safe. A young-and-hungry Heritage team could be a worthy adversary as the No. 2 seed, and No. 4 Castro Valley happens to be one of the three teams to defeat the Dons this season, besting them 5-1 in the Queen of the Mountain Championship game on March 14. ›› THE DARK HORSE: No. 5 Freedom. Speaking of teams that have been lurking under the radar. The Falcons entered the playoffs with a 16-7 record, but five of those losses are to teams which were ranked among the Top 20 in the state at some point this season: Amador Valley, Archbishop Mitty-San Jose, Clovis, Heritage and Livermore. Freedom avenged that loss to Heritage in the two teams’ regular season finale. The Falcons would face Amador Valley in the semis. ›› DID YOU KNOW: This is the fourth consecutive year that Amador Valley has garnered the No. 1 seed in Div. I. They only won the title once in the previous three years of having it. ›› FINALS PREDICTION: Amador Valley 3, Foothill 1

Amador Valley’s Sammy Salustri

DROPPED OUT: No. 14 Davis, No. 17 Maria CarrilloSanta Rosa, No. 19 Pitman-Turlock and No. 20 LincolnStockton.

BIGGEST MOVER: These were our first baseball rankings since May 2, so there was bound to be some movement.

Elk Grove, which won yet another SJS Div. I North title, jumped five spots to return to the Top 5. Monte Vista, which went 5-1 over its last three weeks to claim a share of the East Bay Athletic League title, jumped six spots to reach No. 7. Granite Bay debuts at No. 15 after a very strong playoff run saw them Grizzlies reach the SJS Div. I North finals before losing to Elk Grove.

TEAMS REMAINING FROM PRESEASON TOP 20: 11

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Records are through May 23 1. (1)

— Pioneer-San Jose

28-0

2. (2)

— Archbishop Mitty-San Jose

25-3

3. (5)

▲

Amador Valley-Pleasanton

21-3

4. (3)

▼

East Union-Manteca

30-3

5. (6)

▲

Alhambra-Martinez

21-3

6. (12)

▲

Benicia

28-4

7. (4)

▼

Heritage-Brentwood

20-3

8. (7)

▼

Pioneer-Woodland

26-4

9. (8)

▼

Elk Grove

28-4

10. (13) ▲

Sheldon-Sacramento

24-7

11. (15) ▲

San Benito-Hollister

22-5

12. (14) ▲

Notre Dame-Salinas

23-5

13. (19) ▲

Carlmont-Belmont

22-5

14. (NR) ▲

Newark Memorial

22-5

15. (11) ▼

James Logan-Union City

21-2-1

16. (NR) ▲

Vacaville

21-10

17. (9)

Woodcreek-Roseville

25-3-1

18. (NR) ▲

Freedom-Oakley

16-7

19. (NR) ▲

Petaluma

22-3

▼

20. (10) ▼ Castro Valley 21-5 DROPPED OUT: No. 16 Livermore, No. 17 Del CampoFair Oaks, No. 18 Redwood-Larkspur and No. 20 River City-West Sacramento BIGGEST MOVERS: The biggest jump belonged to Benicia, which has a chance to finish inside the Top 5 depending on how No. 5 Alhambra does in the NCS Div. II playoffs. The Panthers moved from No. 12 all the way up to No. 6 as they closed the year on a 15-game winning streak and handed previous No. 8 Elk Grove two losses on their way to winning the SJS Div. II title for the second straight year. Newark Memorial was also a big mover, debuting at No. 14 after defeating previous No. 11 James Logan for a second time this season.

TEAMS REMAINING FROM PRESEASON TOP 20: 13

DIVISION II softball

›› THE FAVORITES: 1. Livermore and No. 2 Alhambra ›› THE KEY STORY LINE: Alhambra entered the postseason with a 21-3 record, a 13-game winning streak and had outscored opponents by exactly 200 runs. They also happen to be the NCS Div. II defending champions. However, head-to-head rules all, and an 8-6 loss to Livermore in the Bulldogs’ first game of the season means the Cowboys (15-9, fourth place in the EBAL) got the No. 1 seed. Livermore began the year red-hot and owns three wins over the top two seeds in Division I (two vs. Heritage and one vs. Amador Valley), but went just 3-3 over their first six games in May. This field still feels very wide open, however. No. 3 Newark Memorial has two big wins over perennial East Bay-power James Logan this season, and No. 11 Concord owns three of the last five Div. II titles. ›› THE DARK HORSE: No. 8 Petaluma. Should the Trojans advance out of the first round, top-seeded Livermore would be wise not to overlook them. Petaluma can flat out rake, as proven by the team’s .421 batting average. Senior Joelle Krist leads the way with a .570 batting average and 44 RBI on 45 hits. ›› DID YOU KNOW: Alhambra sophomore Brianna Perez hit .642 over her team’s 24-game regular season.

Of her 39 hits, 24 went for extra bases, including 14 home runs. She’s already committed to UCLA, where her sister Kylee played as a freshman in 2015. ›› FINALS PREDICTION: Alhambra 6, Livermore 4

Alhambra’s Brianna Perez slides safely into second base; Livermore pitcher Samantha Whalen fires one in.

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Oak Creek BMX in Roseville is gearing up for an action-packed weekend at the end of June with its Double Points State Qualifier Race, taking place June 27, and the Race for Life event that benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society on June 28.

They are slated to have nearly 450 riders coming in from all over California and Nevada.

Locally there are several riders expected to be at the top of the leaderboard in their age divisions. Breanna Winter, a 10-year old standout rider from Antelope and goes by the name “Monster B”, has been riding since she was five. She won the Grand Nationals in 2013 and placed in the top 10 nationally the last four years.

Nick Adams, a 12-year-old from Orangevale, is another rider to watch. He has been a force to be reckoned with since he started competing at the age of four and has won more than 120 national competitions.

Bruce Minton, who has owned Oak Creek BMX with his wife Linda for 30-plus years, is looking forward to an exciting state qualifier and the benefit race that always brings top contenders to Placer Valley. The track is not just popular with the local BMX community as Oak Creek BMX is ranked nationally as one of the very best.

This is largely due to the Minton’s commitment to excellence and safety for the riders, and the pride they take in maintaining an outstanding facility.

We are sure the excitement and competition will be at an all-time high as the BMX racers take to the track.

Placer Valley Tourism is delighted to partner with Oak Creek BMX for these great events. Come on down to the track at 648 Riverside Ave in Roseville and check it out! ✪

ULTIMATE EXCITEMENT

The USA Ultimate Southwest Regional Division I College Championships were held for the first time ever in Placer Valley on May 2-3. The setting for this exciting event was the beautiful Maidu Park in Roseville where park-goers, family members and fellow athletes all turned out to watch the intense, action-filled games that this dynamic sport delivers.

There were 28 college teams from the Southwest Region — which boundaries include Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico and Western Mexico — hoping to advance to the National Championships. One men’s team and two women’s teams were granted advancement to those coveted spots.

In the Men’s Division, Stanford almost pulled off a major upset, but in the end UC Santa Barbara pulled through with a 12-10 victory in the final game. As for the Women’s Division, the number one spot went to topranked Stanford. Finishing a close second was UCLA, which secured the second National Championships berth.

“The games and competition were at an all-time high and great fun to watch,” stated Kerry Karter, Southwest Division I Men’s College Conference Coordinator and director for this event.

Karter explained that the exciting aspect of Ultimate is that it combines skills from several sports including soccer, basketball and football and it is considered to be one of the fastest growing sports in the nation. “We get very strong, top-notch athletes,” he added.

Placer Valley Tourism was honored to be able to help bring this type of event to Placer Valley and we look forward to partnering with USA Ultimate again.

Karter was pleased as well.

“The location gave us great exposure for the sport and it was all-around well done,” he said. “The hotels PVT set us up with were great and we hope to come back next year.” ✪ All copy and photos provided by Placer Valley Tourism.

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Danville’s Varsity Gold Girls Premier Champions

Granite Bay, Danville close out strong year for NorCal

T

he 2015 Northern California High School XVs rugby season is in the books, and it will surely be recognized as one of the most competitive seasons to date. The Northern California Invitational Tournament (NCIT) played host to the High School Playoffs, and a handful of Championship matches, with the remaining Championship matches being played the following weekend at Saint Mary’s College in Moraga.

Here’s a look back at how each of our high school divisions played out in 2015.

Boys Varsity Gold Division: It seemed everyone was eagerly anticipating a matchup of two of the top three ranked teams in the country, Granite Bay (#3), and Danville (#1). To get there, Danville dispatched Pen Green in a very entertaining and skillfully played match, while Granite Bay easily took care of North Bay and Hayward. The scene was Mark Carney set and the game did not disappoint.

Both teams started hot, but Granite Bay pulled away late in the first half and secured a twotry advantage. Danville, which looked tired and a little shocked, came out firing in the second and regained the lead. More back and forth, with tries and penalties exchanged, delivered a frenetic final five minutes. Granite Bay had an opportunity with time expiring to take the lead and likely claim the match, but came up short. Danville emerged victorious, 34-31. The match was arguably one of the best displays of high school rugby in this region, and around the country, in a very long time. Granite Bay would attend the National Invitational Tournament and finish as the runner-up to Royal Irish Rugby Club of Indianapolis.

Boys Varsity Silver Division: Bishop O’Dowd claimed the title after battling its way through an extremely competitive field. The Dragons’ road to the title included a one-point victory over Buchanan-Clovis, a tough win over Elsie Allen-Santa Rosa in the semifinals and a victory over the North Sac Warriors in the championship.

Girls Varsity Silver Division: With fewer teams playing in this bracket, the championships were held at the NCIT, and saw some fantastic running rugby from a short-handed Alameda team as it claimed the title against Silicon Valley.

Girls Varsity Gold Premier Division: This extremely-competitive division saw three teams vying for the top spot all year. The Sacramento Amazons came on very strong at the end of the year and edged Pleasanton for a spot in the final where they faced up against Danville.

The game went down to the wire with Danville just edging the Amazons to claim their first ever NorCal title. Danville went on to the National Invitational tournament where it secured third place in the Country; a fantastic achievement.

Boys JV Division: Some great rugby throughout the NCIT weekend ended up pitting Mother Lode against Granite Bay, setting up a replay of an earlier game in the year that Mother Lode won by a mere three points. In the championship match, Mother Lode capitalized on some mental errors by Granite Bay in the first half before Granite Bay stormed back in the second half to come within four points of the lead. A strong defensive stand late in the contest allowed Mother Lode to hold on and capture the title.

All our varsity and JV teams and players now look ahead to All-Star participation and to another exciting Sevens season, which begins in early June. ✪ Mark Carney is the executive director of the Northern California Youth Rugby Association.

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training time: tim rudd for iyca

Exposure camps and tournaments or extensive training?

The choice shouldn’t be that hard really It seems nowadays more and more parents of athletes are coming to my gym in hopes of getting their athletes healthy again, playing at the level they once were capable. After years of struggling through pain and injury, the athletes just can’t push through the pain anymore.

More often than not, this is a result of playing year-round. Gone are the years where your athletes solely played high school season sports. Now we have clubs and tournaments year-round, leaving no time for athletes to train and prepare for the season ahead.

Too often young athletes spend the summer in countless camps and tournaments with the promise of further developing athleticism and be noticed by colleges for recruitment. The fact is that your athlete will not get better in a one-week camp or in X amount of tournaments during the summer. Unfortunately, quite the opposite usually happens: performance and health both decrease as more time playing equals more stress to a body that is ill-prepared.

Here is a quote from Mike Boyle, a strength and conditioning expert out of Boston with over 30-plus years experience: “Parents make a critical error at the wrong time. The most critical time in a young athlete’s career is the summer. This is when a young player needs to train to prepare to have a great season. However, instead of preparation, parents of athletes with potential often choose exposure. The result is usually the same. The athlete goes to 5-6 “exposure” camps to be “seen” by college coaches. ... The final result is that the athlete is not physically prepared for the season and ends up either getting injured or having a sub-par year. Coaches that might have had interest suddenly disappear. Sure things turn into maybes. Suddenly all the time spent on exposure seems wasted as there is no “product” to expose.”

The reality is that the road to sports success for any athlete should go straight through the weight room. It seems so obvious, yet you would be surprised how little importance many parents and athletes put on getting stronger and more athletic in the limited offseason that is now available to athletes of this generation. If your athlete’s goal is to make varsity next year, or better yet, play college sports, then he or she should get ready to play by spending the summer getting better.

Your best option is to choose one or two exposure camps or tournaments if they provide value, and then spend the majority of the summer training. The results will always be superior, and the improvement will be noticeable.

Even though both sport performance centers and organizers of tournaments, camps and clubs have a vested financial interest in you and your child, sports performance centers help your athletes do exactly what professional and collegiate athletes do in the offseason — train to get better.

Many sport performance centers have modeled their programs around proven principles that have helped athletes from high school, college and the elite level succeed.

This summer your athletes have a choice: they can try to impress coaches at camps and tournaments, or they can spend the majority of their time training, getting better and being better prepared for the seasons that really matter. ✪

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Standing

Dilemma 38

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health watch: caron Bush

Relatively new disorder can affect the heart of children and teenagers Ever have a racing heart when you stand up?

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is an increase in a child’s or adolescent’s heart rate by 40 beats or more a minute when transitioning from lying down to standing.

This will occur within the first 10 minutes of standing. Symptoms that are often associated with POTS include, but are not limited to: drop in blood pressure (BP) when standing, but may also have an increase in BP, fatigue, headaches, lightheadedness, heart palpitations, exercise intolerance, nausea, diminished concentration, shaking, fainting, cold extremities, chest pain and shortness of breath.

The symptoms can vary significantly between patients. Some patients may have mild symptoms and are able to sustain normal activities during the day. Other patients can be completely disabled and are barely able to perform daily self-care. These patients need to spend considerable time lying down due to symptoms.

POTS is a relatively new diagnosis. It was discovered by the Mayo Clinic in 1993. Before 1993 POTS had been classified as a variety of different diagnoses. The cause of POTS is currently unknown. If you feel like you, or someone you know, suffers from the listed symptoms it would be recommended to follow-up with your pediatrician. The Tilt Table Test is considered the gold standard for diagnosing POTS. UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland has been implementing a protocol for treatment of POTS developed by Dr. Levine and his team at the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine in Dallas.

Dr. Levine’s POTS training program was developed during a National Institute of Health-funded research project. The protocol consists of seven months of training calendars dedicated to POTS patients.

The estimated number of Americans with dysautonomia (POTS) ranges from one million to three million.

This diagnosis is worldwide and gaining more awareness as new information is being released to public. ✪ Caron Bush is a physical therapist for UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland and its Sports Medicine Center for Young Athletes.

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Playoffs?!?

Simple tips to keep from psyching yourself out this postseason

get mental: erika carlson For many teams and athletes, it’s the postseason that matters most. With championships on the line, your mental game can become especially tricky. It’s easy to get sucked into believing that because it’s the “BIG GAME” we need to do more, try harder and be better than we’ve been all season. After all, we’re COMPETITIVE and we want to WIN. Of course you do. And so does your opponent.

Ironically, when you focus on winning, some devastating things happen to your mental game. Here’s the problem… ›› We become focused on the outcome of the game, not the game itself. We lose a sense of control over our performance. This causes us to feel especially nervous. ›› Our thinking jumps into the future (“What if we win?”

“What if I blow it?”) which then triggers more nerves and negative emotions. ›› Once nerves are triggered, muscle tension increases

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(jitters, stiffness, feeling tired) and fine motor skills disappear (technical skills). Plus, more distracting symptoms appear such as a sick stomach or needing to urinate.

Battling these symptoms is well within your control … with some dedicated practice. Here are a few solutions to practice now so they are useful at game time.

STAY FOCUSED ON YOUR PEFORMANCE — Write out a prioritized list of three performance goals that you want to focus on during the game. Examples include tasks such as increasing communication, staying low, follow through, looking ahead. Simple, important and controllable performance goals are key to staying mentally strong.

STAY PRESENT — Futuristic thinking opens the door to nervousness and past thinking often focuses on mistakes and invites frustration. Staying present allows you to focus on your performance goals and minimizes the

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chance that emotions will get triggered.

TENSE UP ... THEN RELAX — Seriously!! One of the most effective muscle relaxing exercises you can do is tense up a muscle group, hold it for 3-5 seconds, then release and repeat. Try it now! Your muscles will naturally let go of tension with this exercise. Start this early and do it often, systematically going through every major muscle group. And don’t forget to breathe deep and slow.

Never under estimate the value of simple solutions for complicated problems. A solid mental game boils down to knowing what to do, then being able to consistently do it under a variety of situations. Postseason is simply another, more pressure-filled situation to practice your mental skills for your best technical and tactical performance. ✪ Erika Carlson is a certified mental trainer and owner of Excellence in Sports Performance in Pleasanton.

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knee pain: hunter greene, m.d.

Osgood-Schlatter disease isn’t as menacing as it sounds, and while painful, should only be temporary Osgood-Schlatter disease is one of the most common causes of f knee pain in growing adolescents. Though its name sounds ominous, Osgood-Schlatter is not actually a disease, but an overuse injury. It can be quite painful, but usually resolves itself within 12-24 months.

Osgood-Schlatter disease is an inflammation of the bone, cartilage and/or tendon at the top of the shinbone (tibia), where the tendon from the kneecap (patella) attaches.

OSD usually strikes active adolescents experiencing growth spurts during puberty. The disease occurs most often in children who participate in sports that involve running, jumping and swift changes in direction, such as soccer, basketball, figure skating and ballet. During activity, your child’s thigh muscles (quadriceps) pull on the tendon that connects the kneecap to the shinbone.

The repeated stress can cause the tendon to pull away from the shinbone a bit, resulting in the pain and swelling associated with OsgoodSchlatter disease. In some cases, your child’s body may try to close that gap with new bone growth, which can result in a bony lump at that spot.

While there is no cure for Osgood-Schlatter, the key to pain relief is rest. In mild cases your child’s doctor may advise him or her to limit activities that cause the pain. They may be able to continue their sports as long as the pain remains mild. When symptoms flare up, a short break from sports may be necessary.

Over-the-counter pain relievers and applying ice to the knee may be helpful. A physical therapist may prescribe exercises to stretch the thigh’s quadriceps and hamstring muscles, which may reduce tension on the spot where the kneecap’s tendon attaches to the shinbone.

Strengthening exercises for the quadriceps can help stabilize the knee joint.

Most symptoms will disappear when a child completes the adolescent growth spurt, usually around age 14 for girls and age 16 for boys. ✪ Hunter Greene, M.D., is a board certified orthopedic surgeon with Summit Orthopedic Specialists in Carmichael. He specializes in adult and pediatric sports medicine.

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R I SE A G A I NST T H E

MACHINES

powered by trucks: anthony trucks For anyone who’s spent any time around weight rooms, you know there is a consistent discussion between the use of free weights or machines when training. I hope I can bring some clarity to the discussion.

The biggest factor when deciding what to use is the goal. If you want to be a muscle-bound body builder then your smartest option is a machine-based regimen.

The reason is because machines allow you to isolate a muscle group and focus solely on that muscle without the hindrances of having to engage other musculature to provide the correct posture to target the muscle you want to isolate.

This means that when using a machine you forego the stability muscles that are typically needed, and used, during an exercise to allow the body to have strength and stability in an all-encompassing way. You also limit the true strength of the muscle, because instead of using your own movement pattern, you are forced to use the movement range of the machine. Last time I checked, we are all different and have different bodies. Therefore, we have different ranges of motion: not one size fits all.

When you use free weights you get massive benefits.

You learn how your body moves and you gain better motor control. You activate and engage your stability

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and core muscles much more, which leads to great joint health when exercises are done correctly. You increase calories burned during your workout. You engrain proper bio-mechanic movement patterns which become safer for your body when you’re physically active. You can increase your power output in a more relative and functional way.

The bottom line is this: If you’re an athlete, you need to spend a great deal more time using free weight exercises in your workout routines. The transfer over from the weight room to your chosen sport will be much greater return than if you use machines.

You’ll get functionally stronger in your entire body and be able to control your body in ways you didn’t know you could.

So next time you go to a training session, step away from the machines and go grab some free weights.

Once you learn how to use them correctly, you’ll take your game to a whole new level.

You’ll become the “Machine” ✪ Anthony Trucks is an IYCA-certified trainer who covers weight training for SportStars.

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mentally strong: Tyson Qualls

The MyTH of specialization Being elite, as an athlete or a parent, means knowing what will aid you most in the long run Early specialization is an increasingly dangerous trend that has negatively impacted youth sports across the country. The concept of encouraging a child to pick one sport at a young age and focus entirely in that area without having other opportunities is a misguided practice.

Children learn and grow from being in malleable environments that allow for varied interactions and experiences.

Take a moment to consider what it takes to be a pro athlete. The various physical and mental skills necessary to succeed must be nurtured and supported to reach their maximum potential. The cultivating of these skills is rarely, if ever, done through forced one-dimensional athletics.

In fact, if you take the time to think of a favorite athlete, it is highly likely that they played multiple sports throughout their high school and collegiate careers. Instantly the names of

Russell Wilson, Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson come to mind. These professional athletes were able to utilize skills from various sports to improve their ability in their chosen career.

Dr. James Andrews, a world- renowned surgeon who has operated on countless professional athletes, does not support the concept of early specialization.

“We recommend you don’t specialize in a sport until you’re a senior in high school.

That’s what a number of our professional athletes who have been very successful have followed.”

Another misconception that has led youth athletes down the wrong path is the 10,000-hour rule, popularized by Malcolm Gladwell. This theory is centered upon the notion that with 10,000 hours of effort you can achieve greatness in your sport. This is simply not true.

For example, Washington Post writer Christie

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Aschwanden points out a specific circumstance related to Swedish athlete Stefan Holm. Holm devoted most of his life to the high jump, only to lose the gold medal to an athlete who had taken up the sport 18 months prior.

Contact KPA Elite atwww.kpaelite.com/eliteparent; Instagram: @kpaeliteperformance; Facebook: facebook.com/kpaeliteperformance; or Twitter: @kpaelite

The key to elite parenting is being able to identify ways to draw out your child’s maximum potential, not drive them away from their sport by believing that hours spent is directly proportional to success.

Being an elite parent is not a simple task, yet it is one that KPA Elite Performance is prepared to help with. KPA takes cutting edge knowledge and tactfully integrates it into every elite parent’s skill set.

The early specialization epidemic that has plagued youth sports in recent years can be contained, but only if parents are willing to take the steps necessary to truly become “elite”. ✪

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Money Matters Most O

n a recruiting visit to Southern California, I quickly understood that the process is not personal. During that spring football practice, I observed the head coach talking to a 6-foot-7, 260-pound, 17-year-old offensive lineman.

During that conversation, the coach seemed really interested in what the kid was saying and couldn’t stop laughing and patting the recruit on the back. The head coach sincerely seemed to like the kid. He hung on the recruits every word. About 30 minutes later I witnessed the same recruit talking in a similar situation with one of the school’s big-time boosters. Again, everything the kid said appeared to be the most fascinating thing the booster had ever heard.

Not surprisingly, it turned out both Scott Mayo conversations were complete sales jobs.

Not long after, with practice nearing its end, the head coach was walking past with a graduate assistant. They were apparently looking for the lineman prospect’s mom in order to recruit her as well. “What’s the mother’s name?” asked the head coach. “I have no idea but I can check the database” was the assistant’s bland reply.

I knew then that nothing about college recruiting is personal. It’s about the money.

The money that 6-7 kid can make the school by helping them get into bowl games and attracting fans who will spend money. And the money that kid can make the coaches, who get to keep their jobs because they are winning games.

As a freshman in college, my daughter Brooke had a soccer teammate named Teresa. In high school, Teresa had been on a state all-star team. But it turned out that state was Montana, where the competition isn’t nearly as strong as California or Texas. The bottom line was the girl was just not very good.

As the season went on, Teresa got plenty of playing time.

We couldn’t figure it out. It turned out, the coach saw dollar signs. We later discovered Teresa’s father was a retired Hollywood agent who had plenty of money to donate. After that first season, one in which Teresa struggled while playing in most of the games, the father made a generous donation to help pay for the team’s trip to Europe the following year.

Whether it’s making money through bowl games, or making money for coaches who win and subsequently keep their jobs, or making money for the program through donations, the bottom line is it is about money.

Keep that in mind as you go through the recruiting process. Ask yourself, “What education from a school has the most value?” ✪

❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒

Scott Mayo and his wife Jennifer are the founders of Next Level College Advisors, a consultation and support service for aspiring college athletes and their families. To learn more about NLCA, visit NextLevelCollegeAdvisors.com.

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Alameda County Fair........................................................................................................47 Aspire Summer Core Intensive For Athletes......................................................................13 Bentley School Lafayette..................................................................................................27 Big O Tires Northern California/ Nevada.............................................................................2 Bigfoot Hoops..................................................................................................................25 Blankenship Baseball.......................................................................................................43 Cal Athletic Camps...........................................................................................................44 California Football Academy.............................................................................................42 Capitol City Driving School...............................................................................................41 Championship Athletic Fundraising.................................................................................38 Club Sport........................................................................................................................48 Concord Police Association Stars & Stripes 5K Run & Walk................................................41 Core Performance.......................................................................................................41, 42 Core Volleyball Club..........................................................................................................43 De La Salle High School Athletic Summer Camps.............................................................29 De La Salle High School Music Camp................................................................................44 Delta Fencing Center........................................................................................................41 Diablo Futbol Club............................................................................................................33 Diablo Trophies & Awards.................................................................................................41 East Bay Parks..................................................................................................................44 East Bay Sports Academy.................................................................................................24 Excellence In Sport Performance......................................................................................42 Garaventa Enterprises......................................................................................................21 Halo Headband................................................................................................................29 Jumbo Sunflower Seeds...................................................................................................36 Kneed-A- Brace................................................................................................................23 Mountain Mike’s Pizza......................................................................................................19 Muir Orthopaedic Specialists............................................................................................40 Northgate High School ....................................................................................................28 Off- Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division...............................................................15 Placer Valley Tourism Board........................................................................................34, 35 Renaissance Club Sport....................................................................................................12 Rugby Nor Cal...................................................................................................................36 Saint Joseph Notre Dame High School..............................................................................18 San Ramon Golf Club........................................................................................................46 San Ramon Slammers Baseball........................................................................................42 Santa Clara Aquamaids Bingo Fundraising.......................................................................43 Sports Gallery Authenticated...........................................................................................43 Stevens Creek Toyota..........................................................................................................5 Sutter Urgent Care..............................................................................................................3 Tpc / The Pitching Center..................................................................................................23 Tri Valley Quarter Midget Racing......................................................................................43 Tricityeliteallstars.Com.....................................................................................................31 U C S F Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland......................................................................39 U S Sports Mike Allen Sports Camps.................................................................................42 United States Youth Volleyball League.............................................................................45 Walnut Creek Soccer Club.................................................................................................20 West Coast Training Center...............................................................................................29

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