BA Issue 73, Oct. 1, 2013 by Sport Stars Magazine

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vol. 4. issue 73 bay area

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18 fore: Megan Conder missed out on the big party last year. You can bet that it won’t happen again. State or bust. zone: Serra football is happy to 22 red be back to work. 4

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spend the entire offseason 27 Why getting in the best shape of your life only to stop training in-season?

BREAKDOWN: Harris Ross 10 STATE shows off, plus new state rankings for football, volleyball. Get Digital extras: Use layar & scan pages 1, 6, 8, 11, 22, 32, 36

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pitch: Think you have 6 First a handle on what’s been a great football season? Yeah, so do we. Editor Chace Bryson narrows it down to five truths that he holds to be self-evident. In your face, King George.

room: Oh, television. 8 locker Magic box of talking pictures. We know we should quit you, but we can’t. Allow us to suggest a few new shows so that we can bathe in your warm glow. of the year: 7 Sportstar Summer Edition

Not all of us are 12 Clipboard: naturally talented, but we can all put in a full effort. on the cover: Chris Melendez, left, and Gabe Arias-Sheridan. Photo by Dean Coppola

Fence: Tryouts, sign-ups, 36 The fund-raisers and more!

38 Advertiser’s index

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5 Football Certainties we think we know after five weeks probably

re we really already at the half way point of the high school football regular season? Do the A’s really have a chance to finish with the best record in the American League? Is there really cross country on the cover of this issue? (Kidding, cross country folks. Just kidding. We’re big fans, really.) The point is, there’s a lot to think about. And as the high school football season begins to transition into league play, we thought we’d take moment to lay out the top five things we think we know so far. 1. Jake Browning is going to set the state record for touchdown passes in a single season. We know that the Folsom junior quarterback is going to start facing some tougher defenses in the Delta River League, but he only needs 40 more TD passes (as of Sept. 21) and that offense is showing no signs of slowing down. To get a better look at the pace he’s on, check out our Locker Room section on the next page. 2. De La Salle is only getting better. And this is no surprise, of course. This is what they do. But there were murmurs after the Spartans’ scare at Serra-San Mateo, especially since that come-from-behind win also featured significant injuries to two key starters in Das Tautalatasi and Adam Mayer. All that’s happened since then is the Spartans defeated St. Mary’s-Stockton 40-13 on national TV and followed that with a 41-3 drubbing of Del OroLoomis. If they are able to win at Servite-Anaheim on Oct. 5, they likely won’t be challenged again until the regional bowl game. 3. There won’t be a better league race to watch weekin and week-out than the West Catholic Athletic League. We already have three of the eight teams ranked in our NorCal Top 20 — Bellarmine-San Jose, Serra-San Mateo and Archbishop Mitty-San Jose — and there are at least two more (St. Francis-Mountain View and Valley Christian-San Jose) that could easily make it there too. In the case of Valley Christian, they already have been. Our preseason pick to win it was Serra, and we’re sticking to it, but we aren’t betting the mortgage on it. 4. The North Coast Section Division III tournament could be one for the ages this year. Between Marin Catholic-Kentfield, Campolindo-Moraga, El Cerrito, Cardinal NewmanSanta Rosa as the favorites, and Analy-Sebastapol and Acalanes-Lafayette looking like serious contenders, that bracket should be a doozy from the quarterfinals on. We’d also be shocked if the team that comes out on top doesn’t eventually advance to the state bowl game in Carson. 5. Antonio Saldana is going to win a game for Pittsburg at some point. Everybody knows that the Pirates big weapon this year is running back Harris Ross, thanks to his NCS-record setting night against Monte Vista-Danville on Sept. 13 (see page 10). But the Pirates have another weapon in the leg of Saldana, who seemingly drills 50-yarders with ease during pregame warm-ups. The coaches have confidence in him, too. Which means at some point during a competitive Bay Valley Athletic League schedule, Saldana is going to make a difference. Now, who’s ready to dig into some cross country? We got the goods this issue. Go check it out! ✪

join our team PHONE 925.566.8500 FAX 925.566.8507 Editorial Editor@SportStarsOnline.com Editor Chace Bryson • Chace@SportStarsOnline.com Staff Writers Jim McCue Contributors Bill Kolb, Mitch Stephens, Matt Smith, Clay Kallam, Bryant West, Dave Kiefer, Liz Elliott, Tim Rudd, Jonathan Okanes, Hunter Hewitt Photography Bob Larson, Jonathan Hawthorne, James K. Leash, Norbert von der Groeben, Phillip Walton, Doug Guler, Dean Coppola Marketing/Events Intern Ryan Arter Creative Department Art@SportStarsOnline.com Production Manager Mike DeCicco • MikeD@SportStarsOnline.com Publisher/President Mike Calamusa • Mike@SportStarsOnline.com Advertising & Calendar/ Classified Sales Sales@SportStarsOnline.com, 925.566.8500 Account Executives Phillip Walton • PWalton@SportStarsOnline.com Leslie Ellis • Leslie@SportStarsOnline.com Reader Resources/Administration Subscription, Calendar, Credit Services Info@SportStarsOnline.com Distribution/Delivery 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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your ticket to california sports admit one; rain or shine This Vol. #4, October 2013 Whole No. 73 is published by Caliente! Communications, LLC, 5356 Clayton Rd, Ste. 222, Concord, CA 94521. SportStars™© 2010 by Caliente! Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. Subscription rates: 24 issues, U.S. 3rd class $42 (allow 3 weeks for delivery). 1st class $55. To receive sample issues, please send $3 to cover postage. Back issues are $4 each. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission of Publisher is strictly prohibited. The staff and management, including Board of Directors, of SportStars™© does not advocate or encourage the use of any product or service advertised herein for illegal purposes. Editorial contributions, photos and letters to the editor are welcome and should be addressed to the Editor. All material should be typed, double-spaced on disk or email and will be handled with reasonable care. For materials return, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope. SportStars™© and STARS!™© Clinics are registered trademarks of Caliente! Communications, LLC.

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With summer officially coming to a close on a rainy Sept. 21, we’re taking time out from our regular SportStar of the Week format to focus on four of the Bay Area’s top athletes of the 2013 Summer.

ELIZABETH SCHULTZ Golf Senior ›› SCHOOL: Acalanes

›› THE NUMBERS: With a 36-hole score of 147, Schultz finished third at a USGA Women’s U.S. Open qualifier at Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City. That put her in the field of 144 at the Women’s U.S. Open at Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y.. Then, in her first round, she carded three birdies and finished with a very respectable 6-over 78. She struggled on Day 2 and missed the cut, but solidified herself as a young golfer to watch in the Bay Area and beyond. Schultz closed her summer by setting a 67 in the City of San Leandro Junior Golf Tournament. It was a women’s record for the event.

JUSTIN LYNCH Swimming Senior

›› SCHOOL: Home school (Vallejo)

›› THE NUMBERS: Lynch was already a well-known name in the youth swimming circuit before this summer, but this year he announced his presence with authority. For the second time in his career, he broke an age-group record previously held by Michael Phelps with a 52.75-second effort in the 100-meter Butterfly in late June. In August, he went to the U.S. Swimming Junior Nationals as the heavy favorite in the event and delivered on the hype. He won the 100 butterfly with a meet-record time of 52.91. He also took second in the 200 butterfly and sixth in the 50 freesytle.

SABRINA IONESCU Basketball Sophomore

›› SCHOOL: Miramonte She first beat the odds by making the U.S. U16 National Team despite being a walk-on to the tryouts. She then started all five games as the U.S. went 5-0 at the FIBA America’s World Championship Qualifier. She averaged 3.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and tied for the team lead in assists.

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JUSTIN HOOPER Baseball Junior

›› SCHOOL: De La Salle Hooper was one of just two incoming juniors to be make the Oakland A’s Area Code Games roster for the premier showcase tournament that happens in Long Beach every August. The left-hander gained praise at the event and was one of three A’s pitchers to reach the high-80s in velocity. He also attended the National Team Identification Series and received an invite to the Team USA tryouts next summer.

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count‘em The number of touchdown passes that Folsom junior quarterback Jake Browning is on pace for (over a 15-game season) after throwing 24 of them through his first four games. He has thrown for 7 or more TDs in three of those games. Browning, who threw for 61 TDs a year ago, would only need to get to 64 to set a new state record for TD passes in a single season.

say what

“My experience (with the rivalry) has run the gamut, but you can’t beat the feeling as a player. I will never forget those first two years.”

Christian Brothers-Sacramento athletic director, Dan Carmazzi, who has played a role in each of the last 40 Holy Bowl rivalry games between Christian Brothers and Jesuit-Carmichael.The CBS grad played in the first two Holy Bowls before adding games as an assistant coach for his alma mater and then for rival Jesuit. Carmazzi was the Marauders’ head coach for more than 30 years, moving back to Christian Brothers in 2012 to lead the Falcons’ athletics department. He even coached all three of his sons—Gio, Matt, and Dominic—at Jesuit. FOOTBALL: Bellarmine-San Jose vs. Serra-San Mateo, 7:30 p.m., Oct. 4, San Jose City College — If both teams manage to avoid any hiccups, this will be a showdown of two Top 5 teams in the SSM NorCal rankings and should have a major impact on the WCAL title race.

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CROSS COUNTRY: Stanford Invitational, Sept. 28 — Palo Alto is the home for the first major cross country event of the season. FOOTBALL: De La Salle-Concord at Servite-Anaheim, 7:30 p.m., Oct. 5 — DLS faces a big test in a rematch of the 2010 CIF Open Bowl.

BOYS SOCCER: Davis vs. JesuitCarmichael, 8 p.m., Oct. 12, Capital Christian HS — Two of the winningest boys programs in the SJS square off. GIRLS WATER POLO: Sacred Heart Prep-S.F. at San Ramon Valley-Danville, noon, Oct. 12 — The defending NCS Div. I champ (SRV) hosts the the defending CCS Div. II champ.

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Top 5 pitches for the new fall TV schedule

TOP 5 Things We Learned Watching “The Sandlot” 1. Hard Knocks, De La Salle It’s nearly fall, and you know what that means: Brand new TV shows! Well. Sort of. With Michael J. Fox, Robin Williams, James Spader, James Caan and even Beau Bridges returning to the small screen (along with other television re-treads like Jerry O’Connell, Kal Penn, Marcia Gay Harden, Sean Hayes and Sarah Michelle Gellar – wait. Scratch that. We’ll take more Buffy, thank you very much), and Blair Underwood (retread) in Ironside (remake), it seems like everything old is, well, old again. We’re pretty sure the only reason NBC picked Underwood over bringing Raymond Burr back was because, well, Burr died in 1993. And it was still a tough call. Sigh. Here are the top 5 shows we think they SHOULD have put in the new line up.

Wouldn’t it be great to get inside the Spartans’ program for Year One, A.L. (After Lad)? We would totally DVR that.

2. The Magic Hour

Starring A’s manager Bob Melvin. Sleight of hand. Prestidigitation. Misdirection. Legerdemain. Snappy patter. Well. Maybe not that last bit. But if his managerial hocus pocus is any indication, here’s guessing BoMel could put on a heckuva show.

3. Random Acts of Kindness

Starring Dennis Rodman, Terrell Owens, The Artest Formerly Known As Ron, Ndamukong Suh and Ray Lewis. It’s gonna be a hug-fest.

4. Make Me Snap

A game show where everyday sports fans get the opportunity to pepper volatile sports coaches with questions about their teams. The faster the coaches lose their cool, the more points the contestant scores. The Jim Harbaugh Round would be a must-see.

5. Firefly

Seriously. Swashbuckling interstellar mercenaries? Joss Whedon banter? Best show ever. We miss you, Mal Reynolds. — Bill “We Now Return You To Your Regularly Scheduled Sports Magazine” Kolb

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL: 6th Annual Stockton Classic Tournament, Oct. 19, Edison HS — The 2012 edition of this rapidly growing tournament hosted more than 40 teams which eventually made the postseason, including Mitty-San Jose — which ended up an undefeated state champion.

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GIRLS VOLLEYBALL: Valley Christian-San Jose at Mitty-San Jose, 6:30 p.m., Oct. 15 — Perhaps the two best teams in all of NorCal square off in the first of two WCAL meetings. FOOTBALL: Granite Bay at Del Oro-Loomis, 7:30 p.m., Oct. 24 — A key Sierra Foothill League showdown certain to carry playoff implications.

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GIRLS GOLF: NCS Division I Championships, Oct. 28, Peacock Gap CC, San Rafael — Can the NCS send multiple teams to State once again? The road starts here. GIRLS GOLF: SJS Masters Tournament, Oct. 28, The Reserve at Spanos Park, Stockton — St. Francis-Sacramento will be eyeing another SJS title.

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To Bump To Bump or not

CIF may take a long look at bumping Central Catholic-Modesto up to Div. III for the state bowl games

Since the CIF state football bowl games added the small school division (now known as Division IV) in 2008, it’s always been possible that the CIF section commissioners could move up a team from that division into Div. III. It was considered in 2009 with Modesto Christian, but it looked like the Crusaders were going to be a very strong opponent opposite Francis Parker-San Diego from the south, so that didn’t happen. It was the correct call, too, because Modesto Christian and Parker put on one of the best bowl games ever played in Carson with the NorCal squad winning 44-40. It was considered last year as well with Central Catholic-Modesto a candidate to be moved up to Div. III, but instead the commissioners chose Sutter and Marin CatholicKentfield to play in the Div. III Northern Regional bowl. In one sense, it was not correct because the Raiders went on to cream Santa Fe Christian-Solana Beach 66-7 in the Div. IV bowl game. Sutter, however, was an undefeated team and was regarded as the best Northern Section team overall. The Huskies also held their own in their NorCal bowl loss to Marin Catholic. This brings us to 2013. Central Catholic might be a few ticks down from last year, but in the early going still looks like a strong favorite to win a second straight CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. IV title. And with the likelihood of the Northern Section also not having an undefeated team on the board, it seems like this will be the year that a school with a Div. IV enrollment will indeed be brought up to Div. III. What would this mean to other teams in Northern California? For teams like El Cerrito, Marin Catholic, Cardinal Newman and others that will probably contend for the CIF North Coast Section Division III title, probably nothing since the winner of that bracket will no doubt get one of the two NorCal D3 bids. But for teams from the CIF Central Coast Section that are eyeing a possible D3 bowl bid, like Carmel for example, the idea of Central Catholic moving up will hurt. While no one within the CIF wants to see another 66-7 Div. IV state bowl game, another factor that could influence whether Central Catholic moves up or not is which teams get bowl eligible from Southern California. If it’s a team like Sierra Canyon-Chatsworth from 2011 (which beat Le Grand in the state game 40-14), then the CIF commissioners still might want to take Central Catholic to avoid a result in the D4 bowl game that could be equally one-sided for the SoCal team. After last year’s bowl games, it was fun to think about how a Marin Catholic-Central Catholic NorCal D3 bowl game would have turned out? Such a matchup is definitely much more likely to happen this December. ✪ Mark Tennis is the co-founder of Cal-Hi Sports, and publisher of CalHiSports.com. Cal-Hi Sports is the authority in state rankings for football, basketball, baseball and softball, as well as the recognized state record keeper for all high school sports. Contact him at markjtennis@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter, @CalHiSports.

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WILD & CRAZY GAMES ››

It’s only a few weeks into the football season and already in Northern California there have been games such as Sierra-Manteca topping Chavez-Stockton 61-58 and Castro Valley outlasting Monte Vista-Danville 57-56 in overtime. Neither game, though, makes the Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book. Most points by two teams in one NorCal game: 146 — Fremont-Sunnyvale (90) vs. Harker-Sunnyvale (56), 2012 141 — Santa Rosa (141) vs. St. Helena (0), 1924 138 — Buhach Colony-Atwater (90) vs. Golden Valley-Merced (48), 2011 136 — Leland-San Jose (82) vs. Piedmont Hills (54), 2008 136 — Vintage-Napa (80) vs. Armijo-Fairfield (56), 2009 132 — Anderson Valley (68) vs. Potter Valley (64), 2010 Note: Porterville’s 86-79 win last season over Tulare set a new state record at 165 points, but is not considered NorCal by SportStars Magazine.

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volleyball Rankings (After games of Monday, Sept. 23; previous rank in parentheses) 1. (4) ▲ Torrey Pines-San Diego.........10-0 2. (6) ▲ Archbishop Mitty-San Jose....15-2 3. (2) ▼ Valley Christian-San Jose......14-2 4. (3) ▼ Los Alamitos..............................5-4 5. (5) — Sacred Heart Cathedral-S.F.....9-1 6. (1) ▼ Mater Dei-Santa Ana..............14-2 7. (7) — Lakewood................................14-4 8. (10) ▲ Dana Hills-Dana Point..............9-4 9. (13) ▲ Francis Parker-San Diego........6-3 10. (NR) ▲ La Salle-Pasadena...................8-2 11. (11) — Corona del Mar-Nwprt Bch......6-2 12. (12) — Granite Bay.............................11-0 13. (NR) ▲ Mira Costa-Manhattan Bch.....8-2 14. (14) — Redwood-Larkspur.................14-0 15. (17) ▲ La Costa Canyon-Carlsbad.....7-2 16. (NR) ▲ Marymount-Los Angeles..........7-3 17. (8) ▼ Redondo-Redondo Beach.....11-5 18. (18) — St. Francis-Sacramento.........14-3 19. (16) ▼ Lutheran-Orange......................9-5 20. (20) — Monte Vista-Danville...............13-2 Torrey Pines surged to No. 1 by winning the prestigious Durango Fall Classic on Sept. 21 in Las Vegas. The Falcons defeated Kamehameha-Honolulu (HI.) in the championship bracket finals. Archbishop Mitty was the second-best California team at the event and has gone in front of Valley Christian (which also was in Las Vegas) in the weekly rankings even though the Monarchs have a loss to Sacred Heart Cathedral from the first week of the season. Valley Christian and Mitty will have their first West Catholic Athletic League showdown on Oct. 15 at Mitty.

socal team to watch: st. john boscobellflower ››

While Northern California’s preseason football 1-2 punch of De La Salle and Folsom have continued in those roles, the Southern California preseason leader list of Centennial-Corona, St. John Bosco and Serra-Gardena has changed. Centennial suffered a second straight loss on Sept. 20 while Serra has an overtime win against Notre Dame-Sherman Oaks. St. John Bosco has been rolling, including a 48-0 win on Sept. 6 against defending CIF Central Section Division I champ Clovis North. The Braves are expected to be 5-0 heading into Trinity League where they’ll face teams like Mater Dei-Santa Ana, Servite-Anaheim and Santa MargaritaRancho Santa Margarita. There are a reported 10 players on the St. John Bosco roster with major college offers, including 6-foot-4, 350-pound offensive lineman Damien Mama. Junior quarterback Josh Rosen also is one of the best in his class in the nation. De La Salle has never played St. John Bosco in the CIF state bowl games and it’s just about a guarantee that the Spartans won’t be playing Centennial for the fourth time this year.

Football Rankings (Previous ranking in parentheses; through games of Saturday, Sept. 21)

1. (1)

—

De La Salle-Concord

4-0

2. (2)

—

St. John Bosco-Bellflower

4-0

3. (3)

—

Folsom

4-0

4. (4)

—

Serra-Gardena

4-0

5. (5)

—

Mater Dei-Santa Ana

4-0

6. (6)

—

Mission Viejo

4-0

7. (7)

—

Vista Murrieta-Murrieta 3-0

8. (8)

—

Servite-Anaheim

3-1

9. (9)

—

Long Beach Poly

3-1

10. (12)

▲

Alemany-Mission Hills

4-0

11. (11)

—

Bellarmine-San Jose 3-0

12. (8)

▼

Centennial-Corona 2-2

13. (13)

—

St. Bonaventure-Ventura

3-1

14. (15)

▲

Oceanside

3-1

15. (17)

▲

Elk Grove

4-0

16. (18)

▲

Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove

4-0

17. (19)

▲

Serra-San Mateo

1-1

18. (21)

▲

19. (22)

▲

20. (23)

▲

21. (24)

▲

22. (NR)

▲

23. (14)

▼

24. (NR)

▲

25. (NR)

▲

Wins over St. Mary’s, Del Oro keep DLS unbeaten all-time vs. Sac-Joaquin Section. Should be 5-0 heading into Trinity League showdowns.

QB Jake Browning already has thrown for 7, 7 and 8 TDs in games this season. Won OT game over Notre Dame-Sherman Oaks.

Too early to tell if Monarchs will be as good as some of their 1990’s glory teams. Diablos posted strong win in third game over Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) Coltin Gerhart off to a strong start as new QB for the Broncos.

Friars and fans will be rockin’ on Oct. 5 when De La Salle heads south. Only loss to Servite; wins over Centennial-Corona and Bakersfield. This team hopped into the top 10 after beating Centennial 45-28. Strength of schedule for the Bells will go way up once they start WCAL play.

Hard to believe Huskies lost two straight after 886 yards of offense in 2nd game. Seraphs’ lone loss is to Centennial.

Won 61-0 in fourth game in preparation for showdown vs. Mission Hills. RB Wadus Parker is in midst of a big-time season for the Thundering Herd. Final league game with Folsom could be huge.

Near-win over DLS to start season may grow more significant as weeks go by.

Hart-Newhall 3-0

Win over Chaminade-West Hills helped Indians move up Chaminade-West Hills

3-1

Granite Bay

2-1

Notre Dame-Sherman Oaks

3-1

Mission Hills-San Marcos

4-0

Oaks Christian-Westlake Village

3-1

Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills

4-0

Edison-Fresno

4-0

Miami-commit QB Brad Kaaya living up to preseason acclaim. Grizzlies have bounced back nicely from opening-game loss to Folsom. Knights will run into No. 10 Alemany in the Mission League. Have perhaps state’s top LB duo in Fred Warner and Ricky Liuchan. Lions’ lone loss is to Chaminade. They also still have win over Bakersfield. Watch out for Trojans’ sophomore QB Ian Book.

Tigers No. 1 in Central Section w/wins over Clovis, Carson, Merced & Crenshaw-L.A.

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The Values of Busting It

I worked out all summer, ran a lot of miles and did a lot of sprints. I even grew a couple inches. But I’m still slower than a lot of guys, guys who don’t work as hard as I do. How can I get faster? G.K., San Francisco

f I had known the answer to that question, I would have had a much better athletic career. In other words, you’re not alone. Jon Gruden, the former Raider coach and TV analyst, likes to tell a story about his older brother, Jay, who was bigger, stronger and faster (and is an NFL assistant coach). One summer, Jon vowed he would beat Jay in a one-mile race. He busted his rear, working out every day in the heat, while his brother watched TV and played some seven-on-seven games. Finally, Jon goes into the living room, where his brother is stretched out on the coach, eating some chips and watching TV. Jon says “Let’s race. I’m ready to take you on — one mile.” Jay looks at him, puts down his chips and puts on his shoes. They go down to the football field. Four laps. Jay gets an early lead, and never trails. He coasts to the win, then drives them back home, picks up his chips and lays back down on

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the couch. This is what is known as a talent gap, and sadly, there’s not much you can do about it. But it’s not quite as bad as it seems — a lot of guys with great talent take that talent for granted, and don’t work hard, or think about what they’re doing. They’re just better, and they win, and they go back home and have some cake and ice cream. So other guys, like you and me and most of the world, have to do a couple things. First, we have to decide it’s worth while to put in the effort to be as good as we can be. Second, we have to take a hard look in the mirror and try to figure out exactly what our strengths are, and what our weaknesses are. Next, we have to devise a strategy to take advantage of those strengths and minimize those weaknesses — if we’re playing football, figure out what position is best. Or maybe we back it up a step or two, and try to decide which sport is the best match for what we can do, and

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A lot of hard work goes into keeping up with the naturally-talented — and you may not beat them, but you’ll gain regardless

can’t do. Finally, we have to take all those decisions and turn them into action. We have to do the work (no laying on the coach), we have to think about our sport, and we have to be smarter than the guys who have all the talent. Even then, they might be better, but we’ll be much more competitive — and we will also have learned a great deal about ourselves, and how to function in a situation that isn’t necessarily the best one for us (which, by the way, is how most situations are in life). In the long run, the value of high school sports isn’t in winning games, or getting your picture in the paper — it’s learning about yourself, and among other things, figuring out how to work with the talents you’ve been given. And down the road, that work will definitely pay off, though maybe not in ways you expect. You’ll know what I mean, even though you’ll still wish you could have run faster. ✪

You see, what happened was ...

A note from last week: How could I forget that wrestling is the other state championship sport that isn’t divided into divisions? Don’t answer that.

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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One year after winning a state title, the Pilots of St. Joseph Notre Dame cross country set course for No. 2

dan

By Chace Bryson | Editor

hen Tony Fong took over as coach of the St. Joseph Notre Dame High boys cross country team almost two decades ago, his roster consisted of one runner. “I remember saying that if I ever won a state championship, I’d retire,” he said. Then the Pilots won one in 2012. And Fong decided he couldn’t quite go through with his promise to leave the Alameda school. “I just don’t think I could leave now. Not with this team looking like it is.” What this team is looking like is a boys small school juggernaut. After finishing third in Division V at the California Interscholastic Federation State Cross Country Championships in 2011, St. Joseph put it all together last season. They won their second straight Div. V North Coast Section championship in dominating fashion, finishing more than 40 points ahead of second-place Sonoma Academy. And then on the 5-kilometer (3.1 mile) course of Fresno’s Woodward Park, the Pilots edged Flintridge Prep by a single point to claim their first state title. Of the seven runners who competed, four were underclassmen. Of

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those underclassmen, three placed inside of the Top 30 overall finishers. One of them, Gabe Arias-Sheridan, took fifth. And as if Fong need any more reasons to stay, he got two: Each of the four runners came back faster after a summer of training. And freshmen. Talented ones. “I probably have up to nine guys who can make the varsity,” the coach said. “And this team is very very close. I think my job will just be to stay out their way.” Leading the way for the Pilots is Arias-Sheridan. Fong notes that his senior leader is a natural runner who is physically gifted in size and strength, but marvels more about how he pushes those physical gifts to the limits. “He’s just got that passion and is super competitive,” the coach said. “He’s the ideal runner to push pain aside. I’ve seen that in him. Most runners get tired at the end of the race and get into a comfort zone, and I don’t think he does that. I think he makes it hurt a little bit.” Arias-Sheridan’s fifth-place time of 15 minutes, 58 seconds in Fresno a year ago capped off a strong junior season, but simply left him more hungry. “Last year he ran just a terrific race at state,” Fong said. “But this

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Twins Matt and Michael Murphy 16

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year I can see just a maturity and a new focus from him. His goal is to win the state meet outright, and I don’t see any reason why it can’t be done.” Arias-Sheridan re-upped his training over the summer and even ran in a 5K event, where he clocked in the 15:30 range — which would have put him right there at the state finish line with Div. V state championship Trevor Reinhart a year ago. Reinhart, now a junior at Marin Academy, won the race in 15:34. “I want to win state as an individual,” AriasSheridan said. “I tried to work extra hard this summer, and I think I’m on a good pace to reach that goal right now.” Arias-Sheridan wasn’t the only returning Pilots standout to re-dedicate himself over the summer. Twin brothers Michael and Matthew Murphy, both juniors, also took it upon themselves to train harder. Michael was the second-fastest finisher for St. Joseph at the state meet a year ago with a time of 16:30. Matthew, who was in his first year of cross country after playing soccer as a freshman, crossed the finish line just five seconds behind his brother at 16:35. “They both initially came in as soccer players and didn’t really understand what it takes,” Fong said. “Both of them gave outstanding runs last year, but they still didn’t quite have the training process down.” So over the summer the brothers went to visit their uncle, who coaches running in Florida, and wowed Fong upon their return. “I saw three or four workouts late in the summer after they returned and I knew they had figured out how to train.” he said. Arias-Sheridan noticed too. “They were pushing me, and I don’t want one of them beating me,” he said with a laugh. “I want to be the big guy, so I’m pushing myself even harder now.” The other senior on the team, Chris Melendez, is waiting for his turn to get in the mix. Melendez finished state in 17:23 a year ago, but that time was a bit misleading. Loaded with several AP courses and serving as the student body president weighed on Melendez quite a bit during his junior year, and Fong was excited to see what a more unburdened season would look like for him. But that got put on hold when he suffered a high ankle sprain. “He’s going to be our most improved runner by far,” Fong said. “This year is just like night and day with him. The injury could be a blessing too, as it should allow him to peak just right for NCS and the state meet.” When he looks at his returners as a whole, Fong can’t help but feel something is special there. “All four of those guys have run a 4:30 mile over the summer,” the coach beemed. “I ran at the state meet on the same course when I was in high school and my personal record was 16:09. I think all four of those guys can top that.” And there are the freshmen. Fong mentioned three who could end up being factors over the course of the year, Cooper Teare, Gavin Hill and Willie Mein. Teare is the most polished of the trio, having a

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“I think wanting to repeat has made us work even harder than we did a year ago,” — Gabe Arias-Sheridan competitive running background in the Castro Valley Track Club. “He reminds me a little bit of myself when I was a freshman,” Arias-Sheridan said of Teare. “I think he just needs to learn and practice a little bit more race strategy and he could really be good.” Fong is just as excited. “He’s built to run. He didn’t have too many guys to run with in the track club, so he’s delighted to have guys like Gabe and the Murphy Brothers to challenge him.” Hill has untapped potential as a runner as well, already running a sub-five minute mile. As for Mein, Fong said he may not have the natural ability of the other two freshman but he makes up for it in hard work and attitude. St. Joseph gets its first big stage to showcase its new lineup on Sept. 28 at the Stanford Invitational. While winning the small school race will be nice, it won’t be the goal. There’s just one goal this season, and it can only be obtained on Nov. 30 in Fresno. Just because the Pilots reached the top doesn’t mean they’re any less hungry to get back. “I think wanting to repeat has made us work even harder than we did a year ago,” AriasSheridan said. “And the freshman know what we did last year, and they want to be part of a state champion too.” Maybe Fong put it best. “What’s better than winning state? Winning again.” ✪

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After falling a few strokes shy of the state tournament in 2012, Megan Conder has redemption and a school legacy within her grasp

t was a Saturday morning and Megan Conder was explaining her goals for the season until she was interrupted. “Whoa! All of a sudden it just started pouring rain here,” said Conder, a golf phenom who was on the phone in Brentwood. Does that mean no practice? Yes. But this was already a scheduled day off. The Heritage High homecoming dance was later that night and she needed time to do her nails and fix her hair. So, no golf whatsoever today. A day off during golf season is rare for Conder, the two-time defending Bay Valley Athletic League champion, but she let it be known she’ll be playing the next day. And probably every day for the next two months as she strives to make it to the state tournament – her top goal for the season. The accomplishment would put a bow on a remarkable high school career and cement her as, perhaps, the greatest golfer in her school’s young history. ◆◆◆ Conder and her sister, Lauren, started golfing in 2005 through their local First Tee chapter. Lauren, now a senior at Richmond University in Virginia, went on to star at Heritage where she was the first golfer in school history to qualify for the California Interscholastic Federation Northern California Tournament, the qualifier for the CIF State Championship. Megan quickly followed in her sister’s footsteps. Last year, she captured her second league title for Heritage and qualified for NorCal when she finished tied for second at the North Coast Section Division I Championship. She posted a respectable score of 76 at NorCal but failed to advance to the state tournament. Still, 2012 served as a notice to her competition. “I think last year was probably my first time where I said hard work pays off,” said

Conder. “I’ve been playing golf for a long time. All the accolades from NCS and this summer was a wake-up call.” Conder dedicated her summer vacation to golf. Hitting the links, working out, lifting weights — four to six hours a day. What parts of her game did she work on? “I worked on my short game,” Conder said, “and the little things that make a big difference.” The hard work paid off at the NCGA qualifier for the USGA Jr. Girls Championship. She tied for third shooting a 74, punching her ticket to the prestigious event in Fort Wayne, Indiana. ◆◆◆ With a full summer’s work under her belt, Conder is now focused on her senior year. “She’s very consistent with her game,” said Heritage golf coach Mark Tinder. “She hits her tee shots. She’s very good with the short game. She is a smart putter. If she misses a putt, it’s just a tap in.” Lauren Conder agrees about Megan’s ability on the course but adds there’s something else. “Her maturity and mindset is unparalleled. I’ve never seen someone as mentally tough as my sister.” “She has a good head,” Tinder added. “She’s confident in her ability. She’s the whole package.” Indeed, she is. Not only does she have ability and mental toughness, but a tireless work ethic as well. “What I like about Megan is she’ll ask me ‘Coach, can I practice more?’” Tinder said. “I always say ‘Yes.’” These qualities make for a dangerous golfer, and Conder knows it. She’s also keeping a

Story by Erik Stordahl • Photos by Phillip Walton 18

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MID-SEASON GOLF GLANCE

With the postseason tournament season just four weeks away, here’s a peek at some of the top Bay Area teams and players to keep an eye on along with Heritage and Conder. TEAMS ›› Amador Valley-Pleasanton — Senior Kimberly Liu leads a deep supporting cast with a strong chance at putting the Dons back atop the NCS. ›› Mission San Jose-Fremont — Meredith Hirsch is one of three seniors who are back from a Warriors team which has qualified for state each of the past two seasons. ›› Dougherty Valley-San Ramon — Lead by sophomore Yoonhee Kim, the Wildcats have a chance to be a bit of surprise team this season PLAYERS ›› Nancy Xu, Sr., St. Francis-Mountain View — Defending medalist from CIF NorCal’s a year ago. ›› Kathleen Scavo, Jr., Justin-Siena-Napa — Lost to Xu in a playoff at NorCals after both fired 5-under rounds of 67. ›› Elizabeth Schultz, Sr., Acalanes-Lafayette — Dons standout qualified for USGA Women’s U.S. Open during the summer. ›› Aman Sangha, So., San Mateo — Was just a freshman last year when she shot a 1-under 71 for a T-5th finish at NorCals. ›› Anna Zhou, Jr., Gunn-Palo Alto — Followed her T-5th at NorCals with a dominant summer, winning three AJGA events. ›› Grace Park, Jr., Cupertino — Posted and even-par 72 at NorCals a year ago. ›› Kenness Cheung, Jr., Alameda — Up and comer hoping to follow in the footsteps of Grace Na and Carly Childs.

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level head throughout all of the success. “She’s cooperative. … She’s so spirited, she has such energy that she brings to people,” Lauren Conder said. Megan gained these qualities from the First Tee, an organization she doesn’t hesitate to thank enough for shaping her into the player she is today. She and her sister have been involved since 2005. It’s where they learned the nuances of the game and life lessons like course etiquette, integrity and sportsmanship. That support system has been buoyed by her parents, mainly Greg, her father. “He’s always been our No. 1 fan and coach,” Lauren said. “He knows everything about our game, almost as well as we know it. … We couldn’t have done it without him.” ◆◆◆ Megan’s senior season is going well so far. She’s leading the Patriots, who are 6-0 through matches played on Sept. 19. A third league and individual title are well within Conder’s grasp, but she has her sights set on NCS and NorCal. In fact, she’s already scouting the host courses for the respective events and she plans to play both — San Rafael’s Peacock Gap Country Club (NCS), and Ripon’s Spring Creek Golf & Country Club (NorCal) — soon. There’s an added reason behind this level of reconnaissance: Golfers are not allowed a practice round at these events. And because of that rule, Conder suffered dearly at NorCal last year. She could’ve shaved a couple strokes off her respectable 76 had she obtained a feel for the idiosyncrasies of Brookside Country Club in Stockton. Still, there’s no rule about playing a course a couple months in advance, and Conder is leaving no stone unturned. She’s also looking beyond this season and focusing on where to play in college. Given her talent and potential, she’s a surefire top prospect for Division I colleges. Right now, she’s a verbal commit to Oregon and plans on making an official visit soon. “Megan has the game of a top Div. I golfer,” Lauren Conder said. “She has the talent. It’s all a matter of making the putts at the right time. I think she has all the talent in the world.” But it doesn’t stop at college. People like her sister and Tinder believe this is the beginning of a potential pro career. “I think she’s a young LPGA golfer in the making,” Tinder said. “She works out and does all the right exercises and trains off the course. So she’s physically fit.” But before she gets too ahead of herself, Conder knows there’s business at hand, like leading Heritage to NCS. “Our team has worked hard. A lot of us are seniors now,” Conder said. “I think NorCal is a possibility.” ✪ 20

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Waitingt Serra works on self-discovery over ill-timed bye week By Chace Bryson | Editor It’s about 15 minutes after Serra’s 49-13 dismantling of host Encinal on Sept. 20 and Padres coach Patrick Walsh is not admitting satisfaction. But he’s smiling. And after a hug from his wife and son, and a kiss for his mom, things seem an awful lot better than they did two weeks prior. When the Padres team and coaching staff returns to their San Mateo campus the following morning for film sessions, it will have been two weeks since a gut-wrenching season-opening loss to the state’s No. 1 team — and Walsh’s alma mater — De La Salle. The Padres had the ball in De La Salle territory with a 14-7 lead and approximately seven minutes to go. That’s when a missed field goal on 4th-and-1 cracked the door open for the Spartans, who

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toExhale Serra RB/DB Kava Cassidy

pulled out the win 21-14. It was the third time in the last four meetings between the two schools that Serra pushed De La Salle to the brink, only to come up maddeningly short in the end. And then, with a bye the following the week, the Padres had to let the loss simmer. “Well, you know it was challenging for us because we’ve played that De La Salle game before in this program,” Walsh said. “In a vacuum, it’s a great effort … And this is how great De La Salle is, you measure yourself on how you lose to them. But for us, that’s really not good enough anymore because it’s happened before.” So Serra, who despite losing its first game, entered CalHiSports.com’s state rankings at No. 19, had to let the loss marinate. And Walsh made clear the only terms for which the loss could be considered a positive.

serra-San Mateo

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Norbert von der Groeben

Serra defensive end Jericho Tufono stops De La Salle QB Chris Williams “I told the team that it’s OK in a vacuum because of what you did and how you played and your effort, but we need to transcend that moment in this program. “If that loss leads to a transcendent moment throughout the season — we’re going to be in that game again, we’re going to be in a game like that again — if it leads to a transcendent moment where we rally together and find a way to finish that game, I’ll look back on (the DLS) game and say it was worth it. But if not, we should’ve jammed the ball in there and won.” The game against Encinal wasn’t that type of game. Serra established itself as the superior team very early on, and never looked back. Kava Cassidy opened the game with an interception for Serra on the game’s second official play, and then closed the first half with a 35-yard touchdown run with 55 seconds left in the second quarter. In between the two plays from Cassidy, the Padres posted 415 yards of offense en route to building a 35-6 lead. “We had to bounce back,” Cassidy said. “(De La Salle) was a tough loss. ... Coach Walsh and (defensive coordinator) Chris Vasseur have been preparing us for this week and all the weeks after this. It’s been about preparing and working hard, staying humble and being hungry.” Just about everything worked in the victory over Encinal. The Padres rushed for 385 yards, which included a 120-yard outing from Cassidy and a 112-yard effort from Kelepi Lataimua. The team was also able to pass for more than 240 yards while alternating starting quarterback Matt Fa’aita and backup Anthony Smock. Smock was in the game as early as the first quarter, despite not seeing any action in the De La Salle game. He battled Fa’aita closely for the starting job in camp. “We’ve learned a lot over the years that it’s great to have that one quarterback,” Walsh said. “But what if that one QB has an SAT test or something. … Someone else is going to have to play. ... At any moment Smock can be in there and we want him to be

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confident and know that he can play football for us.” It wasn’t a smooth night for Smock, he did throw two interceptions while Fa’aita ended up with 160 yards and a 61-yard touchdown pass to Hamilton Anoa’i. Both quarterbacks had rushing touchdowns, Fa’aita had two in the first half and Smock had one in the third quarter. Serra finished the night with 626 yards of total offense, a school record according to Walsh. Anoa’i — who was seeing his first action since having ACL surgery on his left leg on Nov. 24, 2012 — finished with a team-best six catches for 115 yards. But the defense was just as impressive against Encinal. The Jets were held to a mere 66 yards of total offense and rushed for minus-12. The defense was extremely stout against De La Salle as well, holding the Spartans to just 284 totals yards — more than 100 yards less than their next lowest total (398) over their first four games. That defensive success is made more impressive by the fact that blue-chip defensive lineman Matt Dickerson, a Notre Damecommit, has yet to play a down this season due to injury. Walsh hoped to have Dickerson back on the practice field as early as Monday, Sept. 23. “Defensive coordinator Chris Vasseur is doing a wonderful job with those guys, and we’re doing all that without Matt,” Walsh said. “It’s really exciting. This is the type of team that will only get better as the year goes on, as we improve at some inexperienced positions and get guys off injuries. Getting Matt back out there is going to be huge, man. He’s a great player.” Serra ends its nonleague schedule with a Sept. 27 meeting against a Buhach Colony-Atwater team which reached the SacJoaquin Section semifinals a year ago. But looming the week after is a West Coast Athletic League opener against BellarmineSan Jose — the defending WCAL champ. “We learned a lot about ourselves (against De La Salle),” Cassidy said. “We know what we can do, and what we have to do going forward. It made us a lot stronger.” ✪

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El Cerrito adjusting to life as front-runner It was an up-and-down first four weeks of the season for the El Cerrito High football team, and it ended on a down note in a 42-27 loss at Campolindo-Moraga on Sept. 20. With perhaps their most talented roster ever, the Gauchos have never been under the microscope more than this season. They opened the year as favoritea to reach the California Interscholastic Federation Division III Northern Regional bowl game, holding the top spot in CalHiSports.com’s Div. III NorCal Bowl Ranking.

Meanwhile, El Cerrito coach Kenny Khan was all for embracing the challenge and built his nonleague schedule as such. El Cerrito opened the season with a 34-14 win over Sutter, a CIF Div. III NorCal bowl participant a year ago. The Gauchos then dropped a tough 28-25 loss to Central Coast Section Div. I-power, Bellarmine-San Jose — playing the game without star wide receiver Jalen Harvey. Harvey was back a week later and caught a touchdown pass in El Cerrito’s most significant road win in several seasons, a 35-7 victory over Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa. The Cardinals entered the game ranked No. 3 in the CalHiSports.com Bowl Rankings for NorCal Div. III. “(The Bellarmine loss) taught them that playing tough opponents in the preseason means you have to show up and be a high caliber football team from the very jump,” Kahn said of his team following the win over Cardinal Newman. “You don’t just get to get in a groove and figure it out.” One week later, El Cerrito matched a red-hot Campolindo team — also among the Div. III bowl rankings — score for score to a 21-21 tie before the Cougars pulled away in the second half. Despite the 2-2 mark, there’s no reason to consider El Cerrito out of the NorCal bowl picture. The Gauchos will be heavy favorites in every one of their Tri-County League-Rock Division games, and should coast into the postseason with an 8-2 mark. Then fortunately for them, many of the top-ranked bowl favorites for Division III reside in the North Coast Section, including Marin Catholic Kentfield — which narrowly defeated El Cerrito in last year’s NCS title game — and Campolindo, among others. As long as the Gauchos can take care of business and win their first NCS title, they should be a lock for one of the two CIF NorCal Bowl participants. “We’re still a work in progress,” Kahn said following the Cardinal Newman win. “But I’d like to think our progress is showing we’re a high-caliber team who wants to be one of the best. We’ll keep working at it and keep trying to get better each and every week.” NOTES: Few Sac-Joaquin Section teams have generated more buzz in the past few weeks than Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills, and deservedly so after a 4-0 start and a 20-17 win over Grant-Sacramento on Sept. 20. Behind the big start is yet another young QB talent, Ian Book. The 6-foot-1 sophomore has completed 61 percent of his passes for slightly less than 1,000 yards. He’s thrown for 10 TDs and just two interceptions. The Trojans face another physical opponent in Vacaville on Sept. 27 before their Delta River League opener when Book will go toe-to-toe with the region’s gold standard at QB, Jake Browning of Folsom. ... League play starts for a number of NCS teams on Sept. 27, and perhaps the most intriguing matchup will be in the Diablo Foothill Athletic League where Campolindo and Acalanes-Lafayette meet up. Both teams have opened the season 4-0, and last year’s contest was an instant classic as Campolindo eeked out a 40-39 win on the final play of the game. ✪ — Chace Bryson

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Records are through Sept. 21 1. (1)

— De La Salle-Concord

4-0

2. (2)

— Folsom

4-0

3. (3)

— Elk Grove

4-0

4. (4)

— Bellarmine-San Jose

3-0

5. (5)

— Serra-San Mateo

1-1

6. (7)

▲ Granite Bay

2-1

7. (8)

▲ Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove

4-0

8. (9)

▲ Marin Catholic-Kentfield

4-0

9. (11)

▲ Deer Valley-Antioch

3-0

10. (14) ▲ Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills

4-0

11. (13) ▲ St. Mary’s-Stockton

2-1

12. (17) ▲ Archbishop Mitty-San Jose

3-0

13. (6)

▼ Palo Alto

1-1

14. (19) ▲ Pittsburg

3-1

15. (NR) ▲ Campolindo-Moraga

4-0

16. (NR) ▲ Foothill-Pleasanton

4-0

17. (10) ▼ El Cerrito

2-2

18 (20) ▲ California-San Ramon

2-1

19. (18) ▼ Del Oro-Loomis

1-2

20. (15) ▼ Grant-Sacramento

3-1

DROPPED OUT No. 12 Vacaville and No. 16 Valley Christian-San Jose

ON THE RISE

El Cerrito QB Keilan Benjamin. Phillip Walton photo

“(The Bellarmine loss) taught them that playing tough opponents in the preseason means you have to show up and be a high caliber football team from the very jump. You don’t just get to get in a groove and figure it out.”

The two most notable wins this week came from Archbishop Mitty-San Jose and Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills. Mitty hopped into the rankings at No. 17 after two seasonopening wins over Los Gatos and Leland-San Jose, but the Monarchs truly proved they were for real with a convincing 34-14 win over No. 6 Palo Alto on Sept. 21. That win vaulted Mitty to No. 12, just two spots behind new No. 10 Oak Ridge. The Trojans reach the Top 10 after a gritty 20-17 win at No. 15 Grant-Sacramento.

TEAMS STILL RANKED FROM PRESEASON TOP 20: 15 KNOCKING ON THE DOOR (alphabetically) Acalanes-Lafayette (4-0), Amador Valley-Pleasanton (3-0), Captial Christian-Sacramento (4-0), Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa (2-1), Carmel (3-0), Casa Grande-Petaluma (3-0), Central Catholic-Modesto (3-1), Clayton Valley CharterConcord (2-1), McClymonds-Oakland (3-1), Milpitas (2-0), Northgate-Walnut Creek (4-0) and St. Francis-Mountain View (3-0).

— El Cerrito coach Kenny Khan

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training time: Tim Rudd for iyca

In-Season Training

Necessity. Not a luxury High school athletes who are in-season must budget their time extremely carefully. For most competitive athletes the time and energy commitment needed to succeed is very intense. Many athletes assume they will not have the time to train even for a single hour a week with their busy schedules. But like anything else, you should always find an hour or two to devote to something that is vital to your success. If you are a coach or serious athlete who wants to succeed, you should know that in-season training has a pretty strong list of reasons why it can give you or your team a big competitive advantage. ›› 1. Injury Reduction. Most non-contact injuries occur when athletes either lack strength or conditioning later in the season. Fatigued athletes are at greater risk for injury — and the same goes for weaker athletes. In-season training helps maintain the efficiency in which the athletes move by maintaining movement quality through the ankles, hips and shoulders that can erode during the season. ›› 2. Performing at a high level throughout the season. In-season programs maintain an athlete’s movement quality, as mentioned above, along with strength, speed and power gained in the offseason. Together these form the base of an efficient and high performing athlete throughout a season. The fact is athletes and teams who consistently train during the season will have a huge advantage. Those athletes who maintain or gain strength, power and explosiveness in-season will distance themselves from the pack. They will continue to improve the qualities that are vital for performing at a top level and will get closer to their true athletic potential. ›› 3. Improved recovery. Some athletes just assume that in-season training is just going to beat them up. This couldn’t

be further from the truth. In-season training still focuses on high intensity but at much lower volumes. In-season program should include recovery strategies such as self-myofascial release, stretching and mobility. Your athletes will have more, not less, energy. Foam rolling and stretching increases blood flow to overworked muscles, allowing for quicker recovery from exhausting practices and games. Workouts that emphasize lower volumes of intensity will keep your athlete’s nervous system more alert and energized. The combined result is your athletes will feel fresher during the toughest parts of their schedule. #4. It strengthens your athlete’s resolve. The more proactive an athlete is in their own success, the more likely it is they will sacrifice to achieve a goal. On an individual level, the simple act of prioritizing a workout in-season sends a powerful subconscious message that they are willing to go above and beyond to achieve excellence. Imagine the impact of an entire team that willingly works on their development during the season while their competition gets more worn down with each passing week. High school athletes are balancing sports and academics during their season. Those who find a way to devote one to two hours a week to improving their explosiveness, strength, conditioning, resolve and energy levels is a clear win — for them and their team. ✪

keys to the in-season training program

Get frequent workouts (realistically 2 per week) with higher intensities but lower volumes. Intensity is the key to training, not volume and this applies even more in-season. Never skip an in-season workout. A 15-minute, one set workout is better in the long run than a missed day.

Work lower body strength and power in-season. Don’t “save the legs”. If you save them in September, they will fail you in November. High intensity, low volume. One or two sets of an Olympic lift and one or two sets of a squat or variation can go a long way.

Bottom line ›› Quick workouts with an emphasis on higher intensity (heavier weight) lower body and lower volume (less sets).

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I love a good story and lately I’ve been inspired by BIG achievements. For instance, Diana Nyad’s 35-year pursuit of her dream to swim unassisted from Cuba to Florida is an amazing testament to persistence, drive and focus. Or, Elena Delle Donne awarded the WNBA Rookie of the Year after a very challenging road to the pros that required her to make incredible athletic sacrifices in order to manage her personal life. She persisted and made it to the big time. When it comes to setting and achieving your BIG goals (e.g., making the varsity team, winning a big tournament or earning an athletic scholarship), it’s imperative that you answer the following questions honestly. Reflect on the following and write your responses: ›› What do you want? ›› How much do you want it? ›› How much do you believe in your ability to achieve the goal? ›› What are you willing to sacrifice in order to achieve the goal? It’s fair to say that Nyad wanted to achieve her goal and BELIEVED she could accomplish it. She was willing to sacrifice years of training, pain and suffering to continue to try. Elena gave up basketball (at UConn!) in order to stay close to home, even switched sports but ultimately found her way back to basketball. Your persistence will also be tested along the way, probably in ways you don’t anticipate and it will make a BIG impact on the outcome. Don’t forget the most important pieces of the achievement puzzle. Any good goal plan is made up mostly of performance goals — the “how to” goals that lead you toward your BIG achievements. Dream big and work smart. ✪

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get mental: erika Carlson

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Not keeping with some kind of in-season lifting program will negatively affect your performance It’s officially football season, and if you’re anything like me the world finally seems livable again. I was blessed enough to play football in college and the NFL, and then given the ability to give back to current athletes. What I know distinctly is that the body likes to be as efficient as possible, so with long tiresome practices every day its not in the bodies best interest to hold all that energy consuming muscle mass. So what does the body do? It sheds the extra weight, and that’s very detrimental to the success of an athlete. So how do you bypass this troublesome issue? Continue to lift weights so your body realizes it still needs that mass, strength, and power. Too many athletes train with me in the offseason and get in the best shape of their lives, only to stop cold turkey once the season starts, which results in a weaker, slower, and more out-of-shape athlete than the one who started the season. This happens because there is no effort put into maintenance of the body during the season. Now I know what you’re thinking, “I don’t have any time.” Ok, well will you have time once you’re out with an injury to your knee that weakened over time because you stopped squatting and lunging like you did in training in the offseason? Take the time to take care of your body now or later. ✪ Anthony Trucks is the owner of Trucks Training facility in Brentwood and covers weight training for SportStars.

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It’s hard to make concussion statistics any scarier. Millions of traumatic brain injuries occur each year in sports and recreationrelated activities. Many concussions are difficult to detect and many athletes underreport their injuries. Concussions that are unrecognized or are mismanaged put athletes at risk of serious consequences from re-injury. Repetitive head trauma can lead to a permanent decrease in brain function. Timely diagnosis and prompt treatment can help prevent more serious complications.

concussions: hunter greene, m.d.

PRE-SEASON BASELINE TESTING

Physicians can treat a concussion more thoroughly if you provide a snapshot of your brain function before the season starts

CheckYourHead

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Before an injury, obtaining baseline information on an athlete can make post-injury assessment more accurate because we have a snapshot of baseline brain function. At Summit Orthopedic Specialists, we use the ImPACT test. It’s a short neuro-cognitive computer test to evaluate multiple areas of brain function, including memory, problem solving, reaction times and brain processing speeds.

AFTER A HEAD INJURY

If you sustain a concussion (or suspected concussion), you should undergo a thorough evaluation and neuro-cognitive test within 24 to 72 hours after the injury. Your doctor should develop a comprehensive management plan focused on returning you to action safely. It can be difficult to determine if the brain has healed from a concussion. Even after all symptoms have subsided, healing may not be complete. Follow-up neuro-cognitive testing can be a helpful tool in determining when you’re back at your baseline and can safely return to activity. Knowing the facts about concussions and taking the proper steps to treatment when you’re injured will get you back on the field faster. ✪ 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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the

Build brakes Increasing your throwing velocity actually starts with the muscles which slow down the arm and shoulder

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October 1, 2013

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arm/shoulder strength: justin dudley The decelerating muscles of your arm, the brakes for your arm, need to be the primary focus for all baseball players. Strengthening these vital decelerating muscles will protect your arm from injury as well as increase your throwing velocity. Yes, you heard that right. Strengthening the decelerating muscles will actually improve your ability to accelerate a baseball. That may sound crazy, but your body doesn’t want to hurt itself and will only allow you to accelerate your arm to the point where it can slow it down. The force created at the shoulder immediately following the release of the baseball (distraction force) has been measured up to 1.5 times the players body weight. So if you weigh 200 pounds, the decelerating force at your shoulder can be up to 300 pounds on every pitch. Multiply that by 100 pitches in a game and you can understand why the muscles on the back side of the shoulder are sore. Ron Wolforth has a great analogy for this: He says “it is like driving a Ferrari with no brakes.” How fast are you going to drive? Crossover Symmetry protocols target these essential decelerating muscles in a practical, structured and time efficient system that can be done right on the field. Crossover Symmetry protocols and throwing itself are great ways to strengthen the decelerating muscles for the arm, you just have to do it smart. Much like any activity, if you overdo it without being prepared, you are putting yourself at risk. For more velocity or questions on the shoulder call (303) 403 0126 or viist www.gocrossover.com. ✪ Justin Dudley is an in-house Physical Therapist for Crossover Symmetry, based in Denver.

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health watch: jamie faison

Coaches vital part of identifying injuries A key part of the sports medicine chain of care is the coaches who are working with the athletes every day. Coaches are working with the athletes for hours every day and are vitally important to help identify athletes who are limited in their athletic participation. Coaches are constantly observing, evaluating and assessing their athletes in regards to technique, speed of movement and awareness, and if the coach notices that an athlete is apprehensive or unable to give full effort then they should refer that athlete to be evaluated by an athletic trainer or another member of the sports medicine chain of care. Three athletic limitations a coach may observe during practice or games that may clue them into an injury or impairment are: limping on one leg, avoiding use of an injured arm, and an athlete with a headache. When I work the sidelines of a game, it is common to see an athlete trying to gut-out an injury or ailment on the field. But when working with a pediatric sports athlete it is best for the individual and the team to make sure they are healthy before they return to play. Running on with a limp will not help your team win, and it can also cause another injury due to compensation. Playing with a hurt shoulder or arm does not allow you to protect yourself on the playing field if you fall, and can have catastrophic consequences. A headache is another common occurrence in everyday life as well as athletics, and can be caused by a number of different reasons including but not limited to over-training, dehydration, poor nutrition, or lack of sleep. Every athlete with a headache needs to be evaluated before being allowed to continue playing. Since head injuries and concussions are a point of emphasis in the sports medicine community, we need to make sure that an athlete with a headache is checked out before heading back onto the playing field. In the end, coaches are at the front lines when it comes to identifying athletic injuries. Our goal when working with youth sports athletes is to build strong, healthy and happy children. By recognizing warning signs for injury, we can catch some of these injuries and allow them to get the proper treatment sooner rather than later. ✪ Jamie Faison is a physical therapist assistant at Children’s Hospital Sports Medicine Center for Young Athletes in Walnut Creek. He is also a certified athletic trainer who specializes in treating, rehabilitating and educating injured high school athletes.

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tristeps: liz elliott

Run into the offseason

actively

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October 1, 2013

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The offseason is important for any triathlete. A time to rest your body, and mind, to rejuvenate your love of movement and sport. During the triathlon season that is February through September, you need to focus on all aspects of triathlon — the swim, the bike, the run, transitions, speed work, racing. Ugh. All of this can be overloading, physically yes, but mostly mentally. Take advantage of the “off season” of triathlon. “Off Season” of triathlon is traditionally October through January, and you are not really “off”. 1. DO ACTIVITIES YOU ENJOY. Continue cross train through the fall and winter, but if you feel like going for a bike because the weather is super nice and you enjoy it most, then go for a bike. 2. BRANCH OUT. Try new events. Participate in events you wouldn’t normally do during triathlon season. 3. GET FRIENDS AND FAMILY INVOLVED. During the off season there is more time to go for a relaxed, leisurely run or ride with the kids, your wife or husband, or friends. They may become your new training partners come February. 4. FOCUS ON YOUR WEAKNESS. If swimming is your weak area, then join a swim class or take private lessons over the winter. There are lots of indoor facilities all over the Bay Area. And, this is California — the weather is nice year-round. 5. WORKOUT AT TIMES/PLACES YOU LIKE. If your tri club usually meets in evenings, but you prefer morning workouts, take advantage of the off season to workout in the mornings. 6. ENJOY FOODS YOU LIKE. Fall and winter have many wonderful family holidays. Enjoy! Change things up and have fun with your fitness over the fall and winter. You deserve it. Take some time to reset your love of movement and this great sport, and you’ll be raring to go come February. ✪ Liz Elliott was an All-American collegiate swimmer and is the head coach at Tri-Valley Triathlon Club.

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Put Those Guns

Welcome to Impulse, your one-stop shop for gadgets, gizmos and gear. Now with extra doo-dads. Compiled by Mike DeCicco, Impulse provides you with the latest and greatest in the market along with upcoming events. We try to keep you looking good. Not that you guys need it. I mean, you look great! Ok, enough schmoozing. On to Impulse:

to work hate If you’ve been reading Level Up (and we know you are) you probably have totally massive guns. Like mine. Put them to use with the Armpocket. It’s an unobtrusive, comfortable and functional solution for that age-old question: where do I put all this stuff? Your keys, phone, cash other small items fit right in. It’s water (and sweat ... eww) resistant and won’t slip. You’ve worked on those guns, now put them to work for you. www.armpocket.com

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chronicle the You may not have heard, but it seems the Giants and Dodgers don’t like each. I know, right? Mind. Blown. If you love all things with this iconic rivalry, you have to read Joe Konte’s ‘The Rivalry Heard ‘Round the World: The Dodgers-Giants Feud from Coast to Coast.’ Celebrate the best, worst and weirdest moments starting with the first game in 1889. 1889? To give you an idea of how long ago that was, Tommy Lasorda was still a rookie. Go to your local bookstore and get it. Books make you smart.

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Bye-Bye Fannypacks

kickin’ it for winter Weather ain’t no reason for stopping the game. The Diablo Valley Futsal Winter League is coming. Recreation leagues for ages U6-U12 (boys and girls, don’t you know) plus competitive teams for ages U-6 through high school. Also, since we adults know what we’re doing out there between the groin pulls and wrenched backs, there’s an Adult Open and Over 35 League. Games in Walnut Creek and Martinez. Sign up by Nov. 2. www.diablovallyefutsal.com or Ricardo@diablovalleyfutsal.com. Game time, y’all.

And not a moment too soon. Enter Bandi. It’s like a fannypack, but it’s got that one missing ingredient: Style. And here at Impulse, we’re all about style. And nachos. But mainly style. These sleek belts have a unique pocket that secures small essentials while you’re out exercising. It’s easy, it’s stylish. No awkward zippers or pockets. Go head, buy two. www.bandiwear.com

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All Out Sports League..........................................................................................................31 Army National Guard Recruiter..............................................................................................5 Back Forty Texas B B Q Roadhouse & Saloon........................................................................20 Bay Area Blast Volleyball Club.............................................................................................17 Big O Tires Northern California/ Nevada................................................................................2 Blaze Volleyball...................................................................................................................36 California Family Fitness......................................................................................................40 California Football Academy................................................................................................38 Championship Athletic Fundraising....................................................................................34 Cheergyms.Com..................................................................................................................19 Children’s Hospital And Research Center..............................................................................29 City Beach Sports Club........................................................................................................25 Club Sport...........................................................................................................................12 Club Sport Renaissance.......................................................................................................31 Community Youth Center....................................................................................................38 Core Volleyball Club.............................................................................................................36 Crowne Plaza......................................................................................................................38 Diablo Rock Gym.................................................................................................................35 Diablo Trophies & Awards....................................................................................................35 E J Sports Elite Baseball Services.........................................................................................36 Excellence In Sport Performance.........................................................................................28 Fit 2 The Core.......................................................................................................................30 Halo Headband...................................................................................................................38 Heavenly Greens.................................................................................................................40 Heritage Soccer Club...........................................................................................................37 Home Team Sports Photography.........................................................................................35 Image Imprint.....................................................................................................................28 Kangazoom.........................................................................................................................23 M L B Scout.........................................................................................................................37 Made In America / Made In Japan.......................................................................................21 Mountain Mike’s Pizza.........................................................................................................39 Muir Orthopaedic Specialists...............................................................................................32 National Scouting Report....................................................................................................37 Nor Cal All Sports Clinic.......................................................................................................24 Passthaball..........................................................................................................................38 Pro Hammer Bat..................................................................................................................20 Rocco’s Pizza..................................................................................................................23, 35 Sky High Sports...................................................................................................................35 Sport Clips...........................................................................................................................17 Sports Stars Magazine.........................................................................................................37 State Farm Jimmy Harrington Agent...................................................................................22 Stevens Creek Toyota...........................................................................................................21 Summit Orthopedic Specialists.............................................................................................3 Surewest Sports Radio Show...............................................................................................20 Sutter Delta.........................................................................................................................33 T D P Sports........................................................................................................................35 The First Tee Of Contra Costa................................................................................................38 The Golf Club At Roddy Ranch.............................................................................................30 U S Cryotherapy...................................................................................................................25 United States Youth Volleyball League................................................................................13 Velocity Sports Performance.........................................................................................35, 36

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