NorCal Issue 196, June 2021

JUNE 2021 NORCAL EDITION VOL. 12 ISSUE 196

Ella Colombini

Mia Colombini

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6.3.2015 Elk Grove senior Nick Madrigal dives into third base during the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship series. Madrigal of course graduated and starred for three years at Oregon State before being drafted No. 4 overall by the White Sox. He’s now the starting second baseman for the Chicago club, which entered June 4 leading the American League Central Division by three games over the Cleveland Indians.

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overing this three-month, all-sports season was a lot like playing in the rhythm section for Marvin Berry and The Starlighters while Marty McFly played Johnny B. Goode.

It was a lot of watching for the changes, and trying to keep up.

(That’s a Back To The Future reference. Great movie. Look it up, kids) There were a ton of unknowns back in February when outdoor sports first got clearance to participate. But there was optimism, and it felt so good to embrace it — even if it didn’t necessarily feel right.

Heritage High athletic director Nate Smith had a great quote to that effect in our March issue story about the expected crush of a season for all sports.

“You prepare for the best and brace yourself for the worst, and we have become mentally braced to handle bad news so now we have to prepare ourselves each day to handle good news,” Smith said.

This spring wasn’t without some hiccups, but there was indeed a lot more good news than bad.

And as we foreshadowed in that March story, the success of such a season was only going to be as good as the athletic directors and school administrators made it. A ton of flexibility was needed, but those officials passed their test with flying colors.

The payoff was joy.

There is just no substitute for seeing a scene like the one that unfolded on the Pittsburg High baseball field on March 28. The Pirates had only one thing to play for this season, a league title — and it just so happened they hadn’t won one since 1986. When the final out of a 9-2 BVAL Championship victory was made, the celebration was statetitle worthy.

We’ll remember so many other moments from the last three months: >> De La Salle-Concord hosting St. Mary’s-Stockton on spring football’s opening night. The Spartans won 35-27 and coach Justin Alumbaught was asked what he liked most from the win.

“That it was played at all.” >> Campolindo-Moraga football winning an emotional rivalry game in a week where lineman Elijah Klock lost his father. >> Seeing the excitement of BVAL girls golfers and East Bay Athletic League boys tennis players as they got to be the main attraction in the week before football started. >> Watching the delight and relief that was evident in the Senior Night ceremonies for both San Ramon ValleyDanville football and Camplindo girls soccer.

This spring brought personal joy for me too. Both my sons got to have a regular Little League season, thanks to East County Little League in Oakley. Furthermore, I was once again able to coach my oldest son, which led to seeing the pure excitement of a bunch of 10-year-olds just getting to be kids again.

I imagine several of Northern California’s high school coaches felt the same. It’s a pretty great thing to witness.

So hats off to all that were involved in making Northern California high school and youth sports happen again.

There were many of you, and your efforts mattered. ✪

YOUR TICKET TO CALIFORNIA SPORTS ADMIT ONE; RAIN OR SHINE This Vol. #12, June 2021, Whole No. 196 is published by GoSportzStars Media LLC, PO Box 741, Clayton, CA 94517. SportStars™© 2010-2014 by Caliente! Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. Receive FREE Digital Subscription in your inbox. Subscribe at SportStarsMag.com. To receive sample issues, please send $3 per copy, or $8 total for bulk. 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.

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mitchell ARCHBISHOP MITTY-SAN JOSE - BASKETBALL - SENIOR Mitchell dropped team-bests in both points (24) and assists (8) to lead the Monarchs to a 67-58 win over Archbishop Riordan in the West Catholic Athletic League Championship on May 28.

The Pepperdine-bound senior is looking to wrap up his stellar varsity career with a Central Coast Section Open Division title. Archbishop Mitty opened the eight-team, one-week tournament as the No. 1 seed. If the seeding holds, the Monarchs will meet Riordan once again in the CCS final

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O Story By Mike Wood Photos By Chace Bryson

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pponents of the Campolindo High girls soccer team are perplexed when they see double.

And it’s not just because juniors Ella and Mia Colombini are identical twins with considerable talent, enthusiasm and soccer proficiency.

The sisters, while having distinct personalities and interests outside of soccer, are close to mirror images in their energetic style of play. Both are midfielders. They have consecutive uniform numbers — Mia is No. 6 and Ella is 7. On the field, each is a blur with their ponytails flopping around as they remain in constant motion.

“They’re out there rocking the same ponytails and braids,” said their proud mother, Beth.

And they again were the Moraga school’s top two scorers as the Cougars made the best of their abbreviated season with a 10-0 undefeated Diablo Athletic League Foothill Division championship, beating Las Lomas-Walnut Creek 2-1 in the final week in a showdown for first place.

Cougars coach Luis Pinto has played, coached and studied soccer in various regions of the world, and has coached his share of twins. But it’s rare to see two at the same position and so similar in ability and style.

“The same position and at the same level? ... never,” Pinto said.

“They do well, they support each other very well. They are each other’s best support.”

It often leads to trouble for opposing teams, particular when it

June 2021

comes to Campolindo finding the net. Mia Colombini finished with eight goals and six assists, while Ella Colombini collected five goals and an assist. The sisters traded goals and assists to each other in the win over Las Lomas.

Pinto is wowed by the twins’ perfectly matched mind-set, honed from years playing and training together.

“They can find that blind pass, they are facing this way and (one sister) will pass and (the other) will show up.”

It comes from over a decade of playing together, starting at age 5. No matter what level, they have always played on the same team.

“We just went into soccer when we were really young and we just loved it ever since. We just stuck with it. It is our passion,” Mia Colombini said.

Before soccer, the twins were all about running — all over the place.

“They loved to run; they loved to move,” said their mother, Beth Colombini. “They would go run in the park so we had to go to a park where there were fences because they would just keep running.”

Though they ran CYO track in middle school and have swam since age 4, they always gravitated toward soccer.

Even when younger, they couldn’t fathom one playing without the other. Beth Colombini recalled a State Cup soccer event when the girls were 11. The morning of the game in Fresno, Ella got sick to her stomach and was not able to compete.

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“So she’s not going to play,” Beth said. “So I said, OK Mia, let’s get ready. And she said ‘I can’t go. … I have never played a game without my sister.’ She was so frightened and scared, but we got her out there, but she was missing her security blanket.”

The teammate bond is furthered on the California Magic traveling team based out of Orinda, where the girls are coached on the U18 East team by Haris Obic, the program’s founder and its director of coaching. Along with the Colombini sisters, there are several other Campolindo teammates with the Magic including Kendall Runckel, Sami Kolin, Audrey Le-Nguyen, Ainsley Murphy and Colette Toubba, Their team is also undefeated this year, another remarkable feat since this spring clubs have been playing in the same time frame as high school.

In club soccer, the synchronization continues. Mia wears jersey No. 3, corresponding to her three-letter name, and for the same reason, Ella is No. 4. Continuity is something they thrive on.

“We were coached by the same coaches so we play the same style and we have the same thoughts on the field. We kind of connect that way,” Ella Colombini said.

About the only way to tell them apart is their height. At 5-foot4, Mia is two inches taller than Ella. Unless, of course, you have the insight of their parents, Beth and Jeff.

“It’s an interesting dynamic being a mother of twins,” Beth Colombini said. “Mia was the more dominant twin, in control, and Ella was the kid who would go with the flow.”

As they have grown and matured, Ella crafted her own person-

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ality, and each has developed their own interpersonal boundaries and interests. “Ella loves to read and write English. Mia loves math and science,” their mother said.

Seeing their older sister Julia off to Chico State made the twins realize they want to go to the same college and, of course, play together. The twins turn 17 in June and have put their thoughts toward playing at the next level, making use of idle time during the pandemic to make highlight videos of themselves and attend the COPA Soccer Training Center in Walnut Creek.

When Campolindo workouts resumed under COVID-19 protocols, the added mystery created by mask-wearing confused Pinto at times, even though he had coached the girls for three seasons.

“When COVID started and we had to wear the masks during our individual practices, it was always I’d stare and try to figure it out. I’d look at them move or stand and think ‘OK, that is her,’” he said. “And lots of times I got it wrong.”

The Cougars did little wrong this spring during their shortened six-week season that didn’t begin until mid-April. As with many California high schools and sports, there had been doubts a season would take place.

For Campolindo, potential was there for a great season and perhaps a deep North Coast Section playoff run. No strangers to success with six NCS championships since 2002, the Cougars were finding success in Division II, returning to that division after back-to-back Division III finals appearances that included a

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Campolindo coach Luis Pinto stands amongst the Cougars’ seven seniors during Senior Night ceremonies prior to the team’s game against Las Lomas.

championship in 2017-18.

In their most recent full season (2019-2020), the Cougars finished 15-3-5, beating Benicia 2-0 in the first round of the NCS Division II playoffs before falling 1-0 to eventual section finalist Maria Carrillo-Santa Rosa. The Colombinis were the top scorers that season, as Mia had 11 goals and 7 assists and Ella collected 7 goals and 11 assists.

But the chance to build on that momentum never seemed to arrive. Pinto called the wait and eventual realization that any season would be short and void of playoffs “very bittersweet.”

“We did not have many answers until close to the first game,” Pinto said.

“We met with the captains and prioritized our seniors. Everyone got together, and if there was this small chance to celebrate the seniors and give them some type of season, we would do it.”

The decision created a final sendoff season for Jojo Flower, Siena DeCarlo, Julia Ortega, Siena Giordano, Lindsay Davis, Grace McCauley and Runckel.

With Ortega heading to Arizona State and Runckel to Davis, it marked the first time Campolindo had two girls headed to Division I schools.

“I’m very happy for them because they got a season. If I were a senior I would definitely want my last season,” Mia Colombini said. “This last year has been really good closure for them because we have been playing really well.”

Pinto said Campolindo being able to have a big turnout and also having a JV team while many other schools did not was a big morale boost.

“Us having a JV team plus having all of our returners come back was very special,” he said. “It created this culture where we play for each other and we support each other and there is all this positiveness. It’s great to watch.”

The season concluded in the final week of May, and the seniors graduated on May 28. But every ending comes with new opportunities: The Colombini twins and five other starters will be coming back next school year.

And that full season, back in the normal winter time frame with a chance to compete for an NCS championship, is closer than players realize.

“We talk about next season like it being next year,” Pinto said. “But next season is in six months.” ✪ 12

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Senior Michael Weber (center) is hugged by teammates Casey Threats III (2) and Matthew Quesada following the Pirates’ BVAL championship victory on May 28.

“I’ve never experienced anything quite like that. It was genuine.

It meant something to them.”

— Cliff Coleman, Pittsburg coach

P

ittsburg High senior Michael Weber saw the sharp ground ball come right off the bat. It looked the same as the countless number of grounders he’d taken off fungo bats over the past two years — as he and his Pittsburg baseball teammates would grind their way through endless workouts.

The ball skipped quickly across Pittsburg’s all-turf diamond and Weber nimbly took a path to cut it off. A large and mostlymasked crowd began to cheer before collectively holding its breath to find out if it could transition to full roar.

Weber corralled the ball cleanly and shoveled it to pitcher Matt Beaman covering the bag. The Bay Valley Athletic League baseball championship was over. Pittsburg had defeated Freedom-Oakley 9-2.

Crowd roars. Players pile. Tears flow.

For the first time in 35 years, the Pirates were league champions. For Weber and the 10 other seniors on the roster, it was the completion of a commitment to each other and the fulfillment of a belief that Pittsburg could be a championship baseball program.

“It’s hard to even put into words,” Weber said following close to 15 minutes of hugs and photos. “We put countless hours into this. From the jump, when we got the ‘GO’ for this season, we envisioned No. 1 from the start. We came here every day to put the time in, and we just had each other’s backs.”

Cliff Coleman has been to more than a few high school baseball mountain tops over the past 15 years. In 2008, he coached College Park-Pleasant Hill to a North Coast Section 3A East Bay championship — as the No. 15 seed in a 16-team field. He then won multiple NCS Division I titles as a member of the De La Salle coaching staff before joining Marco Cartagena’s staff at Pittsburg in 2018.

The championship victory on May 28 hit differently.

“Out of all the years I’ve been coaching, it’s probably the most satisfying run,” Coleman said a few days removed from the victory. “I had been with a lot of these guys since middle school

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and seen them grow up and where they came from.

“I’ve never experienced anything quite like that. It was genuine. It meant something to them.”

Coleman is a teacher at Hillview Middle School in Pittsburg. That’s where he first met Weber.

“If it weren’t for Michael Weber, I’m not at Pitt,” the coach said matter-of-factly.

A little more than six years ago, Weber was part of Coleman’s study skills class at Hillview.

After learning of Coleman’s love and knowledge of baseball, he invited his teacher to come out and watch one of his youth games.

“Michael and another kid saw me show up to the game and immediately left the field, in the middle of an inning, and came to give me a hug,” Coleman says with a laugh. “The umpire wasn’t too happy with me, but that’s how excited they were to see someone show interest.”

The following Monday, Weber came into class and asked Coleman a question.

“He said, ‘I suck, don’t I? I said ‘You don’t suck.’ And then he asked if I’d work with him, so I said ‘Come by my portable at lunch.’”

That was the start of a Hillview baseball lunch crew that ended up nearly 50 kids strong.

Thirteen of them were on the Pittsburg championship roster.

When Weber and some of his lunch crew were freshmen, Coleman came out to watch a Pittsburg workout. That’s when Cartagena — who was an assistant for Coleman on the 2008 College Park staff — talked him into joining the staff.

This was Cartagena’s eighth year running the Pirates baseball program. Soaked with Gatorade and emotionally taxed, he talked about the transformation that led to the school’s first title since 1986.

“We started from Day 1 here,” he said. “I’ve got to give thanks to my coaching staff. We’re 100 percent committed. Since (Coleman) has gotten here, we’ve really changed the culture. It’s a mentality of getting the right guys and showing them how to play the game the right way.”

In 2018, that first year with Coleman on staff, Pittsburg went 15-9. The following season, the team went young and brought up a number of sophomores — which included Weber, Trevor Munson and others who would be key seniors in 2021. After that group went 11-13, Cartagena entered the summer team into a highly competitive tournament at Buchanan High in Clovis.

It went as expected.

“We played four games and couldn’t get past the fourth inning in any of them,” Cartagena said.

As the team wrapped up after its fourth loss, the coaching staff told the team summer workouts start on campus the next morning.

“Every single player showed up,” Cartagena said. “That’s when we thought the culture had really changed. Guys wanted it.”

Munson, who batted leadoff and played shortstop and pitcher this past season, remembers that crossroads.

“We got humbled real quick in Fresno,” he said. “But we bought in. There were a lot of weeks with no days off. When nobody else wants to work, you gotta get out there. And we were out there.”

That was especially true during quarantine and various COVID-related shutdowns. The seniors put together secret workouts on their own and stayed on top of the younger players. If there was going to be a season, the senior class was going to be sure Pittsburg was ready.

The state cleared the way for outdoor sports in late February. By that time, the North Coast Section had already cancelled all postseason play. And with many early restrictions in place, the Bay Valley Athletic League simply built schedules that included only its six schools: Pittsburg, Freedom, Liberty-Brentwood, Heritage-Brentwood, Antioch and Deer Valley-Antioch.

The baseball schedule consisted of one pre-season game between each team, and then a triple round-robin league schedule. That would be followed by a one-week league championship tournament.

The Pirates learned their hard work was paying off early when they lost to Heritage in the third game of the season, during the nonleague part of the schedule.

“It was a 2-1 loss to a Heritage team that had been beating us 16-4, 12-2 in previous years,” Weber said. “I knew once it was only a 2-1 loss, that once we cleaned some things up it was over.

It was only going to be us on the top.”

Pittsburg won two of its three league meetings against the Patriots, which eventually led to them getting the top seed in the BVAL tournament after both teams finished with 12-3 league records.

The league designated both teams co-champions, which didn’t sit great with the Pirates. And they certainly didn’t need more motivation. But then Freedom upset Heritage in the semifinals, and the stage for Pittsburg’s victory lap was set.

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a 2-1 lead in the top of the third. Nobody panicked.

“It’s a ball game; it’s baseball,” Munson said. “There’s a lot of ups and downs, but if we play our game then nobody is beating us.”

Starting pitcher James Murray, a senior who transferred from San Ramon Valley-Danville before last season, helped himself with a game-tying RBI single in the bottom of the third.

“I think I jumped on the first pitch, and once I got that run I felt like I was right back in it,” Murray said.

Murray allowed one hit over the next three innings to keep Freedom quiet while Pittsburg’s bats went to work. The Pirates scored four in the fourth and three more in the fifth. Seven different players had at least one RBI. Jaiden Louangrath had two.

Afterward, Cartagena had a moment to just stand back and watch all the hugs and photos taking place between players.

“It’s easy now when I can look back and say they did it all,” he said. “But they did all the work.

We asked them to do it, and they did.” ✪

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A

ll coaches are different, and while philosophical differences some times come into play, parental concerns around coaching start at the most basic level: Is my child safe in his or her care?

It’s a question the USA Volleyball and the NCVA take very seriously.

General info about NCVA’s background checks usually amount to this line from the USAV Parent Guide: “Every adult over the age of 18 working with USAV juniors has a comprehensive background check performed biannually.” But what information — social security verification, address search, county courthouse and/or statewide search, national database and sex offender registry search — disqualifies a potential coach?

The following automatic disqualifiers are listed in the USAV Screening Policy: All sex offenses and homicides, regardless of time limit; felony violence and felony drug offenses in the past 10 years; any misdemeanor violence offenses in the past seven years; any multiple misdemeanor drug and alcohol offenses within the past seven years; or any other crimes (not listed) against children in the past seven years. Furthermore, individuals found to have pending court cases for any disqualifying offenses will be disqualified. If the disposition of the pending case does not meet the criteria for disqualification as listed above, the individual would be cleared and reinstated.

But how are crimes collected? Are these background checks effective to filter out people unfit to work with minors? Who performs these

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background checks for NCVA? The answer is Southeast Security Consultants, Inc. SSCI’s motto is ‘Information is protection.’

Committed to finding the best methods for accurate and complete data, they also seek the cost of its absence. SSCI found in a 2016 case study by Randy Rodebaugh found other companies offer national database-only searches to screen applicants as a cost-cutter for volunteer-driven organizations. As a result, 23 of the 56 individuals disqualified by SCCI throughout the 2015-16 screening period would have slipped through the cracks using only a database search. Pending cases will not appear on a national database, another reason courthouse investigations are imperative.

“We choose SSCI for their comprehensive background checks that include local and statewide search,” NCVA CEO Donna Donaghy said. “We feel it is imperative to use the best services out there as the first line of defense to minimize safety risks for our players and community.”

Unfortunately, some offenders may not have a criminal record, breaching this defense; so it is the community’s responsibility to help ensure the safety of players. In addition to background checks, USA Volleyball’s SafeSport program is a collection of specific policies, training, supervision and grassroots feedback to help ensure the community identifies and reports abuse. SafeSport also helps coaches be self-aware to not commit misconduct, clearly defining standards for them to conduct themselves.

SafeSport policies define sexual, physical and emotional misconduct; bullying, threats, harassment and hazing to provide a comprehensive picture of abuse, and how to identify as well as report it.

USA Volleyball provides training on these issues.

“It is important to be able to coach the game and recognize issues on the court, but it is equally important for coaches to address situations off the court,” Aftershock Volleyball Club Director Craig Hardesty said. “SafeSport training allows them to do that properly.”

Additionally, the SafeSport Handbook has two proactive policies to reduce risk of abuse: The Social Media and Electronic Communications Policy and Travel Policy. If a club does not develop its own policy, these policies become their default.

For example, the Communications Policy limits all electronic correspondence topics between adults and minors to team activities, and all content must be readily available to the public, ensuring transparency. Plus, minors must copy or include their parents in all electronic correspondence. This multifaceted approach ensures coaches and the community actively create an environment that deeply minimizes abuse and maintains professionalism.

We owe our children a life free of violence; together, it is possible through active diligence. ✪ — Kim Lampi for NCVA

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Eric Almarinez, left, and Ethan Birch 20

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E

than Birch smiles too much.

He jokes, laughs and grins like the world was created just to give him a never-ending line of highfives.

The Vacaville junior wrestler and son of head coach Clint Birch acts like he hasn’t had three consecutive CIF postseasons stymied, and he acts like his life wasn’t nearly snatched from him in the northbound lane of Highway 99 last year.

“We were on our way home from state duals and were hit by a drunk driver going 85 miles per hour,” Ethan said.

“The car hit the center divide and spun across to the other side.”

The collision happened inches from Ethan’s backseat spot in his mom’s Ford Edge. The impact caved in the body of the SUV, mangling and crumpling nearly all of the back right side.

Ethan, his mom and some friends all survived the crash, but it fractured Birch’s neck, ending a 2020 postseason that had him ranked No. 11 in the state by the California Wrestling Newsletter.

Ethan was angling toward a CIF podium chase to redeem his 2019 postseason, when a painful leg injury forced him to forfeit from the Sac-Joaquin Section Master’s consolation semifinals. He qualified for state that year, but lost two close decisions while still ailing.

This year Ethan was favored to surely earn CIF hardware after a dogged recovery from his fractured neck, but the CIF cancelled the wrestling postseason to protect students and families from COVID-19.

It’s yet another reason not to smile, but Ethan refuses to look at it that way. The brush with death has changed things. “Every time something gets hard and I want to stop, I know I have the ability to keep going,” Ethan explained. “I know there was a moment in time where I might never have strapped shoes on again.”

Even training is different now.

“I used to go to practice to go to practice, but now I push harder, really in everything,” Ethan said. “This could be taken away at any time.”

Resilience seems like a program-wide philosophy for Vacaville.

The winningest program in SJS history has more Masters team championships (20) than any two teams combined. This year’s squad, laden with junior talent, was surely favored to bring home banner No. 21 before the postseason got tech-falled by COVID. But of course, they just don’t quit in Vacaville.

With a collegiate-style postseason thwarted, Vacaville coaches shifted the program focus to a new goal, the USA Wrestling 2021 Juniors & 16U Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota from July 16-23. This freestyle and Greco-Roman

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spectacle is essentially the offseason Super Bowl for prep wrestlers.

“It is hands-down the most amazing high school wrestling tournament in the United States,” Coach Birch said.

“It’s the biggest, the best, and it’s almost sensory overload with how good the wrestling is in Fargo.”

You need more than a stolen sedan from Jerry Lundegaard (don’tcha know) to make it to “Fargo.”

To qualify, wrestlers must be a returning Fargo All-American, or earn a high placement from a notable tournament — like the cancelled CIF Championships.

So without a pipeline to Fargo, Vacaville took a look at qualifying tournaments on the U.S. map. Coaches circled North Logan, Utah (population 10,711), the site of the 2021 Western Regional Championships at the George S. Eccles Ice Center on May 14 and 15.

“We knew we had this one shot to get kids without street cred on the Fargo team,” Coach Birch explained. “So we packed kids in cars, on flights and brought 19 kids to Western Regionals.

“This is a tournament that most teams send just a couple kids to, but we rolled in with 19, and it says a lot about our community, our parents and our school.”

In freestyle, California wrestlers collected 1,523 tournament points to lead all 14 participating states. Of the 807 wrestlers competing in brackets, Ethan was No. 4 in tournament points (27). He won two matches by 10-point tech, including a surprising 17-6 shellacking of Bakersfield’s Cade Lucio. Lucio is a three-time CIF top-12 finisher committed to CSU, Bakersfield. In the finals, Ethan pinned two-time Idaho State Champion Kyle Richardson.

Ethan credits success like that to creative rolling scrambles with teammates like Eric Almarinez.

“We are pretty scrappy and we get after it,” Ethan said. “Kids have different styles and some are funkier than others, or they do more hand fighting, but you just have to keep moving, doing whatever you want, sticking a leg over and rolling/flipping or going out the back door.

“It’s a flow, and you have to keep going, You have to be like water.”

It helps when the whole room is filled with high-level grapplers.

Vacaville qualified 10 wrestlers to Fargo after earning 15 top-four medals at Western Regionals. Ethan was first (freestyle) and second (Greco) at 152 while Almarinez was first (Greco) and second (freestyle).

The Fargo qualifications matter. Californians who qualify are on the California Fargo team, and train with other qualifiers, sometimes compete in dual meets with other states, and learn from prep and college coaches who hone their skills.

Coach Birch is a Team California coach this year. Last year, Cal Baptist assistant coach Derek Moore was on the staff. His exposure to Kainoa Medina, a Fargo qualifier, helped Medina earn a scholarship to Cal Baptist.

Kainoa Medina

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June 2021

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“Being on a national team is a process to get the kids to where they need to be,” Coach Birch said. “Fargo is extremely tough, and not everyone is going to win a lot, but it’s a great experience on a huge stage, and maybe the state tournament doesn’t feel so big next year.”

In his Greco bracket at Western Regionals, Almarinez beat returning Fargo champion and Arizona State University commit Ramon Ramos. It was Ramos’ first loss in over a year. To earn it, Almarinez had to survive four early “pushout” points, hoist Ramos for an incredible four-point throw, and then charge Ramos, knocking him to his back in the final seconds.

“I knew he was pretty good, but I didn’t care,” Almarinez said. “I knew I had to score a lot of points so I hit a big duck-under and throw to stay in it and I just kind of ran at him with everything I had at the end.”

Other Fargo qualifiers from Western Regionals include Medina (113 - first Greco, third freestyle), Miles Sweany (220 - second freestyle, second Greco), Arjun Nagra (160 - third Greco, fourth freestyle), Logan Valledor (120 - second Greco), Tyler Riley (113 - second Greco), Logan Kuehl (195 - second Greco) and Jai Guerra (220 - third Greco).

“This is a special group of wrestlers that have been going at it all year, going to national tournaments,” Almarinez said. “We show people who we are.

“It’s no surprise to us.”

Ethan made a point to recognize the people who have made wrestling success during COVID a possibility.

“I have to to give a shout out to Coach Birch, Coach Orozco, Coach Delgado, Coach Guerra, Coach Keisler, Coach Marino, Coach Aquino and the man, Coach Valledor.

“Those guys changed my life because of wrestling,” Almarinez added.

It helps when you wrestle like it could all be taken away at any time. It’s the Vacaville style. ✪

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SportStars™

June 2021

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