NorCal Issue 226, Dec. 2023

VOL. 14 ISSUE 226 NORCAL EDITION DECEMBER 2023

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Pressing Rewind On 2023

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s the 2023 calendar year comes to a close, we wanted to offer up an issue that featured some of our greatest hits from the last 12 months.

So we went to work combing through our past 10 issues and came up with three features we were particularly fond of. Each of them showcase the type of journalism that we wish we could do more often at SportStars. There’s a package of vignettes, and a pair of features on subjects that we spent an entire day or night with.

The first one starts on Page 8 and is our series of five vignette stories from the SacJoaquin Section Masters Wrestling Championships last February. Freelance writer Ike Dodwon delivered five unique storylines from the afternoon and offered up strong photos to go with it. And our designer Mike DeCicco came up with a pretty cool opening spread as well.

Our second favorite story from this year was written by yours truly after spending a good part of my morning and afternoon observing, photographing and interviewing Carondelet-Concord swim phenom Bailey Hartman. A few days later, I came back with the story you see on Page 14 and felt quite good about it. It eventually became the cover feature for our May issue.

Finally, the last piece we selected starts on Page 18 and it too is an out-of-the-box piece that involved Ben Enos riding the Pittsburg High football bus on a road trip to play Granite Bay. He came back with a ton of interview content, photos and more.

When he finally sifted through it all, we were left with a strong portrait of a program adapting to a new coach. It ran in our September issue.

There are also a few other items we included from 2023. The “Vault View” feature on the very next page includes a picture from the SJS championship football championship. We also inserted our write-up on the 2022-23 Bay Area 75 #1, McKenna Woliczko.

So if you missed any of these the first time they came around, we hope you enjoy a second chance at reading them. And if you did see them the first time, thanks for being a loyal reader throughout 2023. We can’t thank you enough. Enjoy your holidays. ✪

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YOUR TICKET TO CALIFORNIA SPORTS ADMIT ONE; RAIN OR SHINE This Vol. #14, December 2023, Whole No. 226 is published by GoSportzStars Media LLC, PO Box 1156 Lake Oswego, OR. SportStars™© 2010-2023 by GoSportzStars LLC. All rights reserved. Receive FREE Digital Subscription in your inbox. Subscribe at SportStarsMag.com.

Reproduction in whole or in part without permission of the 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. All material should be typed, double-spaced and e-mailed to editor@sportstarsmag. com. SportStars™© and STARS!™© Clinics, Know and GO Podcast ™, SportStories Podcast™, and 7 Friday Nights Podcast™, are trademarks of GoSportzStars Media LLC.

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11.24.23 OK, we’re only going back a month on this one, but we’re celebrating 2023 and this shot of an airborne Conner Campbell and his Casa Roble-Orangevale teammates celebrating the final horn of their one-point Sac-Joaquin Section championship victory was too good to leave out.

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December 2023

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SEASON’S

GREETINGS With The Turn Of The Calendar, The NCVA Schedule Jumps Fully Into Its Girls Season With A Busy Tournament Schedule

The Winter Wonderland of girls club volleyball is about to hit full swing inside the Northern California Volleyball Association.

The first big girls tournament event of the 2023-24 seasons will be a three-day affair in San Jose and San Mateo from January 13-15. It’s the 30th Anniversary edition of The California Kickoff Tournament.

The Kickoff will feature 15 different divisions serving age groups from 11U-18U. There will be 11U, 13U and 16U divisions at the San Mateo Events Center while the rest will take place at the San Jose Convention Center.

As the season’s first big competition for all the age groups, the Kickoff also serves as the primary results that lead to the seeding of the NCVA Power League qualifiers. Those qualifiers take place during the final weeks of January and into February.

Meanwhile, Championship Combines will also be running a recruiting combine at The California Kickoff.

The skills based combine is open to any high schoolaged player, not just those whose clubs are entered in the tournament. Details on the combine and the rest of The California Kickoff can be found at ncva.com/ kickoff.

One month after the Kickoff wraps up, the NCVA will be back at it again with the girls’ President’s Day Tournament. Another three-day event from Feb. 17-19, the matches will take place in San Mateo and @The Grounds in Roseville. The tournament will also include divisions for 11U through 18U and feature a Championship Combine as well.

As the spring arrives, March will include Power League play as well as a multitude of tournaments, including the March Madness tournament (March 9-10), Golden State Classic (March 16-17), the Sierra 18’s National Qualifier (March 16-18) and Spring Fling (March 23-24).

For more information about all of the NCVA’s upcoming schedules, please visit ncva.com.

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Six Stories From Two Days Of Sac-Joaquin Masters Wrestling Championships Story & Photos by Ike Dodson

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Fierce battles in the “blood round” of Saturday’s SacJoaquin Masters Wrestling Championships for boys and girls determined the 168 wrestlers who will represent the section at the CIF Championships Tournament Feb. 23-25 at Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield.

Proficiency across the brackets also crowned new team champions, as Oakdale boys and Pitman-Turlock girls escaped with freshly crafted blue banners.

With 224 positions available atop the section’s medal podiums, and 172 teams scoring points across all 28 brackets, we took a close look at the best stories from a thrilling two-day spectacle at the Stockton Arena.

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Oakdale’s Eziequel Vela looks for a takedown of his opponent.

BELOW: The Mustangs’ Carlos Garcia points at the camera after winning his final.

OAKDALE TAKES THE REINS Oakdale halted Vacaville’s five-year streak of Masters titles by scoring 273.5 team points with its 14 qualifiers. A Vacaville banner would have been historic, since Turlock holds the section record for consecutive team championships at six.

It’s something Oakdale knew was on the line.

“We were talking earlier, how if Vacaville could have won this year, they would have been tied for the most Masters championships in a row,” Oakdale’s 120-pound Masters champion Eziequel Vela said. “It felt good to put a stop to that.”

Oakdale had 10 Masters medalists, all of them state qualifiers. The squad’s 5-1 showing in the consolation semifinals (determines who wrestles for third or fifth) made the team title definitively out of reach for anyone else.

“I thought we had a lot of guys wrestle hard,” Oakdale coach Steve Strange said.

“All year long we have been talking about winning Masters, and everybody knows what’s on the line. They also seed the state tournament, so if you don’t come back for third or fourth, it matters. So everybody was in it for the team race and looking at the big picture at state.”

Vela, ranked No. 14 in California by The California Wrestling Newsletter, won his bracket by beating CA No. 13, Micah Viloria of West-Tracy, via third-round pin.

“I was pretty confident and focused going in,” Vela said. “Toward that third (round), I felt he was tired, and I knew I had to keep in-bounds and finish it to help the team win. It feels amazing just being a part of this.”

Carlos Garcia (CA No. 6) also won the 170-pound SJS title by edging out Pitman’s Mason Ontiveros (CA No. 9) in a 5-3 decision.

Elias Corona (CA No. 8) also won the 195 championship by beating No. 9 Kainoa Acia of Del Oro-Loomis in a 5-1 finale.

The Mustang bus to state will also include Emilio Johnson (third at 220), Wes Burford (fourth at 182), Payne Perkins (third at 160), Brodie Johnson (third at 152), Colton Silva (second at 145), Jesse Meza (fourth at 126) and Ezekiel Hernandez (fifth at 106).

Meza (disqualified after a slam) and Emilio Johnson (drew SJS champion Nolan Frank of Elk Grove) both dropped their second match, but won five straight consolation brackets to make the bronze-medal match.

Oakdale was notably without former Masters champion Johnathon Hernandez, who was injured a month earlier. The Mustangs also had a tough draw for 113-pound senior Logan Thomas (CA No. 24), who was upset in the championship bracket and ran into CA No. 23 Kekoa Ogawa (Central Catholic-Modesto) in consolation. Neither wrestler made state, while No. 17 Octavia Negrete (Elk Grove) won the weight against No. 25 Elias Rivera of Folsom in the 113 finals.

Sutter’s Carter DeLaCerna became the program’s first ever wrestler to make state from the SJS. The Huskies came from the Northern Section to join the SJS this year. They finished first in Div. V and 11th at Masters.

Vacaville still leads all SJS teams with 21 Masters titles. Oakdale now has three, after finishing runner-up to Vacaville in each of the last three seasons.

Vacaville still led all teams with 11 medal winners. Eight of them qualified to state, including Thomas Sandoval (CA No. 4), who won the 182-pound bracket by taking a 12-4 win over Scott Beadles of Calaveras-San Andreas.

Vacaville is No. 16 in California team rankings, while Oakdale is listed 10th.

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PITMAN’S FAB FOUR Sometimes, all it takes is four.

The Pitman girls scored the most team points at Masters (112) in six years and edged out Del Oro by 6.5 points to claim the program’s first ever SJS team title.

They did it with only four Masters qualifiers, but all four made the finals and three of them won.

“We are the hardest working team in California,” 137-pound SJS Champion Alana Ontiveros said. “We push ourselves until we break, and even when we are broken, we still go.”

Ontiveros effectively won the SJS title for Pitman by securing a pin in the fourth consecAlana Ontiveros utive finals match featuring a Pride wrestler.

She did it in remarkable style, heaving returning state placer Gianna Dibenedetto of Bella Vista-Fair Oaks onto her back in the first few seconds of the match. She squeezed Dibenedetto’s shoulder blades firmly against the mat for a 26-second pin. It was the fastest finals pin in both the girls and boys brackets.

“That wasn’t the plan, but I just felt it and I went for it,” Ontiveros said. “I trusted my training and what my coaches taught me, and trusted myself to just do it.”

Ontiveros is committed to Menlo College and is aiming for a state title after her thirdplace finish last year.

She will be joined at state by fellow section champions Lilly Avalos and Baya Austin, and SJS runner-up Gabryella Austin. Avalos pinned Isabelle Camarillo of Laguna Creek-Elk Grove to win the 121 title while Baya upended Loretta Lopez of Elk Grove 8-1 at 126. Gabryella appeared primed to join the first-place party, but she allowed late points to award Cesar Chavez-Stockton senior Taydem Khamjoi the championship at 131. Khamjoi was fourth at state last year, and they could meet again in Bakersfield.

Pitman boys will also send Alejandro Talamante (fourth at 138), Elyjja Austin (fifth at 152), Carter Vannest (fourth at 160), Mason Ontiveros (second at 170) and Achilles Clark (second at 220) for coach Adam Vasconcellos.

DEL ORO PROVES PROWESS If a collective teams’ championship was a thing, Del Oro boys and girls would have edged out Oakdale by exactly one point.

The girls finished second (105.5) and boys third (169) after qualifying 19 total wrestlers to Masters and another 11 to state.

“I think both of us getting to where we are now has a lot to do with our youth programs, like the USA Gold team and the extra work we put in outside of the season,” four-time Collegiate National Championship place-winner and Del Oro girls coach Angela Vyborny said. “I think as girls wrestling grows, this will be more common.”

The lowest weights were coincidentally both won by Del Oro freshmen. Kaiya Maggini beat Jazmine Turner of DavisModesto 9-4 to win the 101 girls title, while CA No. 5 Siraj Sidhu edged out No. 20 Elijah Valencia of Merced 3-0 in the boys 106 final.

The Golden Eagles tied Oakdale with three individual champions.

Del Oro girls were in the title hunt throughout, thanks to five state qualifiers. Ashlynn Hemm was fourth at 106, while Cali Boehrer (fourth at 121), Ally Cortez (fourth at 126) and Leilani Igarashi (second at 143) all earned trips to Bakersfield.

Jagger French Vyborny attended the CIF seeding meeting Sunday, and said Maggini will be the No. 3 seed at state.

“I think it’s going to be a good experience for all of them,” Vyborny said. “It’s the first time we have qualified nine to Masters, and we are only losing (Cortez to graduation).”

Del Oro boys will graduate three of five state qualifiers and six of 10 who made Masters.

The squad finished 45 points better than fourth-place Pitman.

CA No. 17 Jagger French, a junior, should return after he followed last year’s runner-up SJS finish by winning it all this year.

He beat No. 19 Roberto Lopez of West with a last-second takedown in the 132-pound title match and let loose probably the most animated celebration of the tournament. He was the third Del Oro winner, after CA No. 19 Isaac Herrera upset CA No. 10 Victor-Alexander Gutierrez (Central Catholic) 7-4 at 126 pounds.

Logan Banks (sixth, 138), Chino Igarashi (sixth, 145) and Kainoa Acia (second, 195) also made state.

“The team wrestled really well today,” Del Oro boys coach Clint Madden said. “These guys have worked extremely hard this year and it is showing. I felt like we were aggressive and kept working to score from all positions. We are excited to be taking six athletes to the state championships next week.”

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Larry Borelli

BORELLI BROTHERS DOUBLE UP One of the section’s breakout stars was undoubtedly Los Banos sophomore Brokton Borelli, who landed two significant upsets on his path to a section title at 152 pounds in his first prep season.

He wasn’t alone. His junior brother, Larry Borelli, took the 160 title. Both should be seeded at state.

“It’s going to be chaos,” Larry said. “We are going to be in the same hotel room with a couple of other guys, and that’s going to be fun.”

The brothers bring the fun. When they weren’t milling about Stockton Arena with jokes and grins, they were cruising to 10 collective wins.

Brokton, CA No. 20, beat Brodie Johnson of Oakdale (CA No. 10) 7-2 in a one-sided semifinal. The win earned him a finals meeting with CA No. 8 Arjun Nargra (Vacaville), who was 3-2 at state last year. That match was pushed into a sudden victory round, where a Brokton takedown secured a 6-4 victory.

“My goal is trying to be good all around and in those little in-between spots when scrambling,” Brokton said. “People stop wrestling in-between moves and that’s when I am trying to be best.”

It was a remarkable finish for a wrestler who missed the 2022 prep season while he was homeschooled.

“I didn’t really know what to expect from this,” Brokton said. “I 12

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just had to believe in myself and all the wrestling that I do, trust the conditioning and coaching and I have to thank my brother for helping train me.”

The Borelli brothers found wrestling thanks to a chance off-themat friendship with Gilroy brothers Isaiah and Elijah Cortez, both ranked No. 1 in the state at 120 and 126 pounds, respectively for Gilroy.

“They told us we should go into the gym and try it out and we were like, ‘sure,’ and here we are now,” Larry said. “They just got us into it.”

Larry, CA No. 10, used late back points to lock up a 9-5 win over CA No. 12 Shaiden Carr of Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills in his 160-pound title match.

“I like trying to work on as many different things as I can, so if something doesn’t work I can go to something else,” Larry said.

The two will be joined by Raymond Fernandez at state, who was third at 170. Kiara Daniels was third at the same weight in the girls brackets, and will move on as well.

Larry said he expects the program’s collective success to motivate other athletes at Los Banos to seek opportunities on the mat.

“If I was to play football or baseball, we would just probably stay local,” Larry said. “With wrestling, I have been able to go all over the place, and I think now that people are seeing us go to Bakersfield, they are going to want to push harder to get there too.”

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TURNER’S COMEBACK Davis wrestling standout Avangeline Turner, the sister of NAIA National No. 6-ranked Adrienna Turner (Grand Valley State), is finally blazing her own postseason path.

She was administratively removed from the 2022 postseason after reacting to a violent smack to her head with an instinctive return volley during the SJS Northern Regional, but will make her first trek to Bakersfield after placing second at Masters.

“My goal for next week is definitely placing,” Avangeline said. “I am confident that I can.”

Turner (and her sister) were members of the California National Team at the 2021 Marine Corps Juniors and 16 Nationals in Fargo, N.D., where Avangeline was third (Cadets).

She was expected to challenge for a state medal last year, until a match with Orland turned violent, ending with a postmatch tackle by Orland in a bout that Avangeline had won.

The section ruled both wrestlers ineligible for the remainder of the season.

“It just really brought me to the realization that I need to do me, and do what I need to do and not feed into how other people are trying to put me down,” Avangeline said. “It means so much to me to finally come to the big arena after the way it ended last year.

“I just have to keep my cool and wrestle my match. I’m definitely taking a step forward.”

Avangeline, a junior, has considered trying to join her sister at Grand Valley, but said she will make that decision next year after consulting with her parents.

LEILUA SHINES FOR EL CAMINO El Camino senior Frank Leilua became El Camino-Sacramento’s first state qualifier in 10 years.

The hulking footballer who picked up wrestling to improve his skills on the gridiron edged out Laguna Creek’s Declan Follette 2-1 in the 285-pound third-place match at Masters.

His steady improvement over the course of his final prep season is remarkable, including overcoming Del Campo-Fair Oaks’s Tai Taliaoa after three consecutive defeats (Leilua won at the league tournament) and avenging a prior loss to Follette in the bronze-medal match at Masters.

Leilua’s best performance of the year probably came in a loss. After reaching the SJS semifinals with a pin over CA No. 16 Jesus Gutierrez of Sutter, Leilua drew returning state runner-up Sam Hinojosa of Stagg-Stockton (CA No. 3).

He scored the first takedown of the match, earned back points in the second round and dropped a thrilling 5-4 decision to Hinojosa. He also deftly attacked the legs from the natural position (not common among heavyweights).

The third place finish is an impressive showing for a bracket that sported five of the top-16 ranked wrestlers in California. Leilua was ranked 15th, but should climb up state seeds after his performance.

“He just has God-given strength, is a hard worker and is so quiet, that half the time you don’t even know he’s in the room, even though he’s so big,” El Camino coach Allen Blomquist said. “I don’t even have anyone for him to spar with actually. He trains with our 220, but in four years of coaching him, we have never had a true heavyweight for him to drill or practice with.

“So he gets all his real experience from wrestling (matches).”

It’s the kind of setting that requires extra work. Leilua credits his success late in matches to post-practice trips to the gym with his father, Vai Leilua.

“It’s all about pushing yourself when you are tired,” Frank said. “I would also say the reason for my success is my mom (Tima Leilua), up there in the stands.”

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the west end of Stockton Arena. She saw her son win four of his five matches and a 10-0 major decision in the consolation semifinals to secure a seeding at state.

Frank said he hopes to wrestle and play football in college, the likely route for that path being Sierra College, unless his action at state garners more interest.

Given his rapid climb up the ladder at 285, anything is possible. ✪

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Bailey’s B Bailey Hartman Is The Latest National-Level Swimmer At Carondelet — But The First Since 2013 To Help Carry The Cougars To A Team Section Title

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“This is really a fun time to experience because this is a good team that we have here, and it’s a really good culture. And maybe try to break some records — you never know.”

— Bailey Hartman

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B

ailey Hartman sat comfortably in her fold-out camping chair posted squarely in the front corner of the Carondelet swimming tent.

Throughout the morning of May 5th at Concord Community Pool, as swimmers returned from their North Coast Section Championships qualifying heats, Hartman made a point of engaging every one. Nearly every interaction started with a smile and ended with a laugh.

This is a luxury for Hartman, one of the state’s topranked swimmers in the 2024 class.

Over the next six weeks she’ll be training and preparing to swim at the USA Swimming National Championships beginning June 27 in Indianapolis. That’s where she’ll swim in four events with the hope of making a national or junior national team.

But on this day, the junior who has already committed to NCAA defending-champion Virginia, is soaking up the team vibes in her last weekend swimming for the Cougars.

“Going into this weekend, my goal is just to have fun,” Hartman said. “This is really a fun time to experience because this is a good team that we have here, and it’s a really good culture.

And maybe try to break some records — you never know.”

No records fell during the prelims or finals, but the Carondelet team had an exceptional meet. Led by Hartman, of course.

Hartman took first in both the 100- and 500-yard freestyles, back-to-back events separated only by the boys 100 freestyle. Which may not have been her first choice, and likely wasn’t an optimal set-up for breaking any records in the 500 — an event in which she’s posted faster times than Chelsea Chenault’s 2012 mark of 4 minutes, 38.05 seconds. Hartman was always going to be team-first at NCS. “I told (Carondelet coach) Roque (Santos) to do whatever he feels the team needs,” she said.

It’s worth mentioning here that she finished just seven-tenths shy of setting the 100 freestyle record held by former Carondelet standout Madelyn Murphy. “We obviously want to win as a team, and he put me in the 100 and 500 because he thinks I can win both.”

And once she did, it set up the Cougars for the back half of the finals. Junior Madison O’Connell took second in the 100 backstroke and senior Stephanie Iannaccone did the same in the 100 breaststroke. Carondelet then sealed its first section championship since 2013 with a dominant win in the 400 freestyle relay.

Iannaccone swam the lead leg, followed by Claudia Dumais, Ellie Butler and Hartman on the anchor leg. They finished a little more than five seconds in front of second-place Monte Vista-Danville.

Hartman understands the history and tradition of swimming for Carondelet, which owns all but two of the NCS meet records for the 12 standard events. But for all those records and standout performances, there hadn’t been a team title in a decade. (There were no championships held in 2020 or 2021).

“Carondelet is such a good school to be a part of,” Hartman said. “We say it a lot. It’s like a sisterhood. And it really is. We really support each other and we’re all part of this big family. It’s really cool to be a part of something that big.”

Her dedication to the team dynamic doesn’t go unnoticed or unappreciated by teammates, either.

“Bailey Hartman is the most hard-working person and the best teammate that you’ll ever have in your entire life,” said Butler, a sophomore who took fifth in both the 200 freestyle and

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100 butterfly finals, and was part of the third-place 200 freestyle relay team in addition to the 400 relay champs.

“She’s not afraid to hold people accountable, and she makes sure that you’re always putting your best foot forward both in and out of the pool.”

Hartman’s swimming journey began as an 8-year old in an attempt to be like her older sister Zoie.

Remember how we mentioned that there are just two non-Carondelet NCS meet records? Zoie Hartman owns one of them. She set the 200 individual medley record as a senior for Monte Vista in 2019. She just recently wrapped an extremely successful career for the University of Georgia where she holds the school record for both the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke.

Both sisters joined the Crow Canyon Sharks around the same time. And both will be swimming events at Nationals late next month.

Sharks head coach and Aquatics Director Joe Natina joined the club around the same time as the Hartman sisters and actually coached all three siblings. Their brother Zach swam for Monte Vista and graduated in 2022.

“All of the siblings, what sets them apart is their work ethic and consistency,” Natina said.

“Bailey doesn’t blow away practice every day, but she executes the training sessions as prescribed every day. And when you do that over a long period of time, you get pretty good.”

She was more than good at the Speedo Winter Junior Championships West in Austin, Texas, last December. She finished fourth in a blazing fast 500-yard freestyle finals that saw all four top finishers post times that would’ve won the previous two NCAA championships for the event.

Hartman’s time was 4:33.72 (remember we noted Chenault’s NCS record was 4:38?). The top three spots were swept by three members of the Sandpipers of Nevada club. Bella Sims finished in 4:28.64, followed by Katie Grimes (4:29.53) and Claire Weinstein (4:33.03).

“That was definitely a shock,” Bailey said. “Honestly it was a shock in prelims to go 4:39. I was really not expecting that out of myself at all. I was just trying to race the Sandpipers who were seeded in the middle of the pool. … I wasn’t even mad about where I placed. I was really just proud of how I strove to finish the race well.”

Natina couldn’t believe it as he watched.

“I remember thinking she’s got to be falling off pace, because the other girls were pulling away,” the coach recalled. “I was just being blown away by the effort she was giving. ... I don’t know this for sure, but I think it’s got to be the fastest heat of 500 frees there’s ever been as far as depth goes. For all four of those girls to be under what won NCAA’s the last two years? I was like, ‘Wow’. That was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen in person, at least in terms of 500 free.

“I was proud of her effort, and I think she’s hungry to do more.”

Doing more will start with a Pro Series meet in Mission Viejo in mid-May, an event that will lead to her skipping the CIF State Championships in Clovis. Then she’ll gear up for Nationals at the end of June. She’ll be swimming in four events there, the 100- and 200-meter butterfly, and the 200 and 400 freestyles.

“With Bailey, it wasn’t a matter of IF she was going to break through, but WHEN,” Natina said. “I think she’s got a fairly decent chance at (making) the world juniors team. … She’s fired up.”

And she’ll dive into those goals as a now six-time (five race, one team) NCS champion. Even if the records have to wait. ✪ — Story & Photos by Chace Bryson

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On The Bus With Charlie Ramirez And The Pirates — SportStars Took A Nine-Plus Hour Road Trip With The Pittsburg High Football Team As It Takes Shape Under Its New Coach 20

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December 2023

S

ince being appointed head coach of the Pittsburg High football team over the summer, Charlie Ramirez has received his share of congratulations from friends, family, community members and fellow coaches.

But, on this particular Friday afternoon at around 3 p.m., that praise has decidedly faded into the background. Instead, he’s faced with one of the operational responsibilities that come along with helming one of California’s most prestigious and historic football programs.

He’s getting back on a bus.

Don’t feel too bad for the Pirates’ new leader. It’s a comfortable charter bus — the kind you book when you figure you might be sitting in traffic for a while.

As Ramirez settles into the first row for a Week 2 journey to take on perennial Sacramento-area power Granite Bay, he’s actually quite content. One week earlier, the Pirates took the familiar yellow school bus across the Bay Bridge to take on Sacred Heart Cathedral-San Francisco at historic Kezar Stadium.

So, this is a definite upgrade.

For the last 10 years, Ramirez has left team bus duty to longtime Pirates head coach Victor Galli, instead opting to chart his own route through traffic and meet the team at their chosen destination. Such is life for a high school football assistant coach.

“I told Victor last week, man if we were playing this game and I was defensive coordinator Charlie, I would for sure have gone to the Niners game the night before, stayed in a hotel and met you guys at Kezar,” Ramirez said. “And that’s OK. I know what comes with the territory. That’s one of the things I learned from Victor. How to manage this thing. Being there next to him, seeing what it looks like and seeing what it should look like, that’s what made this transition not feel like a burden, if you will.

“It’s fun. I like it, I welcome it, and I’m making it my own at the same time.”

Eschewing the bus is exactly what most of his current assistants have elected to do for the trip to Granite Bay. When the nearly three-hour trip finally comes to an end, those coaches are waiting to meet the Pirates.

The faces that are there to greet Ramirez and the team are familiar to longtime Pittsburg football followers. Most of the staff has remained in the transition, and even though Galli didn’t make this particular trip, he remains an invaluable resource as he continues to teach physical education at the school.

The former Pirates’ coach has even found a way to stay on the field, directing Pittsburg’s new girls flag football team as it gets off the ground.

“He’s been a big help. He had everything in place, and he’s been there to coach me up along the way from day one, not just last year,” Ramirez said. “He was kind of teaching me the ropes but that was more along the lines of in case I was ever going Always More To Read at SportStarsMag.com

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"That's one of the things I learned from (former coach Victor Galli). How to manage this thing.

Being there next to him, seeing what it looks like and seeing what it should look like, that's what made this transition not feel like a burden, if you will. It's fun. I like it, I welcome it, and I'm making it my own at the same time."

— Pittsburg coach Charlie Ramirez to be a head coach anywhere. This (year) has been more hands-on. It’s ‘now I’m really giving you the keys and really giving you the information.’ It’s been a huge help.”

ROOTED IN PITTSBURG Ramirez works as a Dean of Students at Pittsburg, an administrative role that tasks him with overseeing the building immediately adjacent to the football facility. Stroll through that football facility and it looks and feels largely the same, with a few subtle tweaks here and there.

If you pay close attention, you can find Ramirez among the framed player bios on the wall. A starting linebacker on the famed 1991 Pittsburg team that was the last North Coast Section squad to beat De La Salle-Concord, he went on to earn a host of all-region honors, and as a senior in 1993 was named as Most Inspirational, Most Dedicated, and Mr. Defense for the Pirates.

That history is important in a community that loves and supports its own unique version of Friday Night Lights.

“Before the year started, we went to the old weight room. There’s only two buildings left from back then,” said assistant head coach Isamu Falevai. “We went to the old weight room and Charlie was able to explain to our players where it started. They were able to see how small that area was. It was a locker room where so many greats came before them. A lot of them didn’t know that.”

As the team arrives at Granite Bay, Falevai is one of the coaches waiting. He is one of three former head coaches on Ramirez’s staff, having previously led the program at Fremont High in Oakland. Fellow assistant Robert Hubbard was at one time the head coach at nearby Deer Valley, and offensive coordinator Jimmy Shipe has served as a head coach at the junior varsity and freshman levels.

They are keys to Ramirez’s transition, both on the field and off.

“We had another staff meeting talking about that earlier this week. Delegating that work, if you will. They’ve done a great job,” Ramirez said. “The staff has done a fantastic job of picking up that part of it. We obviously reduced the number of coaches on the staff but these guys have all been here, they’re all Pittsburg guys, there are former head coaches, guys who have been coordinators. That was important to me because as I grow as a head coach, I have those reliable guys next to me who know how it works.”

Falevai is proud of his friend, but his is a pride that is rooted in more than just football. The two joined Galli on the Pittsburg varsity staff around the same time, with Falevai moving to Pittsburg and Ramirez moving up from the Pirates’ junior varsity team.

A deep believer in family, faith and community, Falevai sees Ramirez and the Pirate staff as a reflection of the community it serves. Ramirez is one of only a handful of Hispanic head coaches in high school football, and in a town like Pittsburg that boasts a diverse ethnic population, that fact carries significance in itself. As a whole, the staff is about as diverse as you’ll ever find.

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“There are a lot of minorities that play the sport, but it’s very rare to actually hold that position and be able to be a head coach. In all sports, really, no matter what level. That’s what excited me,” Falevai said. “It fits so perfectly for the community of Pittsburg because of the demographics and because of the diversity we have at the school and in the community period. If you look at our roster, and you’re a fan or not a fan, and you just see our student athletes when they take their helmets off, there are all different cultures and backgrounds.”

On this night, that same coaching staff also finds time to give their new head coach a bit of good-natured ribbing. As Ramirez jumps in to help tape a few ankles prior to heading to the field, he earns jeers from his nearby colleagues, who make sure to point out the “1990s tape job” he’s giving to defensive back Tim Edwards.

By the time the team makes the short walk from the locker room to the stadium, the Pittsburg machine looks like it always has — a group of talented athletes heading out to do battle.

SPEEDING UP, SLOWING DOWN Ramirez’s role once the game begins is definitely different. He gets plenty of steps in when the Pirates have the ball, hustling over to the bench to join the defense as it reviews film in realtime before returning to the field to keep an eye on the offense. He still makes the defensive calls for the Pirates, and designing Pittsburg’s defense remains perhaps his most comfortable task.

For one half, Pittsburg’s talent is blunted by mistakes. Poor field position plagues the Pirates throughout the first half, and penalties limit their ability to unleash their newest weapon — an uptempo approach. Those factors, combined with a quality opponent, result in a 7-7 tie head22

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ing into halftime.

The Pirates need to play under control.

Their new head coach is certainly capable of delivering a paint-peeling speech, and this version definitely carries enough force to get the point across.

Ramirez implores his team to fix the penalties and fix the field position issues. Do that, and he is certain that the ride home will be a happy one.

The message is the right one. Pittsburg begins to correct its mistakes and scores a pair of touchdowns — one a 3-yard run by Elijah Bow and one a 42-yard pass from Marley Alcantara to Makari Kenion — to take a 21-14 lead after three quarters.

The Pirates add three more touchdowns in the fourth quarter and the defense grabs two interceptions to salt away a 41-21 victory. After the win, a few players stick around to do interviews, including heralded junior defensive back Jadyn Hudson.

The 6-foot-2, 175-pound safety expresses his love for Galli while also praising the small changes that Ramirez is beginning to implement.

“I’d say he’s putting a lot more structure and discipline into the program. A lot’s changing for the good,” Hudson said. “He’s a defensive coach and our defense has been one of the best for a few years. He’s really been changing it in a good way for sure.”

Alcantara is also a member of Pittsburg’s vaunted junior class, but he also got to know Ramirez the assistant as a sophomore on varsity in 2022 and can also identify the adjustments that are beginning to take hold.

“I love both of them with all my heart,” Alcantara said of Ramirez and Galli. “I feel like we

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came here with a new culture and we’re going into the facility every day ready to work and have that state championship mindset.”

LIVING THE DREAM That mindset is an extension of Ramirez, who doesn’t shy away from goals like winning state championships and maintaining Pittsburg’s reputation as one of the state’s top programs.

But one piece of the puzzle that perhaps got lost in the overall coverage of Ramirez’s hiring is the motivation for taking on such a lofty task. After 20 years of coaching at the school, it’s easy to see what the responsibility means to him.

Now that he has the job, the natural question is the obvious one.

Has it always been a dream to be the head coach at Pittsburg High?

“It really has. I didn’t want to say it before, but it has. It absolutely has,” Ramirez said. “Being a graduate, being a young boy and coming to the games and always loving Pittsburg football, staying in the community all these years, coaching the past 20 years at Pittsburg High School, it absolutely has. I never really tried to let on that it was, but I put the work in to make sure that this was going to happen and I was lucky enough that it did.”

The group of Pirates that hop back on the bus for the ride back to Pittsburg is considerably smaller, with many opting to ride home with family. Those that do take the bus benefit from a clever move by their bus driver, who avoids traffic on Interstate 80 by heading down Interstate 5. That saves considerable time, and the bus pulls onto School Street at precisely 12:15 a.m.

A tired group of players files back into the building to drop their gear off, and Ramirez heads for the big television in the weight room. The film from that night’s game has already been uploaded, but at this late hour, the review can wait.

While the players have earned a Saturday off, Ramirez and his coaches will be back at it a few hours later, starting all over again as the Pirates prepare for their home opener against Monterey Trail.

Metaphorically speaking, the Pittsburg bus has a new driver and a new route to travel.

He’s making sure to enjoy the ride. ✪ — Story & Photos By Ben Enos Follow Us On Twitter & Instagram, Like Us On Facebook!

"Being a graduate, being a young boy and coming to the games and always loving Pittsburg football, staying in the community all these years, coaching the past 20 years at Pittsburg High School, it absolutely has. I never really tried to let on that it was, but I put the work in to make sure that this was going to happen and I was lucky enough that it did."

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1. MCKENNA WOLICZKO (Archbishop Mitty-San Jose, Fr.) Softball One year after Jess Oakland became the first softball player to land our No. 1 ranking, Woliczko (pronounced va-litch-ko) becomes our first ever freshman to take the crown.

It was an unprecedented first year of high school athletics for the Monarchs’ two-sport star. We’ve always viewed CalHiSports.com as the authority on All-State honors, and McKenna landed on their 1st Team All-State Elite basketball team (in addition to being their State Freshman of the Year) and 2nd Team All-State softball team. Legit All-State honors in two spots is rare enough, but doing it as a freshman is some kind of exclamation point.

On the court for the Monarchs, Woliczko averaged a double-double of 20.2 and 10.3 rebounds. Her non-stop motor, unexpected speed, and skill around the basket makes her especially hard to defend and an equally adept defender in her own right. Mitty went 28-3 and won CCS and CIF NorCal Open Div. titles.

On the softball diamond, Woliczko was the Monarchs starting shortstop while hitting .429 with 30 hits and a team-leading 22 runs and 23 RBI. Mitty went 21-5, but the season ended with back-to-back playoff losses where Woliczko’s absence was felt. Why was she gone? Well, she had a date with the 16U National Team at the FIBA Americas Championships in Mexico.

And what did she do in her international debut? How about averaging 11.8 points and 9.7 rebounds per game as the U.S. took gold.

She’s got a chance to hold on to this spot for a few years.

CHART TOPPERS History of Bay Area 75 Athletes To Earn The #1 Ranking.

Year

Athlete

School

Sport

2022-23 McKenna Woliczko Archbishop Mitty-San Jose

Basketball, Softball

2021-22

Jess Oakland

St. Francis-Mountain View

Softball

2020-21

Amit Elor

College Park-Pleasant Hill

Wrestling

2019-20

Chase Saldate

Gilroy

Wrestling

2018-19

Haley Jones

Archbishop Mitty-San Jose

Basketball

2017-18

Haley Jones

Archbishop Mitty-San Jose

Basketball

2016-17 Marquel Johnson St. Patrick-St. Vincent-Vallejo Football,

Basketball, Baseball 2015-16

Najee Harris

Antioch

2014-15

Ivan Rabb

Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland

2013-14 Drew Anderson Miramonte-Orinda

2012-13

24

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Aaron Gordon

Football Basketball

Football, Basketball, Baseball

Archbishop Mitty-San Jose

Basketball

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