SoCal Issue 127, January 2017

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SOCAL EDITION

JANUARY 2017

Hey there SoCal How You Doing?

JOIN OUR TEAM PHONE 925.566.8500 FAX 925.566.8507 EDITORIAL Editor@SportStarsOnline.com Editor Chace Bryson • Chace@SportStarsOnline.com Staff Writer Jim McCue • JimMcCue16@gmail.com Contributors Bill Kolb, Matt Smith, Clay Kallam, Dave Kiefer, Tim Rudd, Trevor Horn Copy Editor Bill Kruissink Photography Bob Larson, Jonathan Hawthorne, James K. Leash, Phillip Walton, Doug Guler, Berry Evans, III Marketing/Events Ryan Arter CREATIVE DEPARTMENT Art@SportStarsOnline.com Production Manager Mike DeCicco • MikeD@SportStarsOnline.com PUBLISHER/PRESIDENT Mike Calamusa • Mike@SportStarsOnline.com ADVERTISING Sales@SportStarsOnline.com, 925.566.8500 Account Executives Camps & Clinics: Ryan Arter • Camps@SportStarsOnline.com Alameda County: Berry Evans • Berry@foto-pros.com Central Valley, World Events: Anthony Grigsby • Area Director anthony.grigsby@worldeventssports.com Darin Wissner • JustAGameEvents@gmail.com

H

appy New Year, sports fans.

And for the first time since we debuted our Southern California edition, I’m writing specifically to the SoCal fans — who I hope are slowly multiplying with each digital issue we release. This is our third, and I felt it was time for me to check-in and see if I could solicit some feedback.

We’ve found six-plus years of chronicling athletes through Northern California to be quite a challenge, so you can imagine our butterflies when we think about how to effectively cover an area with three to four times as many schools. Our initial answer to that? One story at a time.

As of right now, we’re obviously getting our feet wet. We’re doing our best to develop a freelance network that will help us tell your stories, but that will be the easy part. The hard part will be finding them.

We have our Cal-Hi Sports partners to help us in many cases, but the more we hear from you, our newest readers, the better the SoCal edition will be.

Some of the ways you can help us: ›› If you’re reading us, find us. We’re active on social media, especially when we’re out at games on Friday nights. But throughout the week too. You can track us down on Facebook (facebook.com/SportStars), Twitter (@sportstarsmag) and Instagram (@sportstarsmag). ›› Reach out. You’re welcome to email me, but using the social media channels will likely be the fastest form of communication. Tell us what you like about the SoCal edition so far. Tell us what more you’d like to see. Tell us about the team or athlete you want to see featured. ›› The more you can share us with others who you know enjoy high school sports coverage, the quicker we’re likely to grow.

Finally, I’d like to add a reminder that the SoCal edition isn’t the only space where you’ll find SoCal content. We will soon be debuting a fresh new home page at SportStarsOnline.com where we plan to post coverage from throughout the state. It will include convenient pull-down menus where you can search for content by sport or by CIF Section. When it debuts, we’ll hope you check it out and provide us with feedback once again.

And with that said, I say thanks for giving us a shot. We hope you stick around for the long haul. ✪

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Read Me. Recycle Me.

Rancho Cordova Once Again to Be California Youth Rugby Hub

O

n the heels of the Rio Summer Games featuring rugby as an Olympic medal sport for the first time since 1924, interest in the sport has never been higher.

It’s with great anticipation that the Sacramento Valley Rugby Foundation and Rugby NorCal will kick off the high school rugby season by hosting the 33rd Annual Sacramento Kick-Off Tournament at Cordova High on Jan. 21-22.

The KOT, as it’s referred to in rugby circles, is one of the largest youth and high school rugby tournaments in the Western Hemisphere. The event acts not only as a top tournament, but it’s also considered a pre-season development tournament for both players and officials.

While first-year players are able to learn on the fly in the forgiving structure of the 30-minute matches, more experienced teams can work on sharpening skills and execution. Aspiring referees can take part in a free Friday night training session with some of the top match officials from the western United States.

The KOT is open to several levels of play. There will be boys and girls competitions in the following divisions: U-10, U-12, U-14 (two levels), U-17 (two levels) and U-19 (six levels). The tournament is open to both club teams and single high school teams. Many clubs and schools have been known to travel in from states such as Oregon and Washington, among others.

For the high school teams, varsity and JV competition will be available on both days of the event. And tournament directors make every effort to minimize teams from playing in-season rivals. Playing schedules are often not set until one week prior to the tournament.

For more information about the event, or to sign up your team. You’re encouraged to check out the KOT website at www.kickofftournament.com. ✪

Full-Time Club Full-Time Cost I play soccer year-round and some of the better players don’t play for their high schools. Why wouldn’t someone play for their high school? I know the competition isn’t as good during the summer as it is during the school year, but don’t colleges care about what happens in high school?

R. J., Vallejo

A

nother complicated question, with a lot of layers in the answer.

First, if an athlete has taken advantage of a high school’s interscholastic program, in any sport at any time during his or her high school career, then he or she, in a very real sense, owes it to the school to play on the varsity. It’s not just a one-way street, where students take advantage of the offerings of a school and don’t give anything back in return.

Now, if an athlete has never played an interscholastic sport, and never been taught by an extremely underpaid high school coach, or used equipment from the high school, or taken advantage of high school facilities, then there isn’t an obligation. But for an elite athlete in any sport to play in a program for three years and then say, “I’m done now, even though I can give more back this year than ever before,” just isn’t right.

A second point is that club coaches have a serious financial incentive to downgrade the importance of high school sports. They make no money while high school athletes play for their schools, so naturally it’s to their advantage to denigrate high school programs and the importance of high school athlet-

ics. Which is why, despite all evidence to the contrary, club coaches insist young players play their sport year-round — even though cross-training is better physically for young athletes, and there is no proof that playing a sport 12 months a year, rather than nine months, leads to a better chance of a scholarship. The more club coaches can discredit high school sports, the more money they will make, plain and simple.

Third, in many important ways, a high school team more accurately reflects the realities of college sports than a club team. Yes, the competition level may not be as good in high school, but managing the relationships developed in five- or six-day-a-week practices is a skill that becomes even more critical in college where every player was a star at the youth level. Also, the goals of college teams reflect the goals of high school teams more than they do of club teams.

By this I mean that often club teams are viewed as a mechanism for an individual to earn a scholarship or get into a particular college; a high school team, on the other hand, is focused on winning games and accomplishing team goals.

There’s nothing wrong with the club system, it’s just different — and showing off individual skills against elite competition is an important facet of recruiting. So, however, is the ability to mesh with teammates on a daily basis, and work for team rather than individual goals, which is why both club and interscholastic play are important.

Unfortunately, too many elite athletes are choosing to skip prep sports, especially in soccer, and it’s a shame. They’re missing out, their teammates are missing out, their classmates are missing out and so is the community at large. ✪ Clay Kallam has been an assistant athletic director and coached multiple sports for a handful of high schools throughout the Bay Area. To submit a question for Behind the Clipboard, email him at clayk@fullcourt.com

TOP 5 TO-DO LIST FOR OBAMA’S FIRST 100 DAYS OF RETIREMENT In this, the first year we’ve ever been more worried about Friday the 20th than Friday the 13th, we feel honor-bound to offer to our outgoing POTUS the same guidance, wisdom, and counsel we have shared sagaciously with you, gentle readers, lo these many years. I mean, if anybody needs a life-coach right now it’s that guy, amiright? There might be one other guy... (Get off Twitter! Learn to tie a necktie! Release your taxes! Sorry. Uh. Hiccup. Small seizure. Tourette?) Anyway. Here’s our list of the Top 5 things former President Barack Hussein Obama should do with his first 100 days of retirement.

1. Tweet. Mercilessly. Continuously. Aggressively. What have you got to lose at this point? Somebody give the man his Blackberry back, already!

2. Maybe work on that golf game. Or. You know. Not. Seems like you’re already the leader in the clubhouse there. 306 rounds while in office. Frankly, we’re jealous.

3. Host some stuff. Have a party for the Clemson football team. Maybe the Super Bowl champs. The women’s and men’s Final Four winners. The Warriors (outside of the 100 days, but still... you see what we did there?). You know. All the teams that aren’t going to want to plug 1600 Pennsylvania Ave into the ol’ GPS after winning a title. Because it’s cooler to hang with Barry than with the short-fingered cheese-puff who will probably try to take credit for your field-hockey team’s success. Because he’s the best at field hockeying.

4. Chill. Dude. You rep the South Side. But you’re FROM Hawaii. Maybe just have an umbrella drink and work on your tan. Says here you’ve earned it.

5. Practice saying, “Live, from New York.”

Like. A lot. Really belt it out. Because the only thing that’s gonna get us through the next four years is a steady dose of Alec Baldwin pouting and pontificating in orange-face, and we can only imagine what the cold-open would look like with the two of you. Maybe you could bemoan the fact that you’ve gotten a part-time gig at the county law library (you know, for the benefits), and he, intrigued, could ask you to explain this ‘lie-berry’ because it sounds deceitfully delicious.

— Bill “Luther’s Anger Translator” Kolb Jonathan Ernst/Reuters via ZUMA Press

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

#HASHTAG This issue’s edition of Hashtag is dedicated to the reaction of the breaking news from Jan. 17 that 15-year Del Oro-Loomis football coach Casey Taylor is leaving the program to take the head coaching job at Capital Christian-Sacramento. Taylor had led Del Oro to two straight CIF State Bowl games, winning in 2015 and losing by four to San Clemente this past December.

JOE DAVIDSON, Sacramento Bee @SacBee_JoeD “Del Oro will remain a powerhouse. Golden Eagles have two terrific on-campus coaches in the mix: Steve Birch and Bill Sherman.”

MITCH STEPHENS, MaxPreps @MitchMashMax “This is huge news on high school football coaching front.

This is a move you hear about in Texas or SoCal, but rarely in NorCal.”

MARK TENNIS, Cal-Hi Sports @CalHiSports “Will be interesting to see if Cap Chr intends to be NorCal version of Oaks Chr in SoCal or Valor Chr in Colo. or just small school titles.”

LUKE SHERIDAN, DE LA SALLE WRESTLING

SAY WHAT? “Especially after seeing the movie (“When The Game Stands Tall”), it’s kind of surreal.”

St. John Bosco-Bellflower junior quarterback Re-al Mitchell immediately following the Braves’ 56-33 win over De La Salle in the CIF Open Division State Football Championship. It was a historic victory for Mitchell and his teammates. Their 56 points were the most ever scored against a De La Salle team since 1979, the year Bob Ladouceur took over the program and began building it into a state and national powerhouse.

The previous high was 42.

Sheridan was the first wrestler SportStars ever featured, going way back to Issue #4 in July of 2010. The feature occurred in the summer because Sheridan was just coming off of his first Greco-Roman national championship wrestling for the Community Youth Center of Concord. We’d cover his senior year closely as he finished he took a third-place finish in the 189-pound division of the CIF State Championships. He then had three successful seasons with Indiana University, earning bids to the NCAA Championships in his sophomore and junior seasons. In 2015, he joined the Army and competed in its World Class Athlete Program. And in early January, he was officially promoted to Sergeant.

Streak Smarts

A 50-plus Game Win Streak Has Chino Hills Boys Hoops In Rare Territory

W

in streak records are especially fun to keep track of because when challenging teams come along over the years — and there aren’t many — it’s natural to relive those moments and bring those previous teams back into the spotlight.

That is what happened when De La Salle-Concord went on its historic march to 151 straight wins in football. As the Spartans approached, and then surpassed, other schools on the all-time state and national list, players at those schools would gather and recall what they did together.

Who will ever forget those former players who flew in from Hudson, Mich., in 1997 on a night at Diablo Valley College when De La Salle broke Hudson’s national record with its 73rd straight win?

Such is happening now in California basketball with the Chino Hills boys team. Although the Huskies still have a way to go to reach the state record of 66, their first two wins of Baseline League play on January 11 and 13 put their win streak at 53 games, which tied the No. 6 mark on the all-time list of 53 that was set in 1974 by Stagg-Stockton.

Based on the totals in the Cal-Hi Sports state records, Stagg’s 53-game win streak will sit at No. 2 in Northern California history no matter what Chino Hills does the rest of this season.

Chino Hills eventually may challenge the all-time state record of 66 games set in 1969 by Compton. The all-time NorCal record of 65 was set in 1960 by McClymonds-Oakland. Chino Hills’ last loss was to San Ramon Valley-Danville in the 2015 CIF Division I title game, a contest that went to two overtimes.

One Stockton resident who was interested to see what happened in those two Chino Hills league games is retired former Stagg coach Tom Conway. His teams reached 53 straight wins by compiling back-to-back unbeaten seasons of 25-0 and 28-0 in 1972 and 1973. It’s still the best two back-to-back

La’Melo Ball season records in NorCal history.

Stagg’s first unbeaten season concluded with a 79-72 victory over Placer-Auburn in the first-ever CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship. In the second year, the Delta Kings had to get past Elk Grove and its standout sophomore center, Bill Cartwright, in the semifinals and then topped Grace Davis-Modesto 73-61 in the championship.

“It was hard to do that twice, especially win the sections two years in a row and when there hadn’t been section playoffs before,” said Conway, who retired in 1997 after a 30-year coaching career that also included stints at Edison-Stockton, St. Mary’s-Stockton and Modesto Junior College. “In the first year, our center was only 6-4. But then in ‘73 the Washington brothers (Carl and David) transferred in from Balboa (San Francisco) as juniors and that made a big difference.”

Stagg’s best players during the streak were guard Russ Coleman (who later played at Pacific and USF), John Hurley, Rich Witzke and Craig Minetto.

Conway also was loaded on the bench. Two of his assistants during the streak were Bob Thomason and Rob DeWitt.

Thomason can joke that the streak left with him since he left the school following the 1973 season for a job at Escalon.

He later became the winningest coach ever of Pacific men’s basketball. DeWitt later became a head coach at Tracy and in 1984 guided the Delta College men’s team to its only state title.

Even with the Washington brothers both returning, the streak didn’t last long in the 1973-74 season The Delta Kings lost in their opening game to Amador Valley-Pleasanton.

Conway said he’s seen Chino Hills on TV several times and calls the accomplishments of the Huskies, who went 35-0 last season and had started 18-0 this season, “simply incredible.” This year’s team has continued to win behind senior guard LiAngelo Ball (who has a 72-point game) and sophomore guard LaMelo Ball. They’re the younger brothers of 2016 Mr. Basketball State Player of the Year Lonzo Ball, who is currently starring at UCLA. And what about the pressure of winning every time on the court for 53 consecutive games?

“Actually, it was just a lot of fun,” Conway said. “We did have some close games, but survived all of them.”

If Chino Hills’ win streak does reach 65, it would tie the total of McClymonds teams that included Paul Silas, one of the greatest rebounders in NBA history.

See what we mean about these kinds of records bringing back memories? ✪ Mark Tennis is the co-founder of Cal-Hi Sports, and publisher of CalHiSports.com. Contact him at markjtennis@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter, @CalHiSports.

TOP 10 STATE BASKETBALL RANKINGS

DJ McDonald of Alemany

Maaeva Dwiggins of Carondelet

Through games of Monday, Jan. 16 BOYS 1. (1)

—

Sierra Canyon-Chatsworth

16-1

They became just the second team to accomplish the “Spring�SpringSpringfield Double-Dip,” which is winning the BassPro TOC in Springfield, Mo., and then winning in a high-profile game at the HoopHall Classic in Springfield, Mass., over the MLK weekend.

2. (2)

—

Chino Hills

18-0

Take your pick for rankings criteria because it’s hard to argue between the Huskies and their 53-game win streak and what Sierra Canyon has done.

3. (3)

—

Bishop Montgomery-Torrance

16-2

Team’s second loss was to national-power Montverde Academy of Florida at HoopHall Classic and was close enough not to cause a drop for the Knights.

4. (4)

—

Mater Dei-Santa Ana

19-1

We’ll find out more about the Monarchs on Feb. 3-4 when they host their own Nike Extravaganza.

5. (5)

—

Woodcreek-Roseville

16-2

With Sheldon losing to San Joaquin Memorial over the MLK weekend, the Timberwolves are a more solid No. 1 in the SacJoaquin Section.

6. (6)

—

Birmingham-Lake Balboa

15-3

Decaun Winston had a 43-point game for the Patriots two weeks ago and then last week Devante Doutrive had one of 38.

7. (8)

▲

Foothills Christian-El Cajon

14-2

Newly selected McDonald’s All-American Jaylen Hands had 32 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in win vs. Army-Navy Academy.

8. (11)

▲

Fairfax-Los Angeles

Damien-La Verne

Alemany-Mission Hills

15-3

Junior transfer Fred “Bambi” Odhiambo is having an impactful season so far for head coach Tray Meeks.

5. (6) ▲ Carondelet-Concord 10-3 Yes, there is a blowout loss to Clovis West and two questionable losses at the Nike TOC in Arizona, but Cougars have a legit win vs. St. Mary’s and play Mitty on Jan. 25.

6. (7) ▲ St. Mary’s-Stockton 13-4 Losing by three points to Centennial of Las Vegas on their home court — in game that could have gone either way — looks a lot better for the Rams after what Centennial did to Clovis West.

7. (5) ▼ Harvard-Westlake-North Hollywood 16-1 Going to overtime against Millikan-Long Beach cost the Wolverines a couple of spots in this week’s rankings.

17-2

and its only other loss was to No. 4 Mater Dei. ▲

4. (4) — Sierra Canyon-Chatsworth 15-1 The Trailblazers suffered their only loss by two points to a South Salem of Oregon team that is led by McDonald’s All-American Evina Westbrook.

9. (15) ▲ Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland 12-3 Yes, we know the Dragons lost to Salesian but that was by one point and is overcome by the big win on MLK weekend over previous No. 8 Cardinal Newman.

This team’s loss last week, however, was to No. 2 Chino Hills 10. (13)

3. (3) — Long Beach Poly-Long Beach 10-3 Looking at their schedule, it doesn’t look like the Jackrabbits are going to have too many tests until the CIF Southern Section Open Division playoffs.

15-1

Damien-La Verne and Centennial-Corona all lost last week.

—

2. (1) ▼ Clovis West-Fresno 15-2 The loss to Centennial was especially stunning since it was such a difference in scores from when the Golden Eagles first played the Bulldogs, a 57-42 win at the Nike TOC in Arizona.

8. (10) ▲ Mission Hills-San Marcos 15-2 Before the Grizzlies lost by 20 to Mitty at MLK event in Stockton, posted a solid win over Salesian-Richmond two days earlier.

The Lions move up three spots after Sheldon-Sacramento, 9. (9)

Through games of Monday, Jan. 16 GIRLS 1. (2) ▲ Archbishop Mitty-San Jose 13-2 Head coach Sue Phillips’ squad goes back to the top after previous No. 1 Clovis West lost big 70-44 to Centennial of Las Vegas at the Stockton St. Mary’s MLK Showcase. Besides, the Monarchs also have a head-to-head win over the Golden Eagles.

10. (11) ▲ Alemany-Mission Hills 11-4 Loss last week was to St. Mary’s-Stockton, but team also had quality win vs. defending CIF Open Division state champ Chaminade.

Roseville’s Wine Country Curling Club Debuts Barrel Bonspiel In March Wine Country Curling Club (WCCC) and Placer Valley Tourism (PVT) are thrilled to announce that on March 24-26 they will host a springtime bonspiel at Skatetown Ice Arena in Roseville.

The WCCC already has a rich history with The Crush, their signature bonspiel that is held over Labor Day Weekend. And due to the wonderful success they have had with that tournament they have decided to add The Barrel Bonspiel.

“We had such a great time hosting The Crush at Labor Day that we decided to host another bonspiel in March,” said Katie Feldman, President of WCCC. “Curling in California is growing so much, and we‘re proud to be the first club to now host two bonspiels in a year.”

For those of you wondering what exactly curling is, think of a large shuffleboard on ice and throw in 42-lb curling stones that you literally do throw down a long sheet of ice that is 150 feet long and 15 feet wide and now you’re headed in the right direction. Points in curling are awarded to the team whose stones land closest to the “house,” which refers to the giant bull’s eye at either end of the sheet of ice.

WCCC offers Learn-to-Curl clinics frequently. So if this has piqued your interested, attend one of these sessions and not only will you gain a wealth of curling knowledge, but you will also realize that this truly is a sport. For more information, or to register for a clinic, please go to www.winecountrycurlingclub.com.

If you’d rather watch a competition before taking a stab at it yourself, then make sure to mark your calendar and come to The Barrel Bonspiel. The first games will start at 7 a.m. on Friday, March 24 and continue through Saturday, March 25 with finals beginning at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, March 26.

Every team that competes is guaranteed at least four games and registration is only $400 per team. We hope to see you there. ✪

12

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Women Wrestlers Rock The West Coast TOC Hardwood Palace in Rocklin was transformed into a wrestling mecca on Dec. 17-18, rolling out the mats for the Women’s West Coast Tournament of Champions. Placer Valley Tourism (PVT), Sacramento Area Wrestling Association (SAWA) and Cliff Keen Wrestling teamed up to host the event which showcased both high school and college female wrestlers. �This was an amazing tournament that has the potential to become one of the biggest girls tournament in the nation,” SAWA Director of Communications Jeremy Arsich said. �And we have something no other tournament has — high school and college girls wrestling under the same roof, at the same time.”

Arsich noted that the success of the WWCTOC — which was only in its second year — SAWA is excited to expand it by adding a day to both the high school and college division for December 2017.

“Girls wrestling is growing and we are embracing that growth,” he added.

Cliff Keen Wrestling as the title sponsor not only enhanced the tournament, but branded it with a dynamic logo that was well-received by wrestlers and spectators alike. They provided exclusive singlets for finalists, which many of the girls donned for their final match. Cliff Keen Custom backpacks were also awarded to the champions, and top placers all received high quality medals.

More than 200 female wrestlers competed throughout the two-day event; 42 high school teams and several college teams from California, Oregon and Canada made for incredible matches and intense competition. There were 14 different weight classes in the high school division and 10 in the college rounds.

Menlo College from the Bay Area and Simon Fraser University from Vancouver, BC, dominated in many of the college weight divisions. As for the high school divisions, it was a race to first place in points between Del Oro-Loomis and Selma. Selma won out and brought home the gold with 162.5 points and Del Oro finished close behind with 149.5. Congrats to all, and we look forward to hosting again at the end of the year. ✪ — All copy and photos provided by Placer Valley Tourism.

KNIGHTVISION Gianni Hunt

M “

ight as well win, right?” was the rhetorical answer by Bishop O’DowdOakland coach Lou Richie in response to the question about his team’s upset chances versus Bishop MontgomeryTorrance at the NorCal Tip-Off Classic in late November.

Richie’s underclass-oriented team was facing the preseason No. 1 boys basketball team in the state, according to CalHiSports.com, and one that opened up No. 7 in the FAB 50 National Rankings. With all five starters returning off a team that led eventual mythical national-champion Chino Hills late in a regular season game and advanced to the SoCal Open Division regional final against the Huskies, it was a tall order.

O’Dowd, however, didn’t have any pressure going in and was facing a team which was less than 100 percent physically.

Bishop Montgomery went up 17-1 and Richie already burned two timeouts at that point.

“I thought to myself, in front of all these people in this big game, what people said might happen, is happening,” Richie said.

Then something changed.

All of a sudden, O’Dowd looked loose and played confidently, and it was Bishop Montgomery reeling. With a raucous crowd behind the NorCal club, the Dragons’ guards got into the lane at will and got their team back in the game. In one of the most amazing turn-arounds seen in a showcase or playoff game over the years, Bishop O’Dowd eventually built a 60-41 lead before holding on to a 70-63 victory.

“After they switched to a zone, we lost our composure,” said 6-foot-4 Montgomery junior guard David Singleton, who had a unique vantage point as an injured starter sitting on the bench. “We committed a lot of turnovers and couldn’t stay in front of people.”

California’s highest ranked team in the preseason went

Fletcher Tynen

A Season-Opening Loss Cost Bishop Montgomery’s The State’s No. 1 Ranking — And Provided The Team An Opportunity To Thrive Out Of The Spotlight Story by Ronnie Flores • Photos by Samuel Stringer

down in its first game. All was not lost, however. In fact, it may have been a blessing in disguise.

“I half jokingly told the guys, ‘Now we don’t have to worry about our ranking for the rest of the season,’” Knights head coach Doug Mitchell said. “We didn’t overanalyze it. … We were short-handed. Long term, we’re trying to become the best team we can be.”

After the O’Dowd game, the Knights lost their state No. 1 ranking to Sierra Canyon-Chatsworth, a team which beat them in last year’s CIFSS Open Division semifinals and is even better this season with the addition of junior Marvin Bagley III. After O’Dowd started its season 5-5 and Chino Hills entered the Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book with a winning streak that had reached 53 games as of Jan. 14 (the state record is 66), the Huskies jumped in front of Bishop Montgomery to No. 2 in the weekly CalHi Sports state rankings.

“That loss took a lot of pressure off us,” said 6-foot-4 senior Ethan Thompson, a returning All-State player headed to Oregon State, where his older brother Stevie plays and father Stevie Sr. is an assistant coach. “Now we don’t have the pressure to win because we have

to, but because we want to win to get better.”

The Knights’ 6-foot-1 point guard Gianni Hunt expressed a similar sentiment.

“As players, we don’t think about that (rankings), we just keep on grinding. It doesn’t matter if we’re ranked No. 1 or No. 100, we believe we have a good team and can get so much better.”

After the O’Dowd loss, the team began to round into shape. Most importantly, it got Singleton (last year’s South Bay Daily Breeze Player of the Year) back in the lineup and senior Jordan Schakel healthy.

Bound for San Diego State, the 6-foot-6 Schakel did not start, was visibly out of sync and not his normal self versus O’Dowd. With those two back, the Knights returned to their winning ways in December. They won the Trevor Ariza Tip-Off Classic, the Mission Prep Christmas Classic and closed out the month by winning the #D1Bound SoCal Christmas Classic.

Bishop Montgomery has not only been bolstered by the return of Singleton, they have more depth now that transfers Cyrus Johnson, a 6-foot-5 junior and the son of former NBA forward Marques Johnson, and Nick Schrader, a 6-foot-4 sophomore, have become eligible. When you add fifth starter Fletcher Tynen, a 6-foot-5 junior, and sophomore guard Josh Vasquez to the mix, you realize this club is better than last year’s No. 2 state-ranked team and a legitimate threat to get by Sierra Canyon and/or Chino Hills to represent SoCal in the CIF Open Division title game March 25 at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

“I could see we really started coming together at the #D1Bound Tournament,” said Mitchell, who entered the 2016-17 season with a 618-154 won-loss record and three CIF state crowns. “Our young guys have found key roles, and I would say Schakel is about 85 percent and Singleton about 90 percent. We actually have guys who played against O’Dowd who are not really in the rotation anymore.”

After New Year’s, the Knights had the look of a No. 1 team in the state, beating state-ranked foes Santa Monica (73-53 at the Take Flight Challenge) and Westchester (71-43 at the Westchester Challenge).

Mitchell’s club had won 16 in a row prior to a close 73-67 loss to national-power Montverde Academy of Florida at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass.

Thompson, in particular, has stepped up his game as Singleton and Schakel round into form. He will need to maintain his level of production if the Knights are going to get by Chino Hills, Sierra Canyon and Mater Dei-Santa Ana to capture the CIF Southern Section Open Division crown.

“It sounds funny because he’s so talented, but Ethan’s taking his game to another level. … I don’t think he’s played a bad game so far this season,” Mitchell said.

It is always a blessing to return five talented starters, but it can sometimes lead to jealousy and complacency. Not to mention every season plays out differently. Despite the pressures and media attention, talented high school basketball players are still teenagers, and injury or misfortune can strike at anytime.

Luckily for Mitchell, he doesn’t sense any me-first attitudes and doesn’t worry about complacency.

“Our team’s attitude is, we didn’t win anything last year — section or state,” said Mitchell. “This team is more mature, its focus is a bit better and they practice at a higher level. The past couple of seasons, we didn’t play our best basketball at the end of the year.”

Ironically, the Bishop O’Dowd game could end up helping this Bishop Montgomery team peak later rather than earlier. But what is it going to take for the Knights to reach their ultimate goal of a CIF Open Division state title?

Singleton offered a blunt and honest assessment.

“We’re going to win it because of our defense and talent level. If we buckle down on defense we can win it all.” ✪

Records are through Jan. 16 1. (1)

—

Chino Hills

18-0

2. (2)

—

Sierra Canyon-Chatsworth

16-1

3. (3)

—

Bishop Montgomery-Torrance

16-2

4. (4)

—

Mater Dei-Santa Ana

19-1

5. (5)

—

Birmingham-Lake Balboa

15-3

6. (6)

—

Foothills Christian-El Cajon

14-2

7. (9)

▲

Fairfax-Los Angeles

15-1

8. (8)

—

Damien-La Verne

17-2

9. (11)

▲

Alemany-Mission Hills

15-3

10. (10)

—

St. Augustine-San Diego

16-3

11. (14)

▲

Esperanza-Anaheim

17-1

12. (15)

▲

Roosevelt-Corona

10-6

13. (7)

▼

Centennial-Corona

14-5

14. (12)

▼

Westchester-L.A.

15-6

15. (15)

—

Santa Margarita-Rancho SM

13-4

16. (13)

▼

Etiwanda

13-7

17. (16)

▼

Long Beach Poly

12-6

18. (20)

▲

Torrey Pines-La Jolla

15-3

19. (17)

▼

Roosevelt-Eastvale

10-6

20. (NR)

▲

Oak Park

14-6

DROPPED OUT: No. 19 Harvard-Westlake-North Hollywood 5 TEAMS KNOCKING (alphabetically): Clovis West-Fresno (17-2), Edison-Huntington Beach (15-3), Narbonne-Harbor City (16-5), Redondo Union-Redondo Beach (15-4) and San Joaquin Memorial-Fresno (14-4).

TEAMS REMAINING FROM PRESEASON TOP 20: 15

Mt. Shasta Ski Park Has Optimum Conditions For A Celebration

A

s of Jan. 12, Northern California’s drought was declared over thanks to one of the wettest winters in decades.

Which also means snow. Lots of snow.

All of which leads to perfect timing for Mt. Shasta Ski Park to be celebrating its 31st anniversary. The party will take place on Jan. 28. The park will be open until 8 p.m. with night skiing available on up to 14 trails. The festivities will feature a DJ and live music, along with fireworks.

Mt. Shasta, located approximately an hour north of Redding, has California’s fourth highest peak (14,179 feet) and a gem of a ski park. The park features 425 acres of skiable terrain, three chair lifts and 32 trails covering 1,435 vertical feet.

If you’re not interested in fighting the Lake Tahoe crowds, there’s much a winter mountain enthusiast can find at the mountain on the southern end of the Cascade Range. Night skiiing and snowboarding isn’t exclusive to the anniversary celebration. It happens every Friday and Saturday through mid-March. Mt. Shasta also has two terrain parks for snowboarders, and a designated tubing area that includes two side-by-side lanes approximately the length of a football field.

As for the terrain parks, Revolution Terrain Park can be accessed from both Douglas and Coyote Lifts. This park is more advanced and includes a rail garden loaded with rails, boxes and the like. The snow line features table tops, gaps and spines which are mixed in with down rail and box features. The other terrain park, Silver Tip Terrain Park, can be accessed from the Marmot Lift. It consists of a series of small rails, boxes and a smaller snow feature table tops and roller hits.

For the alpine skiing purists — of all levels — Mt. Shasta won’t let you down. The diversity in trail levels break down to 20 percent beginner, 55 percent intermediate and 25 percent advanced. In addition to the three chair lifts, there are also two carpet lifts where novices can learn before hitting the bigger slopes.

What else will you find at Mt. Shasta? A comfortable lodge with food and beverage options, a mountain shop to serve all your winter fun needs and free parking. Also, if your adventureous side wants to take you off the beaten path, the park also offers guided back-country skiing tours.

Daily hours of operation are 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and when night skiing is offered, it runs until 8 p.m.

For more information on the park, or the 31st anniversary event, visit www.visitredding.com. ✪

W

ith national player of the year honors already in from several sources, Lexi Sun is what you’d call one of those no-brainer selections as the 2016 Ms. Volleyball State Player of the Year.

Sun was recently the top player at the Under Armour All-American game and led Santa Fe Christian to an historic run in the postseason. With their AllAmerican leading the way, the Eagles won their first-ever CIF San Diego Section Open Division title, then went into the CIF Open Division state playoffs.

Sun’s team defeated Mater Dei-Santa Ana, a team that at one point this season was ranked No. 1 in the nation, in the Southern California regional semifinals before losing to Santa Margarita-Rancho Santa Margarita in the SoCal final. Santa Margarita would end up losing the state final to Cal-Hi Sports State Volleyball Team of the Year, Archbishop Mitty-San Jose, in straight sets.

A recruit for the University of Texas, Sun took last year off from high school volleyball due to her extensive USA Junior National Team commitments plus additional international competition. Upon returning, Sun had 630 kills while hitting .431 to go along with 288 digs, 60 blocks and 45 aces. She accumulated 1,360 kills and 687 digs over her three-year prep career.

“Lexi [was] the biggest driving force in our success this season,” first-year Santa Fe coach Amanda Miles told USA Today. “She not only led us physically but she was our most vocal captain. Although I have only had Lexi for a few short months, she has made a strong impact on me as a coach and helped create a season I will never forget.”

Between her sophomore and senior season with the Eagles, Lexi played for the USA Volleyball Under-18 national team during 2015 and was the team’s leading attacker at the World Championships in Peru before playing for USA Volleyball Women’s Junior National Team during the summer of 2016.

In a feature on Sun by ESPNW.com, her club volleyball coach Ozhan Bahrambeygui of Coast Volleyball Club may have summed the star hitter’s game up best.

“She can do things that very few people in the world her age can do,” he said.

“She’s explosive. She has an attacking range that very few people have. She has an elastic arm, she picks great lines of attack and she’s a super-dynamic blocker.”

Sun also now goes onto an all-time list of state players of the year that dates back to 1975. She is just the fourth all-time winner from the CIF San Diego Section with the other four being Reily Buechler of Torrey Pines (2012), Jennifer Saleaumua of Bonita Vista (2000) and Alisa Eischen of Marian Catholic (1982).

Most winners prior to 1990 were chosen for published Cal-Hi Sports state record books by the late Nelson Tennis. After 1990, there was a period of approximately 10 years in which Cal-Hi Sports named a player of the year for its weekly published newsletters. There also were years prior to 2008 in which Cal-Hi Sports selected players of the year for Student Sports Magazine and StudentSports.com.

After four years from 2008-2012 when Cal-Hi Sports was part of ESPN, the state players of the year mirrored work done on the ESPN RISE All-American teams. This is the first year since ESPN discontinued its high school division in 2012 that Cal-Hi Sports has selected a player of the year. All previous player of the year listings have been made retroactively based on research.

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2016 — Lexi Sun (Santa Fe Christian, Solana Beach) Sr. 2015 — Noreen Iosia (Redondo, Redondo Beach) Sr. 2014 — Yaasmeen Bedart-Ghani (Redondo, Redondo Beach) Sr. 2013 — Taylor Nelson (Granite Bay) Sr. 2012 — Reily Buechler (Torrey Pines, San Diego) Sr. 2011 — Emily Sklar (Presentation, San Jose) Sr. 2010 — Krista Vansant (Redlands East Valley, Redlands) Sr. 2009 — Rachel Williams (Archbishop Mitty, San Jose) Sr. 2008 — Rachel Williams (Archbishop Mitty, San Jose) Jr. 2007 — Falyn Fonoimoana (Mira Costa, Manhattan Beach) Soph.

2006 — Alix Klineman (Mira Costa, Manhattan Beach) Sr. 2005 — Taylor Carico (Mira Costa, Manhattan Beach) Sr. 2004 — Cynthia Barboza (Wilson, Long Beach) Sr. 2003 — Stecha Selsky (Marymount, Los Angeles) Sr. 2002 — Jessica Gysin (St. Francis, Mountain View) Sr. 2001 — Lindsey Sherburne (Archbishop Mitty, San Jose) Sr. 2000 — Jennifer Saleaumua (Bonita Vista, Chula Vista) Sr. 1999 — April Ross (Newport Harbor, Newport Beach) Sr. 1998 — Jennifer Carey (Newport Harbor, Newport Beach) Sr. 1997 — Nikki Hartley (St. Francis, Mountain View) Sr. 1996 — Janae Henry (Centennial, Bakersfield) Sr. 1995 — Kerri Walsh (Archbishop Mitty, San Jose) Sr. 1994 — Misty May (Newport Harbor, Newport Beach) Sr. 1993 — Misty May (Newport Harbor, Newport Beach) Jr. 1992 — Tanisha Larkin (Long Beach Poly, Long Beach) Sr. 1991 — Zrinka Kristich (La Habra) Sr. 1990 — Missy Clements (La Habra) Sr. 1989 — Piper Hahn (Mira Costa, Manhattan Beach) Sr. 1988 — Bev Oden (Irvine) Sr. 1987 — Jenny Evans (Newport Harbor, Newport Beach) Sr. 1986 — Keba Phipps (Artesia, Lakewood) Sr. 1985 — Tara Cross (Southern California Christian, Anaheim) Sr. 1984 — Elaina Oden (Irvine) Sr. 1983 — Wendy Rush (Rim of the World, Lake Arrowhead) Sr. 1982 — Alisa Eischen (Marian Catholic, San Diego) Sr. 1981 — Kim Oden (Irvine) Sr. 1980 — Linda Vaughn (Fremont, Sunnyvale) Sr. 1979 — Necie Thompson (Gahr, Cerritos) Sr. 1978 — Cheryl Jo Johnson (Corona del Mar, Newport Beach) Sr. 1977 — Mary Motah (Santa Fe, Santa Fe Springs) Sr. 1976 — Chris Anderson (Laguna Beach) Sr. 1975 — Denise Corlett (Marlborough, Los Angeles) Sr.

Escape The

FOOD POLICE

Reasons Dieting Shouldn’t Be Among Those 2017 Goals

nutrition: jill daniels The beginning of the year brings many new things: New outlook, a fresh start and new year resolutions. Many people set resolutions concerning their weight, eating habits or workout routine.

Commercials and advertisements abound for quick fixes, promising excellent results and a thinner body. Family or friends or teammates can also contribute to this temptation to diet, as they flaunt their success with the latest, greatest program.

But before you go jumping on the bandwagon, take a look at the facts about dieting and the consequences it brings.

Dieting has a 97 percent failure rate. Yes, 97 percent. That’s really high.

Dieters usually blame themselves when they can’t stick with their diet, but in reality it’s the diet that has failed them. If your mechanic failed to fix your car 97 percent of the time, would you blame yourself? Or keep going back to the same mechanic? Of course not! We need to stop blaming ourselves, and we need to ditch the diets. They don’t work.

Dieting is like holding your breath. You’ll eventually gasp for air. Our bodies are control freaks, so if something dramatically changes in a short period of time (for example, your calorie intake) then your body will fight to maintain balance to prevent drastic weight loss. Your metabolism will slow down, your energy levels will decrease and your cravings will increase. Nobody I know wants to experience these consequences. If that’s true for you too, the solution is simple: don’t diet.

Dieting increases the likelihood of eating disorders, disordered eating and body hatred. Some of my clients innocently entered into the world of dieting, only to find themselves years and years later with a continually confusing and rocky relationship with both food and their bodies.

Weighing and measuring foods, counting points or calories, or following a restrictive meal plan are not needed for good health or a healthy weight. These are tools of the Food Police, which imposes lots of external rules, restriction and rigidity. Instead of dieting, we can tune in to our bodies and the wisdom we have there. We’ve been born with an intuitive eating system, so that our bodies know how to eat in order for us to reach and maintain a weight that is just right for our bodies.

Tune in to your body and note your hunger and fullness levels throughout the day. You can even write down information about your eating experiences, such as what you ate, when you ate, why (hunger, boredom, happiness, stress, etc.), where and how much. Notice how you felt afterwards and make a mental note if you would change anything. Was it satisfying and energizing? Or was it miserable and stressful? Did it leave you comfortable?

Or are you still hungry and unsatisfied?

Noticing what works and what doesn’t work can help you know where adjustments can be made for next time.

This year, make a resolution to NOT diet. Instead, choose to follow your intuitive wisdom, so that you’ll be able to experience a more peaceful relationship with food, improved self-esteem and body image, and better physical and emotional health. Now THAT sounds like it will bring you a much happier new year! ✪ Maximize your performance by seeking out personalized advice from Nutrition Coach Jill Daniels, MS, RD, CSSD, Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics. www.JillDanielsRD.com

NEW year NEW opportunities get mental: erika carlson It’s that time of year again: When we look forward, dreaming about all that we will accomplish.

If you dream of having a meaningful and successful journey through sports, investing some time in these areas will help create a foundation of mental strength to help you thrive on and off the playing surface.

HAVING PURPOSE For some, the purpose in sports is simple: Win. For others, the purpose may be to earn a scholarship or push personal limits. What your purpose is, isn’t nearly as important as actually having a clear purpose for your pursuit of sport.

Having a reason (your �why”) to work hard, especially on days when you lack motivation, or are in a slump, or are frustrated with your speed of development. ›› Challenges — Without purpose, it’s easy to give in. It’s easy to avoid training when you don’t feel like it. Not go the extra mile. Not get

mentally fit. ›› Advice — Set aside 10 minutes per day for the next five days to write about your purpose. Why are you pursuing your sport? Why have you chosen your goals? Why do you want to work hard this year? Why do you want to feel successful?

STAYING COMMITTED Once purpose is established, it must be matched with commitment. You know that feeling that you should go to training, or do those extra push-ups, or stretch, but you really don’t want to? That’s where commitment comes in.

It’s the willingness to keep going. ›› Challenges — We all have time where our motivation doesn’t sustain us. That’s normal. Motivation will always ebb and flow. Commitment is continuing on your path even when motivation ebbs. It’s doing the extra work, pushing for the extra level of intensity, finding ways to get stronger — even when you’re not feeling it. ›› Advice — Identify times when you pushed yourself further than you thought you could. Take some time to relive that experience in your mind. How did you push yourself? How did you feel once you got started? How did you

feel afterwards? As you build experience staying committed, it will get easier. You will build confidence in your ability to stay committed, regardless of motivation or distractions.

EMBRACING THE JOURNEY This can be a tricky thing when you’re a young athlete. As a young athlete, you don’t yet have the life experience to know how special it is to have the time, space and support to pursue your dreams. Embracing the journey means

you show up excited about what’s next. You embrace your coaches and are grateful for your support system. ›› Advice — Keep a journal to write about what you’re grateful for in sport experience. It’s nearly impossible to feel anxious and grateful at the same time, so you decide how you want to feel. ✪ Erika Carlson is a CEO and certified mental trainer at Mental Training, Inc. in Pleasanton.

getting

SPECIFIC Specialized Sport Training Isn’t A Necessity

training time: tim rudd I’m sure you’ve heard the term �sport-specific training” more than once in your life.

Well the cold hard fact is that it doesn’t exist, especially not with young athletes. When working with pre-adolescent and high school athletes, the undeniable truth is that trainers are dealing with an organism that is in the process of growth.

This is a fact trainers cannot do anything about, or disrupt — even though many try.

What a growing and maturing body needs in order to remain injury-free and develop optimal athletic skill is variety.

With respect to training, this amounts to NOT having a hyper-focus on making a young athlete a better football player by only doing exercises in the gym that NFL players would do. The strongest and fastest athletes in any sport are the ones who had the greatest diversity of training while they were young. This means that the training program for a female soccer player shouldn’t be that much different from a male baseball player.

In time, more specific training programs will be necessary to maintain or improve upon the strength and power needs for a specific sport or position. So as a general rule, throughout high school, roughly 70 percent of a young athlete’s training program should be based on general fitness and athletic ability.

Here is a perfect example of linking general and specific skill together over time: ›› It is important for athletes to develop good general movement ability, so I first introduce lots of linear, lateral, vertical and retreating skills. These skills allow the athletes to gain functional mobility and stability as well as body awareness and control. ›› The next step is to introduce rapid footwork skills that teach athletes to move the feet and hips independent of the upper body.

This is called “repositioning.” I begin by using simple line drills, ladder work and Low Box Training. These exercises allow the athletes to understand the concept of staying level and repositioning the feet for greater acceleration and deceleration angles. ›› Finally, an introduction to specific patterns of movement which allow athletes to use the general skill patterns in a more specific pattern. For example; soccer athletes must be able to quickly accelerate forward to close out, decelerate, and quickly whip the feet and hips around in order to defend against a player attempting to get past them with the ball.

Forcing players to become very specific before they have developed a foundation will limit their diversity of skills and athleticism.

When using a system that focuses on general skill development based on sound principles of movement, young athletes will see a tremendous improvement in speed, quickness, body control and — most importantly — injury reduction. ✪ Tim Rudd is an IYCA specialist in youth conditioning and owner of Fit2TheCore.

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Cassius Stanley of Harvard-Westlake of North Hollywood splits two De La SalleConcord defenders during the Wolverines’ 43-41 loss at the MLK Classic on Jan. 16 at Saint Mary’s College in Moraga. Stanley finished with 16 points.

Photo by Phillip Walton