Sportstars
GOING DUTCH | Colfax Basketball Thrived On Community, Caffeine
On the court or in the coffee shop, tight-knit Colfax girls basketball made its share of lasting memories on the way to its second-straight CIF state championship game appearance. Sugar-laden coffee trips powered the most successful basketball team in the Sac-Joaquin Section to the state finals. When a school... Read more
Best Of 2023: March | Tales From Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Wrestling
Ike Dodson Delivers Six Stories From A Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Wrestling Championships Weekend Full Of Surprises, Impressive Feats • PICTURED ABOVE: Oakdale Wrestler Carlos Garcia Points At The Camera In Celebration After Claiming The 170 Pound Title At The Sac-Joaquin Masters Wrestling Championships. (Ike Dodson photos) Fierce battles in... Read more
BACK TO BOWLING | Grant Chases Third CIF Title Against La Serna
A Host Of Playmakers Have Combined With Standout Line Play To Form One Of NorCal’s Best Offenses And Made Grant A Late-Season Force PICTURED ABOVE: Grant leading rusher, Wayshawn Parker, runs in the open field during the Sac-Joaquin Section Div. III final against Woodcreek-Roseville. (David Gershon photos) The same... Read more
“CONNER FREAKIN’ CAMPBELL” | Casa Roble QB Is Ram Tough In Title Victory
Casa Roble Football Prepares For A CIF State Bowl Regional Playoff After Its Gutty Quarterback Led Thrilling Comeback Win In Sac-Joaquin Div. IV Final PICTURED ABOVE: Conner Campbell leaps in excitement amongst his teammates following the final play of the SJS Division 4 Championship game. (Ike Dodson photos) The... Read more
COLE AS ICE | Inderkum’s Ricky Cole Has Tigers On Target
Inderkum-Sacramento Quarterback, A Touchdown Sensation, Leads Tigers Into The Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I Quarterfinals Ricky Cole might be the first quarterback to dream about his passing records being broken while he’s still in the midst of the record-setting season. The 5-foot, 10-inch junior signal caller of Sacramento’s Inderkum High... Read more
Ike’s Ironmen/Ironwomen | All-NorCal Wrestling ’22-’23
Gilroy’s Isaiah Cortez, Pitman’s Lilly Avalos Shine Brightest As 37 Different Programs Crack Our Fifth Annual All-NorCal Wrestling Honors • PICTURED ABOVE: All-NorCal Wrestling Selection At 220 Pounds, Nolan Frank Of Elk Grove High. (Ike Dodson photos) Our final wrestling story of the 2022-23 season awards special recognition to... Read more
Journey To The Center Of The Mat | NorCal’s Kathy Kopara Makes History
Santa Rosa Native And Vacaville Sixth Grade Teacher Kathy Kopara Endured To Become Groundbreaking Wrestling Official At The 2023 CIF Wrestling Championships • TOP PHOTO CREDIT: John Sachs/Tech-Fall.com Kathy Kopara remembers the moment distinctly, though she was oblivious at the time. The 45-year-old Vacaville resident was officiating a first-round... Read more
Best Of The Best | NorCal Wrestling Puts 64 On State Podium
A Strong Weekend For Boys & Girls NorCal Wrestling Yielded Eight State Titles At The CIF State Wrestling Championships In Bakersfield • PICTURED ABOVE: Cesar Chavez-Stockton Senior Taydem Khamjoi, Who Won The 131-Pound Girls State Title On Feb. 25. (Ike Dodson photos) Sixty-four Northern California wrestlers escaped the three-day... Read more
High End Returns | Whitney Baseball Is Running It Back
Rocklin’s Whitney Baseball Begins 2023 As The Sac-Joaquin Section’s Top Team After Bringing Back Just About Everyone From Its 28-Win Team • Whitney High is playing baseball with boomerangs. Everything comes back — including 2022 Sac-Joaquin Section championship coach and Whitney baseball alum Jackson Watt. Also back, nearly every... Read more
NorCal Girls Wrestling | Who’s The Next Amit Elor?
As The Postseason Begins, Expect Big Things From These 137 Wrestlers — The Best Of NorCal Girls Wrestling This Season • PICTURED ABOVE: Bella Vista-Fair Oaks Junior Gianna Dibenedetto (137 Pounds) At The 2022 SJS Masters. (Ike Dodson photos) Before she was the No. 1 ranked female wrestler on... Read more
STARS OF OUR SHOW | NorCal Wrestling Postseason Preview
We Take A Glance At Every Weight Class As The NorCal Wrestling Postseason Grind Arrives — CIF Contenders, Upset Threats & More • PICTURED ABOVE: Franklin-Elk Grove Senior Ammar Khan Is A CIF Medal Contender At 145s. (Ike Dodson photo) Load up the RV with hot dogs and headgear,... Read more
SportStars 2022 NorCal Player Of The Year | Blake Nichelson
With His Biggest Moments On The Biggest Stages, Manteca’s Blake Nichelson Completed A Legendary Prep Career With An Epic 2022 Season • _______________________________ MORE SPORTSTARS 2022 ALL-NORCAL FOOTBALL:Coaches Of The Year | All-NorCal Defensive Roster | NorCal Defensive Player Of The Year | All-NorCal Offensive Roster | NorCal Offensive Player... Read more