The state hoops championships return to the East Bay in a perfect case of right place, right time. State of Play: Mark Tennis     My first taste of the passion of East Bay basketball fans and the skill of its players came when I was a senior in high school... Read more

State of Play By Mark Tennis    Golden State teams have won the U.S. or world title in Williamsport 20 times, which dwarfs the total from any other state.    Every summer in a Pennsylvania community that is still small enough to have just one high school, tens of... Read more

   Reviewing the first high school football event at Levi’s Stadium, and five suggested future matchups. State of Play: Mark Tennis    It wasn’t the Friday night lights of the Corral at Oakdale High, but for senior fullback Frankie Trent the Saturday afternoon sunshine he felt on Oct. 11 at... Read more

State of Play: Mark Tennis     It may seem like Southern California schools and teams in many sports always get benefit of the doubt when it comes to rankings and honors on the statewide level compared to Northern California.    Here’s a shock. Yes, they do. But it has... Read more

State of Play: Mark Tennis    It may be a surprise to some, but the most people to ever witness a California high school sporting event was the 85,000 who jammed the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in the summer of 1957 for the North-South Shrine Game.    This was... Read more