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

   If a proposal passes next month, CIF bowls will no longer exclude any section champion. There will just be a lot more divisions and some of them just might not be that exciting.    Two of the best football teams this season that did not get chosen to... Read more

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

  By MARK TENNIS | CalHiSports.com   Whether there is a regional bowl game, open divisions in every section, or just about any other tweak in format, the one factor for Northern California football that may never change is the dominance of De La Salle-Concord.   The Spartans, who... Read more

  Has there ever been a time in NFL history when three former Northern California quarterbacks all began the season with a legitimate chance to be MVP of the league?   It doesn’t look like it to me. Barring injury, the three, of course, are Tom Brady of the... Read more

State of Play By Mark Tennis    It won’t be known until early July who will be the 2013-14 State Athlete of the Year, but for someone who put in the effort to excel in three different sports, a special tip of the hat should go to Miramonte’s Drew... Read more

State of Play By Mark Tennis    At this year’s CIF state basketball finals, we were asked at Cal-Hi Sports by Time Warner Cable to provide a series of Mt. Rushmore type selections for California’s best-ever boys players, girls players and coaches.    If you don’t know, Mt. Rushmore... Read more

State of Play By Mark Tennis    It’s always a contested argument about which league is the toughest in the state each season in the major sports.    In recent seasons, for example, the Trinity League in Southern California has been at or near the top of the state... Read more

   Last year’s cover story in SportStars by Ben Enos focused on football bragging rights being decided in games between teams from the Bay Area and the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section.    At the time Enos wrote the story, the Sac-Joaquin held a 114-90 edge in reported games from the... 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 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