Sportstars
Panthers Primed | Benicia Softball Builds Momentum
In The Midst Of A Strong Second Half — And On The Verge Of A League Title — A Young, Talented Benicia Softball Team Is Ripening Just In Time For An NCS Title Run • PICTURED ABOVE: Freshman Emma French Smiles Following A High-Five With Senior Robynn Balmediano After Scoring A... Read more
‘Sky High’ | Granada Softball Storms Stampede
With High Confidence And Loud Bats, Granada Softball Won A Stacked Livermore Stampede Tournament To Take Over NorCal’s No. 1 Ranking • PICTURED ABOVE: Livermore Stampede tournament MVP, Makayla Winchell. (Chace Bryson photos) As Granada High softball pitcher Alex Mello continued to retire hitter after hitter in the Livermore... Read more
Pride & Perseverance | Salesian Girls Basketball Takes Winding Road To Glory
Behind A Strength-In-Numbers Approach, Salesian Girls Basketball Navigated A Frustrating And Demanding Season To Win The Program’s First State Title • PICTURED ABOVE: Salesian senior Kaylie Edge. (David Gershon photos) The morning after winning his first state championship in four tries, Salesian High girls basketball coach Steve Pezzola was... Read more
Fitting Finish | Elk Grove Basketball Makes History
With A Talented And Ambitious Core Of Seniors Leading The Way, Elk Grove Basketball Claimed Its First State Title • There was really no other way for the Elk Grove basketball season to end. The Thundering Herd celebrating the program’s first-ever CIF State Basketball Championship on the Golden1 Center... Read more
Final NorCal Boys Basketball Rankings | 2021-22
Modesto Christian’s 30-Win Season, Regional Open Title Secure Crusaders The Top Spot In Our Final NorCal Boys Basketball Rankings • PICTURED ABOVE: Div. II State Champions, No. 12 Elk Grove . (David Gershon photo) Final NorCal Boys Basketball Rankings. Previous rank in parenthesis 1. (1) Modesto Christian (30-6) Crusaders... Read more
Ike’s Ironmen/Ironwomen | All-NorCal Wrestlers 2022
Oakdale’s Ceasar Garza, Whitney’s Leah Brown Lead The Way As 20 Different Programs Are Represented In SportStars’ Fourth Annual All-NorCal Wrestling Honors • PICTURED ABOVE: Leah Brown of Whitney-Rocklin (Ike Dodson photo) The return of wrestling was a resounding success for many of the grapplers represented by SportStars’ NorCal... Read more
Promise Fulfilled | Seniors Lead Whitney Soccer To NorCal Title
A Talented 2022 Class Delivered On Long-Awaited Expectations In Leading Whitney Soccer To A CIF Div. I Crown, Cementing The Program Among Region’s Elite • When Joel Williams took over as the Whitney soccer coach, his vision was to help elevate the varsity boys to become one of the... Read more
Ice Surprise | Ellie Kleinheinz Slides Into Success
A Little More Than Two Years Ago, Ellie Kleinheinz Didn’t Even Know What Luge Was —  This Week, The Archbishop Mitty Freshman Will Be Competing To Win Her Second Youth National Title Ellie Kleinheinz picks up the red sled — the one with famous Disney Pixar character Lightning McQueen’s... Read more
NorCal Baseball 2022 | Players To Watch
We’ve Listed More Than 100 Names Of Guys We Expect To Be Impact Players Throughout The 2022 Season Of NorCal Baseball • PICTURED ABOVE: Valley Christian-San Jose pitcher, Jacob Hudson (Chace Bryson photo) As we prepared for our NorCal Baseball and Softball preview coverage to be included in our... Read more
California Love | Bronzini, Cal High Baseball Step Into Spotlight
With LSU-Bound Ace Nic Bronzini Leading The Way, NorCal-Ranked Cal High Baseball Is Ready To Finally Get A Postseason Shot • PICTURED ABOVE: California Ace Hurler, Nic Bonzini. (Chace Bryson photos) California High senior pitcher Nic Bronzini is a massive presence. The hard-throwing southpaw stands 6-foot-3. He struck out... Read more
SportStars’ Season-Opening NorCal Baseball Top 20
De La Salle And Its Arsenal Of Pitching Talent Opens Atop Our First NorCal Baseball Top 20 Rankings Of The 2022 Season • PICTURED ABOVE: No. 1 De La Salle (Jean-Paul Toshiro photo) 1. DE LA SALLE-CONCORD (20-4 in 2021) Good pitching beats good hitting and the Spartans have... Read more
Proving Perfection | Heritage Softball Opens ’22 Ready To Roll
A Team Shouldn’t Need To Prove Itself After Any Undefeated Season, But Heritage Softball Is Ready To Take NorCal’s Best Shot PICTURED ABOVE: Seniors Tianna Bell, Right, And Kasey Aguinaga Heritage Softball made it look easy in 2021.  In a 25-0 season, the Patriots played just two one-run games.... Read more