Sportstars
SportStars Vault | SportStories Podcast: Don Lippi, NorCal’s Mr. 900
In The Wake Of His 900th Career Win In 2021, Our SportStories’ Podcast Honored St. Joseph Notre Dame Boys Basketball Coach Don Lippi • EDITOR’S NOTE: This Article And Podcast First Debuted In May 2021. We’re Republishing It Following Coach Don Lippi’s Announced Retirement On March 23. If there... Read more
SportStars NorCal Softball Rankings | March 22
It’s St. Francis And Mitty Together At The Top Of The NorCal Softball Rankings. Stop Us If You’ve Heard This One Before • NorCal Softball Rankings All records are through Monday, March 21 (via MaxPreps). Previous rank is in parenthesis. PICTURED ABOVE: Keira Brady, Left, And Alyssa Onyeagwa Of... Read more
SportStars NorCal Baseball Rankings | March 21
Head-To-Head Wins Among Top Teams Both Simplifies And Complicates Our First NorCal Baseball Rankings In Two Weeks • NorCal Baseball Rankings All records are through Monday, March 20 (via MaxPreps). Previous rank is in parenthesis. PICTURED ABOVE: Junior Outfielder Tatum Marsh Of No. 2 Valley Christian-San Jose. (Ike Dodson... 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
SportStars NorCal Softball Rankings | March 16
It’s Been A Wet March So Far, But That Didn’t Keep The NorCal Softball Rankings From Seeing Quite A Bit Of Change • NorCal Softball Rankings All records are through Monday, March 15 (via MaxPreps). Previous rank is in parenthesis. PICTURED ABOVE: Emma French of No. 6 Benicia. (Chace... Read more
Final NorCal Girls Basketball Rankings | 2022-23
Mitty-San Jose Finishes At The Top Of Our Final NorCal Girls Basketball Rankings Yet Again — And The Dominance Isn’t Likely To Stop • PICTURED ABOVE: Senior guard Nia Hunter of No. 4 Oakland Tech. (Chace Bryson photo) It’s Mitty’s world in Northern California and here in the NorCal... Read more
Final NorCal Boys Basketball Rankings | 2022-23
For The Second Straight Season, Modesto Christian Finishes As No. 1 In Our Expanded Final NorCal Boys Basketball Rankings • PICTURED ABOVE: (L to R) Te’shawn Gamble, Money Williams and Jimon Campbell of No. 17 Oakland take photos during the CIF Div. III State Championship medals ceremony. (Chace Bryson... 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
No Apologies | Granada Boys Basketball Earns First NorCal Finals Trip Since ’96
Despite Drawing And Beating An Undermanned Riordan, The Granada Boys Basketball Team Has Proven It Belongs In Div. I Title Game • PICTURED ABOVE: Granada Students React As The Matadors’ NaVaughn Long Looks Up At The Score After Being Fouled While Converting A Second-Half Layup. (Chace Bryson photos) There... Read more
CIF Basketball Notes | Salesian Girls Shine; Bracketbusters Crash D2 Boys
Salesian Girls Show Grit In 2OT Road Win; EBAL Dominates; Sierra Foothill League Cinderellas Whitney, Granite Bay Boys Set To Clash Again • PICTURED ABOVE: Whitney-Rocklin Senior Derek Lamb Dunks The Ball During The Sac-Joaquin Section Division II Final. (David Gershon photo) As the Open Division closed out the... 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
Breakthrough Statement | Dougherty Valley Basketball Wins First NCS Title
Seniors Lead The Way As Dougherty Valley Basketball Solidifies Its Standing As North Coast Section’s Best With Open Championship Win • Dougherty Valley basketball coach Mike Hansen handed Ryan Beasley the scissors and pointed upward.  Four years after beginning his Dougherty Valley High basketball career on the Saint Mary’s... Read more