Sportstars
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
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
SportStars’ Season-Opening NorCal Softball Top 20
Led By A Pair Of Undefeated Teams From 2021, The Season-Opening NorCal Softball Top 20 Suggests A Riveting Three Months Ahead Of Us • PICTURED ABOVE: No. 1 St. Francis-Mountain View from March 2020. (SFHS Athletics photo) 1. ST. FRANCIS-MOUNTAIN VIEW (26-0 in 2021) It’s Jessica Oakland’s world and... Read more
Chase-ing Perfection | NorCal Section Wrestling Championships Review
Undefeated Champion, Record-Setting Tournaments Highlight Section Wrestling Championships Weekend As NorCal’s Finest Set Sights On Bakersfield And The CIF State Championships • PICTURED ABOVE: Oakdale’s Michael Torres celebrates his 126-pound Masters title. (Ike Dodson photos) Chase Nutting’s championship mullet had to be styled with performance-enhancing substances Friday and Saturday at... Read more
Grinders In Green | Moreau Catholic Basketball Outlasts Liberty
Hostile Crowd, Lots Of Fouls, And A Very Good Liberty Team Couldn’t Keep Moreau Catholic From Advancing To The NCS Div. I Semis • Moreau Catholic basketball coach Frank Knight stood outside of the visitors locker room on a brisk February evening at Liberty High in Brentwood.  Fifteen minutes... Read more
SportStars NorCal Wrestler Rankings (106-145) | Feb. 17
Postseason Weight Class Movements Compelled Us To Dial Up New NorCal Wrestler Rankings Prior To Section Championship Weekend • PICTURED ABOVE: Julian Sanchez of Ponderosa-Shingle Springs (No. 9 @ 113s). (Ike Dodson photo) Bonus content! We saw enough changes in divisional action from the Sac-Joaquin Section and weight class... Read more
SportStars NorCal Wrestler Rankings (152-285) | Feb. 17
Postseason Weight Class Movements Compelled Us To Dial Up New NorCal Wrestler Rankings Prior To Section Championship Weekend • PICTURED ABOVE: Jason Brauning, top, of Vacaville (No. 5 @ 152s). (Ike Dodson photo) Bonus content! We saw enough changes in divisional action from the Sac-Joaquin Section and weight class... Read more
Over The Hump | Granada Basketball Opens Playoffs With Big Win
Tough Losses Are In The Rearview As Livermore’s Granada Boys Basketball Team Storms Into EBAL Semifinals • PICTURED ABOVE: Granada senior wing, Kevin Gad (Chace Bryson photos) For the better part of a month, the Granada boys basketball team has been right on the cusp of a breakthrough win. ... Read more
SportStars NorCal Girls Wrestling Rankings | Jan. 28
Our Final Regular Season NorCal Girls Wrestling Rankings Features Several New Names — Including A Very Notable One • PICTURED ABOVE: Del Oro-Loomis junior Elena Ivaldi (No. 1 in 121s). (Ike Dodson photo) She’s baaaaack. Both on the mat and atop the 235-pound Division of our newest NorCal Girls... Read more