SportStar of the Week: Christian Encarnacion-Strand
High School Baseball/SoftballNorth Coast SectionSportStars of the Week May 17, 2018 0
College Park Falcons Baseball Player, Christian Encarnacion-Strand COLLEGE PARK-PLEASANT HILL – SENIOR – BASEBALL It’s been an up and down season for the College Park Falcons baseball team, but not for their senior shortstop. The four-year varsity player recently went 1-for-2 with an RBI double to help fuel a 9-5... Read more
Benicia Is Arguably The Sac-Joaquin Section’s Most Complete Softball Team — Will It Equate To A Division III Title? • At times, softball can become a singular sport: One team’s ace pitcher facing off with the opponent’s big hitter and the game on the line. But the Benicia High... Read more
Folsom Junior Receiver Joe Ngata Left Every Football Scout Drooling In 2017 • Joe Ngata wasn’t wasting any time. Fresh off a 16-0 state championship season, Joe Ngata, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Folsom High School receiver was begging to get back in the gym. “I’ve been back in the gym... Read more
SportStars All-City “V Award 2018” Denner Party
Sac-Joaquin SectionTrack & Field, Anchored by Youth RunnerXC-Track-Running May 15, 2018 0
Oak Ridge Senior Maddy Denner Has Established Herself As One Of The State’s Strongest Girls Distance Runners Winning a race often takes more than speed or an ability to quickly cover distances. Strategy, mental preparation, and conditioning are just as essential, if not more important than physical training. Oak... Read more
Franklin-Elk Grove Wildcats Survive A Frenzied Final Week Of Delta League Baseball To Emerge With Their First Title Since 2015 • For the last 19 years, the last remaining team in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section North bracket was from the mighty Delta League. Elk Grove, Jesuit, Davis and... Read more
Masterful Communication Aids Elk Grove High Softball
High School Baseball/SoftballSac-Joaquin Section May 10, 2018 0
21st Century Clout Coach Amanda Buck operates her Elk Grove High softball team like a finely-crafted marketing plan. The team mission adjusts pitch-by-pitch to the calls of assistant coach Jake Lively, corresponding with color-coded commands on each player’s arm band. Play is often stalled to discuss strategies with coaches,... Read more
Undaunted By Offseason Knee Surgery Or A Fourth New Coach In As Many Seasons, Jacob Cole Leads Roseville’s Push Toward A Title Defense • Injuries can be devastating for prep athletes, but timing plays a big role in their effect on the prospects of college-bound seniors. Post-commitment ACL tears,... Read more
Gilroy Makes Ultimate Addition by Hiring Cornmier
Central Coast SectionHigh School Wrestling Pinned by TCW May 7, 2018 0
Gilroy High Wrestling — NorCal’s Premier Program — Makes A Splash With Hiring Of UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier As Its New Coach • Daniel Cormier: One of the biggest names in combat sports — shortened to just two syllables (“DC”) for fight fans. He’s trading his fame... Read more
With Talented Center Fielder Michael Dixon Leading The Charge, Berkeley Baseball Is Turning Heads In 2018 • Story By JAMES G. KANE | Photos By BERRY EVANS III Berkeley High School baseball coach Curtis Sandeford put his chin to his hand and gazed his glance downward. A few seconds... Read more
West Campus Girls Basketball on a Championship Run
High School BasketballSac-Joaquin Section April 6, 2018 0
West Campus Girls Credit Their Track Coach, Conditioning Program In The Wake Of Winning A Second Consecutive State Championship • West Campus Story by MIKE WOOD | Photos by JAMES K. LEASH You might not expect to hear groans, gasps and cackles from a girls basketball team that just... Read more
With Eight Wins In Its First 11 Games, Dougherty Valley Baseball Has Already Matched Its 2017 Total — And It’s Not Looking Back • Story by MIKE WOOD | Photos by CHACE BRYSON The Dougherty Valley High-San Ramon baseball team had just completed a loss to Monte Vista-Danville, one... Read more
Coach Brian Dietschy’s Journey To State Finals Started In Elementary School
High School BasketballNorth Coast Section April 5, 2018 0
Thirty Years After After Losing A NorCal Basketball Final As A Las Lomas Player, Brian Dietschy Coached A Serendipitous Knights Team Into The State Finals • Brian Dietschy story by CLAY KALLAM | Photos by JAMES K. LEASH The story starts on San Juan Avenue, a quiet Walnut Creek... Read more
