Sportstars
2021 Preseason NorCal Top 20 Football Rankings
To No One’s Shock, De La Salle-Concord Opens At No. 1 In SportStars’ Preseason NorCal Top 20 Rankings, But Folsom Is 1A • Every coach will tell you that rankings don’t matter in August, only in December. We can’t disagree, but it’s not stopping us from taking our usual... Read more
All-NorCal Football Defense | Spring 2021
No First Teams Or Second Teams — These Are Simply The 20 Defensive Players We Selected To Honor As All-NorCal Standouts This Spring • TOP IMAGE: De La Salle-Concord’s Zeke Berry (left) and St. Mary’s-Stockton’s Nick Murray. (Jean-Paul Toshiro photo) Our All-NorCal Football Offense and Defense were chosen a... Read more
Pahulu’s POV | Monterey Trail Football Powers Past Clayton
A Strong Power Running Game Delivers Nonconference Road Win For Monterey Trail Football • George Pahulu first approached SportStars about covering Tongan and Samoan athletes for the magazine back in 2017. He’s covered several games for us since then under the series name, “Pahulu’s Point Of View.” With football... Read more
Sac-Joaquin Section Football | Top Programs Navigate Spring Frenzy
Several Sac-Joaquin Section Stalwart Programs Find Themselves In Different Places As Schools Race To Play Abbreviated Seasons • There will be Sac-Joaquin Section football. The state’s relaxation of its youth sports guidelines on Feb. 19 opened the door for many Sac-Joaquin Section football programs to hold a spring season... Read more
2020 Taught Me… | Athletes & Coaches Reflect, Share Outlook For New Year
NorCal Athletes And Coaches Sound Off On What They Learned Over A Difficult Year, And Express Hope As We Start Anew • From the pandemic to social unrest, 2020 was a tidal wave that hit us all. Especially the world of high school athletics.  Now that the water may... Read more
NorCal Early Football Predictions | Staff Stabs: Jim McCue
As We All Nervously Await December, SportStars Is Using Each Thursday Of October To Reveal The Early Football Predictions Of Different Staff Writers • We’ve officially entered our 2021 Season Preview mode. Because it’s not like anything else is happening. So it’s time for some early  football predictions. Before... Read more
Early NorCal Football Predictions | Staff Stabs: Steven Wilson
As We All Nervously Await December, SportStars Is Using Each Thursday Of October To Reveal The Early NorCal Football Predictions Of Different Staff Writers • We’ve officially entered our 2021 Season Preview mode. Because it’s not like anything else is happening. So it’s time for some early NorCal football... Read more
Early 2021 Football Predictions | Staff Stabs: Chace Bryson
As We All Nervously Await December, SportStars Is Using Each Thursday Of October To Reveal The Early 2021 Football Predictions Of Different Staff Writers • We’ve officially entered our NorCal football 2021 Season Preview mode. Because it’s not like anything else is happening. So it’s time for some early... Read more
2021 Early Football Predictions | Staff Stabs: Ike Dodson
With First Practices Two Months Away, And Little Better To Do, SportStars Writers Have Some Fun With Some 2021 Early Football Predictions • We’ve officially entered our NorCal football 2021 Season Preview mode. Because it’s not like anything else is happening. So it’s time for some early football predictions.... Read more
Into The Void | NorCal Football Coaches Cope, Hope And Wait
Football Coaches Across Northern California Adapt And Cling To Optimism As Their Annual Favorite Time Of Year Has Become A Torturous Waiting Game • Pinning their hopes on a winter start for a high school season postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic, NorCal football coaches are growing anxious. As the... Read more
Prophet Brown | SportStars’ 2019-20 Sac-Joaquin Male Athlete of the Year
Monterey Trail Three-Sport Speed Demon, Prophet Brown, Spoke His 2019-20 Success Into Being • Last October, when things were normal and the high school football season was full swing, Monterey Trail’s Prophet Brown, like his name suggests, tweeted out his prediction for the coming months. “Turning this season up... Read more
Marcus Jones Jr. | 2019 SportStars NorCal Defensive Player Of The Year
Tenacious Middle Linebacker Logged 101 Solo Tackles In A Season That Saw Monterey Trail Defeat Folsom And Reach The Section Final • All that Marcus Jones, Jr. has ever wanted and needed is an opportunity. Give him that and he will take care of the rest.  Monterey Trail head... Read more