PG Girls Grab One From St. Francis

The conference/league season got underway for our area softball teams Thursday. In what may be the best game of the day, Pleasant Grove scored one in the bottom of the 7th inning to defeat St. Francis, 3-2. That is only the second loss of the season for the Troubadours, a team that will challenge for the Delta River League title. The Eagles, if they can play like this, will also be one to reckon with in the DRL.

In their Delta Valley Conference opener, Elk Grove defeated Monterey Trail, 14-5. Alycia Fields had two home runs while Kimberly Wilburn pitched a complete game victory and also homered. Summayyah Wiggins (remember her from Mustang basketball?) led Monterey Trail, going three-for-three with a double and a triple.

In baseball, Bradshaw Christian outmanned Highlands, 20-0, scoring ten times in the first inning and nine times in the second. Seth Vandergrift and Grant Heisinger were the hitting stars for the Pride. This team is every bit as good as our local Division I teams. They are going for three Division VI Section titles in a row this year.

I did not get a final score from Raley Field last night, but midway through the game I know Elk Grove was leading Rodriguez, 5-2.

Stilwell Shuts Out Franklin

The sun came out Wednesday and the grounds were dry enough for Pleasant Grove to take on Franklin but the Wildcat bats remained wet. The Eagles' ace, Zack Stilwell, shut down Franklin on a two-hitter, 3-0, while J.Q. Folena was two-for-three at the plate.

P.G. is now 6-2 while Franklin drops to a surprising 1-5 here in the early season.

I wrote the baseball preview for the Citizen yesterday afternoon, which will be in next Tuesday's paper, and in my research I noted that the Wildcats' team batting average going into yesterday's contest was .168. I know the Cats have much better bats than that. In yesterday's game they committed three errors, too.

I won't give away who I pick to win the DRL nor the DVC this season, but after watching the first three weeks of the season I will say there are two fairly big stories: 1. Franklin's stinky start (which I think will be righted soon) and 2. Sheldon's 8-0 start (which I think won't last).

The Delta River League, like in basketball and in football, is the best league in baseball. Jesuit, Oak Ridge and Pleasant Grove are all Section title contenders. Sheldon has a great player in Brandon Langan and a great pitcher in Jake Lorigan, but after them the rest right now are playing out of their minds. In two weeks the Huskies play the Eagles three times to open league play. We'll know after that exactly how good Sheldon is.

Demps Inks With CSUS Basketball

Pleasant Grove football quarterback and basketball point guard Cody Demps has committed to play for the Sacramento State Hornets. Joe Davidson of the Bee quotes basketball coach Brian Katz, "(Demps is) a leader with skills, toughness, instincts. Great young man, top student, terrific basketball upside."


Congrats to a terrific young man who I think is one of the top athletes in EGUSD this season.


Here's some results from Monday's action:

UCSB Dine In Elk Grove/ Crump Named MWC Player of Week

A couple words today about three Elk Grove-area girls doing well in college softball.

Last evening in Old Towne if you noticed a group of young ladies clad in blue and grey warm-ups walking in and out of the Happy Garden Restaurant, it was the softball team from UC-Santa Barbara. They are in town to play a doubleheader today at Sac State. The first game begins at 1:30 p.m.

Shelby Wisdom, UCSB pitcher

Dej Moore, UCSB infielder

Hosting the gathering was Tom and Joylynn Wisdom. Their daughter, Shelby, is a freshman pitcher for the Lady Gauchos. I sat at the table with coach Brie Galicinao and Bakyra and Karen Moore, parents of Gaucho freshman infielder Dejanee Moore. Shelby played her high school softball at Elk Grove, Moore at Sheldon.

Also, at the table was Dej's sister, Meme, a senior catcher for Sheldon. She's already signed a letter of intent to play for Santa Barbara next season.

I was most impressed with Coach Galicinao, who played her high school ball at Lincoln of Stockton and at Princeton University. She talked about how they've played a rough pre-season schedule, taking on teams such as Tennessee, UCLA and Hawaii. The Lady Gauchos are now 12-20, Shelby and Dej are both going through their growing pains as freshman players, yet Galicinao sees some real promise in both girls.

Dej is the regular third baseman for UCSB, Wisdom pitches regularly and also plays the outfield.

Listen to my interviews with Shelby and Dej

Also, thanks to Uncle Bob Crump, who emailed me Sunday that his niece, Allie, has been named the Mountain West Conference's Player of the Week. She's having a good senior season at Boise State.

By the way, on a kind of funny note - during my interview with Coach Brie I asked her how she is able to recruit girls to UCSB with softball powers like UCLA in the same state. Her reply (with a funny look on her face): Have you ever been to Santa Barbara?

Duh!

Mater Dei 66, Sheldon 48

A great game, one suitable to be named "CIF State Championship" for about two and a half quarters got ugly real quick and the refs took over. The result, Mater Dei from Santa Ana (hometown of Dave Hester of "Storage Wars") has won its second straight Division I boys' title by beating the Huskies of Sheldon, 66-48.

I will give you a more in-depth story in Tuesday's Citizen, but here are the key facts in the Monarch's win:

• Katin Reinhart, 30 points (he'll be shooting lights out for UNLV next year) Sheldon had no answer for him. Dakarai Allen did his best to guard him.
• Total fouls = Sheldon 25, Mater Dei 13
• Starters that fouled out= Sheldon four (Allen, Iese, Thomas, Manning), Mater Dei one (Xavier Johnson)
• Field Goal Shooting= Sheldon 18-of-57 (31.6%) Mater Dei 24-of-54 (44%)

When Sheldon's big guys got in foul trouble, it was like their offense started de-railing. Mater Dei was the best team I saw all year. Give them credit for winning a state-record 9th CIF Championship.

On a positive note, expect Sheldon to return here next year. Only Kyi Thomas and Nate Iese graduate. They'll have to find a beast rebounder like Iese (who had 12 boards Saturday), but the rest of the Huskies will be back.

Here's the podcast of head coach Joey Rollings' post-game interviews: 

Also, in the words of Joe Davidson tonight: The referees should be forced by CIF to watch the televised tape-delay broadcast of the game to see the lousy job they did.

Score by Quarters:

Mater Dei      21  12  12  21 - 66
Sheldon         18  9    11  10 - 48

Sheldon Vs. Mater Dei Tonight; Friday's Scoreboard

Before I get to yesterday's scores from around our city, tonight both Jon Gudel and I will be covering the Division I State Championship basketball game between the defending champions, Mater Dei High School of Santa Ana and "your Sheldon Huskies." Jon wrote a great preview in Friday's Citizen. 

In our Jon vs. John column we both predicted a Mater Dei win, which if it happens, would be their 9th overall, the most by any California high school. But, we'll be pulling for Sheldon. We've never had a local high school in this position, ever. Wouldn't a state championship look good at Sheldon?

The only state championship we've ever had has been in wrestling and that's happened only five times at Elk Grove High School, the most recent being Lefi Letuligasenoa, who won the 285-pound title in 2010.

So, follow me on Twitter (@EGCitizenJHull) tonight. I'll be tweeting often.

Here's yesterday's scores:

EG Loses Two In A Row, First Since 2008

Elk Grove's baseball team hasn't lost two games in a row at home in four years. It happened Thursday when Oak Ridge's sophomore pitcher Austin Root threw a three-hitter and the Trojans won, 3-1. That plus Wednesday's loss to St. Mary's and Elk Grove is now 2-2 on the young season.

The first three Oak Ridge batters got on base in the first inning and all scored, but that was all the Trojans needed. Root did the rest going 6 1/3 innings, showing that his team might be one to beat when the playoffs roll around in May.

Craig Dowell was pretty impressive, throwing five innings for Elk Grove, but four errors cost the Herd, two in the first inning.

Here are the other scores from Thursday:

Wednesday's Scoreboard

Baseball

OAK RIDGE 8, FRANKLIN 1

Josh Pigg lasts only part of the first inning. The Trojans get five runs in the first inning. The Wildcats now have four runs in its first four games.

ST. MARY'S-STOCKTON 5, ELK GROVE 4 (8)

Rowdy Tellez looks good pitching the first six innings. St. Mary's, the two-time defending Section champs looks good, again.

SHELDON 14, ROSEMONT 5

The Huskies are now 6-0. Brandon Langan starts and goes three innings. He's also three-for-three.

Update On Soccer Stadium: Trip Rained Out

On Monday, Elk Grove Mayor Jim Cooper, councilman Gary Davis and two city staffers reportedly scheduled a trip to Dallas to scope out FC Dallas, the Frisco, Texas facility that houses a Major League Soccer team.

The idea, according to city manager Laura Gill’s administrative report during the March 14 city council meeting, was that she, economic development director Randy Starbuck, Cooper and Davis would visit the stadium and talk to team officials.

Poor weather in Dallas Monday morning forced cancellation of the trip.

Last month, Gill approved a $50,000 consultants expenditure to study the feasibility of Elk Grove hosting a professional soccer team.

City Councilman Steve Detrick says the idea of constructing such a sports facility isn’t out of the question.

“I am interested in bringing as many different sports at the highest level to Elk Grove,” Detrick said. “Soccer currently is the biggest youth sport in Elk Grove with over 7,000 boys and girls playing, not counting the adults programs.”

Detrick said the city is currently in the very early stages of looking into building a Major League soccer stadium with an adjacent tournament soccer facility.

“If we can get to a point where the financial numbers work, this could be huge for the City of Elk Grove and the Sacramento Region,” Detrick said. “Major sports like this can bring in a million dollars a weekend to a city with hotel, restaurant and retail sales.”    

Kinsey Hangs Up The Spikes, Returns To CSUS

Former Laguna Creek and Sacramento State baseball player Chris Kinsey has decided to hang up the spikes and has returned to the area to be an assistant to Hornet coach Reggie Christiansen. Kinsey, who had a 10-0 record with 110 strikeouts and batted over .400 for the Cardinals in 2000, had a great career as both a pitcher and first baseman for the Hornets.

He then spent several years as a farmhand in the Diamondback organization before an injury at the Triple-A level pretty much ended his playing days.

Kinsey is featured in an interesting piece on BaseballSacramento. Com

Sheldon Comes Back From 17 Down to Defeat Jesuit

Sheldon held Jesuit scoreless in final 2:06 of game to win its first NorCal basketball title, 61-56, Saturday night at Power Balance Pavilion.  D'Erryl Williams scored 22 pts. after being held to just two in the first half by the Marauders. Jesuit ran out to a 17-point lead, 23-6, with 5:44 left in the second quarter. Then they committed seven turnovers in the last four minutes of the first half to let Sheldon get back in the game.

The Huskies trailed 25-16 at halftime.  They missed on all nine three-point attempts in the first half while Jesuit made 8-of-11 field goals in the first quarter to grab the early momentum.

Sheldon, which shot just 23 percent from the floor in the first quarter, finally grabbed its first lead, 57-56 with 1:44 left in the game. Dakarai Allen chipped in 16 points and Kyi Thomas had 10.

Jesuit was led by Akachi Okugo who had 12 points. Parker Uu, the Marauder leader, was in foul trouble much of the second half.

Sheldon (29-5) has now beaten Jesuit all four times the two teams have played this season; twice in the Delta River  League schedule, once for the Sac-Joaquin Section title two weeks ago and then Saturday.

Listen (and watch) my post-game interviews below.

Next Saturday, the Huskies take on Mater Dei, the SoCal Division I champion, at Power Balance Pavilion.

Moments away from tip of NorCal D-1 Championship Jesuit vs. Sheldon. Follow me @EGCitizenJHull

Final - NorCal girls Div 1 Berkeley 56, Kennedy 38

Prayers for the family of Russ Cook, EGHS baseball player, whose Dad, Russ Sr., died suddenly.

Thursday's Scoreboard

Still too wet for baseball/softball, lots of games will be played next week. Golfers figure out a way to play in the in climate weather:

Boys' Golf


ELK GROVE 218, LINCOLN-STOCKTON 224
9 holes at Wildhawk, par 36

Low scorers: Patrick Levin, EG, 40; Smith, L, 40; Cain, EG, 42; Scott, EG, 42;

VISTA DEL LAGO 206, COSUMNES OAKS 258
9 holes at Bartley Cavanaugh, par 36
Low scorers: McKnight, CO, 40; Theis, VDL, 40.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/16/4342433/thursdays-high-school-scoreboard.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/16/4342433/thursdays-high-school-scoreboard.html#storylink=cpy

Pro Soccer Stadium In Elk Grove?

Amazing as it sounds, it appears as though the City of Elk Grove is considering construction of a soccer stadium. In a story posted Thursday on Elk Grove News. Net,  four city officials including Mayor Jim Cooper will be traveling to Dallas on a fact-finding trip that includes the tour of FC Dallas, a large stadium built exclusively for soccer.

The idea, according to some city officials, is that a pro team might consider moving to Elk Grove if a pro-type stadium was built.

Personal Opinion - I think the city would be better served if we finished construction of the ghost town known as the Promenade prior to consideration of a sports facility like this.

Secondly, and this is the baseball fan in me, I think the city would also be better served if we addressed the issue of the lack of quality baseball facilities in Elk Grove. Travel to Fresno and other California cities and see what their high school teams play in. We have sad facilities for our outstanding baseball talent to play in.

Plus, don't you think Elk Grove has a better chance of attracting a minor league team (say a Class A team) over a pro soccer team? Let me know what you think.

Detrick Does Well In Austrailia; Hornets Win Big

Elk Grove's Brian Detrick

Got a couple emails to pass along. First, from City Councilman Steve Detrick - his son Brian has done real well at the Moomba Masters' Waterski Event in Austrailia. Brian is a world-class water-skier and has continued to do well in competitions around the globe.

In local baseball, too wet to play anything around here. But, Sac State squeezed in a game this afternoon at Hornet Field.  Here's the report from HornetSports.Com:

Henderson Throws One-Hitter Wednesday

HONOLULU -With a three-run fifth inning and one-hitter performance by pitcher Jolene Henderson, the No. 1-ranked California softball team earned a crucial 3-0 win over No. 21 Texas A&M on Wednesday afternoon at Hawaii's Chevron Spring Fling.

The Golden Bears move to 22-0 overall.  With the complete-game shutout, Henderson improves to 13-0 overall. Her impressive 11 strikeouts were two shy of her 2012 season high of 13.

"I wasn't hitting well, so I had to help the team out somewhere else," Henderson said of her one-hitter outing in the circle. "The team really came together, making plays and having a we will win mentality."

On Sunday, Henderson was named the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week. Today the Bears play Texas (19-1) and Hawaii (20-1).

Wednesday's Scoreboard

This rain has really put a hamper on several baseball and softball games. St. Mary's and Elk Grove was rained out Tuesday, along with a list of many other local contests. Hopefully things will clear for a slate of games today and tomorrow, but doesn't look hopeful. Sheldon plays at Franklin in softball Friday which looks like an interesting game up front.

There's two sports that continue despite rain and wind, golf and swimming:

BOYS GOLF

FOLSOM 209, SHELDON 234

9 holes at Wildhawk, par 36

Low scorers: Ropp, F, 39; Kanae, S, 41; Just, F, 41.

JESUIT 196, PLEASANT GROVE 215

9 holes at Ancil Hoffman, par 36

Low scorers: Grenz, PG, 35; Corfee, J, 36.

Boys' Swimming

JESUIT 111, PLEASANT GROVE 68

200 medley relay–PG, 1:45.19; 200 free–Shuping, J, 1:53.35; 200 IM–Spallas, PG, 2:07.45; 50 free–Hamilton, J, 22.85; 100 fly–Spallas, PG, 54.92; 100 free–Shuping, J, 49.16; 500 free–Gillestie, PG, 5:03.48; 200 free relay–J, 1:32.37; 100 back–Hamilton, J, 56.13; 100 breast–Rodriguez, J, 1:06.71; 400 free relay–J, 3:23.79.

Girls' Swimming

ST. FRANCIS 111, PLEASANT GROVE 58

200 medley relay–SF, 1:56.84; 200 free–Maccart, SF, 1:58.37; 200 IM–Rademann, SF, 2:21.17; 50 free–Bersin, SF, 27.44; 100 fly–Rademann, SF, 1:02.76; 100 free–Maccart, SF, 54.42; 500 free–Green, SF, 5:23.78; 200 free relay–SF, 1:47.17; 100 back–Green, SF, 1:01.87; 100 breast–Debnekoff, PG, 1:12.15; 400 free relay–SF, 4:04.73.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/15/4338986/wednesdays-high-school-scoreboard.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/15/4338986/wednesdays-high-school-scoreboard.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/15/4338986/wednesdays-high-school-scoreboard.html#storylink=cpy

Sheldon beats McClymonds, 59-55. Section championship rematch showdown-Marauders vs. Huskies for D-I Norcal Championship

Team Or Not, Dinwiddie Looks To Coaching/Training

Former Elk Grove quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie's professional football career is up in the air. After spending last season with Saskatchewan in the Canadian League, he's a free agent hoping to latch onto another CFL club this summer.

Ryan Dinwiddie

But, for the first time in a few years instead of living in Boise during the off-season, where he played college football, Dinwiddie is in Elk Grove and is doing some personal training at Warriorz Crossfit. He's specializing in doing one-on-one work with young quarterbacks and wide receivers.

Tuesday, I talked with Ryan. Here's a podcast of our talk.

Sheldon Hosts McClymonds; PG Baseball Wins Big

Before we look at yesterday's sports results, don't forget the NorCal basketball semifinals are tonight. All roads lead to Sheldon High School for the Huskies' game with McClymonds of Oakland. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. The winner will take on the winner of Jesuit/DeLaSalle Saturday night at 8 p.m. at Power Balance Pavilion.

Now to yesterday's scores:

Detrick Speaks To Cal Ripken Opening Day

It was a special day Saturday when Elk Grove Youth Baseball held its opening day at its main facility at Rau Park. Right there to address the hundreds of players and parents was a former EG Cal Ripken coach Steve Detrick. Now a very active member of the City Council, Detrick did a flashback of his days coaching his sons at the old Church Fields, the former site of activity for youth baseball in Elk Grove.

http://stevedetrick.com/2012/03/10/detrick-addresses-the-crowd-at-the-opening-day-of-cal-ripken-baseball/

It's a shame to many of us who spent many hours at the site, along East Stockton Blvd., just north of Sheldon Road, to see the remnants of the old bleachers sticking up amongst the weeds that now cover those once hallowed grounds. I recall the day we installed a new electronic scoreboard on Field #2. I think I was the first person to work that scoreboard.

Now there's just the skeleton of the support structure that held the scoreboard.

Whoever owns that property needs to give it to our city so that youth baseball may return there. (Hint!)

Softball: Sheldon Places Second in Tourney

The defending Section champions, the Sheldon Huskies, placed second in the Queen of the Mountain Tournament Saturday, losing to Amador, 8-3, in the championship game.

Earlier in the day the Lady Huskies defeated Livermore, 8-1. In that game Meme Moore had a homer and four RBI's. Zamari Hinton was four-for-four.

In the nightcap, Amador scored five runs in the second inning to grab the tourney title. Hinton and Alexis Cooper each homered for the Huskies.

Also, yesterday Elk Grove dropped a 5-1 decision to Center.

Cal Bears Now 19-0

Jolene Henderson threw a three-hitter Saturday as the Cal Bears defeated San Diego State, 12-0.

The top-ranked Bears remain undefeated at 19-0 as they also defeated Butler late Saturday in the second game of a tournament played in Fresno this weekend.

Henderson is now 10-0 on the mound and usually plays first base when Val Arioto pitches. Younger sister Danielle, a Cal freshman, is playing third base regularly. Sheldon teammate Lindsey Ziegenhirt had an RBI in the shutout of San Diego State. Now a junior at Cal, Ziegenhirt is the regular catcher for the Bears.

Follow the Bears on their website, www.calbears.com.

Sheldon Advances In NorCals; PG Boys and Girls Lose

Sheldon's boys' basketball team, after first round bye in the NorCal Basketball Tournament, used a 19-2 run to open the third quarter and overwhelm Piedmont Hills, 65-44.

Elsewhere in the NorCals, the Pleasant Grove boys were beaten at De LaSalle, 54-50, while the girls' team were defeated by Berkeley, 51-33.

Here is my post-game interview with the Huskies' Kyi Thomas, who led all scorers with 19 points Saturday.

Sheldon Opens NorCals Tonight

The Sheldon Huskies, the number two-seeded boys' basketball team in Northern California, will host Piedmont Hills from San Jose tonight. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. 


Both of the Pleasant Grove squads will be on the road. The boys (24-6) play at De LaSalle (27-2) and the girls (22-9) will travel to Berkeley (26-2).

Follow me on Twitter (@EGCitizenJHull) for updates from the Sheldon game.

Here's The NorCal Basketball Schedule.

Henderson Drills Sixth Homer Of Season Weds.

Cal's Danielle Henderson drilled her sixth home run of the college softball season as the Bears (17-0) defeated UC-Davis, 11-3, on Wednesday.

Here's a link to a video interview with the former Sheldon star.

NorCal Basketball Second Round Saturday

Sheldon and Pleasant Grove boys plus the Pleasant Grove girls all hope to keep the basketball season alive Saturday night in the Northern California High School Basketball Tournament.

Sheldon (27-5) will host Piedmont Hills (28-3) from San Jose at 6 p.m. (note the time) at the Huskies' gym. Both of the Eagles' squads will be on the road. The boys (24-6) play at De LaSalle (27-2) and the girls (22-9) will travel to Berkeley (26-2).

Follow me on Twitter (@EGCitizenJHull) for updates from the Sheldon game.

The NorCal Basketball Schedule.

Thursdays Scoreboard

Baseball:
SHELDON 6, LAGUNA CREEK 3
Brandan Langan threw four shutout innings for the Huskies


Softball:

COSUMNES OAKS 3, EL DORADO 1 

SHELDON 12, CAMPOLINDO 0

Danielle Wiltz had a homer as Alexis Cooper threw a two-hitter

Boys' Volleyball:

Sheldon def. Franklin 14-25, 25-18, 25-13, 25-18


Boys' Tennis:

PLEASANT GROVE 5, OAK RIDGE 4

#1 singles–Giovanni, OR, def. Doty, PG, 6-4, 6-4; #1 doubles–Wagner/Avellanosa, PG, def. Lai/Lee, OR, 6-1, 6-1.

MONTEREY TRAIL 9, NATOMAS 0

#1 singles–Luu, MT, def. Yee, N, 6-0, 6-1; #1 doubles–Apostol/Osumah, MT, def. Dickson/Vincent, N, 7-5, 6-1.

Golf:COSUMNES OAKS 235, RIVER CITY 29

9 holes at Bartley Cavanaugh, par 36

Low scorers: McKnight, CO, 38; Penfold, CO, 41;

Swimming:

Boys -MONTEREY TRAIL 115, FLORIN 49 
Girls-MONTEREY TRAIL 92, FLORIN 73

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/09/4323739/thursdays-high-school-scoreboard.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/09/4323739/thursdays-high-school-scoreboard.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/09/4323739/thursdays-high-school-scoreboard.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/09/4323739/thursdays-high-school-scoreboard.html#storylink=cpy

W

Wednesday's Scoreboard

Boys' Volleyball:

Franklin defeated Cosumnes Oaks:
25-11, 25-13, 25-14


Baseball:


BRADSHAW CHRISTIAN 17, SAN JUAN 6 (6)
Blake Stassi picks up the win. Bryant Stone was three-for-four with a double, Grant Heisinger was four-for-five with two doubles and a triple.


SHELDON 13, PIONEER 12 (6)
Jake Lorigan got the start on the mound for the Huskies. Brandon Langan was four-for-four with three RBI's. 


Tennis:

PLEASANT GROVE 5, OAK RIDGE 4
#1 singles–Giovanni, OR, def. Doty, PG, 6–4, 6–4; #1 doubles–Wagner/Woodson, PG, def. Lee/Lai, OR, 6–1, 6–1.



JESUIT 8, SHELDON 1
#1 singles–Orlando, J, def. Phan, S, 6–3, 6–0; #1 doubles–Montalvo/Ballinger, J, def. Kiet-Tran/Krishna–Nauduri, S, 6–2, 6–1.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/08/4320667/wednesdays-high-school-scoreboard.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/08/4320667/wednesdays-high-school-scoreboard.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/08/4320667/wednesdays-high-school-scoreboard.html#storylink=cpy

and from Dave Soto, highlights of his son, Will, playing yesterday against Creighton U.

NorCal Basketball Opens/PG Wins, Florin Loses

The second part of the second half of the high school basketball season got underway tonight. It's the Northern California Basketball Tournament. The top four finishers of the top five divisions in each Section throughout the state compete for the coveted title of "State Champion."

Tonight in Palo Alto, the Pleasant Grove girls defeated Palo Alto H.S., 66-56.

At Pleasant Grove H.S., the Eagles' boys' team beat Castlemont, 64-57. Next up will be De La Salle on the road on Saturday.

The Sheldon boys earned a first-round bye and will open the Nor Cals Saturday at 7 p.m. at home.

Also in girls' action, Florin was defeated by Casa Grande, 55-52, in Division II action.

EG Wrestlers Disappointed With State Meet Performance

Here's my story in today's Elk Grove Citizen.

Too bad great kids like Martin Ramirez and Josh Letuligasenoa couldn't win medals in their final high school wrestling tournament. Look for Ramirez to end up wrestling for Arizona State next year. Josh is on his way to Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo to play football.

106-pounder Jacob Lopez who finished one match out of the medal rounds at the California State Wrestling Championships in Bakersfield last weekend.

EG Squeaks Out Opening Day Win

Cameron Childs drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning Tuesday as Elk Grove opened its 2012 baseball season with a 7-6 come-from-behind win over Rocklin.

The Herd entered the final frame down, 6-5. Dom Nunez, who pitched the top of the seventh inning and thus earned the win, opened the bottom of the inning with a screaming line drive that ricocheted off the right field fence. Rowdy Tellez was intentionally walked and then Matt Aday followed with a sacrifice bunt.

After Andrew Horne was walked intentionally, Nunez then scored the tying run on a wild pitch to D.J. Mico.  Two batters later and with two outs and the bases loaded, Childs worked the count full, fouled off a pair of pitches and then took a pitch high and outside to earn the win.

“We got a long ways to go and got a lot of things to work on,” Elk Grove head coach Jeff Carlson said afterwards. “It was a rough day for both teams here, trying to play in those wind conditions.”

The game was played in chilly 52-degree weather with a brisk northerly wind.

Nunez also had a two-run double in the third inning that kept Elk Grove in the game after the Thunder scored five runs in the opening two innings.

Carlson said he also saw some good at-bats in the first game of the season.

“It was nice to see some guys step up in some pressure at-bats,” he said. “I think the nerves got the better of us early in the game.”