Wednesday Notebook/Wiggins, Kopa Hope To Make NFL Clubs

It's a Wednesday, middle of the week, and time to re-cap a few sports items of local interest:

NFL training camps are underway across the country and a pair of former Elk Grove High School offensive linemen who spent last season on the practice squad hope to make the active roster this fall.

Kenny Wiggins, who graduated from Elk Grove in 2006 and played collegiately at tackle for Fresno State, is trying out for the second year in a row with the San Francisco 49ers. Last fall, Wiggins was a victim of the team’s final cut and ended the season on the practice roster of the Baltimore Ravens.

Matt Kopa, who graduated in 2005 and played at Stanford, was on the practice squad of the New England Patriots. This summer, Kopa is in a tough competition for a spot on the offensive line.

A blogger on the team’s website wrote:“Kopa could be next in line in (assistant coach) Dante Scarnecchia’s offensive line development program. Though he faces stiff competition and numbers, the young player has impressed behind the scenes.”

Former Franklin Wildcat Brandyn Thompson is back in camp with the Washington Redskins. After being drafted in the seventh round in 2011, Thompson played sparingly at defensive back, recording two tackles and a fumble recovery. …

The Age-11 Cal Ripken Baseball team from Fresno won the Pacific Southwest Tournament championship Saturday by defeating the host team, the Elk Grove All-Stars, 6-5, at Rau Park.

Ten teams from the western United States and Guam competed in the six-day event.

In the semi-finals the Northern California Age-11 champions, Laguna Youth Baseball’s “Purple” team was defeated by the Elk Grove squad, 12-3. Laguna’s “Grey” team was beaten 5-4 by the Fresno squad in the other semi-final game. …

Qualifying for the third annual Fittest of Elk Grove event is about seven weeks away. The first round will be September 29 at CrossFit 916 and Oct. 6 at Warriorz Health and Fitness. The top three finishers in each age division will advance to the finals, scheduled for Oct. 21 at Bartholomew Sports Park.

According to event organizers Brian Detrick and Charlie Zamora, the Fittest of Elk Grove spreads awareness of health and fitness to the City of Elk Grove and, “shows that being healthy and fit is an important element of life.”

This year the event will have a men’s, a women’s and a team division. The latter group consists of teams of two men and two women of any age.

To be eligible to compete in the Fittest of Elk Grove entrants must be a resident of the city, be employed by a business within the city limits or currently attend a school in the Elk Grove Unified School District. Registration costs $35 for individuals, $120 for a team. Online registration is available at www.fittestofelkgrove.org.

The 22^nd annual National Disabled Water Ski Championships will be held Aug. 23-25 at Shortline Lake in Elk Grove.  The best water skiiers with physical disabilities from all over the United States will participate. Skiiers will compete in Slalom, Trick and Jump events, plus a combined overall champion medal.