Demps Ready To Lead Hornets To Big Sky Title

Cody Demps is getting used to long road trips now that he’s a basketball player at Sacramento  State, a school that is a member of the Big Sky Conference.

“Yeah, it’s not 20 minute bus rides any more,” he chuckled.

That’s what just about every road game meant for the 6-4 shooting forward when he was the man who primarily guarded the top-opposing scorer while he played high school ball at Pleasant Grove.

Traveling in the Big Sky means you are visiting spots like Montana, Montana State, Idaho and North Dakota during their coldest months.

But, when his Hornet squad is playing at home, in the diminutive Hornets’ Nest with his capacity of 1.012, everything is nice and warm. That’s been especially the case this season.

Sacramento State, for the first time in anyone’s memory, is in first place entering the final week-and-a-half of the season. A 13-1 record this year at home, including a perfect 9-0 mark for Big Sky games has brought out even the casual fans.

And Demps has absolutely loved it.

“I am not surprised we are where we are right now because we have put in the work,” he said. “But, what is a little surprising is to see all the overwhelming support we’ve got.”

The Hornets are the only team in the league not to lose a conference home game.

The Hornets are performing at a level that the area hasn’t seen in quite a while. It’s been since 1988 that a Sacramento State team has qualified for the NCAA Tournament. The last league championship was in 1976-77 when a member of the Far Western Conference.

They’ve never won a Big Sky basketball championship since joining that league in 1996.

Sheldon, PG, EG, COaks,BC Boys Advance

The Elk Grove-area boys basketball teams hit about .500 in their playoff openers Tuesday night. Whereas that's a good batting average, this isn't baseball.

Pleasant Grove and Sheldon advanced in Division I action in easy wins. Elk Grove squeaked by Whitney, 47-46, in a Div II opener. Cosumnes Oaks rolled over Bethel, 85-51, also in Division II. In D-5, Bradshaw Christian also was victorious.

However, the seasons are over for Monterey Trail, Franklin and Jesuit.

The Marauders have to be stinging after a two-point loss to Granite Bay Tuesday. Franklin was handled by River City, 62-53. Also disappointing was the Mustangs' 65-58 loss to Kennedy, the second place finisher in the Metro League, even though Monterey Trail finished the year so strongly.

Florin, which finished third in the Metro League, also lost its playoff opener.

On Friday night, Pleasant Grove will host Kennedy while Sheldon plays at home against Oak Ridge in a old-Delta River League rivalry.

Elk Grove will play at #2 seed Modesto Christian while Cosumnes Oaks will host Beyer in Division II action. Bradshaw will be at #2 seed Brookside Christian in Division V.

The winners of these games will advance to next Wednesday's Section semi-finals. Divisions I through IV will be at Sleep Train Arena. Divisions V and VI semifinals are played at Galt High School. But their championship games will be at Sleep Train.

Brackets Posted For Masters' Wrestling

The Sac-Joaquin Section has posted the Brackets for the Masters' Wrestling Championships which get underway Friday at the Stockton Arena.

The top 32 grapplers in each weight division throughout the Section compete with the top six moving onto the CIF State Wrestling Championships the next weekend in Bakersfield.

Elk Grove, which won the Div. 1-A championship last Saturday, is a pre-tournament favorite because it qualified all 14 wrestlers for the Masters. Watch out for Del Oro and Folsom from Div 1AA and Oakdale from Div 3.

Larson Finishes 34th at Daytona

The 2015 Daytona 500 will probably be one Kyle Larson will want to forget.

He finished in 34th place, thanks mainly to several mistakes pitting. Larson over-shot his pit stall, was penalized for speeding on pit road, served a pass-through penalty when his crew lost equipment and he nearly spun out in the infield grass when he tapped his brake to avoid speeding onto pit road with 44 laps to go.  

Kyle Larson at the wheel of the #42 NASCAR Sprint Car

“It was a pretty eventful race,” Larson told reporters afterwards. “I spent the first 80 or so laps, just riding. And then we came down pit for green flag stops.

“My shifter had broken, and I couldn't find my shifter and just got confused on pit road and missed my pit box and then sped leaving. So we got down a lap.”

Still, Larson fought his way back as he got a free pass with 37 laps remaining to put him back on the lead lap before the restart on Lap 165. Going into the concluding green-white-checkered finish he crashed on the final lap as he tried to maneuver the #42 Target Chevrolet up in the pack. TV replays showed poll sitter Jeff Gordon spun out, tapped Larson's car on the right rear panel and forced it into the infield.

“It was a nice recovery, but we made too many mistakes,” crew chief Chris Heroy said. “The crash is disappointing, but that happens here. It's bad from a points perspective, but it's all about winning here. We don't want to have the kind of mistakes we had today, which kept from having a chance to win.”

EG Wrestlers Win Div I-A Championship

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Elk Grove did more than win the Sac-Joaquin Section’s Division I-A wrestling championship Saturday. They ended a streak of Division I titles by Vacaville dating back to 1994.

The Bulldogs had a full-Nelson hold on that blue banner the past twenty years. Now, Pat Coffing’s boys have another banner to hang in the Cartwright Gym.

“And, those don’t come easily,” Coffing claimed. “Elk Grove High School has never won this tournament. Absolutely, this was our best performance of the year. This will be our fifth Section title in school history.”

EGHS Wrestlers, 2015 SJS Div.1A Champions

The last time Elk Grove’s grapplers won a Section banner was 2009 when the Herd beat Vacaville for the Division I Team Dual title. Now, with all 14 wrestlers qualified for this weekend’s Masters Wrestling Championships in Stockton, the Herd is setting themselves up to win that banner for the first time since 2001. However, Coffing says the Division I-AA champions, Del Oro, may have something to say about that first.

“Del Oro is the best team in the Section,” he claimed. “Even though Folsom beat them in a dual, Del Oro had some kid out who was at the doctor’s and really Folsom should have never been at the Section duals and we should have been beaten by Del Oro.”

Folsom defeated Elk Grove on Feb. 7 for the 2015 Division I Team Dual Championship. That was the Bulldogs’ second consecutive team championship.

At last weekend’s Divisionals, which were at McNair High School, Elk Grove won three individual championships, three others were second and seven wrestlers grabbed third place medals.

In what may be the finest performance by an Elk Grove wrestling squad since they finished third in the state championships in 2005, Coffing had plenty of plaudits for his guys.

“I wanted to make it very, very clear to our student/athletes that we are in the business of developing young men,” Coffing said. “When you win (the Divisional championship) act like it was the tenth one you won. You have to admire the confidence and control Vacaville had on this (championship) and beating them is a big deal. It really is.”

Coffing thinks this may be the first time he’s ever taken an entire team to the Masters where the top six finishers in each weight group will advance on to the CIF State Wrestling Championships in Bakersfield in two weeks.

Why Was Bradley Placed On Admin Leave? News 10 Knows

News-10 (KXTV) will report today at 5 p.m. what they have been told on exactly why Mat Bradley, Elk Grove High School's boys' basketball coach, has been put on administrative leave. Bradley has not coached the Herd the past week and a half and has also not be at his teaching post at Albiani Middle School.

The allegations are quite outlandish from what I was told this afternoon. No one from the school is talking about Bradley's situation at all.

In the meantime, the Herd is preparing for a playoff game next Wednesday at Whitney. Though the Herd was 12-15 this season, 3-11 in the Delta League, Maxpreps ranked Elk Grove #10 in Division II basketball. Under new Sac-Joaquin Section playoff rules, the top three in each league (top four in the Delta and the Sierra Foothill League) make the post-season along with any team ranked in Maxpreps' top 12.

More on Bradley after we hear the News 10 report .....

Wrestling Divisionals Start Friday/Speed Camp Coming To Stagg H.S.

Area wrestlers are back in action this weekend with the Divisional round of competition in the Sac-Joaquin Section. All Delta League schools are competing in the Division I-A Tournament at McNair High School.

Delta League champion Elk Grove qualified all 14 grapplers for the Divisionals which begin Friday and wrap up with the medal rounds Saturday evening. Several earned the top seeds including 106-pounder Spencer Francesconi, 113-pounder Jacob Seto, 120-pounder Jesse Arroyo, 145-pounder Carson Sperber, 152-pounder Arsenio Ayala, 170-pounder Zach Krock, Jack Bellecci at 195 pounds, 220-pounder Sai Ta'amu and 285-pounder Tyler Yates.

Franklin's 132-pounder Josh Villaflor is the top seed in his weight group after winning a league championship for the fourth year in a row. He's the first Franklin grappler to do that.

Antonio Jiminez at 138 pounds and Robby Nickerson at 182 pounds are also top seeds.

The brackets are posted under the "Forum" on TheCaliforniaWrestler.com.

The top eight finishers in each weight group will advance to the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters' Tournament in Stockton Feb. 27 and 28.

Speed Camp At Stagg H.S.

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Young athletes (boys & girls) from ages 10 to 18 in many sports from football, baseball, track & field, soccer and lacrosse have the opportunity to improve their speed in a 40-yard dash or longer by what they’ll learn at the first Northern California Cal-Hi Sports/Gold Medal Excellence Speed Camp that will be Saturday, Feb. 28 at Stagg High in Stockton.

Basketball Brackets To Be Announced Today

The Sac-Joaquin Section will release the brackets to its boys and girls basketball playoffs today at 5 p.m.

Watch the webcast HERE.

Bradley Placed On Leave Yet Herd May End Up In Playoffs

Elk Grove High School boys' basketball coach Mat Bradley was placed on administrative leave last week, a move confirmed today by the school's athletic director Bob Levin. Details are not known.

Though his squad is 3-10 in league action going into tonight's regular season finale against Delta League champion Sheldon, the Herd may actually make the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoffs.

The reason, according to the Section's Director of Communications Will DeBoard, is that Elk Grove is ranked #10 in Maxpreps.com's rankings of SJS boys' teams. Under a new playoff rule, any team ranked in Maxpreps' top 12 that is not in their league's top three places will get a spot in the post-season brackets.

EGHS Coach Mat Bradley, future uncertain

DeBoard said Elk Grove, like Monterey Trail - a team that is 6-7 in the Delta and in fifth place - are teams that have played in a tough league yet have done well in out-of-league games. In the Maxpreps' rankings, strength of schedule is a heavy consideration, not just wins and losses.

Monterey Trail is currently ranked 11th in Division I and pretty much assured a playoff spot. That would mean six of the eight Delta League teams - Sheldon, Pleasant Grove, Jesuit, Franklin, Monterey Trail and Elk Grove - would make the post-season. All but Elk Grove would compete in Division I.

The final brackets for the basketball playoffs are set to be released Wednesday at 5 p.m.

Also today, Levin told me that EGHS girls' basketball coach Greg LeCount has tendered his resignation effective at the end of the season. He has headed up that program for two seasons.

 The Lady Herd go into tonight's game against Sheldon in pretty much a must-win situation to have a shot at the playoffs.

Don't be surprised if either Brian Benson or Amanda Buck return to coach the girls' team. Benson resigned the post after the 2007 season but has been teaching at EGHS since. Buck resigned two years ago but has headed up the school's P.E. department.

Hill Works Out With Twins' Hunter/ Larson Warms Up at Daytona

He's one of the best fielding centerfielders in the history of the game and this year, his 18th in the majors, Torii Hunter is back with the club where he started, the Minnesota Twins. In a feature in Sunday's Star-Tribune, Hunter talked about how at age 39 he feels as though he still have a couple good years left, though admits he may end up playing more at the corner outfield position this season than centerfield where he's dominated for so long.

Reporter LaVelle Neal visited Hunter in his 19,000-square foot north Dallas, Texas, home where he was working out with Twins teammate Denard Span and Dodger outfielder Matt Kemp. Also there was a young man some think may become the next Torii Hunter, Derek Hill.

The former Elk Grove Thundering Herd standout was drafted last June in the first round of the MLB First-Year Player draft and signed with the Detroit Tigers, where Hunter played last year. Hunter got to know Hill a little bit and thus the invitation to come work one-on-one with his idol.

(Star Tribune photo by Jerry Holt) Derek Hill, left, working out with Torii

Hunter in a north Dallas facility

“It hits home because I hear the same stuff from my dad every single day,” Hill told Neal, “but when you hear it from a different mouth, it completely changes everything.” 

Last season Hill signed with the Tigers just a few days after he graduated from EGHS and played in the Gulf Coast Rookie League for 28 games then went to Connecticut in the New York-Penn League until the end of the season.

Hill, along with most minor leaguers, will head to spring training this week. The Tigers' pitchers and catchers are due Thursday, everyone else must report by the 25th to their spring facility in Lakeland, Fla.

Larson Finishes Fifth In NASCAR Warm-up Race

The NASCAR season officially starts this weekend with the running of the Daytona 500 this Sunday in Florida. But, teams are already there getting ready this week. Everyone got a bit of a preview of the coming season Saturday with the 75-lap Sprint Unlimited.

Matt Kenseth won the event with just 12 cars finishing the race out of 25 that started.

Larson (#42) watches a spin-out right in front of him (NASCAR Photo)

In fifth place was Elk Grove's Kyle Larson in his second year on the Sprint Cup series driving the #42 Target Chevrolet for car owner Chip Ganassi.

In Sunday's qualifying for the 500, Larson was a disappointing 37th. Jeff Gordon won the pole position in what he says will be his final Daytona 500 and his last season in NASCAR.

The rest of the starting lineup will be determined later this week through a pair of 150-mile races.

Last season Larson finished just one spot out of NASCAR's playoffs called "The Chase." Overall, he and his team earned the eighth-most points of all drivers on the Sprint Cup circuit.

Par Final Round For Levin 

Spencer Levin finished in a tie for 41st in last weekend's AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in Monterey Bay after firing an even-par 72 on the coastal course Sunday.

Levin flirted with the top ten in the first couple rounds, but couldn't close the gap on the rest of the field either Saturday or Sunday. He ended up with a ten-under-par 277, 12 shots behind winner Brandt Snedeker.

He'll be in the field this weekend when the Tour visits Pacific Palisades and the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club.

Sheldon Wins Delta By Defeating PG/ CRC Baseball Wins Big

On the strength of a strong fourth quarter, the Sheldon Huskies won the Delta League boys basketball championship Friday night by defeating rival Pleasant Grove, 62-58. The Huskies outscored the Eagles, 23-12 in the final stanza to take the first basketball championship under the newly-reformed Delta League banner.

In the years of the now-defunct Delta River League, Sheldon was the primary force, winning most of the championships in the eight years of its existence. Last year, though, after a series of sanctions imposed by the Sac-Joaquin Section the Huskies fell to 3-7 in league action.

This season they bounced back in a big way with a squad of made up primarily of juniors and sophomores. Coach Joey Rollings has to be licking his chops of thoughts of next season with this talented group.

But, first, the Huskies are set for the number one seed in Division I when the playoff brackets come out next week. The regular season for Sheldon will conclude Tuesday when they take on Elk Grove.

The Eagles, now 10-3 in the Delta, should also receive a high seed. They finish with Franklin on Tuesday. The Wildcats pretty much nailed down third place in the Delta thanks to a 71-68 double OT win last night against Elk Grove. A win at PG Tuesday, though, would give them a tie with the Eagles for second place.

Jesuit was upset by Monterey Trail, 68-63, on Friday. That's the Marauders' third loss in a row and they stand 8-5 in league play. Their fourth place setting will earn them a trip to the post-season, as well.

CRC Baseball Defeats Lassen College

Cosumnes River College's baseball team won by a large 19-2 margin Friday in a home game against Lassen College. But, in reading the line score in this morning's Sacramento Bee is like reading an all-Elk Grove Unified all-star team from the last couple years.

The starting pitcher was Dave Smith (Elk Grove H.S.) who pitched six shutout innings. He was relieved by Ian Chandler (Pleasant Grove H.S.). Cameron Keup (Franklin H.S.) came on in the eighth and pitched two innings. The catcher was Nico Toni (Pleasant Grove H.S.) who was also six-for-six with two doubles at the plate.

Matt Stafford (Pleasant Grove H.S.) was three-for-three.

Brett Elgin (Pleasant Grove) is also on the roster of this year's team along with Tyler Blake (Franklin H.S.), Gabe Abelia (Franklin), Austin Friello (Pleasant Grove) and Jordan Yu (Pleasant Grove).

On the coaching staff of long-time head coach Tony Bloomfield is Laguna Creek grad Brad Kilby, who is the pitching coach, and Don Mico, whose son D.J. played his high school ball at Elk Grove.

Nill Hired As LC's Interim Baseball Coach/Levin Earns PGA Exemption

All roads lead to Sheldon High School tonight for the boys' basketball showdown tonight between the Huskies and Pleasant Grove, a game that will probably determine the Delta League championship.

The Huskies (11-1) are a game in front of the Eagles (10-2) and with tonight's and next week's game against Elk Grove can pretty much assure themselves a league title if they can beat PG. The Eagles must also win next week's game against Franklin, too, to grab at least a tie for the first Delta championship since the league was re-formed at the beginning of this school year.

Tip-off is at 7 p.m. Get there early for it will likely be a sell-out.


Nill To Be LC's Interim Baseball Coach

Long-time Laguna Creek coach Mark Nill has agreed to be the interim head baseball coach at Laguna Creek High School. Four-year coach Josh Lex was suddenly fired on Jan. 30th.

As expected, principal Doug Craig wouldn't give the reason for Lex's dismissal, but two sources say players' actions off the field cost Lex his job. One source told me the players were posting videos on social media of fighting on school grounds.

Nill, in an email to me, explained how he graciously accepted the task of once again heading up the baseball program, a job he held when the school opened in 1994.

"Craig told me he was going to be making a change and asked if I would run the program on an interim basis," Nill wrote. " I agreed to do so."

"I don’t have any information regarding Mr. Craig’s decision," he continued. " Josh has been very helpful in the transition, and I wish him all the best moving forward.  He was a great student/athlete for LCHS, and I enjoyed coaching him in both football and baseball. I also very much enjoyed coaching with him as an assistant the past two years. And, I have little doubt we will all see him coaching baseball again somewhere in the future."

Levin Earns Tour Exemption

It's been a rough couple years for Elk Grove pro golfer Spencer Levin. A thumb injury hampered his performance on the PGA Tour in 2013. He sat out much of 2014 to rehab it. 

Spencer Levin

He earned a medical pass to keep his Tour card, but starting the 2014-2015 season he had to earn at least  $317,703 or 123 FedExCup points to retain his exempt status for the remainder of the season. After Sunday's tie for eleventh at the Farmers' Insurance Open in La Jolla he's now earned $355,553 and has 201 Cup points. (The PGA Tour now considers the Frye's.Com Open in October the season opener)

Already Levin has finished in the top 25 three times and once in the top ten in seven Tour events.

This weekend he's competing in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in Monterey Bay.

Nelson To Be In Court Today

Former Sheldon basketball star Darius Nelson has a court appearance this morning in Sacramento Superior Court on several serious charges, including robbery and brandishing a handgun, stemming to a Dec. 12 incident in Elk Grove. He's been incarcerated at Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center since his arrest on Dec. 17.

Read more about Nelson in Joe Davidson's Preps Plus feature in Tuesday's Bee.

Folsom Beat Elk Grove For SJS Team Dual Championship

Throw out the name “Folsom” and no longer will Sacramento-area folks immediately respond, “Prison.”

The most likely retort you’ll hear these days is “State Champions in football.” You might also hear, “Defending Nor-Cal Champs in boys’ basketball.”

But, after Saturday you might hear, “two-time Section team duals champions in wrestling.”

Folsom easily outclassed the Delta League champions, Elk Grove, 37-15, for back-to-back team titles at the Sac-Joaquin Section’s Team Dual event.

The Bulldog grapplers opened defense of its Sac-Joaquin Division I title late Saturday afternoon with the same speed, quickness and aggressiveness the football team showed on the gridiron this season. In its match against Elk Grove, Folsom won the first five individual matches and ran out to a 21-0 team scoring lead.

And, it wasn’t Bulldog All-Everything quarterback Jake Browning throwing TD passes, either. He’s already enrolled at the University of Washington. It was a style of wrestling that was best demonstrated by the Section’s top-ranked 160-pounder Lorenzo De La Riva. He toyed with Elk Grove’s Brandon Viala on the mat, even giving him a couple pushes after both gapplers were well outside the circle.

The action received some gasps from Elk Grove parents and fans, yet Herd head coach Pat Coffing said De La Riva was doing something common in collegiate wrestling.

“You can’t get your feelings hurt because he’s wrestling on a more intense level,” Coffing explained. “Every time you go out-of-bounds in college, that’s what happens. I put some kid from (Ft. Hays State) Kansas into the president of the college’s lap when I was at Chadron (State College in Nebraska).”

De La Riva registered a technical fall outscoring Viala, 24-7, and the rout was on.

Nahhas, Scott-Anderson Ink Letters-of-Intent

Monterey Trail's All-State running back Trey Nahhas has signed a NCAA National Letter-of-Intent to play collegiately at Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo. The 2,500-yard rusher who led the Mustangs' to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I semi-finals joins former Elk Grove linebackers (and brothers) Josh and Noah Letuligasenoa at Cal Poly along with former Sheldon defensive lineman Marcus Paige-Allen and Folsom quarterback Dano Graves.

Nahhas set a Section playoff rushing record with 398 yards gained in a second round playoff win over Merced.

He inked his letter-of-intent in a lunchtime ceremony at the school alongside of Tiara Webb, a multi-sport athlete who will play soccer collegiately at the University of San Francisco.

Also schedule to ink a letter today was Elk Grove running back Manny Scott-Anderson who is committing to Sacramento State. The running back gained 962 yards and scored 14 TD's this year for the Herd.

Elk Grove also made it to the Section Division I semi-final round this year - the fourth straight season an Elk Grove team has done that.

Other letters were signed today by Franklin golfer Kylie Fong who will play at Grand Canyon University and by Malaya Elgarico who will wrestle at Eastern Michigan.

Menlo To Drop Football

Menlo College, a small NAIA school located in the Atherton/Menlo Park area, announced Monday its Board of Trustees decided to end its football program effectively immediately.

In an email to alumni, school president Dr. Richard Moran said the decision was one not made lightly.

"It has been increasingly difficult to find teams willing to play Menlo College," Moran wrote in the email. "...(Menlo) is the only NAIA school that sponsored a football program in the state of California, and one of just four NAIA programs within a 700-mile radius of the college campus."

Not only has Menlo had to guarantee visiting teams a lot of money to play in the Bay Area, but, according to Moran, "the expense we have incurred traveling for away games has been staggering."

Former Elk Grove H.S. wide receiver Brandon SooHoo is on the current Oaks' football squad. In the past former Pleasant Grove tight end Devin Young and Elk Grove guard Luke Copp have played for Menlo.

Moran added that the school will continue to honor the scholarships of all football players.

Lex Axed At Laguna Creek

No one is saying why, but it was confirmed Monday that Laguna Creek baseball coach Josh Lex was dismissed from the job he has held for four seasons at his alma mater.

In confirming the action, Elk Grove Unified School District athletic director Rod Edmiston said school administration wanted to go in another direction with the Cardinals’ baseball program.

Lex, who graduated from Laguna Creek in 2000 and played collegiately at Oral Roberts and briefly in the minor leagues, was excited about the prospects of moving into the Metro League especially with the talent he had this spring.

Josh Lex, right, discussing a call with an umpire

“Playoffs are always on my mind every year because that’s the goal,” he said in July during summer workouts. “Even when we were in the (Delta Valley Conference) it was a goal of ours. But, it is clear now that we’re going to be one of the front-runners for (Division II), easy.”

Lex could not be reached for comment on the school’s action.

The Cardinals never made the post-season during Lex’ tenure because of the presence of such perennial baseball powers in Elk Grove, Franklin and Davis in the DVC. In fact, it’s been more than ten years since a Laguna Creek baseball team has made the post-season.

Laguna Creek was 10-17 a year ago, 3-12 in the DVC. In his four seasons, Lex’s squads were 39-69.

No immediate replacement has been named.

Wallace To Join Villanova Soccer

by Steven Shaff, St. Francis High School

St. Francis senior Addie Wallace will sign a National Letter-of-Intent to attend and play soccer at Villanova University next fall. She will participate in a ceremony at St. Francis Wednesday morning at 9 a.m.

“I really liked the school and coaches,” said Wallace about her recruitment to the Philadelphia school.  “It has been nice to know where I was going especially since I love the school.”

Wallace initiated her recruitment with the “very prestigious school” during her sophomore season. The Wildcat staff saw her play at both Surf Cup and in a tournament in Las Vegas. After a visit to the campus, she was sold on her future and the Wildcat coaches were just as impressed. 

Addie Wallace

Wallace, an Elk Grove product, will play for Head Coach Fran Kulas, who is entering his second season directing the program and fifth overall at Villanova. The Wildcats play in the competitive BIG EAST and are coming off a 5-10-4 season.

“I really like that they have a roster of 22,” said Wallace of the small roster size. “I feel like I can get playing time and the whole team travels. I really liked the coach. He is really good with the girls and protective.”

Wallace, who was also recruited by Notre Dame among other schools, plays center back.

“I am really well known for my communication,” said Wallace. “I talk the whole game. I can read the game before it happens.”

Wallace, who will play for St. Francis this season, plays for Bay Oaks as part of the East Bay United soccer club based in Oakland. It is a commitment that requires her to travel to the Bay area Monday and Wednesdays. She plays with another local player, Kyra Taylor of Franklin, who is a commit to UC Riverside.

“At first it was a little difficult because it was during my freshmen year I decided to go there,” said Wallace, who likes to hang out with friends and go to the beach and boogie board in her free time. “It has been fairly easy. I do homework in the car and have learned the great value of dedication and commitment. I really do love my team. It was worth it.”