With all of our spring coverage now having come to a close, Prep2Prep begins our summer feature series with a look back at the top athletic performances from our coverage area during the 2018-2019 school year. Sit back, enjoy, and relive these amazing performances from teams and athletes over the past 10 months, condensed into a dozen capsules plus a brief additional segment, also filled with jaw-dropping performances.
We know we can’t mention every top performance from the past season, but these are certainly worth an extra discussion.
Herrera runs wild as Wilcox sets school history
When Wilcox saw its undefeated season vanish in a nightmarish fourth quarter during the CCS Open 1 title game against Menlo-Atherton, the Chargers were able to take a little solace in the fact that their season would still continue at the state level.
Wilcox made the most of that second chance, and especially senior running back Gabe Herrera. Herrera ran wild in the CIF 3-A title game against Kaiser-Fontana, carrying the ball 24 times for 246 and four touchdowns, outshining much-heralded Christian Turner of Kaiser in the process, as the Chargers pulled away for the 41-27 victory and a state title.
Campo turns to frosh phenom for CIF championship
Campolindo rising sophomore Aidan Mahaney is not going to catch anyone by surprise this coming season, especially with offers from schools such as Arizona and Stanford now in his pocket. But regardless of what happens over the next three years, his performance as a freshman in the CIF Division II title game against Colony will likely never be forgotten by the Cougar faithful.
Mahaney drilled both of his three-point attempts, shot 7-of-10 from the field overall and finished the game with 19 points, nine rebounds and four assists to help propel Campolindo to a 55-40 win in the state championship, the first for the basketball program in Moraga.
BCL soccer rivals shine at regional level
The small schools which compete in the Bay Counties League may find it tough to compete with larger schools in most sports, but boys soccer certainly does not seem to be one of them. In the regional playoffs this past season, two of the premier players in the league led their teams to CIF NorCal victories with masterful performances.
University senior Max Edelstein took matters into his own hands, facing perennial CCS power Archbishop Mitty, scoring four times to lead the Red Devils past the Monarchs. Meanwhile, Marin Academy’s Andoni Etcheverry was nearly as brilliant, leading the Wildcats past Livingston with his hat trick.
Monster performances highlight NCS Division IV football playoffs
When TCAL-Rock rivals St. Patrick-St. Vincent and Saint Mary’s met in the first round of the NCS Division IV football playoffs this past season, it turned out to be the crowning moment for Bruins’ quarterback Akil Edwards, who battled back from a mid-season knee injury. Edwards ran for 358 yards and six touchdowns, and added another passing touchdown to lead St. Pat’s to a big victory.
The Bruins’ post-season run would end in the quarterfinals against Moreau Catholic, who itself got a monster performance while facing San Marin in the semifinals. There, junior tailback Fresh Ison was simply unstoppable, running for 408 yards and four scores on just 28 carries, adding two catches for 27 yards and a touchdown, while also leaving every jaw in the stadium hanging open with his field-weaving tackle-breaking punt return for a touchdown that never was, called back for a penalty behind the run.
May delivers her own encore performance
When Nicole May and Foothill lost to rival Amador Valley in the 2018 NCS Division I softball championship game, it did so at the feet of a phenomenal pitching and hitting performance from current Northwestern standout Danielle Williams, who shut out the Falcons and hit the game-winning home run.
Fast forward one year, and this time it was May who turned in the superlative performance, allowing just one hit while striking out 13 batters and – you guessed it – hitting the game-winning home run in a 2-0 victory over Heritage for the 2019 NCS Division I softball title.
Zobac, Gomez go similar routes for section baseball titles
Valley Christian standout Steven Zobac and Fremont Christian star Bubba Gomez never faced each other in high school, playing in different sections and divisions. They will likely not see each other in college either, with Zobac headed to Cal and Gomez headed to Alabama A&M. But their perseverance on the mound and ability to produce at the plate produced similar results, with both players leading their teams to respective championships in the 2019 season.
With the 10-inning, or 30-out, limit on pitchers during a week, double-dip performances become rarer each year. Gomez, however, struck out seven and allowed just three hits while going the distance in a 3-2 semifinal win over Branson. He then came back to pitch the final three innings of the Warriors’ title game win over Berean Christian, allowing just one hit and striking out three more to earn his only save of the year in the 5-3 title game victory. He also reached base three times and scored twice in the two games.
Zobac put up his performances on an even greater stage, taking place in the CCS Open Division. First, he struck out eight and allowed just one hit during a 4-0 win over Palo Alto, and then came back to throw four no-hit innings and deliver the game-winning two-run double in a 2-0 title game win over Archbishop Mitty.
Rutchena, Vaughns duel to be remembered
The “Shootout at the O.K. Corral” was how Monte Vista coach Nick Jones described it to Prep2Prep’s Ethan Kassel after the game. The Mustangs outlasted St. Joseph Notre Dame 69-65, in triple overtime, and all fans present witnessed two of the best players in the NCS putting forth elite performances.
Monte Vista then-junior Nate Rutchena poured in 25 points, including 15 points in the overtime sessions, despite having just finished football season. He added 10 rebounds and shot 7-of-8 from the free throw line, as the Mustangs somehow rallied from a six-point deficit with 15 seconds left to play in the second overtime. It nearly wasn’t enough, thanks to the Pilots’ own scoring threat.
The Chico State-bound Vaughns delivered a 33-point night for St. Joe’s, after the Pilots fell behind 19-0 to start the game, giving them multiple chances to win the game in the extra sessions.
Marin Catholic duo propel Wildcats to section crown
All year, the pitching of sophomore Annabel Teperson and the hitting of Utah-bound senior Julia Scardina were the talk surrounding the Marin Catholic softball program. In the NCS Division III title game against Sonoma Valley, the pair showed exactly why.
Teperson scattered three hits and struck out 11 Dragon batters in the game, which was ultimately decided by the only time that Sonoma Valley decided to pitch to Scardina. In the bottom of the first, with a runner on base, the Dragons decided to challenge the Marin Catholic slugger and she made them pay with a two-run home run. She was walked in her next two plate appearances, but the damage had been done in a 3-1 MC victory.
Jones goes out with performances to remember
Before her senior year, Archbishop Mitty’s Haley Jones was already considered one of the best to ever play the game of basketball in the Bay Area. She left a few more reminders during her final campaign.
Jones was magnificent in the CCS Open Division title game against Pinewood, scoring 26 points to go with 11 rebounds as the Monarchs refused to let the Panthers stand in their way for the section title. Her season-high, however, came during a phenomenal all-around performance against Saint Francis in January, going for 43 points to go with 14 rebounds, seven assists and six steals.
Tobin lifts Mountain View
When Mountain View defeated Leland for the CCS Division II basketball championship, the Spartans did so in a defensive struggle, rallying in the fourth quarter for a 36-34 victory. In fact, all of Mountain View’s post-season victories were single-digit spreads, including a section semifinal win over Aragon which needed every ounce of Sam Tobin’s effort.
In contrast to the title game, Mountain View lit up the scoreboard in the semifinals. Aragon forced the Spartans into overtime, but Tobin’s all-around performance was too much for the Dons to handle. He finished the night with 30 points, six rebounds, four assists and no turnovers, with the point total coming just one shy of his season-high, which occurred during a win over Palo Alto. Tobin would get the job done again in the NorCal playoffs, scoring 25 points to carry the Spartans to another overtime win, this time over Central Catholic-Modesto.
Ironically, Mountain View and Leland would also end up meeting for the CCS Division I baseball title, and once again it was the Spartans who emerged in a close battle, winning 6-5 to add another section crown.
Karma for Wallenstrom
As a freshman, Marin Catholic budding track star Samantha Wallenstrom finished fourth in the 800 meters at the NCS Meet of Champions, missing a berth in the state meet by one spot, though she finished nearly seven seconds behind section champion Rayna Stanziano of Concord.
So imagine Wallenstrom’s surprise when she trailed Stanziano by just a few meters heading out of the final turn at Diablo Valley College, only to see Stanziano stumble and fall, giving Wallenstrom the opening she needed to race past and run for the title. Only Wallenstrom did not just race past, instead turning to Stanziano, reaching out and encouraging the fallen Concord star to get up and run for her own state berth. She did, and finished right behind Wallenstrom in the section final.
In the state final, it seemed only fitting then that a sophomore who had not even made it to the big stage the previous year, would surge past a field full of returning state qualifiers and accomplished runners, capturing the state title in a time of 2:08.78, eight seconds faster than she had finished the year before. Stanziano would end up repeating her top-three finish from her junior year as well, with Menlo’s Charlotte Tomkinson – another repeat finalist – breaking up the NCS duo.
TCAL standouts take turns
When St. Patrick-St. Vincent and Salesian meet for any basketball title, local observers know that the game can go in any direction. At the conclusion of the girls league tournament, it was Tameiya Sadler of St. Pat’s who swung the pendulum for the Bruins, scoring 27 points to go with nine rebounds and four assists in a stunning 54-53 win over the Pride.
Salesian would have the last laugh, however. After the Pride beat St. Joe’s for the NCS Division III title, and again in the quarterfinals of the CIF NorCal Open Division, they faced off with powerful Mitty in the regional semifinals. This time, it was Makayla Edwards of Salesian who got the hot hand, hitting five three-pointers to score 23 points and lead the Pride to an even more stunning 44-41 win over the Monarchs.
Not to be forgotten
Most of the post-season accolades were heaped on Utah-bound two-way standout Sione Vaki and Oregon-committed quarterback Jay Butterfield, but it was running back Tyerell Sturges-Cofer who came up big for Liberty in the CIF 1-A title game against Sierra Canyon, running for 188 yards and all three of the Lions’ touchdowns in a come-from-behind 19-17 victory.
When Berkeley reached the NCS Division I boys soccer title game two years ago and defeated De La Salle, Kalani Kossa-Rienzi was only a freshman and watched from the stands. This year, he led the Yellowjackets to their second section title in three years, scoring two goals to go with an assist in a 4-1 victory.
There are good days at the plate, and then there is what sophomore Aaron Parker had for Los Altos when the Eagles took on Saratoga. In the first game of a two-game set, Parker pounded out four hits, including two home runs and a double. One of the home runs was a grand slam, and Parker finished the day with 10 RBIs in addition to his four runs scored.
Troy Franklin touched the ball just five times in Menlo-Atherton’s CIF 3-AA North regional victory over Eureka, but all five touches were extremely important. Two of his three catches went for touchdowns, and he racked up 116 yards on those three opportunities. He carried the ball just once, and that went 70 yards for another score. For good measure, he broke up a pass on defense to go with his four tackles.
It is said every year that you need a good pitcher in the circle to win a softball championship. The CCS championship games proved that to be true once again, as all three winning teams got phenomenal efforts from that particular girl. Savanna Smith tossed a three-hit shutout for Mitty in the Monarchs’ 6-0 win over Saint Francis, Holly Fletcher struck out 11 while allowing just four hits in Aragon’s 6-1 victory over Watsonville and Pioneer’s Mari Takeda-Bajan allowing just two hits while striking out 12 in the Mustangs’ 5-0 win over Hillsdale. For good measure, Takeda-Bajan also went 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI in the title game victory.
With an opportunity to snag a share of the PCAL-Gabilan football title, Poe Gaskins was not about to let his Salinas team down. The all-around threat had 11 catches for 121 yards, carried the ball nine times for 81 yards and three touchdowns, and then clinched the 28-24 win over Aptos with an interception in the final minute. His performance led Aptos coach Randy Blankenship to comment that Gaskins was “as quick as a hiccup.”
It might not have come in a title game, but one of the top all-around performances of the softball season belonged to Santa Teresa senior Cayla Williams. She struck out 10 and allowed just two hits in a big 4-0 non-league win over Valley Christian, while also homering twice and driving in three runs at the plate.
