Prep Blog

Question: As Bill Paterson mentioned in an earlier question, Whitney's win over Colfax was remarkable, and the Bee did give the Wildcats some deserved press earlier in the season. But despite Whitney's continued accomplishments since Week 4, the Bee mentions Whitney's PVL title push and trip to the Div. IV championship game on Dec. 1 merely as afterthoughts. I'd say their win over '06 Div. IV champ Manteca is worth quite a bit more mention, wouldn't you?

J. Rathbun, Rocklin

Answer: No doubt if we had more space for preps on Friday, we would have given it more than a paragraph since our sister paper, the Modesto Bee, staffed it and published a much longer account. Of course, the win over highly favored Manteca ranks as one of the biggest upsets in a season of playoff upsets (along with losses by D-I defending champ Vacaville, D-II defending champ Grant and D-III defending champ Del Campo).

-Bill Paterson

Question: If Del Oro wins against Granite Bay in the D-II section football final Friday, will the Golden Eagles play in the state bowl game?

-Bob, Loomis

Answer: Not likely unless St. Mary's of Stockton fails to win the D-I section title. That's the crazy thing about the section playoffs and the CIF's state bowl format. St. Mary's is a D-I school in the section's eyes (based on the league in which they play) but a D-II school in the CIF's eyes for the state bowl (based on enrollment). So I would expect that the Rams are more likely to get the majority of the CIF's 10 bowl votes because they will have won in a higher division (although there is much debate that D-II playoff teams are every bit as good as D-I teams), have a 13-game win streak and the better overall record (13-1 as opposed to Del Oro's 12-1). The only way Del Oro goes is if the voters want to avoid sending three private school teams from the North (De La Salle and Cardinal Newman are the front-runners in D-I and D-III).

-Bill Paterson

Question: What does it take to qualify for one of the state bowl football games? Will someone like Elk Grove get consideration if it wins the Sac-Joaquin Section D-I title?
-Mike, Elk Grove

Answer: As a section champion, the Thundering Herd will automatically receive consideration to be the Northern California D-I representative. However, they probably will only be selected if De La Salle of Concord is upset by California-San Ramon in the Dec. 8 CIF North Coast Section Class 4A championship game. De La Salle is ranked No. 1 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports, has been pounding teams right and left and would be undefeated at 12-0. No doubt De La Salle's reputation and drawing power also will factor in its likely selection over Elk Grove by the CIF's 10 section commissioners. And though Elk Grove would have two more wins than De La Salle, there is the stigma of that on-field loss to Franklin of Stockton earlier this season that became a forfeit win.
-Bill Paterson

Question: Why is Valley High not ranked in the Bee Top 20 in basketball? Valley has its most talented and athletic team since they were led by All-Metro players Wayne Hunter & Roburt Sallie. Valley beat No. 2 Fairfield last year and split with Franklin, the Delta Valley Conference champs. Valley knocked off No. 14 Folsom on Monday and should take care of No. 20 Del Oro on Saturday. Marcus Lewis, Jalen Hamilton-Haywood and Darryl McBride will be players to watch this season as Valley looks to go to Arco Arena.

Viking fan, Sacramento

Answer: No doubt there are a handful of teams that could make the the same argument that they were slighted in our initial poll. But that's the great thing about rankings. We'll have another one coming out next week.

-Bill Paterson

Question: Shouldn't Elk Grove be No. 1 in football? Last time I checked they are the only team left in the area that's unbeaten. Beating defending D-I section champion Vacaville should have sealed the deal, don't you think?

Dave, Elk Grove

Answer: If you are talking about our poll, we haven't done rankings since the start of the playoffs. Napa was No. 1 and Elk Grove No. 2 in our last poll entering the postseason (we will do a final poll at the completion of the section playoffs). Elk Grove has a 12-0 record but it also has an on-field loss to Franklin of Stockton that became a forfeit win. The view by some is that Napa (with a nonleague loss to Granite Bay) has played the tougher schedule. That's also why Napa is ranked No. 2 (behind De La Salle of Concord) and Elk Grove is No. 3 in this week's Cal-Hi Sports' Northern California D-I state poll rankings. Of course, the whole issue of which team is better and deserves the higher ranking will be settled on Friday night.

-Bill Paterson

Question: Who should represent Northern California in the D-II state bowl football game - Del Oro, St. Mary's of Stockton or Foothill of Palo Cedro/Redding - and why?

-Hank, Redding

Answer: Foothill fans will have to hope that both Del Oro and St. Mary's fail in their bids for Sac-Joaquin Section titles, otherwise their team isn't likely to be selected despite completing a special season with an unbeaten record. St. Mary's is the front-runner after beating previously unbeaten Merced easily on Friday in the second round of the D-I playoffs. The Rams have one loss, the season opener against Jesuit, and if they get past Lincoln this week and either Napa or Elk Grove for the section title next week, they should get the bid with a 13-1 record. If St. Mary's falters and Del Oro beats Granite Bay on Friday for the D-II title, then it's Del Oro that's going to get selected at 12-1. The Golden Eagles' only loss is to Granite Bay and they played a tough preseason schedule that includes a win over 2006 state D-III state bowl game participant Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa, which is still Cal-Hi Sports' front-runner to represent the D-III north. There is a slight chance that Del Oro might get the nod even if St. Mary's is a bowl qualifier. If De La Salle winds up as the D-I rep and either Cardinal Newman or Central Catholic is the D-III rep, the 10 CIF members who vote on Dec. 8 may want to avoid sending three private school teams from the north. As for Foothill, I know it just won its first Northern Section D-I title and is 12-0. But the Cougars didn't play anyone out of the section and they didn't play schedules nearly as tough as those of St. Mary's or Del Oro. There also might be some concerns that a Northern Section school might get blown out in a match-up against the D-II Southern California representative.

-Bill Paterson

Question: I have to agree with your comment that there is little difference between Division I and Division II football and, in fact, all sports. I have just heard that with all the new high schools in Elk Grove the past five years, and growth now slowing down, that most of the Elk Grove district high schools are really in population Division II. Have you heard of some kind of re-alignment possibilities coming in the Sac Joaquin Section?

-John Hull, Elk Grove

Answer: I think the trend throughout this area is that smaller schools are better for students, teachers, parents, etc., in general. Some new school openings, build-out in older, established neighborhoods and the slowing housing market should lead to smaller schools in general throughout the northern part of the section. However, the Elk Grove school district has been very good about working behind the scenes to keep all its schools together, so I don't see section officials dropping the two D-I Delta leagues to D-II when the next realignment takes place, even if some of their schools have smaller enrollments than some of the current D-II schools.

-Bill Paterson

Question: Why is the D-1 championship, held at UOP, being played on a Saturday afternoon and not on a Friday evening? Is this because of the "Grant Rule" that forced the team to play their games on Saturday afternoons because of a shooting incident at a night game? I realize that it was imposed to reduce trouble at the games. If the "rule" is still in place, why not put the D1 Championship back on a Friday night, and put D2 on Saturday (Grant's division). Friday Night Lights. It's the showcase for high school football and its players.

-Football fan, Elk Grove

Answer: It hasn't anything to do with Grant, which has been playing its games on Friday nights without incident for a long time now (that shooting incident happened in 1996). From our understanding, because of the huge geographic size of the district, the section prefers the afternoon game because its easier on fans to get to and from the game than late-night travel. Playing in the afternoon usually means warmer weather, too. Long-distance travel isn't as big a deal in D-II because all the schools in that division are from the Sacramento area.

-- Bill Paterson

Question: What about the Bee's All-Metro football voting? Does a great young player like Rio Linda's Houston Roots, who often has been overlooked, have a shot at making the team?

-lrgenious, Sacramento

Answer: The problem is there are a huge number of outstanding running backs this season and one of them happens to be a Rio Linda rival in C.J. Woodbury of Foothill. As good as Houston is, he has to rate as a long shot.

- Bill Paterson

Question: With the new school in town there has developed quite a rivalry and plenty of smack talk between those attending Rocklin and Whitney. Who has the best 2007 football team of the two?

-Travis Field, Rocklin

Answer: I would have to go with the more established program. The Rocklin Thunder pulverized a Granite Bay team that might wind up winning the D-II section title. And it was no dishonor in losing to Del Oro and Roseville. Coach Mike Gimenez has done a tremendous job with Whitney and the win over Colfax was huge for the program, but it is still a year or two away from being able to beat the Thunder.

- Bill Paterson

Question: Is Ponderosa ever going to get some respect? Or is it going to be an upset every time we beat somebody good?

-Casey Friederich, Placerville

Answer: I don't think it's a matter of a lack of respect. But when you have a program whose glory days were more than two decades ago going against one of the perennial powers (such as Grant), it's hard not to consider the Bruins underdogs. The same may be the case Friday night at Granite Bay. I'm sure first-year Ponderosa coach Jason Tenner doesn't mind being in that position. It no doubt provides some extra motivation for a bunch of players who are producing a lot of positive vibes for the folks in Shingle Springs.

- Bill Paterson

Question: While football is certainly popular, we would love continued coverage of fall water polo and upcoming spring swimming. In most high schools, there are often more swimmers than any other sport. This area has a rich history of Olympic swimmers - from Mark Spitz to Summer Sanders and the aquatics sports are among the most watched of the Olympics. This year, Granite Bay has Alyssa Anderson, a national champion in two swim events and a possible Olympic team member. So, as the season starts in February, could we see more coverage?

- Liz Reego, Granite Bay

Answer: While football remains the largest participatory sport in our section and in California by far, we will do our best to try to highlight any major area high school swim accomplishments, including those by our two-time Bee Girls Swimmer of the Year Alyssa Anderson. Hopefully, we will get a good response from area swim coaches to our spring questionnaires, which help us to develop potential story ideas.

- Bill Paterson

Question: How in the world is Karl Zierhut of the Capital Christian Cougars not even being considered for football Coach of the Year? What he and his coaching staff of two assistants have done with a roster of 24 players from a student body of just over 300 is incredible. They've beaten programs with triple the enrollment and done it with primarily an underclassmen group of defensive linemen. You should rethink and consider Karl.

- Robert Virgil, Elk Grove

Answer: We'll certainly add Karl's name to the mix of candidates being considered when we sit down to vote.

- Bill Paterson

Question: John Williams, the assistant commissioner of the San-Joaquin Section, recently pronounced in The Bee that it "looks like Grant is right where they should be" by being in the D-II Metro Conference for football. The section did not allow Grant to play football at the D-I level at the last realignment, although it did allow Nevada Union to do exactly that, while all the other Miners teams play in the D-II Sierra Foothill League. NU's football team went 4-6 this year, a very disappointing year for such a vaunted program. I don't see Mr. Williams patting his own back on that decision. Do you think Grant should be able to play where they want to, in Division I?

- Bob Sanders, Natomas

Answer: I agree that if the section made an exception for Nevada Union, it should have been done for Grant. Like NU, Grant has a storied D-I football history. And if you follow John Williams' logic, then NU belongs in the D-II Sierra Foothill League, where it's unlikely the Miners would have made the postseason this season, either. But when you come right down to it, I really don't think there is a whole lot of difference between D-I and D-II area football these days.

- Bill Paterson

Question: Why isn't Cary Grossart from Folsom High School on the quick poll for The Bee's high school football Player of the Year? He passed for over 3,000 yards and 22 TDs and rushed for over 300 yards and 6 TDs. Are you kidding me?

Answer: No kidding. It was decided that only players whose teams qualified for the playoffs would be considered.

-Bill Paterson

Del Oro High School is famed for its ability to run the football, but the Golden Eagles added a wrinkle this season with the vertical passing of strong-armed quarterback Cole Saunders, who threw for 1,448 yards and 12 touchdowns during the regular season.

But the passing game wasn't in synch in a 21-14 loss to Granite Bay in Week 10, costing the Golden Eagles the outright Sierra Foothill League title, and the hangover continued through most of the first half of Friday's first-round Sac-Joaquin Section Division II 10-3 playoff win against visiting Oak Ridge.

Saunders completed only one of his first seven passes for seven yards against the Trojans, as his receivers dropped four balls that could have resulted in big gains.

So in the second half, Del Oro coach Casey Taylor went back to what the Golden Eagles do best - power football - to beat the Trojans and advance to Friday's semifinal game against Burbank at Del Oro.

So the question on a lot of folks' mind is weather the Golden Eagles should even waste their time trying to establish a passing game against the Titans, the Metro Conference champions who have agreed to give up their home-field advantage and play in Loomis.

Hunter Pahl, who had spent the first half at fullback last Friday blocking for Mike Makela and didn't have a carry, rotated with Makela at tailback in the second half, and Oak Ridge couldn't stop the duo.

Pahl rushed for 86 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries and Makela, who finished with a game-high 93 yards on 23 carries, added 56 second-half yards.

They also took some pressure off Saunders, who was 2 for 3 in the second half and finished a respectable 7 for 15 for 89 yards.

"When we've been really good offensively this year, it's been the one-two punch of (Hunter) and Mike," Taylor said. "They complement one another well."

The Golden Eagles scored on a 10-play, 70-yard drive in the third quarter to break a 3-3 tie, then played keep-away with their final drive, a 22-play, 87-yard grinder that consumed almost the entire fourth quarter and ended on Oak Ridge's 3-yard line as time expired.

Three times Pahl got first downs on fourth-and-short runs, including the last that put the ball inches from the Trojans' goal line before Saunders took a knee three consecutive times.

Pahl said much of the credit went to the blockers, including fullbacks Jeremy Hart and Austin McQuade, offensive linemen Jason Heath, Cole LaBar, Ricky Ohrenschall, Jack Reynoso, Aaron Thomas and tight end Ryan Otten.

"We knew we had to get physical," Pahl said. "And our offensive line played great in the second half."

- Bill Paterson

Question: Breaking the rules has suddenly been a hot topic for the Sac-Joaquin Section recently, with Franklin in a terrible mess and Rio Americano having to forfeit its football win over Bella Vista for playing a residentially ineligible player in the game. But there are many schools who break the rules and just fly under the radar. What is CIF doing to make sure schools play fair?

- Adam, Rancho Cordova

Answer: No doubt that an athletic director or coach who knows the ins and outs of the rules can bend them or even break them and probably get away with it. The CIF is a self-policing organization, so it depends on its member schools to comply by the rules, one reason the Franklin case was so troubling. Some district officials were clearly defiant in the face of some heavy evidence of rules violations, etc. While there may be and outlaw program or two out there, I think most ADs and coaches play by the rules. That's why in a lot of these eligibility cases, such as that involving Rio Americano, are more about procedural mistakes than someone trying to cheat. Regardless though, it's the kids who usually bear the brunt of the adults' mistakes.

-- Bill Paterson

Question: If this is supposed to be a blog about high school sports, then why is every entry in Q&A only about football? Last I checked there were several other sports being played in the fall.

-Ben Carranco, Sacramento

Answer: You are right. Most of our questions are about football, which only reinforces its popularity. We'd love to get questions about other sports.

- Bill Paterson

Question: I was just wondering why you do not give the same press coverage to soccer as you do to football? The soccer players play just as hard as the football guys?

- Marie Young Cain, Citrus Heights

Answer: As someone who has coached soccer and considers it among his favorite sports, it has nothing about how hard the athletes work. The dedicated ones all work hard, including the cheerleaders. If we had the space and the staff we could provide blanket coverage of soccer and the other fall sports. But with our limitations, we have to aim to cover what drives reader interest. And prep football has a much larger following than boys soccer and all the other fall sports combined. We did give soccer a weekly presence with our Wednesday Prep Notebooks and Top 15 poll, and we also covered the section championships.

- Bill Paterson

Question: Would you consider Napa the favorite now to win the Sac-Joaquin Section D-I North title, and how good would their chances be against say St Mary's? I am thinking maybe the Rams are the favorite now to take the SJS championship.

- Bret Thompson, Napa

Answer: We probably gave the Indians the kiss of death by picking them as our No. 1 team this week ahead of Elk Grove. You've got to like a team that has a huge weapon in all-everything John Boyett, prehaps the best player in the section. But the D-I North division is wide open. I think Vacaville, Elk Grove, Jesuit and Pleasant Grove are capable of winning it, too. I also think the winner will be the favorite over the South representative, who could very well be Merced, not St. Mary's.

- Bill Paterson

Question: Where would you rank the Sac Joaquin section in terms of overall power in relation to the other sections in the state.

-Mike Bullock, Woodland

Answer: Probably No. 2 among the state sections. Nobody is in the same league as the mammoth Southern Section, which has 13 teams in Cal-Hi Sports' Top 25 this week. I'd give the Sac-Joaquin Section a slight edge over the San Diego and Central sections. Trailing behind those would be the North Coast Section, Central Coast Section and Los Angeles City sections.

- Bill Paterson

Question: The Elk Grove football team isn't getting any respect. How about some love for us?
Chidozie Ononiwu, Elk Grove

Answer: The Thundering Herd is our No. 2 ranked team. That's some pretty good respect. And they should get some more Friday night because we will be covering the Thundering Herd's game.
--Bill Paterson

Question: I would like to know why Bella Vista is not going to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III football playoffs this season when much weaker teams are getting to play in the postseason. The best teams should go.

- Paul, Fair Oaks.

Answer: You will want to join those coaches, including Roseville's Larry Cunha, who are calling for a power-ratings system similar to girls and boys basketball for football postseason berths. If the section used a power-ratings formula, then Bella Vista probably would have gone to the playoffs this season ahead of Yuba City, the third-place team from the Tri-County Conference. But the section uses a pre-determined rotating playoff system each year. They say it takes the politics out of the process. Unfortunately for BV, this year it was the Capital Athletic League's turn to only get two playoff teams while the other two D-III leagues each got three. You might want to write to the section office requesting that they change their format.

- Bill Paterson

Question: Why is Davis High School consistently left out of The Bee's sports coverage? Blue Devils football did well this year. The Blue Devils won section championships in soccer, cross country, and water polo this fall. Tennis and Volleyball are in the finals. The lack of news is perplexing.

Sharla Cheney, Davis

Answer: I wouldn't say we have left out the Blue Devils. We did talk about the boys water polo program earlier this year, and we've had several items on the Davis boys soccer team. I understand there will be a preview of the state cross country meet coming up, which I'm certain will mention Davis. And there will be more about the football team if it advances deep into the postseason. I think every school can make an argument that we don't cover their teams nearly enough. Much of that gets down to a matter of space and staff limits.

-- Bill Paterson

Question: Will Grant go to the football playoffs and can they win it all again?

Steven Bonds, Sacramento

Answer: The Pacers are headed for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoffs but surprisingly as the Metro Conference No. 2 seed after losing the league title to Burbank last Friday. The Pacers still are struggling with inconsistency on defense. Their pass defense is suspect and their toughness against the run is being questioned. Yet while that might bode well for Ponderosa and top-ranked Del Oro, the Pacers still have enough talent to win it all if they play well. How's that for riding the fence?

- Bill Paterson

Question: What does the CIF plan to do about state football championships? Do any teams from the southern part of the section come up to Sacramento to play and vice versa? How do Southern California view teams from the north? Do they think they are better than the northern teams or comparable?

Anthony, Hammond, Ind.

Answer: Unlike other states, California does not have a true state football championship series. The CIF did institute the bowl championships last year, featuring three teams from Northern California against three from Southern California based on enrollments. The bowl games will be held again in December in Carson, part of a two-year experiment most observers think will be continued and probably expanded. Last year, all three Southern California teams won. Canyon Country's win over highly favored De La Salle of Concord (a Northern California team) in the D-I game was a surprise, but so was Oaks Christian (a Southern California team) needing overtime to defeat Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa in the D-III game. Many still view Southern California as having the superior programs, largely because of its huge population advantage. The one good thing about having the bowl games is that more and more teams are scheduling games against out-of-area teams. Grant had a home-and-away series with Bakersfield the past two seasons and also played Alta of Utah this season. Del Oro, our area's top-ranked team and No. 11 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports, played a team in Seattle this year to open the season and had a home-and-away series with Cardinal Newman.

- Bill Paterson

Tom Verner is a funny guy. Not in a Jerry Seinfeld sense, but in his overall view of the mess he created.

Verner is the outgoing football coach at Franklin High School whose blatant disregard for eligibility rules doomed his program. Franklin was handed what amounts to the death penalty, sort of like SMU football in the early 1980s. No football the rest of this season or the next two seasons. Over and out. Worst sanctions ever levied on a prep program in state history.

Verner still maintained his innocence right to the end about any improper recruiting, never mind the mountain of evidence to the contrary. He stood outside of a courthouse where his players and coaches were hoping for a reversal of fortune that never came and told The Bee's Quwan Spears that he didn't do anything wrong, that he can sleep well at night, that morally, all is well.

Ridiculous.

All is not well. This is a stain that region didn't want. The Sac-Joaquin Section did the right thing in investigating this mess when it was notified that players from America Samoa were being pipe-lined to Stockton. The CIF did the right thing in backing the section, and the governing bodies that oversee prep sports did the absolute right thing in benching the football team for dozens of violations, especially after Verner thumbed his nose at authority and played ineligible players anyway last Friday.

The real humor is Verner's latest move. He said he'd gladly resign if it helped ease tension. Too late. The mess is there, forever. He resigned anyway, but big deal. The program has been unplugged.

No one doubts that Verner loves his players, and it's a mutual affection. But someone at Franklin forgot to educate Verner, an off-campus coach, about what prep morality is all about, specifically this: don't cheat. You'll get caught.

- Joe Davidson

Question: I looked at your football Top 20 and was taken aback when you had Granite Bay with two losses ranked ahead of the Rocklin Thunder. Rocklin has just one loss - to top-ranked Del Oro - and completely dismantled Granite Bay for four quarters a few weeks ago. Dismantled is saying it politely. Who votes in this poll? Are there some bitter coaches out there possibly denying the Thunder their due, or writers who have not seen the games? If the Thunder continue to win, I hope this gets corrected by their play on the field.

- Jim Dennis, Rocklin

Answer: No coaches vote, only four members of The Bee's sports staff. And to be honest, we sometimes have short memories (at least I do because I saw three quarters of that Rocklin dismantling), so your argument is valid. In hindsight, Granite Bay shouldn't be ranked ahead of Rocklin. But since Napa had just beaten Vacaville and Granite Bay had earlier beaten Napa earlier, I moved them up two notches, which I now realize was too much considering the Grizzlies have losses to Rocklin and Vacaville. And dropping Rocklin all the way from No. 6 to 9 is unfair since its only loss is to the area's No. 1 team. We should have kept Rocklin at No. 6 (where Granite Bay is now) and put Granite Bay at No. 7 or perhaps jumped Casa Roble to No. 6, put Rocklin at 7 and left Granite Bay at 8. The one plus in having a weekly poll is that we can try to atone for our mistakes the next week.

-- Bill Paterson

Question: What do you think about the Tri-County Conference now? River Valley looked like a playoff contender, then lost to Inderkum and Woodland. I think the team of first-year seniors was a little overrated. Would you agree?

- Chris Sandoval

Answer: The 6-2 Falcons did play a non-league schedule softer than a baby's bottom in starting 5-0. Only a controversial 22-21 win over Rio Americano in Yuba City came against a solid team. But since the TCC gets three playoff berths, River Valley shouldn't be counted out yet. Inderkum should win it and Woodland looks ready to take second. But the Falcons will get in if they can beat Pioneer and Yuba City, a tall but not impossible order.

-- Bill Paterson