The Bee’s Top 20: Folsom boys basketball seizes control of Sierra Foothill League
Mike Wall is a throwback sort of coach, including the fierce game face, the crossed arms, the raised eyebrows.
The Folsom Bulldogs boys basketball coach is also in tune with a good vibe. Late in a home game last Friday against Oak Ridge of El Dorado Hills, the student rooting section for Folsom started a chant of “We want John!”
That would be John as in 6-foot-4 good-guy-on-campus John Jaklin. The junior forward got his moment, and then some.
In the closing moments of an 85-63 Folsom victory, Wall inserted John amid a roar of rooting-section joy, and then he scored on a nifty post move. More applause. When the game ended, there was a celebration of sorts, not just for defeating a chief rival but because everyone played a part, and the student-section pleas were answered.
“I don’t always know the ins-and-outs of school culture on campus, and I didn’t have any idea that was going to be a thing with the students chanting John’s name,” Wall said, all grins after a satisfying victory. “I thought, ‘Oh, he must be a fan favorite,’ and then he gets in, and I hear that crowd, and I’m thinking, ‘Oh my gosh!’ And he delivered.”
Wall appreciates hard-working players. Jaklin fits that bill. The coach has stressed over his long championship career that role players matter, that bench guys matter. Jaklin grew up through the Folsom youth ball system and the prep ranks. Said a delighted Jacklin of the student cheers before, during and after, “I’ll remember that moment for the rest on my life. Really cool.”
Jaklin said he competes for his teammates, his school and the father he lost. David Jaklin died several years ago, unexpectedly, before he got to see his son in compete for Folsom High.
“We used to play basketball in the front yard,” Jaklin said. “My dad wanted me to have fun with sports.”
Bulldogs take a bite out of SFL
Ranked second by The Sacramento Bee, Folsom is a veteran outfit led by 6-6 Idaho State-bound forward Joven Dulay, 6-3 sophomore guard and rising recruit Parks Weaver, senior guard Scott Nardinelli, senior guard Jack Shull and senior forward/guard Alec Day.
It is a team that shares the ball, plays fundamentally sound and competes with purpose. In other words, this is a Mike Wall sort of team if there ever was one.
The Bulldogs made 14 3-pointers in a 76-59 win over Jesuit with Weaver scoring 29 and making 7 of 12 attempted 3-pointers. Dulay had 13, Nardinelli 12 and Shull 9 in that contest. Against Oak Ridge, Folsom dished out 21 assists as Dulay and Shull each scored 17 to go with 19 by Weaver.
Folsom capped the first-half of Sierra Foothill League play with the Oak Ridge victory, winning its first seven league contests by double digits. Wall isn’t sure he has led a team to that sort of showing in his career. Gavyn Hoenig scored 33 for Oak Ridge in the senior’s finest effort of the season.
On Monday night, Folsom edged Rocklin 53-52 to move to 8-0 in the SFL and 17-5 overall. The Bulldogs have won 12 of 13 games and are determined to repeat as CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I champions.
“I like our chances,” Wall said.
No. 1 tops previous No. 2
In a Delta League rumble in the Elk Grove Unified School District last week, top-ranked Sheldon erupted in the fourth quarter to defeat Franklin, 62-45. Franklin was ranked No. 2 by The Bee last week and is now ranked third. Sheldon held a 39-35 lead after three quarters before seizing control with defense and buckets.
Baron Sabir started 1-for-11 shooting a week after dropping 41 to beat Monterey Trail, but the 6-5 junior guard heated up in the fourth quarter, scoring 12 of his 19 points, including a thunderous dunk that electrified the packed Sheldon stands. Sabir scored his 1,000th varsity career point on a free throw.
Guard Tae Carter scored a game-high 26 for Sheldon to go with 10 rebounds, three assists and four steals. David Williams and Zech Beatty muscled inside and combined for 17 points. Beatty had 11 rebounds. Franklin’s all-time career scoring leader Aiden Rollins was slowed by first-half foul trouble and scored 10 points.
Not every coach — head coaches and assistants — shook hands afterward. Some barked and glowered at each other. Order was quicky restored. Sheldon has won 11 consecutive games, is 19-3 overall, 6-0 in the Delta League and unbeaten in section play.
The rematch with Franklin is Feb. 6 at Franklin, with league championship and section playoff seedings ramifications on the line. Franklin is 20-2, the only other setback coming to Bay Area power Monte Vista of Danville, 61-54 on Dec. 9.
DCA tops Metro
The Metro League race is a good one with Bee No. 4 Destiny Christian Academy of Sacramento boasting a 6-0 league mark. No. 6 McClatchy is 5-1, No. 15 Grant is 4-2 and No. 12 Antelope is 3-3
DCA has won 6 of 7 games under coach Rich Sondhi and staff, none more satisfying than the 58-56 effort over McClatchy last Friday at home as senior team captains Frederick Blue III, Mohamed Kamara and Myles Wiggins led the charge.
DCA hosts Grant on Tuesday night and West Park of Roseville on Friday.
Del Oro stuns Jesuit
Del Oro agonized through a five-game losing streak, including by 3 to Placer, by 7 to Whitney and by 7 to Rocklin. Now the Golden Eagles of Loomis are riding a five-game streak in downing Davis 71-47, Oak Ridge 71-49, Granite Bay 85-60 and, on Monday night, Jesuit, 59-57.
Brenden Hawkins, Keyaan Moulla, Mikey Root and others led the charge against Jesuit, which is second behind Folsom in the SFL with a 6-2 league mark. Whitney is 5-3 in the SFL, Del Oro 4-4, Oak Ridge 4-4, Granite Bay 3-5 and Rocklin 2-6.
Rector the assist maker
The all-time career assist maker for the Placer Hillmen is still playing. The record belongs to Kannon Rector, the Hillmen’s superb senior playmaker who entered this week with 338 career assists with a lot of season left to play for a team that is aiming for the section Division III finals at Golden 1 Center.
Rector is averaging 5.3 assists this season. He has 116 assists this campaign and has played a paramount role in the Hillmen’s 21-2 start that includes a 6-1 showing in the Foothill Valley League.
Bruhn a burner
Romello Bruhn led the section in scoring a year ago while earning Sacramento Bee Small School Player of the Year honors, dropping in an averaging of 31.2 points as a junior for Woodland Christian of Yolo County. His scoring efforts helped propel the Cardinals to a section championship, a contest in which he scored 49.
Bruhn is now starring at Weston Ranch High in Stockton, where he leads the Division I Cougars with a 28.5 average. Bruhn doesn’t have to score a ton to help Weston Ranch win. He had 16 in a 72-71 nonleague win over Destiny Christian on Jan. 9, and had 31 in an 85-72 victory Jan. 17 over Christian Brothers.
Malakai Baker has assumed the scoring load for Woodland Christian, including a 39-point effort last week in a 78-47 win over Woodland. He is averaging 22.5 points.
The Bee’s Top 20
(Records entering Tuesday)
1. Sheldon (19-3)
2. Folsom (17-5)
3. Franklin (20-2)
4. Destiny Christian (15-6)
5. Jesuit (13-8)
6. McClatchy (17-4)
7. Inderkum (16-6)
8. Sacramento (14-8)
9. Woodcreek (16-7)
10. Placer (21-2)
11. Vanden (17-5)
12. Antelope (17-5)
13. Casa Roble (18-4)
14. Natomas (14-9)
15. Grant (13-7)
16. Whitney (16-6)
17. Monterey Trail (11-10)
18. Del Oro (13-8)
19. Rio Americano (14-7)
20-t. Christian Brothers (12-10)
20-t. Oakmont (20-1)
Bubble teams: Twelve Bridges (18-4); Roseville (11-12); Oak Ridge (13-9), Granite Bay (9-13); Rocklin (12-10), Nevada Union (15-8); Colfax (17-4); Marysville (16-5).