El Toro and Norco each land a pair on the overall all-state first team. Capistrano Valley, Chatsworth, Stockdale, Cathedral Catholic, Edison of Huntington Beach, Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks and Jesuit of Carmichael all get one on the first and one on the second.

By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Contributing: Ronnie Flores, Paul Muyskens, Steve Brand

Congratulations to all of the following 30 players, who have been written up as first team all-state for the CalHiSports.com all-state baseball honors. We have been compiling all-state teams in baseball for more than 25 years and our Mr. Baseball Player of the Year lists extend back more than 100 years.

Catchers

Josh Leyland (San Dimas) Sr.
He helped the Saints win their first section title since 1985 as his single tied the CIF Southern Section Div. IV championship game that they would go on and win, 4-2, over Torrance. Leyland has been named the Inland Valley player of the year and was drafted by the Oakland Athletics after leading the Saints with 11 homers and 38 runs batted in with a .506 batting average. On the year, he tied for the most homers in the state by a catcher with fellow first-team all-state pick Max Stassi, who was also drafed by the Athletics. Leyland has a scholarship offer from Washington State should he choose not to sign with the Athletics.

Max Stassi (Yuba City) Sr.
Despite an injury that caused him to be less than 100 percent, Max still was good enough this year to be the Sacramento Bee Player of the Year for the second year in a row and was recently named to the EA SPORTS All American team. During his senior year, he hit .538 with 38 runs batted in and 11 homers as the Honkers won their third straight section title. In his four years with the Honkers, a team coached by his dad, Jim, he hit .514 with 40 home runs and drove in 162 runs. Stassi has a full ride scholarship to UCLA awaiting him if he decides not to sign with the Oakland Athletics, who picked him in the fourth round of the recent Major League Baseball draft.

Andrew Susac (Jesuit, Carmichael) Sr.
There were an abundance of top catchers around the country and Susac was one of the best. Last summer at the Area Code Games in Long Beach, he performed more than admirably for the Milwaukee Brewers Gray team, standing out with his strong throwing arm. This spring, he continued to shine and led Jesuit to its second consecutive CIF Sac-Joaquin Div. I title by batting .442 with nine doubles and eight homers. He also scored 35 times and drove in 34 runs while earning league MVP honors and all-metro honors from the Sacramento Bee.

(Read full post)

What makes the CalHiSports.com all-state honors unmatched is that we point the spotlight on players from different-sized schools as well as the best players for the future. Cathedral Catholic and San Dimas lead the medium school selections while Washington of Easton and Escalon each get a pair for small schools. Sixty players also named either first team or second team all-state underclass.

Compiled by Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Contributing: Paul Muyskens, Steve Brand

Congratulations to the following players for earning all-state baseball honors for medium schools. Players eligible were from schools that were considered Division III for our state rankings as well as a few other schools with similar-sized enrollments:

Catchers
Geno Escalante (Rodriguez, Fairfield) Sr.
Josh Leyland (San Dimas) Sr.
Wade Morten (East Union, Manteca) Sr.

Pitchers
Anthony Amara (Placer, Auburn) Sr.
Josh Dreier (San Juan, Fair Oaks) Sr.
Chris Herrera (Kingsburg) Sr.
Kyle Hayes (Santana, Santee) Jr.
Justin Jones (Oakdale) Sr.
Andrew Kjar (Miramonte, Orinda) Sr.
Eric Salcido (San Dimas) Sr.
Ryan Wilkins (Cathedral Catholic, San Diego) Sr.
Brady Zuniga (Bishop Amat, La Puente) Sr.

(Read full post)

Pitcher from Redwood Christian is turning heads with 90 mph fastball. Go inside for picks of others who are hoping to get themselves into August's Area Code Games in Long Beach.

By Paul Muyskens, Editorial Assistant

The best part of going to a tryout like the one held Wednesday at Delta College in Stockton for the Milwaukee Brewers Area Code Team is getting familiar with players most people have never heard about.

Among the over 100 players who participated on a hot day at Nick Cechetti Diamond, hoping they'll eventually get chosen to appear in this summer's Area Code Games in Long Beach, was senior-to-be A.J. Venegas from Redwood Christian of Castro Valley in the CIF North Coast Section.

Coming from a school with an estimated 250 students and playing in Division V, it may seem to be a hard task to get noticed but with fastball that reaches up into the 90s, but Venegas has become more than noticed by scouts. During his junior year, he went 9-2 with a 1.22 ERA and struck out 109 in 57 1/3 innings as the Eagles made the championship game where they lost to Head-Royce.  

On this day, Venegas recorded the fastest pitches with a fastball that reached up to 91 miles per hour while also throwing a slider that reached 81 miles per hour.
 
"This is like a dream come true,” said Venegas after his day was done. "Not many people come out and watch us play during the year and to get invited for stuff like this is an amazing feeling. I work really hard and it's great to know that it's starting to pay off. I love to travel and going all to all these different states this summer for baseball is an amazing thing.”

(Read full post)

One of state's winningest girls hoop coaches resigns at Sacred Heart Cathedral, which in 2008 had the No. 1 team in the nation. He leaves just three wins shy of 600th milestone victory.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

After 28 years, the last 19 at San Francisco's Sacred Heart Cathedral, California girls basketball coaching legend Brian Harrigan has decided to change gears. He announced on Tuesday he would be resigning his post at Sacred Heart Cathedral, but told CalHiSports.com on Wednesday that he could return to coaching at a later date.

"A lot of people don't realize or forget how long it's been,” said Harrigan, who began his career in 1981 as a 23-year-old girls coach at the old St. Rose Academy in San Francisco.

What a lot of people also don't realize is if St. Rose had not been forced to close after suffering irreparable damage in the 1989 San Francisco earthquake that also halted the Bay Bridge World Series, the affable Harrigan may never have landed a mile west at Sacred Heart Cathedral.

He did, and the rest is history.

Harrigan leaves behind a legacy of four CIF state championship teams, six Northern Regional titles, 10 consecutive Central Coast Section crowns, and a 597-174 record for the 2006 State Coach of the Year, and the 2009 National High School Coaches Association Girls Basketball Coach of the Year. His 2008 team was also named State Team of the Year.

(Read full post)

NorCal basketball power shows it still has plenty of pop at Golden Gate Summer Shootout.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

Before hitting the road next week for the NCAA Summer Certified Event viewing period, where we try uncovering California girls basketball players not on any of the major radar screens, we decided to stay close to home for the 14th Annual Golden Gate Summer Shootout

The June 27-28 event, managed by former Redwood of Larkspur Athletic Director Jim Halm and with proceeds benefiting his non-profit organization's Education Assistance Fund, found 24 boys teams and six girls teams competing at a combined five gyms throughout Marin County.

Teams from as far away Reno, Merced, Sacramento, Roseville and San Jose competed in the boys division, while all of the girls' teams were from the Redwood Empire with the exception of Albany.

With events spread out over so many venues and temperatures well into the 100s outside and just as hot if not hotter in the gyms, CalHiSports.com decided to focus on a few of the top Redwood Empire teams and players in action.

The result is the four games at three different gyms got coverage over the two days of the Shootout.

(Read full post)

After getting eight of the first 32 in the first-round of the MLB Draft, the Golden State shows its strength in basketball by having five of the first 21 picks in the NBA.

By Ronnie Flores, Managing Editor

Sure, there are other places in America that have produced more household NBA names such as New York and Michigan. But it's no secret that the state of California, and in particular the greater Los Angeles area, is quickly catching up to its East Coast counterparts when it comes to producing top basketball talent.

This was clearly evident last Thursday at the NBA Draft in New York City when California products dominated the proceedings and the hoopla that surrounds the annual event. The five players that graduated from California high schools tied the record for most Golden State products taken in a single first round. That scenario last took place at the 1997 NBA Draft and first occurred in 1979.

Former Artesia of Lakewood standout James Harden, a 6-foot-5 sophomore out of Arizona State, was the first Golden State native to be selected when the Oklahoma City Thunder took him at No. 3. Despite what was considered a sub par showing in the NCAA Tournament, the Thunder couldn't pass up Harden's combination of talent, work ethic and high character, the latter which seems to be a more important factor in professional sports drafts each year.

Harden, whose bowtie generated a slew of reactions from lifestyle editors and bloggers, became the highest California product taken since Tyson Chandler was the No. 2 pick out of Dominguez of Compton in 2001. Harden's journey to the NBA has humble beginnings as he wasn't the most athletic kid growing up, to say the least, entering Artesia as a 5-foot-11, 155-pounder with average skills and a burning desire to become a better player.(Read full post)

It's been more than two weeks since the first initial statewide list of those on our board were posted. This updated list is mostly from our readers. It's also still not too late to get in additional nominees.

The all-state team honors program at CalHiSports.com and Cal-Hi Sports has been ongoing for 30 years and are selected currently for the sports of football, boys basketball, girls basketball, baseball and softball.

Nominations are always welcome, but don't wait until it's too late and the teams are released. They won't be changed at that point, unless it's a simple error.

Please send any nomination with each athlete's height, weight, position, year in school, significant statistics. Comparing a player not on the board yet to one who already is can be very important toward eventual selection. Limit each nomination to one page please. Send to:

mark@studentsports.com or FAX (209) 463-1219 or call (209) 608-1317.

Be aware that not all sophomores or juniors we are considering for all-state underclass may be on this list. We also usually end up selecting players who aren't on this list for medium school or small school squads. These players will emerge when all of the various major newspaper-based honor squads are released.

The format for all-state softball will be to continue with a 30-player overall all-state first team with 30 more on second team. Instead of utility, we may designate as many as eight players as multi-purpose. This accounts for the many who are both top hitters and top pitchers. Each first team player is written up and then becomes eligible for selection to the EA SPORTS All-American Team.

(Read full post)

It's down to a matter of days before the 2009 All-State Baseball Teams are released. Our list of nominees has been updated since the first time it was posted, but it's not too late to make sure we know about a certain someone in your midst.

The all-state teams honors program at CalHiSports.com and Cal-Hi Sports has been ongoing for 30 years and are selected currently for the sports of football, boys basketball, girls basketball, baseball and softball.

Nominations are always welcome, but don't wait until it's too late and the teams are released. They won't be changed at that point, unless it's a simple error.

Please send any nomination with each athlete's height, weight, position, year in school, significant statistics. Comparing a player not on the board yet to one who already is can be very important toward eventual selection. Limit each nomination to one page please. Send to:

mark@studentsports.com or FAX (209) 463-1219 or call (209) 608-1317.

Be aware that not all sophomores or juniors we are considering for all-state underclass may be on this list. We also usually end up selecting players who aren't on this list for medium school or small school squads. These players will emerge when all of the various major newspaper-based honor squads are released.

The format for all-state baseball will be to continue with a 30-player overall all-state first team with 30 more on second team. Instead of utility, we may designate as many as eight players as multi-purpose. This accounts for the many who are both top hitters and top pitchers. Each first team player is written up and then becomes eligible for selection to the EA SPORTS All-American Team.

There also will be 30 players for medium schools (Div. III traditional state rankings division), 30 for small schools (Div. IV and Division V traditional state rankings divisions) and 30 more for all-state underclass (non-seniors).

(Read full post)

Only one player in the past two decades, current Denver Broncos linebacker D.J. Williams, has won Mr. Football State Player of the Year honors after winning state junior player of the year honors the season before. Read below for some of the reasons the state's best underclass players over the last twenty years haven't been able to avoid the Cal-Hi Sports Junior Jinx. Can last year's winner, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame quarterback Ryan Kasdorf, buck the trend?

By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor

Note: CalHiSports.com will kick off its preseason football coverage for the 2009 season beginning on July 6. We'll first review the past quarter century of prep football in the Golden State with a detailed look at each season dating back to 1985. We'll then move on to our team previews -- coaches can email ronnie@studentsports.com or call (800) 660-1334 Ext. 4414 for details on how to get your team included -- release our various preseason all-section teams and finally our preseason state rankings for 2009. It's the kind of prep football coverage you just can't kind anywhere else of the Internet.

Following the 2007 season, quarterback Matt Barkley from Mater Dei High School of Santa Ana was not only named the Gatorade National Player of the Year, he was also named the Gatorade National Male Athlete of the Year. He was the first non-senior ever to win either prestigious award.

While the media attention bestowed on Barkley following a junior campaign that saw him throw for 3,560 yards and 35 touchdowns in only 11 games was a bit over the top, he definitely deserved state junior player of the year honors from CalHiSports.com. But, if you follow California prep football as close as we do, it would have been hard to make an argument he was the best player in the state two seasons ago. Perhaps if the Monarchs had won the CIF Southern Section Pac-Five title, he could have been the choice. Still it would be hard to convince a die-hard California football fan or a prep sportswriter that Barkley was more important to his team that season anymore than Corona Centennial's Ryan Bass, Napa's John Boyett or eventual Mr. Football Milton Knox of Van Nuys Birmingham.

Going into Barkley's senior season in 2008, Mater Dei had to replace a talented group of receivers and its offensive line wasn't nearly as strong. Despite Barkley's obvious talents, he struggled throwing the ball to his new crop of receivers, partly because he had less time to throw and partly because he pressed to make the spectacular happen on many of his passes. The result was a 23-touchdown, 18-interception campaign that again came to an end in the CIFSS Pac-Five quarterfinals. Barkley was not chosen for the all-state team and wasn't an all-Orange County selection, either.

Barkley, for various reasons, was the latest victim of the Cal-Hi Sports Junior Jinx. Since 1999, every player named state junior player of the year has not been selected Mr. Football the next year. In fact, only one player in the last 20 seasons has won he coveted award and we think that particular player, De La Salle of Concord running back-linebacker D.J. Williams, is the best all-around player in the state since the dawn of the Internet. In fact, Williams was class player of the year in each of his three seasons at De La Salle between 1997 and 1999. Even as an underclassman, Williams showed signs of becoming what he is today: a starting linebacker for the NFL's Denver Broncos.(Read full post)

Capistrano Valley power pitcher and hitter led team to CIFSS Div. I title and nips Norco's Matt Hobgood for state player of the year honor. He's just the fourth Mr. Baseball from Orange County since 1980.

By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor

Some of the decisions on who should be the CalHiSports.com Mr. Baseball State Player of the Year over the decades have been legendary.

Look back at 1982, for example, when the top player in Northern California was an outfielder from Serra of San Mateo named Barry Bonds while the top player in Southern California was a pitcher from Cleveland of Reseda named Bret Saberhagen. Since Saberhagen had thrown a no-hitter at Dodger Stadium in the L.A. City Section final while Bonds' last game for Serra was a loss, Saberhagen earned the nod.

This year's choice for the state's most prestigious individual honor, since it has been handed out much longer than any other statewide award, could one day be similar to Bonds vs. Saberhagen and frankly we hope that is the case.

Instead of Bonds vs. Saberhagen or Aaron Hicks of Long Beach Wilson vs. Riverside Patriot's Kyle Skipworth (which was last year's debate), this year it came down to Tyler Matzek from Capistrano Valley of Mission Viejo vs. Matt Hobgood of Norco and the final, close in-house staff vote went to Matzek, who has now been named as the 2009 Mr. Baseball honoree.

Matzek is just the fourth player from Orange County since 1980 to be the State Player of the Year. The previous three have been Ian Stewart from La Quinta of Westminster in 2003, Tom Redington from Esperanza of Anaheim in 1987 and Lenny Dykstra of Garden Grove in 1981.

One of the reasons these selections are so difficult is that we have never awarded co-players, co-coaches or co-anything in any ranking, all-state pick or any other evaluation that has been made.(Read full post)

State junior player of the year Jake Rodriguez from Elk Grove and state sophomore of the year Christian Lopes of Valencia were even better than a year ago when they were chosen for their respective classes. Other top statewide individual picks named for freshmen, medium schools and small schools.

Note: Our all-state baseball teams are still to come. Congratulations to the following 2009 state baseball players of the year. Thanks to Steve Brand, Harold Abend and Paul Muyskens for providing the writeups on these players.

Juniors: Jake Rodriguez (Elk Grove)

After a sophomore season in which Rodriguez hit for .536 average and was the state sophomore of the year, he charged into last summer as a member of the U.S. Under-16 national team. In one game against Panama, Rodriguez slammed two home runs in one inning. You might have heard about a teammate of his on that team that did the same thing: Sports Illustrated coverboy Bryce Harper.

Being on that U.S. national team helped Rodriguez to decide that he couldn't afford to continue playing football for the Thundering Herd. He did just that as a sophomore and was one of the team's leading rushers.

This season, Rodriguez's batting average dipped just slightly to .522, but all of his other numbers were even better. The 5-10, 195-pounder cracked five homers with 10 doubles and four triples and drove in 47 runs. He also was impressive on the mound. In 41 innings, Rodriguez struck out 62 batters and had a 0.68 ERA with a 4-0 record.

Rodriguez may not be quite the phenom that his former U.S. Under-16 teammate has become, but among seniors in California next year he's clearly the one in the lead to be the 2010 Mr. Baseball State Player of the Year.

The last state junior player of the year from the Sacramento area was Channing Williams from Grant of Sacramento in 1982.(Read full post)

After leading Archbishop Mitty to a mythical national title with her nearly untouchable pitching and thunderous hitting, it probably comes as no surprise that the state's most prestigious individual softball honor goes to her.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

It was the top of the first inning of the championship game of the Livermore Stampede.

ESPN RISE FAB 50 top-ranked Sheldon of Sacramento was 18-0 and colliding with Archbishop Mitty of San Jose, a top five FAB 50 squad itself at 20-0, and with a hurler in the circle, Keilani Ricketts, who was 13-0 at the time and hadn't given up an earned run yet on the season.   

When Sheldon's Cal-bound Lindsey Ziegenhirt blasted a two-out solo home run in the top of the first, Ricketts and the Monarchs girls could very easily have folded.

Instead, Ricketts knuckled down and struck out Cal-bound Jolene Henderson to end the inning.

"After the home run, I figured with the kind of team they have I knew they were going to score but I knew our offense was strong and we could come back,” Ricketts recalled.

The girls, and Keilani in particular, came back in a big way, and in a hurry, and it was Sheldon that blinked.

After Henderson struck out the leadoff batter in the bottom of the first, Lindsay Norton slapped a base hit, Miyuki Navarrete reached on an error, and up stepped Ricketts.

She went with an outside fastball and the left-handed hitter and pitcher launched a high, deep shot to exactly the same place as Ziegenhirt, well over the left-centerfield fence.

With one swing of the bat, Mitty had all the runs it would need in an eventual 5-2 victory, and the term "They Got Ricketted” was born.

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Taylor Edwards from Vista Murrieta joins her sister with state player of the year label. Other top statewide individual picks announced for sophomores, freshmen, medium schools and small schools.

Note: Our all-state softball teams are still to come. Congratulations to the following 2009 state softball players of the year. Our announcement for 2009 Mr. Baseball and the rest of the state players of the year in baseball will be coming on Tuesday. Thanks to Steve Brand, Harold Abend and Paul Muyskens for providing the writeups on these players.

Juniors: Taylor Edwards (Vista Murrieta, Murrieta)

Let the scoreboard show Taylor and her twin sister, Tatum, are now tied 1-1 when it comes to big postseason honors from us as Tatum was our State Freshman of the Year honoree from two years ago and now Taylor has beaten out her sister, among others, to be the State Junior of the Year.

At the plate, she hit .571 with 15 homers, and 52 RBI with an on-base percentage of .649  to help the Broncos capture their second straight Southwestern League championship this season. Some compare her already as among the best hitters to ever come from highly-competitive Riverside County and she's one of the sturdiest, most solid catchers you'll ever see.

Earlier this season at the Michelle Carew Classic, Taylor was named the tournament's offensive MVP despite the Broncos losing to Norco for the tournament title. She has already been named to the CIF Southern Section Division II first team and the L.A. Times all-star team since the season has ended. Those honors don't include one that was given after last season as she was selected to play at the Under Armour All-American Game at ESPN's Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida last July.

Among those previously who've been state junior of the year, the most recent from Riverside County was pitcher Keira Goerl from Valley View of Moreno Valley in 1999.

(Read full post)

36th edition of Central Valley Lions All-Star Football Game in Stockton sees South team break six-game losing streak. Two South players also get our nod for being possible late bloomers down the road.

By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor

All-star football games in the summer throughout the state aren't quite what they used to be as the majority of graduating seniors with Division I college scholarships no longer can afford to spend much time participating in them. For those players, the priority is to get to their colleges as soon as possible.

Still, the summer all-star football game can serve as a breakout opportunity for players who didn't get to sign a letter of intent the preceding February. This is why I still enjoy my voluntary service to help with the local Lions All-Star Football Classic in Stockton. I help the charity game with media relations, serve on a committee and this year was the guest speaker at the game's banquet last March.

During the 36th annual Lions Game matchup, which was played on Saturday night at University of the Pacific, I wasn't surprised to see Central Valley of Ceres quarterback Trevor Mew earn MVP honors after he threw for three touchdowns to lead the South team to a 19-3 victory over the North. Mew, after all, threw for 2,900 yards last fall. He's a 6-1, 185-pounder who showed some mobility, a pretty touch (he completed seven straight passes at one point) and could eventually play at a Division I college.

Two players who I hadn't heard about much but who definitely rose above the competition and made a number of eye-opening plays were South wide receiver Hodari Peterson from Buhach Colony of Atwater and South defensive back William Corbin from Johansen of Modesto.

(Read full post)

Basketball star Jeremy Tyler's decision to turn pro after his junior year at San Diego High was the most talked about story in the state during the 2008-09 school year. Other stories among our top 15 include Sacramento Grant's historic win over Long Beach Poly in the CIF Open Division state football bowl game and one of the most stunning upsets any team in any sport in state history has ever pulled off.

By Mark Tennis & Ronnie Flores
Contributing: Paul Muyskens

1. Jeremy Tyler Leaves High School For Pros

This one is a no-brainer at the top of our list and might be the biggest story of the school year nationally, too. In a move orchestrated by summer basketball pioneer Sonny Vaccaro, San Diego High's Jeremy Tyler, a 6-foot-11 junior who previously committed to Louisville, decided to skip his senior season of high school to play professionally in Europe for two years before entering the 2011 NBA Draft.

One year earlier, Vaccaro aided EA SPORTS National Player of the Year Brandon Jennings in skipping college to play professional ball overseas, but Tyler's decision was different and drew stronger reactions since he actually has not yet finished high school.

Recently, Las Vegas High baseball sensation Bryce Harper decided to skip his final two years of high school so there is no telling where this trend is headed. While many in the local basketball community opposed Tyler's move, it was pretty obvious he was not going to finish his prep career at San Diego High, regardless. What happened with the Cavers and the players that were supposed to be playing alongside Tyler is another story.

2. Grant Wins First CIF Open Division Bowl Game

One of the biggest stories of the 2007-2008 school year came when the CIF Federated Council approved the expansion of the CIF State Championship Bowl Games from three to five games for the 2008 season. It wasn't much of a surprise, but two events that transpired from that decision were eye-openers, that's for sure.

The first came when Sac-Joaquin Section Div. II champion Grant of Sacramento was selected to play in the Open Division bowl game, which was created to pit the best team in Northern California versus the best from SoCal regardless of enrollment. Grant's selection proved the CIF Bowl Games were not just created for an annual match up of De La Salle of Concord versus the best Southern California has to offer.

Second, Grant showed the prep football world that quality football in Northern California does exist outside the Spartans' legendary program, as they upset a Long Beach Poly team that was looking to become the first program to win a CIF state championship in the early era (1915-1927) and the modern CIF bowl game era.

With its 25-20 victory, Grant was the first victorious NorCal team in the expanded bowl game setup. And to say that Grant's win boosted the prestige of the entire Sacramento community would be an understatement. It is arguably the biggest win any team in the city's history has ever had.(Read full post)