Our girls' winner this week is a big cog in a wheel that rolled over some top teams this past weekend, propelling her team to prominence in Southern California volleyball. Note: Make sure you follow us at twitter.com/calhisports as we'll do our best to give you live updates from the big games we attend all season long. You can also follow us on Facebook. Please join our Facebook group by CLICKING HERE
By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com
We didn't know much about this week's girls' honoree, other than that Michelle Waber of Elsinore High has shown the type of prowess on the volleyball court and in the classroom to accept a scholarship offer from national power Hawaii two weeks ago.
What we found in this 6-3 middle with a cheerful positive attitude is she has an interesting story to tell that combines dedication and fastidious focus on her sport, coupled with compassion and a heart for others.
"We're very excited you chose Michelle for this award. She's an outstanding student with a 3.76 GPA, and an endless worker with a strong love for the game of volleyball,” said Tigers' Coach Kim Horton, an English teacher at Elsinore in her seventh season coaching volleyball and fifth as head coach. "Not only does she work hard in our gym, she also works extra with conditioning coaches and with her club coach. We actually have to work to make sure she doesn't do too much.”
What Waber did do after returning from her visit to Hawaii was help lead the Tigers to the tournament championship of the Capistrano Valley Cougar Classic last weekend. (
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stat stars, CA, volleyball, Michelle Waber, Elsinore, state girls athlete of the week
State Girls Athlete of Week: Jacque Taylor 
September 25, 2009 12:44 AM
This week's girl may still have some of her best races and finishes ahead of her, but what the Casa Grande High of Petaluma senior has right now is exactly what we're looking for in an honoree, a complete balance in all aspects of her life.
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| | Jacque Taylor |
By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com When she walked into the hallway for the Wednesday early morning on-campus interview, this week's award winner looked just like most any teenager who's concerned with showing a neat, presentable appearance on a school day.
About the only thing that gave the 17-year-old Casa Grande of Petaluma senior away were the visibly muscled and in-shape legs below the designer (not track) shorts of this powerful long distance runner.
Jacque Taylor is not a new name to the California cross country and track scene, either.
In fact, like many long distance runners, Taylor has been a high finisher since she was a freshman.
"Jacque's done a lot in the three year's I've watched her, plus she's a great kid, very deserving,” said ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com and Dyestat.com contributor and California prep track guru
Steve Brand when informed Taylor was this week's girls winner
As a cross-country runner, Jacque has medaled in the CIF Division II race all three years she's competed at the state meet in Fresno.
(Read full post)stat stars, CA, cross country, state girls athlete of the week, Jacque Taylor, Casa Grande
Samantha Pappas: State Girls Athlete of the Week
June 14, 2009 11:43 PM
This week's girls' honoree has more than one thing in common with another softball standout from Northern California. She also has something in common with this week's boys' winner as both play for schools with Titans mascots.
By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com
If you were a contestant on a California high school TV game show resembling Jeopardy, and the question/statement was, "she's a pitcher, her team won a section title, and this fall she'll be enrolling at the University of Oregon where she's received a scholarship to study and play softball,” you'd have two chances at a correct answer.
One girl has gotten a lot of ink the last couple of years while the other has labored in a bit of obscurity in the talent-laden softball world of Southern California.
One girl is future Duck Jessica Moore of the Northern Section D4 champion 34-0 Sutter Huskies.
The other girl is this week's ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Girls State Athlete of the Week, Oregon-bound Samantha "Sam” Pappas of Tesoro in Rancho Santa Margarita.
"Sam,” as she likes to be called, was the team's linchpin as the pitcher and a power hitter in a 27-4 season that saw the Titans win the CIF Southern Section Division III championship, culminating with a 4-0 victory on June 6 over Glendora.
In the title game victory, Pappas pitched a complete-game four hitter with eight strikeouts.
For the six games of the section playoffs, Sam shut out all six opponents. Besides Glendora, in order it was Sunny Hills of Fullerton, Bloomington, Warren of Downey, Chino and Los Altos of Hacienda Heights in the semis.
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stat stars, CA, softball, Sam Pappas, Tesoro, state girls athlete of the week
Desiree Ybarra: State Girls Athlete of the Week
April 3, 2009 3:33 PM
We kick off the spring season for girls with an underclass softball hurler from the Inland Empire who recently mowed down some tough opponents. She even announced her committment to a college.
By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com
Note: To send in a state athlete of the week nomination of your own, email info to mark@studentsports.com. Each week, the final choice is made at approximately 12 noon on Monday.
It's amazing how quickly high school student-athletes are maturing these days, especially the girls.
Two sports where underclass girls' players are becoming dominant at an early age are basketball and softball.
For this week's ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Girls' State Athlete of the Week honoree we have a sophomore softball player who exemplifies the prowess of the youngsters both athletically and academically.
"She got some work last year as a freshman but this year she rose to the occasion when she needed to and now she needs to stay there,” said Poly of Riverside Coach Vanessa Czarnecki of her star Desiree Ybarra, who is also as tough as she is in the circle pitching with bat in hand.
Not only did Ybarra rise to the occasion but she hand a major hand in propelling the Bears, who began the season unranked, right into the mix and currently holding down the No. 8 spot overall in the most recent CalHiSports.com state softball rankings.
Ybarra started the season by giving up three runs to Los Alamitos and one run to Centennial of Arizona in respective 3-2 and 3-1 losses to outstanding teams at the Tournament of Champions in Arizona. She also gave up a run in two innings of work in a 6-1 loss to Upland at the Jarupa Valley Tournament.
Those are the blemishes on what is so far an 11-3 season overall for the Bears with Ybarra posting an 8-3 record.
In her eight victories, Desiree has given up two runs and has six shutouts. Two of those shutouts came last week in respective 1-0 and 2-0 victories over state-ranked No. 5 Norco and No. 16 Santiago of Corona.
It is because of those two performances that Ybarra has been named the State Girls' Athlete of the Week.
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Desiree Ybarra, softball, Riverside Poly, state girls athlete of the week
Gizelle Studevant: State Girls Athlete of the Week
February 13, 2009 2:48 PM
Our girls' honoree is graciously sharing the spotlight this season with an international girls basketball star, who like her, has earned a scholarship to a Big 10 university. She's had plenty of adversity as well to help earn this award.
By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com
Note: Remember, we are looking for those student-athletes who had a standout performance in their sport from the previous week, but we also are looking for a balance between athletic achievement, academic work in the classroom, community service or overcoming adversity. Send nominations to mark@studentsports.com.
Last year was supposed to be the year The Bishop's School of La Jolla, an institution synonymous with the community of which its campus is the centerpiece, and a school steeped in athletic tradition, was to make a return trip to ARCO Arena, site of its lone girls state championship in 2001, a 59-54 victory in the Division IV game over St. Mary's of Stockton.
It wasn't to be in the 2007-08 season.
Even though Gizelle Studevant led the team with an 18.5 PPG average, and she had senior Michelle Brunker (15.5 PPG) with her all season, they couldn't get it together when Inge Orekhova came aboard after being cleared to play by the San Diego Section in mid-January.
No sooner did the 6-3 Austrian-born Russian all-around star start to gel with Gizelle and the team, she went down with a season-ending injury after playing only 11 games.
The result was that cross-town arch-rival La Jolla Country Day pounded them in the San Diego Section finals in a 56-38 Cox Arena defeat that sent the Knights on the road in the SoCals where St. Mary's Academy of Inglewood ended their season.
Turn the clock forward to February 2009 and it's a completely different picture.
The school is celebrating its 100th anniversary and one of the presents is the team is the one to beat right now in Division IV, currently holding down the No. 1 spot in CalHiSports.com's girls' state divisional rankings.
Another centennial anniversary present is Studevant, her transferring to Bishop's from its fiercest rival, and her honor this week as ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com State Girls Athlete of the Week.
Not only has Studevant gracefully accepted her role as the No. 2 scorer on the team to Orekhova, it hasn't detracted from her leadership abilities on the court – and, she's not only shared the spotlight with Orekhova, Gizelle has become Inge's best friend and confidant.
"After what Inge went through last year, not knowing if she would play or not, and then with the injury, was tough on her, and in a way on Gizelle, too,” said Knights' Coach Marlon Wells, in his third year at Bishop's after coming over from San Diego, where in six years his Cavers won six league, two section and one Southern Regional championship.
"Gizelle's helped Inge in many ways on and off the court,” continued Wells, who also is an assistant Dean of Students at Bishop's and runs EBO (Elite Basketball Organization), one of southern California's top AAU squads.
"She's been a friend Inge can lean on and talk to and who's helped her to adjust.”
This type of strength comes from a girl who's had her own set of circumstances to overcome is noteworthy.
Before she even started her career in high school basketball, Studevant survived a horrific auto accident at age 10 after a drunken driver slammed into her father's car as he drove her home one summer night.
After the accident, she was helplessly in a bed at San Diego Children's Hospital, her shattered jaw held together by wires inserted during the first of many surgeries.
Eventually, doctors told her that as a result of the injuries she'd suffered to her skull and jawbone, it was their recommendation she never play basketball again.
We first saw Gizelle in the summer of 2005, the first year of CalHiSports.com's Girls of Summer basketball coverage.
She didn't make the top 100 girls rated but no 09s (freshmen) made it that year.
Gizelle was, however, one of the top incoming freshmen evaluated and appeared to be everything La Jolla Country Day Coach Terri Bamford, coaching her on the La Jolla Waves summer team, claimed she was.
The injuries from the car-wreck and the nay-saying docs were a distant memory.
First came a ho-hum freshman season, and then a fairly benign sophomore campaign. Her game wasn't blossoming and when she wound up with Wells at Bishop's last year, the word around San Diego basketball circles was there was a serious breakdown in team chemistry at Country Day, with Gizelle, her family and many others feeling like she bore the brunt of the bad vibes.
"Gizelle has overcome so much adversity it's almost unbelievable,” said CalHiSports.com correspondent Steve Brand, who has covered preps for the San Diego Union Tribune for over 30 years.
"Even without her reasons for transferring from Country Day with the section granting her an immediate transfer,” continued Brand, "going from being told she could never play basketball again to being a star and earning a D1 scholarship is pretty amazing.”
With Gizelle's game on the court and work in the classroom, where she's currently carrying a 3.6-plus GPA, Studevant has been a perfect fit for Bishop's.
Her prowess on the hardwood and work in the amazingly tough academic environment at the picturesque campus, has also earned the young woman a scholarship to Penn State, where according to Wells "coaches are expecting her to come in be an immediate impact player by playing significant minutes as a freshman, shoot outside and defend her position. They need someone who can knock down shots,” he said matter-of-factly and with confidence in his voice that Gizelle was up to the task
First things first.
Friday night at home, she gets an opportunity to help deliver a second victory over her old school after Bishop's won, 38-34 on Jan. 23 across town at Country Day.
'We're a little tired of losing to Country Day over here,” said Studevant a bit tongue-in-cheek who finished with 16 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals against Mt. Carmel of San Diego last week in a 65-55 victory in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.
Orekhova, who will be a Big 10 opponent of Gizelle's in college when she enrolls at Northwestern this fall, led the way with 20 points but it was Studevant that was more responsible for delivering the victory, despite not having gigantic numbers.
"When the game was on the line you could see how Gizelle took over,” said Brand who was at the game.
While Studevant's numbers aren't gaudy, they're consistent.
She's averaging 18.3 PPG, four rebounds, three assists and three steals per contest.
Orekhova is averaging 20.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.1 steals and 3.3 assists a contest.
"Gizelle could easily be averaging over 25 points a game but she's made sacrifices fore th team,” Wells told CalHiSports.com. "Also, we don't believe in big-time blowouts so I've had to take her out, sometimes even before the end of the third quarter.”
Like this past Tuesday night in a 64-40 victory over Horizon (San Diego), a game the Knights led 33-0 before Wells emptied the bench. Studevant had 11 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals in only a half's work.
Because Studevant lives in Chula Vista, almost an hour's drive away from La Jolla in the morning traffic, CalHiSports.com had to rise with the chickens for a 6 am interview earlier this week.
Gizelle sounded like she'd been up and at it for hours.
"Having Inge back on the court has been a big change for sure,” Studevant told CalHisports.com.
"Last year we were all trying to get to know each other on the court,” continued Gizelle. "But away from basketball me and Inge have always been close – best friends. We hang out, go shopping and do stuff together.”
Family has been huge for Gizelle with all she's had to overcome.
Her father, Raymond Studevant, who's in the pest control business and grew up in New York and D.C. "playing street ball,” said Gizelle with a chuckle, has always been a huge support and is a fixture at games.
Her mother, Evelyn Sullivan, a child therapist, wasn't an athlete, according to her daughter. "She's so cute,” said Gizelle with a giggle. "She doesn't know a lot about sports but she's there for me.”
Since Evelyn re-married, there are two younger half-siblings who also come to games occasionally, although Gizelle says her 11-month old little half-brother can be hard to control, running around a lot.
Her 3-year-old half sister loves to come to games and Studevant says the toddler screams "Gizelle” when big sis has the rock in her hands.
Studevant used to play volleyball but she hasn't played other sports recently, although she says that she is contemplating trying track this year in the long jump, high jump and possibly some relays.
The road to a potential state championship has a major pit-stop tonight when the Torreys come-a-calling, but Gizelle says she and Inge, and the rest of the team, know what the task ahead is all about.
"Country Day is a big test for us,” said Studevant, after pondering the question of what it will take to get to Sacramento next month. "We'll find out if we have it for ARCO.”
"We've been working hard in practice and we all know each other a lot more – and we don't want to lose,” she repeated from an earlier statement.
Win or lose on Friday night, or whether or not the team gets to ARCO, Gizelle will be moving on to Penn State this fall, where she will study history and business with an eye on a possible career in law.
"A lot of girls don't put in the work and think practicing with the team is enough,” said Studevant when asked about advice for up-and-coming young girls.
"To develop confidence you have to work hard on your game outside of the team as well. Work on improving your weak points.”
"It's cool that CalHiSports is honoring me. Thank you so much,” said Gizelle as the interview drew to an end.
And as it did we couldn't help but remembering the words of Brand.
To be laying in a hospital bed as a child, seriously injured by a drunk driver, then told by doctors you can't do the thing you love most in life, probably happens a lot across the country.
What doesn't happen a lot is a story like that of Gizelle Studevant unfolding.
The journey is really just beginning.
With everything she's been through, and now with Inge at her side, it's going to be pretty hard to stop Gizelle from overcoming the final few obstacles on the road to a state championship.
basketball, Gizelle Studevant, Bishop's, La Jolla, state girls athlete of the week
Olivia Klei: State Girls Athlete of the Week
January 31, 2009 11:27 AM
This week's girls honoree plays on some cold winter nights out in the Southeastern portion of Alameda County, but if her soccer team were a pack of Huskies in the Iditarod Race in Alaska, she would be leading the top sled.
By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com
Note: Remember, we are looking for those student-athletes who had a standout performance in their sport from the previous week, but we also are looking for a balance between athletic achievement, academic work in the classroom, community service or overcoming adversity. Send nominations to mark@studentsports.com.
One of the problems with choosing an athlete of the week type award in soccer, is much like in volleyball, they are the ultimate team sports.
So when we wanted to honor a soccer player from the ESPN RISE FAB 50 Winter Soccer girls' top-ranked team in the nation, from Foothill of Pleasanton, we ran into the same problem as with trying to honor girls from California on top-ranked teams in the ESPN RISE Girls Volleyball rankings last fall.
The volleyball coaches would tell us they had two or three deserving girls.
Imagine our shock when we discovered that 11 players from the Falcons are going to Division I colleges and universities.
We went to the ESPN RISE Girls Soccer Player Rankings and found that one of the 11 girls was individually ranked No. 9 in the nation.
To be ranked that high individually on a team with so many stars, this young lady must be the team's leading scorer, leader on and off the field, most inspirational player and all the other clichés that come to mind about the big star.
Before reaching Foothill Coach Ron Lambert, we called Phillipe Blin, the head coach of the Pleasanton Rage, a club team in the area that has 21 girls going D1, including all 11 from the Falcons. We wanted his opinion on the selection.
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"She is very special,” said Blin, about
Olivia "Liv” Klei, in a distinct French accent, "and the only one to make the national team.”
After talking to Blin, we were convinced we had the right player, but we still had no stats or other direct information about Klei other than the club coach's words.
After covering the Falcons home game against California (San Ramon) from the sidelines in 35-degree temperatures on Jan. 28, we could see right away why Klei is so special.
Less then three-minutes into the game, she came inches away from scoring on a cross, missing just wide right with her off foot, the right.
Exactly six minutes later, at the 31:30 mark, sophomore
Alesha Blair, who made the first unsuccessful cross, stole a pass and again fired a perfect cross from near the left corner directly in front of the goal.
This time Klei took it off the right foot and past the California goalie as fast as the blink-of-an-eye, and Foothill had all the scoring it needed in an eventual 3-0 victory.
Later in the game, she twice nearly scored on headers, and on the game's final tally, Klei made a pass that few girls can make.
The midfielder marked a girl and stole the ball, and then she saw teammate
Carlee Payne streaking into the open from the right.
Klei floated a pass 35 yards in the air that landed right at the feet of the fast-moving Payne, who secured the ball and took it to the net.
Officially, Klei didn't get an assist on the goal because Payne had to do a couple of things with the ball – like turn and ram it home.
The pass was still a gem.
"Did you seeee that paaasss?” asked Blin, who watched from the warm press box, sweetly drawing out a the e's, a's and s's like the French are known to do.
"No other girl can make that pass,” said Blin, who coaches the current Under-18 Rage team Klei and all the other girls have played on for nine years since they were Under-9 when he joined the club.
We were right on many things about "Liv” as the other girls and coaches call her, but wrong about a few.
She is dynamic on the field and one of the best high school-level players we have ever seen.
She's the obvious team leader whose physical presence commands noticeable respect from opponents right from the start of each contest.
"She's not your finisher, but she's a creator,” said Lambert the morning after the California victory.
When Lambert finally got around to getting us the stats on the team, we were once again shocked to learn Liv's offensive output against California was just about her high-water mark on the season.
The Falcons' midfielder is not really a scorer and only has three goals and two assists in a 14-0 season that includes a 9-0 record in the tough East Bay Athletic League.
When you have a powerful frame and legs, even for a small girl; compact and quick, long strides; the ability to use either foot effectively; a nose for the ball; and the kind of physicality that makes it impossible for a single defender to mark – and you're on a team with plenty of scorers – you don't need to score to make an impact or get noticed.
On the season, Foothill has outscored its opponents 54-2 and 35-0 in league, a league that this week boasted four other FAB 50 members, San Ramon Valley of Danville at No. 37, Monte Vista of Danville at No. 38, crosstown rival Amador Valley at No. 39, and Carondelet of Concord at No. 42.
A perfect example of Klei's ability to dominate without scoring or assisting was in the Falcons' 1-0 win against national No. 4 ranked Torrey Pines in the Tri-Valley Classic, Dec. 19 in Danville.
"The Torrey Pines game was the most exciting game I've ever seen,” said Lambert, who has coached in the area 14 years, some with the Rage, and who has been with Foothill girls' soccer nine years, four as varsity coach.
"And Liv had a huge impact, controlling a good portion of the game,” continued Lambert. "She was lights out. It was her best game ever and I've had her since she was a freshman.”
No wonder she was selected to play for the U.S. Women's National Team at the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup this past October in New Zealand.
And its no surprise the D1 school Klei has chosen to attend is nearby women's soccer power Santa Clara, where
Brandi Chastain starred, and a school that has had five players, including Chastain, recently drafted by the new Women's Professional Soccer League.
Before we get into Liv's other accomplishments and the rest of her story, we might as well mention the girls and the guys.
Filled with humility and love for her teammates and friends, Liv wouldn't have it any other way.
"She's very humble and on a mission to hang a championship banner in our gym,” Lambert told CalHiSports.com. "She doesn't care about scoring, just about being the glue that holds the team together.”
"We've been together for nine years, so we're almost all like sisters and best friends to each other. We all hang out together,” Klei said.
Two of those best friends are coincidentally also the team's top two offensive producers.
One is Brigham Young-bound Payne, who leads the team in scoring this season with 12 goals and five assists.
"Everyone thinks we're twins,” said Liv with a chuckle, about her friend Payne. "We have the same look, the same height and we play similarly.”
The second is UCLA-bound
Sophie Metz. She has four goals and five assists.
The other girls and the colleges they will be attending:
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Megan Barrett (UC Davis);
Krista Bormann (Southern Oregon);
Samantha Cloutier (Geo. Washington);
Ashley Loughmiller (Washington State);
Amanda Luxford (Arizona State);
Ashlyn Mazur (San Francisco);
Rachael McGlinchy (San Diego State) and
Amanda Simat (San Jose State).
There weren't a lot of fans braving the cold on Jan. 28, maybe 100, but one group could not be missed, and sat huddled together by themselves in the stands cheering loudly.
"Our biggest fans are our guy friends from the football and lacrosse team who come to almost every game,” said Liv with a giggle.
"They're a great group of guys and it helps us to hear them cheering us on,” she continued. "We don't play as well when they're not there.”
It's hard to believe the girls not playing very well given their record, but actually that was the case in the first half against California, even with their beaus present.
Foothill outshot the visiting Grizzlies 15-2 but Klei's goal was all they had to show for it against the packed-in defense of California.
"The California game was a perfect example of Liv's leadership,” Lambert said. "We discussed not playing sharp at halftime and she talked to the girls about picking it up. You saw the result.”
The result was Payne scored off an assist from
Ashley Amos and then again of the pass from Klei, but it was Liv's physicality, touches and marking that wore down the physical Grizzlies and closed out what ended up as another shutout victory.
"One of our goals along with going undefeated in EBAL and NCS (North Coast Section) is to have a shutout league and not give up any goals,” Liv remarked.
Because Klei has missed a lot of school and time with friends and family to be able attend camps and play on the U.S. National Team, she falls back on the support of her parents and siblings for strength.
Her father,
Steve, the CFO of Xactly Corporation in San Jose, played basketball and baseball in high school back in Michigan, and he's helped Liv develop an interest in business.
"My dad is a big businessman and he's helped me get comfortable with talking to big groups of people,” said Klei, who carries a 3.5 GPA, and who tells CalHiSports.com she plans on majoring in business at Santa Clara with an eye on a possible career as an investment banker.
"Hopefully the economy will improve,” she said wistfully.
Her mother,
Katie, currently manages the household.
In high school she played basketball but now she competes in Ironman type running and swimming competition.
When Liv said she herself ran and did conditioning to stay in shape, we asked if she runs with her mom.
"I can run three miles at most,” she said coyly. "My mom likes to run 20 miles.”
Like many young women, Liv enjoys shopping and traveling.
Although she says her older sister,
Marissa, a student a Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, is her exact opposite when it comes to sports, they are still extremely close.
"She's not the athletic type but we're still best friends,” said Liv, "and she's a big shopper too.”
There are two younger brothers who are both athletes.
Matt, a 14-year-old, is into soccer and baseball, while 11-year-old
Jeffrey plays basketball, baseball and soccer.
We forgot to tell you, besides being a triathlete, mom also runs a shuttle service for family sporting activities.
The highlight for Liv was her trip to New Zealand with the U-17 national team that went 3-1-2 and lost in the title game, 2-1, to North Korea in overtime.
She didn't score in the six games but did have three assists, and according to sources, impressed coaches with her teamwork and work ethic.
When we searched for info on Liv and the trip to Hamilton N.Z. for the Women's World Cup, we found her sending back a Halloween picture postcard that depicts her in medical scrubs with a wide-open grin and spooky expression on her face.
Another thing we forgot to mention, Liv is a jokester and prankster.
"Yes,” she admitted with some prodding, "I do jokes all the time, nothing specific, just when the occasion arises.”
As for the selection to the team for New Zealand and the honor from CalHiSports.com and ESPN RISE, Klei still has a hard time accepting personal glory.
"All the hard work and the camps, and all the time away from family, friends and my team, was well worth it and paid off,” Klei said.
"It always feels nice to get recognition but I wouldn't be anywhere without my team.”
The words of Blin and his sweet French accent keep ringing.
"The whole group is special, but Liv, she's the one,” said Blin, a pro in Paris before coming across the pond and settling in Northern California.
"No big head, very humble and a complete player.”
Will she follow in the footsteps of Bronco-grad Chastain, a defender content to do other things besides score goals, but who still dominated?
Stay tuned. Before then however, there's a banner to hang in the Foothill gymnasium.
"Being number one in the nation is great, but we take nothing for granted,” Liv said as the interview ended. "We have to work hard every game.”
And what if the other girls aren't working hard enough to meet the team's goals?
Olivia "Liv” Klei will have a talk with them, and you know what happens when she does that.
Olivia Klei, Foothill, Pleasanton, soccer, state girls athlete of the week
Jonae Ervin: State Girls Athlete of the Week
January 16, 2009 12:21 AM
This week's girls' honoree may very well be the mightiest of all the girl mighty mites playing hoops this year in California – and she has a motto for other girls her height.
By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com
Note: Remember, we are looking for those student-athletes who had a standout performance in their sport from the previous week, but we also are looking for a balance between athletic achievement, academic work in the classroom, community service or overcoming adversity. Send nominations to mark@studentsports.com.
Boxers are often judged how they are pound-for-pound, but Brea Olinda High girls basketball coach Jeff Sink thinks he has a different measurement for his sport and his team's star point guard, Jonae Ervin.
"We list her at 5-5 or 5-2, I'm not sure, but the truth is she's no taller than 5-1,” said Sink. "Inch-for-inch, though, she's probably the best athlete in the state.”
If you saw Ervin before a game, and didn't know the Ladycats' team, or that Ervin was not only a starter, but the starting point guard, you'd never expect to see what was to follow.
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"Before a game she never says a word. Just has her headset on,” said Sink, the coach of three Division II state championship teams at Brea Olinda, and the 1998 CalHiSports.com State Coach of the Year when his team won state and finished 33-1.
"But after the tip-off and once she sees she can post up a girl seven or eight inches taller than her, she signals the bench and we let her go. After that first basket, she's off,” said Sink in an animated tone.
Although not known as a scorer, Ervin went off big time last week in a 71-59 overtime victory over Century League rival and CalHiSports.com state No. 7 ranked Foothill of Santa Ana, and its big star, 6-3 USC-bound
Christina Marinacci.
After Marinacci, one of the tallest girls on the court, fouled out just before the end of regulation with 22 points, it was the shortest girl on the hardwood floor that sealed the victory for the visiting Ladycats.
Of her game-high 28 points, some of the most crucial ones came on 7 of 8 free-throw shooting in the extra period.
"My motto is, it's not how tall you are, it's how tall you play,” Ervin told CalHisports.com in a quiet but firm tone during an early morning interview this week.
"There are three key aspects to her game,” said Sink, an advanced placement and U.S. history teacher at Brea Olinda.
"First is her flat out speed. She is definitely the fastest kid who has ever played for us,” Sink continued. "No one in the state can compete with her in a flat out run.”
Part of the reason for that may be Ervin previously ran track and has a personal best 12.4 in the 100 meters.
Even though Jonae ran the 100, 200 and anchored the 4 x 100 relay for the Ladycats, she told CalHiSports.com she might not run track this year to concentrate on studies and basketball.
"She doesn't even take track seriously or she could be a star there as well,” Sink said with a chuckle.
The second aspect of her game is the ability to elevate and still change direction to make passes or launch a shot.
"With most girls, we tell them not to leave their feet,” Sink remarked. "But with Jonae, her vertical jump and ability to get up in the air, see the court, hang there, and still make decisions, is astronomical. She can get up over twenty inches – and she's unafraid in the paint, often out-jumping girls a foot taller than her.”
On a team with five go-to players, that ability has made her the Ladycats' biggest asset when it comes to crunch time. Ervin can score but she can also deliver the rock.
"I think playing with
Jeanette Pohlen (former CalHiSports.com Ms. Basketball and the current starting point guard at Stanford) really helped her,” Sink told CalHisports.com. "Jonae adopted Jen's work ethic and will to win. In the fourth quarter, and especially in a close game, she becomes hell on wheels. Then she becomes vocal as well, yelling at teammates and staring down opponents.”
Until crunch time, Sink feels Ervin's last important aspect is her "silent killer attitude.”
"We might not be able to get a word out of her before the game, but once she makes a play and pumps her fist, look out,” said Sink, matter-of-factly.
Ervin's all-around game, and leadership as a captain and one of two senior starters on the team along
Kendall Rodriguez, has translated into some excellent numbers on the 14-2 Ladycats, currently the ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com No. 5 ranked team in the state.
Nowhere was her all-around play more evident than in last month's West Coast Jamboree, where she was selected all-tournament, along with the University of Pacific-bound Rodriguez and Platinum Division MVP, sophomore 6-2 post
Justine Hartman.
In an opening round 81-58 romp against Modesto Christian (Modesto), Ervin scored 12 points, with five rebounds, five assists and four steals in less than three quarters action.
The next game was against Berkeley, where Jonae woman-handled the young Yellowjackets to the tune of nine points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals in a 47-28 victory.
The Sacramento girls couldn't handle her in the semifinals, where Ervin scored 10 points, pulled down eight rebounds and dished out six assists in a 57-27 thumping of the Dragons.
In the championship game, Jonae did what she likes to do best, dish the ball and play great defense.
She only finished with seven points, but she had nine assists and totally locked down Hanford's talented backcourt duo of
Madison Parrish and
Taylor Spikes until after the game was decided.
That was particularly evident during a period between the late first quarter and early fourth quarter. In that time span, Brea-Olinda meticulously stretched a 17-15 lead to 58-36 on her layup with 7:00 remaining, in an eventual 76-49 championship victory over the state's No. 8 ranked team.
On the season, and on a team with Hartman (17.4 PPG) and Rodriguez (10.8 PPG) both in double-figure scoring each game, Ervin's numbers are solid.
As of the Foothill game, she was averaging 9.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.8 steals a game. Plus, Jonae always guards a top scorer, yet she's only committed as many as four fouls once this season.
Adapting her play to the circumstances is something Ervin prides herself in doing.
"I'm usually quiet except when there's a need to take charge,” Ervin said with the hint of a chuckle, acknowledging coach Sink's mention of her non-propensity for vocalism.
"It depends on the game situation,” she continued. "With five go-to players, my job as the point guard is to share the ball and contribute in any way I can.”
"With girls like Justin and Kendall inside, and Kelsey (sophomore sharpshooter
Kelsey Harris, 9.1 PPG) on the wing, my job is to usually penetrate and dish. Against Foothill I felt really confident in my ability to score.” Jonae said.
Not only is Ervin getting done on the court but in the classroom as well where she carries a 3.8 GPA.
Ervin has committed to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, but the murmur both Sink and CalHiSports.com heard over the summer and early season from college coaches and girls basketball experts is Jonae's game could do well in the Pac-10 or another major conference.
Family and schoolwork are important to Jonae.
Her father,
Eric Newby, a supervising probation officer, played baseball at Arizona State with Barry Bonds and made it as far as AAA.
Her mother,
Joan Newby, also a probation officer, wasn't really an athlete, nor is her soon-to-be 1-year-old brother,
E.J., although he just might follow in big sis's footsteps.
When we mentioned other athletes in the family, Jonae was quick to point out her cousin, Rasuli Webster, who played football at Oregon
As for her college plans and future, Jonae knows exactly what she wants to do and may sacrifice track this spring to pave the road.
"I've been thinking about track but I might just relax after basketball and keep hitting the books.”
Basketball is absolutely her love and she sees herself coaching the game in some way, shape or form as part of her future.
"I'm definitely interested in coaching or scouting basketball as a career,” said Ervin, who plans on studying kinesiology at Cal Poly. "I believe my knowledge of the game and desire to get better every year will help me excel and succeed in what I want to do.”
"She's a role model for other girls and she's blessed with athleticism,” said Sink, who confided to CalHiSports.com that he feels she may have been a tad under-recruited.
"The minute the game is over, she goes right back to being a quiet kid,” Sink said.
And why not? In this day of demonstrative, sometimes trash-talking actions that take place on the court and off, Ervin is getting it done with class, on the court and in her studies.
"I'm excited to make my mark and its great to get an award, but it's about the team,” Ervin said as the interview came to an end.
And it's also not about how tall you are, but how tall you play, in the game of basketball and life.
In both games, Jonae Ervin is standing tall.
basketball, Jonae Ervin, Brea Olinda, state girls athlete of the week
Molly Grabill: State Girls Athlete of the Week
November 27, 2008 3:00 PM
Our girls honoree is only a sophomore and she's already an athletic commissioner. Plus, although she only really started running in high school, she's a two-time San Diego Section Division I cross country champion and the top long distance runner in the section with only a freshman season under her belt. The storybook beginning also has some current adversity.
When someone like ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com correspondent and long-time journalist Steve Brand, a California high school cross country and track expert, calls you one of the best ever from an area, it means something.
"Molly Grabill came to Rancho Bernardo as a soccer player but didn't realize how good she was until track," said Brand, who has covered prep sports in San Diego County for 34 years. "She ran track as a freshman with the intent of getting into shape for soccer. Now, she has the potential to be one of the best ever from the San Diego Section."
Those sentiments are also echoed by veteran San Diego prep journalist and current CalHiSports.com correspondent Tom Shanahan. "She could turn out to be the best cross country runner in San Diego history, he said.
"She's definitely has the ability to develop into a Kira Jorgensen or Milena Glusac," Brand said.
Jorgensen was the 1987 Div. II and 1988 Div. I state cross country champion and three-time state 1,600 meter champion 1987-89 from Vista and Rancho Buena Vista in Vista.
Glusac, from Fallbrook, was the 1991-92 state Div. I cross country champion and 1993 state 1,600 champion as well as 3,200 champion in 1992-93.
On Nov. 22, despite still felling the affects of a virus she contracted before the Palomar League meet earlier in November, Grabill still took home her second consecutive section cross country championship over a very good runner, Torrey Pines of San Diego's Megan Morgan. Her time over the 2.75 mile Morley Field course was 15:51 and was also tops for all divisions.
Now, Molly gets a chance to improve on her 18th place finish last year at the Woodward Course in Fresno, site of the State Cross Country meet this coming Saturday.
That may be a little difficult. Although she's pretty much over the bug, her training was affected.
"What Molly has done over the past weeks is amazing," said Rancho Bernardo cross country and track coach Terry Dockery, an executive with local San Diego running shoe outlet Movin Shoes. "The sickness was devastating because she missed a week of training that could affect her down the road."
In fact, Dockery almost held her out of the Palomar title race due to the severity of the flu but Molly convinced him to let her run.
"I wasn't going to run her if she was sick because winning league is obviously not as important as CIF races and Footlocker, but she talked me into it," said Dockery, a track fixture in San Diego who ran in high school at Hoover of Glendale. After resettling in San Diego to attend San Diego State in the mid-1960's, Dockery ran with Billy Mills at the San Diego Track Club.
According to Brand and an account in the North County Times, Grabill nearly had to stop on more than one occasion during the league championship race.
Before high school, she ran a few races for fun but soccer was her game until Dockery saw her on the track getting in shape for soccer season.
Last year in track she won all four Palomar League 800 meter races she entered with a top time of 2:23.1.
She won 10 of 11 1,600 races including the San Diego Section Masters final. Her top time was 4:57.7 in the 1,600.
In the 3,200, Grabill won her first eight races including the section Masters before finishing fifth in the prelims at the state meet. In that race Molly ran her personal best with a time of 10:27.97.
"We had to get her out of soccer," said Dockery with a chuckle.
Besides winning every league and every local invitational race she's run in this cross country season, Grabill had a win on Sept. 27 at the Stanford Invitational and finished third Oct. 25 at Mt. Sac with a time of 16:54, 27 seconds behind Jordan Hasay (Mission Prep, San Luis Obispo), and six seconds behind Alex Dunne of San Clemente, Molly's main competitor Nov. 29 at Woodward in Fresno.
"She was a little nervous on the way up to Stanford and wondered if she was good enough to finish in the top five," Dockery told CalHiSports.com "I told her that would be great but she was perfectly capable of winning the race. That win was a confidence booster."
"After Mt. Sac I felt she was going to be a factor," Dockery continued. "She had never run the course before but after I saw her early I felt she could run with Hasay and Dunne."
Not only did the sophomore run with those two at Mt. Sac, Grabill was the youngest of the top 11 finishers.
"All she needs to do is develop," said Dockery, in his 12th year as head coach at Rancho Bernardo after assisting at nearby Mt. Carmel (San Diego) for seven years.
"I'm ready to compete at Woodward and I've had the training to back me up," said Grabill, who is the Associated Student Body Athletic Commissioner at Rancho Bernardo.
"It's definitely a dream of mine to be an elite runner and right now I'm working really hard at making it happen," said Grabill, who added that last year at Woodward it took time for her to get acclimated to the course.
Becoming an elite runner is important, but even at such a tender age Molly knows other things are important as well.
"Schoolwork is very important...and family. My family is there for me always. They're my number one fans and there at every meet cheering me on," said Grabill, who carries a 3.5 GPA and told CalHisports.com her favorite subject is Advanced Placement World History.
The middle sister of three girl siblings comes from an active family, but she's the only runner. "I think my aunt did a few 5k's," she said with a giggle.
Her father Paul, an engineer, played ice hockey back in Cincinnati before moving to California from Ohio with his wife Barbara and the family.
Barbara is the household manager, and according to Molly, "she volunteers for everything and drives us everywhere."
Older sister Valerie, a senior at Rancho Bernardo, dances ballet.
Younger sister Melanie, age 12, is into art and drawing.
Grabill may only be a sophomore but she's still thinking about her future and college.
"I've thought about college and I want to go to a good school with a top running program," Grabill said. "I want to keep running in my life and in college, not just high school."
Molly now joins Hasay, Kaylin Mahoney of Saugus and Rebecca Mehra of Palos Verdes in Palos Verdes Estates as cross country runners who have been named ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Girls State Athlete of the Week.
"I feel very honored that they [Brand and Shanahan] think that way about me, and to be mentioned with girls like (Jordan) Hasay? Wow! I hope I can reach my potential and that level."
Molly Grabill, CA, state girls athlete of the week, Rancho Bernardo
Melissa Madrid: State Girls Athlete of the Week
November 21, 2008 11:47 AM
Casa Grande of Petaluma standout led team to North Coast Section title in soccer and has been an ESPN RISE national player of the week.
Note: Remember, we are looking for those student-athletes who had a standout performance in their sport from the previous week, but we also are looking for a balance between athletic achievement, academic work in the classroom, community service or overcoming adversity. Send nominations to mark@studentsports.com.
By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com
For our girls award winner this week, we visit a town once known as the chicken capitol of the world, as well as the former home of the World Wrist Wrestling Championships made famous by ABC's old Sunday Wide World of Sports show.
Petaluma is that town and Melissa Madrid of Casa Grande High is that honoree.
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After 100 minutes of intense marking by both teams in last Saturday's CIF North Coast Section Class 3A girls soccer championship, it was the star of the top-seeded team that got things started, and the work of a teammate she inspired and has all season, that led the Gauchos to an 0-0 (4-1 PK) title victory over Montgomery (Santa Rosa).
After two halves and two overtime periods with neither side able to get a shot past the other goalie, the crowd of almost 4,000 at Santa Rosa High (Santa Rosa) somehow sensed Madrid would be the one to break the ice.
Current ESPNRISE FAB 50 No. 12 and defending 3A champion Casa Grande Coach
Vinnie Cortezzo had no doubt as to which girl would lead off the penalty kick phase of the game after the Gauchos won the right to shoot first.
Even after being outshot 29-19 for the match and 6-2 in the two overtimes combined, he still felt he had an advantage going into penalty kicks.
"This was our first game that went to PKs but Melissa has always taken penalty kicks in games. I put her in the number one spot for the shootout because I knew we needed a goal and she's come through for us so many times in the past, said second year coach Cortezzo, a local soccer coach and one of the founders of the Sonoma County Alliance club.
Just as she's done numerous times before, Madrid sparked the Gauchos, and not only scored the go-ahead goal, but inspired junior goalie
Ashley Luis to shut the door on the second-seeded Vikings.
The blistering, hooking shot by Madrid, the Oct. 15 ESPN RISE National Girls Soccer Player of the Week, easily got past Montgomery's goalkeeper into the lower left corner of the net, and Casa Grande had a lead it never relinquished.
"The biggest thing all year about Melissa was her play in the clutch. That's where she had most of her goals and assists, Cortezzo said. "In games where we won big, she wasn't a factor. Those were the games she became a total team player and built a belief in her younger teammates that they could trust her to make things happen.
And she certainly did that. For the three playoff games she had two goals and three assists.
Of Madrid's 19 goals in a 17-1-1 season, six were game-winners, and that number is actually seven if you count the PK leadoff goal against Montgomery. She also had 14 assists this season.
With Melissa and only one other senior on the team, her inspiration and leadership was very important to a predominantly underclass squad. Even though she is the big star, she still feels winning a prestigious award is for the team.
"I knew it would be Melissa who would come through, said Luis, who had two saves in the PK phase, including one immediately after Madrid's goal where it looked like the shot was past her but with a cat-like move to her left barely tipped the shot and it glanced off the right post.
"It feels good but it's not just for me. I feel like I won it for my team, Madrid said.
Besides being named ESPN RISE Player of the Week last month and now the ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Girls State Athlete of the Week, Melissa has been All-Sonoma County League the past two seasons and this year's league MVP.
With a 3.4 GPA in the classroom, several schools are looking at her, including North Carolina-Wilmington, Barry University (Miami), UC Davis and Sonoma State.
"My goal is to play D1 or I wouldn't mind D2 if I like the program and it's the right fit, said Madrid, who says her favorite subject is English. For college, she'd like to study kinesiology and sports training/medicine for a possible career in that area.
The baby of the family has two older sisters and both are athletes.
Maggie, who Melissa says is her role model, played soccer at Casa Grande and also at Northern State in South Dakota.
Maria played basketball for the Gauchos and now lives and works locally.
Her father
Reny, a chef at the San Francisco Yacht Club in Tiburon, grew up in San Francisco where he played basketball as a youth. Her mother,
Connie, is a mortgage broker.
"Melissa is very humble. She doesn't put herself out there as a star. She's a quiet kid who gets it done, said Cortezzo, who tells CalHiSports.com he loves coaching high school just as much as club. "Club is about player development but high school is about the team and winning. It's refreshing.
What's refreshing is a young woman like Melissa Madrid.
As the after-school interview near the soccer field earlier this week ended, Melissa was still talking about her teammates and their future.
"Ashley came up big all season. We have a lot of confidence in her. And Margie [sophomore striker
Margie Osmundson] brings a lot of energy, a little fireball. They'll carry on, she said.
Just like Melissa led, mentored and carried the team this year, and deservedly got some recognition for her efforts.
CA, state girls athlete of the week, Melissa Madrid, Casa Grande
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