This installment of our annual August series puts the spotlight on Casa Grande of Petaluma, Valencia, Oakdale and St. Joseph of Santa Maria. One of these four teams will be led by one of the best up-and-coming quarterback prospects in the state while another looms as a major threat in the CIF Southern Section's Northern Division.

ote: A coach or representative of the school should email or fax in a questionnaire in order for that school's team to be included in this feature. You can CLICK HERE to print out a questionnaire or make a photo copy of the one printed in the back of the seventh edition of the ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Record Book and Almanac we sent to schools last March. If you can't print a questionnaire, review the categories below and simply fill in the blanks. We will add our own comments and analysis. Please fax completed questionnaire to (209) 463-1219 or email info to mark@studentsports.com.

Team Name: Casa Grande (Petaluma)
Head Coach: Trent Herzog (0-0, 1st year)
Last Year's Records: 8-3-1, 9-1 for J.V.
Returning Starters: 9 (4 on offense, 5 on defense)
Players Most Deserving of Preseason Honors: RB Kahlil Keys (All-Redwood Empire), WR-LB Connor Waggoner (All-Redwood Empire), WR-DB Mackana Garrigan (All-Redwood Empire), DE Bryain Araiza, TE Ryan Hamilton, OL Nick Fausone.
Newcomers Who Could Make An Impact: QB Nick Sherry, DB Javonnie Oden, OL-DL Nick Joyner.
Coach's General Outlook: We are a very hard-working team that is very close. We also have good speed and great athletes. We are concerned with overall size and depth along the offensive line.
Other Teams to Watch From The Area (listed by the coach): Montgomery (Santa Rosa), Marin Catholic (Kentfield), Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa), Novato, Windsor, Petaluma
All-league level players with GPAs above 3.50: Kahlil Keys, Connor Waggonor, Nick Sherry, Jake Schloetter, Ryan Hamilton
CalHiSports.com comments: Herzog inherits a very strong situation in his first season as the Gauchos' head coach. There are strong returnees, led by Keys, one of the top backs perhaps in Northern California, and there are very good players coming up. The junior quarterback, Sherry, is a 6-4, 208-pounder who is trained by Bay Area quarterback guru Roger Theder and seems on the verge of big-time recruiting recognition. Casa should go further in the playoffs this season and figures to be up there battling with Novato and Cardinal Newman for the top ranking in the Redwood Empire.

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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)

Playoff openers in Southern Section go mostly according to form with the biggest upset (like in baseball) coming from the Central Section and involving the same school (Bullard of Fresno, but this time as the victim). Archbishop Mitty now down to two wins left in order to be No. 1 in the state and No. 1 in the nation for 2009 season.

Compiled by Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Writeups by Harold Abend, Paul Muyskens, Steve Brand and Mark Tennis

(After games of Saturday, May 23)
(Previous ranking in parentheses)

1.  (1)  Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 30-0
All that is left between Coach Sarah Thomas's girls finishing No. 1 in the state and winning the mythical ESPN RISE FAB 50 national crown are a Division II semifinal game against Leigh of San Jose, and then a potential title game matchup against either a Presentation of San Jose team it has defeated twice, or Presentation's semifinal opponent, Westmont of Campbell. In their one game last week, the Monarchs rapped out 16 hits and five girls knocked in runs in a 10-0 whitewash of Santa Clara. Keilani Ricketts had a couple of hits but no RBI. Cal-Poly-bound Jillian Anderson covered her back with five knocked in while Vanessa Alvarez had two RBI and Miyuki Navarrete had three hits, including a triple and one batted in.   

2.  (3)  Norco 28-2
Finally, there's a chance to move up after more than a month at No. 3. Chances of reaching No. 1 may be remote, but as long as the Cougars keep winning there is a chance and as long as Teagen Gerhart troops to the mound, there is a good chance for a victory. The future Stanford Cardinal scattered four hits in a 4-0 Southern Section Division I first round playoff win over Kennedy of La Palma, striking out 14 batters to advance to Tuesday's game against El Toro of Lake Forest. That makes it 22 straight wins as the Cougars pounded out 13 singles with Kelli Frye, Kelsey Gerhart, Nicole Sappingfield, Emily Lockman and Jordan Emanuele collecting two each. A pair of 1-0 losses may keep the Cougars from reaching that top spot.

3.  (4)  Freedom (Oakley) 22-3
The Falcons have continued winning and waited patiently for a chance to move up. They finally get the one-spot bump after their 11th-straight win, a 6-0 victory over Castro Valley in the CIF North Coast Section Division I playoffs. Hannah Williams only faced 22 batters in tossing a one-hitter with 12 strikeouts. She also had two hits and knocked in two. Malena Padilla had an RBI triple and scored once. Coach Jeff Jonas's top-seeded squad now faces Bay Valley League rival Antioch in the semis, a team it has beaten three times this season.  

4.  (8)  Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 26-5
Coach J.T. Tiumalu's squad displayed the savvy of a senior-laden lineup in their successful quest for the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I title. In beating favored and two-time defending champ Sheldon, 1-0, the Eagles not only dethroned the Huskies but completed a perfect run through the field. In the semifinals, Pleasant Grove faced an Elk Grove team that had just upset Sheldon, 2-1, but didn't let the Thundering Herd post another upset with a 3-1 triumph. Sheldon would have had to have beaten the Eagles twice to win the section title. Since that didn't happen and Pleasant Grove avenged an earlier pair of close losses, that is enough to move up the team into this week's top five, ahead of Sheldon but not ahead of either Norco or Freedom. There is a very slim chance that all three of those teams could lose in remaining section playoffs, which would give the Eagles a shot at the final No. 1 ranking.

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There were no upsets last week, but one on Monday already this week is certainly a big one. The only major changes from last week were in the aftermath of Valencia beating Hart in the Foothill League.

Compiled by Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Writeups by Harold Abend, Paul Muyskens, Steve Brand and Mark Tennis

(After games of Saturday, May 16)
(Previous ranking in parentheses)

1.  (1)  Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 29-0
It's beginning to sound like a broken record but it sure looks like a juggernaut the way the Monarchs and Keilani Ricketts in particular have been playing. Each week seems to surpass the last one. Last week in the West Catholic Athletic League semifinals they routed Valley Christian, 10-0. Ricketts drove in two, Christina Menjivar drove in two and Miyuki Navarette had a triple that drove in a run. Eight different girls scored in the onslaught. In the title game 2-0 victory over Presentation (San Jose), Menjivar delivered an RBI single in the second, Cal Poly-bound Jillian Anderson did likewise in the third, and Ricketts did the rest. The Oklahoma-bound senior fireballer tossed a one-hitter and struck out 18 as the FAB 50 No. 2 ranked Monarchs added the WCAL playoff championship to their regular season title. They now move into the CCS Division II playoffs as the top seed and have a first round bye. They will meet the winner of the Santa Clara vs. Los Gatos game on May 23. If everything goes as seeded, Mitty would play second-seeded Presentation a fourth time in the finals on May 30 with a chance to tie the current 32-0 unbeaten mark of Ocean View of Huntington Beach. "We would like to get that 32-0,” said Coach Sarah Thomas, whose team scrimmages Wilcox (Santa Clara) on Tuesday, and who acknowledged that she has followed Sutter and knows they are now 34-0 after the Northern Section D4 championship game victory set the new record. She didn't want to take anything away from Sutter but told CalHiSports.com the obvious, "It's against a different talent level.” We assume Coach Thomas and the rest of the Monarchs also have been following the results of FAB 50 No. 1 Klein Oak in the Texas state playoffs. Let's just say there will be a new No. 1 when this week's FAB 50 is released later on Wednesday on the ESPNRISE.com softball page one index.

2.  (2)  Sheldon (Sacramento) 26-1
The Huskies rode the powerful right arm of Jolene Henderson through the opening rounds of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs as she struck out 29 batters in their first two wins. Henderson tossed a no-hitter in a 7-0 win over Beyer of Modesto in the first round and then matched zeroes with Lodi's Tori Shepard before the Huskies scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth to pull out a 2-0 victory. Before we could even get the new rankings out and written, however, the Huskies have been upset in the Monday game by Elk Grove for the second year in a row. The 2-1 loss sent Sheldon to the loser's bracket, but they are still alive for a section title after defeating Buhach Colony just hours later. The loss to Elk Grove would drop Sheldon behind Norco in the final rankings if Norco were to win its section title because the Cougars would have to do that with no losses whatsoever.

3.  (3)  Norco 27-2
The Gerhart triplets made sure the top-seeded Cougars entered the Southern Section Division I playoffs next Tuesday on a high note with a pair of impressive shutout wins to close out the regular season. Teagan Gerhart fired a no-hitter and sister Whitley drove in a run, along with Kelli Frye, as Norco stopped M.L. King (Riverside), 2-0. Teagan went five more innings and all three sisters got in the act as the Cougars stopped Centennial (Corona), 7-0, to make it 21 straight wins heading into the postseason. Teagan and Kelsey Gerhart each drove in a pair of runs while Whitley was going 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored as a five-run first inning pretty much decided matters early. Although the Cougars only have a pair of 1-0 losses to Freedom (Oakley) and Poly (Riverside), there is nowhere to go as the two teams above them also continue to win, although Sheldon did finally drop one on Monday of this week.

4.  (4)  Freedom (Oakley) 21-3
The Falcons rolled into the CIF North Coast Section Division I playoffs as the top seed after going undefeated in Bay Valley League play, finishing 15-0 after 12-0 and 6-0 victories last week over Antioch and Liberty of Brentwood, respectively. Against Antioch, Fresno State-bound Hannah Williams hurled a mercy-shortened four-hitter with eight strikeouts, and hit her sixth home run of the season, a three-run blast. Against Liberty it was a three-hitter with six fanned. Chrissy Stalf had the big bat in that game, going 3-for-3 with a triple and four knocked in. Coach Jeff Jonas' girls now have a first round bye and await the Liberty at Castro Valley winner in a May 23 second round contest.

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To say he's ticketed for stardom might be a stretch since he's still only a sophomore, but if this week's boys honoree stays healthy and continues progressing we may be hearing his name a lot in the future.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

When baseball players have gotten as much recognition at a young age as this week's ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Boys State Athlete of the Week has received, they can often have big heads to go with a big bat or a blazing fastball.

So it was a little surprising to hear Valencia Coach Jared Snyder talk more about Christian Lopes' character than his on-field prowess when first asked to talk about his star shortstop.

"You made a good choice for the award and the fact he's a pretty good kid makes it even better,” said Snyder when told the criteria for receiving the honor included academics and what the student-athlete does off the field as well as the baseball aspect.

"He's a humble kid for how good he is, gets along with everybody on and off the field, has good character and makes good choices,” said Snyder, a Saugus High graduate who played five years as a catcher in the Cubs organization, and who's now in his 11th year at Valencia where he teaches world history.

Last year's CalHiSports.com's State Freshman of the Year can also handle the bat and plays a mean shortstop.

Last week in a 10-8 victory over Hart of Newhall he hit his ninth home run of the season and scored twice. He also scored three times in a 17-6 victory over Hart earlier in the week.

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In this installment of our series looking at some of the top squads in the state, we check out two CIF Southern Section schools from the San Fernando Valley region and one school each from the Sac Joaquin and Central sections. Both of those teams made the playoffs, but only one of them -- Sanger -- is loaded with returnees.

Posted By Senior Editor Ronnie Flores

Note: All information that follows came from a questionnaire that was sent in by the head coach. We did not add or delete any names. If your school isn't included in this series, it is because we were not sent the information. If you want your school included, send info in the categories listed to mark@studentsports.com.

Team Name: Ponderosa (Shingle Springs)
Head Coach: Jason Tenner (9-3 at school, 21-13 overall)
Last Year's Records: 9-3, 3-7 for J.V.
Returning Starters: 7 (4 Offense, 3 Defense)
Players Most Deserving of Preseason Honors: RB Lyndell Scarr
Newcomers Who Could Make An Impact: None Listed
Coach's General Outlook: We will be a young team with only 15 players back from last year's team but we should be filled with athletic players.
Other Teams To Watch From The Area: Granite Bay and Del Oro
All-league level players with GPAs above 3.50: None Listed
CalHiSports.com Comments: After starting 2-2, the Grizzlies won seven straight to reach the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II semifinals before their season come to an end with a 27-15 loss to Granite Bay. Despite some question marks with so few returning starters, one areaTenner doesn't have to worry much about is the running game with Lyndell Scarr. He rushed for over 1,500 yards and 13 touchdowns as the workhorse back of the offense. Scarr carried the ball 233 times and will be likely counted on even more this year, as the running game accounted for over two-thirds of Ponderosa's offense.

Team Name: Bishop Alemany (Mission Hills)
Head Coach: Dean Harrington (12-10 at school)
Last Year's Records: 8-4, 5-5 for J.V.
Returning Starters: 13 (6 offense, 7 defense)
Players Most Deserving of Preseason Honors: RB Malcolm Marable (All-League), WR Chris Gant (All-League), and WR/DB Nick Cook (All-League).
Newcomers Who Could Make An Impact: QB David Metcalf
Coach's General Outlook: We have great speed and skill players on offfense although a bit young along the line. We have lots of experience on defense with so many returning starters.
Other Teams To Watch From The Area: Notre Dame, Hart, St. Bonaventure, and Oaks Christian
All-league level players with GPAs above 3.50: QB David Metcalf and C Ian Abot
CalHiSports.com Comments: Harrington's Warriors had a very good season in 2007, bowing out in the CIFSS Western Division Quarterfinals to Dominguez of Compton, 27-7. Optimism is high in the program with 13 starters returning, which should make Alemany more consistent on both sides of the ball. Alemany fully expects to win its first two games with the third game against Saugus a good test of where they stand. The defense was solid and with two all-league wideouts joining Marable in the backfield, expect another good showing in the post-season.

Team Name: Valencia
Head Coach: Larry Muir (18-16-1 at school)
Last Year's Records: 7-4-1, 9-1 for J.V.
Returning Starters: 7 (4 offense, 3 defense)
Players Most Deserving of Preseason Honors: WR Zach Tartabull and RB Jordan Thompson
Newcomers Who Could Make An Impact: CB Brock Vereen and DL Nick Oliva
Coach's General Outlook: Despite being young on both sides of the ball we should be solid at the various skill positions.
Other Teams To Watch From The Area: Hart and Saugus
All-league level players with GPAs above 3.50: Adam Gutierrez and Michael Hernandez
CalHiSports.com Comments: The Vikings' 2007 season came to a heartbreaking end when they lost 29-28 to a Newbury Park team that converted its first field goal of the season with just seconds remaining in the Southern Section Northern Divison quarterfinals. With so few returning starters, a Foothill League title might be difficult but the Vikes should be formidable and able to score points with their talented skill position players. The defense will definitely have to step up in non-league contest versus Birmingham and Palmdale.

Team Name: Sanger
Head Coach: Chuck Shidan (142-65 at school)
Last Year's Records: 7-4, 5-4 for J.V.
Returning Starters: 14 (6 offense, 8 defense)
Players Most Deserving of Preseason Honors: OL/DE Nikko Motta
Newcomers Who Could Make An Impact: None Listed
Coach's General Outlook: Our defense should be the stregth of our team once again this year. We have good running backs but were not sure yet what were going to do at the QB and WR position.
Other Teams To Watch From The Area: Edison, Bullard, Clovis East
All-league level players with GPAs above 3.50: None Listed
CalHiSports.com Comments: The Apaches were a gritty team that won their close regular season games before losing in the opening round of the CIFCS Div. I playoffs. Last season Sanger allowed more points then it scored but that should change this year with a strong defense that returns eight veterans. Simply put, the offense is going to have to improve in order for Sanger to make the post-season and move past the opening round.

Note: Send corrections or comments to mark@studentsports.com and be sure to leave a comment that others can check out.