High School Sports Blog

GO TO THE PREPS BOX

2008-09-04T12:25:00.000-07:00

This blog has moved!

For all the new high school blog posts, head on over to THE PREPS BOX.

Erick has been posting new topics there and would appreciate some feedback.

Say Hello to Erick Smith

2008-07-07T20:58:00.000-07:00

Alright, since high school and college sports are officially over for the summer, it's time for some summer cleaning.

Starting next fall, not only will this blog be getting a new look — a WordPress.org makeover — but your author is changing as well.

The tentative plan (plans are always tentative in the newspaper business) is for staff writer Erick Smith to take over the high school duties in the fall.

That's him up at the top of this post. Doesn't working with me look like such a blast?

I'm preparing to try and fill Brian Milne's shoes on the college beat come football season.

In my two plus years so far in SLO County, one of my favorite parts of the job has been watching this blog grow.

I appreciate every reader out there who takes the time to visit and post comments. Our interaction has made The Tribune's sports coverage much stronger and has really helped me do a better job.

I don't plan on stepping completely away from high school sports, and I'll help Erick out where I can, but I'm also looking forward to the different challenge of covering Cal Poly and Cuesta athletics.

I lay this gauntlet out for Central Coast prep sports fans: This blog had better not wane.

We've gone through some slow times, but the spirited debates, the comments, the polls and the general traffic have all opened up some eyes in The Tribune newsroom. High school sports has a fervent following, and I expect it to continue to show.

Check back for the new web addresses of both sports blogs in the future. And thanks for the time.

Leftovers from the year in sports

2008-07-07T20:13:00.000-07:00

Since I'm going to be shifting over to another blog on another beat, I thought I'd empty my cache on this one.

The past year has brought some great behind the scenes sights and sounds. Here are a couple I didn't share from San Luis Obispo High.

Here's Tigers boys tennis singles player Charlie Fox's team picture. That team had a lot of seniors a lot of success and — as you can see — a lot of fun. It will be interesting to see how they do next year.

Going all the way back to football season, here's a shot of linebacker Nate Egan and his smashed up nose. I remember writing about it in a story, but the photo was kept hidden... until now!

And here is a pretty cool music video, my last on the prep beat, from behind the scenes at the Baseball/Softball Players of the Year photoshoot at Paso Robles High. Michelle Moses, John Brehm and photographer Joe Johnson star.

Paso Players of the Year: Photo Shoot

Apologies to John for the lyrics. It's the only photo shoot song I know. For those interested, the artist is Embassy Music Board and the song is aptly titled Pose. You can download it for free HERE.

SLO High baseball trio get scholarships

2008-06-24T17:20:00.000-07:00

Word from the "Bloggin' with..." pipeline is that San Luis Obispo High seniors Darren Mullen, Dan Howell and Robby Nadalsky have all inked letters of intent to play baseball at NCAA Division I schools next year.

Nadalsky wasn't a surprise. He'd announced his verbal commitment to Cal State Northridge long ago. Howell's late commitment was somewhat expected. He took a visit to Hawaii when I was going through All-County team stuff a couple weeks ago. Now, he's inked with the Warriors, said a source.

Mullen, the PAC 7 MVP and single-season Tigers record-holder for RBI, seemed resigned to attend either Palomar or Cuesta College next year.

Not so, in the end.

Out of the blue, Northridge made an offer after finding some newfound holes in its catching depth chart. So, Mullen will join Nadalsky and become a Matador.

Three guys from one team signing with D-I schools? When's the last time that happened around here? I know San Luis has had some talented teams in the past. Anybody recall three from one team making it big?

Ryan Overland, Atascadero's CWS hero

2008-06-19T21:29:00.001-07:00

That up there is Ryan Overland. He's shown in an Athlete of the Week photo taken in 2004, when Overland was a senior at Atascadero High.

Overland's now a senior at Fresno State. He homered in Tuesday's College World Series win over North Carolina, and I had a cell phone interview with him on Thursday talking about that feat and the Bulldogs' chances at a National Championship.

If Fresno State continues its Cinderella run and wins it all, that would put former San Luis Obispo County athletes on both the College World Series and Women's College World Series champs.

Arizona State's Katie Burkhart, a former SLO High star, pitched the Sun Devils to the softball title in the past month.

The unseeded Bulldogs winning the CWS would be a major coup few would have thought possible before the season or — heck — even two weeks ago. There are probably still doubters out there.

But Overland said his team is now getting a whif of what it would be like.

"The way we got here has given us a lot of confidence," the former Greyhound said. "We were in the toughest regional a lot of people were saying. Long Beach, San Diego and Cal. To go beat those teams and then go beat Arizona State, we already feel like we’ve beaten some of the best teams in the country."

To read more of what Overland had to say, CLICK HERE.

And if you didn't see it, here's the video of Overland's homer against the Tar Heels.

Weekly Derrick Jasper update: It's UNLV

2008-06-16T16:27:00.000-07:00

Word broke Monday that former Paso Robles High standout Derrick Jasper has committed to transfer to UNLV.

I talked to Jasper today. You can read all about it in the Tuesday edition of The Tribune. But I wanted to give blog readers an early shot at responding to the news.

So have at it. He didn't visit any other schools. In the end, UCLA and Cal Poly, the two winners of our informal blog poll, didn't seem to have much of a chance. Here's your chance to debate or support Derrick's decision.

Or have at our choices for baseball and softball players of the year or the All-County team, which came out on Sunday.

It won't be long before this blog takes a little bit of a hiatus for the summer. We've got Jordan Hasay and the Olympic Trials to talk about, but things will get kind of quiet leading up to football season.

In a small piece of slocohighschoolsportsblog news: The blog is expected to get a new address before the fall and stay tuned for another major announcement.

Where would you like to see Derrick Jasper?

2008-06-04T17:09:00.000-07:00

Talking to former Paso Robles basketball star Derrick Jasper yesterday, it seemed pretty clear he was carefully weighing his options since deciding to transfer from Kentucky.

He'll have to sit out a year if he transfers to an NCAA Division I university, but he'll also have two additional years of eligibility (and a redshirt year if necessary) once he sits out.

When word first spread about the potential for Jasper to leave the Wildcats, the school I originally thought of — and I'm just being honest here — was UCLA. Bruins coach Ben Howland is a noted defensive guru, and with Jasper's above-average size at point guard, defense and rebounding has been the former Bearcat's specialty in college.

As it turns out, there's been some interest from UCLA and Westwood could be a likely destination for Jasper. But it's not the only school that fits his criteria of wanting to get closer to home. Jasper also has several other schools he's considering, including San Diego State, UNLV, USC and Long Beach State among others.

He never mentioned Cal Poly, which is as close to home as you can get, but Jasper didn't sound as if he was ruling much out either at this early stage. He got his official release from Kentucky on Monday and said he expects to take as much time as needed to make the right decision.

Where would you like to see Jasper end up? Comment here and vote in the new poll.

CIF State Track: The Video

2008-06-04T00:09:00.000-07:00

After reviewing the raw footage I took at this past weekend's track meet, I decided most of it was pretty boring. So instead of posting it all, I spruced it up with some music and production value.

The video stars Nipomo throwers Korben Boaz and Jeanette DeWitt as well as Templeton's Justin Cutler. It was completely shot and edited by yours truly. It's pretty rad, but just a warning for those who might suffer from kinetosis, there's lots of spinning.

I also took this nice photo of Tonie Williams standing with her CIF State medal (She placed sixth in the 400). Enjoy!

2008 CIF Track and Field Championships

Sights From the CIF State Track and Field Meet

2008-05-30T19:51:00.000-07:00

I'm down here in Norwalk covering the state track meet. Read all the results of your favorite SLO County athletes in the Tribune or at SanLuisObispo.com.
Blog readers will get all the extra stuff.

I'm armed and dangerous with my camera and hope to be posting videos of the action within the weekend.

Until those get up, here's an update.

I saw two stud high school basketball players at the meet. UCLA-bound senior Drew Gordon qualified fourth in the discus for tomorrow's final with a 180-foot, 2-inch throw. He's one spot behind Nipomo's Korben Boaz, who popped a personal-best 181-10.

I also ran by Compton basketball star Demar DeRozan, who was not competing but was watching in the stands, on my way out to interview SLO star Tonie Williams. I didn't have the time to ask if he was really going to renege on his commitment to USC.

Nipomo coach Matt Soenksen let me in on a superstition. His Titans caravan of throwers Boaz and Jeanette DeWitt stayed at the same Hilton and ate at the same meals at the same Mimi's Cafe as they did for last week's CIF-Southern Section Masters Meet, which was also at Cerritos College. He didn't say if they were bummed not to get the same parking spot at the stadium.

Now would be a good time to mention that the starting pistol scares the crap out of me every time it goes off. Come to a meet. I challenge you. Come to a meet, whip out a computer, type some stuff and just try to keep the solids in when the deafening POW! rattles your innards.

It'll be a surprise if the Central Coast athletes don't do well on Saturday. The weather conditions were vintage SLO County. The temperature was in the low 70s. It was sunny. And the wind was just strong enough to notice you didn't like it.

That's all for now. Stay tuned for more.

More Clayton McDonald (Funny, I swear)

2008-05-26T10:22:00.000-07:00

Sunday's story on Atascadero diver Clayton McDonald (READ HERE) and his battles with leukemia had a certain serious tone.

But here on the blog, I want to introduce readers to another side of Clayton. Yes, he's survived cancer three times. And one of the ways he's gotten through it all and remained sane has been with humor.

Check out this video and you'll see what I mean. Guaranteed laughs. (FYI: Clayton is the kid who's gonzo for Grad Night.)

Clayton and his friends have starred in a few other films. You can view the whole collection HERE.

Baseball/Softball Players of the Year, Anyone?

2008-05-21T21:29:00.000-07:00

The baseball and softball seasons are almost over, and the Templeton girls are the only ones still alive — again.

I figure it's the perfect time to poll the masses. Who in your mind deserves to be County Players of the Year?

As usual, weigh in on the online poll over to the right, but reason things out in the comment section.

I'll give a few contenders to get the ball rolling.

In baseball, you've got a few nominees, each with at least a small hole in his resume.

Mission Prep's Alex Detz batted .507, with just one more strikeout 6 than he had home runs 5, but the Royals did not play a great schedule.

Nipomo catcher Manny Reyes led the County with a .514 batting average and had good RBI totals, but his team fared poorly in PAC 7 play. Arroyo Grande catcher Lucas Kephart slugged six home runs, but was outdone by Reyes in a few other categories.

The All-County Team catcher spots will be interesting, especially considering San Luis Obispo catcher Darren Mullen — another POY candidate — had stats that looked like this at season's end: .479 BA, 4 HRs, county-leading 43 RBI.

But Mullen and the Tigers finished behind Paso Robles by 0.028 in percentage points for first place in the PAC 7.

The Bearcats' nominee has got to be pitcher John Brehm. The left-hander went 9-0 with five complete games, three shutouts and two saves. His ERA going into the playoffs was a microscopic 0.73. But he wasn't a heart-stopping power pitcher, and he didn't contribute a ton at the plate.

If Brehm ends up being the pick, it could be a Paso sweep.

Softball pitcher/shortstop Michelle Moses slugged 11 home runs, four more than the next closest county player. No one else in the PAC 7 had more than one.

Moses also led the league with 187 strikeouts despite being the only pitcher among the league leaders to have pitched fewer than 100 innings.

But Moses isn't all alone. Templeton's Kat Hicks, the 2006 Player of the Year, bested her with 193 strikeouts and was second in the county to Moses with a 0.52 ERA at the end of the regular season.

Both won league titles, but Hicks' team is still playing in the playoffs.

You make the call.

Mott goes to mound, throws one more pitch for nets

2008-05-20T14:22:00.000-07:00

Mission Prep two-sport standout Bob Mott is set to take the mound Tuesday in the CIF-Central Section Division V baseball semifinals against powerhouse Fowler.

Mott, many may remember, raised $2,335 in the past two years with a campaign to buy malaria nets for children in Africa. The Tribune covered his story each of the past two seasons as he used 3-point shooting as an incentive to fundraise.

Malaria, a mosquito-borne, flu-like illness, claims more than 1 million lives each year worldwide. Most of the victims are young children in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Much of the danger of malarial mosquitoes can be eliminated through the use of bed nets like the one Mott has above.

Since a few people have e-mailed in to find out how they can contribute to the cause, I asked him about it after the Royals' quarterfinal win last week. Mott suggested logging on to NothingButNets.net, a Web site run by the United Nations Foundation that's raised money for more than 2 million nets.

Mott originally got the idea to raise money after both reading an article by former Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly and taking a trip through one of the largest slums in Kenya. On a return trip last summer, he shot this video at an orphanage while playing soccer with some of the kids.

Kibagare — AMAZING soccer kid

Mott said he tried out some of the moves, but slipped and fell in the mud instead. He should stick to hoops. Check out this video of one of his monster dunks:

SLO's Colonel Singles: Julian "Chicken" Arnold

2008-05-15T23:21:00.000-07:00

He's San Luis Obispo High tennis' top singles player, the only one around here to ever take a set from Arroyo Grande's Andre Dome.

You'd think Julian Arnold would have some kind of macho nickname, like Duke or Hulk.

I've always liked boxer Juan "The Hispanic Causing Panic" Lazcano. With a name like that, who wouldn't?

But no, Arnold's matches are always accompanied by shouts of, "Let's go, Chicken!"

The origin of Chicken is disputed. Some say it's because the way Arnold holds his backpack, with his hands hooked onto the straps, it makes him look like he has chicken wings.

Others say he walks on his toes real chicken-like.

Whatever the reasons, it's stuck. And now the fans are starting to capitalize. This rubber chicken appeared on the chain link fence at last week's playoff match, and there's been talk of constructing a crude pen made of chicken wire for Arnold fans to sit in come this Tuesday's second-round playoff match.

Arnold doesn't seem fazed by the nickname — though I'm betting he secretly wishes it was something more like Orange Julian or something cool like that.

If you have any suggestions, I'll pass them along when I see him.

Anybody else remember any other local athletes with off-the-wall handles?

Cal Poly gets another local walk-on

2008-05-15T22:28:00.000-07:00

The walk-on detractors aren't going to like this one.

Cal Poly sent out a news release announcing football commitments from three more players today, including former Hancock and Atascadero standout defensive back Neil Tidwell, who was admitted as an invited walk-on.

Good for Tidwell. I didn't see him play football for the Greyhounds, but I remember him concurrently playing baseball and running track as a senior at Atascadero. I'm still wowed by that.

But that's not all. Cal Poly's release didn't include Mission Prep's George Johnson, who said he's been invited to walk-on to the football team next fall.

"That's what I've always wanted to do since freshman year," said Johnson, who said Cal Poly coaches have already told him he has a secure spot on the team.

Johnson had 46 catches for 982 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior for Mission Prep. He averaged 122.8 yards per game.

Albeit at a small school, Johnson put up some numbers. He's relatively inexperienced at receiver and safety after having switched from quarterback during his junior year.

But he's very athletic and has good body control. I've personally seen him make some spectacular grabs.

Can he do it at Poly? We'll see. The Mustangs also have former SLO star Kevin Martin, who walked on last fall. It'll be interesting to see if either can settle into a role on the team.

Dylan Royer and Cal Poly: A Commitment

2008-05-09T16:35:00.000-07:00

This is what Dylan Royer has been waiting for.

The Morro Bay High senior standout and reigning Tribune San Luis Obispo County Basketball Player of the Year has been pretty reserved this year talking about his college options.

UC San Diego, Concordia, Westmont. Those were the types of schools Royer reported getting offers from. But just below the surface, there always seemed to be this hope a spot would materialize for him here at home. Royer secretly wanted to go to Cal Poly.

Today, the Mustangs reported they've accepted Royer as an invited walk-on for next season. Here are portions of Cal Poly's news release announcing the union.

Dylan Royer Commits to Cal Poly
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA – Cal Poly men’s basketball head coach Kevin Bromley announced today that Morro Bay senior Dylan Royer has been accepted to Cal Poly as a incoming freshman and has verbally committed to play basketball for the Mustangs as an invited walk-on for the 2008-09 season.
Royer, the San Luis Obispo County Player of the Year, averaged 22.5 points per game and 6.8 rebounds in leading the Pirates to 20-8 record and the second round of the CIF-Southern Section Division III-AA playoffs.

...

“Having the county player of the year come to Cal Poly is fantastic,” said Bromley. “Dylan brings a tremendous amount of competitive sprit to the court and I love the way he shoots the ball. His unselfish play will bring a lot to the team.”

...

The release hasn't posted at GoPoly.com yet, but if it appears, I'll try to link it. Look for more in Saturday's Tribune.

The move is bold. I like it. Royer most certainly could have gone on to a smaller college and contributed right away, maybe even had a star career. By choosing the Mustangs, he's taking a risk that he may not get much initial playing time if any by the end of his career.

College basketball walk-ons have historically been all over the map in terms of their career success. Some only stick for a year or two on the team. Some earn scholarships with solid performances. Some play well but are forced to transfer if things don't work out.

Look for the new poll: What do you think about Royer's chances at Cal Poly?

Going Out on Top

2008-05-07T15:50:00.000-07:00

In the past two weeks, The Tribune has detailed Atascadero High diver Elizabeth Foran's fourth straight league and second straight CIF-Southern Section Division III titles.

What wasn't mentioned was her future.

In the post-meet interview Tuesday, Foran said she'll likely be quitting the sport as a competitior while she pursues a medical degree in college.

She said she'll do her undergrad work at UC San Diego, which does have a diving team. But with all of the expected coursework, she said she isn't thinking about trying out for the team until after her freshman year, if at all.

For someone who's been alternately participating in sports like gymnastics, competitive cheerleading and diving since she was six years old, Foran is feeling a little burnt out on the competitive aspect.

"I love it. I love practicve," Foran said of diving. "I love my team, but I hate competing. It’s just so much pressure on you... It’s just silent, and you’re up there by yourself, and you’re just like, 'Dang, I’m alone.' It’s just nerveracking."

In other college news, Nipomo basketball and track and field standout Jeanette DeWitt had a signing ceremony Wednesday at the school announcing her commitment to play basketball for NCAA Division II Sonoma State.

DeWitt is a two-time all-county basketball honoree, and got some mention for player of the year this season. In track and field, she's ranked fourth in the state in the discus with a top mark of 147 feet, 4 inches.

A relative late-bloomer on the throwing scene, DeWitt might've had an opportunity to continue her track career at a high level, but talking to her at the PAC 7 finals last week, I just got the impression that basketball is her first love.

A Long Week

2008-05-02T13:46:00.000-07:00

This week, there were championships galore in some of what trendy peeps in the biz like to call "non-ball" sports.

Diving, swimming, track and field — though technically, the shot is a ball.

Anyway, watching all three PAC 7 champonship meets was a blast, even though I feel like a raisin after taking in all the sun. But since you've read about these epic events in The Tribune for the past few days, I thought I'd shift gears back to baseball.

Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo and Arroyo Grande all have a shot at winning the PAC 7 title. The Bearcats have the inside track, but the Tigers are right there. The Eagles were more of a longshot leading into Friday's games, but are still in the race.

Who'll win the title? Who has the best shot in the playoffs? Are they one in the same?

If I had to pick one, I'd say San Luis Obispo has the best chance to win the title. The Tigers beat Paso Robles two out of three times and boast one of the toughest top-to-bottom lineups in recent memory.

But the playoffs are ruled by dominant pitchers, which San Luis Obispo — despite a stable of steady arms — doesn't really have.

Paso Robles' left-handed pitcher John Brehm had a 25-inning scoreless streak going before it was broken up by Righetti this week. He's 7-2 with and ERA of 0.72, and he struck out a season-high 10 batters in a 5-4 complete-game win over the Warriors.

The last time a dominant San Luis Obispo team took the title two years ago, it was Paso Robles, behind fireballing lefty Matt Drummond, that advanced farthest in the playoffs.

Arroyo Grande has some solid pitching, too. Nathan Raubinger has won five of his past six starts, but two of his three losses came to Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo.

Corey Butcher has a 2.18 ERA for the Eagles, but Arroyo Grande's supported him with an average of just 1.25 runs in his four losses. The Eagles are averaging nearly six runs per game otherwise.

What does all that mean? It could turn out that SLO makes the deepest playoff run. You decide. Vote in the polls.

A classic throwback

2008-04-22T22:22:00.000-07:00

Arroyo Grande's epic four-game win over rival San Luis Obispo in boys volleyball on Tuesday had a very vintage feel to it.

A few of the players were sporting shaggy hairdos I remember donning in my K-Mart portriats as a toddler in the early 1980s, but most of the retro atmosphere had to do with the surroundings.

The game was played in the old gym. Yellow lights. Peeling paint. Four rows of stands. Rafters.

It just felt like it was played out in one of those grainy 1970s movies — like as if I was Dirty Harry, but instead of shooting criminals, I was taking notes. I still did the squinty-eyed Clint Eastwood sneer in case anyone was watching.

There were ideas floating around about why the match was moved to the smaller arena. The official match notes handed out with the program said it was to honor Earth Day. The new gym is apparently an energy hog.

Tigers coach Jon Hastings said his team just felt more comfortable there. It wasn't the first time this season San Luis Obispo had hosted a game in the old gym. It was the second.

After the game, Hastings spoke of benefit of crowding the fans closer to the court and closer to the action. It was louder and more inviting. He said he might explore moving the team there full time.

But the Eagles couldn't help but to feel a little put off by the move at first. (So was I, but only because I had to walk the extra 50 yards from the parking lot).

It seemed the Arroyo Grande team and I are the only ones who didn't get the memo because I walk out of the completely dark and empty new gym and see the Eagles, looking pretty ticked. I asked Trevor Salas where the game was being played and I just got mumbles and grumbles. It was in the old gym.

Hastings said it wasn't a psychological ploy to take Arroyo Grande off it's game. But even if it wasn't, it almost worked.

The Tigers had some kind of magic going in that stuffy old place. The Eagles started out strong, but by the second and third games, they looked flustered. They were clearly the more dynamic team, but their mojo was somehow being smothered by this invisible force.

Or maybe all those 70s vibes I was getting just had me unconsciously conjuring Star Wars. I don't know.

I guess the real reason for this blog is for me to say that if you weren't at the game, you missed one of the all-time greats. If you were there, you know what I mean.

Changing the subject

2008-04-02T21:43:00.000-07:00

Not that I don't like the Mission Prep debate and the theories on the ripple effects of Tom Mott's departure from the school in 2006, but I agreed with one of the posters who was looking for a new topic. And I've got one.

The Elks San Luis Obispo County Track Meet is this Saturday, and it'll be one of the few remaining chances for local fans to see Royals star junior Jordan Hasay.

Hasay, a junior distance runner who does most of her work outside the county's borders, is slated to run the 1,600-meter race. She already has the best time in the state at 4 minutes, 44.12 seconds, and at last year's county meet established a national best and set an all-time sophomore national record.

How about this for a poll? Who here's actually seen the phenom run? If you haven't, local track aficianados are always recommending that you do so while you can. Hasay is an Olympic level talent on track to be a superstar athlete, perhaps the best in any sport that's ever come out of SLO County. Soon, she'll be running for a top-flight college program — or in the pros.

She only runs a handful of local events each year and will be running at Cuesta on Saturday sometime between 10:30 and 11 a.m.

I'll have some more in-depth coverage on the meet and other events to watch in Friday's edition of The Tribune. Also, expect county basketball players of the year and all-county teams within the next week.

Oh, and feel free to talk Paso Robles football any time. Or three times.

P.S. I'm not a bum. Our sports editor was on vacation, and I was doing some fill-in work.

Mission goes down

2008-03-15T12:36:00.000-07:00

The Mission Prep girls basketball team fell 51-39 to Ross Branson in the Division V State Championship game at Arco Arena in Sacramento on Saturday morning.

As I sit here typing this, the Branson boys are beating Renaissance Academy 38-31 and are looking to make the Bulls a double winner for the second year in a row.

The Branson girls were amazing. They were tall, athletic, fast. It was a tough game for the Royals, who were down by 19 at one point in the third quarter.

Check out tomorrow's Tribune for a more in-depth recap of the game.

Coke vs. Pepsi

2008-03-13T17:18:00.000-07:00

Personally, I go Coca-Cola. I find it a tangier, spicier option for big-boy soda drinkers. People like Mean Joe Green.

Pepsi is too sweet. I think Pepsi, I think Britney Spears, Ricky Martin. That curly-mop little girl with the dimples who spoke with celebrity voices.

Well, that little girl grew up, and I heard she drinks Coke now.

I also think Coke played a tougher non-conference schedule, and Pepsi is a ballhog. Pepsi was playing against softies like R.C. Cola and Albertson's Brand, while Coke was taking on Sprite.

It's easy to put up numbers on Mr. Pibb and Bubble-Up.

And we all know Pepsi recruits. Plus, if Pepsi weren't so tall, then it wouldn't get so many rebounds. Pepsi is also slow, and Coke has a better all-around game, more assists, steals.

Coke makes the team better. Pepsi isn't even being recruited.

What do you guys think?

Oh, and just for checking in, I'll pass along the state championship preview capsules I have been working on for tomorrow's paper. For loyal blog readers only.

CIF DIVISION V STATE GIRLS BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, 9:30 a.m., at Arco Arena in Sacramento
No. 1 Ross Branson (28-7) vs. No. 2 Mission Prep (27-4)
BACKGROUND
Branson — The Bulls are the defending state champions after defeating Pacific Hills 51-36 for the program’s first-ever state title last year. Branson has been ranked No. 1 in Division V by CalHiSports.com all season long. Top players Rachael and Sam Bilney, senior sisters both headed to Richmond on basketball scholarships, have battled injuries this season. Sam missed most of the year with a knee injury, and a midseason hand ailment kept Rachel out until mid-January.
Mission Prep — The Royals are making their sixth state title appearance in program history and are going for their first win. None of the current players were on the team the last time Mission Prep advanced this far in 2004, a year after legendary coach Jay Cowitz died after a lengthy battle with cancer. Cowitz’s daughter Margaret, a senior, has been an emotional motivator for the team.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Branson — Rachael Bilney (6-foot swingman, Sr.) 17.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 36 percent 3-point field goals; Michela Bestwick (5-10 forward, Sr.) 10 ppg; Lauren Polanski (5-9 huard, Jr.) 10 ppg, 4.7 apg. 4.8 spg.
Mission Prep — Leigh Yetter (5-9 guard, Sr.) 14.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 48 percent field goals; Erica Vesnaver (5-9 forward, Sr.) 7.6 ppg, 34 percent 3-point field goals; Jenna Caruso (5-7 guard, Jr.) 7 ppg.
QUOTABLES
Branson — “We can’t give (Branson) easy layups,” Mission Prep coach John Krossa said. They get a lot of easy layups from pressure, girls panicking. They do a trap and they pressure man-to-man. They play hard. It would be better for us to get a 5-second call than to panic and turn the ball over and give up a layup.”
Mission Prep — “If we’re on and we do what we’re capable of doing, we can play with anyone, and that includes them,” Royals forward Erica Vesnaver said. “It’s a very winnable game for us. We’re going to have to play very well.”

Can't travel to Sacramento?

2008-03-11T15:53:00.000-07:00

This Saturday's Division V girls basketball state championship game between Mission Prep and Branson starts at 9:30 a.m.

Can't make the 4- to 5-hour drive from San Luis Obispo County to make it in time? (Or don't wake up early enough on a Saturday even if you live in Sacramento?)

You can listen free to the live broadcast of the game on the internet at KBCSports.com. (Or you can buy an audio recording if you're in the 'I can't get up early' category.)

I sat next to the two guys who did the play-by-play for Mission's Southern California final win over Calvin Christian down in Santa Ana last weekend, and though I didn't really pay much attention to their broadcast, it seemed like they put a bit of work in to researching each team. They interviewed each coach before the game and asked me for a few details.

Hey, even if they're not any good at all, at least you'll know the score. Then you can log on to SanLuisObispo.com at halftime and immediately following the game for my breaking news updates. I'll also be blogging from Arco Arena, the site of the game, and, of course, you can read our in-depth coverage in Sunday's paper.

Oh, and vote in the new poll. It was a recent request by a comment poster on the girls basketball player of the year. You want it, you go it. (Though, technically, I asked the question of you readers like two weeks ago and got crickets.)

One of the funniest moments of the season

2008-03-06T22:48:00.000-08:00

The Mission Prep girls beat View Park Prep in the So-Cal regional semis on Thursday night. The Royals are on to the regional finals for the 11th time since 1989. No biggie. They're ranked No. 1. They expect to be there.

Check out this anecdote though, the laugh out loud moment of the season.

Here's some forshadowing: At halftime, a small boy from from the View Park side who looked just days out of diapers was putting on a dance show near the media table. He was good. No doubt he could have served more than half of downtown SLO on college night.

And when he was doing his thing, the game was pretty close. It was up for grabs until Leigh Yetter took over with nine points in the third quarter, and Mission Prep outscored the Knights 14-2.

So to start the fourth quarter, the Royals student section starts doing that "We Will Rock You" stomp. You know. Stomp-Stomp, Clap! Stomp-Stomp,Clap! Like that.

Then the entire Mission Prep side of the stands starts doing it. It's pretty cool.

But it gets cooler when the other side of the gym, the people at the media table and the View Park fans look to the right of the Royals students — and guess who's cutting the rug all by his lonesome?

Yup, the Tear-da-club-up Toddler.

We all assumed after his team fell so far behind, he just switched sides.

To further the hilarity, an embarrassed-looking Knights fan had to run across the gym to grab the little boy and escort him back the View Park stands.

Mimnaugh at Mission Prep

2008-03-04T22:35:00.000-08:00

Cal Poly women's basketball coach Faith Mimnaugh was spotted at Tuesday night's Mission Prep girls basketball playoff game — a 41-13 win over Escondido Adventist in the CIF Division V Southern California Regional playoffs.

The rumor was Mimnaugh was there scouting the Royals senior forward Leigh Yetter, one of the front-runners for The Tribune's Jay Cowitz Award for County Player of the Year.

Yetter, the county's leading scorer at 15 points per game, shoots 47 percent from the field and averages close to seven rebounds a game.

Yetter didn't have her best game in front of Mimnaugh though, scoring just six points in a 41-13 Royals rout that didn't really require any of Mission Prep's starters to play well.

In terms of her college options, Yetter was soft-spoken in a recent interview.

Asked about her plans for next season after the Royals' won their 16th straight section divisional title this past Friday, Yetter said she hadn't gotten a lot of attention from college recruiters. She said she may decide a collegiate basketball career is not in the cards.

But she left the topic open-ended.

Mission Prep is favored to make it to the state title game. If the Royals do, it would be the first time since 2004 and the sixth time in program history.

And with Yetter and the six other Mission Prep seniors thinking this might be their final basetball hurrah, winning the team's first-ever state title would be the best way to go out.

Dylan aiming for Division I

2008-02-28T14:11:00.000-08:00

Since I got the low down from Paso Robles center David Cone on his college commitment, I also got in touch with Morro Bay guard Dylan Royer about his college opportunities — mostly to keep you faithful blog readers informed.

So here it is: Royer has not made any commitments. "I would love to play at the D1 level, and there are still a couple of possibilities," he said in an e-mail.

Royer said he has interest from Cal Poly and UC Davis at the NCAA Division I level and UC San Diego at Division II. NAIA schools Concordia and Westmont are also in the picture.

As a freshman in 2004-05, Royer was ranked as the 25th best prospect in Southern California by HoopScoopOnline.com. Since then, he's eclipsed 2,000 points at Morro Bay and has broken at least eight individual school records.

Royer led the Pirates to a 20-8 record and to the second round of the CIF-Southern Section Division III-AA playoffs. He scored 22.5 points, grabbed nearly 7 rebounds and averaged just under 2 steals per game while shooting 38 percent from the field and 80 percent from the free-throw line.

It would be a great storyline to follow the guy if he ends up at Poly. Heck, it would be very intriguing if he landed at Davis and came back to haunt the Mustangs in the end. But wherever he chooses, it's sure to be a great accomplishment.

Cone's college of choice

2008-02-27T17:24:00.000-08:00

It's time to end some speculation and settle at least one argument that's raged on The Tribune' High School Sports Blog for a couple weeks.

David Cone is playing college basketball. But it won't be at a junior college OR an NCAA school — though he said he had options a few of both.

I caught up with the Paso Robles senior big man online Wednesday, and he confirmed that he has given a verbal commitment to play basketball in La Mirada next year at NAIA Division I school Biola University.

"I was getting recruited by a slew of schools," Cone said in an online message. "All the way from Washington St, all the Ivy league schools, Colgate in New York, Seattle University who is going from D2 to D1 next season, to JC's."

In the end, he said he's choosing Biola for his comfort with 27-year coach Dave Holmquist — who reminds Cone of Paso Robles 30-year coach Scott Larson — and his chance at playing substantial minutes early in his career.

Cone led the Bearcats to a 19-10 overall record (9-3 PAC 7) as Paso Robles improved vastly on a 2-21 record last season.

By notching team highs in both points per game (14.8) and rebounds per game (11), Cone led the Bearcats to a second-place league finish and helped get the team to the second round of the CIF-Southern Section Division II-A playoffs.

"After talking with other schools, and those close to me I decided that Biola would be the best for me because they focus on the 'big man'," Cone said, "the Coaching is great, and I could go in and play substantial minutes including a good opportunity to start next season.

"Call me crazy for passing up D1 chances, but I really am happy with my decision, and I think it will be a great fit."

Some of you are sure to think he's crazy. Giving up a shot to play bigtime basketball for the inelegant NAIA circuit?

Especially still in the wake of Derrick Jasper-to-Kentycky era, this choice may seem small-fryish.

But Logan Budd told me way back when that he'd rather play football at FCS school Cal Poly than at FBS school San Jose State. Some people like the smaller pond, and it's no knock on you if you do.

College choices aren't always about sports. They're as much about happiness and comfort as anything else. And Cone seems pretty happy about Biola.

See the best with your own two eyes

2008-02-26T17:44:00.000-08:00

Three SLO County wrestlers will be competing in the CIF State wrestling meet this weekend.

We've already featured Morro Bay heaveyweight Jerome Long in this week's edition of "Athlete of the Week." The other two — 160-pounder Jordan Rubio of Arroyo Grande and 189-pounder Jack Robinett of Atascadero — will be featured in an edition of the paper later this week.

But if you've ever wondered what any one of these three guys looks like on the wrestling mat, good thing you read this blog, and good thing the guys at FloWrestling.org covered Morro Bay's CIT tournament earlier this year.

GO HERE to see videos of all three local wrestlers, including separate interviews with Long, Morro Bay coach Mike Aanearud and Pirates athletic director/football coach John Andree.

Long won his division at the CIT, and cited Atascadero's Brett Hiatt as his toughest opponent that weekend. Robinett fell in the finals with a chance to tie late in the match and Rubio took a loss to the eventual champion in the semifinals.

Must-see TV: Long's final match and his post-match interview.

The Leak: PAC 7 girls soccer accolades

2008-02-25T23:34:00.000-08:00

Word from Monday night's PAC 7 girls soccer meetings is that San Luis Obispo High hogged most of the honors.

A resounding "Doi!" going off in your head? Yeah, well, with a 27-1-2 final record, undefeated league and regular-season marks, the Tigers cemented their reputation as the best girls soccer team around. They were bound to come away with some serious spoils.

Here are a few of the honors according to a source inside the meeting.

League Most Valuable Player — Afton Thulin, San Luis Obispo

Co-Offensive Players of the Year — Jamie Council, Atascadero and Karlee Owens, Arroyo Grande

Defensive Player of the Year — Jessica Mortola, San Luis Obispo

Partial list of San Luis Obispo honorees
First Team All-PAC 7 — Jessica Mortola, Devon Carlstrom and Gracie Babcock

Second Team All-PAC 7 — Kiele Argente, Alessa Moscoso and Shannon Fontes

I'll try to get full lists out for soccer and all the rest of the sports as soon as they can be collected. Until then, continue with the Cone-Royer rantings. Or how about another question, this one might even be tougher: Who's the girls County Player of the Year?

Rooting for arch rivals? I don't think so

2008-02-21T22:09:00.000-08:00

The San Luis Obispo High girls soccer team came out of its post-game huddle Wednesday after a 1-0 win over Diamond Ranch in the second round of the Division III playoffs, and the first thing the Tigers hear is an update on the Arroyo Grande game.

The Eagles won 2-0.

"Urghhhh," was the collective harrumph that came from the disappointed SLO group.

Back at The Tribune office, editor Ashley Conklin took the phone call from the Eagles, who were equally bummed to hear how the rival Tigers won their playoff game.

I didn't get it at first. One of the first things I thought when I found out both teams won was "We'll have to plan some super coverage if they end up playing each other in the playoffs." (It'll happen if both teams win their next two games. They'd meet in the final round.)

But I'm thinking about it like a journalist. And as a reporter who covers both teams, I'd imagine it would be a grand spectacle to have two SLO County teams facing off for a championship.

Heck, fans will even root around sometimes. In the past couple weeks, I've seen Tiger Bill here and there. Except, one time, he was Eagle Bill. The other time, he was Royal Bill. He said he only switches caps during the playoffs.

I'm thinking of renaming him Ubiquitous Bill.

But players don't think that way, especially not in rivalries as bitter as the San Luis Obispo-Arroyo Grande one has become.

The Tigers and Eagles want to see the other one lose right away — maybe even get blown out for their troubles and humiliated on the way out.

It's not bad sportsmanship. It's passion. It's emotion. And it's so right on.

No, I'm not saying go out and burn your team's name into your rivals' grass field. But if you're a player, you're out there pushing and clawing — let's face it, that's what you do in most sports — there's no way you're going to ever bring yourself to root for a league rival.

A SLO player? Pull for AG? To borrow the rough spanish equivalent to when pigs fly, "Yeah, on goalkeeper's day."

CIF-SS boys teams are done. Now comes the hard part

2008-02-19T23:01:00.000-08:00

By the look of the votes in the most recent poll and comments, it might boil down to a two-man race for the County Player of the Year between Morro Bay's Dylan Royer and Paso Robles' David Cone.

There are certainly others out there in the discussion, but for the sake of this blog, let's pretend there aren't for one day.

As of Tuesday night, both the Pirates and Bearcats were bounced from the playoffs in the second round of their respective CIF-Southern Section divisions. So there goes one way of comparing the two guys.

Both teams had 20 wins. Both made the second round. Neither won a league title. Team success — often a tiebreaker in many MVP-type discussions — is a push.

So, it has to come down to one-on-one comparisons.

I've seen both play within the past five days, and honestly, there could hardly be two more different players.

Royer, a four-year varsity starter who's amassed more than 2,000 points in his career, is a dangerous shooter without a conscience. He's got an uncanny knack for grabbing steals and is a very good rebounder, especially at his position. But his willingness to shoot from anywhere 20-feet-and-in at any time is what defines him. He only needs an inch of space and is just as adept driving to the basket as he is pulling up for a 15-footer or shooting a 3-pointer.

Cone, the last remaining Paso Robles Bearcat to have played with Derrick Jasper, is a prototype high school big man. He's got a couple go-to moves that are money in the post. Though a knee injury has limited his jumping and mobility, he makes up for it by playing smart. At least partly because of his size (he's listed at 6 feet, 9 inches), Cone is the most dominant defensive player in the county. But he also blocks shots with control, giving his team a great chance at recovering the ball.

A stone-cold shooter. A textbook big man.

Who's better? Who's more vaulable? Who deserves it more?

I hate ties. And I've never been fond of anything that begins with "Co-" (Sorry, Colorado). Somebody's going to win. But the Tribune does have a tough decision on its hands. Keep on voting.

Friday's points to ponder from Paso Robles

2008-02-15T23:08:00.000-08:00

Here are a few notes from the first round of the Southern Section boys basketball playoffs. I was in Paso Robles. Anybody who was at any other games, please give some color.

• David Cone has been a big topic of the posters these past couple weeks. Will he go D-1 in college? Won't he? Can he play against tough opponents? I'll say this about Friday's performance: Even though he was the biggest player on the court, he was challenged by some long, athletic big men.

Cone's response? 19 points, eight rebounds and at least five blocks. He was breaking the press. He's untrappable at the high school level. He'll definitely be playing college somewhere next year. At a J.C., a small four-year school. Heck, I've seen players with his frame go to D-I colleges, sit until their senior year and become impact players in the end. Some improved quickness and an outside jumper might earn him some more opportunities at higher levels.

• Though Paso Robles won its first-round game with a great fourth quarter, by the end of the third, Valley View had charged back, and the Bearcats looked ripe for the upset. Since North County Christian had already been bounced from the playoffs, I couldn't help but think, "Wow, I'm a moron. Two of the three teams I picked to go deep in the playoffs were goners. I knew I should have just stuck with the safe pick — the Mission Prep girls."

• To the Paso Robles Booster Club: Maybe look into investing in a new CD player for the gym. As reported in The Tribune's game story in the paper, the Bearcats' warmup music sounded like it was "chopped and screwed" by Yan Can Cook. It might've just been some scratchy CDs, but the disc reader didn't look very, uhm, modern.

On a side note, it's a sad commentary on the state of rap music today when three different songs can all scratch and skip in succession and a gym full of people just continues to bob its collective head as if it's just hearing a new remix or something. Thanks a lot, Derrty South.

• And finally — though my audio taped interview with Paso Robles coach Scott Larson somehow got erased from my digital recorder on the way out to the car — I can still hear the man's shouts ringing in my ears. Scott has to be one of the loudest in-game coaches I've ever heard.

During the craziest parts of Friday's game, I could look over at Valley View coach Jim Long and just see his mouth moving and hear nothing coming out. Then I'd gaze over at Larson, plug my ears and his shouts of, "He's PUSHIN' him!" still cut through to the heart of my eardrums.

It's a talent. I wish I could unleash that kind of yell at my cat when he's scratching the couch.

Paso Rollin'

2008-02-12T16:37:00.000-08:00

You guys like the Bearcats.

Paso Robles took the plurality in the past two polls we've done on boys basketball.

The Bearcats' turnaround from the bottom of the PAC 7 last season to the second-place team this year ran away with your votes for most surprising run.

And Paso Robles was also the pick — though only by a single vote — to go the furthest in the playoffs.

Well, with the playoffs kicking off on this week, the time has come to find out if your predictions are right.

Mission Prep, the other team to rank highly in the playoff success poll, might have the most favorable road to a section title of any boys team, if only because the Royals compete in the CIF-Central Section Division V playoffs, the smallest division in a section made up primarily of teams from the Central San Joaquin Valley.

Here are the top three teams to watch in the playoffs (In no particular order):

• Mission Prep — The Royals boys and girls could be partying together again at the Central Section championships in Fresno. The bracket has yet to be released, but Mission Prep probably could have competed in the top half of the PAC 7. A focused Royals team should make it at least a couple of rounds deep in the playoffs.

• Paso Robles — The Bearcats have a decent draw in the CIF-Southern Section Division II-A bracket. They host a wildcard team in the first round before a potential second-round matchup with Ocean View, the
No. 3 seed in the bracket. If Paso Robles can upset Ocean View, it wouldn't meet up with another top-five seed until the semifinals.

• North County Christian — Funny someone mentioned Maranatha in the last blog, because that's exactly who the Crusaders would play in the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Division V-AA bracket. North County Christian was one of five teams to get a first-round bye and would match up with the No. 2 seed if they both get past that first game. Maybe the Crusaders can get the Maranatha scouting report from Morro Bay.

You ask me, those are your three best boys bets. If I had to pick one to advance the furthest, I'd lean toward Mission Prep.

A slew of topics

2008-02-06T18:34:00.000-08:00

Amidst all the football signings this week, I got word from Templeton that standout softball player and former County Player of the Year pitcher Kat Hicks will be off to play for Ivy League school Dartmouth next year.

There wasn't really a convenient place in the print edition to lump it in with the footall signings, but it was a big choice for a talented athlete all the same.

On another note, someone mentioned the upcoming track season. It's coming on faster than you think, and it should be a good one. Among others, expect plenty of highlights to come from junior all-everything Mission Prep distance runner Jordan Hasay and San Luis Obispo senior sprinter Tonie Williams.

On the boys side, Paso Robles' Nathan Nelson was the best all-around sprinter in the county last season. If he's shown just a little improvement, watch out. The Bearcats also have a slew of talented distance runners. In the throws, watch for Nipomo's Korben Boaz, Templeton's Justin Cutler and, as usual, the troupe from Arroyo Grande.

As for the David Cone debate you guys are having, I'll weigh in: I've only seen him play a couple times, but each time I've come away more impressed. I watched him control the key defenively and hold his own on the boards against an Oakland team with plenty of size earlier this year.

I like Cone's knowledge of the game. For a big guy he's surprisingly deft at taking off and dribbling, and the Bearcats have success with using him to break the press. He probably needs some work finishing in traffic, but he'll play college basketball somewhere.

He's definitely in the running for Tribune County Player of the Year. As are Royer, Hattar, Demalleville and maybe a few others. Playoffs are still to come, and how teams do should carry some weight in the discussion, but what are your takes now on POY frontrunners?

Scape Crusaders? Nah, don't blame them

2008-01-30T15:30:00.000-08:00

I got an e-mail today from a reader who took exception to a comment by North County Christian basketball player Kirk Sheplay in the latest Athlete of the Week story.

Sheplay said it was one of the Crusaders' team goals to score 100 points in a game this season, and after scoring in the 80s and 90s no fewer than six previous times, they did it in a 103-18 win over Shandon last week.

To at least one reader, this perceived idea of beating a team and "rubbing their noses in it" was a knock on NCC's sportsmanship, or a lack thereof.

Blowout wins. It's a topic always ripe for discussion, and the timeliness of the Crusaders' recent dominance brings it to the forefront.

Here's my basic opinion: It's usually parents who feel the sting of an embarrassing score. The coaches don't come away grumbling about having the score run up on them. And the only thing about blowout losses that humiliates players is not playing — or, even worse, being subbed in the game with less than 1 minute left.

The score in blowouts is just some theoretical thing up on the scoreboard. A win's a win. A loss is a loss. When the difference is more than 20, it might as well be 100.

If the kids and coaches from the losing team aren't worrying about it, then neither should anyone else.

But in the case of NCC, I have to admit that even I allowed the thought of running up the score to creep into my mind while interviewing Kirk. Yet, when I thought about it a little more, I realized that it's just an unfortunate situation for both teams.

The Crusaders, a strong and experienced team, had to play the Outlaws, a young squad rebuilding with a new coach. It's on the schedule. They're in the same league. There's nothing either school can do at this point.

But does NCC have to play with ruthless aggression, go as hard as it possibly can within the rules and squash an overmatched opponent?

Yes, and here's why.

The Crusaders have a good team with high expectations, not only for this year but for next, since so many starters on the team are juniors. They want to go as far as they can in the playoffs. And to do that, they have to be prepared and experienced in playing their hardest — playing their pressing and trapping style — for an entire game.

Unfortunately for them, their league schedule is littered with games against teams that can't be competitive with them, at least not this year.

If they let up, play lazily and perform below their potential to keep scores closer and, therefore, less humiliating for the opposing teams, they only hurt their own chances against other good teams, the kind they'll see in the playoffs.

If there weren't so many gimmes for NCC in the Coast Valley League, you could make an argument for going easy on a Shandon here or there, but you can't blame the NCC coaches for feeling the need to keep their team as sharp as possible when they are winning league games by an average of 50 points.

They've only had a couple close games all year, and you have to simulate intensity somehow.

That's not to say "anything goes." No team should get away with things like calling a timeout with a few seconds left in a blowout to set up an alley-oop dunk. And You don't leave your starters in the whole game.

There are unwritten rules just like in every sport, and as long as teams abide by them, it's OK. By all reports we've received at The Tribune, it seems NCC is doing just that.

If the 100 point thing is still bothersome, read this: I was a spectator in a high school girls game when I was a teenager where the opposing team beat my school 128-25 or something like that. I only remember it because there was a big push by that team to beat my school by 100 points. And my school was trying its hardest not to let the other do it.

Just think, if you were a kid and you had 90-some points, wouldn’t you want to get over the hump and just go for the milestone? It’s human nature, and I don’t think worse of Kirk Sheplay for being honest about it.

And if the Crusaders ever find themselves on the other side of a blowout, they won't have much right to make any hoopla either.

A quick Head's up

2008-01-22T18:06:00.000-08:00

OK, gotta get some football news in here.

Hancock College standout and former San Luis Obispo High cornerback Ryan Head has signed on to play at Idaho State next year, one of Head's former coaches reported today.

Head, a former Tribune All-County first-teamer at DB who had a team-high four interceptions and 34 tackles for Hancock this past season, is committing to his second NCAA-FCS, Big-Sky-Conference school since his senior year at SLO High.

After receiving interest from Navy, San Diego, Humboldt State, UC Davis, Eastern Washington, Cal Lutheran and Menlo College during his two-time all-county career with the Tigers, Head originally signed with Sacramento State coming out of high school.

He instead ended up at Hancock, and this was all before my time so I don't really have all the juicy details. In fact, I've never seen Head play. Don't even know what he looks like.

Who knows what goes on down there in Santa Maria? Uh... barbecue. Wine? I heard the real-life Zorro was from around there, but I'm not sure.

Anyway, anybody out there wants to sound off about Head, please do. I'd love to read some anecdotes. His former coach called him the best cornerback he'd ever seen. That's gotta get someone going.

(To the Logan Budd people: Attack!)

The "why" in team

2008-01-18T18:10:00.000-08:00

Remember the big Morro Bay-Templeton boys basketball game that had us in a furor a couple weeks ago?

Well, now it's ruined.

Since the storm that knocked some leaky shingles off the Templeton gym, both teams have lost a couple league games and though their game might be a good one, it won't mean near as much as if the two were still undefeated in the Los Padres League.

And that's too bad.

No, I'm not rooting for the Pirates or the Eagles over any other team in San Luis Obispo County. Nor am I playing favorites with Royer and Hattar.

But the fact is basketball is a lot more fun for everyone when the most dynamic scorers are also on the best teams.

Or is it?

Not if you ask the Arroyo Grande girls team, which doesn't have one player averaging more than eight points per game but is dominantly running away with the PAC 7.

And here's where I have an internal conflict. My basketball instincts say I want to see the biggest individual stars on the best teams. That's what Derrick Jasper and co. had at Paso Robles a couple years ago, and were there two people in the county who weren't at that last big playoff game?

We love that stuff.

But here's a tough question: Do we love a more successful team without a major stud scorer more than a less successful one with a standout star? Why not?

Your thoughts?

Atascadero coach update

2008-01-17T16:22:00.000-08:00

Those concerned about Greyhounds girls basketball coach Paul Hill and his leave of absence may notice that Wednesday's story in The Tribune mentioned Hill was waiting for test results that would hopefully give him the green light to rejoin the team.

After talking with Hill today, it appeared the tests were positive in the sense that they didn't reveal the scariest of conclusions, but they were still somewhat inconclusive. That means Hill will be off the bench indefinitely while he continues to seek more care.

I'll keep you updated as much as I can. And good luck to Paul.

The storm strikes again

2008-01-04T20:05:00.000-08:00

It's Friday night, around 8 p.m., and while I'm posting this blog, The Tribune's offices have been silenced by a power outage.

Mission Prep's gymnasium suffered a similar fate. Games from the Royals' eight-game Division V basketball showcase that didn't start before 6 p.m. have been postponed until Saturday.

As stated in an earlier blog, the Morro Bay-Templeton boys and girls games were also stopped by the storm when Templeton's gym came up with a leak and school administrators feared the near gale-force winds were too much of a travel hazard.

Interestingly, Coast Union's gym leaked during the storm before last, and games were moved midstream to the nearby middle school. But this is the first time this year basketball games have been postponed to a later date by rain.

The San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles game was going off as planned last I checked, and since the power seems OK in the South County, I'm guessing Arroyo Grande and Nipomo were able to stick to their original schedules.

Here's the hitch: Even though there were games played, since the power is out at The Tribune, we will not be able to bring you the usual full edition. I've been informed that if you do receive an issue of Saturday's paper, it won't have a sports section.

What we will do for you is work hard on Saturday to catch up with everything that happened Friday and Saturday and bring it to you in Sunday's paper.

Keep checking back here for updates now and in the future. Luckily, my cell phone has internet.

RAINED OUT

2008-01-04T13:57:00.001-08:00

Hopefully, this gets out in time to reach some people.

Yes, word from Morro Bay is that the Morro Bay-Templeton boys basketball game has been postponed to a later date because of today's storm.

Pirates coach Dave Yamate phoned in with the update. According to him, Templeton made the decision earlier today beause of a problem with its gym. The girls game will also be postponed because of travel concerns.

This means we won't see a face off of two top Los Padres League teams. And we won't see a Michael Hattar-Dylan Royer matchup tonight. The game might be resceduled for Saturday, but nothing is certain at this point.

Stay tuned for any updates. SLO-Paso, here I come.

Rounding up the holidays

2008-01-01T22:04:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's been a while since you've seen some blog action from me. It's been a while since The Tribune has been able to give some in-person coverage to SLO County high school sports.

But that doesn't mean we haven't been paying attention. Here are a few random thoughts on what's taken place since the Mission Prep Christmas Classic got underway, since PAC 7 play started and since many of us stuffed ourselves full of holiday fixins.

• Though his Compton team didn't exactly tear up the Mission Prep Christmas Classic, USC-bound Demar DeRozan looked good to me. On the first night of the tournament, I watched the guy decked in full warmups and an mp3 player effortlessly drain 3-pointers that would have put the NBA line to shame. Anybody else have any thoughts on the bigtime players that came to town this year?

• Sticking with boys basketball, Michael Hattar dropped 50 at the Atascadero Tournament. A few of you have weighed in on his talent already, but here's my quick take on Hattar: Though "Best Player Ever" honors still reside with Derrick Jasper, Hattar really is a high school superstar.

Someone made mention of the Eagles' star and his high shooting percentage (at 53 percent last check). Yeah, he makes his share of layouts in Templeton's flex offense, but Hattar shoots 50 percent from beyond the arc, too. And it seems like his favorite shot is a step-back jumper that, for me, conjures a scene from the movie Coming to America where Eddie Murphy yells, "YES! YES! In the face!"

• Some have also began contrasting Hattar to Morro Bay standout Dylan Royer. Well, those interested won't have to wait long for it to be decided on the court. The Pirates travel to Templeton on Friday.

• Honestly, we're still deciding at The Tribune whether to cover that Morro Bay-Templeton game or head over to San Luis Obispo, where the Tigers host Paso Robles in a PAC 7 showdown that could have playoff implications by the end of the season. Though both teams may be fighting for second place behind defending champ Righetti, anything could happen at this point, and San Luis Obispo already has a win over Arroyo Grande in league play.

• Speaking of San Luis Obispo, it could be a magical year on the pitch for the Tigers. Both the boys and girls teams are having banner years. Heck, the girls are still officially undefeated at 16-0-2, though they failed to advance in a holiday tournament after being on the wrong side of a 1-1 shootout.

I'm not really much of a soccer expert, but I know this much: You can't win if you don't score, and both San Luis Obispo teams seem expert at shutting down opposing offenses. That should allow them to be in a game with just about anyone.

I'm on the books to see the SLO High girls in person for the first time this season Wednesday night. Check out Thursday's Tribune for the game report.

Bulletin board material

2007-12-11T16:34:00.000-08:00

It's become clear to me the past few months how powerful the typed word can be around here.

It seems like every other week there's a prep sports team feeling overlooked or undervalued in the public sphere.

"Such and such team was not featured in The Tribune this week! How dare that Scroggin?!"

I've come to terms with the sentiment. It's a fact of life that every team in every sport cannot be mentioned in every story.

I'm usually allowed between 525 and 630 words to tell an engaging story you want to read — even if a friend or relative of yours is not playing — and include all the pertinent facts. Considering I've already typed more than 115 words so far on this blog post, it's not very much space.

So maybe you won't read about yourself or your favorite team in the sports pages tomorrow. With a dozen schools teaming up on one sports reporter, you probably won't.

Smart coaches have used the perceived slight as motivation. And that's all right with me. I'll still keep making coverage decisions based on the same criteria.

But know that if your team isn't getting constant coverage, there's still a positive to come out of it.

Your school's coach may be giving the uber-effective us-against-the-world speech right now as you read this.

And since The Tribune's coverage already produces so much bulletin board material, here's some more: Countywide power rankings for some of the winter team sports.

Boys Basketball
1. Morro Bay
2. San Luis Obispo
3. Mission Prep
4. Paso Robles
5. Templeton
Also considered: Arroyo Grande

Girls Basketball
1. Arroyo Grande
2. Morro Bay
3. Mission Prep
4. Atascadero
5. Paso Robles

Boys Soccer
1. San Luis Obispo
2. Paso Robles
3. Arroyo Grande
4. Nipomo
5. Atascadero

Girls Soccer
1. Arroyo Grande
2. San Luis Obispo
3. Atascadero
4. Nipomo
5. Mission Prep

Wrestling
1. Atascadero
2. Morro Bay
3. Paso Robles
4. Nipomo
5. Arroyo Grande

Hey, if your team wasn't mentioned or isn't as high as you think it should be. Feel free to print this page out, highlight whatever parts and send it to the coach. Some free motivation care of this blog. Happy Holidays!

** Regarding the omission of girls water polo: I don't know enough about anything at this point except Arroyo Grande might be the best around. I guess you can think of that statement as a bonus track of motivation.

Derrick Jasper update

2007-11-30T23:12:00.001-08:00

Nope, I haven't spoken with the former Paso Robles High basketball phenom in a while, but a reporter at the Lexington Herald-Leader recently did a story on a recent surgery that's kept him off the court for Kentucky.

You can read it here.

Preseason reports had Jasper working on his outside shot and primed for a breakout season this year. It seemed as though coming back from microfracture surgery in the offseason was more like an afterthought.

But Jasper hasn't played in any of the Wildcats' first five games and appears to have a way to go before returning to the court.

Jasper, perhaps the highest touted basketball player ever to come out of San Luis Obispo County, has had a rough start to his college career. What are your takes on the local hero?

(And don't say you think Jasper is good, but not as good as the All-Los Padres League football team. We're planning on running the all-league teams for every league and sport along with the All-County girls volleyball stuff later next week.)

Hoop it here?

2007-11-28T23:07:00.000-08:00

One of the recent posters on the previous blog, which is up over 125 comments now, is talking about looking ahead to next football season. But "anonymous 8:42" (Hey! I thought you guys and girls were going to stick with names?!) is not alone.

You all seem interested in next season already. But here's my question: Is anyone sticking around to talk basketball?

The Tribune's high school basketball preview stories were published in Thursday's paper, and I'm spending all day Thursday at Morro Bay's Harding Invitational Tournament.

I know the previews did not go very in-depth into all of the local teams, but that's more of a staffing challenge than lazy reporting by yours truly. Feel free to send me an e-mail if you have any specific questions or concerns on that front.

I'm also planning a more thorough league preview once the teams get ready to enter their respective conference play and I have seen all of them in person. It'll be similar to the midseason review we ran last year.

Anywho, I'm gauging the basketball interest. Capt. of Templeton Injured, it seems like you've got much to cheer about with Michael Hattar. And Logan Budd disciples in Morro Bay can shift their hopes over to Dylan Royer. PAC 7 teams look like they'll have a tough time with Righetti, but there's plenty of intrigue there, too.

Will Paso Robles make a comeback under Scott Larson? Can Arroyo Grande carry over last season's playoff success with composed-beyond-his-years sophomore center Tanner Hinek? What direction does San Luis Obispo go in the post-Conner Reese era? And how will Atascadero and Nipomo rebound after losing a couple of great scorers?

Mission Prep still has plenty left in the cupboard in its second year without Tom Mott. The Christmas Classic looks to be top notch. And I have a feeling there might be plenty of parity in girls basketball.

So what do you say? Can we talk some hoop?

Picking the All-County team

2007-11-21T19:55:00.001-08:00

I can't say for sure what it was this year, but picking my second Tribune All-County Football Team was tough — much harder than last year.

Before I go into which spots seemed the most difficult, let me break down how these things get worked out.

First, I'll look make a gut-feeling team based on who played the best in games that I covered or otherwise saw in person. I tried to see every team at least once.

Second, I'll check out statistical leaders in rushing, passing and receiving yards, quarterback rating, tackles, sacks and interceptions. Then I'll make a strictly statistical team.

Third, I put out calls to every county coach (I wish I had the time to reach out to Santa Maria teams like Righetti and St. Joseph, but that's a luxury I couldn't afford). I listen to each coach's nominations of his own players — and especially to their evaluations of opponents — to form an all-coach team.

Then I'll meld the "stats team" with the "coach team" and use the "gut team" as a kind of tiebreaker if I'm having trouble.

Hope that makes sense.

Well, it was especially difficult to rank the three quarterbacks after Morro Bay's Logan Budd. All three candidates — Mason Sperakos of Nipomo, Davey Schultz of San Luis Obispo and Dylan Morrow of Mission Prep — were penciled in as a first-teamer on at least one rough draft.

Deciding which would end up as the second team guy and the other as an honorable mention was one of the tougher decisions I had to make this year.

In the end, I went with Sperakos No. 1 for having a good yardage total, a good efficiency rating and for leading Nipomo to its first playoff berth in program history. Morrow was second because of a stellar touchdown total and value to his team, which was eliminated from the playoffs when he went out with injury. Schultz, though a front-runner for first-team recognition, made honorable mention. He had a great yardage total, but his efficiency and interception total hurt.

I also shuffled around the first- and second-team receivers and running backs a bit. I even added an official fullback slot to help ease the decisions. But linebacker was particularly troubling this year, too.

With his statistics and athleticism, SLO's Zack Thorne was a lock. After that, it was tough to slot the rest of the candidates in the best order.

In any event, a lot of time and energy went into researching and selecting this year's team. I don't expect everybody to be happy.

But here's the best part: If you aren't happy, you can be heard on this blog. Let me know who I missed or what you would have done differently.

On a side note, I really appreciate everybody's comments. This blog was given an intra-company award this month mostly because of the high volume of Web traffic and the interaction from readers.

You readers, posters and poll-voters have made this The Tribune's most watched blog, and I'd love to see the interest continue into basketball season.

Half empty or half full? You decide

2007-11-16T23:31:00.000-08:00

Friday definitely was a feel-good day for San Luis Obispo County football fans.

All three of the county's high school football teams that hosted first round playoff matches Friday night won.

In some pretty impactful victories for their programs Atascadero, Morro Bay and Paso Robles all move on to the second round.

Atascadero and Paso Robles won playoff games for the first time in more than a few years, and the Greyhounds became the first PAC 5 or PAC 7 first-place seed to win in the first round. For Morro Bay, the win continued an undefeated season that gets more special each week.

On the flip side, the three road playoff teams had their seasons end with losses. San Luis Obispo, Nipomo and North County Christian are playing basketball.

Nipomo had a chance to join the group by winning its first playoff game in program history but lost by a field goal in overtime. North County Christian was playing for a chance to host an 8-man Division II semifinal but fell by 12.

Both teams had a chance to continue some feel good stories but fell short.

San Luis Obispo was up against a powerhouse, and few can blame them for a 27-7 loss to No. 1 Northern Division seed St. Bonaventure.

But what a special weekend it would have been if any five of the six teams had won. Nipomo almost pulled it off. North County Christian was close.

Sure, it was a great Friday for Atascadero, Morro Bay and Paso Robles. But is anyone else lamenting the missed opportunities of the other teams?

Don't call me a jinx, but...

2007-11-15T21:20:00.001-08:00

Yes, the story in today's Tribune is true.

The PAC 5/7 football champion in each of the past five years has been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

I didn't really have the space to go year-by-year through the history in the paper, so I bring it to you here in reverse chronological order.

2006 — Atascadero, which finished 9-1 and won it’s first title since 1997, got upset 34-27 at home by a tough Saugus team that fell to division title runner-up Moorpark 56-27 in the second round.

Second-place San Luis Obispo, which lost 42-13 to Atascadero that year, drew Dos Pueblos, a team the Tigers beat 34-14 in week 1, in the first round. SLO won 21-20 and lost 21-10 to Westlake in the second round.

2005 — Paso Robles won the PAC 5 at 6-5 (4-0 PAC 7) but lost to Newbury Park 39-36 in the first round and would have had to face eventual division IV champ St. Bonaventure in the second.

Second-place Arroyo Grande beat Santa Monica 27-10 in the first round and fell to runner up Moorpark 26-0 in the second.

2004 — PAC 5 champion Arroyo Grande was upended in the first round by Thousand Oaks 38-31 while second-place San Luis Obispo made a run to the semifinals by beating Camarillo 28-21 and Royal 45-21 before falling to eventual champion St. Bonaventure 42-14.

2003 — In a similar finish to 2004, PAC 5 champ Arroyo Grande lost in the first round 20-7 to Moorpark, and runner-up San Luis Obispo beat North Torrance 44-0 in the first before losing in the second round.

2002 — There was a three-way tie for first between San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles and Righetti. San Luis Obispo got the best seed and was beat 7-3 bv San Marcos in the first round. Paso Robles was second and beat Santa Monica 42-8 before losing 36-29 to eventual champion Westlake in the second round.

Which idiom will hold true? "Never bet against the streak" or "Records are made to be broken"?

I vote for this one (in case any fans feel like I'm bringing on the bad luck): "Don't shoot the messenger."

County Player of the Year

2007-11-12T16:51:00.000-08:00

In response to a couple of the commenters, it's never too early to start thinking about player of the year candidates.

I put up a new poll so readers can vote on their pick.

So cast your votes there. If there's anyone I left out, let me know on the comments. And also, please give your votes for All-County first- and second-teamers.

I know playoffs are just starting for the big two leagues, but The Tribune's policy the past few years has been to get the All-County stuff out on Thanksgiving, which is fast approaching. Don't wait until it's too late to get your input heard.

And that game was good

2007-11-10T00:05:00.000-08:00

This blog was just as much a part of the hype machine for the Atascadero-Paso Robles game as any other news medium. And the buildup was reaching biblical proportions.

But can anyone who was there — no matter which side of War Memorial Stadium you sat on — tell me that the 24-21 Greyhounds win did not live up to every expectation?

It's instantly one of the top three high school football games I've ever seen.

The win was a magical moment for Atascadero. The celebration was intense. The print reporters and the television guys were scrambling for interviews on tiptoes trying to recognize faces in a sea of confusion.

Imagine my face when Greyhounds quarterback Steven Manier walks straight out of a television interview and says this to me:

"You went with the Bearcats," Manier said — only half joking and half expecting me to go jump in a lake. "I saw that."

(Who says kids don't read these days?)

Yeah, I thought Paso Robles would win. The Bearcats had a good shot, too. You have to admire some of Paso Robles coach Rich Schimke's guts. He coaches high school football like the rest of us play Madden.

But there's also something special going on in A-town. Vic Cooper has built team strength, unity and morale. The kids seem humble, motivated and hard-working.

Picking against the Greyhounds never diminished that. And anyone who was there to see the win witnessed the momentum the Atascadero program has.

The next step for the Greyhounds, or any of the other playoff-bound teams for that matter, is to translate their success into the postseason.

It's been a while, SLO County.

Proggin' with Scroggin

2007-11-07T12:33:00.000-08:00

You know, Proggin'. As in prognosticating.

Yeah, I know I added an extra "g" — but it's funny though, right?

OK, maybe not. It worked with bloggin'. Hey, Scrog was born to blog.

I'm also 13-5 in two weeks of picking high school football winners. Perhaps proggin' might also be my game.

To hear my picks against the spread FREE on a recorded message call (805) 781-... Kidding. And for the record, I admonish gambling of any sort.

To the anonymous poster that asked about the CIF-Southern Section's size. I put in an e-mail to the state office and hope to have some feedback soon.

To atown!! and bearcat101: On with the picks and a little of my opinion on the Paso Robles-Atascadero game.

I'm going with Paso Robles — I picked the Bearcats at the beginning of the season because it looked like they had more experienced skill players back from the year before. Though Atascadero looks to have more than capably filled a lot of the holes made by graduating seniors, little has happened this season to prove one team is especially better than the other.

Both teams have had a few ugly moments. Both have looked utterly dominant as well.

Honestly, the game might be too close to call, but since I have to pick one, I'll go with my initial selection, Paso Robles.

That doesn't mean the Greyhounds are worthless. I could easily see Atascadero winning the game. Here's how I see either team running away with it.

For Atascadero to win: The Greyhounds will have to be able to run the ball FOR SCORES against the Bearcats defense. Long drives and time off the clock means less without getting the ball in the end zone. See: Atascadero's game against San Luis Obispo. On defense, the Greyhounds will have to rattle cucumber cool sophomore QB Thomas Bernal somehow. He passed at will against Arroyo Grande and ran at will against the Tigers. Atascadero might have the defense to limit him from doing both. As long as they keep Bernal, Nathan Nelson and Co. from rattling off quick scores, the Greyhounds have a good shot at winning.

For Paso Robles to win: The Bearcats will have to score early and often. If they can get a mutli-score lead, they can get the Greyhounds into passing situations — where they've looked the least comfortable this season. On defense, Paso Robles has to bend but not break. They can give up rushing yards, but they can't let Nick Tenhaeff break free for 30-plus-yard touchdown runs. The Bearcats also have to be able to pass and run. Atascadero might be the best defensive team Paso Robles has played all season. The Bearcats won't be able to be one-dimensional.

Of course, none of that stuff could happen. Or we could get a mixed bag and someone wins off a last-second hail Mary or — don't cringe to remember this Greyhounds fans — a non-called knee touching down at the end zone on a kickoff that gets returned for a touchdown.

I'm rooting for neither team, but a close game would be a lot more fun to cover.

As for the rest of the games: I'm going with San Luis Obispo over Arroyo Grande, Morro Bay over Santa Ynez, Templeton over Santa Maria and St. Joseph over Nipomo. And I'll go out on a limb and predict both Coast Union and North County Christian will win first round playoff matches on the road.

Paso poll power

2007-11-06T16:46:00.000-08:00

Tribune file photo by Joe Johnston

The who's-going-farthest-in-the-playoffs poll closed yesterday, and you can see the results.

With 42 percent of the votes, Paso Robles is your most likely team to make a deep postseason run. The Bearcats were neck and neck with Atascadero for the first week of the poll, but voting for the Greyhounds seemed to cool off with the loss to Righetti.

"Other" also got a huge show of support. Most specified others votes went to San Luis Obispo, who can lock up the PAC 7's final Northern Division playoff spot with a win over Arroyo Grande — the team to get the second most "other" votes — this week.

A Tigers loss puts A.G. in, and Eagles boosters have already conjured memories of when they won a Division III section title as the No. 16 seed in 1997.

Since having clinched its first playoff berth in program history, Nipomo got a couple of "other" votes as did Mission Prep and Templeton — two teams that have already been eliminated from the postseason.

But the big understatement was Morro Bay's lack of support. The Pirates are still ranked No. 1 in the section, and the numbers say they'll make a deep run.

I guess Morro Bay fans were too busy flooding our phone lines last week (when we accidentally called them "Eagles" in a headline. oops.) to go online and vote.

But enough about the playoffs, let's turn our attention to rivalry week!

Picks of the week

2007-10-31T23:39:00.000-07:00

I haven't written anything with a Halloween theme this week, and since there's still a couple minutes left in October, I'll come clean with an evil-ish sort of stat.

My winning percentage for picking high school games last week was an even .666.

Definitely scary. You'd think since I've seen all the teams, I could pick them better than that.

I will this week. Here's the story I'm sticking to:

Paso Robles will walk away with a win over San Luis Obispo — This could be a trap game for the Bearcats and sophomore quarterback Thomas Bernal. The Tigers have a great pass defense and make a living off forcing turnovers. But Paso Robles will have enough speed in the run game to win.

The Greyhounds get right at home against Lompoc — Coming off a disappointing loss, Atascadero will be out to prove its mettle. The Greyhounds will have to prove they can pass someday, but Friday will not be it.

Righetti keeps it rolling at home against Arroyo Grande — There is a potential for the Eagles to take advantage of a letdown after the Warriors' big win over Atascadero, but Arroyo Grande just doesn't seem to have it this year.

Morro Bay will take the LPL title — The Pirates will win the Los Padres League tilt with St. Joseph, which tarnished the showdown with a loss last week. Can anybody block Jerome Long?

Nipomo has the talent to beat Santa Ynez — And when they do, they'll be all alone in third place in the LPL, on track for their first playoff berth in program history.

Templeton ends their span of tough losses against Cabrillo — The Eagles have lost three of four, but tradition says they should have enough pride to end the skid and get back on track.

Coast Union will clinch a winning season by beating Mendota — I have a feeling this might be a defensive affair, and though the Broncos haven't won one of those this season, they do it Friday.

Mission Prep will open their home field in style — Laton is a quality opponent, and QB Dylan Morrow is out for the Royals, but they hung tough without him last week and will do enough to get the win.

North County Christian's fantastic season takes a hit — Who's heart wouldn't root for the Crusaders? But my gut says Cuyama Valley might be too tough.

This is Shandon's last chance to get a win this season — If the Outlaws play as they did against Valley Christian two weeks go, they might get it. If not, things could get ugly.

DON'T FORGET!! If you're going to post, please pick a user name. And as always, keep it clean.

This could be a banner blog

2007-10-31T23:19:00.000-07:00

Let's play the name game.

Tribune photographer David Middlecamp, an admitted soccer enthusiast, had a great idea for me Wednesday.

He wants me to take all you blog posters to task for neglecting to type in user names when you post a comment.

"Right now it looks like Anonymous said...is the world's most schizophrenic sports fan," Middlecamp said.

Now, I'm not gonna go all dictator on here and delete anybody's post who doesn't include a user name. But please, I implore you, pick one.

It's easy. You don't have to sign up. When you choose an identity, just pick "other" and type a name in. Just remember yours and use it each time.

It doesn't even have to be your real name. That's what's great about the Internet. You can still be anonymous. Well, I sort of gave that up by taking this gig.

But you can be.

So when I log on to see who's chattering about next week's matchups, I want to see posts from people like Houndsfan07 or prCATS1 or Budd4PREZ.

Really, it'll help me be able to keep track of who's who, and I can better respond back to you guys and girls. That's what we all want out of this: Interaction.

And here's a piece straight from the request file

According to a source close to the PAC 7 — I've always wanted to use a phrase like that — the playoff priority in football should there be a tie for any playoff spots is as follows...

San Luis Obispo
Righetti
Atascadero
Arroyo Grande
Lompoc
Paso Robles

Don't hate on Hasay

2007-10-27T15:06:00.000-07:00

Someone made light of the news impact Jordan Hasay has in our community in a post on a previous message.

Yeah, it may seem like she gets a lot of coverage. But to be fair to her feats, she really is a once in a generation athlete and might just be one of the most famous people — not athletes, people — in SLO County.

Put her up there with Zac Efron and Chuck Liddell, and by the end of her career, she might eclipse them all.

There is not a week that goes by where someone doesn't call the office asking about how they can see her. By comparison, she is the only local athlete who gets such calls. She's the only SLO County prep athlete I know with a Wikipedia page.

Speculation is by no means limited to whether or not she'll go to Cal Poly. Some people project her to go pro right out of high school. She's also accomplished enough in the classroom to get an academic scholarship to just about anywhere she chooses.

We'll find enough to write about when she eventually leaves the area, but for now, I recommend appreciating her while she's around.

Luster lost

2007-10-26T23:13:00.000-07:00

With Atascadero's loss to Righetti on Friday, the Greyhounds' season finale with Paso Robles just won't be the same.

Even if both teams win next week, some of the shine is off of a rivalry that looked to pit two teams with unblemished league records head to head for the title.

It still should be an important matchup, but the race has become a little more complicated.

Well, it's still simple for the Bearcats: Win out, and you're the champion.

But a loss next week puts San Luis Obispo back in the hunt and gives Atascadero an opportunity to be back in the driver's seat.

A Tigers win would mean Paso Robles could do no better than a tie for the league championship and would lose the tiebreaker to San Luis Obispo unless the Tigers lost to Arroyo Grande in the finale.

It would also mean Atascadero could win the league title and hold the tiebreaker over San Luis Obispo or Paso with wins over Lompoc and the Bearcats.

The Tigers would need to beat Paso Robles then have the Bearcats beat the Greyhounds to win the top spot in the league.

And Righetti, the team that spoiled the party, needs Lompoc to beat Atascadero, San Luis Obispo to beat Paso Robles and Arroyo Grande to beat San Luis Obispo.

Every single one of those outcomes has to happen, and the Warriors need to beat Arroyo Grande to force a gnarly four-way tie for the title that might need the jaws of life to determine which three will get the league's CIF-Southern Section Northern Division playoff spots.

Before I scramble your brain with any more hypotheticals, my only point is had both A-town and Paso gone into rivalry week unbeaten in league, the outcome of that game might have been The Tribune's No. 1 Sports Story of the Year.

Now, it's pretty much guaranteed to be Jordan Hasay.

Oh, and here's my record on picks. North County and Shandon have yet to face off, and I stand 5-3 this week.

The sentimental pick of Templeton over Pioneer Valley backfired, and Mission Prep lost on the road at Orange Cove. I thought Atascadero could be in for some trouble but honestly didn't see the Greyhounds losing.

How do you guys and girls see it?

Picking my way into your heart (or onto your hit list)

2007-10-25T14:18:00.000-07:00

Alright, I was working on these Wednesday before I ran out of time. But before I go through with this, let me say for the record, it's just for fun. I'm not rooting for any team to win or any team to lose.

Little known point of fact: I don't care who wins or loses any game I cover in any sport.

The reality for me is I have to write the same number of words no matter who wins. I still have to interview somebody after the game, and I still have to type up the box score.

Now, off the objective journalist soapbox, here are my picks for the week:

Friday:
Paso Robles will continue it's roll at Arroyo Grande — The Bearcats are proving they can plug in any of a number of heroes into the spotlight and come away with big scores. Their O-line will be too much for the Eagles.

Atascadero will defend its home turf against Righetti — Sorry, no clever wordplay like Righetti and meatballs from me. But this one isn't as slam dunk as it may seem. The Warriors are the best passing team in the league. If they can move the ball on the Greyhounds D (big if) and get lead like they did against Paso Robles, Atascadero could be in for a tough one. The Greyhounds haven't proven their ability to come back from a deficit and haven't put up big passing numbes all year. Still, with that defense, that rushing offense and being at home, I'll go with A-town.

San Luis Obispo will come back from Lompoc with another win — The Tigers have the defense to play anyone close. They did it against Atascadero last week. The Braves' defense won't pose as much as a challenge, but San Luis Obispo, which hasn't won by more than 12 points all year could open themselves up for an upset bid if they don't get the offense going.

Morro Bay makes it 8-0 at home against Cabrillo — I don't see anyone stopping Logan Budd and the Pirates. The only thing that might trip up the Pirates is if they look ahead to a showdown with St. Joseph. If they remain focused on the task at hand, they should cruise against the Conquistadores.

Nipomo will get back on the winning track at Santa Maria — Every Los Padres League team has been squashing the Saints. No reason why Nipomo, which should get another 100-yard game from RB Billy Chambers, and a defense led by lineman Korben Boaz won't keep Santa Maria's losing streak going.

After a couple close losses already, Templeton breaks the trend by beating Pioneer Valley at home — Eagles DL Lee Ormonde could be huge against the power running attack of the Panthers. Templeton has been able to keep games close. They get over the hump in another nail-biter.

Mission Prep will cement their first playoff berth since moving back to 8-man with a win over Orange Cove — This is a huge game in the Royals' league. Mission Prep handled Orange Cove the first time around when the teams played at Morro Bay. It could easily go the other way if the Royals don't tighten it up against the run.

Coast Union will stomp Fresno Christian at home — This is the team T.J. Nelson set a Central Section rushing record against last year in Fresno. He might not have 450-plus yards again, but the Broncos will get a win on their home field.

Saturday (8-man)
North County Christian will beat Shandon on the road — NCC will remain undefeated at 8-0 and set up a huge showdown in the season finale against Cuyama Valley, the defending league champion. Again, as long as the Crusaders aren't looking past a lesser opponent, they should get a big win.

Alright, have at it. Vote in the new poll over there on the right, and check out Friday's Tribune for records, players to watch, the media top 10 and a preview of the game of the week.

Ask... receive. You know how it goes.

2007-10-19T17:48:00.000-07:00

Someone asked where's the football?

Here's a little tidbit before you get out to those varsity games tonight: After this evening, I'll have seen every football team in the county play (with the exception of Coast Union and the 8-man teams. Apologies to T.J. Nelson)

I've decided from now until the end of the season, I'm going to playfully pick the winners of each of the remaining games we preview right here on the blog.

It should be fun. It'll give me a chance to talk some more football. It'll give you the chance to call me a moron. And it'll give you all the chance to weigh in on the matchups on the record for yourselves!

Yeah, I've noticed the trash talk has picked up a little here, but as long as we all keep it clean, it's all in good fun.

I'm just not sure what day I'll be posting the picks. Stay tuned.

Exclusive video

2007-10-13T00:29:00.000-07:00

Here's the finish of a great boys cross country race detailed in Friday's Tribune.

Arroyo Grande's Taylor Castañon edges out Paso Robles' Travis Hallanan in the PAC 7 midseason meet at Fairbanks Cross Country Course.

Plus, it never hurts to get a little plug.

Taylor Castañon

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Friday's final thoughts

2007-10-13T00:04:00.000-07:00

As I type this, it's already Saturday. But I wanted to update a thing or two from Friday night's live blog.

The player who was injured and taken from the field was Arroyo Grande's J.D. Gonzalez. Gonzalez took a big hit from wedge-buster Michael Lombardi on a kickoff return and appeared unconscious on the field.

Greyhounds athletic director Sam DeRose said Gonzalez's hospital tests were normal, he was alert and should be OK. Good things to hear.

And after one full week of PAC 7 play, it looks like Atascadero, Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo took steps to become the top three teams to beat. The Greyhounds play the Tigers next week. Paso will get its shots after that.

Another thing that jumped out: Templeton held its oppoenent scoreless in the second half for the second straight week. Those Eagles coaches sure know how to make adjustments.

Oh, and if you were wondering if The Tribune expert who picked Atascadero to win by 25+ relished his prediction, you bet a liter of cola he did.

Live blog!

2007-10-12T19:03:00.000-07:00

I'm up in Atascadero for the Eagles-Greyhounds game, and I'm doing something new. I'm going to periodically update my thoughts on the game as it plays out.

Follow along or read it all later. Either way, it should be fun.

7:10 p.m. -- I'm all plugged in and thinking about some pregame comments back at the office. One of The Tribune's handicapping experts predicts Atascadero to win by 28+ points. Another says "A.G. might have something for them." I think, with two grind it out running offenses, there might be fewer scoring drives and, in turn, fewer points scored. The Greyhounds should win, but the Eagles should make it close.

7:20 p.m. -- It rained all over the county today, and Atascadero is no exception. The field looks muddy and slick -- especially in the middle of the field. We might be in for a low-scoring run fest afterall. Probably because of the rain, the Atascadero crowd looks a little lighter than usual, but the stands are still at least half filled on the home side. Arroyo Grande's crowd looks a little small, too. C'mon, people, it's football weather!

7:45 p.m.--Arroyo Grande turns the ball over on its first drive with an interception on third and 25 deep in their own territory. Holding by Atastcadero on the return saves a touchdown.

7:50 p.m.-- Atascadero goes for it on fourth and 14 at the Eagles' 15. QB Steven Manier scrambles 14 yards, but comes up just short and Arroyo Grande takes over on their own 1.

7:52 p.m.-- The Eagles fumble it right back and Atascadero punches is in no problem. 7-0 Greyhounds. The game looks sloppy. There have already been four penalties and two fumbles.

8 p.m. Greyhounds up 14-0. Arroyo Grande's in trouble if they can't start moving the ball. Atascadero is scoring quickly.

8:05 p.m. -- There is an Arroyo Grande player down after a big hit on the kickoff return. Because of the angle, nobody in the press box can see the number, but the player appeared to be laying motionless after the play. Training staff reacted quickly to the scary situation, and there was an ambulance on scene within a three minutes.

8:12 p.m. -- The rain is really coming down now. If either team passes the ball in this they're crazy. I know I called some fans out for not coming earlier, but I'm glad I'm in the press box instead of getting drenched.

8:16 p.m. -- The player is taken off the field in the ambulance, presumably to a local hospital. Expect updates when they come. It seems like an injury like this happens at least once a year. Arroyo Grande had a player taken to the hospital last season after what looked like a neck injury. It's hard to tell from up here what kind of injury it was, but best case scenario is probably a concussion. I'll hope against anything worse.

8:25 p.m. -- With 114 yards and two TDs early in the second Atascadero RB Nick Tenhaeff is unstoppable. He's big, strong and fast. Arroyo Grande's having a lot of trouble bringin him down. But the Eagles got a big kickoff return.

8:48 p.m. -- Atascadero leads 27-0. Looks like my prediction for a close game was way off. Arroyo Grande has fumbled four times and lost one. The Greyhounds' pass rush and the wet conditions pretty much means any hopes of quick passing scores in the second half are out. And the Eagles' trademark sweeps are getting stuffed in the poor traction.

9:30 p.m. -- Atascadero leads 34-0. Arroyo Grande has slowed down the Greyhounds' scoring frequency, but this one is over with more than 2:30 left in the third.

9:45 p.m. -- Same score with 3:55 left. I'm shutting down, but I'll be back in office later tonight with a couple more thoughts. Thanks for reading.

Game of the year

2007-10-06T00:47:00.000-07:00

That's how I'm referring to Morro Bay's 27-23 win over Templeton on Friday night.

It's the best game I've seen this season.

I remember posting a blog last year asking which rivalry was the best on the Central Coast. And the SLO-A.G. people weighed in. Atascadero-Paso Robles has gotten a lot of juice lately.

But what I saw this week at Templeton was moving.

Not only was the game an exciting, dramatic, back-and-forth fight to the finish, but the atmosphere was unbelievable as well.

The music was blaring. The stadium was packed. There was nowhere to park. And this was AN HOUR BEFORE kickoff.

Normally, anyone can saunter up to a venue with half an hour to 15 minutes to spare and comfortably file in and find a seat.

Not for this game. It was standing room only before 7 p.m. And it didn't stop there.

Templeton handed out rally towels to most fans in the home stands. There was "The Templeton Bounce" and the Eagles dance team krumping at halftime.

And when it mattered most in the fourth quarter, Pirates fans boomed a chant of "Mor-O-Bay! Mor-O-Bay! Mor-O-Bay!" across the stadium. It took maybe two seconds for the Eagles fans to counter with "Tem-Pul-Ton! Tem-Pul-Ton! Tem-Pul-Ton!"

"I can sum it up in one word right now," Morro Bay coach John Andree said. "Rivalry. And I think no matter what the records are going to be down the road, it's gonna be like this every year."

And thanks to an idea by Templeton coach Don Crow, the teams will be playing for that trophy up at the top of the blog entry. It made its debut at Friday's game with last year's score already etched on.

And though some might be quick to dismiss the gimmick, it will a great way to add fuel to a rivalry that's already among the best around in only its second season.

Last but not least, here's a video of the trophy delivery. (Some TV guy got in my way at one point, but I got the last laugh — my video has cool music at the end. Neener.)

Clash on the Coast

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Poll No. 2 is in the books

2007-10-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

OK, the Paso-Atascadero poll is officially closed. The tough part is, can we say there's even an official result?

The way the voting see-sawed back and forth, it's likely the majority could have changed 10 more times if I'd kept the poll active all the way until game's true date. (Nov. 9).

Here's how it went if you hadn't been paying attention: When I first posed the question of who would win if the Bearcats and Greyhounds football teams played tomorrow, Atascadero got a resounding amount of support.

There were multiple answers, and Greyhounds supporters had given their team the edge in a close victory, a blowout, overtime, you name it. Most picked blowout.

Word from San Luis Obispo (home to our office) finally leaked the few extra miles up to Paso Robles, and Bearcats fans retaliated with the vote button. An outpouring of support the other way put Paso Robles to win in a blowout as the No. 1 outcome.

I come into the office Friday expecting to see Paso Robles maintaining the advantage, but lo and behold, Atascadero was back on top — bigtime.

Here's the final tally: Greyhounds win going away (179 votes, 51 percent) was the top option. Bearcats win in a blowout (118 votes, 34 percent) was second.

As if couldn't guess what would happen, a few smart alecks had some fun with the "other" option, my favorite being the typed-in answer "who cares?"

But it's obvious people care. I posted a blog about SLO High and Templeton last Friday, and before I knew it, the comments had turned into a full on A-town-Paso debate.

I'd advise the players of both teams not to care too much, yet. They each have a long way to go before that game matters.

Most of the "other" comments were people from San Luis Obispo and Righetti. And either the Tigers or the Warriors — or Arroyo Grande and Lompoc for that matter — could make all of this hoopla moot.

Even so, what say we get another poll going just for fun? Any ideas?

Still the ones

2007-10-02T22:50:00.000-07:00

Tuesday's tennis match between San Luis Obispo and Arroyo Grande looked to be a showdown on paper.

Both teams were undefeated in league, and the Eagles had one of the best doubles teams around coming into the match.

But like they have seemingly year after year after year, the Tigers beat back yet another challenger and remain the team to beat in the PAC 7 with a 14-4 win.

And it all started with San Luis Obispo's No. 3 singles player, senior Josie Farrior.

In the first rotation, Farrior scored a steady 6-0 win over Geri Richards, who normally plays No. 1 singles for Arroyo Grande.

Farrior then went on to beat Eagles No. 2 player Lexis Derringer 6-2, and her coup de grace was a 7-6 (7-1) comeback victory over Katie Hollister.

And she does it all in the most rad oversized sunglasses I've ever seen. And because of that, she got to star in the latest "Bloggin' with Scroggin" video spot.

Josie Farrior

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Who needs an energy drink?

2007-09-29T00:40:00.000-07:00

I certainly do not — but not just because of that Yahoo! report that ran a few months ago about how they damage your heart and stuff.

Though I might have wandered back into the office sometime around 11:30 p.m. Friday a little drowsy after reporting on a game that started a half hour late, two scores woke me right up.

The first was San Luis Obispo's 26-14 win over Santa Barbara.

No, the Dons aren't some powerhouse team. They were 1-9 last season, which included a 34-14 spanking by the Tigers. Santa Barbara was, however, 3-0 this year — with a decent win over Righetti.

But my concern with the game wasn't the strength of the Dons but of San Luis Obispo. It's so hard to get a good read on the Tigers.

Their offense hasn't exactly clicked in the post Reese-to-Martin era. And though the defense is fast and talented, there aren't a whole lot of wide bodies donning black and gold.

But 26 points? That's a touchdown and a field goal more than San Luis Obispo has scored in any of its first three games. And it's more impressive against an unbeaten team.

So wake up and give the Tigers some credit. I sure will.

Another team I'm willing to give some props to is Templeton. The Eagles' 36-0 shutout of Los Padres League foe Santa Ynez is the second score that slapped me in the face — not because I didn't expect it but because it should quiet some of the Templeton critics, at least for a while.

Each year, it seems the voters in the Top 10 media poll (and others I'm sure) have been slow to give Templeton much respect. The Eagles haven't played the toughest nonleague schedule and the thinking is that they have to prove it in league before they get any respect.

But I'll give the benefit of the doubt to Don Crow's crew because we make it a little too hard for Templeton.

Just because its a school of somewhere around 800 kids, the notion is they can't be good at anything — especially in a league with Santa Maria schools whose enrollments can number more than twice that.

But the Eagles seem to be making a living of defiying predictions and overachieving.

How about giving Templeton some due until the Eagles show it's undeserved? Good until proven bad. Seems to me they've earned it.

Update on a former Tiger

2007-09-27T21:48:00.000-07:00

I stood up from my seat and took a step down the stands in San Luis Obispo High's gym to better hear the praise from Arroyo Grande moms who couldn't get enough of this blog.

Oh, how they loved looking at the videos of the kids saying how they read the blog.

This is how I heard it: "Blog, blog, blog ... adualtion ... praise ... you're so cool."

CRUNCH!!! A pair of shiny new crutches.

I looked down out of my euphoria to see I inadvertently stepped on them.

"Hey, watch it, Scroggs!"

It was Ben Hansen, a former three sport standout for the Tigers who graduated last spring. And he had a huge knee brace and a fresh-looking scar on his right knee.

Apparently, Hansen was all set to play football at Hancock College this fall but had surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and is sitting this semester out.

He said he hurt the knee last spring in a rec league soccer game. Now he's out for the next eight months and hoping to return to the team next season.

I'll wish him good luck regaining the speed and accelleration that made him such a threat for the Tigers in 2006. Thank goodness all I stepped on were his crutches.

Bring on league play

2007-09-21T23:50:00.000-07:00

I gleaned one big thing from Mission Prep's 28-20 win at Morro Bay over visiting Orange Cove.

Well... two things.

First, Orange Cove has no orange on its uniform or helmets. No orange. Orange Cove? What were they thinking.

Second, I can't wait for league play to start in the other big conferences around here.

I'm tired of seeing Paso Robles and Atascadero drop 40-point scores on non-league foes. I want to see a showdown between the Bearcats and the Greyhounds (who DO have orange in their uniforms... and gray. Or is it grey?)

I want to see if Arroyo Grande can turn it around in PAC 7 play when it really counts. I can't wait to see the Eagles take on San Luis Obispo, which seems to play everyone close.

Is Righetti for real? What about Templeton? Don't forget Morro Bay.

See, Mission Prep is almost halfway done with Central Sierra League play. It was fun watching two teams undefeated in league square off to get a leg up in the title race.

The Royals basked in the victory with shouts and cheers of "we're No. 1." Orange Cove coaches called for a round of post-game jumping jacks.

It makes me realize how ready I am for Los Padres League play to get into full swing — for the PAC 7 to start working itself out — for the stakes to raise.

Bring it on.

To Vic go the spoils

2007-09-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

The results of this blog's first-ever poll are in, and Atascadero's Vic Cooper has won in a landslide plurality.

I put the question to you: Who's the best high school football coach in San Luis Obispo County? And out of the 134 votes tallied, Cooper (pictured right in a Tribune file photo by Joe johnston) came away with 44 — or 32 percent.

"I hope my better years are in front of me and not behind me," quipped Cooper, the only coach to tally more than 30 votes.

Technically, Cooper could have gone to 44 different computers and voted for himself every time, but that's probably not what happened seeing as how Cooper said he was skeptical of the poll and any deeper meaning revealed.

"There’s a lot of good coaches on the Central Coast," he said before giving compliments to San Luis Obispo's Craig Winninghoff (second with 29 percent) and Paso Robles' Rich Schimke (tied for fifth with 11 percent). "That’s a fairly nice honor ... Hopefully, that’s a good sign of having a good staff from top to bottom."

Morro Bay's John Andree took third with 27 votes (20 percent). Arroyo Grande's Tom Goossen (11 percent) was fourth, and the other coach tied for fifth was Mission Prep's Joe Silveira, a former longtime Coast Union coach.

If there was an option for a coach having the most success with the lowest enrollment, Templeton's Don Crow would have gotten more than the 11 votes, or 8 percent, that he got for coming into a tumultuous situation and churning out a playoff program every year.

Instead, Crow finished behind first-year Nipomo coach Russ Edwards (14 votes, 10 percent), a former San Luis Obispo assistant, and tied with Coast Union's Dave Clements, a second-year guy.

Kudos to all the coaches. These guys put in more work than most know, whether they're running eight-man programs or perennial powerhouses.

Check out the new poll, and if you have any suggestions for future questions, feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail.

All in good fun

2007-09-12T23:32:00.000-07:00

Cheering at girls volleyball matches has become the hot new thing to do in the fall.

And the Arroyo Grande students have taken it to another level in the past few years.

They call themselves the Blue Zoo. Some of them dress up in costumes or face paint. Some of them dance. All of them scream.

"It's real exciting for the girls because the school and the student body make a big deal out of it," Eagles coach Ernie Santa Cruz said. "(The players) enoy it and they enjoy the guys in the Blue Zoo rooting for them. It's becoming a big thing at all the schools. The support is there, and it's kind of like the seventh man."

Mission Prep's Michaela Laird knew what the Royals were in for in Arroyo Grande's home opening 3-0 win Thursday.

"We knew that we needed to talk it up and talk loud," Laird said, "but we're working on it. Overall, I don't think we let the crowd affect us too much."

Somtime in the third game, when the Zoo had already unleashed a few rehearsed cheers and done the wave, a wayward spike from Mission Prep's Natalie Fernandez zipped in the direction of the boisterous section.

Was it just a slip? Or was she trying to shut them up a la "Varsity Blues"?

Since Fernandez left the gym before she could be interviewed, we may never know.

In her spot, I might have sent one at them. Look how annoying these guys are -- if you're on the other team. (If you're on their side, they're great.)

The Blue Zoo

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Conspicuously absent

2007-09-11T21:24:00.000-07:00

EDIT: Chloe Redman is intending to play for Cuesta College in the spring. You can read the update on this story here.

Tennis talk might not make the numbers spike on the hit count-O-meter, but there was some off-court drama at Morro Bay High for the Pirates' match against visiting San Luis Obispo that just may.

The buzz surrounded Morro Bay standout Chloe Redman — now apparently a "former" Morro Bay standout.

Redman (pictured in a Tribune file photo by Joe Johnston) finished as the second best individual in the Los Padres League as a junior last season and led the Pirates into the CIF-Southern Section Division IV quarterfinals by winning five of six sets in two playoff rounds.

She was set to return as arguably the best senior in the county this fall but was nowhere to be seen Tuesday, and Morro Bay coach Karen Roth declined to comment, only saying Redman was no longer at the school.

The loss is a big hit for the Pirates on the tennis and basketball courts, where Redman was a key rebounder and defender for coach Cary Nerelli.

Rumors were flying as to where Redman went, why and how. But nothing was confirmed as of Tuesday night. Expect an update in the coming days.

We've got spirit

2007-09-10T15:16:00.001-07:00

Yes, we do.

Paso Robles football

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Doom and gloom in Paso?

2007-09-08T01:24:00.000-07:00

The Paso Robles High football team's big 52-0 win Friday over Santa Ynez was impressive to watch.

But if there's anyone out there who can find a puny storm cloud in big load of silver lining, it's a coach.

And the Bearcats' Rich Schimke is an experienced one at that.

"We got a long ways to go," he said after the game. "We made way too many mistakes. I know it sounds weird, but you watched the second half. You saw all the penalties out there. We have to maintain our discipline."

The Bearcats were called for 85 yards worth of penalties on nine flags, 10 if you count one that was declined by the Pirates.

"And the fumble down there in the red zone," Schimke said, "we can't have that."

Lots of times coaches will undersell their team or accomplishments because they don't want their high school athletes to get too full of themselves. Or they don't want to provide bulletin board material to another team.

That's why what media members refer to as "coach speak" is so boring to read, yet it's use is nearly universal.

But don't write off Schimke's comments as a simple attempt to be humble in the wake of a dominant win.

It's the second week in a row Paso Robles has been dogged by penalties and turnovers in at least one half. There will come a time when an opponent will have the talent and experience to be able to capitalize on some of those mistakes.

So the Bearcats will work on them. They should.

And they should also enjoy the win. There was more than enough to be proud about.

Climbing the ladder

2007-09-05T20:18:00.000-07:00

The Arroyo Grande girls volleyball team's season has stalled in the CIF-Southern Section divisional quarterfinals each of the past six seasons.

The Eagles are hoping to end that streak this year by finally breaking into the final four. They've got the talent with PAC 7 MVP setter Olivia Trudeau and their top five hitters back, including senior Brooke Arnold (right *Tribune file photo by Jayson Mellom). But if they want to extend their year, they've got to get a better playoff seed.

One way to ensure that is to improve their ranking.

Not to slight San Luis Obispo and Nipomo, but wins over county rivals just aren't impressing the Southern Section poll gurus. Another undefeated romp through the PAC 7 isn't going to get Arroyo Grande much. The Eagles only got a No. 8 seed out of it in 2006.

What Arroyo Grande needs to do is play its best in two non-conference tournaments this month. Otherwise, the Eagles could end up with another tough seed against another of the heaviest hitters from the south.

Circle these dates if you're Arroyo Grande: This Saturday, the Eagles head to the San Luis Obispo High tournament; and September 29, they play against a field of mainly Ventura County teams at Royal High in Simi Valley.

These are the spots where Arroyo Grande can improve on the preseason No. 8 ranking assigned to them by the section.

Oh, and it seems you aren't the only one reading this blog. See below.

AG girls volleyball

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Read this blog... or else!

2007-09-04T19:47:00.000-07:00

A shameless testimonial.

Brett Hiatt

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Out of the unknown

2007-08-31T23:31:00.000-07:00

Coming into Friday's season-opening 42-22 win over Washington Union, the Atascadero High football team was a conundrum to a few of us prep sports experts at The Tribune.

Since becoming head coach, Vic Cooper seemed to have the program going in a great direction. All three levels of the program went 9-1 in the regular season in 2006. And the Greyhounds ran through the PAC 7 with little problem last year.

But by the same token, all of the most recognizable stars from last season's team had graduated. And unless you were camping with the team this summer or the biggest Atascadero freshman and junior varsity team fan, you had to wait until Friday's game to really have a good idea of what the new guys would do.

There were plenty of questions.

"I say every one of them got answered," said safety Jake Norlock, who also rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown at running back. "We threw, we ran, we did everything that we wanted to do. Washington Union was a great test."

The team certainly looked impressive. But the Greyhounds didn't show much in the passing game. First-year starter Steven Manier passed for 65 yards on six of 10. Only two completions went to a wide receiver. Two went to tight end Jack Robinett. Three Atascadero completions were screens to running backs.

There might still be some uncertainties there but expect them to be concrete in the coming weeks as the Greyhounds take on No. 1-ranked CIF-Southern Section Northern Division power St. Bonaventure and No. 7 Thousand Oaks, the team that handed Atascadero its regular season losses at every level.

Against bigger and better teams, the Greyhounds might find themselves needing to pass more.

Cooper continued

2007-08-30T16:54:00.000-07:00

Tribune file photo by David Middlecamp

Need another Vic Cooper fix? Here's all the background information we couldn't fit in Friday's story but that real Atascadero fans should know about their beloved football coach.

Vic Cooper is the oldest of three football-playing Coopers to put on pads at Atascadero and graduated in 1985.

Former coach Larry Welsh remembers him as a “quiet hero” who didn’t say much but got the job done. He imagined that’s how Cooper coaches, too. Paso Robles coach Rich Schimke, a 1981 Greyhounds grad, coached Cooper on the junior varsity level early in his career.

“He was a big hoss,” Schimke said, “a big tackle, very coachable, a student of the game. It’s kind of neat seeing him get into the teaching profession and coaching as well.”

Cooper’s parents were heavily involved in the booster club and, ultimately, their connection to Welsh was what got Cooper a job as a junior varsity assistant at his alma mater in 1988 while he attended Cuesta College.

When he transferred to Fresno State, he commuted back and forth from the Friday night football games to his early-morning Saturday job unloading trucks at a Fresno department store.

And after getting his bachelors, Cooper was the Greyhounds’ varsity offensive line coach from 1994 to 2002 and served as the offensive coordinator the year before he took over as head coach.

That should put Cooper's recent success in perspective. His ties to the community, knowledge of the tradition and passion for the school is a lot of the reason he has worked well with boosters, assistant coaches and players and turned the Greyhounds back into a winner.

“Coach pours his heart into football, and I really believe that he bleeds orange and sweats gray,” said Jake Norlock, a senior who’s moving from linebacker to safety this fall. “It’s really easy to play for a coach that puts that much of his heart into it.”

Football season kicks off tonight! Don't forget to vote in the new poll.

The ceremonial first blog.

2007-08-24T23:33:00.000-07:00

It's official.

With Mission Prep's 20-6 win over Coast Sierra League rival Avenal on Friday, the 2007 fall season is off and running. And with the new season comes a second school year of blogs.

Royals junior quarterback Dylan Morrow got away without being interviewed after the game despite throwing for more than 200 yards and two touchdowns. After one game, he's on pace for more than 2,000 yards and 20 TDs.

But I saw him lingering in the stands while finishing up my story in the press box and decided to walk down and give him the opportunity to be the first athlete quoted in the new season of Bloggin' with Scroggin.

He started every game last season for the Royals. He's played on the baseball and basketball teams. He even played on the San Luis Obispo 16-and-under Babe Ruth All-Stars, a team we featured after it advanced to the World Series this summer.

And I'd never interviewed him. Chances are nobody had. I thought, "Morrow must have more pent up quotes than anybody on the team!" So I held my digital recorder up and gave him carte blanche.

"Uh, Mission rocks," he said.

Anything else?

"Nope, that's all."

And we're underway.

Sights from the state meet

2007-06-02T18:07:00.000-07:00

Couldn't make it to the CIF State Track and Field Championships in Sacramento? Here's the jist in a couple words: Hot and cold.

I was told it wasn't as hot as it's been in previous years, but it was still pretty scalding in the daytime.

I got called out in the press box for wearing my posh designer brand jeans in such sun block-worthy weather. But when events stretched past 10 p.m. for Friday's preliminaries, I got the last laugh when underdressed reporters went down to do late night interviews, shivering in their khaki shorts.

But here's a few other things you might have missed, even if you came.

Making the short trip up from Palo Alto, Stanford freshman Erin Delaney was there to cheer on former teammate Tom Nagengast. The former Bearcats girls shot put state champion said she hasn't transfered the success she had at the high school level over to college yet.

Delaney was a few centimeters away from advancing to the NCAA West Regional and didn't hit the same marks she did as a Paso Robles senior, but she took solace in taking the bottom spot on the all-time top-10 list of Cardinal throwers.

Sticking with the Paso-Robles and throwing-events vibe, Bearcats coach Bill Stansbury told me senior Greg Draper has committed to throw for Cal State Bakersfield next season.

Also slated to be a Roadrunner is state champion Derek Johnson of Agoura - who won the event Saturday with a throw of 203 feet, 6 inches and had two more over 195. So Draper should have a good throwing partner to work with.

Finally, there were two national records set at Saturday's meet. Taft's Jeshua Henderson won the boys 300-meter hurdles in 35.34, and Castilleja's Tori Anthony won the girls pole vault at 14-1.

Obviously, both marks also set new California and state meet records, but interestingly, Anthony eclipsed former Morro Bay and San Diego State vaulter Shayla Balentine's state meet record.

Balentine vaulted 13-8 in 2001, which was a national record at the time. Though two other California girls have beaten the mark since then, including Anthony's 13-10 earlier this season, none were at the state meet until Saturday.

Balentine is still the third best vaulter in state history, and former Atascadero standout Chelsea Johnson, whose best high school mark is 13-6, is sixth.

I never said I wouldn't pander

2007-05-22T20:53:00.000-07:00

Here's a tidbit for you San Luis Obispo High football folks.

In the background of the Tigers' CIF-Southern Section Division II semifinal boys tennis loss to Diamond Bar, the San Luis Obispo football team was beginning its second week of spring workouts.

It was hard not to keep my eyes on the court with some of the competitive play going on, so I only heard the football team counting out jumping jacks or something like that. So no scouting report.

But football conversation did wander over to the tennis courts eventually, and a few details leaked out. In the race to replace departed senior Conner Reese, a school record-holder in multiple passing categories, there is a good, old-fashioned quarterback controversey.

Sources close to the team say it's neck and neck between incoming senior Jake Miller, who backed up Reese last season and racked up 67 tackles and three interceptions from his safety spot, and junior David Schultz, who battted .378 in 74 at-bats on the baseball team this spring.

Neither has too much of a size advantage. According to MaxPreps.com, Schultz is 6 feet, 1 inch and 170 pounds. Miller, who played half of last season after a blow to the throat left him with a vocal chord injury, measured 6-1, 173 in the fall.

Miller completed two of three passes behind Reese for 15 yards and a touchdown, a 10-yard strike to fullback Mac Sutcliffe in a 43-10 blowout of San Marcos. Schultz, who played junior varsity football in the fall, kept his arm in shape this spring by going 2-1 on the mound for the Tigers. His 3.98 ERA was third on the team.

Whichever quarterback wins the job, he'll have huge shoes to fill and high expectations. The Tigers return the best group of All-County players next season and no doubt look to compete for the PAC 7 title again.

Pick your playoff run

2007-05-15T22:55:00.000-07:00

Two fantastic runs to the quarterfinals. But what if there could be only one?

The Arroyo Grande boys basketball team went from wild card to CIF-Southern Section Division II title contender with three straight upsets before falling in the quarters this past winter.

And Tuesday, the Eagles boys volleyball team gained entry into the round of eight for the first time in school history by beating Santa Ynez in convincing fashion after a first-round romp and a PAC 7 championship regular season.

Which one is more special? Which will be more memorable? Normally, those questions might not be very relevant, but two of the team's key players in the runs for each team are two in the same.

Seniors Daniel Wrage and James Tringham came up big in both sports. Which one would they choose?

Wrage honestly ranked the basketball run as his best memory. The team won on some of his own late-game heroics. And the underdog story of a fifth-place team that squeaked into the playoffs with an at-large bid was dangerously close to becoming an instant legend.

Without picking a preference, Tringham felt special being a part of Arroyo Grande boys volleyball's deepest playoff run to date. The Eagles beat San Luis Obispo in six of the eight games between the two teams. Now everything they do is setting a new program standard.

"We had a good year, we won league and now we're in the playoffs," Tringham said. "I don't want to say this is expected, but this is fun."

I was ready to give my own judgement and tell everyone which playoff run is more important to the school and the respective sports in the long run, but, as Wrage reminded me, volleyball isn't finished yet.

I'll hold off on a decision before seeing what Arroyo Grande can do against Santa Barbara on Friday. But that doesn't mean you have to.

Untold tales of sportsmanship

2007-05-10T22:12:00.000-07:00

Midway through San Luis Obispo High's tennis match with visiting Burroughs-Burbank in the first round of CIF-Southern Section Division II playoffs Thursday, I had a chat with Burroughs coach Roy Bernhardt.

His team hadn't been in the playoffs since 1993, and as a warmup question, I asked him what he thought of the Tigers — the cream of the team crop here in our area.

The question wasn't hard-hitting enough to beat an egg, I know, but I was feeling him out. San Luis Obispo, which won 12-6, was dominating, and hey, you are reading a blog about it.

The first thing he complimented the Tigers on was their conduct. They all were true sportsmen, he said. It was relevant considering that certain nameless players were flinging rackets and water bottles in losing frustration.

Here's my comment. I wish I'd said it to him. Winning a game or match going away isn't a true test of sportsmanship.

I've gotta say it's pretty easy to deal with winning, especially when it's by a lot. Winning with class does take some effort, but your level of sportsmanship truly shows when you have to deal with adversity — a blown call, some bad luck or a hostile crowd.

Paso Robles softball pitcher Michelle Moses gave up the first ever home run at San Luis Obispo's softball diamond, and it cost the Bearcats the game and the chance to be all alone in first place in the PAC 7 a couple weeks ago.

Choking back some emotion, she actually did an interview with me after the game and thanked me for coming. A lesser sportsman might have told me to buzz off.

After being eliminated from playoff contention in a blowout loss to Atascadero this week, Arroyo Grande baseball catcher Lucas Kephart saw me walking by and flashed me a big smile.

I'd seen it before. It was the same one I got after two games where I watched him homer earlier in the season. It's the same one I'll see next time, too, whether he pops up or strikes out.

At the PAC 7 track finals last week, Eagles sprinter Stephanie Micheli thought she finally had rival Tonie Williams of San Luis Obispo in the 200-meter dash. But Micheli lost by .01 seconds, lost her balance through the finish line and lost sizeable chunks of cheek and shoulder skin on the track.

Not only did she come back for her next race a few minutes later, but she talked to me, gave kudos to Williams and vowed to beat her with a renewed determination.

These kids weren't happy with losing. Nobody really is. But they had untold stories where they handled it with grace.

Tigers tennis handled winning just fine. Will they do the same while losing? Only a runaway section title would mean they wouldn't get the chance.

Fist fights and running spikes

2007-04-27T22:50:00.000-07:00

What makes you want to order the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight?

Maybe you order it. Maybe you don't. Maybe you're like a lot of people and you just think about it. But why?

Because they hate each other. Or they say they do. There's actual, publicized dislike between the two.

OK, that's enough free publicity for De La Hoya-Mayweather.

The front page of the dyestatcal.com Web site, the state's leading source for high school track and field information (it deserves the publicity), highlighted a figurative fight of its own this week.

In between photos of nationally reknowned Mission Prep sophomore Jordan Hasay and Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills senior Alex Kosinski, who will face off in the 1,600-meter race at Saturday's Sacramento Meet of Champions, was a graphic of a pair of boxing gloves.

The race is a high-profile showdown, and dyestatcal.com did well to promote it, but here's what I know from my expereince: Runners don't seem to hate each other in that way.

In the past, Hasay's only had the nicest things to say about her competitors.

Don't get me wrong, she wants to win perhaps more than anybody I've ever met. Try conducting an interview with Hasay after suggeting there might be the slightest outside chance that one out of 1 billion people thinks she might not win a race. Her past history, including state and national titles, commands ultimate respect.

But it's not like she wants to eat anyone's kids or gets into fistfights on the podium. It's not like she's likely to get intentionally tripped by a rival on the way to the finish line.

The race previews read about how one runner is close in time to another. They're not about how A-Rod charged the mound against Schilling. Or how T.O. spit in someone's face.

When runners don't win, they're more likely to blame themselves than point the finger at an opponent or an official.

High school runners don't hate each other. Nor should they. But that's also why it's not on pay-per-view.

SLO High Football

2007-04-25T22:08:00.000-07:00

Gotcha!

This blog has little to do with my thoughts on San Luis Obispo High football, per se. But just go with it.

I noticed that a previous blog got pirated off course by a couple of posters who saw an opening to bring up Tigers football. It seriously seems like that's all anyone is interested in.

And since I just came off a meeting with The Tribune's Managing Editor Tad Weber today where we talked about ways to make the blog a little more fresh, I figure put "SLO High Football" in the headline — and KABOOM — the hit count numbers will soar off the charts.

And that's exactly what I want to blog about: football versus spring sports.

I know football is king, not just locally, but nationally. Basketball and hockey playoffs have begun, baseball is back in full swing, but all anyone wants to talk about is NFL Draft.

I try to write a thoughtful blog on the Tigers boys volleyball program and the only two comments are about a prep football season that's four months away.

Incidentally, those were my first two comments since March. So either I'm really boring or spring sports are. Which is it? (After speaking at C.L. Smith Elementary in February, the fourth grade class will tell you it's me. So don't ask any of them.)

I'm not buying the idea that more kids play football, therefore more parents are interested. Talk to Jordan Hasay's dad, Joe. He'll tell you that track and field's numbers dwarf those of baseball. I'd bet they're pretty close to football, too. And have you checked out a track and field story recently? Many of the stars are the same boys who played football.

So what's the deal? Should I just change this blog to an all-football-all-the-time experience?

OK, I'm not asking that seriously, but here is a topic to discus: Why doesn't anyone seem to care much about spring sports?

Height helps in diving, or so it appears

2007-04-24T20:43:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth Foran, Atascadero High's dynamic diver and the current Tribune Prep Athlete of the Week, talked this week about the toughest aspect of diving.

It wasn't the high dive or the cold wind, though those topics made it into the Prep Athlete of the Week story, but the subjective scoring system.

"The hardest thing about diving is how I do is really in somebody else’s hands," Foran said. "When I go out there, I have five judges giving me scores on what they think I did.

"It’s so hard because you have to please those judges."

I didn't tell her that in baseball you have people judging whether you got a hit or an error because, heck, she was on a roll. Journalism tip: Don't interrupt a teenager who's best quotes don't include "dude," "like" or "uhm."

And apparently, it isn't aways technique that pleases those dastardly judges, whomever they are. Common notion has judges liking taller divers, Foran said.

Foran, who's only 5-feet tall, said she has an advantage over longer opponents because she can "flip easier, flip faster and do more flips." She does have less body to flip.

But ...

"If you’re tall and long your dive looks cleaner," Foran said. "I can go out and do a dive and a tall girl can do the same dive, just not as good, but it’ll look better. When a girl is long, it just looks like she’s going in straighter and it just looks prettier, and it almost looks harder because she has just that much more to throw around."

She wasn't complaining about it. I just found the height topic intersting and continued asking about it.

It's not a foreign concept. I've heard similar things about equestrian judges when I covered the sport in college. They favor taller riders because they look more graceful or something to that effect. They probably like taller horses, too. It might up the degree of difficulty.

(Note to self: I wonder if the sports writer awards favor taller reporters. Remember to add "6 feet, 3 inches" under my byline.)

So yeah, judges, come off it. Stop the discrimination already. Foran, other diminutive divers and equestrians everywhere deserve equality.

What'll they do on senior ditch day?

2007-04-19T23:09:00.000-07:00

Ready for a shocker? The San Luis Obispo boys volleyball team fields 12 seniors. Twelve!

Are your socks still on? Well, let me put it this way. Twelve 12th-graders are enough to field two separate lineups of seniors.

And it really gets put into perspective when written like this: With 15 players total, only a maximum of three will be returning next season — as long as none decides to go pro.

That “go pro” line would have been a joke if hadn’t already happened.

Would-be sophomore Hawk Hatcher isn’t back with the team after a standout freshman season last year. Word is he’s breaking into the pro beach volleyball circuit, but that’s for another blog.

Back to the seniors.

Imagine you’re a high school coach. (Maybe you ARE a high school coach. I wish I knew who read this stuff.) Now imagine replacing 80 percent of your team in one offseason.

Not just the starters, 80 percent of the whole team.

Sock check.

And it’s not as if high school athletics actually puts a premium on returning players or anything. Well actually, that’s exactly how it is.

Here’s a behind the scenes tidbit: I voted the Atascadero High football team No. 1 in every one of the Tribune’s Top 10 media polls this past season — from week 0 to week 10 — because, by my count, the Greyhounds had the most number of All-County players returning.

No, I’m not an A-town homer. Before moving to the Central Coast in February 2006, I’d only driven through SLO County a few times. I knew nothing about high school football tradition around here.

But who dominated the area? Atascadero. And it might have been because they had a lot of returning seniors.

So when I called San Luis Obispo volleyball coach Jon Hastings about naming his dominant hitter Curtis Abram the Athlete of the Week a couple weeks ago and found out he was losing all those seniors, I had to at least jokingly ask.

“Are you going to retire after this one, coach?”

He denied it. Laughed about it. Maybe thought about it?

Nah, and here’s why.

Two of those three players set to return are sophomores Julian Demalleville, a mini version of Abram, and 6-foot, 6-inch Shane Kennedy, tabbed a college volleyball prospect in the Tigers’ official program.

I’d like to see what the unofficial program says about him, but in a 3-0 win over Righetti Wednesday, Kennedy looked pretty good. He had a season-high seven kills. And Demalleville’s consistently been one of the team’s top three hitters all season.

San Luis Obispo looks like it’s on track to win its seventh straight league title, if it can get past Arroyo Grande on Tuesday and run the table.

The Tigers might have an uphill battle if they get a chance to go for No. 8, but all things 12 considered, it wouldn’t be that big of a surprise.

Remember the time?

2007-04-13T20:30:00.000-07:00

With a thrilling back and forth win in the Softball by the Beach Invitational, the Arroyo Grande softball team vaulted itself into the semifinal of the 13th annual edition of the tournament.

One of the questions I asked first-year coach Amber Derbidge after the game was asking for the last time an Eagles team won the tournament, to which she didn't have an answer.

But first-year coaches get occasional reprieves for this type of stuff, especially immediately after artery-stopping games like Friday's.

So I bring the question to you. When was the last time an Eagles softball team won it's own tournament? Has it ever?

I presented a similar question in an Arroyo Grande football story last season when Reade Lobdill ran for a ton of yards and nobody could remember the last time it had happened right after the game.

A couple of dilligent parents e-mailed in the next day with the appropriate answer. So get to it softball parents. Don't tell me the football moms are better historians than you are.

The cold capital of the universe

2007-04-06T23:07:00.000-07:00

I'm not a San Luis Obispo County native, so stop me if I'm wrong, but is Sinsheimer Park not the coldest pocket of the Central Coast?

It's like a bermuda triangle of weather — where cold gets lost and can't find it's way out.

No matter if it's baseball, swimming or water polo. At every high school event I've covered at Sinsheimer, I've had a tough time deciding whether to cover the event or go into hibernation.

In addition to the pool and baseball stadium, there are also softball diamonds and a playground on the premesis. But if I had kids, I wouldn't let them play at Sinsheimer alone for fear the fog would roll in and carry them away.

The weather is generally great in San Luis Obispo, which is why I'm baffled by this entire phenomenon. No joke, It's even colder than Templeton's football stadium.

Is there some scientific explanation for this out there? Anybody got any theories? It's not like it's keeping me away from any good action, but I know when I'm headed there to break out the knit cap, jacket and homemade quilt.

Now you do, too.

Quarterback controversy

2007-04-06T22:34:00.000-07:00

Looking ahead to this past fall's Atascadero-San Luis Obispo High football game, I billed it as a matchup of clashing quarterback styles in the newspaper preview.

Gunnar Jespersen versus Conner Reese. Machismo versus mechanics.

Though the Tigers' Reese put up big numbers in the game, Jespersen led his team to the win.

Well, the two met up again Friday — this time on the diamond.

With the score tied 1-1 in the sixth inning, the three-game series up for grabs and runners on first and second with no outs, San Luis Obispo brought in Reese to pitch out of a jam. He loaded the bases on a fielder's choice and guess who came up to bat?

Now there doesn't seem to be any personal rivalry between the two. They seem to have a mutual respect, zero animosity. Reese even looked puzzled when I shot him a comment about the moment after the game.

But come on — doesn't it sound juicy?

Senior quarterback versus senior quarterback, one more round for old time's sake.

After a first-pitch ball, Jespersen came up hacking, looking to make the big swing that would bury the Tigers. But Reese threw the next two pitches for strikes.

Jespersen fanned on the fourth offering, an outside pitch that sent him back to the dugout after swinging his bat in frustration.

So what does this all mean?

Nothing. It's baseball. Hitters get out seven out of 10 times and go to the hall of fame. But maybe next time Jespersen and Reese can face off in checkers — or armwrestling. I'd show up to watch them play Mille Bourne cards.

Hard times in softball

2007-04-05T22:12:00.000-07:00

You know how when you get older and you try to do the same kinds of athletic things you did when you were young?

Whether it's pickup basketball or some slow-pitch softball, you feel great while you're reliving the glory days, but the next morning, you ache in spots you never even knew had nerve endings.

My bet: Arroyo Grande High softball pitcher Chelsie Rodriguez is probably getting a good preview of what that's going to feel like right now.

In Thursday's 4-3 loss to Atascadero, Rodriguez got off to a roug start. She gave up a leadoff double and a bunt single to the first two batters she faced.

The Greyhounds' Brianna Smet drove in the two runners with a frozen rope — that lined right into Rodriguez's left hip and dribbled into right field.

She shrugged off any attention from the trainers, remained in the game and allowed just one hit to the next 19 batters she faced.

"It did hurt," Rodriguez said. "But I was so upset I didn't make the play that I didn't even notice it."

No, people, softballs really aren't all that soft. And maybe I'm just getting old, but I think she'll feel it in the morning.

The track and field diaries

2007-03-30T22:39:00.000-07:00

In a recent interview about trade secrets, Templeton High runner Garrett Cowan let me completely inside the mind of a distance runner.

Cowan wasn't shy about giving away some of his best race strategies, adding that runners are normally so paranoid about what other runners say and do, they probably wouldn't take his advice anyway.

One of the most unexpected quips Cowan got off was about how he sizes up the field pre-race. In a 2-mile race, Cowan likes to stick with the runner who starts out fastest and overtake him somewhere near the end of the final lap.

One of the keys to that strategy is trying to determine who the fast starter will be before the gun sounds. Cowan says he's guessing right 80 percent of the time. Here's one of his tipoffs.

"If you look at the guy in the line that has shaved legs," Cowan said, "you can tell he's taking it very serious. He thinks he's the best runner, and he's going to go out really fast."

Apparently, there's a myth out there that shaved legs make you faster. Cowan said some runners shave just to intimidate the other competitors.

I think the same might be true for rush-hour traffic. That might explain why I always see so many female passengers in shorts with their bare feet up on the dashboard.

Well, let me tell you ladies, neither Garrett Cowan nor I will be intimidated!

Any scouts out there?

2007-03-23T18:51:00.000-07:00

OK, I need some help.

Since we just wrapped up prep basketball coverage last week and I spent most of the past week in the office doing office things, I can't wait to get back out and start covering some baseball and softball games.

Track, tennis, swimming and golf are good, too. But since baseball and softball previews appeared this week in The Tribune, the question is timely...

Who are the best baseball and softball teams in the county right now? I haven't seen enough of them to guess. So I'm asking you.

Can San Luis Obispo baseball and new coach Casey Candale recover from the loss of six All-County starters and get back in contention? Can Templeton softball keep it rolling in the Southern Section? What about Atascadero? Nipomo? Arroyo Grande?

Before I get out there and really start digging in, handicap the teams for me. Who should I watch out for?

Simko's anonymous savior

2007-03-21T21:19:00.000-07:00

In Thursday's edition of The Tribune, read about Todd Simko, the Arroyo Grande High baseball player who suffered a broken neck and a crushed throwing hand in a devastating car crash.

In less than a year, Simko is back on the field for the Eagles — and getting significant playing time.

As is the case with a lot of lengthy newspaper stories, some additional info was left out. It happens. Here's where I can go back and share some more.

Todd and friend Sean Simpson were speeding on Corbett Canyon Road when the car Todd was driving flipped and crashed, trapping his arm under the wreckage.

Here's the part that didn't get into the paper, and where you blog readers may be able to help.

An off-duty emergency doctor was riding a bicycle when he came upon the wreck and prevented Todd from being moved — an eventual life-saving move considering doctors later told Todd he might have been paralyzed or killed had his neck shifted a minimum of two millimeters.

"He kind of took control of the situation," Todd said. "(Other witnesses) were afraid that the car was going to explode and be caught in the fire."

The Simkos were very thankful of the off-duty doctor and his efforts to protect Todd. Only one problem: They couldn't thank him in person.

None of the Simkos were at the wreck site and amidst a cataclysmic family tragedy, it's kind of hard to follow up on everything. So the doctor's identity remains a mystery.

"I don't know what his name is actually," Todd's mom, Linda, said when asked for it. "He was an angel in disguise, which is basically what I call him."

So, if you know this doctor — or are this doctor — leave a message. I'm sure the Simkos would be grateful. (And I'll be glad to know the blog is reaching the medical community. Maybe it'll get me a better co-pay next time I have doctor's appointment.)

Who's your Player of the Year?

2007-03-16T15:05:00.000-07:00

One of the most stressful assignments I have in any given year is picking a Player of the Year and accompanying All-County team for any given sport.

The biggest debate between players often is this: Statistics versus success.

Let's take County Player of the Year for example. In general, there are two types of candidates. The best player on the best team. Or the player with the most impressive stats.

It makes my job easier if those candidates are the same person. Think Derrick Jasper in '05 and '06 and Hannah Donaghe this past season.

But when those people aren't one in the same, The Tribune (me in this case) has to make a subjective choice. I know what my criteria is. What I'd like to know is yours. The Readers. San Luis Obispo County.

We're talking about your players of the year here. Who would you like to see represent you for all eternity?

The most valuable player of the team with the best record? Or an impressive stat compiler from a less decorated team?

Keeping cool after tough loss

2007-02-28T22:50:00.000-08:00

Terrance Harris had a right to be really upset Wednesday night. But he wasn't.

Well, I wasn't with the Mission Prep boys basketball coach all night. Maybe he went home after the Royals were upset 64-62 by Bakersfield Christian in the semifinals of the CIF-Central Section Division V playoffs and broke a stack of concrete blocks with a head butt like those karate guys on TV.

But whatever frustrations Harris might have had after a loss that, let's be honest, nobody saw coming — he kept them inside.

Seconds after the final buzzer sounded and the Royals had ended their first post-Tom-Mott-era playoff run with a disappointing loss, Harris calmly walked over and did a radio interview. Then he talked to me (which, I admit, isn't always THAT fun.)

In journalism school, at least mine, they tell you to give coaches and players a 10-minute period to get over the game. But Harris took no cool down time, no time to gather his emotions. Just, hey, let's do this. And it was a classy and respectable thing to do.

Mission Prep lost. And it was a bad loss. One they should have won had they come out a little more focused. Plus, the Royals were getting handcuffed by the referees.

I've seen plenty of other coaches from high school to college turn around after a game like that and blast the officiating, completely duck interviews or fire off "no comments."

Publicly, Harris stood tall, was accountable and made no excuses. That attitude was certainly refreshing.

If you see him around town with a Band-Aid on his head, though, give my condolences to the concrete blocks.

The third season

2007-02-27T22:40:00.000-08:00

Sometimes people call the playoffs "the second season." It's a valid metaphor. Ask the Arroyo Grande High boys basketball team.

The Eagles took fifth place in the regular season and lost to rival Nipomo three times. But in the second season, the playoffs, they captured the imagination of central coast basketball fans.

Arroyo Grande's venture deep into the quarterfinals of the CIF-Southern Section Division II-A playoffs had us all wondering wether an unseeded wild-card team could actually win a section title.

The second season. It's like "wait 'til next year" — just without all the waiting.

But Tuesday night marked the beginning of what I'm starting to call the third season.

That's when all of the bigger schools in the county have all been eliminated from the playoffs and small schools like Mission Prep and Coast Union start getting all the front page attention.

They're accustomed to it. The Mission Prep boys and girls are favored to win section titles. The girls are going for No. 15 in a row. For the boys, it would be No. 4, but the past two were stripped in a recruiting scandal. (TO disgruntled Royals fans: New Times used the 'S' word. I should at least get one freebie.)

The Royals girls have already cemented a spot in the state playoffs. Coast Union nearly joined them before being tripped up at home Tuesday. The Mission Prep boys can clinch an appearance with a win tonight.

This third season could potentially go on for another week or two. So get ready for some more "Royals Flush" and "Mission Accomplished" headlines.

Can the Eagles avoid turning into pumpkins?

2007-02-20T22:41:00.000-08:00

Ryan Glanville's still not ready to say it, but I will — and have. Cinderella.

I've been on the Arroyo Grande boys basketball coach for days asking if his at-large team fits into the glass slipper, and I'll probably keep doing it.

I bugged him about it Friday night after I heard the Eagles upset No. 1-seeded Palmdale in the CIF-Southern Section Division II-A playoffs. A couple days later, calling from my cell phone about Athlete of the Week Daniel Wrage — and only coincidentally in an insanely long holiday-weekend line at Disneyland — Cinderella came up again.

After Tuesday's 47-44 win over Moreno Valley, I couldn't resist.

"You asked me about that the other day and it was 'definitely no,' " Glanville said. "Now we're a little closer."

Arroyo Grande is living that underdog story that everyone loves. The Eagles placed fifth in the PAC 7 and only squeaked into the playoffs through the good graces of the section seeding gurus.

They won a wild card game against Channel Islands, then toppled the No. 1 seed. Now, after another win, they're in the quarterfinals hosting No. 9 Norco with as good a chance as anybody else of taking a divisional title.

But looking too far ahead can be crippling. That's probably why Glanville's not ready to call his team a Cinderella. She charmed the prince and lived happily ever after.

But Arroyo Grande's got three more balls to attend before midnight. It's alright if the Eagles are taking them one at a time.

OK, that's enough fairy tale allusions for one blog. Sorry, the Magic Kingdom really messes with your mind.

A first of Titanic proportions

2007-02-14T22:44:00.000-08:00

Would there be a spine-tingling chill? What would the fans be like? Would I be able to find any parking?

Since the Nipomo High boys basketball team was playing in its first playoff game in school history Wednesday — and that game was at home — I was just as curious to check out the atmosphere as I was to see the action. Who knew what to expect?

In the game, Antelope Valley beat the Titans 67-56. But here's a rundown of some of the little behind-the-scenes details I observed. We'll go chronologically.

• First off, the restroom didn't seem to have any extra playoff oomph. But I only went into the one marked "Men."

• Hands freshly cleaned, I got into the gym and saw the turnout. It wasn't bad. The home stands ended up tightly filled and the crowd packed a pretty good wallop.

• Student Jasmine McNeil sang the national anthem, and it was excellent. One of the top three renditions I've heard in almost a year at The Tribune. I wondered aloud if she got the gig through some kind of "Nipomo Idol."

• The public address announcer read the obligatory CIF-Southern Section please-don't-harass-the-refs speech, but I don't think anyone was listening.

• The chants of "De-fense! (clap, clap) De-fense!" started off pretty early, and it seemed the locals were eagerly anticipating their first playoff game, too. But when the Titans made just one of their first 11 shots, it sort of took some of the enthusiasm away.

• The Nipomo cheerleaders were in the house. It was the first time I'd seen them all year. But while Antelope Valley controlled the game in the first half, a small cluster of visting moms, who traveled three-and-a-half hours to see their Antelopes, did most of the cheering.

• On a side note, Antelopes sure is an imaginitive name for a team from Antelope Valley.

• Dominque Saunders explodes for 15 points in the third quarter, and a hush falls over the AV moms. The Nipomo crowd starts chanting "Our house!"

• The Titans fans file out looking disappointed. But I'll give them a good grade. It was a fun ride and the community did well for its first playoff game. Perhaps it was a good thing the restroom was subdued.

The others

2007-02-07T21:38:00.000-08:00

Had enough of recruiting stories? Well, it's not over yet.

Though there were three San Luis Obispo County high school football standouts who signed national letters of Intent to play in college (all at Cal Poly) on Wednesday, don't expect them to be the only locals who'll be playing on Saturdays next fall.

Widely referred to as signing day, Wednesday marked the first day of the nearly two-month long regular period within players can sign. Several others will likely make decisions before the April 1 deadline.

Here's a list of a few local guys to watch:

• T Andrew Hall, Tempeton, 6-5, 260
• RB Harrison Keller, Mission Prep, 5-11, 185
• WR Kevin Martin, San Luis Obispo, 5-10, 160
• QB Conner Reese, San Luis Obispo, 6-3, 180
• T Dylan Gross, Morro Bay, 6-6, 295
• RB Kevin Scott, Morro Bay, 5-11, 180
• LB Reade Lobdill, Arroyo Grande, 5-9, 195
• DB Matt Lynch, Arroyo Grande, 5-11, 183
• OL Garrett Rodgers, Nipomo, 6-0, 243
• P Mike Trujillo, Nipomo, 6-1, 191
• DL Joe Murell, Coast Union, 6-3, 220

Did I forget to mention anyone? Then let's hear the scoop. And who do you think will make the biggest impact in college?

I'm lovin' it... just not before a game

2007-01-23T23:28:00.000-08:00

Let's hope no McDonald's executives are reading this blog.

Why? Because Atascadero High girls basketball standout Hannah Donaghe was presented with a certificate Tuesday by the fast food corporation for being nominated for the McDonald's All-America team.

Then she went to Subway for her pregame meal.

"You can't eat McDonalds before the game," Donaghe said. "I'll get heartburn or something."

OK, Jared. You stick to your sandwhiches. But it might cost you a spot on the team. (If any McDonald's people are reading this, I want to let you know I'm immeasurably proud that my hometown is the site of the very first McDonalds franchise.)

Seriously though, Donaghe does have an outside shot to make the All-America team. She is one of 2,500 nominees according to Greyhounds coach Paul Hill, and only 24 will make the final cut.

Even if she doesn't make it, Donaghe is a lot closer to No. 25 than she is to No. 2,500. Its not as if her parents nominated her. Hill said he got a call out of the blue from someone in North Carolina that informed him of the honor last month. Donaghe, a Stanford signee, was rated the 44th best senior prospect (23rd among guards) by scout.com before the season, and her numbers have improved from the ones she posted her junior year — the ones that earned her the rankings.

Check out her stats from this year and last year.

From here, there are several more cuts as the nomination process continues. Final teams are expected to be released in mid-to-late February, and the game will be played in Louisville, Ky., on March 28.

The Best Eats

2007-01-23T23:05:00.000-08:00

Normally, I'll grab a bite before I head to a sporting event — mainly because snack bars at high school games tend to be a little overpriced.

If I were a parent, I wouldn't mind parting with $5s for a bag of Skittles and a slice of cold pizza. The money all goes back to girls soccer uniforms and other worthy causes.

But I'm not even married.

Still, every once in a while, I'll sample the high school cuisine if something piques my interest. And the best item I've had on the Central Coast comes from Atascadero.

The booster burritos at the gymnasium are spectacular. Picture a big flour tortilla wrapped around a heaping portion of beans, rice and your choice of meat, plus chips and salsa. They came heartily recommended and I gleefully wolfed my first one down Tuesday.

I took that $5 and lived it up.

So now, I'm a little more open to trying out some high school snack bars. Are there any other must-eats around here? Any high school venue, any time. Throw out some suggestions.

Verbal Remedies

2007-01-23T22:38:00.000-08:00

Atascadero High's Brandon Roberts, an All-County tight end and linebacker on the Greyhounds' league championship football team, told me Tuesday he made a verbal committment to attend Cal Poly.

Since nobody else knows yet, I'll call it a Tribune/Bloggin' with Scroggin exclusive. Editors like when we write that.

Roberts had been getting recruiting attention from Pac-10 schools and was favoring Stanford before coach Walt Harris was fired and replaced by Jim Harbaugh. Last we'd spoken, he had narrowed his choices to Columbia and the Mustangs.

Roberts, 6 feet, 2 inches and 215 pounds, is currently coming off the bench for the Atascadero basketball team. Here are his football stats from this past season: 12 touchdowns (6 receiving, 5 rushing and 1 on defense), 24 receptions for 485 yards and 54 tackles on defense.

So Mustangs fans, what do you think? Can Roberts be a difference-maker at Cal Poly?

PTPers face off

2007-01-16T22:29:00.000-08:00

I asked Nipomo's Dominique Saunders (28.4 points per game) and Atascadero's Danny Thomas (18.5 ppg), the PAC 7's two leading boys basketball scorers, to size each other up as shooters.

Not only are both the "go-to" guys of their teams. The two have similar games. Both drive the basket, hustle for putbacks down low and can just as easily step out and shoot the 3.

No strangers, here's what they said about each other after meeting on court for the first time this season, a 58-48 Greyhounds win Tuesday.

Said Thomas (on Saunders): "He's a good scorer. He scores whenever he wants, and even as kids growing up, he was the same way. He's stronger with the ball in the post and he has a quicker first step. I think I'm a better shooter than he is, but I'm not sure."

Said Saunders on Thomas: "He's quick, and he has a good first step. If he makes a move, and you don't move with him, he's around you. We both drive to the basket, but the difference with him is he plays point for his team. I'm basically on the wing."

Though personally outscored by Saunders 23-18, Thomas got the first laugh with the win Tuesday, but the two will meet again in the regular season finale Feb. 9 in Atascadero.