Some performances and groups of athletes, you simply never forget. The 1999 St. Helena High graduating class, particularly the male student-athletes, is one that those in the Northern part of Napa Valley, CA, have not forgotten. The class was headlined by the likes of Cliff Little, Adam Beattie and Logan Songer to name a few.
Songer scored 27 points to lead No. 10 seeded St. Helena to a 63-55 come-from-behind win over the No. 7 seeded Patterson Tigers in the first round of the CIF Sac Joaquin Section Div. IV boys basketball playoffs on the road. The Saints finished the contest scoring the last 16 points.
Setting the stage: Little and Beattie headlined a group that went 9-2 in football, reaching the playoffs for the first time since 1978. After much success from the 1950s to 1970s, the Saints had some lean years in football in the 1980s and part of the 1990s. That twosome plus Songer led the Saints to a 20-10 season in boys basketball to go along with the first and only postseason win under head coach Ray Particelli in 16 years (two stints).
The term chemistry gets thrown around too freely but this group of Saints had exactly that quality. That is the beauty of growing up in a small community, where kids grow up together on and off the field from as early as preschool.
I remember going to the Saints’ practice two days before the game, without batting an eye, Particelli looked at me and said, “St. Helena by eight.” Though getting there was a journey, he turned out to be right.
The Saints had another opponent -- the flubug. Three Saints players were saddled with the flu over the preceding weekend. Though the game would be played on Thursday, the team also had a three-hour bus-ride to Patterson. St. Helena had just five healthy players at practice on the preceding Monday. Particelli, however, believed that given this team’s competitive makeup, if they were close to full-strength, he liked their chances.
Thumbnail sketch of the game: Less than four minutes remained and the Saints trailed 55-49 and closed the game by scoring 14 unanswered points. Songer, who was 6-foot-6, started his high school career as a guard before his body sprouted into being a forward-center that had perimeter shooting ability. He started the rally with back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game at 55-55.
Moments later, Little had a chance to give St. Helena the lead at the free throw line but missed both attempts. Songer rebounded the second miss but did not convert the initial putback. Songer, however, corralled his own missed putback and scored to give St. Helena a 57-55 lead. With 55 seconds left, a Little to Eric Deis layup made it 59-55 in favor of St. Helena.
What also stands out about Songer’s heroics is that he was one of the Saints saddled with the flu. He missed badly on two 3-pointers in the third quarter and appeared winded before helping his team off the deck.
Patterson led 28-26 at halftime before starting the third period on a 10-2 run to take a 38-28 lead. I remember Particelli calling time out and lighting into his team. From there, St. Helena went to their bread and butter -- Songer and Little. The latter complimented Songer’s aforementioned efforts with a double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds).
The Saints also had supporting cast contributions that loomed large such as Adam Beattie (three points, nine rebounds) and Deis (five points, six rebounds).
What it meant: In the long run very little. The Saints lost two nights later to Christian Brothers (Sacramento), which defeated Colfax for the SJS Div. IV championship. After the season, Particelli’s 14-year tenure came to an end. In the state of California, off-campus coaches (which Particelli was) are required to re-apply for their job every year. If an on-campus employee applies, he or she is given first priority. Athletic director Tom Hoppe, who was a physical education teacher, applied for the job and received it.
The Saints would compete in the SJS for one more season before rejoining the North Coast Section. Hoppe coached the team for two stints (1999-2007). Particelli coached again from 2007-2009. Hoppe coached again from 2009-2014. Joe Densberger has been the coach ever since.
St. Helena has not won a playoff game since that night and has had only pockets of success: 14-13 under Particelli in 2007-2008, 20-7 in 2010-11 and 19-8 in 2011-2012. The last two came under Hoppe. The ‘10-11 season included a North Central League I title, first league crown since 1986. Those are the lone plus .500 seasons since 1998-1999.
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