Time Out with Robbie Steen (2007 Napa High graduate)

Vince D’Adamo: What did you enjoy most about competing in athletics throughout your life?

Steen: At first I enjoyed playing and competing with and against my friends. I grew up with a extremely competitive group of friends. Every day you could find us playing football, basketball, golf, wiffle ball or ping pong in someone’s garage or court. As we got older and were able to compete on the same team against neighboring counties, we took pride in representing Napa. We wanted to prove not only to ourselves but to the rest of the Bay Area and Northern California that our crew from Napa wasn’t messing around and you could never take us lightly. The most enjoyable thing about competing in athletics was putting a uniform on that said Napa across the chest and playing next to my best friends.

D’Adamo:  What have you been doing since graduating from high school?

Steen: After high school I went to Napa Valley College and played two years of baseball under Bob Freschi, earning my A.A. Degree. I transferred to Chico State in 2010 and graduated with a Degree in Kinesiology in the Spring of 2013. Since then I’ve been pursuing a career in teaching and coaching. I started coaching football as a Special Teams coordinator in 2014 and 2105 for the Napa High Junior Varsity Football team under Nick Tedesco and Troy Mott. I was part of Todd Pridys baseball coaching staff at Napa High in 2014 and 2015. In 2016 I spent the Napa High Junior Varsity Football season as their Defensive Coordinator and now in 2017 I’ve taken on perhaps my biggest job as the Napa High Varsity Defensive Coordinator under Jesus “Chuy” Martinez. Doing so while working toward a single subject teaching credential in Physical Education and teaching P.E. throughout the Napa Valley Unified.

D’Adamo: It's been 10 years since Napa High football's section title, what do you continue to remember about that journey?

Steen: People might not know this but during that season, as a team, we went through a lot of peaks and valleys. Our 13 – 1 record doesn’t make it seem like we had many troubles that year but as a team throughout the community we would hear stuff like, “They’re too small, they’re not strong enough, they have one good player, they have a second year Head Coach, they’re learning a new defense, they’ll never get past the Sacramento schools.” When it comes from people in your own community you might see normal High School Football teams believe and play into that negativity. That 2007 team however was different, we were not “Normal”. Most of us had played together since we were 10 years old for the Napa Saints winning the 2000 Turkey Bowl as Jr. Pee Wees, still the only team ever to do it. All it did was drive us. It made our Captains work harder and the rest followed. It truly brought us together as a team and we became brothers. As cliché as it sounds, that’s what happened. You can have all the talent in the world but if you don’t mesh together as a team and want to work hard with the guy next to you, you will be just another normal high school football team. That’s what I remember about that journey, my teammates, my brothers.

D’Adamo: Now that you are part of the Napa High football coaching staff, what do you hope youngsters learn from you having coached them?

Steen: I think now more than ever, as someone who graduated and played at Napa High it’s important to get back to our roots, our traditions. The things we never went away from, the things that make us Napa High. Things like power football. Things like the Tomahawk Chop. Things like sitting in the front two rows during class. Things that build a community around our school and our town. For the last 25 plus years the Napa High Football program has molded young men to go on and be outstanding members of our community. My job is simple, it’s to carry out and build on the traditions coaches like Coach Mott, Dunlap and Herlocker left before me.

D’Adamo: Within your family, who have been the most influential people?

Steen: I’ve played for a lot of great coaches, but my all time favorite coach is my Dad. He spent his career teaching and coaching at Hogan High and Jesse Bethel High. When I was a kid my Mom, sometimes my Grandpa (see question 7) would rush me down to Vallejo after school on Fridays to take the team bus or meet at Corbus Field where I would ball boy or bat boy for my Dad’s teams. Something people might have confused about me is that when I was growing up I didn’t care about the Napa-Vintage rivalry, I wanted to be down in Vallejo with my dad and watch his teams. Some were very good teams, teams that would come up to Napa and put it on Napa, Vintage and Justin. Some, Vince as you know were very bad teams. But with my dad you really couldn’t tell when he got home if he had won or lost. My dad explained to me very young that the best coaches are never too high with excitement or too low with regret, they’re neutral, right in the middle. That’s how he was and how he acted. Whether he was on the sidelines or in the 3rd base coaches box you could look at his body language and not be able to tell what the score of the game was. That’s something I’ll always take with me. My family influences don’t stop at him though, My Grandfather Bob Steen coached for many years in the valley and was the Athletic Director at Napa Valley Community College. My Uncle Mike Brown was a PE teacher and Coach as well as the Athletic Director at Napa High. My cousin Matt Brown is a teacher and the head baseball coach at American Canyon High. All of whom I’ve learned from and who have influenced me to get to where I am today.

D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most like to meet.

Steen: I believe not to long ago, you performed the same interview with my cousin Matt Brown and I’m going to give you the same answer he did to this question. I would love to meet a lot of historical people in or out of sports but most of all, one more golf lesson or wise words of wisdom from my legend of a Grandfather Bob Steen would be most appropriate for me. When at family gatherings, my cousins and I all go around and tell our most famous story about grandpa. Stories of him and his brothers, stories of him in War, stories about how good of an athlete he was. I didn’t know it when I was younger but my grandpa was a legend. The thing that gets me the most is when I’m out in public and somehow an old timer from Napa finds out that I’m a Steen and they ask if I’m related to Bob Steen, I reply with a yes he’s my grandfather. I then get story after story about not how good of a coach he was, not how good of an athlete he was, but how good of a person he was. How big his heart was and what he stood for. It is then at that moment that I know I am where I’m supposed to be and I’m on the right path. For me coaching in Napa isn’t just a career or a hobby, it’s always been what my life is about, it’s a true calling, it’s the purest form of a “family business” as you can get. My Grandpa is the reason my Dad, Uncle, Cousin and myself do what we do.

Hunt was a great historian and a great person

Sometimes the world will bring you to your knees. For me along with many others in the Napa Valley, Wednesday, June 28, 2017, was one of those days.

I rolled out of bed for work at 4:10 a.m., ahead of my alarm clock. I then saw a text message alert from a friend of mine informing me that Jim Hunt passed away on Tuesday morning at age 72. My heart sunk faster than a deep-running fishing lure. The news broke on both traditional (Napa Valley Register) and social (Facebook) media on Wednesday throughout the day.

In my ten years as a sports reporter for the St. Helena Star and Weekly Calistogan, I got to know Hunt very well. Hunt, however, was not just a news source. Hunt was a story-teller that had you longing for more.

Hunt graduated from St. Helena High in 1962 and was a three-sport star (football, basketball, and baseball) for the Saints. Hunt later went on to play defensive back and quarterback at the University of California-Berkeley. He frequently talked about a game Cal played against Navy. In that contest, Hunt intercepted a Roger Staubach pass. Yes, that Roger Staubach. For those kinds of stories, I say tell it as many times as you can.

It was only fitting that Hunt was a storyteller. Hunt was also a history teacher and head football coach at Calistoga High from 1978-1984, piloting the Wildcats to the CIF North Coast Section Class B championship. Under Hunt’s guidance, Calistoga went 43-19-2.

Teaching and coaching were Hunt’s livelihood while a member of the workforce. He taught at Lenox School for Boys in Massachusetts before returning to his Napa Valley roots. Hunt taught at Justin-Siena in 1976-177 before taking the aforementioned job at Calistoga. Hunt later took the same position at Rancho Cotate (Rohnert Park).

Hunt contributed to both sides of Upvalley history. As a Saints football player, he was part of St. Helena winning streak of 46 games, which spanned from 1960-1964. The streak was 53 games without a defeat.

On the Calistoga side, besides the aforementioned NCS Class B title, Hunt coached the famed “Dirty Dozen” team in 1984. The Wildcats entered that season with just 12 players, later gaining a 13th. Despite a limited roster, Calistoga went 7-2 that season. Though the Wildcats had seasons with better win totals and more achievements, one would be hard pressed to find a team that embodied toughness and resilience like that one.

In retirement, Hunt became the de facto Upvalley historian, compiling record books for St. Helena and Calistoga. Hunt also pioneered the formation of the St. Helena High Athletic Hall of Fame, which started in 2013. Hunt was inducted in 2014. Hunt attacked his work as a historian with the same vigor he had as a coach and player. He described it as “a labor of love” and my goodness, it was labor and he loved it.

I only knew Hunt the last eight and a half years he was alive but the first time I met him, I felt an instant connection. I am a first-generation American with both parents, sets of grandparents along with many aunts and uncles coming to the United States from Italy. Hunt went to St. Helena High with two of my aunts, Julie (Santi) Prince and Anna (Santi) True. He and Aunt Julie were in the same graduating class together. He constantly told me that my aunts are beautiful. They are in more ways than one if I do say so myself.

I first met Hunt in the summer of 2008 when St. Helena and Calistoga continued their on again/off again football series. It marked the first meeting since 1989. I brought two hats with me, one from St. Helena, the other from Calistoga. I had him pose for three pictures and he was remarkably receptive. For the Star, he wore the Saints hat. For the Calistogan, he wore the Wildcats hat. For the Register, he held both hats side-by-side.

Jim and I were not friends as far as doing things together socially but whenever I talked to him, whether it was interviewing him for a newspaper story or randomly crossing paths with him grocery shopping at Nob Hill Foods in Napa, there was a connection. In fact, our conversations were so great I had to actually remember that I had shopping to do.

I’ll be 45 years old in August so I guess to me, Jim was an “old timer.” However, I mean that description with respect. Whether it pertains to sports or life, there is something remarkably refreshing hearing someone tell stories that I either a) was not alive to witness or b) was alive when they occurred but so far on the periphery when they happened but suddenly feel invested in such events.

In 2014, Calistoga was in the midst of a terrible season in which it went 2-8. I had nothing uplifting about that team to write but thank goodness for the Dirty Dozen. Thanks to then Calistoga High athletic director D.J. Hein, members of that team along with Hunt were honored at halftime in an October matchup against Tomales. In the weeks leading up to that game, I did numerous one-on-one interviews with members of that team along with Hunt. I remember feeling incredibly fascinated.

In the late 2000s to mid 2010s, St. Helena had historic seasons in football, baseball, basketball and volleyball to name a few. It was refreshing to see Hunt as a regular presence. Hunt was not an old timer that believed his era was the only one. He genuinely appreciated youngsters from the millennial era like Richard Hoppe, Charles Bertoli, the Brink twins (Joey and Danny) along with Dylan Alvarado.

The feeling was similar when I heard him talk about times growing up as a student-athlete in St. Helena, long before the social media era and long before Napa Valley was known as “The Wine Country.”

I get that Hunt’s passing is part of life. The only guarantees are birth, taxes and death. Jim, I’m in no hurry to get where you are going but I have no doubt we will meet again some day. Sharing stories.

Time Out with Dennis Raines -- former Napa High assistant football coach

Vince D’Adamo: Be it as a student-athlete at Vintage High or coaching with your brother, Troy Mott, what is the No. 1 thing that keeps you coming back to football every season?

Dennis Raines: Without a doubt the kids. I truly believe in building young men in my community and football is one of the best ways to do so in my opinion. I have been very fortunate to work with some of the best men in our community at teaching the game of football and life lessons.

D’Adamo: Though assistant coaches are not the first ones people think of, what do you believe their role is in terms of player development on and off the field?

Raines: I think if you ask any head coach worth their salt, they would tell you that good assistant coaches are paramount to the success of the program. I pride myself on building relationships with my group of players. Being a lineman is not a glamorous job. It's hard tough work and to the average fan goes unnoticed unless that player gets called for holding or jumps offsides. Through the years we've been able to create a culture where guys want to be a lineman and take pride in their work on the field.

D’Adamo: Even if high school is the pinnacle of a youngster's sports career, how much do you believe they grow as adults because of competing in athletics?

Raines: Playing sports teaches accountability, mental toughness and the desire to compete. All of these traits are going to help a person in their everyday life.

D’Adamo: Besides the Xs and Os of coaching, how important is it to be able to relate to youngsters as people?

Raines: Being able to relate to my players might be the most important thing about coaching. It's important that my players understand that I will hold them accountable for their mistakes and sometimes will need to raise my voice to get my point across but at the end of day I still love them and want what's best for them.

D’Adamo: Within your family who have been the most influential people?

Raines: My wife and kids and my older brother, Troy. My family has supported me through this coaching journey with all they have. To be competitive in our league and section requires a lot of time away.

From my family, we like to joke that our marriage is disrupted for football season. They are my rocks and the most unselfish people I know.

I have been fortunate to coach with my brother, Troy for the last decade. He's an amazing leader and builder of young men. Growing up I didn't have to look outside our home for a hero, he was sleeping on the bunk bed above me. Hopefully in the near future we will be roaming the sidelines again together.

D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most like to meet and what would intrigue you about meeting that person.

Raines: Although not a historical figure, I would like nothing more than to spend an afternoon with my Great Grandfather. He was a WW2 veteran and the proudest American I have ever met. He passed away when I was 20 and never met my wife and 2 youngest kids. I fly the flag in front of my house every day to honor him.

Time Out with Chris Cowart (1991 St. Helena High graduate)

Vince D’Adamo: What did you enjoy most about competing in athletics throughout your life?

Chris Cowart: I always enjoyed playing sports, typically playing outside and competing with my friends. I believe it was a great way to bond, socialize and find my place in the hierarchy of social politics. I am certain that it has had a positive impact on my ability to socialize and relate to others in a comfortable way. I certainly made a lot of friends from playing sports and became acutely aware of my abilities, and developed a sense of self worth and confidence that I am not sure I may have had or have developed without playing and competing in sports. I also liked the routine and ritual of it. If I had to give you one word to answer your question, it would be, competition. I believe we compete for just about everything in life. Healthy competition is good.

D’Adamo: What have you been doing since graduating from high school?

Cowart: I feel as though I have been in school ever since I got out of school.  Seriously, I went to the University of Georgia and received a B.S. in Agricultural Economics, studied for and passed the FINRA Series 6, 63, 7, 65 and 24 (at different times over my almost 20 year career in financial services).  These are all financial services licenses, as I work in Wealth Management at SunTrust Bank in Atlanta, GA, currently. While working, I have also studied and received my MBA from Mercer University, my CFP and CRPC financial designations, and all my insurance licenses. I am now studying for my CTFA designation, so personal and skill development is a big part of my life, and has been throughout my life, since graduating high school.

D’Adamo: What was your favorite class at St. Helena High?

Cowart: English, any class that Mr. Ainsley was teaching. I took them all, mostly because of him, not particularly because I had a great interest in it. I learned more about life and a ton of topics from being in his classes.

D’Adamo: What was your favorite athletic moment at St. Helena High?

Cowart: That is a very hard question. I guess I would have to say playing in the SCAL tournaments for tennis all four years at St. Helena. There are a lot of great moments on the basketball ball court, too, but they would be too hard to describe here.

D’Adamo: How much do you feel you have grown personally since graduating from high school and how much of that do you trace to athletics?

Cowart: See answer to question #1.  Sports and athletics were an integral part of my growing up and my of personal development.

D’Adamo: Within your family, who have been the most influential people?

Cowart: That's easy, my Mother.  She is a rock and the one that I draw my strength from.  She is an amazing lady.

D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most like to meet.

Cowart: Thomas Jefferson..........and George Jefferson, for what it's worth.

Time out with Ricci (Robben) Thompson -- 2003 Vintage High graduate

Vince D’Adamo: What did you enjoy most about competing in athletics throughout your life?

Ricci Thompson: The thing I enjoyed about competing in athletics is that key word “competing.” I loved that world of competition and always trying to be better than the next team and player. I never wanted to quit or be beaten. We know we will never win every single game but it’s those games I lost where I learned more about what I needed to do, to be better the next time in order to not lose.

Athletics has taught me in life to always try and be the best I can. Whether that's in my workplace, as a mom, and a wife. If there's some place I am not doing the great in, I need to step back, just like in athletics and focus on the area of opportunity.

D’Adamo: What have you been doing since graduating from high school?

Thompson: I went off to play at the University of Wisconsin, where I played at the D-I level for softball and received my Bachelors degree. I then met my husband, Marquis, and have two kids, Marquis Jr 8, and Londynn 2.  Most recently I have taken over my dad's hitting lessons. So between being a mom, wife, working, and teaching hitting and pitching, you could say I am pretty busy.

D’Adamo: What was your favorite class at Vintage High?

Thompson: There is so many to choose but I would probably say math with Mr. D (Stan domezio). He, too, was my JV basketball coach.

D’Adamo: What was your favorite athletic moment at Vintage High?

Thompson: My favorite athletic moment, would probably be facing Alicia Hollowell as a freshman in the semi-finals at sections and going extra innings with her. Even though we lost this is a game that I always remember.

D’Adamo: How much do you feel you have grown personally since graduating from high school and how much of that do you trace to athletics?

Thompson: I feel that I have personally grown a lot since graduating from high school. I feel that athletics has taught me hard-work, dedication, focus, and always striving to be the best I can be. Especially being a student-athlete at the collegiate level, you have to have all those things in order to focus on school work and your sport.

D’Adamo: Within your family, who have been the most influential people?

Thompson: I think it would be to hard to chose someone influential in my family. Everyone always did a lot for me to make sure I had everything I needed while growing up and playing sports. The list would be too long if I had to list out everything. I am very thankful for all of them.

D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most like to meet.

Thompson: I know it's probably cliche to say but, Stephen Curry. Just being able to talk to someone who had to overcome so many obstacles to get where he is. The way he put dedication and hard-work into everything he did and still does. He still remains humble and sticks to what he believes in.

Cautiously optimistic Napa High football will be fine

The offseason narrative has been that the Napa High football program was shaken to the core, turned upside down, inside out and rightside up.

That belief has credence when you factor in alleged hazing incidents, former head coach Troy Mott’s resignation as a result of a power struggle with the administration, school board meetings that had parents, student-athletes and community members going nuclear, and players looking to transfer to different schools due to the uncertainty of the 2017 season.

All of Mott’s assistant coaches had resigned with two of them, Ian MacMillan and Kirk Anderson going to different schools, St. Helena and American Canyon respectively. Finding a coach was in such dire straits, and I don’t mean “Sultans of Swing,” that Napa High principal Annie Petrie sent a letter to parents on May 18 with a self-imposed deadline of June 15 to find a head coach or the 2017 season would be cancelled.

Napa High without a football season? That would have gone over like a screen door in a submarine for a school that has existed since 1897 and is the longest standing Napa Valley football program along with St. Helena.

As a former sports reporter that writes as a hobby since changing careers in December 2014, I want to make one thing clear. I support all Napa Valley high school athletic programs from Calistoga to the North to American Canyon to the South.

Though I graduated from Justin-Siena in 1991, I have spent 38 of 44 years in this town. I could not fathom Napa High without football. I always admired the program from afar. No one wanted to go within 100 yards of the job as evidenced but six candidates being interviewed with two being offered the job only to say no thanks.

Fortunately longtime JV assistant Jesus Martinez, who was the Indians JV head coach last season agreed to take the reigns at the blessing of Mott and principal Annie Petrie. Martinez is a 2004 Napa High graduate that was the Indians quarterback with Jerry Dunlap as head coach with Mott as an assistant.

I wanted to talk to Martinez right after he got hired but I felt it was best to wait a few weeks so as to allow the choppy seas to calm down on some level. He was amenable to such. By my own admission, I lit the Napa High administration and NVUSD board of trustees on fire in two other blog posts. I take nothing back but I see no point rehashing anything any more than necessary.

However, when I stopped by practice last week to talk to Martinez, I came away cautiously optimistic that Napa High football will be fine.

For openers, dating back to 2002, Napa has compiled a 122-42-1 overall record, 59-11 in Monticello Empire League that also includes a CIF Sac Joaquin Section Div. I title in 2007.

The staff still has a heavy Napa High influence with assistants Robbie Steen, Kevin Anderson, Alex Russ, Jeremy Wooten and Nick Tedesco being alums. Throw in the fact that Mott is still around as a mentor because Martinez is jumping into the deep end going from JV to varsity.

Having Mott as a resource is also a benefit from the standpoint of offering guidance on practice formats, game management, etc.

The non league schedule will not be easy with Pittman (Turlock), Rocklin, Nevada Union, Riordan (San Francisco) and Pleasant Valley (Chico). Those teams combined for a 30-27 record in 2016 with that mark being skewed by Riordan and Nevada Union’s 2-8 record. As far as the Monticello Empire League is concerned, Vacaville is not going anywhere for the foreseeable future. The Bulldogs and Napa have each won sole possession or shared the MEL title every year since 2003. Vintage and Wood are not easy outs. Then there are bottom feeders such as Rodriguez and Armijo.  

There is plenty of talent to keep the streak of postseason appearances alive. While there is no question the offseason uncertainty was an emotional drain and the healing process will continue for quite some time, I believe often times kids are more resilient than adults because they don’t know any different.

The fact that many players continued their offseason conditioning program led by athletic director Thomas Sims speaks to the inherent work ethic these youngsters have.

Though Martinez lacks coaching experience on the varsity level, the fact that he and much of the staff are Napa High alums are to their benefit. They know the lay of the land and their status as alums gives them built-in equity if times become a challenge. Whereas an outsider would not get the same benefit of the doubt.  

The program was shaken but not near to the level that it could have been. Thank goodness there will be players donning Blue & Gold jerseys this season.

Summer conditioning a healthy medicine for Napa High football

In lieu of what has been a tumultuous offseason, the Napa High football team’s focus is one direction -- straight ahead.

Four weeks after the promotion of JV head coach Jesus Martinez to varsity head coach, the Indians continue preparing in earnest for the 2017 season. It was not long ago that there was concern if such a scenario would take place in lieu of alleged hazing incidents that later led to former head coach Troy Mott’s resignation as a result of a power struggle with the Napa Valley Unified School District board of trustees and the Napa High administration.

Two months came and went before Martinez was the chosen one at recommendation of both Mott and Petrie. The decision came three weeks before the self-imposed deadline that stated if a coach was not named by June 15, the 2017 season would be cancelled.

With resolution of the coaching status as well as the the 2017 campaign, the program has faded from the public eye after two months of being in it for reasons other than football. Martinez added that the returning players are enjoying a new lease on life as their focus is 50 yards wide and 100 yards long.

“They reacted just like a kid would react,” Martinez said referring to player reaction of program resolution. “They were extremely happy, motivated, ready to work and get back to football. The only downside is that we are down on numbers but slowly they’ve been coming back. Some kids have been on vacation but I couldn’t be happier with the work ethic. They want to be out here.”

Martinez, however, was also quick to add that the players’ work ethic did not just begin when there was coaching staff resolution. From the day Mott resigned (March 15) to the day Martinez was promoted (May 24), the players stayed actively involved in their offseason conditioning thanks to Thomas Sims, who is the Napa High athletic director.

“The work ethic of the kids really stands out,” Martinez said. “They continued to put the time in even without coaches they worked hard on their own. Then when we stepped in they were still working hard together as a team. We really didn’t have to enforce working out, obviously we pushed them a little harder but their work ethic is there.”

Despite the coaching shakeup, the Indians are not going through the drastic shakeup that some people expected. Keep in mind, Martinez is a former Napa High quarterback having graduated in 2004. Before serving as JV head coach last season, he was a JV assistant the previous nine campaigns.

As was the case under Mott, the staff has a Napa High flavor that includes but is not limited to Robbie Steen, Kevin Anderson, Alex Russ, Jeremy Wooten and Nick Tedesco.

“Pretty much all of these guys are Napa High alums,” Martinez said. “We’re our here because we love Napa High and we love the kids. We want to see the program continue to go.”

Mott, however, has not disappeared entirely as he still has a role in the program as a mentor to Martinez so as to get acclimated to his role as varsity head coach.

“He’s been a tremendous help for me,” Martinez said. “He’s definitely offered a suggestion here and there. He’s also been helpful as far as how to run practices. He’s been a huge help to the rest of the coaching staff.”

The focus now becomes continuing an annual winning tradition that includes but is not limited to dating back to 2002, during which time Napa has compiled a 122-42-1 overall record, 59-11 in Monticello Empire League that also includes a CIF Sac Joaquin Section Div. I title in 2007.

The 2017 season will mark the last for Napa in the SJS. Napa, Vintage and American Canyon will move to the North Coast Section in 2018. The league they will be placed is to be determined.

From a schematic point of view, Napa will look similar in that defensively it will at times be a 4-3 front and on offense the indians will still operate out of the pistol formation.

“Defensively we are pretty much going to be the same,” Martinez said. “On offense, we are not changing too many things. There will be some different looks. Sometimes we might run the offense with no huddle but there’s not going to be any wholesale changes from what they have already run with me at the JV level.”

There will be no illusion to where the Indians stand based on their non league schedule that includes Pleasant Valley (Chico) and Rocklin along with Riordan (San Francisco), Nevada Union and Pittman (Turlock). As far as the MEL is concern, the league title has been decided between either Napa or Vacaville since 2002 but Wood (Vacaville) has become a tough out and Vintage appears to be trending up under alum Dylan Leach, who was Napa’s defensive coordinator from 2010-2015.

Besides the summer weight-room and conditioning program, the Indians are competing in 7-on-7 contests throughout the summer with fellow Napa Valley schools Vintage, American Canyon, Justin-Siena and St. Helena.

“We like the competition,” Martinez said. “It’s about getting the kids their fight back. They haven’t had competition in seven months. It’s about getting back into a competitive feeling.”

Recalling moments that morphed dating into marriage

Editor’s note: this story was originally published in the June 1 edition of the St. Helena Star. G.S. Whitt is a freelance reporter for the newspaper.

By G.S. Whitt

Special to vincedadamo.blogspot.com

I attended the wedding of Nick Reinell and former Star Sports reporter Jessica Lander on Saturday, May 20 in Angwin, CA.

It was a magical evening. The couple’s love for each other was truly palpable, as was their love and appreciation for the collection of family and friends who were privileged to be in attendance. I was one of the lucky ones.

Throughout that Saturday I found myself recalling the first time I saw Nick and Jessica’s connection up close and personal. It was in the fall of 2012 when I was fortunate enough to spend the Thanksgiving weekend with them.

Nick and his family were gracious enough to invite me to Thanksgiving dinner. The trip also included the three of us attending the USC-Notre Dame football game at the LA Coliseum.

This was during the forgettable Lane Kiffin era so the Irish, who were en route to a perfect regular season and an appearance in the national championship game against Alabama, cruised to a comfortable victory over the Trojans.

But that is not my most lasting memory from the trip. Ironically, at the moment it happened, it was the low point of the trip. But now whenever I reflect on it, a smile immediately comes to my face and will for the rest of my life. I hope it will do the same for the happy couple and future generations.

Long story short, the three of us were riding in my van, and we were going to drop Jessica off so she could spend time with one of her friends from college who was living in Los Angeles at the time.

During the course of the trip, Jess and Nick somehow became involved in a lovers’ quarrel. I don’t remember what the quarrel was about.

After we dropped Jess off, I advised Nick he needed to apologize and that it would be nice if the apology was accompanied by a bouquet of flowers.

As I remember, Nick resisted the idea, but he eventually warmed to it and as Saturday night can attest everything worked out just fine.

Over the next four and a half years, I would often end my conversations or meetings with Nick and Jessica individually or collectively with a question: Had Nick bought Jessica flowers recently? My query would elicit smiles and laughter from both parties, a sure sign they were in love and secure in their relationship.

There was never a question of if what happened that Saturday night, would happen. It was simply a question of when?

Accordingly, a conversation with Nick, often would open with these words, “You popped the question yet?” It got to the point where he often beat me to the punch with a quick “No,” which was followed by a familiar laugh. But he always assured me it was only a matter of time. What’s more, he said, besides an engagement ring, his proposal to Jess would include a bouquet of flowers.

So, I was thrilled when I received that voicemail from Jessica which consisted of just five words. “Nick gave me flowers today.” Those were five of the sweetest words I’ve ever heard.

Our culture tells us to live in the moment. There is wisdom in that message, after all, tomorrow is not promised to any of us.

Still there is an even deeper meaning for me in witnessing events like Nick and Jessica’s wedding on Saturday, May 20.

It gave me a glimpse of the future — beyond my lifetime. It reminded me that all of us impact our friends’ lives, and there is still plenty of goodness and love in the world, if you take the time to look for it. It was on full display that Saturday night, and was truly a beautiful thing to see.

G.S. Whitt is a freelance sports reporter for the St. Helena Star.

Time Out with Mike Kramer (1994 Justin-Siena High graduate)

Vince D’Adamo: What did you enjoy most about competing in athletics throughout your life? Mike Kramer: I don't know that there is really anything that I didn't or haven't enjoyed about competing in athletics throughout my life. There were times in my career both as a player and as a coach where I would have to deal with a slump or losing a game or a series and didn't particularly enjoy the outcomes at the time. Those moments are easily overshadowed by all the positive experiences athletics offered. The relationships I have had with teammates, coaches and even opponents, the opportunity to travel and see the country through athletics, the lessons of discipline, dedication, resilience, persistence, setting and achieving goals. Those are the reasons I have enjoyed competing and why I continue to still compete. D’Adamo: What have you been doing since graduating from high school? Kramer: I attended and played baseball at Pepperdine where I was fortunate to have played with and against a number of major leaguers. Once my playing career ended when I graduated from Pepperdine in 1999, I joined the coaching staff as an assistant for the 2000 season. I went on to work as an assistant at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for the 2001-2002 seasons before moving back out west to coach at the University of San Diego from 2003-2005.  While I was coaching at USD, I completed my Master's degree in Leadership Studies. I also coached in a couple of collegiate summer leagues - I was an assistant with the 2000 Danville Dans of the Central Illinois Collegiate League (which is now the Prospect League) and I was the head coach for the Thomasville (NC) Hi-Toms in the Coastal Plain League in 2002-2003.   Following the 2005 season at USD, I decided it was time to get out of coaching so I could get a better work/life balance and spend more time with my wife, Kristina (whom I met while I was coaching at UNC-Greensboro and then married in 2004).  In 2006, we decided to make the move to near her family in Maine and have been here now for over 10 years where I have been working in sales in the pharmaceutical and medical device industry. To satisfy my competitive needs, I took up racing in triathlons (mostly sprint and Olympic distance, although I have completed a few 70.3 distance races) and have now competed in nearly 50 total races in eight states including racing in the age group national championships in 2011. The best and most important thing that I have been doing is spending time with my family - especially my two amazing children Madeline who is 5, and Collin who is 3. D’Adamo: What was your favorite class at Justin-Siena High? Kramer: We were fortunate to have had a number of great teachers at Justin.  But for me, my favorite class was Anatomy and Physiology with Ms Birkmeyer.  Right behind A&P with Ms Birkmeyer were my algebra and Christian life classes with Mr. Clark and History with Mr. Foletta. D’Adamo: What was your favorite athletic moment at Justin-Siena High? Kramer: Despite having baseball as such a big part of my life throughout high school, my favorite athletic memories from Justin mostly involve my senior season of basketball. That was such a memorable year. We played in a Christmas tournament in Hawaii and won the SCAL title by beating Vanden in the final regular season game on their home court.  Even though I remember that I did not personally play that well in that game at Vanden, getting that team win was probably my favorite moment because it accomplished two things that hadn't been done in years for the boys basketball program - win a league title and host a home playoff game in the South Gym. Unfortunately, when we did host that playoff game versus Colfax, we had one of our worst performances and were completely outplayed which ended an otherwise memorable season. D’Adamo: How much do you feel you have grown personally since graduating from high school and how much of that do you trace to athletics? Kramer: I'm now a few weeks away from turning 41 so I hope that I have grown personally since high school. Joking aside, I don't know that I or anyone who knows me well would be able to separate my involvement with athletics from who I am now as a person. My experience with sports, baseball especially, has had a significant impact on my approach to life.  The two sayings that best sum up who I am and who I strive to be in all aspects of life were preached by my hitting coach, Dave Esquer (who is now the head coach at Cal) while I was at Pepperdine. He would often say, "it's never as good as it seems, and it's never as bad as it seems" and "if you are not getting better, you are getting worse."  Both of these statements, whether in the context of baseball or life, have always resonated with me.    D’Adamo: Within your family, who have been the most influential people? Kramer: My parents were always unbelievably supportive in allowing me to participate in sports while I was growing up. They made a number of sacrifices in order to provide those opportunities and share in those experiences with me.  At various points, both my mom and/or dad volunteered to be board members in either Little League or Joe DiMaggio summer baseball, would tape basketball games and sometimes even practices, and despite the work schedules that they each kept, there were very few games that they did not make from my grade school sports days through high school. I was also very close with my grandmother (from my dad's side).  I credit her with fostering much of my love for the game of baseball.  Back when I was probably only 6 or 7, she joined a senior center over in Fairfield in large part because she was able to get us tickets for both A's and Giants games and she would take me along on the group trips to the games.  I have such fond memories of going on those bus rides, mostly to the Coliseum, with all of her "little old lady friends." D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most like to meet. Kramer: I think that I would go with a non-sports figure and would want to meet Abraham Lincoln because I respect his leadership, resilience, conviction, and perseverance at what was such a pivotal point in the history of our country.