LaRocco looks to keep ship on course as Braves new gridiron coach

In a matter of less than 48 hours, the Justin-Siena High (Napa) football program has undergone a significant shakeup.

No sooner do they mutually part ways with Rich Cotruvo. Gee, that sounds like a Jed York/Trent Baalke euphemism after the San Francisco 49ers mutually agreed to part ways with head coach Jim Harbaugh.

Cotruvo has been hired as the new head coach at Terra Linda and less than 48 hours later, Brandon LaRocco is named Cotruvo’s replacement. LaRocco’s hiring was confirmed in Friday’s online edition of the Napa Valley Register.

Well, those Justin-Terra Linda matchups just became much more compelling. I only know LaRocco in passing but I don’t get the feeling that he will be the Braves version of Jim Tomsula. LaRocco speaks in complete sentences so that’s already an improvement. LaRocco also has more leadership ability in his left toe than Tomsula has in his whole body but I digress.

Though he is a Fairfield native and Vacaville resident, LaRocco has been a Justin-Siena football lifer. He graduated from Justin in 1998. LaRocco’s senior year as a player was Cotruvo’s first as the Braves head coach for what turned out to be an enormously successful 19-year stint. LaRocco was a JV assistant for three seasons and a varsity assistant for eight seasons, coaching both offensive and defensive lines along with special teams. LaRocco was also the freshmen head man in 2014.

LaRocco was described in the Register by athletic director George Nessman as a highly respected faculty member. That statement might sound like hyperbole but I can give evidence that it is not. LaRocco was the Braves track and field head coach from 2009-2013. In that span, Justin went from having 30 kids in the program to 95 four years later. The 2013 team finished second in MCAL dual meets. The boys finished second at the league championships and won the CIF North Coast Section Class A title. The Justin girls were section runner-ups, missing first place by a mere two points. The Braves qualified 18 athletes for the NCS Meet of Champions, most in school history in a single season.

So you might be asking, how does that translate to LaRocco as a football coach? You hear the term “buy in” get thrown around like candy. However, any coach that gets numbers to increase that dramatically on his watch, brings instant credibility in his leadership.

Make no mistake, going from assistant coach to head coach is an adjustment. You get both the glory and the headaches. I know track is a different sport than football but the fact that LaRocco has experience leading a program will serve him well.

In replacing Cotruvo, LaRocco is “the guy that followed the guy.” Cotruvo’s resume has been well-documented: Six NCS titles and a 144-74 record from 1997-2015. You also have to realize that before Cotruvo arrived, the program was a hot mess going 27-67 from 1987-1996 under four different head coaches (Randall McClure, Robbie Gomes, G.L. Siner and Rob Parker). LaRocco has seen both the highs and lows, the former as a coach and mostly the latter as a player.

Justin’s administration moved very quickly, so quickly that LaRocco looked like he was the imminent successor the moment Cotruvo stepped aside. There are two ways to look at that. On the downside, you could say, did Justin move too fast without looking at other options? On the plus side, you could say, Justin knew what it wanted, saw that its ideal choice was right under its nose so why not move fast to snatch him up?

The easy angle for saying this is a good hire is that LaRocco is an alum. That quality is an easy sell to initially get parents, alums, boosters, etc. on board but that alone does not make someone a good hire.

Replacing a coach with a decorated resume like Cotruvo is hard but kids are more resilient than you think. The fact that LaRocco is stepping in, is a good sign because while he may be different than Cotruvo in certain areas, the program is not likely to undergo wholesale changes.

LaRocco will double as the defensive coordinator and have former Braves quarterback Tyler Streblow as the offensive coordinator running a version of the Houston split-back veer offense.

The key will be who he surrounds himself with as assistant coaches.

I have no doubt that LaRocco is ready to be a head coach after nearly two decades of laboring in the vines as an assistant. Since my beats were outside of the City of Napa, I only saw and/or interacted with LaRocco occasionally but I know the man well enough to say that he leads and speaks with conviction. That quality will serve him well.

The wild card is which assistant coaches does he add to his staff? Though most people fixate on head coaches, assistant coaches are vital. On a local level, I know you won’t get any argument on the matter from the active Napa Valley football head coaches: Troy Mott (Napa), Larry Singer (American Canyon), Brandon Farrell (St. Helena) and Mike Ervin (Calistoga).

Cotruvo built the ship, LaRocco’s role is to keep it on course.

Cotruvo's departure from Justin gives reason for pause

Do you ever have those times where you get news you least expected? I got that news on Thursday night as I was sitting on my couch watching the NFL Draft. I get a text message from Marty James, who is the senior sports reporter for the Napa Valley Register. I worked with Marty for 14 years before I changed careers.

Marty informed me that Rich Cotruvo and Justin-Siena High School (Napa) will be “parting ways” after 19 years. So I get up at 4:30 a.m. on Friday morning before work to have my coffee and read my headlines. Sure enough, I see a story that Marty wrote on the Register’s website.

The 61-year old Cotruvo, however, is not getting out of coaching. Cotruvo has been hired as the new head coach at Terra Linda, which is a fellow Marin County Athletic League foe of the Braves.

Longtime assistant and 1998 Justin-Siena graduate Brandon LaRocco has been named Cotruvo’s replacement. More on that shortly in a separate blog entry.

Justin president and CEO Robert Jordan told the Register that he and Cotruvo had ongoing meetings for several weeks concerning the direction of the program. There was certainly nothing wrong with the direction on the field. In Cotruvo’s 19 seasons, the Braves went 144-74 with six CIF North Coast Section titles and were twice the runner-up.

The Register also reported that in a letter sent Wednesday to parents of Justin-Siena football players, Athletic Director George Nessman said, “Coach Cotruvo has discussed with the administration the many important programmatic transitions taking place, and all agree that the appropriate time for new leadership to emerge is now.”

Jordan told the Register “It is a private personnel matter that was professionally and mutually discussed between Coach Cotruvo and myself with respect and admiration for each other.”

“It’s a personal matter between Rich and myself, and I really want to leave it at that out of respect for Coach Cotruvo and for the school. I am proud of him. I am grateful for everything that he’s done.”

Jordan said he and Cotruvo “discussed a program change,” which they came to an agreement on.

“Thankfully, it’s been a mutual decision and we’ve handled it like gentlemen. I’m very honored to work with Coach Cotruvo,” said Jordan.

Cotruvo’s quote to the Register by all appearances is one who is taking the high road: “The program isn’t anything to me – the people are, and the kids,” he said. “I’ve been so honored and so blessed to have incredible families all through the years. I can’t remember the last time I had a parent complaint. I’ve been so supported here and blessed, that it’s just overwhelming.

“That’s what I’m most proud of, is that people understand that it’s more than just a game. It’s more about trying to move these gentlemen to a place where they can be counted on in society and be better citizens for themselves.”

In reading through the story, I can’t help but think the relationship was not amicable.

Granted, at the high school level, you don’t expect people in this situation to air their dirty laundry in public. Honestly, it’s nobody’s business and there is no benefit to such but we’re all human and can pose the question, which is essentially what I am doing. This is high school, not college or the pros. In a sense, you can say all parties involved were as honest as can be without being honest.

The fact that Cotruvo is going to Terra Linda is reason enough to wonder. I don’t mean that as a slight against Terra Linda but Cotruvo has been commuting from Walnut Creek to Napa since 1997. Going to Terra Linda means he is lengthening that commute.

I get that wins and losses are not everything. Did every player that suited up for the Braves like Cotruvo? Probably not but that’s true with every coach. However, ask most any player that was blessed to have Cotruvo as their coach and they would tell you he impacted their lives on and off the field.

Cotruvo’s role goes beyond his win-loss record at Justin. Sure, he was blessed with a brilliant coaching staff led by defensive coordinator Steve Vargus. However, all good head coaches know the value of having quality assistants.

To understand Cotruvo’s success, you have to understand the program he inherited. Let me tell you, it was a hot mess from 1987-1996. Dave Shipp resigned about a month before the start of the 1987 season. In that span, the Braves went 27-67. Yours truly graduated from Justin in 1991 and played for those teams. You have no idea what it was like going into every game where it felt like you had no shot at winning.

Cotruvo changed that mindset the moment he got there.

All signs point to Calistoga playing 8-man football for the foreseeable future

Calistoga High football fans have long needed a GPS to track which league the program was headed. Depending on one’s outlook, the Wildcats might actually get to stay in one place for the foreseeable future. The question becomes, is 8-man football what they covet or do they accept it as reality of their situation?

Here’s the primer for the paint:

If you count the upcoming season in 2016, Calistoga has been smack-dab in the middle of a league realignment seven times in 17 seasons since 1994. The Wildcats most recent change came after 2014. The North Central League II dissolved with St. Vincent (Petaluma) joining the Bay Football League and Calistoga, Tomales and Upper Lake joining the NCL III (8-man football). Calistoga had little trouble adapting to the change in head coach Mike Ervin’s return to the program. The Wildcats went 6-2. Ervin coached Calistoga from 2006-2010 before giving way to Paul Harrell, who resigned after 2014.

After the the 2014 season ended, Calistoga to be moved to the NCL III with Tomales and Upper Lake also making the same move. St. Vincent (Petaluma) moved to the Bay Football League but in 2016 will compete in NCL I, just for football. St. Vincent competed in that league from 2005 to 2010, but the only sticking point is that the NCL I would have an odd number of teams (nine).

In 2014, Calistoga had to forfeit its last four JV football games because of academic ineligibility severely limiting the team. Tomales had no JV team because there were only 14 kids in the entire football program. Upper Lake and St. Vincent each had JV teams but the former had to pull up three players from the JV team to have 11 players on varsity.

Then Calistoga High athletic director D.J. Hein said at the time that the premise of the move at the time was eligibility based but made sense based on enrollment.

OK, the primer is dry, time for the paint:

The NCL III consists of Anderson Valley, Rincon Valley Christian, Laytonville, Round Valley, Potter Valley, Point Arena and Mendocino to go along with the addition of Calistoga, Tomales and Upper Lake.

In the past, Calistoga football had the option from game to game of playing 9-man or 11-man football. That option ended the year Harrell took over for Mike Ervin in 2011.

Other factors have also contributed to hastening Calistoga’s move to the NCL III in that Div. V in the CIF North Coast Section became much more loaded with the addition of Middletown, Salesian (Richmond), John Swett (Crockett), St. Helena and St. Patrick’s (Vallejo), to name a few. Some of those schools have enrollments of 500 and change.

The permanency of being in a league for an extended period of time would be new, and perhaps welcome, for Calistoga.

Calistoga, however, is in that ‘tweener stage. The Wildcats would get housed on a regular basis in the NCL I but the NCL III is too limiting on a long-term basis. On a given year, Calistoga has enough numbers to fill a JV and varsity team but the rest of the NCL III with the exception of Upper Lake does not have that luxury. In a recent e-mail, Ervin told me that last season the Wildcats had enough players for two teams. The problem was, there were no games to play so as a result, the JV kids’ best playing time was after the varsity youngsters contributed to building big leads.

However, given the overall decline in football participation throughout the United States, Calistoga football remaining in the NCL III for 8-man football is not such a far-fetched notion.

The only viable option if Calistoga wants to return to 11-man football is the BFL, where the Wildcats competed in 2012 and 2013.

It’s just a matter of how much do the Wildcats covet a return to 11-man football.

Vintage High football digs into its past to lead the future

There is a commonly uttered adage of “you can never go home again.”

Just don’t tell that to newly hired Vintage High varsity football head coach Dylan Leach. Vintage’s hiring of the 42-year old Leach was confirmed in Sunday’s online edition of the Napa Valley Register. On March 30, Kyle Hofmann resigned after three seasons amid allegations that he provided supplements (specifically Creatine) to players that can legally be purchased at stores but per the California Interscholastic Federation, coaches are prohibited to provide to players.

Though I like Hofmann personally and wish him the best, I do not want to get into why he is no longer there because I don’t believe that is my place. The coaching vacancy was advertised on EdJoin.com. Leach’s hiring did not become official even sooner because it was pending Napa Valley Unified School District school board approval. The job closed on April 12. The board approved the hire at a meeting on Thursday evening, April 21. The Register also reported that Vintage High principal Mike Pearson hopes to have a teaching position available for Leach this fall.  

Though he has donned the Blue & Gold of archrival Napa the past five years as the Indians defensive coordinator under head coach Troy Mott, Leach has Burgundy & Gold coursing through his veins. Leach graduated from Vintage in 1992. He was on the varsity coaching staff from 2003-2009 under Les Franco and Billy Smith. Leach served as defensive coordinator, special teams coordinator, strength and conditioning coordinator and defensive backs coach. He was also the JV defensive coordinator for three seasons.

As a player, Leach was All-Monticello Empire League, All-Napa County, most inspirational player, team MVP and captain in 1991 for Vintage as an outside linebacker-tight end. He played two years for Solano Community College at inside linebacker, was a team captain and All-Bay Valley Conference.

Vintage High’s administration appeared to have their guy in mind all along and he was the leader in the clubhouse. There are two ways to look at that. On the downside, you could say, did Vintage move too fast without looking at other options? On the plus side, you could say, Vintage knew what it wanted, saw that its ideal choice was right under its nose so why not move fast to snatch him up?

The easy angle for saying this is a good hire is that Leach is an alum. That quality is an easy sell to initially get parents, alums, boosters, etc. on board but that alone does not make someone a good hire.

Leach will have his challenges. Some parents expressed their displeasure with Hofmann’s departure on social media and presumably some kids echoed those sentiments. However, I would not view that as a concern because a) Kids are more resilient than you think and b) Leach knows Vintage High football history. He could tell you about Crusher legends like David Illsley, Steve Buccellato, Sean LaChapelle and Conrad Alvarez just to name a few. That knowledge alone is worth credibility points.

He steps into to lead a program that has been middling for most of the past decade and a half. As far as the Monticello Empire League hierarchy, the Crushers have been a ‘tweener: not good enough to be Napa or Vacaville but not bad enough to be Armijo. Vintage has not won a playoff game since 1986, when Leach was a ball-boy.

Vintage has tried numerous approaches in its coaching hires. They went with the experienced approach three times: Dave Shipp (1991 and 2011) and Les Franco (2000). Jim Costan (1995) was the younger, fresh face from outside the program. Smith was promoted after years of being the JV coach after Franco stepped down in 2006. Hofmann was technically an outsider from Arizona but was a Crusher by osmosis. Hofmann and his family lived in Napa and grew up going to Vintage games before moving to Arizona when he was 11.

The good news is that Leach does not inherit a program that needs reconstructive surgery. However, it is important for Vintage followers to remember that it is going to take time and stability to reach Napa and Vacaville’s level. Hofmann appeared to be the man to give them the latter but because of certain events, things played out differently. I would also contend that when and if (hopefully the former) Vintage becomes elite, Hofmann will have had some sweat equity in the Crushers’ future success.

Leach’s hiring also makes the Napa-Vintage football rivalry more compelling, something it hasn’t been on the field lately. Napa has won all but one head-to-head meeting since 2002, most have been in decisive fashion. The lone Crusher win came in 2005.

I have no doubt that Leach is ready to be a head coach after nearly two decades of laboring in the vines as an assistant. Since my beats were outside of the City of Napa, I only saw and/or interacted with Leach occasionally but I know the man well enough to say that he leads and speaks with conviction. That quality will serve him well.

The wild card is which assistant coaches does he add to his staff? I can’t speak for him but surely he would covet members of the Napa staff he is leaving. The question is, would anyone of them join him? How much of Hofmann’s staff does he keep?

Though most people fixate on head coaches, assistant coaches are vital. On a local level, I know you won’t get any argument on the matter from the active Napa Valley football head coaches: Troy Mott (Napa), Rich Cotruvo (Justin-Siena), Larry Singer (American Canyon), Brandon Farrell (St. Helena) and Mike Ervin (Calistoga).

Looking back at Vintage Crusher history, look no further than the man that pioneered the program, Burl Autry. Talk to any ardent Crusher fan and they will tell you how much Autry valued having quality assistants.

Welcome home, Dylan. The same room you once had in the house is still yours.

Time machine: high school baseball: Vanden at Justin-Siena

Though one does not normally view baseball as an emotion-driven sport, especially in the regular season, I remember a game where the opposite was true.

While the Justin-Siena (Napa) High baseball team did not engage in dogpiling on the mound or dousing its head coach, Allen Rossi, with water, one could easily tell the elation of the Braves 9-8 win over the Vanden (Travis Air Force Base) Vikings. This game was more emotion-driven than many football games I covered in my 18-year career.

Setting the stage: Rossi took over for Steve Meyer before the 1999 season. The Braves made the CIF Sac Joaquin Section Div. IV playoffs in 1989 but had not returned since that time. Justin went 17-9 in Rossi’s first season, returning to the postseason only to lose 3-1 to Mesa Verde (Sacramento) in the first round. The back-story to the matchup against Vanden is that before the 1999 season began, Rossi asked every one of his players their goals. Many said, “beat St. Helena.”

At the time, St. Helena and Justin had an intense rivalry that resonated in most every sport. Rossi, however, scoffed at the idea of beating the Saints because he had bigger visions from the program, such as winning Superior California Athletic League and SJS Div. IV titles. To that point, Rossi wanted to turn the Braves attention to Vanden and St. Patrick’s (Vallejo) because those clubs were the dominant ones in the SCAL.

Justin and Vanden would meet in Napa for the first of three matchups. The winner would get an early leg up in the SCAL race.

Thumbnail sketch of the game: The term “heavyweight fight” is often used loosely. This game acted the part with Justin relief pitcher Steven Pauls and catcher Rick Carpenter delivering the final blow.

Justin led 9-5 entering the seventh inning before the Vikings cut the lead to 9-7 on consecutive RBI singles by David Colip and Doug Farnham against Braves reliever Matt Hamilton. Vanden then loaded the bases with no outs on Eric Dakin’s single. Pauls uncorked a wild pitch that bounced about 10 feet away from Carpenter. At that distance, most runners from third base are not going to try to score, especially with no outs. Tim Sutherland, who was pinch-running for Colip, broke for the plate and tried a head-first slide. Carpenter recovered and tagged out Sutherland with authority.

Farnham scored on a wild pitch, making it 9-8. Pauls then struck out Chris Grimm and induced Jason Dean to foul out to Carpenter to end the contest.

The irony was that Justin looked poised to make this game a blowout when taking a 5-1 lead in the fourth inning on the strength of Steve Andres and Eduardo Borrego RBI singles. Carpenter added an RBI double and bases-loaded walk. Ron Duvall also walked with the bases drunk.

The Vikings scored two runs to make it 5-3 before Carpenter’s RBI groundout to score A.J. Paniagua made it 6-3 Braves. Vanden cut the lead to 6-4 on Ruben Moreno’s RBI double. Justin then widened the advantage to 9-4 with a three-run fifth inning. The rally started with two outs and no one on base. Paniagua and Borrego each had RBI singles while Andres followed with an RBI double.

On the mound, starting pitcher Jon Foreman weaved his way out of trouble for 5 ⅓ innings with five strikeouts. The Braves, who were known for outstanding defense, had to overcome four errors which led to four unearned runs.

Another reason why Carpenter’s tag with authority still stands out to this day is because the Braves’ catcher was a throwback. I know that term gets used loosely. I covered players that were far more talented than Carpenter but few had the intangibles he had. If there was an All-Madden high school baseball team, he would be on it. Carpenter had everything from the eye-black to the lamb-chop sideburns. He never shied away from getting dirty by blocking pitches in the dirt or blocking the plate.

What it meant: The two teams met two more times. In the next meeting at Vanden, the Vikings handed the Braves their only loss of the season, 10-9 after Justin led 9-3. In the third meeting at Justin, the Braves beat Vanden 10-0 in six innings via the 10-rule rule with Andres hitting a walkoff grand-slam.

Rossi continued to coach until 2006 before resigning to care for his wife, who had been injured in an automobile accident. The Braves would appear in five consecutive NCS title games, winning three straight from 2003-2005 including an undefeated ‘05 campaign. Justin reached the ‘02 and ‘06 title games before falling to St. Bernard (Eureka) and John Swett (Crockett) respectively.

Scott Wright took over as the Braves coach from 2007-2012. Justin was successful on some level in going 76-58-2 including an NCS D-IV runner-up finish in 2007 under Wright but filling Rossi’s shoes is a tall order. Wright was dismissed after the 2011 season. Rossi returned in 2012, guiding Justin to the NCS D-IV semifinals followed by consecutive section titles in 2014-2015. In 2012-2013, the Braves immediately returned to prominence only to lose in the NCS D-IV semifinals.

Rossi decided to resign after compiling an overall record of 252-72 at Justin-Siena after the 2015 campaign.

Time Machine: 2006 high school football: St. Helena at Upper Lake

Isn’t it strange how you remember some games because the winning team is relieved more so than happy that they won?

The St. Helena High football team’s 28-27 win over the Upper Lake Cougars on an unseasonably warm late October day in Northern Lake County had exactly that feeling. Very seldom do you ever see a team nearly snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Setting the stage: It was generally assumed that St. Helena and Clear Lake would be the top combatants for the North Central League I South title. One week earlier, St. Helena defeated Clear Lake 18-8 in a game that had the grace of a bare-knuckles brawl. That’s not a bad thing, it’s just how it played out.

There was no reason to think Upper Lake would be a threat before that season. Because of its enrollment bordering on 400 students, Upper Lake opted to move up from NCL II to NCL I in 2005. The Cougars’ move to NCL I seemed like a good idea at the time because their travel time would to other schools would decrease based on proximity of other schools within the league.

The Saints, however, had three more NCL I South hurdles to clear (Upper Lake, Cloverdale and St. Vincent) before claiming their first league crown since 1978. The Cougars entered the game 3-3 after having snapped a three-game losing skid the previous week with 40-0 whitewash over Cloverdale. St. Vincent (Petaluma), like the Cougars, also joined the NCL I after years of being an annual powerhouse in the NCL II. The Mustangs won the CIF North Coast Section Class B title in 2005.

Thumbnail sketch of the game: The Saints players and coaches (including head coach Ian MacMillan) had the body language of, “OK, we won, now let’s get out of town.”

The Cougars pulled to within 28-27 at the 2:44 mark of the fourth quarter. Upper Lake opted to go for the two-point conversion instead of kicking the extra point and having a potential overtime game, which would have been an option since it is a league contest.

Cougars quarterback Billy Binns, however, fumbled the shotgun on the conversion as he retreated to pass. Binns fell on the ball and the Saints prevented the go-ahead two-pointer. The Saints’ Billy Joe Paulisich recovered the ensuing onside kick — one of two for the game — and St. Helena ran out the clock for the victory.

The Saints appeared to have the game salted away when quarterback Jake Holguin connected with Chris Yeakey on a wide receiver screen for a 46-yard catch-and-run score aided by a Kendall Sanders block.

Holguin connected with Yeakey for the two-point conversion to make it 28-13 St. Helena with 5:29 left in the game, but the Cougars’ Robert McCutcheon returned the ensuing kickoff 73 yards to paydirt. Binns connected with Jayce Meri for the two-point conversion, making it 28-21 St. Helena.

The two teams went back and forth in the first half. The Saints’ first two scores came courtesy of Holguin, who finished with 13 carries for 96 yards.

Holguin scored on an 18-yard touchdown run, and with 40.7 seconds left in the first half, he hit Yeakey for 34-yard strike.

St. Helena’s David Fanucci (27 carries, 113 yards) scored from 2 yards out midway through the third quarter. John Hudson added 86 yards on 14 carries while Yeakey tallied 85 yards receiving on three grabs.

On the defensive side, Upper Lake hurt the Saints on third down in converting 5-of-9 attempts to keep St. Helena from putting the game out of reach sooner.

Fanucci recovered a fumble while Alex Seyve added a quarterback sack.Sanders and Gino Trinchero each recorded tackles for lost yardage.

What it meant: St. Helena lost at home one week later to Middletown (20-0) before cementing the NCL I South title with wins over Cloverdale (57-7) and St. Vincent (40-0) before losing to Ferndale in the CIF North Coast Section Class A playoffs. MacMillan resigned after the season. The ill-fated Dave Collinsworth era ensued, lasting just one season. Brandon Farrell has been the program’s head coach since 2008. The Saints have gone 70-26 under him.

Upper Lake and St. Vincent’s tenure in the NCL I lasted just five years (2005-2010) with mixed results. Upper Lake, which now competes in the NCL III (8-man football), went 14-47 overall and 3-21 in NCL I South in that span. The Cougars had 26 losses of 28 points or more. St. Vincent, which competed in the Bay Football League in 2015, will play in the NCL I this coming season in football. The Mustangs went 44-27 overall and 16-8 against NCL I South clubs. St. Vincent had 18 wins of 28 points or more in that span.

The irony to the 2006 season was that the Cougars went 5-5 overall and 2-2 in league play. Conversely, St. Vincent went 2-8 overall and 1-3 in league.

Side note: Since I am no longer reporting for a family newspaper, I can tell this story. Behind the visitors’ football bleachers at Upper Lake, there is a cemetery that is on a slope.

On this unseasonably warm day in late October, there was a fellow heckling St. Helena, specifically its fans throughout the day. How can I put it charitably but this heckler was drinking adult moisture throughout the day.

When Binns’ fumbled the two-point conversion, a Saints’ fan yelled at the heckler, “How do you like that Grave Boy!” The heckler proceeded to moon (as in pull down his pants to show his rearend) the St. Helena fans. One of the Saints parents responded by saying, “Say no to crack!”

Time Out with Noah Vulk (2016 Napa High senior)

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

Noah Vulk: What I’ve enjoyed most about athletics throughout my life is the special bond that is shared between my teammates and I. There is no way to explain this bond other than family. My teammates are my brothers.

D’Adamo: What are your plans after high school?

Vulk: After high school, I plan to attend a community college to complete my general ed classes and play baseball.  

D’Adamo: What might you choose as a major? What intrigues you about going that direction?

Vulk: I’ve thought about this a lot lately and I have chosen to study kinesiology. I want to go in this direction to eventually become a physical therapist. I was first introduced to physical therapy when I injured myself when I was 12 years old. I was really interested in what my therapist was doing to help me and I could see how much effort he was giving just to get me healthy. I really enjoy helping people, and sports so this is the best of both worlds for me.

D’Adamo: What has been your favorite class here at Napa High?

Vulk: My favorite class here at Napa High is Precision Machine Technology. I had no idea what to expect when I showed up on the first day but I instantly fell in love with the program. The school has provided amazing machinery and utilities to start an early career path in designing and machining with basic materials.

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

Vulk: The most influential people in my family have been my mom and dad. Without them I would have never been where I am today. My parents put me and my baseball career as a priority in their life and have revolved around it for several years now. Even when times got tough, my parents made sure that it wouldn’t effect me in anyway. I’m very grateful for them and what they’ve done for me.

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

Vulk: If I had the chance to meet anybody, without a doubt I would chose Derek Jeter. I have enormous amounts of respect for this man and what he has done in his career.

American Canyon High would be a good fit for the MEL

Size. Does it matter? Does one size fit all? School enrollments often determine how leagues and divisions align.

Realignment has been significant in the Monticello Empire League and the Solano County Athletic Conference over the past 20 years. The most recent move came in 2012 involving Rodriguez going to the MEL and Fairfield going to the SCAC.

The frequent shakeup was partially a result of the fact that three schools were added (Bethel, Rodriguez and American Canyon) and another school (Hogan) closed since 1998. While realigning leagues has been necessary to have scenarios where every school has reasonably comparable enrollment, the angst factor is that it has involved splitting traditional rivalries, such as Armijo and Fairfield to name one.

While there is no immediate talk of more realignment, I have one recommendation -- move American Canyon from the SCAC to the MEL. Various stars would have to align for that scenario to happen but it’s a nice discussion.  

According to calpreps.com, current SCAC enrollments are as follows: American Canyon (1,382), Benicia (1,672), Bethel (2,081), Fairfield (1,463), Vallejo (2,225) and Vanden (1,641).

MEL enrollments are as follows: Armijo (2,262), Napa (2,256), Rodriguez (2,156), Vacaville (1,925), Vintage (2,112) and Wood (1,507).

American Canyon to the MEL would make sense on multiple fronts, regardless of their enrollment being the smallest among both the MEL and SCAC schools. In football, they would have difficulty against powerhouses like Napa and Vacaville but would have a realistic chance to win against everyone else. Plus is watching AC lose to Napa or Vacaville by four touchdowns any worse than watching Vintage or any other MEL team fall by similar margins or greater?

I have no doubt the Wolves would be competitive in most every sport because they already are viable in the SCAC. That would also include the nonrevenue sports like swimming, golf, track & field to name a few because unlike some schools in the SCAC, American Canyon generally has strong numbers in those sports. For road games, the Wolves bring packs of fans (pun intended) to games. The existing MEL schools are known for travelling well so American Canyon joining that league would help on that front. Being in the SCAC hurts American Canyon financially. Benicia and Vanden travel well but Bethel, Vallejo and Fairfield are often outdrawn by visiting teams at home.

I can debunk that argument right now. Benicia was in the MEL from 2000-2002. In football, the Panthers went 5-25 in that span. However, at that time, Benicia football was in a different stage. Since moving to the SCAC, the Panthers have been at or near the top of the league. In every other sport, however, Benicia was competitive. Granted, the MEL was divided into two leagues (MEL I and MEL II). The Panthers were MEL II but in that span won or tied for nine league crowns and was at minimum middle of the road in the other sports. Put Benicia in the MEL now and things likely play out pretty similarly.

The argument in favor of Rodriguez’s aforementioned move to the MEL in 2012 was enrollment. That reason, however, is short-sighted because the Mustangs were dominating in every sport in the SCAC even though they slipped in football. Rodriguez has continued to struggle in the MEL in football but in most every other sport, the Mustangs are fine.

Rodriguez won three straight boys basketball titles and finished second in 2015-2016. They're second every year in wrestling to Vacaville. They've won two straight volleyball titles. They've made the playoffs in boys water polo and in both tennis programs (boys and girls). They've made the playoffs in baseball and softball. They've won badminton every year they've been in the league, their girls swim team won the title last year. In essence, they're competitive in just about everything and a good fit for the MEL. As bad as they've been in football, I see them turning things around sooner than Armijo and give them the best shot at some point in the future of bumping Wood and Vintage for the league's No. 3 spot. If the right talent and coach combo hook up they could challenge Vacaville and Napa.

Bethel and Vallejo saw enrollment spike as a result of Hogan closing might join the MEL because their enrollment has spiked to Rodriguez’s level as a result of Hogan closing but neither has a valid case to join the MEL based on collective success.

Enrollment is a cut-and-dried method with no confusion, but it should not necessarily act as the “end all, be all.” Having covered large and small schools (public and private) throughout my sports journalism career, I get nauseated when I hear the term “big school” or “small school.”

It’s not so much the description as it is the blanket statements sometimes associated with them, like, “they’re a big school, they should be good because they have so many kids to draw from.”

That’s like saying, “This guy makes $100,000 per year, so why can he not afford a European vacation?” Well, it’s simple, people have different spending priorities.

My other favorite is, “they are pretty good for a small school.”

This statement is like a left-handed compliment. I have also heard, “well, it’s hard to succeed when you have so few numbers to draw from.”

To make another money example, there are plenty of people that make less money that have better financial common sense. Point being, there are other factors that determine how good an athletic program is than sheer numbers.

Good coaching, administrative support and community support are also vital factors.

Count me among those who think American Canyon belongs in the MEL. However, getting there is a problem. If the league stays at six teams, someone has to leave. Napa and Vintage are inseparable. So is Vacaville and Wood. Armijo also strongly resisted leaving the MEL in 2012. Rodriguez is not going back to the SCAC. The other option would be making the MEL an eight team league.

AC to the MEL, it’ll take some doing but it’s nice to fathom.

Should athletes express political/social views?

Sometimes you find a subject that hits a nerve. If you listen to talk radio, one will find you.

Though I am a former sports reporter, I keep my hand in writing via blogging and helping out my former employer on Friday Nights during high school football season after I get off work. I’m also still a sports fan. So much so that I listen daily to San Francisco sports talk radio station KGMZ-FM (95.7 The Game) daily on my route for Alhambra Water.

The show I listen to most often is Flight 957 hosted by Chad Doing, Joe Fortenbaugh and former NFL fullback Lorenzo Neal. The show is affectionately known as “Chad, Joe & Lo.”  Anna Kagarakis gives sports updates and occasionally chimes into the conversation. No offense, guys, but Anna is the best looking one on the show. Kagarakis? I thought my last name was cool but I can’t hold a torch to that one but I digress.

I was listening to the show Tuesday while on route in Concord, CA. The topic of conversation was “do you want your athletes speaking about political and/or social issues?” At first, I couldn’t figure out why they were broaching the subject but I managed to avoid driving my truck off the road. The crew explained shortly thereafter that the basis of the question came in lieu of New Orleans Saints defensive lineman Will Smith (not the actor) was shot to death. Saints head coach Sean Payton said words to the effect that while he is “right-leaning” he hates guns.

The crew took phone calls asking people, “Do you want your favorite athletes speaking out about social/political issues?” I have heard all of the arguments for and against the matter. I would have called to give my two cents but since I drive a commercial vehicle and had nearly 200 five-gallon bottles of water to deliver, I don’t have time to do that but I can use my blog for such.

My take on the matter is that I am pretty ambivalent as to whether or not my favorite athletes speak out on such issues. Either way, I accept whatever decision they make. Seriously do you care if Steph Curry, Buster Posey or Derek Carr is liberal, conservative, christian, atheist or whatever? If they help you win games, you don’t care one iota where they stand. At least you shouldn’t.

Without getting too high on a political soapbox, part of the problem is that the United States of America is closer to being the Divided States of America. I won’t go into extensive personal details but I am a registered Libertarian and if I were to give myself a label, I would call myself a “Conservative Libertarian.” At 43-years old, I’m comfortable enough in my own skin to say such.

The political acrimony in our society is so bad that on social media or even in person, people go to one of two extremes. They either engage to incite flamethrowers or they avoid the subject altogether. I’ve been guilty of the latter, not because I apologize for my beliefs and nor am I afraid of those who have dissenting views. I just don’t have the time or energy to deal with the drama that ensues. I know my beliefs, I don’t need others (for or against me) to remind me.

As for should athletes speak up regarding political and social issues, they’re going to do what they see fit. If a subject is dear to their heart, they should be able to speak out but they need to understand certain things before doing so. I think it’s a shame that Tim Tebow has been ostracized for his Christian beliefs. Yes, the guy makes no bones of his beliefs but I don’t remember him lambasting any atheists either.

For those fortunate enough to land endorsements, your beliefs either a) Need to be in line with what the brand endorses or b) If it doesn’t, that’s fine, but keep your beliefs under wraps. I’m not suggesting it is right but if you express dissenting views, don’t be shocked if they drop you. Just offer a “no comment” and if they drop you later, that is on them.

Endorsements or not, the main thing I ask if an athlete/celebrity decides to speak out is, don’t belittle anyone with a dissenting view. Of course, the problem they face is that the media (traditional and social) will hear just an excerpt and pontificate in which case you are better off not saying anything at all.

However, if an athlete/celebrity is willing to deal with the slings and arrows that follow, speak away. All I ask is, don’t speak out now and cry about backlash later.