Watering down playoff formats are an outrage

Do you ever find yourself going on the same rant just about every year? You know nothing is likely to get changed but you feel better about getting on your soapbox.

The advancing age of 45 has me experiencing more “cranky old bastard” rants that resemble “old man yells at cloud.”

At most every level of sports, from high school to college to professional, damn near every postseason format is watered down worse than a flat Budweiser. Goodness knows, I love my cheap beer but at least give me some barley and hops with it. In the NFL, you have 32 teams with 12 going to the postseason. That format is not perfect but it’s acceptable. Don’t even get me started on too many NBA and NHL teams going to the postseason. In Major League Baseball, you have purists that do not like the addition of the wild card. I have no problem with it.

In college football, however, I think too many teams are allowed bowl eligibilty. In college basketball, count me in the minority but 64 teams in the NCAA tournament -- too damn many. What can I say, I am bat you know what (the word starts with “s” and ends in shinola) crazy sometimes. In high school, I can only speak for Northern California because that is the region I follow. I mainly follow the CIF Sac Joaquin and North Coast Sections but with four Napa Valley schools vacating the former for the latter, I probably will not follow the SJS as ardently in the future.

It never ceases to amaze me at how many times I see a postseason bracket and see the number of teams with sub-.500 win/loss records. The NCS has six divisions (Open, I-V). The Open division of the NCS football consists of four teams -- De La Salle, San Ramon Valley, Pittsburg and Clayton Valley. De La Salle and Pittsburg meet for the title on Dec. 2 at Dublin High. I have no complaint with the Open division because those teams are the crem de la crem. By design, Div. I-V are constructed for 16-team brackets.

Divisions are broken down based on enrollment. Teams that win their league title get an automatic berth into the playoffs while non champions can apply for an at-large bid. Two things stand out to me. For openers, only Div. II and III had enough teams for a 16 team bracket while Div. I had 14 teams, Div. IV had 15 while Div. V had 12. In the meantime, the NCS has 21 teams in Div. I, 20 in Div. II, 23 in Div. III, 22 in Div. IV and 16 in Div. V. Of the 73 teams playing in the playoffs, 31 had losing records entering the postseason.

I have one word to describe that -- ludicrous. Good Lord, that stat reeks of participation trophy.

So why are those teams making the postseason might you ask? Fair question. In the NCS, if you are a .500 team against opponents within your division or league, that gets you into the postseason. If a team wins its league and has a losing overall record, I'm open to making an exception for them because it's not their fault that the league is terrible.

During a casual conversation I once had with a Lake County coach during my tenure on the Upvalley beat, we had the same discussion of why the playoffs are watered down worse than a flat beer. This coach replied, “I’ll give you one word — money.”

I’m all for capitalism. It’s the American way but not at the expense of compromising the integrity of achievement.

I thought a team reaching the playoffs was meant to be a reward for having a successful season. I guess that got lost in translation at some point in my life.

And please don’t come at me with the strength of schedule argument either. If you want to puff out your chest because of your schedule strength, fine. Beat those teams.

That is where the power ratings enter the equation, where strength of schedule, league strength and margin of victory are a factor. and/or at-large system is better because every game is factored.

The good thing about power ratings is that it eliminates emotion when ranking teams and the computer can calculate numbers in 10 minutes that might take the human mind weeks to do. Plus, strength of schedule should be a factor and so should margin of victory. Well, not beyond 35 points. I’m of the mind that a 56-14 win is no more impressive than say, a 55-20 win. If you saw the game, you know who the better team is.

The downside is that so many teams make the playoffs that the field looks more watered down.

The NCS at large system used to involve coaches attending a meeting to state their case, which means you, in effect, bargain your way into the playoffs.

Just don’t reward teams for having losing seasons.

With move to NCS, some league foes are worth keeping as opponents

Even with change, there are ways to try to keep things the same.

Beginning the 2018-2019 school year, the athletic world of Napa, Vintage and American Canyon along with, to a lesser extent, Justin-Siena will change. Napa, Vintage and American Canyon will vacate the CIF Sac Joaquin Section and move to the North Coast Section. Justin made such a move in 2000 but will be leaving the Marin County Athletic League. The four Napa County schools will be in the same league as Sonoma, Casa Grande and Petaluma.

The question becomes how much of an effort will Napa and Vintage make to keep certain Monticello Empire League foes as nonleague opponents? Which Solano County Athletic Conference schools will American Canyon keep as nonleague foes? Also, will Justin keep any MCAL foes as nonleague opponents? I actually broached the subject on Facebook and received some compelling responses.

Napa and Vintage have been archrivals since the latter opened its doors in 1972. American Canyon and Justin-Siena have intermittent history in going against Napa and Vintage, now they will have regular matchups with one another as opposed to just now and then/here and there.

From a Napa and Vintage standpoint, I would say Vacaville is a keeper. Granted, Napa is coming off its worst football season since 2001, when it went 3-7. The Indians went 3-6 in 2017. However, the MEL title race in football came down to both teams between 2002-2016. In 2017, the regular season finale was a battle of Vacaville and crosstown rival Wood for the MEL title. Vacaville and Napa coaches have already publicly expressed interested in continuing that series.

Vintage, meanwhile, went 7-2, recording its best season since 2000. The week of the North Bay wildfires that produced unsafe air quality, Vintage was scheduled to play Vacaville in what would have been a highly anticipated matchup. Unfortunately, the game did not happen. By no means am I suggesting what would have happened but it would have been nice to find out.

From an American Canyon standpoint, keeping Vanden and Benicia would make the most sense. The three teams have battled it for SCAC titles since 2012. In addition, Vanden and Benicia would represent good nonleague tests in other sports.

The common denominator with keeping Vanden, Benicia, Vacaville and possibly Wood is that those schools draw good fan support, which would help bring in admission and concession money. There is also Vallejo, Bethel, Fairfield, Rodriguez and Armijo. I would perhaps keep Armijo as a nonleague foe in sports not named football. The Indians have been an annual doormat in football but are pretty competitive in other sports. The others, I see no compelling reason to keep. I can’t entirely speak for Rodriguez but having covered some American Canyon football games that involved Vallejo, Bethel and Fairfield, those games were not competitive and drew sparse crowds.

Justin, however, is a different scenario to evaluate. The Braves have called the MCAL home for 17 years but there is not a rivalry that moves the needle. Part of that reason is because the schools are not in neighboring counties and the league already had established rivalries before Justin.

Without thinking too extensively, I would say entertain keeping any MCAL school not named Marin Catholic as a nonleague foe. The most compelling one would be Terra Linda, whose football program is now led by former Justin head coach Rich Cotruvo. The narrative constantly heard, especially when Justin athletics was at its best being led by the likes of Cotruvo, Tom Bonfigli, Mike Boles and John O’Connor to name a few was that the Braves were competitive in the MCAL despite facing schools that were double their enrollment. However, Marin Catholic draws kids from throughout the county thus thinning out the talent pools of other schools. To that end, Marin Catholic is to Marin County what De La Salle is to Contra Costa County and what Cardinal Newman is to Sonoma County.

Though change is often focused on how different things will be, keeping some things the same also has its pluses.

Peering into the football future as Napa Valley schools move to NCS

One of the more frequently uttered phrases in the English language is “sample size.”

Considering that Thanksgiving is two days away, you might sample a plate or five. The notion can also be related to extrapolating what might happen in the future. Another high school football season is in the books among Napa Valley teams. The landscape will change next year for four of the six schools. Calistoga and St. Helena remain status quo in the North Central League III and I respectively. The former is a league fielding 8-man football.

The change part comes involving Justin-Siena, Napa, Vintage and American Canyon. Justin will part ways with the Marin County Athletic League, where it has been since 2000. Napa and Vintage will vacate the Monticello Empire League, where each has been since 1975. American Canyon will leave the Solano County athletic Conference, where it has been since the school opened in 2010.

Beginning the 2018-2019 school year, the landscape will change dramatically for Napa, Vintage and American Canyon. To a lesser degree it will change for Justin as well. For Napa, Vintage and American Canyon, no more trips East on Interstate 80 as the move from the CIF Sac Joaquin section to the North Coast Section, unless they preserve any longstanding matchups between MEL and SCAC combatants. There are a few worth retaining but that is another story for another time. For Justin, unless they retain any MCAL teams as nonleague foes, no more trips to Marin County. That would also fall into the “another story for another time” category. Justin moved from the SJS to NCS in 2000.

Justin, Napa, Vintage and American Canyon will have Sonoma, Casa Grande and Petaluma as its league foes. The name of the new league is not known at this juncture. By my own admission, I have followed Sonoma, Casa Grande and Petaluma very little because I have had no reason.

Here’s where the “sample size” theory enters the equation. I generally think the previous ten seasons (from 2008-2017) are a good indicator on gauging a program’s trajectory. So I decided to look up the year-by-year success in the aforementioned span of Sonoma, Casa Grande and Petaluma in addition to taking note of the aforementioned Napa schools. I also used the “project a matchup” tool on calpreps.com. OK, so it’s not exactly Madden EA Sports but based on numbers crunching, it projects how a matchup would have transpired had the two teams played. My advice, just take it for entertainment value, nothing more nothing less. Here’s a closer look going alphabetically:

American Canyon

For the Wolves, the sample size dates back only to 2011 because that was the first season the school had varsity sports. Since that year, American Canyon has gone 55-28 with six SCAC titles. The Wolves also reached the SJS Div. III semi-finals twice (2012 and 2016). American Canyon has a pre-established history with Vintage and Sonoma. The Wolves played Vintage the last two seasons, winning the 2016 meeting 42-14 and losing the 2017 matchup 28-14. American Canyon played Sonoma in 2011 and 2012. The Wolves lost the 2011 meeting 42-28 and whitewashed the Dragons 45-0 in 2012.

Calpreps.com predicted American Canyon would have beaten Napa (21-17), Justin (40-7), Casa Grande (35-17), Petaluma (41-31 and Sonoma (44-3) in 2017.

Casa Grande

The Gauchos are 77-44-1 since 2008, going 11-9 in the NCS Div. II playoffs. Casa Grande has three league titles in that span, twice as members of the Sonoma County League and one in the North Bay League, where it moved in 2013. The Gauchos reached the NCS D-II title game in 2013, losing to Miramonte 41-28. Casa Grande lost to eventual section champs on two other occasions (Concord 2010; Clayton Valley 2014). Despite its continued postseason appearances, however, the Gauchos have gone 19-28 since 2013. Casa Grande has played Napa head to head seven times in ten years, going 2-5. Casa Grande lost to Petaluma 20-14 in 2017.

Calpreps.com predicted Casa Grande would have beaten Justin (31-19) and Sonoma (35-14) but losses to American Canyon (35-17), Napa (28-8) and Vintage (31-8) had the teams matched up.

Justin-Siena

The Braves have gone 67-50 since 2008 with three NCS Div. IV titles and a runnerup in 2009. Justin has little history to speak of against its league opponents to be. The Braves played Sonoma in 2002 with the Dragons winning 34-13. That season, Justin went 7-6, reaching the NCS Class A title game before losing to Ferndale. Sonoma went 7-2-2, reaching the NCS 3A playoffs. Despite their lengthy run of success, the Braves have gone a combined 6-13 the past two seasons.

Calpreps.com predicted the Braves to beat Sonoma (27-17) with losses to Petaluma (44-21), Casa Grande (31-19), Vintage (35-0), Napa (31-6) and American Canyon (40-7) had the teams played.

Napa

In a sense, the Indians are in a similar situation to Justin, in that they have hit a dip in the road after a long run of success. Since 2008, Napa has gone 75-37 with four MEL titles. The Indians won the SJS Div. I title in 2007. Napa recorded playoff victories in 2008, 2010, and 2015. The Indians, however, missed the postseason in 2017 for the first time since 2001, going 3-6. Being archrivals of Vintage, those two schools have a long history. Napa and Casa Grande played seven times since 2008 with the Indians winning five times. Vintage defeated Napa 14-7, winning the Big Game for the first time since 2005.

Calpreps.com predicted Napa to beat Casa Grande (28-8), Petaluma (28-26), Sonoma (38-0) and Justin (31-6) but a loss to American Canyon (21-17) had the teams met.

Petaluma

Since 2008, the Trojans have a 61-48 record with seven postseason appearances, going 2-7. Both of those postseason wins came in 2009 when the Trojans reached the semifinals of the NCS Div. II playoffs, losing to Eureka which won the title. Petaluma also lost to eventual NCS Div. II champion Miramonte in 2013. Petaluma played Vintage in 2014 and 2015, losing 42-0 and 49-18 respectively.

Calpreps.com predicted Petaluma to beat Sonoma (48-14) and Justin (44-21) but losses to Napa (28-26), Vintage (38-21) and American Canyon (41-31) if the teams played each other in 2017.

Sonoma

The Dragons have gone 40-61 since 2008 with just two postseason appearances, both losses (44-7 to Cardinal Newman in 2012; 49-10 to Acalanes in 2013). Despite the fact that Justin gets some kids from Sonoma, the schools have very little history. To that end, the matchups have some intrigue. Sonoma played American Canyon in 2011 and 2012, winning 42-28 followed by a 45-0 loss the next season.

Calpreps.com predicted losses to Casa Grande (35-14), Petaluma (48-14), Justin (27-17), Napa (38-0), Vintage (46-0) and American Canyon (44-3).

Vintage

The Crushers have gone just 43-59 since 2008 with five sub-.500 seasons, three break even years and two North of .500. There have been just two postseason appearances in that span but it does not speak to the current trajectory. Vintage went 7-2 in 2017 (best since 2000), giving all the appearances of being on the upswing. The Crushers played Petaluma in 2014 and 2015, winning both matchups decisively 42-0 and 49-18. In 2017, Vintage defeated Napa 14-7 and American Canyon 28-14.

Calpreps.com predicted Vintage to defeat Justin (35-0), Casa Grande (31-8), Petaluma (38-21) and Sonoma (46-0) if the teams played.

Season-ending loss does not detract 2017 Wolves season

Short of winning a CIF State Section title, most teams will not see their season end in victory.

You frequently hear the notion that “you are only as good as your last game.” I can understand that point having value but I tend to take a different approach -- “a person or team’s resume is their body of work over a period of time.”

The No. 7 seeded American Canyon High football team saw its season end Friday with a 62-32 loss to the No. 2 seeded Manteca Buffaloes on Friday night in the San Joaquin Section Div. III playoffs. Manteca will host No. 3 Christian Brothers, which defeated No. 11 Rio Linda 30-21, on Friday. By all appearances, Manteca and No. 1 Oakdale, which hosts Patterson after beating Vanden 41-16, are on a collision course to meet in the finals.

Taking the resume and body of work into consideration, the 2017 American Canyon Wolves season was a success. The term “success” means different things to different people but 7-4 after an 0-3 start with a sixth consecutive Solano County Athletic Conference title would qualify as such. I can think of many programs that are down and out that would take that season.

The Wolves entered Friday with the deck stacked against them but they actually took a 7-0 lead when quarterback LaVar Seay connected with Erick Stewart on a 68 yard scoring strike on the game’s opening season. Manteca led 14-13 after one quarter and despite extending the lead to 34-20 at halftime the Wolves were still in contact. The Buffaloes, however, owned the second half, outscoring American Canyon 28-12. Quarterback Gino Campiotti completed 15 of 18 passes for 248 yards while also adding another 103 as a rusher.

Manteca entered the game No. 11 in the CalHiSports.com Sac-Joaquin Section Top 20, No. 12 in the Prep2Prep.com Sac-Joaquin Section Top 25, and No. 18 in the MaxPreps.com Sac-Joaquin Section Rankings. Manteca is also listed as among teams on the bubble in the CalHiSports.com State Top 50.

As for the Wolves, the season got sideways in the early going with a season opening 36-34 overtime loss to Woodland. Two more dominoes subsequently fell with defeats against Vintage (28-14) and Inderkum (53-0).

American Canyon gained the services of running back Eddie Byrdsong and went seven straight. Per CIF rule, Byrdsong, who transferred from Vintage, had to sit out 30 days which equated to three games. While there were several contributors throughout the season, Byrdsong’s physical running style ignited American Canyon.

Like most teams in the immediate area, the North Bay wildfires interrupted the season. Besides destroying numerous structures, the fires produced unsafe air quality which caused one, and for some teams two, game to get cancelled.

The Wolves aforementioned seven game winning streak led to a sole possession SCAC title, which the team had made its goal after having shared the previous three with either Vanden or Benicia.

The landscape will change for the Wolves, who will be moving to the North Coast Section beginning the 2018-2019 school year along with Napa and Vintage. Justin-Siena, which relocated to the NCS in 2000, will be in the same league as Napa, Vintage, American Canyon, Sonoma, Petaluma and Casa Grande. For openers, it means no more trips going East on Interstate 80, where traffic can be unpredictable to put it mildly.

Most of all, from the Wolves’ perspective, it is a chance to register as a more central figure on the Napa Valley radar, which is significant because they are in the Napa Valley Unified School District. Vintage is a rising star under second-year head coach Dylan Leach. As for Napa and Justin, those programs have hit a fork in the road after lengthy runs of success that date back to the early 2000s. Napa went 3-6 last season with a hazing scandal that led to head coach Troy Mott’s resignation going public. Justin has gone a combined 6-12 the last two seasons.

While the Wolves are 55-28 in their six-year existence, the program has been in the shadow of the Napa schools. Part of the season is because American Canyon had been in the SCAC playing the likes of Benicia, Vanden, Fairfield, Vallejo and Bethel. In a nutshell, the Wolves presence and success resonated more in Solano County than Napa County.

The Wolves aforementioned record is actually a little deflated based on going a combined 9-12 in 2011 and 2015. Both seasons are easily explainable. In 2011, the Wolves were a first year varsity program with no seniors. In 2015, American Canyon was enduring its third coaching change in as many years.

That’s another beauty of the Wolves’ success being sustained, they did it despite having three coaching changes in as many seasons from 2013-2015 going from Ian MacMillan to Ernie Lawson to Larry Singer. Such an event is normally a disruption, to American Canyon’s credit, the beat has continued.

While Friday’s loss to highly regarded Manteca was a clunker, when I think of the 2017 Wolves, that game is a blip on the radar. When I think of this season’s Wolves, it’s about how seniors such as Seay, Kama Aalona, Brenden Johnson,  Robbin Brown, Stewart, Hunter Snyder, Shawn Sto Domingo and Lucas Gramlick carved out their own space in American Canyon football lore.

Desire for travel ball teams should be closely examined

Sometimes you have to put a disclaimer out there before writing a column. To that end, I confess that I may sound a little on the crotchety and cantankerous side in this writing but the good news is that I’m only 45 so I’m ahead of the game.

I can’t help but notice how much youth sports have changed over the past 25 years and not necessarily all for the better. Many young athletes now hone their skills through groups known as travel teams or select teams. When I played youth sports over half my life ago, you had select teams but they were not en vogue like they are now.

Some believe that this level of competition puts too much stress on young athletes. Many parents and grandparents who have shared this experience with their children see it as a unique opportunity to build skills, character and family ties. Most of all, however, too many adults see it as an opportunity to paint their kid as a Div. I prospect. Memo to said parent, “Reality check, your kid has about a 1 in 100,000 chance to become such an athlete.”

Such parents tend to think the kid has to play a sport year-round in order to get better. I say nonsense. Look at any random college or pro sports media guide and you will find plenty of athletes who played multiple sports. You will find plenty that didn’t play AAU basketball or any traveling team. Conversely, there are plenty of former travel ballplayers who likely never played a single minute of college athletics.

One of my favorite discussions/debates when it comes to youth sports is “should a kid specialize in one sport or diversify by playing several sports?” I tend to prefer the latter, but if a kid falls into the former category, I have no problem as long as it is the youngster’s choice as opposed to the adult who rams that decision down their throat.

So, is it better to be a jack-of-all-trades or a master of one? That’s one argument you hear regularly when it comes to deciding whether a youngster should play various sports or concentrate on one.

What makes Athlete of the Year discussions a little harder to sift through now — compared to previous years — is that at larger schools, kids are more likely to be laser-focused on one sport.

At smaller schools, youngsters are more likely to play a multiple of sports because since the enrollment is much smaller, the teams need bodies to fill the rosters.

So, is specialization a good thing or a bad thing?

If a youngster strongly believes he or she has potential to compete at levels beyond high school, by all means that person should give it their all to maximize that production.

For the sake of discussion, if a youngster, regardless of age, is a potential state placer in track or wrestling, and they are on the soccer team, but playing only when the game is out of reach — then why not drop soccer and focus on one sport?

After all, being a bench-warmer at one sport is not going to make you any better at the sport of specialty. If the player is a significant contributor, however, then playing multiple sports makes perfect sense.

The bad thing about specializing in one sport is that the risk of burnout becomes much greater because there is not that variety. Plus, only one out of every 100 high school seniors gets a scholarship to play at the college level, so why not take advantage of that chance?

Plus, other sports can benefit an athlete. For example, wrestling and track can help a football player with footwork, balance, technique, conditioning and speed.

Some coaches and parents, however, are inclined to press a youngster to focus on one sport. Again, for the sake of discussion, let’s say football.

In that case, the adult might be compelled to press the kid to lift weights and run during the offseason to get stronger and faster.

I’m not necessarily against travel ball teams, club teams, or whatever term you want to attach. I’m just saying they are not for everyone. I’ve seen good players on travel ball and recreation teams alike.

The only semi hard and fast rule I have is that travel ball teams for say ages 12 and under are a waste of time. If the kid is gifted, you will know it when he or she hits the field. Most (not all) parents are putting the kids in travel sports to please themselves. Kids should be able to choose their own paths.

If you are, say, an undersized kid that the other team underestimates and then you do great things, they will remember you.

My version of "becoming a sports parent"

Sometimes crossing over to the other side can be revealing.

Before I get on my soapbox, I want to make one thing abundantly clear. I believe most youth sports parents, high school or younger, are good people and demonstrate good examples on how to behave the right way. Unfortunately in the world of sensationalism, the bad outshines the good even if it is only 1 out of every 10. After all, we live in a world where click-bait journalism sells. I’m not suggesting it is right but it is reality.

Having spent 18 years as a sports reporter before changing careers slightly less than three years ago, I saw many behaviors among sports parents: Good, bad, indifferent and those who couldn’t find the field with a GPS. The good folks don’t draw attention. They are there for their kids, they watch the game, maybe have postgame meal at Black Bear Diner and they go home. The bad ones (aka the Jabronis) unfortunately stand out because their voices are heard. They may have semi-salient points but their delivery takes an off-ramp or seven. You don’t wish ill on them per se but you hope someone creatively annoys the hell out of them.

My wonderful wife and I have three children (Juliette, 11 in March 2018; Tommy and Danielle, 9 as of October 2017). Two (Tommy and Danielle) have shown an interest in athletics. As for Juliette, we are working on her but she has expressed interest in golf. Tommy and Danielle to this point have competed in soccer as well as track & field. The latter has expressed interest in basketball.

By no means am I saying I am the perfect sports parent but I apply a few rules of thumb. For openers, I’ll concede that high school is likely the farthest they will go athletically. There are all kinds of statistics but according to scholarshipstats.com, 1 of 14 high school seniors will play a varsity sport in college and 1 of 54 will do so at the NCAA Div. I level. Who knows, I might be pleasantly surprised and have a kid that plays a college sport but I can also tell you I’m a psychologist in Romania. Would you believe me?

To this point, I have had nothing but praise for the coaches my kids have had. They have been the perfect mix of positive reinforcement along with teaching the sport’s fundamentals. Win or lose, all they ask for on gameday is maximum effort. I don’t expect my kids’ coach to be Nick Saban, Bill Bellichick or Gregg Popovich but I don’t want a youth coach that just yells, “compete!”

Soccer and track have been the two sports my kids have been most actively involved to date. The latter, I have passing knowledge. I am aware that on offense it is similar to basketball from a passing standpoint in that a pass is harder to stop than a dribble. Also, good passes lead to good shots. Passing is also about spacing the field. On defense, there is a football analogy. Goalkeepers are like safeties in that they are the last line of defense. The back line players are a mixture of linebackers and defensive linemen. Their job is to create difficult shots to help the goalkeeper.

I played soccer for three years but didn’t like it enough to continue. However, I made a pact with myself as a sports parent, I will not let my bias against a sport deter from my kid’s desire to play it.

My soccer moments as a parent from the sideline include, “C’mon follow it up, kid!” “C’mon, back line, no clean looks!” “C’mon, back line, be a wall, fellas!” One game, Tommy scored a goal. One of his teammates shot the ball, the goalkeeper did not entirely secure the save. Tommy kept after it and found the back of the net. I consider that the offensive rebound/putback of soccer. So I’m pumping my fist, “Attay boy, way to stay after, kid! Boom!”

Having running track, however, I could be of some value if I coached. I was lucky enough to have the great Frank Defilippis, who coached for over 45 years in the Napa Valley. He was simply known as “Mr. D” or “Coach.” He spoke his own language. If he didn’t know your name, you were “whachacallit.” When you were running, Coach D, would yell “pump those arms!” Instead it would sound like a bark and all one word: “pumpthosearms!” At one of Danielle’s meets, I’m taking pictures. In the process, I’m yelling, “pumpthosearmshoneyletsgo!” There were a few sports parents looking at me laughing out of their mind.

I can’t promise what direction my kids will go athletically but I have made no bones that I want involvement in sports. While other activities like drama, music, student council, etc. are enriching, I believe sports mirrors life more so than any other endeavor. My message to our kids is: “In sports, you have days of victory and defeat. In life, you have good and bad days. If you have a bad day, you turn the page. If you have a good day, you celebrate success but stay grounded.”

I also believe team and individual sports have good value for different reasons. With team sports, you learn sacrifice such as putting the needs of others ahead of yours. That aspect comes in handy as a professional in the workplace. It can also be beneficial as a spouse or parent.

With individual sports, kids don’t learn the element of sacrifice. However, there is not the political undertone that can exist in team sports. In team sports, sometimes you get someone become the starter because he or she is the coach’s youngster or the parent is a pain in the butt. In some cases, said athlete is the best option but in other scenarios, there are better options.

The best part of individual sports, however, is that there are no grey areas or politics. In an 100 yard dash, 100 yard breast stroke or a wrestling meet, it’s me and you. Either I beat you or you beat me let’s do it.

I’m just happy to preach the same messages as a parent as I did as a reporter.

Wolves defense an underrated element to team success

The American Canyon High football team has been known for its explosive offense but in Thursday’s 17-10 CIF Sac Joaquin Section Div. III playoff win over No. 10 seeded River Valley (Yuba City), the No. 7 seeded Wolves showed that the defense can make a stand of its own.

With the win, the Wolves are 7-3 are winners of seven straight after an 0-3 start. American Canyon will travel to face the No. 2 seeded Manteca Buffaloes on Friday. The Wolves’ numbers bear out that the defense has been solid during the seven game winning streak, giving up average of just 16 points per contest in that span, it is also hard to quantify exactly how good the unit has been because the offense has staked the team to early leads.

Much of the narrative surrounding the Wolves seven game winning streak has been the insertion of running back Eddie Byrdsong into the lineup. His physical running style has been well chronicled as a compliment to the speed of Brenden Johnson, Kama Aalona and quarterback LaVar Seay. The accolades have been warranted with the Wolves averaging 34.7 points per game in that span.

Two of the last three contests, however, the Wolves defense has saved the team’s bacon when they were needed most. Rewind to Oct. 27 in a 27-20 win over Vanden. The Vikings led the Wolves 20-13 after three quarters with that lead standing until the 5:18 mark of the game when Aalona’s touchdown followed by Jose Lopez’s extra point tied the game at 20-20. Point being, the Wolves’ defense held the line to put the offense in position to tie the game and subsequently take the lead.

On the ensuing possession, American Canyon’s defense forced a three and out which led to Alec Hoover’s blocked punt giving the Wolves’ offense the ball at the Vanden 20. Moments later Seay scores on an 8-yard run with 1:46 left in the game. When Vanden’s offense trotted back on the field, Wolves’ linebacker Kekoa Wilson’s interception sealed the game. Good night, drive home safely.

In the team’s win over River Valley, points were hard earned. The Falcons gained 478 yards of total offense, running 73 plays, but only scored 10 points thanks to the Wolves defense getting timely stops and forcing three turnovers. To make a baseball analogy to the plays/yardage ratio, that’s like scoring one run and leaving 12 runners on base.

To further examine the Wolves’ defense in the seven-game winning streak, Phil Steele, who publishes an annual college football preview magazine that contains more information than a New York City telephone book, has many metrics.

I’m not one to go crazy over analytics but there is one stat that piqued my interest, yards per point. Offensively, you want to average less than 10 yards per point. Defensively, you want your average to be greater than 10 yards per point. That theory makes sense on the surface because if an offense rolls up 350 yards but only scores 20 points, they are not getting the most out of that production.

Over the last seven games, the Wolves defense has allowed 17.2 yards per point. The defense will need to rise up strong again on Friday against a potent Buffaloes’ offense that for the season averages 8.11 yards per point.

The two teams do not have a common opponent but the closest connection is Benicia, which is American Canyon’s fellow SCAC school. Christian Brothers, which is the No. 3 seed in the SJS Div. III bracket, blanked Benicia 59-0. One week earlier in the regular season finale, the Wolves defeated Benicia 41-7.

The Buffaloes, who railroaded No. 15 seeded Rio Americano 62-21, have just two defeats this season in a loaded Valley Oak League. Manteca’s two losses came against fellow VOL schools Oakdale (36-15) and Central Catholic-Modesto (31-14). Oakdale is the No. 1 seed in the Div. III bracket while Central Catholic is the No. 3 seed in the Div. II bracket.

Since the aforementioned loss to Oakdale on Oct. 6, Manteca has outscored its opposition 282-75. The Buffaloes are an equally balanced attack between the passing game led by quarterback Gino Campiotti, who has thrown 23 touchdown passes and just three interceptions. Manteca has rushed for 1,742 yards with a committee like approach with Tabron Russell (67 carries, 668 yards, 13 touchdowns) being the leading ground gainer.

The Wolves are in for a difficult task. The biggest key when facing daunting foe is, just give yourself a chance to win. American Canyon does not necessarily need a fast start. This is not Bethel or Fairfield where the team could jump to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and call it curtains. The key is, don’t let the Buffaloes get up 21-0.

Savage wore many hats, he will be missed

Life has a way of humbling you.

The community of Napa, CA, lost a tremendous asset on Sunday when news travelled at the speed of light on both social and traditional media when learning that Tom Savage suddenly passed away while on vacation.

Savage’s rosary will be held Thursday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. at St. Apollinaris Church. The funeral mass will be at the same location on Friday, Nov. 17 at 1 p.m.

Savage, 74, was a man for all seasons both personally and professionally. For over four decades, Savage wore many hats: teacher at Redwood Middle School, coach and referee. He had a tremendous love for family, sports and God but not necessarily in that order. Savage also had a witty sense of humor.

Just slightly over two years ago, Michele, who was Tom’s wife of 47 years, passed away. Both had active roles of volunteerism at St. Apollinaris school and parish that continued long after their children were out of the school. That quality speaks volumes because most people in a similar situation would not be so giving after their kids are gone. I don’t begrudge such people, I simply celebrate that the Savages continued their active volunteerism..

Savage’s passing hits home for me for multiple reasons. Since I grew up with his kids (Brian, Dennis, Nicole and Michael) and three of his nieces (Shannon, Megan and Maureen) at both St. Apollinaris and later Justin-Siena High, I got to know the Savage family well.

If there ever was an example of someone putting other people’s needs ahead of their own, it was Tom and Michele Savage. Because of my previous career as a sports reporter, I got to know Mr. Savage on a much different level. Before then, I mainly knew him as the father of Brian, Dennis, Nicole and Michael along with the uncle of Shannon, Megan and Maureen. Though I competed in athletics, I never had him as a teacher or coach so I can’t speak for what he was like in those roles. However, most everyone I talked to, spoke of him in glowing terms.

Then I’d see him often as a referee. Before too long, I didn’t just know him as the referee of today’s (insert teams) game.

I remember one stage of my career as a sports reporter, early 2000s. It was spring sports season. Mr. Savage had umpired about six consecutive games I was covering. So I  jabbed him, “What is this? You probably look at my schedule and ask, ‘Which games is Vince covering?” Without skipping a beat, Mr. Savage followed by saying, “I’m following you around.” So we both chuckled. In recent years, we occasionally crossed paths while shopping or at mass.

As a referee, he worked games in the Monticello Empire League, Marin County Athletic League, North Bay League, Sonoma County and North Central League games before retiring in 2013. As an Upvalley sports reporter, I also remember him officiating many Carpy Gang and Calistoga Cubs youth football games.

After moving back to the Napa Valley and becoming a sports reporter, I covered many games that he has officiated. In the process, I feel like I got to know him even more than when I was a kid growing up with his son and niece, Dennis and Shannon, as my classmate.

I enjoyed talking to him before and after games. The conversations ranged from sports to politics to family and me saying things like, “Take care, keep Brian and Dennis out of trouble.” Suffice it to say, the conversations took a few off ramps.

Since I knew him, he was probably the only referee I felt comfortable enough exchanging humor with during the game. One time during a Carpy Gang-Cubs youth football game, he called a false start, so I asked, “Is that false start or traveling?”

He quipped: “Depends on the sport.”

I would have to look long and hard to find a referee who struck a balance by being “in control of the game” but not “controlling the game.” That quality is hard to find because during games, emotions run high. You make a call, one side loves you, and the other side scorns you.

The best example I can give of Savage handling a volatile situation was the East-West All-Star football game one year in 2008.

Three players (two from Hogan and another from Benicia) from the West’s defense were ejected on the same possession. The ejected players acted so infantile that they threw helmets. In fact, one left the stadium entirely.

There were late hits, profanity and unsportsmanlike penalties that resulted in more flags than a Fourth of July parade — only these flags were yellow as opposed to red, white and blue.

The game got so hostile in that Savage had to meet with both coaches, David Fishleigh of the East and Richard Eaton of the West, to try and calm both sides down. Seeing Savage in this situation was like watching the calm in the eye of the storm.

Savage was probably one of the most fair-minded officials I’ve ever met in that he handles emotional situations between players and coaches as well as anyone — if not better.

Some officials are so short-fused that their desire to take control becomes bigger than the game itself. So, when things are so bad that a game that involves Savage comes close to getting called entirely, well, it must be bad.

Savage’s son, Dennis, has also gotten involved as a referee. I have only covered one game that Dennis has officiated (between American Canyon and Pittsburg), but in that game I saw of the elder Savage in the younger one. He was “in control of the game” but not “controlling the game.”

That version of Mr. Savage was how he lived his life. Whether, I was a first grader at St. A’s or a sports reporter, I saw a man that never got too high when life was good but never got too low when life was not so good.

The next high school sporting event I attend either as a freelance writer or fan, I have no doubt Savage will be smiling from heaven.

I say this often when a friend passes away, “Mr. Savage, I’m in no hurry to get where you are going but I know we will meet again some day.”

The Crushers were no shrinking violet in loss to Inderkum

One of my former newspaper collegues once wrote in a lead, “sometimes Goliath wins.” Another one once said, “sometimes a team can gain more respect after a loss than a win.”

The first round of Thursday’s high school football CIF Sac Joaquin Section Div. II playoffs between the No. 2 seeded Inderkum (Sacramento) Tigers and No. 15 seeded Vintage (Napa) Crushers, applied those theories but the latter stands out far more than the former. Vintage saw its season end with a 35-24 defeat against Inderkum, which hosts No. 7 Del Oro on Friday.

Don’t get anything twisted. I’m not about celebrating moral victories and if you interperet my message as such -- have another drink. However, there are honorable losses and there is no disgrace in Vintage’s loss to Inderkum, especially in this fashion. This loss actually defines the 2017 Crushers as much if not more than their seven wins. Vintage was a No. 15 seed walking into a No. 2 seed’s building. They were no shrinking violet. In fact the Crushers led 24-21 at halftime. It was the only time this season the Tigers trailed at recess. Process that for a moment.

Between Michael Webber capping off a 10-play, 90-yard drive with a 3-yard scoring run and Isaiah Garcia returning an interception 57-yards to paydirt, the Crushers had the Tigers stunned out of their mind.

You hear the phrase so much, “you’re only as good as your last game.”

I agree with that but only to a point. I tend to think that a person’s or team’s resume is the body of work over a period of time. The last game of the Crushers 2017 season will sting but there’s no shame losing to an unbeaten Inderkum.  

While most of my freelance writing duties involve covering the American Canyon Wolves, as a Napa Valley high school athletic supporter, I have interest in all six teams from AC to the South and Calistoga to the North.

Since I have known Vintage’s second-year head coach Dylan Leach for close to 20 years, the Crushers had my interest this past season. This Crusher team was not as athletic as some teams you’ll see but Leach and his staff had them prepared every week. Even with the team’s 7-3 record, they didn’t always pass the eyeball test. In fact, they looked ugly at times but this is football not gymnastics. In football, you are just trying to be one point better than your opposition. The Crushers went 4-1 in games decided by seven points or less.

When I think of the 2017 Crushers, the loss to Inderkum is not just just a blip on the radar. This game further confirms the culture Leach is cultivating: Step into the ring, put up your dukes and be ready to fight even the best of foes. I was actually surprised the Crushers were not seeded higher than No. 15. The conspiracy theorist in me says it was the SJS giving the Napa schools the double-barrel for relocating to the North Coast Section but that’s another story for another day. Napa and American Canyon will join Vintage in this move that takes effect next year.

The 2017 Crushers are about seniors like Isaiah Garcia, Zach Geary, Merrick Barnett, James Robert, Raymond O’Brien, Bruno Martinez, and Max Craig to name a few. These guys might be the group that kickstarts a lengthy run of success for the Crushers.

The 2017 Vintage Crushers were a pleasure to follow. Vintage football was stuck in neutral for the better part of the last 10-12 years. They were terrible in going 9-31 from 2009-2012. Other than that, most year, they were not good enough to be Napa or Vacaville but not bad enough to be Armijo. However, given Napa’s and Justin-Siena’s perrenial success coupled with American Canyon’s ascent, Vintage had the look of a setting sun. Now they are a rising sun.

Granted, they benefited from Napa’s destruction of being waylaid by an alleged hazing scandal among other things but that’s not the Crushers fault. The point is, they controlled what they could control. They also benefited from an American Canyon team that stumbled out of the gate before reeling off seven wins in a row. The Crushers scored their first Big Game win over Napa since 2005 and atoned for a 42-14 loss to American Canyon with a 28-14 win at Wolf Den Stadium this year. Those are significant psychological hurdles going forward.

Speaking of going forward, the Crushers are in good hands now with Leach and his staff.