Intriguing storylines to nonleague football games for Napa and AC

While late March is the time for spring sports to be in full bloom,
you cannot help but look ahead to fall sports, specifically football.

Such is especially true when a multitude of spring sports events
get rained out.

The intriguing part is looking ahead to see any appealing non
league matchups. They can be compelling for any number of
reasons that include but are not limited to perennially competitive
programs and regionalism.

As it pertains to the six schools in Napa Valley, CA (Napa, Vintage,
American Canyon, Justin-Siena, St. Helena, and Calistoga), I
found two that piqued my interest as I scoured the maxpreps.com
website. Keep in mind, not every coach has updated their schedule
on that site.

The two that I found compelling for different reasons are the Aug.
30 matchup between St. Patrick (Vallejo) at American Canyon. The
other one takes place on Sept. 6 when Napa visits Vallejo. You could
talk me into other scheduled nonleague matchups in these parts as
intriguing but for now I'll stick to these two.

It’s not so much that the games themselves are compelling but more
so the storylines behind them. Here’s a closer look to whet your
palate before 2019:

ST. PATRICK BRUINS AT AMERICAN CANYON WOLVES

You have an established private school (St. Pat’s) and a public school
(American Canyon) of about 500 and 1,400 students respectively plus
or minus a few that are ten miles apart but have never squared off in
football. To be fair, American Canyon did not open until the 2010-2011
school year and the schools have played each other in other sports.

It’s unclear whether or not this will be a regular matchup but for now,
the two schools have agreed to a home-and-home meaning the 2019
matchup will be at American Canyon followed by St. Pat’s hosting in
2020. I could get used to seeing this matchup.

The first thing I think is, “2016 would have been the perfect time” but
hindsight is not 20-20, it’s undefeated. The Bruins went 13-3, beating
Fort Bragg 49-35 for the CIF North Coast Section Div. V title that
season. Two weeks later, St. Pat’s beat Strathmore 29-28 for the 6-A
Bowl Game to win the state title. The Wolves, who at the time went in
the Sac Joaquin Section as members of the Solano County Athletic
Conference, went 11-2 and reached the semifinals of the SJS Div. III
playoffs for the second time in school history.

Much has changed since that year. In 2017 and 2018, the Wolves
started slow and ended strong under two different coaches. The
2017 team under Larry Singer went 7-4, starting 0-3, winning seven
straight including their sixth SCAC title in as many years, beating
River Valley (Yuba City) 17-10 in the SJS Div. III playoffs before
losing to eventual champion Manteca 62-32. Last season in John
Montante’s first season, the Wolves became members of the Vine
Valley Athletic League moving to the NCS. American Canyon
started 0-4 but won five of its last six to reach the NCS Div. II
playoffs. The Wolves beat Montgomery (Santa Rosa) 43-29 in the
first round before losing to Rancho Cotate (Rohnert Park) to finish
6-6.

The 2017 Bruins went 11-2, beating Middletown for the NCS Div. V
title. In 2018, the Bruins took a step back in going 6-6, beating St.
Mary’s (Albany) 55-34 in the NCS Div. IV playoffs before losing to
Moreau Catholic (Hayward) 53-28.

The added intrigue is that current American Canyon parents are a
mixture of those raised in either Vallejo or Napa, which means if
they went the private school route it was either Justin or St. Pat’s.
If they went the public school route it was either Vintage or Vallejo.

NAPA GRIZZLIES AT VALLEJO REDHAWKS

Seeing this matchup with Grizzlies at Redhawks instead of Indians
at Apaches is cringeworthy. All kidding aside, this is the third oldest
high school football rivalry in California. The two teams were
long-time combatants in the SJS as members of the Monticello
Empire League as well as the NCS. The series continued even
with Napa staying in the MEL and Vallejo moving to the SCAC.

The annual series was put on hiatus after 2013 in large part because
the series was exceedingly one-sided from 2002-2013 with Napa
winning by an average score of 43.1-13.5. Besides the local rivalries
of Napa-Vintage and Vallejo-Hogan, this was frequently an eagerly
anticipated matchup before both programs went in opposite
directions. Vallejo’s last winning season was 2003, which was its last
playoff season. Since 2004, Vallejo has gone 39-110.

As for Napa, from 2002-2016 the program went 124-39-2 with 14 playoff
appearances, six MEL titles and an SJS Div. I title in 2007. Then the
offseason following 2016 happened but I’ll only give the Reader’s
Digest version. First there was a hazing scandal that went public.
The fallout turned into philosophical differences between that lead
to the resignation of head coach Troy Mott along with the entire staff.

There has been so much change that Mott is now “three coaches
ago” as the door has revolved from Jesus Martinez in 2017 to Tom
Petithomme in 2018 and now Richie Wessman. On the field, Napa
has gone from really good to really bad without stopping at mediocre.
The last two seasons, the program has gone 3-16, including 0-10 last
season for its first winless campaign since 1955.

The two programs have something else in common. They once had
Indian related mascot names but changed to their current name two
years apart, 2016 for Vallejo and 2018 for Napa. The changes have
resulted in lost alumni support as well.

With the St. Pat’s/American Canyon, the newness factor appeals to
me. With Napa/Vallejo, I see it as “This isn’t your cousin’s Vallejo/Napa
game but good to see it after all these years.”

Parents have a bigger problem with hard coaching than kids

It’s amazing how recent events can revisit debates.

While some people watch their NCAA tournament brackets get blown
to hell in a handbag (raising hand), a “What is the right coaching
approach” debate broke out. During a timeout of an East Regional
matchup between No. 2 Michigan State and No. 15 Bradley, which the
former won 76-65, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo verbally berated
freshman Aaron Henry for what he believed was a lack of effort. Izzo’s
facial expressions looked closer to Friday the 13th than March Madness.
Henry’s teammates tried to diffuse the situation by getting Izzo to call
the next play.

Since we live in an outrage culture, the reactions ranged from “How
could Izzo do this?” to “C’mon, kids are soft, don’t contribute to the
wussification of American.”

The 64-year old Izzo, who has been the Spartans head coach since
1995-1996, has 606 career wins as of this writing. In his tenure, Michigan
State has one NCAA Tournament championship (2000), seven Final Four
appearances, nine Big Ten regular season titles and six Big Ten
Tournament championships. In 2016, Izzo was enshrined to the Naismith
Basketball Hall of Fame.

There are a few things to unpack. For openers, youngsters know what they
are signing up for when Izzo recruits them. They are getting a coach that
preaches strong guard play, defensive tenacity and rebounding. Izzo is
famous for his war rebounding drill in which players wear football helmets
and shoulder pads. He is also famous for lines like “Tough players win”
and “I don’t determine playing time, players do” and “A player coached
team is better than a coach-coached team.”

The generational stereotypes are many whether you are a baby boomer,
Generation X or millennial. The common narrative is how technology
has taken over society that today’s youngsters have a sense of entitlement.
As a result, the belief is that youngsters today do not receive hard-edged
coaching well.

Relative to the generational stereotypes, I’m as guilty as anyone as a
Generation Xer but when I was a kid, I heard plenty of complaints about
my generation. Chances are, my parents heard plenty of complaints about
their generation from their parents.

Another common belief is how kids have changed. I disagree with that
notion entirely. The more accurate assessment is that adults’ expectations
of youngsters has changed.

The reason why Izzo’s tirade on Henry became such a talking point is
because a) Welcome to 2019 where becoming offended is en vogue,
and b) It is a microcosm of the belief that you cannot hold people
accountable.

The belief also lies that with Izzo’s tirade that went viral will steer
youngsters away from that coaching style whether an incoming freshman
or leading a kid currently in the program to transfer. I find that theory to
be the biggest load of utter nonsense. For openers, kids that are good at
their sport of choice know that criticism comes with the territory. As long
as the kid gets praised for his or her good points, they can deal with
criticism just fine. If a coach only tells them their faults and is verbally
or even physically abusive, that’s a different story altogether.

When a kid gets to college, they know full well that coaches will tell
them things they don’t want to hear. Of all the reasons why a college kid
will leave a program, being coached hard is very low on the list. They are
far more likely to leave a program because they are a) Buried on the
depth chart or b) Do not like their role in the program.

So often you hear coaches tell youngsters that sports are life lessons that
prepare you for the personal and professional world. Translation, you do
not prepare the road for the youngster. You prepare the youngster for the
road.

Contrary to popular belief, kids don’t have a problem with being coached
hard. The parents, however, are another story entirely.

Just admit it, you want people making inflammatory statements

Sometimes you have to ask people who talk out both sides of their mouth
“What do you really want?”

When it comes to athletes and coaches, particularly at the college and
professional levels, answers to interview questions can range from boring/
canned/cliche to inflammatory/controversial. I witnessed such responses
first-hand during my 18 years as a sports reporter, mostly in Napa Valley,
CA but also as a freelance writer for an Oakland Raiders fan magazine and
covering University of Nebraska athletics for my college newspaper, shoutout
Daily Nebraskan. I have continued to witness them as a fan four years after
being out of the newspaper industry.

At the professional and college level, some of the more colorful interviewees
I have heard in my lifetime include but are not limited to Bobby Knight, Mike
Ditka, Buddy Ryan, Earl Weaver, Tommy Lasorda, Lou Piniella, Jim Mora,
Brian Bosworth and Charles Barkley to name a few. I could think of many
more but in the interest of space, I will spare you.

The inflammatory element is not absent at the high school level either because
when reading quotes by sources, there is the what the sender of the message
said versus what the receiver of the message interprets. Those two concepts
are often in two different zip codes.

For example, during homecoming week of high school football, I would often
ask coaches about how to manage distractions of the week long festivities in
lieu of preparing for the game. I didn’t ask because I cared because come
Friday, I’m there to cover the football game. At halftime when the festivities
are happening, I’m taking a siesta. I posed the question because a) Readers
want to know and b) I considered it part of my job so I felt the need to at
least give lip service to posing the question. Most coaches gave the standard
“Stay focused on the task at hand” line. One year when I covered Calistoga
High, then head coach Mike Ervin said something to the effect of “The last
time I checked, people come for the football game, not the other BS.”

Coach Ervin, whom I consider a friend, got himself in hot water and told me
as much after the fact. I told him, “Coach, you have no reason to apologize.
You were being honest and if people don’t like it, screw them.” Coach Ervin
thanked me, I think because my message was consistent, meaning, I did
not praise him one minute and turn on him the next.

Then there are the ones that give cliche ridden answers that toe the line so
they do not get in trouble. What stands out to me is that fans and media alike
are the first to dissect comments that can be construed as inflammatory. In
the same breath, they will advocate players or teams to let their actions do
the talking. Yet, when a player or coach gives a cliche interview, the same
media and fans are the first ones to blast them.

So it begs the question, what do you really want?

The answer is pretty clear, people want controversy even if they are the first
ones to abhor such. The common culprit that most people point to is the media.
I use the term “media” because “journalist” has become a foreign concept.
After all, we live in a world where louder is presumed better. Look no further
than TV talk shows with Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe on Fox Sports.
For that matter, you have ESPN’s First Take with Max Kellerman and Stephen
A. Smith (aka Screamin’ A. Smith).

It’s easy to blame the media because there are so many outlets that one is
trying to outdo the other. Why? Clickbait journalism. The more inflammatory,
the more people will read/listen. While I’m not giving the media a pass, the
same fans that criticize the media are not blameless in this matter either.
Why? Because the same fans that like athletes and/or coaches to just “do
their job” and not say anything inflammatory are the first ones to call someone
boring and turn their attention to the controversial statements.

Therein lies the question and it becomes a chicken or egg theory. Does the
media sensationalize inflammatory comments because fans like them? Or do
fans like inflammatory comments because the media provides them?

Next time you hear your favorite athlete or coach pontificate, perhaps you
either a) Should be honest with yourself and admit that you love such
statements or b) Just admit that you the fan fed the monster by wanting the
media to emphasize the pontification but in the next breath, you want them
to tame it.

Translation, just admit it, you like inflammatory statements, it’s just a matter
of do you laugh with them or at them.

Calvelo's kindness was unmistakable

There are days when life brings you to your knees.

For many people that went to St. Apollinaris Catholic School and
Justin-Siena High in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Monday, March
11, 2019 was shattering news as we discovered that our school mate
Greg Calvelo suddenly passed away. Granted, the impact on us pales
in comparison for how it affects his family but you get the point. The
impact on Greg’s passing has been felt in far reaching circles.  

All services will be held at St. Apollinaris Church, which is located in
Napa, CA. There will be a viewing on Friday, March 22, 2019 from
4-5:30 p.m. with a rosary to follow. There will be a funeral mass and
Celebration of Life on Saturday, March 23, 2019 at 10:30 am at the
church and the hall.

Greg, who was 47, leaves behind his wife, Therese Bettinelli Calvelo,
two children (Faith and Jackson) and shiploads of family, friends and
acquaintances that held him in high esteem. Greg was a man for all
seasons: 1) Three sport athlete at Justin-Siena High (Napa, CA), 2)
After graduating from the University of California (Berkeley), he
studied for a semester in Spain and spent a summer teaching ELS to
kids, 3) As a freshman at Cal, he was a member of the Crew Team,
4) Also at Cal, he was a student manager for the men’s basketball
team. In 1993, I remember watch Cal upset Duke to advance to the
Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament. I saw the TV pan to the Cal
bench and Greg appeared in the shot. I thought, “Man, that’s the
one and only Greg Calvelo. He’s one of us.”

In high school as a student-athlete, he played football, basketball
and tennis. He coached Powerpuff, served as student body president,
yearbook sports editor, and was named Salutatorian of his graduating
class. He was also voted Most Likely to Succeed. Greg didn’t just
succeed in all facets of life. He mastered them.

After college, Greg worked as a Retirement Services Manager from
1994-2011 for Charles Schwab Corp. and then Wells Fargo. He was
recruited back to Charles Schwab for four more years before a couple
years as a Sr. Learning Strategist for PG & E. Greg was currently
employed by First Republic Bank in San Francisco as the Vice
President of Technology Training.

He also cared deeply for the youths as he coached basketball and was
an active supporter at various events.

I initially met Greg during the school year of 1984-1985 when he entered
St. A’s as an eighth grader after his family had moved to Napa, CA from
Jackson, Mich. The first thing this then vertically challenged sixth grader
thought was, “My goodness, what a large man.”

Entering a new school in a new community when in Grades K-12 can be
difficult, though I do not speak from experience because I was fortunate
enough to go to school with mostly the same people from Grades 1-8 and
a smattering of new ones when I got to Justin. Like yours truly, Greg
went to high school at Justin, where we graduated two years apart,
Greg in 1989 and me in 1991.

The challenges a new person faces when in a new school and community
are not only making new friends but fitting in among your peers. To say
that Greg fit in and made friends would not be doing him justice. Greg
made the quality of life for everyone around him a better place.

He was big man that had an affable gentle giant personality. Greg was
the type of person where if you did not like him, you were the one with
the problem. You could be the CEO of a company or a janitor, Greg made
you feel valued when he spoke to you. I had the pleasure of being in the
high school football program at Justin with Greg. We were never on the
same team because since he was two years ahead of me, he was on varsity
while I was on JV.

Greg and I were not friends as far as doing things together socially but
from time-to-time over the years we crossed paths and I considered him one.
After every conversation, I felt like a better person. The man never changed
as an adult. Greg continued to be generous, affable and fun-loving. He was
also driven and ambitious but not at the expense of sacrificing integrity.
While I’m not privy to his family life, I have no doubt he was every bit the
father and husband as he was peer, professional and friend.

I was saddened when I heard that he had a heart attack in September 2018
while enjoying life with his friends before a Cal football game. News
traveled at the speed of light on social media. From there, he received
multiple stents. Though he attacked his issue head on by committing
himself to a healthy lifestyle, Greg did not just focus on his own well
being.  Greg made it his mission is to raise awareness and education
around heart disease and healthy living. He did so by leading a team of
walkers in San Francisco along the Embarcadero for the 2018 Greater
Bay Area Heart Walk.

If that is not selflessness personified, I don’t know what is.

I last saw Greg in early October on Napa United, which is a recreational
soccer league, picture day. Greg and I each have sons that played this
past season. I remember telling how grateful many people were that he
survived his heart attack. Greg also expressed his gratefulness. We spent
about a half hour yukking it up while our kids were getting pictures taken.

After our kids were done, Greg and I embraced, I told something to the
effect of, “We are thrilled to still have you.” I fought back tears in the
process. Little did I know, that interaction with him would be my last.

The sadness of losing Greg is immutable. People say, “You only live
once.” Not true. You only die once, you live everyday. However, I think
we can live the remainder of our own lives by applying the same
principles with how Greg lived his life.

In the angry world in which we live, I think it speaks volumes that
Greg’s kindness never wavered. Perhaps if we all took a piece of
Greg’s principles and applied it to our own lives, we can collectively
make the world a better place.

Greg, I’m in no hurry to get to where you are going but I know we
will meet again someday. My friend, you made everyone’s world a
better place. I’m going to do my part to pay it forward and advise
those around me to reciprocate.

Here’s to you, Greg!

NOTE: The family has opened a 529 Education fund for Faith and
Jackson, in memory of their father. Make checks payable to Fidelity
Investments, be sure to include Acct. # 618230879 in the memo line
of the check. at P.O. Box 770001, Cincinnati, OH 45277-0003. For
electronic contributions please go directly to
https://go.fidelity.com/n4wyz

Donations can also be made to the AMERICAN HEART
ASSOCIATION in memory of Greg’s struggle with heart disease.