Time out with Manny Aguirre (2014 Napa High graduate)

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

Aguirre: The most enjoyable part of competing in athletics throughout my life was the relationships and bonds that were formed. I made so many friends and met people from different backgrounds that came together because we enjoyed competing in the same sport. I also gained different mentors over the years that helped mold the person I have become today.  

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

Aguirre: I moved to Arizona to study Criminology/Criminal Justice at Arizona State. I enjoyed my time there but after two years away from family I decided to move back closer to home and now reside in Roseville, CA. I am continuing my education through ASU online and looking into transferring to Sacramento State. In addition to my studies I also work at an Italian restaurant as a busser and food-runner.

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

Aguirre: My favorite class at Napa High was definitely weight room because it was at the end of the school day so you were able to blow off some steam from whatever frustrations you may have had that day. Outside of physical education I was always an English guy. I actually enjoy reading if I find the book or article interesting and didn't mind writing papers. I was also blessed with some pretty awesome teachers as well such as Ms. Watkins, Mr. Aaron and Ms. Walker to name a few.

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

Aguirre: My favorite athletic moment at Napa High was definitely my junior year Big Game Football. We won that game pretty easily as our team clicked on all cylinders that night and it was one of my better games I played individually so that is always a plus. Only thing I regret was not reaching the end zone that game. Big Game week in general is just the best experience because the school spirit is on another level and there is nothing else like it in the town of Napa. You get to play with your brothers against your cross town rival in front of thousands of people, it feels like the whole town is at that game. Some of your buddies you grew up playing football with are on the opposite side and it's a totally different ball game.

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

Aguirre: I feel like I have grown immensely since graduation, back in high school I was always living in the moment and not thinking too much about the future. Don't get me wrong it is great to live in the moment but I have learned to balance that with looking at the bigger picture. I have goals I want to accomplish in life that I know will take hard work now because success can't just happen overnight. I attribute a lot of my growth in life towards athletics because sports are a meritocracy. You earn your playing time through hard work, dedication and performance. There are no excuses just like in life you have to put in the work to get the results you want.

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

Aguirre: The most influential people in my family are without a doubt my parents. They did not have it as easy as I did growing up but because of their work ethic they were able accomplish the goals they set for themselves. I was born while my parents were both still in high school so they worked day and night to support not only themselves but me as well. They had a lot of different jobs growing up but now they have steady careers and give back to our community in positive ways. My mom is a nurse at the women's health department of the Napa Kaiser. My dad is a supervisor for the high risk unit at the Napa County Adult Probation Department.

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

Aguirre: If I could meet a historical figure it would probably be Jimmy Johnson because I am a huge Dallas Cowboys fan and he is one of the best coaches in the history of their franchise. Not only did he lead the Cowboys to two Super Bowl victories but he also led the University of Miami to a National Championship as well. He is one of only three coaches to ever win both a Super Bowl and College National Championship. He had what it took to get done at the two highest levels of football as a head coach and it would be awesome to be able to pick his brain and network with him. I want to coach the game of football in some capacity one day so to learn from one of the best to ever do it would be an honor.

Time Out with Erik Hamzy (1986 Napa High graduate)

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

Erik Hamzy: I loved playing and competing at that age. I pushed myself to be the best I could at whatever sport I was playing, and that has transitioned to my adult life. I might not be the smartest guy in the room, but I have the confidence in myself, that I can do anything if I put my mind to it. I have exchanged the football field or basketball court for the golf course, a sport which cannot be mastered, and yet I continue to try. That mindset of competing has allowed me to become a valuable resource for the companies I work for.  If it wasn't for sports in high school, I am not sure I would have graduated; it was truly my motivation.

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

Hamzy: I played football at San Francisco State University when they still had football and started 10 of 11 games.

I worked in the hotel industry for four years. I went back to school, and found that I am actually a pretty good student when I apply myself. I have been married and divorced but have two incredibly wonderful daughters who are becoming amazing young women. I have gotten married again and am extremely happy. I worked for Procter & Gamble in customer service, and was part of a high commitment work team for four years. I was an assistant manager for Big 5 Sporting Goods for four years. I worked for a private company in El Dorado Hills for 14 years holding various positions along with Zimmer Biomet (large medical company) for three years (they bought private company). I currently work for a private company in the food packaging industry as their Information Technology Manager. I have travelled to Italy, Mexico and looking to do more. I have become obsessed with golf and started a golf tournament to help benefit children and families in Napa (Toys for Tots, Food Bank, Boys & Girls Club).

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

Hamzy: Creative writing was my favorite class, I honestly thought that I would go into journalism. I became passionate about history and political science when I went back to school.  

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

Hamzy: It's going to sound cliche' but every time I walked into Memorial Stadium, with the band playing, the crowd cheering, I got goose bumps. I was lucky enough to make a couple big plays during the Napa vs. Vintage games my junior and senior years

Our senior year, our basketball team had a lot of heart but just wasn't very good.  Vacaville was as usual working the MEL, and they came into Napa on a winning streak.  Bob Zanardi was sitting in the stands talking to a group of us during the JV game, and he noted that “Vacaville has never won in the Napa gym.” We ended up beating Vacaville in overtime and I hit the go ahead and winning basket.

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

Hamzy: In a way I feel like I am the same person, but with age comes wisdom. I do believe that athletics tremendously helped me become the person I am today without a doubt. Being in athletics, or part of a team has been extremely beneficial to me in my adult life. Learning how to work as one, when many are involved. Learning that by helping others be the best they can be, you are truly enriched. Learning to win with humility, and lose with dignity. We cannot win everything every time, so learning how to accept that, and decide how you are going to react?  Get better, work harder, learn more, or do nothing. I wasn't the most gifted athlete, but I worked my tail off and believed my work ethic is what gained me maybe a slight advantage. That holds true today, I am not the smartest IT guy in the world, but when presented with a problem I will work the problem until resolved.

Athletics gave me a place to belong, I didn't have brothers or sisters, so my teams where my extended family.  

I believe athletics are an amazing part of a child’s life, extremely enriching and rewarding; but with all the "everyone gets a trophy", and "there are only winners, no losers" mentality today, we are robbing these kids of  a chance to grow at an early age, and we will feel the pain of this in the future.

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

Hamzy: My grandfather who was my surrogate father in my life.  He taught me so much about life, about being a man, and loving, laughing, enjoying life, how to expect greatness, and knowing it takes hard work to get there.

My mother, who believed in me before I believed in myself.  If I said I was going to the moon, she would instantly tell me what an amazing astronaut I would be.  Whenever I need a little pick me up, all I have to do is call my mom and by the end of the conversation I am ready to conquer the world.

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

Hamzy: I would love to play a round of golf with President Kennedy.  Have four hours to talk about life, leadership, the tumultuous times during his presidency.

Time Out with Kim (Jinks) Whipple -- 1993 Justin-Siena High graduate

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

Kim Whipple: There were a few things that drove my passion for athletics. The most valuable thing I received from athletics was the relationships with people that sports gave me. Whether it be teammates, coaches or family, playing sports always builds relationships. It builds trust, cooperation, communication, appreciation, and unity.

Athletics also taught me to persevere through life’s challenges. That there would be ups and downs, that there would be wins and losses, that there would be a lot of failures but to work through those to reach the end goal.

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

Whipple: Since graduating, I attended college, got married, had two beautiful children and work full time as a PE teacher.

D’Adamo: What was your favorite class at Justin-Siena High?

Whipple: Too many to list. I learned so much at Justin, not necessarily through the rigor of academics but the life lessons teachers taught me. Brother Jack in Science, Ms. Clark in religion, Mr. Urban in theatre, Mr. Murphy in Art, Mr. Foletta in History/Economics, Mrs. Nieman in PE, Mrs. Leveque in Leadership, Mr. Niedhoffer, Mrs. Fennell in Computer/Typing, and of course Mr. Morrish.  I can remember so many of my teachers after 25 years, that in itself says something about their impact on my life.

D’Adamo: What was your favorite athletic moment at Justin-Siena High?

Whipple: Receiving “Most Valuable Player” for SCAL my junior year. Receiving “Athlete of the Year” wasn’t so bad either. I was blessed to say the least, that there were a number of people in our community who believed in me.

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

Whipple: Athletics drove a deep sense of pride in myself. It helped me develop strength and determination, two things I am so very grateful for today.

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

Whipple: All of them. I grew up with the quintessential perfect family. I could not have asked for anything better. I never went without anything we wanted or needed. My parents provided for and not through monetary ways but through life experiences. My mother taught me to never give up, she taught me to face challenges head on and to always help others. My father taught me to work hard. He defines what hard work is and that through that work good things will come. My sister, Carrie, taught me that family is everything and to always stick beside the ones you love. My life experiences have always been with Robin, my twin. I am a better mother, wife, friend, sister, because of her. I cannot explain the relationship between her and I. There are words I can use to try to explain but they do not really even touch the connection we have. Those who are close to us understand.

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

Whipple: It sounds so cliche but the people in my life mean more to me than people outside of my life. I have been blessed to surround myself with amazing human beings. I can tell you that people I am fascinated by whom I have already met are retired Generals from the Army. Their stories and knowledge about our country are unbelievable.

There's an art to getting the benefit of the doubt from referees

Sometimes you’ve just got to talk about something with no timeliness in particular simply because, well, it’s discussion material.

In all my years of being around sports as an athlete, fan or media member, it never ceases to amaze me how many coaches, athletes or whomever seal their fate when it comes to dealing with referees.

I once had a conversation with former Monticello Empire League commissioner Paul Hoover, who passed away in 2003. This discussion, mind you, came early in my tenure as a sports reporter.

Hoover theorized that anyone on an emotionally thinking level claims that the quality of officiating has declined in recent years but they fail to realize one thing.

Given the verbal barbs that border on if not cross the line of abuse that referees take, people are not beating the door down to become one. That statement makes almost too much sense, because who in their right mind wants to deal boorish behavior? Let’s face it, for the most part, refs only hear from people when they are mad. How often do you hear someone say, “Good call, ref,” and mean it genuinely as opposed to carrying a sarcastic undertone? Very seldom.

When I was in junior college, I refereed three middle school flag football games. It was an easy $20 so who was I to argue. The abuse I took was limited and not too incendiary but enough to realize I had no desire to officiate sporting events.

Before I go any further, if you think the ref is “out to get your team” after most every call that goes against your team, you are out to lunch. On the other hand, if you are one of these self-righteous people who gets on your high horse and always claims that a coach or athlete is “whining” when they address a call, you are equally out to lunch.

Heck, if you’re a coach, athlete or fan, it’s your right to disagree with a call that goes against your team because criticism is fair as long as it’s valid. After all, people are human.

The trick is “how” you address the situation.

There’s nothing wrong with addressing a call that goes against your team as long as it’s done within reason and respectfully. It’s all about picking your battles judiciously.

Coaches or athletes who are frequently overly emotional pertaining to calls going against their team fail to realize that they are sealing their own fate by always claiming it’s someone else’s fault.

That behavior sends the wrong message for many reasons. For one thing, you send the message to your players that it’s OK to blame others when things go against you. I’ve got news for you, it’s not always someone else’s fault.

Let’s face it, we all like to believe that referees are objective, which I think most of them are. On the other hand, they have long memories. They will remember whether a coach or athlete is overly demonstrative on a frequent basis in addressing their call.

They will also remember those who are seldom overly demonstrative.

The former type of person will get tuned out and is unlikely to get the benefit of the doubt on a judgment call. The latter, however, is more likely to be received better because they pick their battles more judiciously. They might even get the benefit of the doubt on a judgment call.

Just apply this idea to life, such as if you work with someone and that person always complains. You know the type — the coffee’s too cold, the building is too cold, etc.

Well, you get the idea. Let’s be brutally honest, anyone in their right mind would tune out someone like that, even if that person’s claim might be legitimate. On the other hand, if someone rarely complains, you might take the view of, “Well, heck, it’s got to be true.”

Anything to gain an edge.

Vintage football camp great way to promote sport, build in-roads

In order for a chain to have any kind of length, the links must come together.

Though I no longer have a job that involves being in front of a computer, I check my phone every so often throughout the day for Facebook notifications and e-mails. I got the former from Vintage High football head coach Dylan Leach that traveled rapidly, as in me of all people were one of 37 tagged in said message. OK, so part of me is being humorously self-deprecating but I was honored that Leach tagged me in this message.

In case you have been vacationing in the North Pole or the Bahamas within the past year, Leach returned to his alma mater to be the Crushers head coach after five seasons as defensive coordinator at crosstown rival Napa. Leach was on the Vintage staff in various capacities from 2000-2009.

Relevant to Leach’s social media post, it pertained to a youth football camp he and the Crusher coaching staff is hosting from July 17-21 at Memorial Stadium. The camp runs from 8 a.m. to Noon from Monday to Thursday and 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday.

The purpose of the camp is for youngsters from ages 7-14 to get detailed instruction from the Crushers’ coaching staff. The camp will include but not be limited to the following: a) Position based instruction, b) Speed and agility development, c) Proper body mechanics both pertaining to the weight-room and field, and d) Nutrition information.

Both boys and girls are welcome to attend and previous playing experience is not required. Youngsters will be provided a healthy snack and ample hydration. As one who delivers bottled water for a living I offer this bit of unsolicited advice, hydration is vital and weather should have no influence. Plus, tap water is horrible. Drink the bottled stuff but I digress.

Youngsters are encouraged to bring both running shoes and cleats. Participation also involves a Vintage Crushers t-shirt. In the interest of safety, players will be split according to size and skill level.

What Leach, who is a 1992 Vintage High graduate, is doing carries even more importance for sports like football. That is not meant as a slight against other sports but achievements in football change the perception of the school more so than any other sport.

Vintage enters its final season in the Monticello Empire League and the CIF Sac Joaquin Section. Declining enrollment in the Napa Valley Unified School District at least partially based on the rise of real estate prices has played a role in families getting pushed out of Napa County and more so into Lake, Solano and Contra Costa Counties. Vintage, Napa and American Canyon will compete in the North Coast Section beginning in 2018. It’s just a matter of which league. That would fall into the “another story for another day” category.

The camp is significant for another reason because high school football games are like an event because they are held at a time (i.e. Friday night or Saturday afternoon) when they do not overlap with other events.

Some people might contend that the most talented program always wins. Well, having talent is necessary, but what truly makes a small town athletic program is the quality of coaching and the community connection. Napa is not a small town by population (75,000 plus or minus a few) but it still has a small town mentality, which can be good or bad. I’d say the former more so than the latter.

Since going 8-3 under Les Franco in 2000, Vintage has mostly been fair to midland among its MEL counterparts. The Crushers haven’t been good enough to be Napa or Vacaville but not bad enough to be Armijo or Rodriguez.

I don’t say this to be a homer but I believe the Crushers landed a very good choice when the job came open in March 2016. Because Leach can mention names like David Illsley, Steve Buccellato, Warren Bowers and Conrad Alvarez and other Vintage greats, his message carries even more credence.

How successful will the Crushers be under Leach? They were 5-5 last season but time will tell because 2017 has not kicked off yet. Vintage is talented but young. That’s another story for another day. Leach is a well-liked and well-respected Vintage alum, I’ve known him mostly in passing the last 17 years or so. He’s not only a very good coach but a person of high character.

This sentiment ties even further with the camp because kids from ages 7-14 are impressionable. The lessons they learn in this camp will stick with them. While it does not mean that every camper will become a Vintage Crusher when they reach high school, and nor is that the purpose, but establishing that community presence is vital.

Time machine: 2000 Justin-Siena High football

For the 2000 Justin-Siena High football team, the turn of the century marked the dawning of a new era -- in more ways than one.

For openers, the Braves would move from the CIF Sac Joaquin Section to the North Coast Section. The Superior California Athletic League disbanded and Justin, which is a private school in Napa, CA, with an enrollment capacity of 650 student, joined the Marin County Athletic League. The Braves new league would feature schools of double to approaching triple their enrollment.

Justin was entering the fourth season of head coach Rich Cotruvo’s tenure. In those days, football coaches staying at Justin for four years qualified as a dynasty. From 1987-1996, the Braves went 27-69 under four different head coaches before Cotruvo arrived in 1997. In Cotruvo’s first three seasons, he changed a losing culture as the Braves went 16-15. Before the 2000 campaign, Cotruvo bolstered his coaching staff by adding Jim Costan, Steve Vargus and Steve Hatton. Costan resigned as Vintage’s head coach after 1999, thus paving the way for Cotruvo to add him Vargus and Hatton. Vargus is widely regarded as an elite defensive coordinator within the North Bay.

The Braves’ season would be dealt an early blow in a 40-9 season opening win over the St. Helena Saints. Starting quarterback Steve Andres, who was a three-sport athlete that went on to play college baseball at Notre Dame, sustained a broken leg that kept him out for the remainder of the football season. He would later miss all of basketball season before returning for baseball.

In past seasons, losing a player of Andres’ caliber would have spelled doom for Justin. This turn of events was probably the first true sign of Cotruvo’s culture of “next man up” taking shape. With Mike McNamara being pressed into service, the Braves still ran their Houston split-back veer offense. It meant that everyone around him would need to be a better version of themselves. McNamara may not have had Andres’ raw athleticism but he executed the gameplan.

Throughout the season, Craig White, Zac Dollar, Chris Hay and George Tracy were the offensive line’s linchpins. Besides McNamara at quarterback, the Braves had what amounted to a thunder and lightning combination at running back. John DiMichele was a punisher. Give him a head of steam and you get an 18-wheeler rolling downhill. With Steve English, you had the speed element. Get him in space and you have a race car in the Indy 500.

Defensively, Vargus brought the 3-4 defense. The defensive line’s role was to consume blocks so as to free up the linebackers. Jared Wallace was a mountain in the middle flanked by Tracey. Dollar, Hay, Ron Duvall and Richard Janese flowed to the ball to wreak havoc.

The Braves followed their aforementioned win over St. Helena with two more non league wins (34-18 over St. Patrick’s-Vallejo and 23-0 over Winters). Justin’s first MCAL game defined inauspicious as the Braves lost 33-7 before bouncing back to beat San Marin (34-20) and Sir Francis Drake (21-19). The latter of which was a homecoming win to improve to 5-1. Justin, however, would backslide the next three weeks with losses to San Rafael 21-14), Terra Linda (14-6) and Novato (38-0) to drop to 5-4.

Heading into its season finale, the reeling Braves would need a win at Tamalpais (Mill Valley) to ensure a spot in the NCS Class A playoffs. Justin responded by railroading the Red-Tail Hawks 38-0 to earn the No. 5 seed in the eight-team playoff bracket.

When the postseason opened, Uncle Mo (as in momentum) continued to side with the Braves on the way to their first section title since 1983. Justin opened the postseason with a 28-7 win over John Swett, which was a former SCAL opponent. That victory marked the Braves’ first postseason triumph since 1983.

One week later, Justin would travel to top-seeded Kelseyville. The Indians had everything from a well-balanced offense to a strong defense. The game featured ebbs and flows but was undeniably one of the best wins in Justin-Siena football history:

http://vincedadamo.blogspot.com/2015/11/time-machine-2000-high-school-football.html

One week later, Justin travelled to McKinleyville High to defeat perennial power Ferndale 16-14 for the NCS Class A title. In a sense, the win over Kelseyville felt like the championship more so than the title game win over Ferndale. Kelseyville appeared to have a well-balanced team poised to win its first section title since winning the NCS Class B crown in 1982. The Indians came into the game with a stout defense and a balanced offense led by running back Nate Kinsey and quarterback Brian Hanson.

The Braves would go on to win six more NCS titles over the next 14 seasons. However, given where Justin’s program was in the pre-Cotruvo era, it stands to reason that without 2000, the section titles in 2003, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2014 may not happen.

Eight is still enough for Calistoga High football

Though not necessarily by choice, the Calistoga High football program appears to have settled in semi-comfortably into its role as an eight-man program in the third year of head coach Mike Ervin’s second tour of duty as head coach.

The 1962 Calistoga High graduate coached the Wildcats from 2006-2010, during which time Calistoga had three CIF North Coast Section playoff appearances. Paul Harrell was the head coach from 2011-2014 before resigning, at which time Ervin returned after coaching stints with the North Bay Rattlers along with Santa Rosa and Tomales High Schools as an assistant coach.

Since making the transition to the North Central League III, which is designated for eight-man football, the Wildcats have gone 11-5 combined in the last two seasons.

In preparation for the 2017 campaign the Wildcats did not have formalized spring football practices like most other schools but have had the weight-room open since January and will continue to do so during the summer from Monday-Thursday. The workout program will also involve conditioning.

Mark Galindo, Scott LeStrange, Vince Venegas, and Troy Alvarado return to the coaching staff. LeStrange and Alvarado were with Ervin’s staff in his first stint. Venegas played for Ervin in his first tour of duty. The staff will also involve four newcomers: Ron Risi, Robinson Galvez, Cris Flores and Marcos Escalante. Flores and Escalante played at Calistoga for both Ervin and Harrell. Risi has 30 years of experience coaching in the Bay Area, most notably as a line coach and defensive coordinator at Pinole Valley.

Calistoga made the move to eight-man football after the 2014 season, when the JV team had to forfeit its season after five games based on have too many players academically ineligible.

The NCL III will have a different look in that the league will be divided into North and South. The latter will consist of Calistoga, Tomales, Rincon Valley Christian, Branson, Potter Valley and Stuart Hall. The North will be comprised of Upper Lake, South Fork, Roseland Prep, Round Valley, Laytonville and Upper Lake. The thinking behind this move is to limit games that are forfeited.

Calistoga will play its five league games with its non league contests featuring Anderson Valley, Round Valley, Loyalton and Roseland Prep.

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 Ervin in 2011.

Other factors have also contributed to hastening Calistoga’s move to the NCL III in that Div. V in the NCS 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.

Calistoga, however, is in that ‘tweener stage in that it has enough players to become an 11-man program but the problem is finding a league nearby with enough competitive equity.

The dilemma the Wildcats face is that for every two year block where they go 14-7 like 2012-2013, there are also two year stretches where 2-18 in 2011 and 2014 are just as likely. Based on early returns, Calistoga can at least stay consistently competitive in NCL III. Given that football sets the tone for the athletic program, such a scenario becomes significant.

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. With no games to play, 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?