Time Out with Alex Perez De Leon -- 2018 Napa High senior

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

Perez De Leon: Throughout my life athletics has meant so many things. I don't doubt that sports have changed me into a better person. I've learned to cooperate with all kinds of people, it definitely broadened my horizons. I went to St John's Catholic School and without programs like the Napa Saints I would've never exposed myself to the rest of the great people in this town.

Then from Saints, sports at Napa High has allowed me to form my strongest relationships with people I would've never suspected I could even get along with. That is not to mention the lesson I've learned about perseverance, dedication, reliability, I could really go on forever about all the things sports has taught me but I'm sure you are aware of what sports teaches kids. I want to specifically talk about football, football is one of the most crucial things that has helped me grow into a young adult. Ironically, rather curiously, as football made me into a young adult it somehow simultaneously remained the only thing to make me feel like I am still a kid.

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

Perez De Leon: After high school I plan on attending a four year university. I see myself either staying close to home or going as far away as possible. I say that because If I'm going to leave the state I would want to make it a real journey. Other than that I believe that a high schooler can't go wrong with any colleges in California, they are all great academically.

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

Perez De Leon: In terms of my major I am not quite sure yet. I believe college is a time to find yourself and what your heart and mind is drawn to. But I do have to admit that presently I am pretty sure wherever I apply myself in it will almost certainly be in some sort of science. I loved my chemistry classes and at the moment I am loving my robotics class. So to answer your question possibly a chemistry major or an engineering major.

D’Adamo: What has been your favorite class here at Napa High? What have you enjoyed most about it?

Perez De Leon: In terms of my favorite classes I would say it is a tie between AP Chemistry and Honors English 10. In regards to their subjects they are polar opposite but they are definitely related in that they both had great teachers. In chemistry I was already drawn to the subject and had a personal interest so having a great instructor like Mr. Ruegg only helped. Honors English 10 was a little different for me because I began not interested in English classes much at all. However, Mr. Paterson made the classes engaging and thought provoking. But most importantly, I credit him to allowing me to find my voice in writing, something I really struggled with prior. Lastly, referring to both of the classes, they were both a fun challenge that pushed me to the next level in terms of being a good student.

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

Perez De Leon: The most influential person in my family has to be my cousin Sam. I know it sounds strange but she is practically an older sister. As a kid she forced me outside, got me active, got me in the outdoors. She was always better, better at soccer, better at basketball, better at you name it. But aside from sports she was and still is a positive influence, I like to think that her optimistic, cheerful attitude might rub off on me. I also believe it goes without saying  that my parents have been and still are extremely influential. They let me try new things and made me stay in the game when I wanted to quit. Like a little kid they let me learn from experience and stepped in only when they really had to.

Time Out with Lucas Gramlick -- 2018 American Canyon High senior

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

Lucas Gramlick: What I have enjoyed the most are the bonds it creates between people both from my team and with my opponents. I know that I, along with my teammates and opponents, have worked hard and trained for a common goal. Competing with someone that gives you a good challenge, despite what the outcome may be, will generally result in both people respecting each other.

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

Gramlick: My plans after high school are to play college football and work on my general education requirements to help me decide what degree I want to pursue. What happens after college, happens, and like most other teenagers I am not truly certain what I want to do yet.

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

Gramlick: A few majors that interest me are mechanical engineer, civil engineer, architecture or some kind a field involving health and the human body. I like buildings and the way giant cities and houses are built and would like to contribute to that one day. Mechanical engineering would be cool because you get to learn how things work and build things yourself. And a medical type field always interested me but I haven’t had that much exposure to it so I’m not sure if I’d really like it or not. But like I said previously, after two years of college I think I will find something in addition to sports that truly interests me.

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

Gramlick: Humanities 11 has been my favorite so far because that class covered U.S. History and American Literature and I have always been interested in the government and the founding of our great nation. We also had some real world problems that we were asked to solve and we were encouraged to express our opinions on the controversial topics of today and of the past. All in all, the class helped me learn to listen to other people and their voices, to take their thoughts and experiences into consideration while teaching me not to be afraid to share my own opinion and views, and how to debate and discuss them in a civilized manner.

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

Gramlick: Four people who have been influential in my life are my mom, dad, Aunt Carol, and cousin, Andrew. My parents have raised me and my aunt and cousin lived with me all through that “developing pre-teen” stage.  

My mom has always given me great guidance. She always makes sure I’m doing well in school. She makes dinners when I’d get home late (And feeding me is not joke.) and during mealtimes she always asks me questions to see how I’ve been doing. If I do have a problem, I know I can ask her because she wants what’s best for me and will steer me down the right path.

 

My dad is my first best friend. He always tells me jokes and makes me laugh a lot. If he gets frustrated with me he will tell me what I did wrong and give me advice on how to do it better next time. He has always encouraged me to do sports and even coached a good amount of my teams. He also he taught me to never miss practices and push through pain because it’s only temporary.  

My Aunt Carol and cousin Andrew lived with me from when I was 9 to 13 years old. My Aunt Carol wouldn’t ever think I could do anything wrong. She is always happy to see me and spend time with me and I also love spending time with her. And even though she has moved, we still find a day or two each month to hang out.

I admired my cousin Andrew when I was growing up, he was everything I wanted to be when I got to high school. He graduated from Vallejo High in 2010.  In high school, he was the quarterback and captain of the football team and he was the catcher and captain of the baseball team. He also coached a couple of little league teams of mine. Everyone loved him because he made everything fun while keeping everything competitive and he also inspired me to compete until I achieve.

D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports, that you would most like to meet. What would intrigue you about meeting him or her?

Gramlick: I think I would like to meet George Washington. As our first president, I’d like to hear what it was like leading the Revolution of our Country. It would be pretty interesting to hear what his views and thoughts are on the current political and social climate of our country.

Time Out with Casey Walker -- 2018 St. Helena High senior

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

Casey Walker: The thing that I have enjoyed most in competing in athletics throughout my life is the competition and making new friends that I would not of met if it wasn't for sports.

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

Walker: After high school I plan to go to a junior college and play sports and hopefully carry on with it that far.

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

Walker: A major that I would choose is Sociology. What intrigues me about this direction is that there are tons of different jobs that I could go after in the Sociology range.

D’Adamo: What has been your favorite class here at St. Helena High?

Walker: My favorite class at St. Helena High has been Viticulture with Ms. Herdell. The class is fun and interesting.

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

Walker: In my family, my parents have had the biggest influence in my life. They have always been there for me and want me to go do big and better thing than they did.

D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports, that you would most like to meet. What would intrigue you about meeting him or her?

Walker: A historical figure that I would like to meet is Bo Jackson.  I would want to meet him because he played for the Raiders, was a running back, and also played baseball. What would intrigue me most about meeting him would be knowing that he was able to play two sports at once and just relating because I also play those same sports.

Time Out with Ron Caretti -- 2018 Justin-Siena High senior

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

Ron Caretti: The thing I love most about competing is the test of character. Sports show you your true physical and mental capabilities. For me it's like a test of maturity. I also enjoy it because I look back from when I was young, all the way up until now and the growth physically and mentally is tremendous.

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

Caretti: My plans after high school are to attend college and pursue my dream of being a professional athlete. But most of all an education.

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

Caretti: Business as a major, I looked into fashion design, I love clothing. I always feel the need to buy clothing or even design them myself

D’Adamo: What has been your favorite class here at Justin-Siena High? What have you enjoyed about it?

Caretti: My favorite class that I have taken at Justin is geometry. It just seemed to click right away and was easy for me to grasp. My teacher who no longer teaches there anymore Ms. Pamela Gresh was the teacher for that class and she always kept me in check.

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

Caretti: My father has been a big influence on my life . He has done a lot for me from a young age until now. From signing me up for sports all the way to getting the education I am getting today. He has worked extremely hard to put in the best possible position in life and I can only be grateful for him.

D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports, that you would most like to meet. What would intrigue you about meeting him or her?

Caretti: I wish I could've met Martin Luther King Jr., he was a African American man who lived in a time of hate, and division. He could've easily stayed out of the way and let things happen they way they did but he stood out amongst others and voiced his opinion on the country. He was his own self no matter what people thought in a society where no one wanted to really listen.

Time Out with Christian Cia: 2018 St. Helena High senior

Vince D’Adamo: Whether it has been St. Helena High, Carpy Gang, St. Helena Little League, etc. what have you enjoyed most about competing in athletics?

Cia: I got into sports because I made friends by playing sports. That really got me into sports as well as just loving the game.

D’Adamo: You have also had the chance to play various sports. What have you enjoyed about that variety?

Cia: I have loved it. It’s a nice feeling to be in shape for football and then go on to the basketball court. Then when basketball is over I work hard on the track and increase my speed for the next football season.

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

Cia: I want to go to Santa Monica College and play football.

D’Adamo: What might you choose as a major?

Cia: Sociology.

D’Adamo: What intrigues you about going that direction?

Cia: For the football aspect, i want to test myself and see where my hard work will take me. With sociology, I’d like to see what job opportunities will open up for me.

D’Adamo: What has been your favorite class here at St. Helena High?

Cia: I have really liked the science classes.

D’Adamo: What have you enjoyed most about them?

Cia: The ones I have taken, I enjoy the freedom to pick what projects I want to work on and how it applies to the real world.

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

Cia: Probably my parents.

D’Adamo: In what ways have they been influential?

Cia: Them constantly pushing me to keep working. They really helped me when I injured my knee that if i keep working hard it’ll pay off.

D’Adamo: Between your dad (Mark), uncle (Matt), aunt (Julie) and cousins, to name a few, your family has a long lineage at St. Helena High. How has it felt for you adding to that legacy?

Cia: It feels great to be part of what my family has been doing. It has been a lot of fun.

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

Cia: LeBron James.

D’Adamo: What would intrigue you about meeting him?

Cia: Because of his background and how hard he worked in high school and then to see how he went straight to the NBA is amazing.  

Time Out with Zach Geary: 2018 Vintage High senior

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

Zach Geary: What I have enjoyed about competing in athletics all my life is the feeling it gives me when I'm on the field. It gives me a different type of vibe that I can't get from anything else and being able to do what I love the most is a blessing and something to not take for granted because not everyone is able to do it.

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

Geary: My plans for after high school is to go to college and hopefully continue my career in football and keep doing what I love.

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

Geary: What I want to do isn't really a major but I want to do paramedic studies and become a paramedic then hopefully become a firefighter. I've wanted to become a firefighter all my life because I'm passionate about it and I've had respect for firemen all my life and I want to save people's lives.

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

Geary: My favorite class at Vintage High has been math because it gets you thinking and you have to use a lot of your brain to be able to figure things out and I like having to work through problems to solve something.

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

Geary: The person in my family that has been most influential has been my mom. She is a very strong woman because her and my dad separated when I was young so she has been raising two kids by herself and that is a really hard thing to handle. She works very hard in providing my sister and I food, clothes, and shelter over our heads. She is the reason I work so hard on the football field and is a very big role model to me.

D’Adamo: You have been chosen to play in the Blue-Grey All-American at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, describe how thrilling it is to be chosen.

Geary: Being chosen to the Blue Grey All American Bowl is a blessing. It is an honor to have this chance to go to Texas and compete with some of the best guys from all around the country and prove myself to college coaches that I have what it takes to make it to the next level. Being invited definitely isn't something to take for granted because I was 1 of 90 out of 6750 players. I will take what I have learned from Coach Leach, Coach Archer, and Coach Dupree and apply those skills on the field. It is a true honor and blessing to be named a Blue Grey All American.

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

Geary: A figure that I'd love to meet is Odell Beckham Jr. I want to meet him because he is my favorite player to watch in the NFL and I respect him a lot because he is very humble with everything he does. He works very hard and he is one of the best receivers in the league. It is my dream to meet him.

Round Two of Vintage-AC is a compelling one

The novelty is not as strong as it was last season but the anticipation is just as plentiful.

Round Two of a Napa Valley based high school football matchup between the American Canyon Wolves and Vintage Crushers takes place Friday night at Wolf Den Stadium in American Canyon.

For the historical and community significance of this matchup, refer to this post from March, 2016:

http://vincedadamo.blogspot.com/2016/03/vintage-american-canyon-football.html

For the last couple of years, yours truly has lobbied quite strongly for Vintage, Napa and American Canyon to be in the same league. That alignment appears to be all but a certainty with all three leaving the CIF Sac Joaquin Section for the North Coast Section. Vintage and Napa will vacate the Monticello Empire League. American Canyon will leave the Solano County Athletic Conference. After the 2017-2018 school year, all three schools will be in the same league together with Justin-Siena, Casa Grande, Petaluma and Sonoma.

However, there is still the 2017 football season to play. American Canyon won last season’s matchup 42-14 at Memorial Stadium in Napa. The game started as a back and forth contest as each team traded touchdowns in the first quarter with Vintage leading 14-13 after one period. After that point, American Canyon went “forth” and Vintage went “back,” with the Wolves scoring 29 unanswered points.

Last season, the Wolves were in a position of advantage. They had a roster of returning players. Larry Singer was in his second season as head coach. He also has been an American Canyon Wolf since the school opened in 2010. He was the freshman coach that season, the JV coach from 2011-2014 and then the varsity coach in 2015. As for Vintage, it was Dylan Leach’s first season. The 1992 Vintage High graduate inherited a program that needed cosmetic surgery more so than reconstructive -- but it was surgery nonetheless. Plus, he did not become the Crushers head coach until April 2016.

The Wolves tied the best season in school history going 11-2 and reaching the semifinals of the CIF Sac Joaquin Section Div. III playoffs, just as they did in 2012. The Crushers went 5-5 in Leach’s debut in 2016, despite being 2-4 at one point.

The preseason narrative was that despite losing some key pieces from last season, American Canyon would keep on rolling. Then, the season opener on Friday against Woodland took place. American Canyon led 28-13 late in the third quarter only to take a nosedive and lose 36-34 in overtime. Though the loss was a disappointment, it does not deter my thoughts on the season the Wolves can and will have. This team has too much talent not to have a very good campaign.

For Vintage, the narrative has been, this is Leach’s second season and he had an entire offseason. He knows the kids better. The kids know him better. With coaches in their second year, you hear the phrases, “we’re comfortable,” “we can react instead of think,” etc. You cannot underscore that difference. What we don’t know yet is how it translates for the 2017 Crushers because they have not played a game yet.

However, I am also intrigued by this edition of Vintage-American Canyon because I think the Crushers are trending up as a program. I also believe that despite Friday’s disappointing loss, the Wolves are too good to keep struggling.

What Friday’s game amounts to is this, Vintage has not played a game yet but it believes now is its time. American Canyon got a piece of humble pie in its opener.

This game amounts to two hungry dogs. I like that.