Former Lincoln star LeBryan Nash leads Oklahoma St. to upset of No. 2 Missouri
Thursday, January 26, 2012 | 7:59 amHigh School Sports Blog | Sports News | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News
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(posted in High School Sports | tagged Former, leads, LeBryan, Lincoln, Missouri, Nash, Oklahoma, star, Upset)
Former prep stars Cousins, Jacob Noisat finding their college niche
Friday, January 20, 2012 | 1:04 pm
Former Elsie Allen standout Jacob Noisat, a Dominican junior, tops the Penguins in scoring and rebounding. (Photo by Courtesy Photo)
By MICHAEL COIT
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Bouncing around to find a footing in college basketball, former All-Empire players Matt Cousins and Jacob Noisat are having fun leading their teams early this season.
Cousins, a Chaminade senior, tops the Pac West Conference in scoring. Both Cousins and Noisat, a Dominican junior, are among the league leaders in rebounding.
The pair, who work out together at Santa Rosa Junior College over summers, have found NCAA Division II programs where they can improve and harbor hope of playing professionally.
“This season it’s really, really fun,” said Cousins, from Cardinal Newman. “I do want to pursue playing overseas and just really focus on finishing up this season as best as I can.”
Noisat’s first season at Dominican couldn’t have started better for the former Elsie Allen standout. He is aiming for big goals, including averaging double figures in points and rebounds.
“I enjoy leading the team,” Noisat said. “I want the challenge.”
Earning opportunities to play leading roles in the college game has been demanding enough. Both athletes left the programs that recruited them out of high school, played a year of junior college ball, and then gained scholarships at the Pac West schools.
“You think you can just do whatever you want and be successful wherever,” Cousins said. “Obviously that doesn’t work out always. You learn from those opportunities.”
After sitting out a year at Chico State and then playing a brief stint for the Wildcats, Cousins transferred to SRJC. At Chico State he was planted under the basket. Cousins fit in better as a mobile forward at the junior college, where he started for the playoff-bound Bear Cubs, and again with Chaminade the past three seasons.
Noisat was a big man in a guard-dominated offense at Cal State East Bay his first season. Moving over to Chabot College, he was a presence in the low post, drawing attention from four-year schools and getting a spot on the Dominican team.
“You can’t let it get you down. It’s definitely tough on the mind,” Noisat said of his moves among colleges. “You keep faith that good things will come.”
Improving despite varying systems and different coaches, Cousins and Noisat lead their teams in both scoring and rebounding.
Cousins is averaging more than 16 points — best in the Pac West — and 7 rebounds a contest for the Silverswords. He is seventh in the league in free-throw accuracy.
Noisat puts in 11 points and hauls down more than 6 rebounds a game for the Penguins. He is tied for sixth in blocked shots.
Already this season, Cousins and Noisat each has been named Pac West Player of the Week. Cousins also made the conference Honor Roll of top 10 players, and Noisat twice earned that accolade.
Offensive rebounds are an area Cousins worked on most coming into the season. Already a solid scorer in Chaminade’s motion offense, Cousins has become a sharper shooter.
“The main goal is just always be moving,” he said. “We get the rebound and push it. I even bring the ball up now and then.”
A highlight of the season was playing traditional large school powers UCLA, Georgetown and Tennessee in the prestigious Maui Invitational Tournament. As event hosts, the Silverswords open each campaign battle-tested, as Cousins appreciated again in the three losses — Chaminade’s only defeats.
Off the court, Cousins and a teammate spent time at the tournament banquet talking with Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who has the most wins in NCAA DivisionI history.
“We were just talking shop,” Cousins said. “He asked more about us. He was really well-spoken and just down to earth.”
A polished scorer around the basket, Noisat has become a better all-around player, improving his passing, offensive rebounding, shot-blocking and overall quickness.
“I had to get more skills and stronger,” Noisat said. “I’m definitely playing the game at a better pace.”
Noisat’s play at center has helped Dominican’s guards enjoy more success as the Penguins look to improve.
After leading Dominican to its first win last week and making the all-tournament team at the Notre Dame de Namur Thanksgiving Classic, he earned conference top-player honors on Monday.
“You’ve got to work harder,” Noisat said. “You definitely have to spend every day playing basketball and trying to get better.”
Playing well enough to raise a team’s level of play is the goal for these big men. Chaminade won the conference last season, and Cousins would love another opportunity to compete in the NCAA Division II national tournament.
Cousins went out of state to keep playing college basketball. Noisat stayed closer to home.
Their journeys meet in January when Dominican hosts Chaminade in San Rafael. The conference foes match up again in Honolulu in February.
“We’ve talked about playing against each other,” Noisat said. “It will be fun and competitive.”
The pair became friends through basketball, first as prep opponents in the North Bay League, and are excited to meet in college.
“Now we’re both enjoying success,” Cousins said. “It was definitely worth it.”
You can reach Staff Writer Michael Coit at 521-5470 or mike.coit@pressdemocrat.com.
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(posted in College Sports | tagged College, Cousins, finding, Former, Jacob, niche, Noisat, Prep, Stars, Their)
Women’s basketball: Former adversaries excelling as teammates
Saturday, January 14, 2012 | 6:10 pmBy MICHAEL COIT
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Teaming to power Cal Poly Pomona’s bid back to the NCAA tournament, Empire basketball standouts Sarah Semenero and Charlene Popoff were longtime adversaries in prep playing days.
Semenero, a guard, now looks to feed Popoff in the post, staying in motion for a give and go or backdoor pass.
As top players in high school, though, Semenero (Sonoma Valley) and Popoff (Windsor) targeted one another for defensive stops over several years of Sonoma County League play.
“It’s definitely better having Char on my team than playing against her. We always look for each other. I love playing with Char,” Semenero said.
Having Semenero on her side helped Popoff adjust to the rigors playing in one of the nation’s toughest small college conferences.
“It’s so great that we’re on the same team. That’s crazy. We talk about it all the time,” Popoff said.
After working into Pomona’s starting lineup to help pace last season’s run to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, the pair has led the Broncos back near the top of the California Collegiate Athletic Association. Both seniors, Semenero and Popoff return home Saturday to face Sonoma State.
For the Broncos — ranked 16th in the nation — to again reach the NCAA tournament and defend their West Region tournament title, Semenero and Popoff need to continue playing exceptional, all-around games.
Second on Pomona in scoring, Semenero leads in 3-point shooting and steals and also is among conference leaders in both areas.
“This year I have to go and create my own shot more,” Semenero said. “I want to be more of a threat on offense so I can open up other players on my team.”
Pomona’s second leading rebounder, Popoff is third in both scoring and shooting accuracy. Making nearly half her shots, Popoff is ninth in the conference.
“I feel like I’m in a lot better shape than last year,” Popoff said. “This year I feel like I’m way more consistent.”
A determination to improve that carried both into the Pomona starting lineup became a passion to play even stronger this season.
Always working to improve her shooting and ball handling, Semenero pushed even harder in conditioning and defensive positioning drills to steal and rebound better. Pomona’s own “Gumby” wanted to gain more advantage from her long arms.
“Over summer I just kept thinking I only have one more year. That kept me going to the gym and working out,” she said.
Open gym time at Santa Rosa Junior College was a training center over summer. The Pomona pair joined many of the region’s other recent prep greats for workouts and games.
Popoff helped lead Santa Rosa to the California junior college championship game a year earlier. After emerging as a solid post player her first season at Pomona, Popoff honed her shooting and post play over summer.
“I needed to be better on boards and scoring under the basket,” she said. “It’s definitely a different level of competition. You can’t be soft.”
Toughness is coming back strong from a serious injury. That was Semenero’s challenge after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee as a sophomore, just as Semenero was playing more for the Broncos.
“It was really tough, physically a lot of work. It was all mental and getting my confidence back,” she said.
Add the need to impress a new head coach and battle for playing time. Doing just that, Semenero finally felt back on her game in the Sonoma State road contest a year ago.
“That’s when I started feeling more comfortable and not even thinking about my knee,” she said.
Capping her comeback season, Semenero was selected to the West Region All-Tournament Team.
Pomona’s great season ended with a quarterfinals loss to Northwest Missouri in the Elite Eight, in St. Joseph, Mo.
“We definitely want to go further and play for the national championship,” Popoff said. “If we get everyone staying on the goal we can get there. We’re going to be a great team. It’s slowly happening.”
Recent losses in conference play remind Pomona’s players how tough returning to the NCAA tournament can be.
“We have time to adjust and play like we know how to. We’re doing OK, but I know we can play a lot better,” Semenero said.
“Last year was definitely amazing,” she said. “Every time I walk into the gym I look up at the West Region banner, it makes me want it that much again.”
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(posted in College Sports | tagged adversaries, basketball, excelling, Former, teammates, Women’s)
Post Season College Soccer Honors For Former Empire Players
Monday, December 19, 2011 | 11:30 pmPosted By Press Democrat Staff Writer Michael Coit:
Carrying great play on Empire pitches into college, a handful of former area prep standouts have been named to NCAA and NAIA regional teams.
The awards are made by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
Courtney Parsons, goalkeeper, San Diego, made second team for the NCAA Women’s Division I All-West Team. The senior from Ursuline helped lead San Diego to NCAA tournament wins over UC Irvine and UCLA before the Toreros fell to Long Beach State in the quarterfinals — the deepest run for a San Diego women’s team in program history. On the season, Parsons recorded six shutouts and a 0.86 goals-against-average, while posting 73 saves.
Taylor Varnadore, forward, Sonoma State, made third team for the NCAA Men’s Division II All-West Team. The sophomore from Analy led Sonoma State in scoring with 12 goals and 25 points, including a trio of game winning goals. Varnadore is already 11th on the all-time Sonoma State goal-scoring list with 22 in his first two seasons.
Hayley Johnson, defender, UC San Diego, made first team for the NCAA Women’s Division II All-West Team. The junior from Maria Carrillo led UC San Diego in assists with 13 — third most for the Tritons in a single season. Johnson played on a back line that boasted the lowest goals against average in NCAA D-II and allowed the fewest scores in the regular season with four. UC San Diego won the California Collegiate Athletic Association regular season title and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Kaitlyn Le Baudour, defender, Wheaton, made first team for the NCAA Women’s Division III All-Central Team. The senior out of Ursuline helped anchor a Wheaton defense that posted a 0.72 goals against average this season with 14 shutouts. Wheaton recorded three shutouts in its six NCAA Tournament games, losing in the title contest. On the season, she had five goals and four assists.
Lauren Johnson, forward, Cal State San Marcos, made the NAIA Women’s All-West Team. The former Montgomery great has been a building block in the young program’s history, with Cal State San Marcos winning their conference and reaching the NAIA tournament this season. Johnson, a senior, scored 8 goals and tallied 3 assists, adding to her school-record total in goals and points.
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(posted in College Sports | tagged College, Empire, Former, Honors, players, post, Season, Soccer)
SSU Mens Soccer Standouts Include Former Empire Prep Players
Saturday, November 19, 2011 | 11:56 pmPosted By Press Democrat Staff Writer Michael Coit:
Sonoma State put three players on the West region men’s soccer team after five earned All-Conference honors.
Midfielders Michel Arroyo, from Calistoga High, and Cory Taufer, were joined by forward Taylor Varnadore, from Analy High, on the Daktronics All-West Region first team.
Just a freshman, Arroyo scored six goals and assisted on another to finish third on the team with 13 points.
Taufer, a senior from Clovis, was the only Seawolves player to start all 18 games this season. He helped anchor on of the conference’s top lines.
Varnadore led Sonoma State in scoring with 12 goals and 25 points. Varnadore is already 11th on the all-time Sonoma State goal scoring list with 22 in his first two seasons.
The trio along with Trevor Hurst, from Piner High and Santa Rosa Junior College, earlier received first team California Collegiate Athletic Association recognition. Goalkeeper Taylor Jones was a second team CCAA pick.
Arroyo was conference freshman of the year.
Sonoma State finished the season 9-6-3 overall and 8-5-3 in the CCAA.
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(posted in College Sports | tagged Empire, Former, Include, Mens, players, Prep, Soccer, Standouts)
Former Empire Swimmer Receives Conference Honors
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 | 10:05 amPosted By Press Democrat Staff Writer Michael Coit:
Former top Maria Carrillo swimmer Sydnie Alquist has earned conference honors for Vassar College, an NCAA Division III athletics program in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
The junior from Santa Rosa won all four of her events — the 50-yard freestyle (26.23), the 100-yard butterfly (1:03.15), the 200-yard medley relay (158.80), and the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:45.70) – to earn Liberty League Swimmer of the Week. Alquist helped Vassar defeat Worcester Polytechnic Institute to open the 2011-12 swimming season.
Alquist is a 2009 graduate of Maria Carrillo.
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(posted in College Sports | tagged Conference, Empire, Former, Honors, Receives, swimmer)
Former Windsor Soccer Great Leads Dominican University Squad
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 | 2:04 pm
Posted By Press Democrat Staff Writer Michael Coit:
Scoring a game winning goal for Dominican University has netted former Windsor High soccer great David Mendez player of the week honors.
Mendez was named to the Pacific West Conference Top 10 Honor Roll for the past week.
A sophomore forward, Mendez struck with 13:57 remaining to give Dominican a 1-0 win over Chaminade on the Penguins’ home turf, in San Rafael. It was his second goal of the season, tied for team high honors.
Mendez has been a top player for Dominican in his two seasons with the Penguins. Starting 12 games a year ago, Mendez had five goals and one assist. He was second on the team in goals, total points, shots (27) and shots-on-goal percentage (.741).
At Windsor High, Mendez was an All-Empire selection as both a junior and senior.
Also notable, his sister, Eleanna, was an NAIA All-American soccer player at Dominican in 2008.
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(posted in College Sports | tagged Dominican, Former, Great, leads, Soccer, Squad, University, Windsor)
MVP Honors For Former Sonoma State Baseball Great Tommy Everidge
Saturday, October 29, 2011 | 10:22 am
Posted By Press Democrat Staff Writer Michael Coit:
Add the Atlantic League Most Valuable Player award to former Sonoma State and Sonoma Valley High baseball standout Tommy Everidge’s accolades.
In his first year with the Lancaster Barnstormers of the independent Atlantic League, Everidge hit .319 with a league-high 41 doubles and 28 home runs. He also led the league with 160 hits, 285 total bases, and was second in runs scored and RBIs. His 69 extra-base hits established a new league record.
Earlier this month Everidge was inducted into the Sonoma State Athletics Hall of Fame. The California Collegiate Athletic Association Freshman of the Year in 2002, Everidge was a three-time all-league pick and a Second Team All-American in 2004. He helped take Sonoma State to the championship game of the NCAA West Regional twice. Everidge is second in the Seawolves record books for runs scored, hits, doubles, home runs, runs batted in, and walks.
Drafted by the Oakland A’s in the 2004 draft, Everidge made his Major League debut in 2009. He spent seven seasons in the minor leagues, mostly with Oakland and including stops with the Seattle and Houston organizations.
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(posted in College Sports | tagged Baseball, Everidge, Former, Great, Honors, Sonoma, State, Tommy)
Former All-Empire swimmer earns freshman honors at Cal State Bakersfield
Thursday, September 8, 2011 | 10:15 pmBy MICHAEL COIT
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
The desire to compete was at low ebb for All-Empire swimmer Evan Vizcarra.
Former Petaluma swimmer Evan Vizcarra (courtesy photo)Despite coming off another strong season at Petaluma High, the Trojans’ record holder wondered if he would race again.
“I was almost burned out. I had no idea where I was going to college. But I decided to give it another shot,” he said.
Good thing he stayed in the water. Vizcarra helped lead Cal State Bakersfield men’s team to a conference title, earning freshman of the year honors in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.
Such success at the NCAA Division I level came as little surprise to Bakersfield coach Chris Hansen.
“Evan’s biggest strength is his attitude. In my 21 years of coaching, he has by far been one of the most motivated and hardest workers I have ever coached,” Hansen said. “He wants to be good.”
Vizcarra’s power in the pool was evident his freshman year at Petaluma, breaking out as one of the region’s top distance freestyle swimmers.
Earning All-Empire honors as a sophomore and junior, Vizcarra then was slowed by a right shoulder strain. Swimming shorter distances in the free and backstroke as a senior, he still was among the region’s best.
Bakersfield offered Vizcarra a chance to keep swimming. Hansen in his first year leading the Roadrunners coached Vizcarra’s older brother Nathan. Evan and their parents attended many meets.
“I had seen him swim and I knew there was talented swimmer in there somewhere,” Hansen said.
After another summer of training at Westside swim club in Petaluma, he faced the rigorous level of college conditioning when practices started in September. Swimming six days a week, the athletes also are in the weight room three days in addition to running workouts.
“Everybody on the team wants to win. I ended up dropping a lot of times in all my events,” he said.
His role on the Bakersfield team was set one day in practice. Given a set of freestyles, Vizcarra was the best at long distances.
“I took off. From that point on he said you’re going to be in the distance group,” Vizcarra said.
At season’s end, he had the teams’ best times for the 500 free and 1,000 free and the third leading mark in the 200 butterfly.
“College training is a lot different. We have strength coaches and dry land coaches. Evan got much stronger,” Hansen said. “Evan can be getting his butt kicked in one of the hardest distance sets I can give and he will be smiling and having fun.”
Racing against some of the nation’s fastest teams was motivation.
“It’s so competitive. You’re always getting pushed,” Vizcarra said.
Also pushing himself more in the classroom, Vizcarra carries a B average as a business major.
Over the next three years at Bakersfield, his goal in the pool is reaching the NCAA championships.
“I would not be surprised one bit,” Hansen said. “Evan and I will sit down in September when he returns and start planning out his season. I know U.S. Nationals, NCAA and Olympic Trial cuts are all on his mind.”
Far from burned out, Vizcarra is fired up.
“If I make NCAAs, bigger things come up after that,” he said.
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(posted in College Sports | tagged AllEmpire, Bakersfield, Earns, Former, freshman, Honors, State, swimmer)
Former Coppell RB Cam McDaniel an injury away from expanded role in Notre Dame’s offense
Thursday, August 25, 2011 | 4:38 amHigh School Sports Blog | Sports News | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News
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(posted in High School Sports | tagged away, Coppell, Dame's, expanded, Former, From, injury, McDaniel, Notre, offense, role)
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