Prep spotlight: For St. Francis, Mitty, new state soccer finals are a far-reaching goal
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MITTY, ST. FRANCIS: WILL THEIR SEASON END AT NEW STATE FINALS?
One year ago, St. Francis was the CIF NorCal Open Division girls soccer champion.
And then that was it.
This year, whichever team emerges from the NorCal bracket, will have one more game. The CIF has instituted boys and girls state championship games for the first time this season, placing a new motivational carrot at the end of the season for elite teams.
The state championships will be held March 13-14 at Natomas High in Sacramento.
A state title is not top of mind for the Lancers and Archbishop Mitty, their opposition in the NorCal title match last year. Both teams have a lot of work left to do to get back to that point.
But it’s definitely in there somewhere.
“Anybody that’s coaching in a respectable program and has aspirations has that date circled on the calendar,” Mitty coach JT Hanley said. “And for a guy like me that’s been doing this for 30-whatever years, I legitimately never thought that I would see this happen.
‘So selfishly, I hope we get there. But I’m just happy for the kids, all of the players, that they’re going to get an opportunity now, like other sports, to test themselves and have 20 some-odd of them end up being the best in that division in the state.”
St. Francis’ Miliani Makasini, the hero of last year’s NorCal title game, said “we need it” when asked about a state game. Now that it’s come to fruition, this year’s Lancers feel the same way.
“That definitely motivates us more,” midfielder Penelope Correa said. “Especially being my last year with this incredible team, we’d want to go all the way and go to states and hopefully put up a good fight against a team in Southern California. And if we’re lucky, win it all.”
St. Francis coach Carlos Barboza is a confident man, and he wants to lead the first Northern California team to make a top-division state title game. But he’s living in the moment until the Lancers have the chance to get there.
“Everyone knows about it, but I don’t find it extremely helpful to obsess over it,” he said. “Especially after coming from a treble-winning season, if we’re already talking about the last game of the season, I feel like we’re going to get ahead of ourselves and shoot ourselves in the foot.
“So definitely trying to keep it game at a time, staying in the moment. Absolutely, everyone’s eyes are on that. But with some mindfulness of the only way we get there is if we’re present in the moment.”
– Christian Babcock
CLAYTON VALLEY: NCS OPEN BOUND?
Clayton Valley has been one of the area’s top teams this season.
The Ugly Eagles, led by longtime coach Frank Allocco Jr. and a host of talented returners from last season’s state playoff team, are on track to finish as one of the top six teams in the North Coast Section.
The NCS Open Division will take the top six teams, regardless of enrollment division, based on the MaxPreps rankings. Right now, the Ugly Eagles are third and will be favored in every league game going forward.
But Allocco and Clayton Valley won’t be thinking about anything other than the next game. Yes, the proverbial one game at a time.
“It’s always our goal to play at the highest level. Every year is about March,” Allocco said. “We have some tough league games coming up and we have to stay dialed in. I think we’re on a good pace, but we have to keep getting better.”
— Nathan Canilao
RIORDAN: SHOWDOWN WITH MODESTO CHRISTIAN A MEASURING STICK
The Archbishop Riordan boys basketball team is clearly the class of the West Catholic Athletic League once again.
So it’s only natural for the Crusaders to want to know how they stack up against the best. They’ll get a great chance to prove themselves on Saturday at the Crush in the Valley showcase in Napa, where they will face Sac-Joaquin Section power Modesto Christian.
“We got great players,” said star Riordan guard Andrew Hilman, who returned from injury this week. “We play good defense. We got good people. We go deep on the bench. I think we’re good.”
Riordan coach Joey Curtin said he hasn’t emphasized the importance of the matchup with his team. But he’s certainly aware of it.
The Crusaders’ result against Modesto Christian could be a crucial data point for NorCal seeding matchups. Rival Salesian, a top contender for the NorCal Open title, has beaten Modesto Christian twice this season.
Riordan’s outcome against Modesto Christian will inevitably be compared to those results.
“Looking forward to that,” Curtin said. “It’s always a great event. It’s talent-packed and has some really good teams, and it’s just fun to be part of that and be invited to play in that. Modesto Christian is really talented. They’re obviously coming together still with them picking up transfers. We saw them play Salesian, they’re really good, man. They hung with them. If you can hang with Salesian, you can hang with anyone.”
– Christian Babcock
SHC PARTNERS WITH DALY CITY FOR NEW FIELDS
Sacred Heart Cathedral is going outside the City for its sports facilities.
The San Francisco school announced on Thursday that it is partnering with Daly City to renovate Marschbank Park Field, a public park.
The renovation plan calls for converting the park into a “cutting-edge multi-sport venue capable of accommodating baseball, softball, soccer, football, flag football and lacrosse.” The playing fields will have artificial turf, enhanced drainage and new bleacher seating, among other amenities.
The school and city are hosting a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday.
In a news release, SHC called the project “the most significant public-private partnership in Daly City’s history (that) will create a premier athletic facility serving both the community and student-athletes.”
The facility will accommodate Daly City residents, San Mateo County citizens and Sacred Heart Cathedral students, according to the release.
– Christian Babcock
THE KING’S ACADEMY: SENIOR CHERRISHES SCORING RECORD
Senior Xavier Barnett couldn’t stop smiling.
Following the Knights’ win over Riverside Poly at the MLK Classic at De La Salle on Monday afternoon, TKA coach Cameron Bradford said he had an announcement to make.
“I just want to congratulate Xavier Barnett on becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer,” Bradford said to the team and group of parents standing beside them.
While records and accolades don’t trump the feeling of winning, Barnett couldn’t help but bask in the moment.
Barnett, a four-year starter, broke the record held by former TKA guard John Taylor, who previously had the all-time school scoring record with 1,181 points. Barnett played with Taylor during his freshman season.
“I couldn’t have done this without my teammates and all the people in front of me like John Taylor,” Barnett said. “All of those people inspired me to be who I am today.”
— Nathan Canilao
GRANADA: STAR CENTER LEARNED FROM FATHER
Double-doubles have become the norm for Granada junior center Brandon Hahn.
The 6-foot-6 big man is a dominant force in the middle and is one of the East Bay Athletic League’s top rebounders. On Tuesday, he scored 21 points and grabbed 20 rebounds to help lead Granada past Dougherty Valley.
But Hahn has been doing this since he was in elementary school, learning from one of Granada’s best rebounders in school history: His father, Brian Hahn.
Brian helped lead Granada to a North Coast Section Division III title in 1996. Now an assistant on staff, Brian works with Hahn on his rebounding every day.
“I practice rebounding with my dad and we talk about rebounding all the time,” Hahn said. “Whenever that ball comes out of the air, I’m going to go above the rim and grab it.”
— Nathan Canilao