by Mike Finnerty (mike.finnerty@surewestsports.com)
In covering high school sports, one of the hardest things to do is to select only a few key moments that took place from an entire calendar year, but we tried out best.
To slip in a few extra memorable moments, we grouped some events together, and we even dropped in a few shameless plugs for some key SureWest Sports milestones from the past year.
In chronological order, here are our 2011 SureWest Sports top moments in high school sports:
WINTER
* Oakmont junior Jake Elliott win State wrestling title in the 145-lb division. Finishes season with record of 39-1.
* Sac High boys win section title after overcoming the dismissal of Josiah Turner, while the Sac High girls win their first section title in four years, and first under 3rd year head coach Michele Massari.
* Sheldon boys basketball team wins second straight DI section championship. Darius Nelson and Ramon Eaton cap off brilliant careers at Sheldon.
* Lauren Beyer, Jordie Smith, and Fernandi Espinosa finish their 4-year varsity basketball careers at Bradshaw Christian with four section titles.
* McClatchy's Harvey Tahara and Cordova's Bob Jones retire from coaching after decades with their respective schools. El Camino's long time head coach Bill Baxter wins his 600th game only retire from high school coaching at the end of the season.
SPRING
* Sheldon wins captures DI section softball win by downing neighborhood rival and defending champ, Elk Grove. Senior Danielle Henderson (now at Cal) hit a pair of three-run homers in the 10-5 win that clinched the title. The win by Sheldon (of Elk Grove) made it the 6th straight year that an Elk Grove area team has won a DI softball title.
* The youthful Casa Roble Rams, considered a major underdog, beat Del Oro 6-0 to capture the DII softball section championship. Casa starter Kaitlyn Garcia took a perfect game into the 6th and final inning before eventually getting the win with a 2-hit shutout.
* Granite Bay's Sophie Weber wins 200 Ind. Medley with time of 2:01.15, breaking a 14-year old record, and fellow Grizzly Andrew Murch set an All American time in the 100 back stroke. Granite Bay boys and St. Francis girls win swimming team championships.
* Davis, Granite Bay, and Rio Americano win girls soccer championships. Anna Gilbertson (Davis), Maria Dela Cruz (Granite Bay), and Alexa Heinzer (Rio Americano) lead the way for their respective teams. Granite Bay sends Chris Roberts out with a title.
* Rocklin and Vista Del Lago win boys volleyball section titles.
* Del Oro wins boys golf Masters championship led by top player Austin Smotherman's round of 71. Smotherman goes on to finish in 4th place at State with another round of 71 (Smothermans signs Letter of Intent with SMU in November).
* Roseville defeats Rocklin for the DII section baseball championship. It's the first for long time head coach Hank DeMello and the first for Roseville since 1984. Nick and Dalton Blaser, Anthony Roberts, Blake Rivera, Garrett Nunally, Beau Smith, and Matt Maher deliver in 4-2 win for Roseville.
* SureWest Sports announces its 2010-2011 Coaches of the Year and Athletes of the Year. Folsom football coach Kris Richardson (boys Coach of the Year), Sac High basketball coach Michele Massari (girls Coach of the Year), Granite Bay's Kyle Howarth boys Athlete of the Year, and Del Oro's Belle Obert girls Athlete of the Year.
FALL
* Folsom quarterback Tanner Trosin sets single-season State records in passing yardage and total yardage.
* SureWest Sports launches new daily news website (www.surewestsports.com), and begins second year of the SureWest Sports Radio Show on ESPN 1320am with hosts Mike Finnerty (SureWest Sports) and Joe Davidson (Sac Bee).
* Del Oro wins back-to-back DIII section championships, but falls to Helix in the Division II State Championship. Casey Taylor gets 100th career win after 21-7 victory over Oakdale.
* Granite Bay wins Division I section football championship with 30-24 win over defending champion, Pleasant Grove. Quarterback Brendan Keeney, running back Arik Bird, and tight end Spencer Briare have big days for Granite Bay as did the entire Grizzlies defense.
* Shaq Thompson of Grant and Arik Armstead of Pleasant Grove bring national recruiting spotlight to Sacramento with their selections to Army All-American game.
* Elk Grove goes undefeated until loss at home to Folsom in the Division II section football semi-finals. Elk Grove's great run puts Thundering Herd football back a group of elite area football teams led by head coach Chris Nixon and a powerful running game with Robert Frazier and Deon Ransom and Steven Moore.
* Jesuit edges Granite Bay, 3-2, in a boys preseason soccer match at Capital Christian High School - crowd in attendance estimated at over 4,000. Jesuit's Steven Wright scored the game-winner on a penalty kick in the 75th minute.
* Midway through the high school season, the CDA (California Development Academy), by order from USA Soccer, tells its high school players they can no longer play high school soccer and must leave their high school teams immediately.
* Davis and Bella Vista win section I and section II boys soccer championships. Davis (over Jesuit) and Bella Vista (over Granite Bay) defeat the very teams that beat them a year ago. Natomas (DIII) and Vista Del Lago (DIV) win section straight section titles, and Encina (DVI) wins third straight section title.
* Union Mine girls win Division IV section, NorCal, and State Championships. Mikayla Tucker named MVP in State tournament.
* St. Francis and El Camino win Division I and Division II girls volleyball section championships by defeating the teams that beat them a year ago (St. Mary's and Rocklin). Vista Del Lago girls win DIII section championship for second straight year. Natalie Riddering, Nicole Hareland, and Devin Herenda key El Camino, Gabby Palmeri and Paige Folger star once again for St. Francis, and Caroline Sipiora is fantastic once again for Vista Del Lago. Head coaches Alynn Wright (St. Francis), Martin Soyama (El Camino), and Patrick Sanders repeat as section champs.
* Christian Brothers girls win Masters golf title behind the play of Sadie Strain, Clare Sorensen, Lauren Dahl, and Nichole Cruz. Prior to this year, St. Francis had won every Master's championship since the format started back in 2006. Paige Lee of Granite Bay has another great season.
* St. Francis (7 straight DI titles) and Granite Bay (5 straight DII titles) continue their girls tennis dominance with section championships.
* Del Oro girls water polo team wins Division II section championship. Del Oro's win ended Rio Americano's dominance in Division II after the Raiders had won every DII section title since the format started in 2002.
Did we miss something? What are your top moments?
Email me at mike.finnerty@surewestsports.com
Happy New Year