Page 9 - Mid Valley Times 7-22-21 E-edition
P. 9
Red Sox draft Reedley College star
Thursday, July 22, 2021
MVT File Photo
Drew Halstead, pictured in November 2019, has moved on from Imman- uel High to become head coach at Parlier High.
Immanuel
looking
for new
football
coach
MVT Staff Report
Immanuel High School is in the pro- cess of hiring a new football coach for the 2021 season.
Drew Halstead, who posted a 10-4 re- cord in two limited sea- sons with the Eagles, has accepted a teach- ing position and head football coaching job at Parlier High School.
Halstead guided the 2019 squad to a 9-3 record and a section playoff victory over Reedley High. The Ea- gles didn't have a 2020 season because of CO- VID-19, and then went 1-1 in a limited sched- ule in spring 2021.
Josh Franco, athlet- ic director at Immanu- el, said on July 15 that the school has received several applicants for the head coaching job and the interview pro- cess was scheduled to begin soon.
The school also has released its eight game football schedule for 2021 which begins on Friday, Aug. 20, with a 7:30 p.m. home game against Roosevelt High of Fresno. The Eagles also will have home games against Fowler High (Sept. 3), Shafter (Sept. 10) and Yosemite (Sept. 24).
BJ Vela selected in the 16th round of MLB amateur draft on July 13
MVT Staff Report
Reedley High School fresh- man second baseman BJ Vela was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 16th round — the 466th overall selection — of last week's Major League Baseball amateur draft.
Vela, who led all California community col-
lege athletes in
hitting with a
.481 batting av-
erage and 47
runs scored for
the Tigers this
past spring, was
chosen on the
draft's second
day of selections
on July 13. He learned of his se- lection by from Red Sox area scout Josh Labandeira, a former Fresno State standout who had scouted Vela on a number of oc- casions.
The 5-foot-9, 175-pound na- tive of Chico, called it a "dream come true" to be drafted.
"I've been working very hard for this," Vela said in a video in- terview on July 13. "There was a lot of excitement, it was great to be around my family." In an-
head coach Steve Pearse.
"He's a great player that has a great future," Pearse said of Vela. "You saw some spots of it, but then he started being more consistent. Which, for me, is the number one testament that you can give a baseball player; that they're consistent. He just car- ried it over throughout the year." Vela said coming to Reedley College was the best decision he
ever made.
"My time there was really
good," he said. "I learned a lot, both mentally picking Coach Pearse's brain and [assistant] Coach [Anthony] Essien's brain. I learned a lot, and I can't thank them enough.
"As for fundamentals, it just kind of progressed. I earned things every day. There wasn't a day I didn't learn something, so it was a great experience."
Vela told KHSL-TV in his July 13 interview in Chico that he would be heading to the Red Sox training camp in Fort My- ers, Fla. within a few days. He'll sign his professional contract down there, complete his physi- cal and conduct workouts be- fore heading to his first rookie ball assignment.
Dustin Vela, BJ's younger brother, also is a second base- man and will be coming to Reed- ley to play for the Tigers next season. Both brothers starred for Pleasant Valley High School in Chico.
BJ Vela
Danny Jimenez / Photo Contributed
Reedley College's BJ Vela (7) was greeted by teammates after hitting one of two home runs against Cerro Coso College on April 13. Sophomore infielder Vela, who batted a state-leading was drafted in the 16th round of the MLB amateur draft by the Boston Red Sox on July 13.
other interview with a KHSL-TV in Chico, he said it was a goal he had written on his refrigerator since he was 8 years old.
During Reedley College's 14- 14 season in 2021, Vela also was among the state leaders in home runs (seven, third in state), runs
batted in (35, third), on base per- centage (.560, third) and slugging percentage (.821, fourth). He was a first-team all-state selection as well as first team all-Central Valley Conference pick. He be- comes the school's highest draft- ed player under the direction of
Reedley Youth Football cancels 2021 season
MVT Staff Report
Organizers with Reedley Youth Football and Cheer announced this week the league will not have a season this fall.
The organization an- nounced on its Facebook page on July 19 that with "great sadness and regret" that the league was canceling the 2021 season.
The league said in its post that "several par- ticipating teams in our league have been expe- riencing very low com- munity responses to signups and a lot of un-
certainty regarding the Covid 19 restrictions as- sociated with the avail- ability and 'use of facili- ties' for the upcoming
2021 season."
The league had re-
ceived clearance to have a 2021 in late May, after RYF and many other
youth football leagues across the nation were forced to cancel their 2020 seasons because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A number of signup dates were scheduled and held in June and July, but turnout and signup numbers were low. The league contains three divisions: Junior (grades 5-6), Pee Wee (Grades 3-4) and Mighty Might (kindergarten- grade 2).
League officials said they will be contact- ing and coordinating refunds for families of players who already have signed up to play. For more information, call the league at (559) 307-4745 or email to reedleyyouthfootball@ comcast.net.
Dinuba, Sanger leagues begin practice
MVT Staff Report
Youth football leagues in Dinu- ba and Sanger are under way with conditioning for the upcoming 2021 season.
Dinuba Youth Football players began conditioning workouts at Washington Intermediate School on July 19. The initial week was five days for workouts, with all players required to get in 10 hours of con-
ditioning before getting equipment. Sanger Youth Football, mean- while, has begun Monday through Thursday mandatory practices at Reagan Elementary School. A good number of players showed in mid- June and early July for voluntary training camp sessions, and league officials were pleased at the overall
turnout.
Season schedules for all leagues
will be released at a future date.
Profile
Max Saucedo Reedley High School
Max Saucedo, Reedley High School Class of 2021, was selected as the school’s Male Athlete of The Year for 2021 during the school’s season- ending awards on June 23. Saucedo was one of nine all-North Yosemite League selections for RHS, starring on the line as the Pirates captured the outright league championship. He also was named to the 2021 County All-Stars football team.
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DINUBA ATHLETIC PROFILE
Dinuba High section
champion girls softball
Dinuba High captured the Central Section Division II softball championship on June 18 with a 2-0 victory over CSL rival Selma High. The Lady Emps finished the season with a 17-7 record.
Athlete
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