Page 9 - Sanger Herald 3-8-18 E-edition

SangerSports
SANGER HERALD * PAGE 1B * THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 2018
Campos wins Blossom Festival 10k for second straight year
By Mike Nemeth
Sanger Herald
The morning started cold and wet, but that didn’t appear to bother anybody in the Blossom Trail 10k Run on March 3.
Nathaniel Melgoza, 12, and several of his friends waited for the start of the main race and the 2 mile. He said he was shooting for a fast time in the 10k. He got 10th in 40:42.1 minutes. Of the chill and occasional sprinkle, he said, “It doesn’t bother me.”
Nor was Daniel Galvez, 12, bothered. “I don’t really care about it,” he said.
But the rain, which had raged overnight and the day before, did thin the ranks at the 30th annual event in downtown Sanger. Crowds still showed. But this time, spectators brought umbrellas and wore cowboy hats to keep the rain at bay.
Lee Delap, who served as an organizer of the accompanying car
Mike Nemeth / Sanger Herald
Jesus Campos easily outruns his competitors Saturday.
show, even had a special protective plastic cover for his cowboy hat. With it and his work jacket, he looked more like he was headed up through Squaw Valley on a cattle drive.
Christopher Caudillo, 12, and David De Loera, 13, opted for the 2 mile contest. Christopher said he didn’t have a target time in mind and just planned to “run at a good pace.” Turns out his definition of good would make many middle aged runners envious. He finished third overall with a time of 13:32.6 minutes and a pace of 6:46 minute miles.
David won the race with a time of 12:45.2 minutes. He said he thought the cooler temperatures helped his performance.
Wriestly Chavez, 20, finished a few seconds behind for second. “He just took off,” Chavez said of David. And of conditions, he added, “I was cold the whole time.”
Christopher agreed. “My arms were pretty cold, but
I kinda just didn’t think about it,” he said.
Jesus Campos, 33 of Fresno, won the 10k for the second year in a row with a time of 34:23.8, which was about 40 seconds more than than the previous year. He dubbed conditions to be great. “Really nice running weather,” he said. “Fast course.”
Campos said he had to take some time off running and was just getting back into it. He said the Blossom run was perfect. “Really good organized race,” he said.
Manny Rojas, 20, finished second in the 10k just ahead of his friend Matthew Villareal, 21. Just behind them was Adrian Cuellar, 14, in fourth place. Cuellar’s time was 37:15.2 minutes, an improvement over the year before by about 20 seconds.
Cuellar impressed Rojas. “He was ahead of us the first mile and a half,” Rojas said. “He did good.”
Cuellar said he focused
on the two older runner and tried to catch up. He almost did, being less than 30 seconds behind at the finish.
The oldest runner was likely Tim Kahn of Clovis. He’s 79 and ran the 2 mile, finishing in 40th place. “I did fine for me,” he said. But he added that he ran a little too fast in the beginning, keeping up with the crowd. “And that’s not good.”
The early morning rain definitely put a damper on participation.
But families still came out. People came prepared. The adapted.
And like usual Sanger decided nothing could keep it away from its downtown and its Blossom Festival.
See you next year at the starting line.
The reporter can be contacted by email at sangerheraldsports@gmail. com or by phone at the Herald at (559) 875-2511.
Apaches get another shot vs. Beyer
By Mike Nemeth
Sanger Herald
After the decisive 73-49 win against Visalia’s Mount Whitney earlier in the week, Sanger’s boys varsity basketball team and its legions of fans entered Selland Arena optimistic that the March 3 finals would finally yield what the program so desired — a Valley championship.
That didn’t happen.
Sure, the game against No. 3 seed Immanuel started with the Apaches in full control. Senior Isaiah “Irod” Rodriguez scored the first couple baskets, followed by classmate Morice Norris for a couple more and junior Sal Dhillon for two points.
The Eagles just couldn’t figure what coach Al Alvarado III and his fast- breaking Apaches were up to or how to counter them. The lone player on the Reedley private school’s team to make any inroads was senior Nate Kendricks, who figured early on how to draw fouls nearly every time he approached the basket.
Kendricks continued to chip away and by the end of the game had scored all but two of his free throws for 18 of his game high 34 points.
But Sanger dominated the first half, leading 33-23, and for most of the third, despite an Eagles rally. Immanuel managed just six points in the first quarter but increased its output in the second and third.
The scoreboard said it all in the fourth. Immanuel went on an offensive run and pulled ahead with 4:31 minutes left.
The Eagles never looked back. Final score was 68-57. Rodriguez scored the last two points for the Apaches as time ran out. He had 10 points, four rebounds and two assists on the night.
Norris, who led the Apaches with 12 points, three rebounds and three assists, at one point stared up in seeming disbelief at the score as time for a comeback slipped away.
Mike Nemeth / Sanger Herald
Cameron Stanley comforts teammate Morice Norris near the end of the game. Coaches Al Alvarado, left, and Mark Alvarado told their players afterward that they had a heck of a season, despite the loss to Immanuel.
Sacrifice, Work, Fight, Teamwork.”
Those lessons remain true, and perhaps that influence continued after the game. In the small room set aside for the Apaches in Selland, Alvarado consoled his players. “Heck of a season,” he said. “I’m really proud of your performance.” He also said he didn’t like losing any more than they did for the second time in as many years at Selland. Mike Pallesi’s Selma Bears won the 2017 finals 56-42.
“At the end, they finished it,” Alvarado said, referring to Immanuel. “(But) to get here from where we started, that’s a big accomplishment. And keep your heads up. We still play another game.”
Fred Garcia, former junior varsity coach and now a varsity assistant, tried to put the experience in perspective. “It’s hard to swallow something like this,” he said. “It’s like a shock. We have to understand there are two halves. You’ve got to take care of business. (That said) we keep our heads up, and we move forward.”
And assistant coach Mark Alvarado said, “I know it hurts, but don’t hang your heads too low. Seniors, I applaud you. You worked hard. Don’t forget that.”
Senior Avery Chatman expressed his affection for his team. “Even though we lost and it hurt me a lot, they’re all my family and I love them,” he said later.
And Stanley added, “We’re not done. Let’s go. Loud and proud bro. Let’s go.”
Senior Romeo Little offered this: “It was some dumb officiating.”
Rodriguez possibly took it the hardest. He said he lost his appetite.
The reporter can be contacted by email at sangerheraldsports@gmail. com or by phone at the Herald at (559) 875-2511.
Teammate Cameron Stanley, a junior, embraced Norris, who later said, “We led by (almost) 20,” as he and the others quietly left the court after the obligatory team photo. The Apaches did get a plaque for their efforts in the California Interscholastic Federation Central Section Division III playoffs.
Norris carried the official Spaulding game ball, painted half white. Had his Apaches won, they likely would have seized a sharpie and signed it. The ball would have resided in a special place somewhere in Sanger High, a testament to the accomplishment. Alas, the post-game mood that pervaded the team — and especially its seniors — allowed for nothing like that. At least then.
Despite the loss, making the finals propelled Sanger into the state playoffs — this one in the
CIF Northern California Division III bracket against No. 10 Beyer from Modesto at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Coach Dean Nicholson Gym. Both teams have 20-11 records. The Apaches earned the No. 7 seed.
The Fred C. Beyer High Patriots, like Sanger, lost in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoffs to a private school, one like San Joaquin Memorial and Immanuel that recruits its players. Beyer lost March 3 to Central Catholic of Modesto 66-56 in the finals. Beyer is one of four high schools in the Modesto City Schools district.
Nobody on the team was too pleased with the loss. Nor were the fans. But Sanger folks are not fair-weather types. They believe in their Apaches and congratulated the players. And because of the Apaches’ phenomenal work ethic, they turned a team
with just three starters with significant playing time and just five seniors into winners.
“So proud of the team and the coaches,” wrote Janet Lenocker on the Sanger Herald Facebook page and under a post about the finals and extra playoff game. “We’ll be there Wednesday night. You’re awesome!”
Irma Jasso-Mendez wrote, “To the coaching staff and the Apaches and the fans, we are family! We stand by you. Apache pride!”
Mariela C. Rod wrote, “It was a heartbreaker for sure, but it’s not over. So excited for what’s ahead for this team! Go get ‘em Apaches!”
And in the stands sat Jean Nicholson, wife of legendary teacher and coach Dean Nicholson, and a couple of their sons. They are to Sanger sports,
through their connection to coach Nicholson, not unlike royalty. Their presence may not have made the difference in the championship game, but it did reaffirm the Nicholson legacy.
That legacy lives on in the lessons coach Nicholson taught so many in the Sanger system. A taste of that could be seen in his old clipboard, which was on display during last year’s dedication of Sanger High main gym in his honor. A quote from Bear Bryant of the University of Alabama had been written in old-school, very neat cursive. It said, “Learn something when you win. Don’t over coach. To be happy in coaching — be mentally tough. Believe in what you’re doing.”
Nicholson also had written under “extra” the following in descending order: “Discipline,