Page 11 - Mid Valley Times 7-2-20 E-edition

Thursday, July 2, 2020
Fall sports canceled for Valley community colleges
Reedley College football, four womens' sports programs affected
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
Reedley College’s re- turn to the Central Valley Conference in football will not take place on the field this fall.
On June 26, the confer- ence announced through its executive board that it will suspend athletic competition for the fall 2020 semester because of the ongoing coronavi- rus (COVID-19) situation in California. In addition to RC football, the Tigers women’s volleyball, golf, soccer and equestrian teams will not compete in 2020.
Susan Yates, CVC commissioner, said in a June 26 news release that the recent sharp spike in COVID-19 positive cases around the Central Valley and California was a key factor in the decision to shut down fall sports.
“Coronavirus cases continue to climb across our state, a shocking 69 percent rise in just two days and our region has witnessed record elevat- ed levels of transmission and hospitalization,” Yates said. “Citing concerns over their ability to ade- quately protect staff and student-athletes from the
Danny Jimenez / Photo Contributed
Reedley College players celebrated with a group photo after last season’s Northern California Football Association American Division bowl championship victory. The Tigers were ready to return to play as a member in their traditional Central Valley Conference this fall, but on June 26 the conference announced they were suspending fall sports in 2020 because of the COVID-19 situation in the Central Valley and California.
Coronavirus, the majority of schools in the Central Valley Conference (CVC) will suspend athletic com- petition for the fall 2020 semester. Colleges in the CVC wishing to compete may request to be hosted by another California community college ath- letic conference.”
Any shift of schools to other conferences is un- likely, as the statewide in- creased COVID-19 levels are likely to affect all Cal- ifornia Community Col- lege Athletic Association members. The CCCAA will make a determina- tion on canceling the fall sports season statewide by Friday, July 17. If the state hasn’t emerged from Phase 2 reopening
status by that date, all fall sports will be delayed until at least the start of 2021.
Jerry Buckley, Reed- ley College president, said in a June 26 news release that the college supports the CVC’s decision but also supports continued non-contact training and education of the school’s fall 2020 student athletes.
“We hope that this coming year can be used to assure good academic standing and transfer preparedness of all of our fall 2020 teams,” Buckley said.
David Santesteban, RC athletic director, said the school is respecting the conference decision and is keeping the focus
on the athletes keeping up with their academic school work. All current athletes will retain their present class eligibility.
“We are working on protocols [to establish conditioning and training schedules] right now as we speak,” Santesteban said on June 29. There is a possibility that commu- nity colleges around the state will try to play re- vised schedules starting with the spring 2021 se- mester in January. Based on the current status of COVID-19 in the state, that appears to be the best-case scenario.
Reedley College is one of three State Center Community College Dis- trict schools in the CVC;
the others are Fresno City College and Clovis Com- munity College. Other JCs in the CVC are Columbia College, College of the Se- quoias, Merced College, Porterville College, Taft College, West Hills Col- lege Coalinga and West Hills College Lemoore. The conference offers 12 men’s sports and 12 wom- en’s sports.
Last fall, the Tigers’ football team captured the Northern Califor- nia Football Association American Division cham- pionship with their second straight 10-1 season; de- feating Foothill College 23-12 in the postseason bowl. Reedley College’s recent run of success on the gridiron enabled them
to apply and regain entry into the Central Valley Conference for football beginning this fall.
Head coach Eric Mar- ty said the staff is work- ing hard to keep cur- rent and new players on the team as engaged as possible through online courses and coordinate with players’ academics.
“We want to make sure that they continue to prioritize school and that they are in the classes they need to be moving forward,” he said. “We all want to play, we know how valuable our pro- grams are for young men in our communities, but logistically it’s just not feasible this fall, unfortu- nately.”
Blue & White Excellence
Jon Earnest / Mid Valley Times
From left, Carissa Hall, Josh Cabaluna and Mackenzie Coats were announced as Blue & White Excellence winners for Immanuel High during the school’s graduation ceremony on June 3. Hall (volleyball, track and field), Cabaluna (cross country, soccer) and Coats (volleyball) were recognized for their excellence in athletic success, academic achievement, character develop- ment and spiritual maturity.
MVT Staff Report
Sanger High handed out 27 Apache Arrowhead Character awards at the end of this school year, recognizing a student-athlete in each sport who ex- emplified character and outstanding sportsmanship through the course of the year.
But among those recognized, two were given top honors by receiving the Dave Dodson Sportsmanship Award.
“Coach Dave Dodson was our head track and field coach at Sanger High School for 48 years,” said Sanger High Athletic Director Brian Penner. “Dur- ing his tenure, coach modeled what it means to be a man of character.”
This year’s female recipient of the prestigious award was Maddie Mat- tern. According to coaches, Mattern was a selfless teammate on the girls’ volleyball team but excelled off the court as well. She volunteered at local preschool classrooms and even helped organize a prom for special needs stu- dents.
Apaches football player Alexis Cor- dova was given this year’s male Dave Dodson Sportsmanship Award. Ac- cording to Sanger High head football coach Jorge Pena, Cordova epitomizes the word character, as he became a
quite leader on the field by working hard with a positive attitude regard- less of his place on the depth chart.
Said Penner about Cordova, “He is a truly special student-athlete who combines hard work and discipline to create success.”
Other Apache Arrowhead Charac- ter award recipients were Samantha Diaz (girls’ tennis), Kyana Grunberg (girls’ golf), Kai Gloria (girls’ water polo), Jackson Humphrey (boys’ water polo), Miguel Marin (boys’ cross coun- try), Rebecca Coronado (girls’ cross country), Johnnessa Munoz (game cheer), Mallory Scott (girls’ basket- ball), Alejandro Mendibles (boys’ bas- ketball), Victoria Neri Martinez (girls’ soccer), Luis Villegas (boys’ soccer), Katelyn Estep (girls’ wrestling), Vin- cent Stafford (boys’ wrestling), Isaac Roqueta (boys’ tennis), Jon Pena (boys’ golf), Crysta Benson (girls’ swim- ming), Elijah Morris (boys’ swim- ming), Victoria Robles (competition cheer), Aaron Ly (boys’ volleyball), Lauren Tillotson (lacrosse), Isabel Ro- sales (softball), Chaimee Yang (bad- minton), Anthony Flores (baseball), Annie Ramirez (girls’ track and field) and Noe Navarro (boys’ track and field).
Sanger High student-athletes recognized for character