Page 9 - Mid Valley Times 6-23-22 E-Edition

Thursday, June 23, 2022
County All-Stars battle to tie with City
Eight regional players participate in deadlock
LeBeau
named
IHS girls
basketball
coach
MVT Staff Report
Immanuel High an- nounced earlier this month the hiring of Loren LeBeau as its new girls basketball head coach and on- campus instructor.
LeBeau — who served seven years in prison for a 2012 DUI crash in Fresno before being released in 2020 — has an extensive bas- ketball coaching back- ground including high school stops at Edison, Clovis West and Central High Schools as well as the college level.
"We are excited to have Loren LeBeau join our school com- munity," Immanuel Schools Superintendent Ryan Wood said in a news release. "He has a deep love for the Lord that has been forged through a tragic event in his life. We look for- ward to Loren using his coaching and life expe- rience to build upon the prior success of our basketball program."
LeBeau was in- volved in a hit and run crash that took the life of a 7-year-old Fresno boy and injured the boy's father and sis- ter. He fled the scene, and later returned. He pleaded no contest to the charges filed against him, and after serving seven years was released from pris- on in July 2020.
“I am humbled that Immanuel High School has afforded and en- trusted me with an opportunity to serve our youth after such a devastating and tragic accident,” LeBeau said in a statement. “That experience had an im- mense impact on my life. I have grown in my relationship with Jesus and have a deep- er understanding of His grace, forgiveness, and redemption. I am
SeeLeBEAUonpage A16
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
Eight players from Reedley, Sanger, Orange Cove and Parlier partici- pated for the County All- Stars in an 68th annual City-County All-Star football game on June 17 in Fresno.
The 21-21 final score marked the first tie in the series since 1972, and the spirited contest before a large crowd at McLane Stadium before an exchange of leads by both teams.
The regional players involved were Reedley
High's Oscar Herrera, Ga- briel Gutierrez and Daniel Nava, Immanuel's Elijah Laufili, Sanger's Ashton Rodriguez and Christian Torres, Orange Cove's D'Alessandro Salgado and Parlier's Bryan Moreno.
LaufiliandNavaboth had big defensive plays, with Laufili involved in two first-half sacks and Nava recovering a fum- ble near the goal-line to end a City scoring threat.
Game MVP awards went to Buchanan's Ca- den Rodgers (two TDs) for the County and Clo- vis North's Paul Sharp for the City.
Sanger Youth
Football free
camp June 25
MVT Staff Report
Sanger Youth Football is hosting a free camp from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 25, at Squirrels Park. Acacia and Greenwood avenues.
The camp is open to all athletes ages kindergarten through sixth grade. There also will be a mandatory par- ent's meeting at 10:30 a.m. It's the league's second mandatory meeting this month in prepara- tion for the 2022 season.
Last week, Sanger Elite teamed with Sanger Youth Football to present Sanger Youth Recreational Cheer and held its first day of practices.
TOP: Reedley High graduate Gabriel Gutierrez (76) led the way on a first-half run for the County.
LEFT: Immanuel High graduate Elijah Laufili (47) called to his teammates on the sidelines after registering a sack in the second quarter against the City.
ABOVE: Sanger High graduate Ashton Rodriguez (right) lined up as tailback in the County end zone early in the second quarter.
ABOVE RIGHT: Orange Cove grad D'Alessandro Salgado returned a kickoff in the first quarter.
Photos by Jon Earnest / Mid Valley Times
Warkentin to play football at COS
DannyJimenez/PhotoContributed
Ryan Warkentin, Reedley High's all-time leading rusher, will play football this fall at College of the Sequoias in Visalia.
MVT Staff Report
Ryan Warkentin, Reedley High's single season and career rushing lead- er, will be playing football this fall at College of the Sequoias in Visalia.
Warkentin, who rushed for 2,026 yards and 25 touchdowns while ac- counting for 2,347 all-purpose yards, was the offensive ignition for a Pirates team which went a combined 13-3 in a COVID-affected 2021 (5-1 in spring season from 2020 and 8-2 fall season).
In addition, Warkentin was the two- time North Yosemite League's Most Valuable Player, and helped lead the Pirates to the 2020 NYL championship. He also starred for the Reedley High baseball and boys water polo teams
Earlier this month, Warkentin and Morgan Gates were named as Reed- ley High's Male and Female Athletes of the Year.
Dinuba, Sanger Ripken teams open Central State play this week
MVT Staff Report
Dinuba and Sanger Cal Ripken youth baseball teams are beginning play in Cen- tral State Tournament action this weekend for 10-year-olds through 12-year-olds.
Both cities have teams entered in Pool C in the 12- 70 Central Cal State tourney hosted by Visalia Cal Ripken at Riverway Sports Park (3611 N. Dinuba Blvd. off Highway 63 in Visalia) starting Sunday, June 26.
Dinuba plays Visalia Gray at 5 p.m. on June 26; Sanger
faces Visalia Gray at 7:30 p.m. Monday, June 27, and a Dinu- ba-Sanger showdown will be at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 28.
The seven pool winners along with the top five rank- ing second place finishers, then move on to single elimi- nation action starting Wednes- day, June 29.
Semifinals are scheduled for Friday, July 1, at Riverway Sports Park.
In the 10 YO Central State tournament, Dinuba will com- pete in the Orange bracket while Sanger will be in the Black bracket. Dinuba plays
Tri City and Sanger takes on Clovis Blue in 1 p.m. games on Sunday, June 26, while Di- nuba plays Lodi at 5 p.m. and Sanger meets Visalia White at 7 p.m. Monday, June 27. On Tuesday, June 28, Dinuba plays Central Black (5 p.m.) and Sanger plays Clovis White (7 p.m.)
Bracket finals are on Friday, July 1, with the two bracket champions meeting for the tourney title at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 2. The cham- pion advances to the state re- gional tournament a Rohnert Park July 17-23.
In other Cal Ripken tourna- ments involving area teams, Sanger's 11-year-olds begin Central Cal State play Sunday, July 3, in Bakersfield against Kingsburg. The team also has pool play games with Visalia Blue and Tulare.
Dinuba's 8-Under team opens Central State play in Bakersfield on July 3 against Bullard. Sanger plays Temple- tononJuly3toopenupthe 9-Under Central State tourney in Kerman.
•••
In the Little League Dis-
trict 10 Tournament of
Champions competition last week, Reedley's Majors team dropped an 8-3 decision to Selma on June 15, while the Reedley Minors team lost by a 10-0 score to eventual tour- nament runner-up Chowchilla. The Majors game was played at Camacho Park in Reedley.
Madera National edged Madera American 12-11 on June 18 to take the Majors title; one day after defeating Selma in the semifinals.
Riverpark defeated Chow- chilla, 7-6, in the Minors tour- nament championship game on June 18.