I have to say, after having a couple days to look over the coaches' votes on the Northern 4A All-Region teams, this is one of the first years I can remember that they got the postseason honors more or less right on.
First of all, there were only 27 players on the team. That's out of 26 theoretical positions. I have to applaud the coaches on making the tough decision to only honor the best of the best.
However, I was a little puzzled by the three running backs and two quarterbacks listed.
Generally, you want to honor the best quarterback and the best two running backs.
I can see the conundrum at quarterback. On one hand you have Douglas' Tim Rudnick, who had single-season totals that placed him among the top four in the state's history at any level. On the other, you have McQueen's Anthony Stolo who was efficient and impressive in his own right, but was often overshadowed by the host of Division I talent he was either handing off or throwing to.
I figure Rudnick gets the nod for the numbers and Stolo gets the nod for leading his team to the championship. Both are without question special players.
At running back, though, I figured McQueen's Tyler York and Manogue's Josh Dupree were virtual locks, which they were. But Hug's Tonio Burton just kind of slipped in there too.
Burton is an electrifying back, no question, but I don't know if I'd put his season on the same par with York and Dupree. Just look at what those two did in carrying their respective teams to the regional title game. You have to consider, though, that the voting was done before the playoffs, so that pretty much explains that.
Even so, it could have been solved by honoring York as the player of the year and at first-team defensive back (as he was) and giving the two running back spots to Dupree and Burton.
On the whole, though, the list was pretty much right on. Six schools got completely left off the list, which tells you the coaches made some tough decisions and did their best to honor the true cream of the crop.
Douglas coach Werner Christen said his team aims to hold its opponents under 10 points a quarter as a general goal.
So far, so good.
In 12 quarters last weekend, Douglas held its opponents to less than 10 eight times.
In the Whitney Invitational finale, Douglas held El Dorado to 8, 5, 5 and 7 in order.
"Overall, we did okay defensively," Christen said. "I'd like to see some more consistency, but when we got down and defended, we were solid.
"I'm not worried about the problems we saw crop up so far. It's all stuff that is correctible. We have a lot to work on, but a lot of it is just about getting to know each other and trying some different combinations. It was a good weekend."
- The Douglas wrestling team unveiled their new white singlets with orange and black trim Wednesday night against Galena. This is the first time since I have been here that the team hasn't worn primarily orange.
- At tip-off of the Douglas-Oakland game in the opener of the Wild West Shootout at Reno High last week, there were only 15 people total in the bleachers, including myself and three other members of the media.
- Douglas shot 32 free throws against Oakland, making only 15, while Oakland shot just eight free throws and made just two.
- Oakland had 26 team fouls and somehow did not have anyone foul out. Every player on its 10-man roster had at least one foul called against him. For you math buffs, that's an average of 2.6 fouls per player.
- A couple of obscure statistics which could become major themes for the Tiger boys' basketball team this season: Douglas has gotten to the free throw line for 93 shots in four games, compared to the 37 shots taken by their opponents. The Tigers have been outscored in the first quarter 62-35, but they have outscored their opponents 65-48 in the fourth.
- That being said, Douglas is shooting just 55 percent from the free throw line.
- Through four games, the Tigers have had five different players lead the team in scoring (that's with a tie at 10 between Austin Neddenriep and Nick Hales against Manogue). In all four, Douglas has had nine players put points on the board, with the exception of Manogue, when the Tigers had 10 players score.
- Just to pound the idea of the Sierra League wrestling parity a little bit more, one coach in the league was quoted as saying his favorite to win the region this year is Bishop Manogue, a school not among the widely-considered top 5 teams in the eight-team league.
- The Douglas football team has now had the divison or league lineman of the year in six of the last 11 seasons.
Jessica Waggoner is averaging 15.3 points per game through three games. I'm still in the process of putting together any kind of girls' basketball records, but I'll keep updating it here as the season rolls on.
Again, if anyone has any old girls' basketball score books or information, I would greatly appreciate it. I'll keep a running update in this spot through the winter.
How many Sierra League Football Player of the Year awards (Offensive, Defensive, Lineman or overall MVP) has Douglas had since the league was created?
- Damonte Ranch wrestling 39, Fallon 24. That Damonte Ranch won isn't as surprising (they are, after all, the defending league and regional champs) as the fact that Fallon lost. This marks Fallon's first league dual losing streak in six years. The Greenwave saw a six-year, 42-match High Desert League win streak come to an end in the regular season finale at Spanish Springs last year and opened this year with a loss to Damonte in their first match as a member of the Sierra League. This just goes to further the idea that the Sierra League wrestling mix is the deepest out of any league in any sport in the Northern 4A. Don't expect to see such streaks again as all of the top programs in the region now reside in the Sierra.
- Manogue boys' basketball 103, Vallejo 84. No first-game jitters here. The Miners went out and hung 100-plus in their first game under coach Bill Ballinger. In my opinion, Manogue is the biggest test standing between Reno and its third regional championship in four years.
- Just Kidding, Vallejo 84, Manogue boys' basketball 0. That all being said, the RGJ reported that Manogue forfeited its first win hours after completion when the NIAA ruled that the Miners had used a number of players who were not yet eligible to play. Those players had joined the team last Saturday after the regional championship football game and had not completed the required five days of practice. Nonetheless, Manogue came out the next day without those players and beat Sparks by 56 points, 112-56.
- Lowry wrestling team takes second at Capital City Duals. Lowry is always solid, but they knocked off some big-time programs Saturday to advance to the championship againt Douglas. Along with Spring Creek, they should give the Northern 3A a stronger presence in the top five of the wrestling rankings this year.
- Not-so-much. McQueen defeats Palo Verde for the state football championship. Much was made of Palo Verde's speedy double-wing offensive attack in the week leading up to the game. I was sitting in the bleachers in the 2002 state semifinals when McQueen decimated the same Palo Verde system. I had no reason to believe Ken Dalton would have forgotten how to attack this offense in the last six years. The game lived up to all of its billing and Palo Verde played it close enough to make one wonder if the results would have been any different had the game been played at lower altitude down south. Still, this was a special McQueen team that will go down as one of the best to ever play in the Northern 4A.
If I had a vote for overall player of the year in the Northern 4A Regional basketball honors ballots (and I don't), this is what it would look like, based mostly on their respective performances over the last week:
Boys' Basketball
1. Austin Morgan, Reno; 2. Keith Feutsch, Manogue; 3. James McLaughlin, Douglas; 4. Zach Sanford, Reno; 5. Courtney Gardner, Hug
Girls' Basketball
1. Ashley Armstrong, Manogue; 2. Stephanie Rovetti, Reno; 3. Danielle Peacon, Reed; 4. Erica MacKenzie, Reed; 5. Jessica Waggoner, Douglas
The top athletes, regardless of sport, at Douglas High determined by production during competition, overall value to their team, ability to perform with consistency in routine situations, performance compared to others at the same position throughout the state/region, ability to come up big in clutch situations, versatility, attitude, sportsmanship, overall athletic ability, heart, potential at the next level, and a host of other intangibles (emotional leadership, role-playing value, work ethic, etc.) This is all, of course, just my opinion.
Winter Sports
1. Jessica Waggoner, basketball
2. James McLaughlin, basketball
3. Hillary Sapp, skiing
4. Crystal Rutledge, skiing
5. Nico Barker, wrestling
6. CJ Marcotte, basketball
7. Parker Robertson, basketball
8. Dillon Spates, wrestling
9. Dany Heidt, basketball
10. Tim Rudnick, basketball
If there were more names on the list: Wes Peterson, wrestling; Taryn Williams, basketball; Justin Freeman, wrestling; Tyler Cook, wrestling; Michael Sepulveda, wrestling; Ally Freitas, basketball; Chris Downs, basketball.
2008-09 School Year
1. Jessica Waggoner, volleyball/basketball
2. Tim Rudnick, football/basketball
3. Nico Barker, football/wrestling
4. Taryn Williams, volleyball/basketball
5. Parker Robertson, football/basketball
6. Dany Heidt, soccer/basketball
7. James McLaughlin, football/basketball
8. Luis Pina-Duarte, football/basketball
9. Ally Freitas, soccer/basketball
10. Niki Hamzik, tennis/basketball
Since I've been here (2003)
1. Luke Rippee, football/basketball/baseball (2003)
2. Jessica Waggoner, volleyball/basketball/track (2005-present)
3. Brittany Puzey, basketball/softball (2003-04)
4. Tim Rudnick, football/basketball/baseball (2006-present)
5. Bridget Maestretti, volleyball/basketball/softball/track (2004-08)
6. Tyson Estes, football/basketball/baseball (2003-05)
7. Ryan Pruitt, football/wrestling/baseball (2005-07)
8. Mike Gransbery, soccer/basketball (2004-07)
9. James McLaughlin, football/basketball (2006-present)
10. Kayla Dunn, volleyball/softball (2004-05)
"1 .... Million ... Dollars!" - Pastor Bryan of Corona logging the highest bid ever on The Price is Right. It was on some sort of food processor and he was, of course, wrong.
- Saturday was our annual tradition of watching the conference championship football games while decorating the Christmas tree. Florida-Alabama was probably the best game iI've seen this year (keep in mind I was covering the regional soccer playoffs when Texas Tech beat Texas and I was watching UNR fall flat on its face against New Mexico State when Texas beat Oklahome). For me, Tim Tebow pretty much cemented his second-consecutive Heisman with his play against the Crimson Tide. Those three passes on the final touchdown drive were like watching a coronation ceremony of sorts.
- The Christmas tree is pretty much the closest we've come to Disneyland so far. Bright lights, shiny ornaments, beads ... Too bad we spent the weekend shooing her away from it.
We're adding another game with a college bowl game pick 'em at http://recordcourier.collegefootball.upickem.net
The prize is still to be determined, but we will have something. Sign-up. You have to have your picks saved by Dec. 20, so that's about 10 days to work with.
Here are my picks and some of my reasoning:
EagleBank Bowl
Wake Forest over Navy
(You know me, I'll go with the option team 9 times out of 10, but when a school gets a couple weeks to prepare a defense for it, well that would be time No. 10)
New Mexico Bowl
Fresno State over Colorado State
(Never bet against Pat Hill)
St. Petersberg Bowl
South Florida over Memphis
(The St. Petersberg Bowl? Seriously? More than half of the teams in all of Division I football playing in the postseason and this is one reason why. But that's a whole different column.)
Las Vegas Bowl
BYU over Arizona
(There was a time when BYU was in the BCS picture, but losses to Utah and TCU ended that.)
New Orleans Bowl
Southern Miss over Troy
(Ever since Southern Miss ended TCU's run at the BCS in 2003, I've had trouble picking against them)
Poinsettia Bowl
TCU over Boise State
(To me, this is one of the must-see games this bowl season and probably the best matchup outside of Oklahoma-Florida. Having attended TCU, I have to go with the Horned Frogs. The better defense in the postseason almost always comes up with the win, so logical the edge goes to TCU, right?)
Hawaii Bowl
Hawaii over Notre Dame
(There is no team that protects its home field better than the Warriors. That being said, if you're a Hawaii player, don't you feel a little cheated that you don't get to go somewhere else for a bowl game?)
Motor City Bowl
Central Michigan over Florida Atlantic
(This bowl has actually been pretty entertaining in the past. I like Central in this one because of the proximity to home)
Meineke Car Care Bowl
West Virginia over North Carolina
(Best bowl name since the Poulan Weed Eater Bowl - but seriously, why not just call it the Meineke Muffler Bowl? 10 times more awesome, if you ask me)
Champs Sports Bowl
Florida State over Wisconsin
(Again, I have to go with the team playing closer to home.)
Emerald Bowl
California over Miami
(I have a soft spot for Cal, and I'm not really sure why. Plus, did anyone else forget that Miami played football this year? Or was it just me?)
Independence Bowl
Louisiana Tech over Northern Illinois
(The Bulldogs are still stung over that last-minute loss to Nevada to end the regular season. Look for them to regroup in a big way.)
Papajohns.com Bowl
Rutgers over NC State
(Apparently you can only play in this game if your school colors resemble pizza sauce. Seriously, though, I like Rutgers. Again, I go with the better defense. Time will tell)
Alamo Bowl
Missouri over Northwestern
(Northwestern has an impressive record, but remember Missouri was in the thick of the national title picture earlier this year. Deep in the heart of Big XII country, don't expect the Tigers to falter here)
Humanitarian Bowl
Nevada over Maryland
(You can't go against the local team, but more so, the Wolf Pack actually looked pretty good the last time they played in this bowl game (2006 vs. Miami). Nevada has a certain QB that looked pretty good the last time they made the trip to Boise as well.)
Texas Bowl
Rice over Western Michigan
(A bowl so good, it didn't even make it to a regular college football network. How exactly does the NFL Network justify covering college football? You know, what with being the NFL Network at all.)
Holiday Bowl
Oregon over Oklahoma State
(Oklahoma State is probably the logical pick, but I like Oregon. I like their big-game potential. We'll see, but this is probably a dumb pick.)
Armed Forces Bowl
Air Force over Houston
(Much more interesting if this were Navy vs. Air Force, but still, have to go with the option offense)
Sun Bowl
Oregon State over Pittsburgh
(Really, the Beavers should have been in the Rose Bowl against Penn State. Instead, they'll be getting ready for Pittsburgh. Pitt is ranked, but how can you go against a running back called Quizz?)
Music City Bowl
Vanderbilt over Boston College
(Watching Boston College take on Virginia Tech Saturday, I was impressed with the Eagles' quarterback and not much else.)
Insight Bowl
Kansas over Minnesota
(This year, it is pretty tough to go against anyone from the Big XII)
Chick-fil-A Bowl
Georgia Tech over LSU
(I wrote about it recently, but I really like what Georgia Tech has in the works. Putting up a win over a very good LSU defense would be a statement victory for sure)
Outback Bowl
Iowa over South Carolina
(Really, who cares? Two good, but not great teams. I like Iowa's uniforms better.)
Gator Bowl
Nebraska over Clemson
(Just continuing the Big XII theme)
Capital One Bowl
Georgia over Michigan State
(Matthew Stafford leads a group of Bulldogs who could potentially be playing their last college game before bolting for the NFL. This could be a big game for them)
Cotton Bowl
Texas Tech over Ole Miss
(Ole Miss has the distinction of being the lone team to knock off Florida. Tech has the distinction over being steamrolled by Oklahoma. I pick the Red Raiders based simply on their offense)
Liberty Bowl
East Carolina over Kentucky
(There just aren't enough Pirates in college football)
International Bowl
UConn over Buffalo
(Possibly the most obscure bowl game of the year. This one is so good, it won't even be played in the United States. Sure Buffalo knocked off Ball State, but seriously, who else?)
GMAC Bowl
Tulsa over Ball State
(This is more me hoping to see the Cardinals' decision to decline an invite from Boise State backfire just a little bit more on themselves.)
Rose Bowl
Penn State over USC
(Penn State fan growing up, what can I say?)
Orange Bowl
Cincinnati over Virginia Tech
(Sure, Tech has the defense, but Cincy is actually really good)
Sugar Bowl
Utah over Alabama
(I'm a sucker for the idea of an upset. And make no mistake, this really would be an incredible upset - much bigger than Boise over Oklahoma two years ago)
Fiesta Bowl
Texas over Ohio State
(Seriously, how is Ohio State in a BCS bowl? Consolation for the last two postseasons perhaps?)
BCS National Champioship
Florida 35, Oklahoma 12
(I've gone almost exclusively with the Big XII teams up to this point, but Florida looked really, really good in beating Alabama and Oklahoma has really, really fallen flat in its BCS appearances over the past two years)
I'm bored with the proximity strategy. My goal is to finish the season above .500.
Congratulations to this week's winner, Dennis Essary, who picked 14 of 16 games correctly.
Here are my picks for the week:
Bears over Saints
Redskins over Bengals
Falcons over Buccaneers
Texans over Titans
Colts over Lions
Jaguars over Packers
Chargers over Chiefs
Dolphins over 49ers
Bills over Jets
Rams over Seahawks
Cardinals over Vikings
Raiders over Patriots
Panthers over Broncos
Ravens over Steelers
Eagles over Browns
Tiebreaker: Giants 21, Cowboys 14
Season record: 99-109. Record last week: 7-9. Season survivor: Out.
- I've come to the conclusion that Paige Davis is being held captive inside an undisclosed RC Willey location where she is forced to film at least one commercial a day until the transition to digital television completes itself in February.
- For season 5 of Lost, show producers have said they are actually just going to rerun all of the Season 3 episodes dubbed in that weird whispery language you hear any time a character ventures into the forest.
Irrational Fear: Lawlor Events Center
Guilty Pleasure: The old-school Big, Bad Wolf logo
12. Tim Rudnick (Offensive Player of the Year, 2008); Garrett Tenney (Lineman of the Year, 2008); Brock Peterson (Offensive Player of the Year, 2007); Jeff Nady (Lineman of the Year, 2007); Brent Koontz (Co-Player of the Year, 2006); Sean Molina (Defensive Player of the Year, 2006); Spike Agosta (Sierra League Offensive Player of the Year, 2004); Tyson Estes (Sierra League Lineman of the Year, 2004); Luke Rippee (Sierra League Player of the Year, 2003); Nick Summers (Sierra League Lineman of the Year 2003); Luke Rippee (Sierra League Offensive Player of the Year, 2002) and Grant Hall, Sierra League Lineman of the Year (2002)
