Sac City Express » Sports

Still pushing forward

Yesenia Cardoso — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:44:59 +0000

SCC guard Tori Hironaka #55 brings the ball up court heavily guarded by CRC guard Tina Diaz #11 late in the second half against CRC Friday night January 20, 2012 at CRC gym in a loss to CRC. Photo by R.Hanna

With its season almost over, City College women’s basketball team is looking to finish the conference with a couple more wins.

The team began its season with a tough schedule playing teams such as Ventura College, Fresno City College and Santa Rosa College, which are all ranked among the top 10 junior colleges in the state. The team is currently 1-7 in conference and 2-16 overall for the season. For the team’s head coach Devin Engebretsen, it’s been a tough journey.

“From a winning stand point it has been challenging,” said Engebretsen.

Engebretsen said the team is still adjusting, not just to what takes to compete at the college level but what it takes to compete for a full 40 minutes.

“Our biggest struggle so far has been trying to compete consistently for a whole game,” said dental hygiene major and guard, Tori Hironaka.

“They have improved since the beginning, but they are still learning,” said Engebretsen.

Even though the team has struggled to win with a team comprised of 10 new freshmen and a new coach, building chemistry has not been a factor, Engebretsen said.

“I really enjoy the being around the relationships they build with each other; they’re learning and trying,” said Engebretsen.

Engebretsen said this season the team’s strength has been its defense and its ability to play hard against their opponents. The team’s key defensive player, Engebretsen says, is freshman forward and biology major, Samantha Lewis.

In the game against Diablo Valley College earlier this month, Lewis allowed Diablo’s top player Dianne Moore to score only five points while defending her. Moore had 14 points for the night.

The team’s key offensive players are Hironaka and freshman center, criminal law major Brianna Williams.

Williams averages about 10 points and seven rebounds a game. Hironaka averages about eight points and three assists a game.

Engebretsen says the team needs to improve on ball handling, shooting and running its offense correctly. Engebretsen said he plans to run a lot of drills and scrimmage during practice. Williams also said the team needs to improve to win more games.

“No matter what [I] need to keep a good head on my shoulders and play like it’s my last game,” said Williams.

Engebresten’s goals by the end of the season are for his players to continue to improve daily and try to win more conference games.

The team’s next home game is Feb. 3, against Sierra College at 5:30 p.m.

Optimistic state of mind

Wendy Aguilar — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:05:51 +0000

(Pictured from bottom to top) Meaghan Bonilla, Britney Wilson, Sheldon Simas and John Franz practice drills under the instruction of Swim Coach Steve Hanson (not shown) in Hoos Pool on Jan. 20. Photo by Evan E. Duran

The City College swim team began its practices at the beginning of the spring semester, and now team members say they are eager to begin conditioning and competing with high hopes for this season.

Head swim Coach Steve Hanson says he’s enthusiastic for this season’s team and what it can accomplish.

“My expectations are to have each individual athlete improve in stroke and have a better showing in the Big 8 Conference,” Hanson says.

With an increase from 15 swimmers last season to 24 swimmers this season, Hanson says he believes that the team will not be as limited to compete by the number of swimmers as they were last season.

Hanson also says he believes that having a greater number of swimmers will allow the team to enjoy the more sociable atmosphere of the meets.

English and Spanish literature major Jose Alfaro, who has been swimming for four years and is now on his second year of swimming on the City College swim team, says he is looking forward to hanging out with his teammates and forming bonds and connections with them.

“The meets are always fun as we cheer each individual on as they trudge forward to improve their time,” Alfaro says.

“There is nothing like seeing a swimmer fight through the race and work hard to achieve.”

Hanson says that there will be more competitive swimming this season. Hanson also believes the harder an athlete practices, the more likely it is to pay off in the meets, which may help the swim team to overtake its toughest competitors such as Diablo Valley College and American River College.

“I am looking forward to the practices the most because that is when I feel each swimmer is part of a team,” Alfaro said. “That is when we practice, struggle and improve together. The meets reflect the individual effort exerted in practice.”

Hanson says he wants this season to be a time in which the swimmers can grow and improve their skills

“You have to go within yourself and push yourself,” Hanson says. Relays swimmer Chelsea Kennedy says she has pushed herself to achieve her goals this season.

“I’m going to need to catch up to get back in shape after doing nothing all winter break, but I know which races I want to participate in and [I] am mentally prepared for them,” Kennedy says.

Alfaro says that along with the rest of the team, he is ready to start giving it his all at practice so that he can be prepared to give it his all in time of competition.

“During practice, we push ourselves hard, even at the final lap,” Alfaro said. “Even when we are on our last set, Coach reminds us ‘Last one, Fast one!’”

Diablo Valley College Vs. City College

Aidan Fitzsimon — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:10:28 +0000

City College men’s basketball team struggled against Diablo Valley College on Jan. 17. The DVC Vikings (17-2, 4-1 in conference) came into the game ranked number one in the state.

The Panthers tried to gain control of the game from the beginning but lost with a final score of 47-78.

“Honestly, we just got out played and they wanted it more,” freshman guard Antwoine Davis said. “We have got to match the intensity that the other team brings.”

DVC sophomore guard Brian Goins finished with 18 points while the Panthers were led by Davis who tallied nine points in the second half rally effort.

“I think we caught them on a bad night, and we got off to a pretty good start,” said DVC Head Coach Steve Coccimiglio. “We got a good lead at halftime.”

The halftime score had DVC up 40-18 on the Panthers (12-4, 2-3 in conference) who couldn’t put a big enough dent in the deficit to comeback.

“Sac City’s got an excellent record and good players and we knew that we had to come out in the second-half and not have any drop off,” Coccimiglio said.

The DVC Vikings defense stifled the Panthers in the second half, as well for a season low, 47 points. DVC forward Raphael Carter had six of the teams nine blocks that kept the Panthers

out of the basket, forcing more jump shots.

The Panthers unfortunately shot 39 percent from the field on 19-of-49 shooting while the Vikings shot 54 percent from the field on 26-of-48 shooting. Of those shots the Vikings hit eight

three-point shots while the Panthers hit three.

Free-throw shooting was one of the largest disparities between the two teams. The Panthers were only 6-for-9 from the charity stripe for 67 percent, while the Vikings were a shot 86

percent by making 18 of 21.

Up next, the Panthers take on San Joaquin Delta College at home on Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 5:30 p.m.
For more information and the schedule go to, http://sccpanthers.losrios.edu/mensbasketball.htm

Wrap up Vs. Diablo

Yesenia Cardoso — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:34:53 +0000

For the team’s stats and game schedule, go to http://sccpanthers.losrios.edu/

City College women’s basketball team fell short to Diablo Valley College Jan.17, losing 51-56. Both teams are now tied in the Big 8 conference with a record of 1-4.

“We should have played with more energy and kept the energy up,” said freshman forward Enimoa Laui who scored seven points in the game. Head coach Devin Engebretsen said City College did a good job on defense for about the first 33 minutes of the game.

“We just have to bounce back and keep working and fix our defense for Friday,” said Engebretsen, as he looked ahead to the team’s next game.

Freshman center Brianna Williams and freshman guard Kelsie Muramoto, were both in double digits with 24 points. Muramoto was not as happy with the defense that City College played when she spoke post game.

“[Diablo] picked it up on defense and we didn’t match their efforts,” said Muramoto after scoring 14 points in the game.

City College extended its lead by 10 points in the first half but in the second half Diablo Valley came back and outscored City College by 15.

Engebretsen said that foul trouble plagued the team in the last seven minutes of the contest, allowing Diablo Valley to catch up. Diablo Valley took advantage of City College foul trouble by shooting 73 percent from the free throw line in the second half.

Although Diablo Valley was able to shoot well from the line, Engebretsen asserted City College could have overcome the deficit if they had maintained late game scoring.

“Down the stretch we didn’t score at all,” Engebretsen said.

City College will play Cosumnes River College on Friday at Cosumnes River College at 5:30 p.m.

For the team’s stats and game schedule, go to http://sccpanthers.losrios.edu/

Undefeated Division II women’s rugby team invited to Nationals

Yesenia Cardoso — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:00:32 +0000

City College students, part of the Sacramento Amazons professional women’s rugby team, finished third in the nation Nov. 10. at the USA Rugby Women’s National Championships in Virginia

The Amazons went to the national championships undefeated with a record of 5-0. They finished with a record of 2-1 at the national championships when they lost in the semi-final game against the Raleigh Venom from North Carolina.

“They did have a different style of play from ours,” said undecided major Angela Marie Ve’evalu who plays the positions of prop and flanker on the rugby team, “They used a kick [technique] to advance forward a lot against us versus our team, which [uses] strength, power and skill.”

Sacramento Amazons’ women’s rugby coach Mary Swanstorm said it was a heartbreaking loss for their team, but a great learning experience. She also said playing against Raleigh made their team stronger.

The tournament was composed of 14 teams from around the country. The Amazons were in the Division II club bracket.

Swanstorm said that the team’s strategy varied between each game because every opposing team’s style of play was different.

In their first game against Portland, Maine, Swanstorm said the team was the No. 1 seed in the tournament and Portland would be the biggest team they faced all weekend.

“Being a big, hard-hitting team ourselves, I expected this to be a very challenging game,” said Swanstorm. “Our strategy was to hit first, and hit the hardest.”

In their last game against Albuquerque, Swanstorm said their team outmatched the opponent.

“Both teams really enjoyed playing rugby that day. it was very fun to watch,” Swanstorm said.

The team suffered a few ankle, shoulder and collarbone injuries during the four-day national championship.

The Amazons’ strength is their size, strength, athleticism, and heart, Swanstorm said. Swanstorm said they look physically intimidating to other teams and surprise their competitors with their ability and agility, but their fitness is a weakness on the field.

According to Swanstorm, once they improve on their fitness they will be unstoppable.

The women’s club team was established in 2003 and they also have a high school team that was established in 2001.

“We are a team of fighters, we take our weaknesses and turn them into our strengths,” said Ve’evalu. “We work hard for everything we have received and accomplished thus far, and will continue to do so.”

For more information on the Amazons, go their Facebook webpage.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000299202587&sk=info

City College wrestler wants to take talent to coaching level

Bianca Botello — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:52:40 +0000

Focus and motivation are two important elements of wrestling that are necessary to take down an opponent during a match. City College wrestler, Efren Rodriguez, has nearly mastered these elements and has also translated them into his personal life.

Second Team All-Conference winner in the Big 8 this semester, and wrestler since the age 12, Rodriguez says he chooses to work tirelessly in order to ensure a bright future ahead of him. Rodriguez spends his days and nights training, wrestling, completing schoolwork and giving back to the wrestling community, he says.

Rodriguez’s hard work ethic has not gone unnoticed. City College head wrestling coach Dave Pacheco says this is one of his best qualities.

“He is very motivated and intense,” Pacheco says. “He doesn’t like losing and he doesn’t like getting poor grades. He wants to be successful.”

The other wrestlers on the team also say they respect Rodriguez for his work ethic.

“He’s a great practice partner,” says wrestler Brenden Sullivan. “He never slacks off or takes a break. He always gives it his all.”

Pacheco says that the day of regionals, Rodriguez chose to visit, Chico High School, his old high school, instead. Rodriguez spent the day there mentoring and coaching the wrestling team, according to Pacheco.

Rodriguez says that he would like to coach someday.

“I’ve always had coaches who have done so much for me,” Rodriguez says. “Now I want to give back.”

Pacheco says he believes that Rodriguez will make an excellent coach.

“He wants to be around the sport, he understands the sport, he is very driven. I can see him being a good coach,” Pacheco says.

From classroom to court

Angelo Mabalot — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 05:42:35 +0000

Phillip Worsham, 42, kinesiology major (R), Mariela Ventura, 19, psychology major and Basketball-Theory instructor Devin Engenbretsen go over plays during class. Photo by Jason Van Sandt

The playground is occasionally the starting point for a complex thought. Scoring a 3-pointer in the elementary school basketball courts can brew into a love for the game. Watching NBA games as a kid,wearing Air Jordans shoes, and more importantly, continuing to play the game may all be signs of a basketball fan.

In the Kinesiology 346 class, Theory of Basketball, students can extend their understanding of the game and ultimately create their own coaching philosophy, says the class’s professor and women’s basketball coach Devin Engebretsen.

“Look at all this room right here,” says Engebretsen, pointing to a diagram of a basketball court. “If we do this play like this, [the center] might catch the ball over here and it turns a lay up into a short jumper. What would you like more?”

“A lay up,” say three students in the class.

“I love lay ups,” says Engebretsen. “Not a big fan of short jumpers.”

Besides learning the basics of basketball, Engebretsen says the goals of the class are to learn the different rules of basketball across different levels, designing a conditioning program for a basketball team, learning strategies for in-game situations, analyzing videos of basketball games, and how to coach with cooperation with players, coaches, and team personnel, according to the class syllabus.

Lacking experience in playing basketball, Dolores Johnson, nursing major, says she struggles with learning basketball plays such as the “stagger screen”.

“I really thought [the class] was going to be [about] the basics of everything,” Johnson says.

Mariah Bailey, undeclared major,plays under Engebretsen’s lead on the Panther’s women’s team and says the class is beneficial to her game.

“On and off the court I know what to do,” Bailey says. “In practice it helps me realize what the coach is telling me, and how he coaches.”

While learning the technical aspects of basketball grabs the attention of a competitive player such as Bailey, a basketball fan such as managerial economics major Westley Warren says he takes the knowledge he learns from the class to his love for the game.

“My dad coached me when I was a kid, and so [learning how to coach is] something I wanted to do when I teach my kids,” Warren said.

Engebretsen says the course’s required assignments surprised most of the 15 enrolled students, with the homework, quizzes, a final, and a final project to create a playbook. However, for a basketball enthusiast such as music major Mateo Brown, the chance to show off what he knows is what the class is all about.

“For this play, there’s a slip,” says Brown, demonstrating his play on the board. “The [shooting guard] and the [center] move towards the [small forward] setting up the stagger screenplay. Just before the [small forward] gets close to the [shooting guard], the [shooting guard] slips and cuts to the basket.”

Ultimately, all students are required to develop a coaching philosophy that will be demonstrated in their playbook final project that will also outline a coaching program.

“My philosophy is put it out there,” Engebretsen says. “Share the wealth.”

The Theory of Basketball course will be available to students for the Spring 2012 semester Mondays from 5:30-7 p.m. with Kinesiology, Health and Athletics Professor Andrew Jones.

Four fall sports teams make the 2011 post-season

Ilian Cervantes — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 05:36:30 +0000

As the school semester comes to an end, finals are quickly approaching and sports are winding down. Four fall Panther sports made it to the Big 8 Championships.

Wrestling

The wrestling team will head to Santa Rosa Dec. 9-10, for the California Community Colleges Wrestling State Championships.

The Panthers competed in seven different weight classes and placed second in the Big 8, behind No. 1 rival Fresno City College.

The Panthers put six wrestlers Dec. 3, into the North Regional Tournament finals at Skyline College, and crowned two champions, according to the City College wrestling Facebook page.

Golf

For the third time in a row, the women’s golf team took the Big 8 Conference Championship. In the NorCal Champions, City College f nished third, its fourth consecutive win at NorCal. Riley Sexton won MVP in the Big 8, and Head Women’s Golf Coach Tim Kiernan was named Conference Coach of the Year.

Cross-Country

Cross-Country competed at the California State Championships, Nov. 19, in Woodward Park, Fresno.

Five athletes from the women’s cross-country team and two from the men’s team represented City College at the championships.

Shelby Vollmer and Chris Rios led the team, clocking in a time of 20:51.13 and 21:49.90 respectively. The women’s cross-country team is ranked 12th in the 2011 NorCal rankings, and the men’s team is 10th.

Volleyball

City College ranked 18 in the top 25 volleyball teams of the state after the regular season, according to the State 2011 Poll No. 6 published late November.

Panther volleyball ranked 17-10 overall, and 9-5 for the Big 8 Conference record.

Additional reporting by Zach Schmitz

State champ to scholar

Aidan Fitzsimon — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 23:38:22 +0000

City College sophmore Zach Bartley, No. 85, in the North Gym

Forward Zach Bartley, a sophomore on the men’s basketball team for City College, is averaging eight points per game and has totaled 33 rebounds through the first four games, playing in the undefeated start the Panthers men’s basketball team is off to.

“I try to get rebounds, that’s how a lot of my points come. I’m kind of like the garbage man on the court,” Zach Bartley, English major says. “Any time there’s a missed shot I crash the boards hard.”

Bartley brings a lot of experience to the team.

After gray-shirting a year at Sierra College, Bartley arrived at City College for the 2009-2010 season and for personal reasons red-shirted last year, as a red-shirt title, Bartley did not play in games that year thus preserving a year of college eligibility.

Now, he’s back and has returned this season with resurgence.

“What you see is what you get with Zach,” Head Coach Andrew Jones said. “He’s focused in practice. He’s matured a lot in the year that he took off.”

Bartley says he is very proud of his team and the start they’re off to. But, he adds, he’s also not content,.

“We’re 4-0 so far this year, so I definitely think it was a good idea to come back,” Bartley said. “I expect to keep it rolling, but we have a lot of games to go, so we can’t get too cocky.”

Bartley says he wants a title for his school and that he hopes to get a scholarship to help him pay for school.

“My goal is to win a state championship and also to earn a scholarship to play basketball at a four-year college next year,” Bartley said.

While Bartley stands at 6-foot-7, and makes for an intimidating presence on the court as a top scorer, he is soft spoken yet deliberate with his words.

Bartley also says he enjoys the simple things, like playing video games and watching movies, but places hanging out with his family above all of his hobbies.

Bartley’s teammates say they appreciate him just as much off the court as they do on the court.

“He’s got a great personality,” teammate Israel King, kinesiology major says. “[Zach] is just a great guy. I like to hang out with him off the court and outside of basketball, and we have a great friendship.”

Jones says he thinks Bartley has a bright future ahead of him in basketball.

“I think Zach can play at a high Division II level.” Jones said. “His freshman year he went for 25 [points] against Solano, and it was in a losing effort, but he was the best player on the floor that night…The two free throws he hit against Cosumnes River with 7.5 seconds to go, those were huge clutch free throws.”

Aside from shooting clutch free throws in search of potential scholarship opportunities, Bartley says he also dedicates his athletic efforts to his father.

“I’m playing for my father, because he’s in Afghanistan right now fighting in the air force, and he will be gone for a year. All this stuff I’m doing is for my dad,” Bartley said.

City College men’s basketball undefeated in early season

Aidan Fitzsimon — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 22:05:44 +0000

City College shooting guard Izzy King No. 12 scores as he pulls up for a short jump shot in the key Friday night verses Mendocino at American River College basketball tournament. Photo by R. Hanna|rhanna68@gmail.com

City College men’s basketball team is starting to play with a trend—winning close games. The Panthers opening round game of the American River College tournament Dec. 2 was no different from that trend, as they knocked off Mendocino College, 86-80.

The contest was physical throughout, with hard screens being set on both sides: hard fouls, loose balls leading to dogfights, and lots of emotion.

The Eagles (2-2) had momentum for the first 17 minutes of the first half, led by forward Trey Johnson’s 14 first-half points. Johnson finished the game with 17 points. The Panthers (5-0) would go on a run to end the frame, led by sophomore Izzy King, who had 14 first-half points on four 3-pointers. He, too, finished the game with 17 points, keeping the Panthers in the lead, 44-41 at halftime.

“Izzy was five-of-six on threes. We’ve known he can do that for two years now, [but] it was great to see him take advantage of the opportunity of starting for the first time this year,” City College men’s basketball head coach Andrew Jones said. “The fierceness was great to see. It was a total team effort.”

The second half of the game had its rough spots for the Panthers when they went into an offensive drought in the middle of the second half. Then, there was forward Bobby Barnes, who scored seven of his 10 points within 1 minute and 30 seconds.

The rest of the game would be a balanced scoring effort for the Panthers. Antwoine Davis, forward, contributed 17 points, along with Zach Bartley’s 15 points.

“I really didn’t do well in the first half,” Barnes said. “So I kind of wanted to redeem myself. I was playing hard. I just wasn’t making the best decisions, so I just wanted to come back focused.”

With a minute remaining, the Panthers led 82-80, caused a turnover and gained possession of the ball.

King made one of few mistakes during the evening when he missed a layup and the Eagles then took a wild shot and missed. Davis hit two clutch-free throws and finished the game, scoring on a layup after another Eagles’ mistake.

“I’m happy we’re off to a great start. I have a lot of faith in my team,” King said. “We still need to improve, as do I, but I’m satisfied with the win.”

After the game, the coach remarked on savoring the win before playing again the following day.

“I’m going to go home and enjoy this one for about two hours and then start thinking about tomorrow,” Jones said.

More information on the men’s basketball team and game schedule are available at the Panther Athletics webpage.

City College small forward Bobby Barnes No. 11 scores as he drove to the basket Friday night against Mendocino City College at American River College Beaver Classic tournament. Photo by R.Hanna|rhanna68@gmail.com