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In a dramatic week, the Foothill girls’ volleyball team took care of business and will hang another East Bay Athletic League championship banner in the Falcon gym.
The week started with the final regular season game where Foothill hosted an Amador Valley team that was on a 10-game winning streak.
On an emotional Senior Night, the Falcons took down the Dons by a 25-13, 25-27, 25-15, 25-23 final.
The four Foothill seniors who were honored before the game all played well: Ella Choudhry (MB), Lulu Hoenninger (MB, captain), Sophia Burdick (opposite) and Kaycie Burdick (OH, captain).
Next up were the EBAL playoffs where the Falcons were the top-seed from the Valley Division.
The Falcons hosted Carondelet, a team that beat Foothill earlier in the season.
Foothill dropped the first two sets, and then was down 18-13 in the third set, before rallying to win 26-28, 15-25, 26-24, 25-19, 15-10.
Highlights came from Kaycie Burdick (26 kills, 10 digs, 4 aces), Paige Nelson (34 assists, 9 kills, 2 blocks), Kait Vogel (18 digs, 7 kills) and Hoenninger (15 kills).
The never-say-die attitude continued in the championship match at San Ramon Valley two days later.
The Falcons were down 23-17 in the first set but battled back to win it.
After dropping the second and third sets, the resolve of the Falcons was again on display as they roared back to take the final two games and complete the 26-24, 23-25, 21-25, 25-13, 15-8 final, giving the school its second straight title.
Leading the way was Sophia Burdick (20 kills, 11 digs), Nelson (39 assists, 14 digs, 12 kills), Kaycie Burdick (20 digs, 18 kills) and Olivia So (12 digs, 3 aces).
Amador Valley football picks up extra win
The Dons got an additional win on the season when El Cerrito was forced to forfeit five games, including the Gauchos’ 38-16 win over the Dons in the first week of the season for using ineligible players. Players — not just one player.
It’s another case where there are people who think rules don’t apply to them. I wrote a big column last year heading into football season about the vast number of transfers in Northern California.
I went to the California Interscholastic Federation (the governing body for prep sports in the state) and read through its transfer policies.
It’s a long, boring read. But get through it and you see why we have the chaos we do with high school athletics. One of the main points is that transfers are not supposed to be about athletics.
The other problem we face is that the rules are being selectively enforced, or not enforced at all. Some schools try to do the right thing and follow the rules, while others run wild and do what they want, brazenly flaunting it in front of others.
I grew up old-fashioned in that you went to school at least in the town where you grew up and currently live in. Those days are gone.
It’s nuts. High school athletes are now commodities, often exploited by their club sport coaches — coaches that have slimed their way into high school positions.
I don’t blame the kids, as they are being influenced by adults with promises of scholarships and playing at the next level.
Think about this and let it sink in: Parents are basically selling their kids to the highest bidder.
The situation at El Cerrito has the potential to become national news if even half of what I am hearing is true. I kid you not — you could not dream up some of the stories I have heard.
These stories are being conveyed by people I have known for years and respect, holding their character above reproach. They are not prone to hyperbole and with that being the case, there must be some truth in the stories.
I know some of the governing bodies for high school athletics know what is going on, so I hope they do the right thing and try to help the kids.
Editor’s note: Dennis Miller is a contributing sports writer for Embarcadero Media Foundation’s East Bay Division. To contact him about his Pleasanton Preps column, email acesmag@aol.com.
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