Maybe with two or three handfuls of high schools to cover, the Sun was bound to get some champions in the mix, but his year had more than usual, including Allan Hancock College’s softball team taking the Western Division title after a 16-year hiatus, and Nipomo High School winning its first CIF title ever.
There’s also the individual athletes shining above their teams, getting full rides to Stanford and medaling in the Junior Olympics. Add to those things new programs, facilities, and coaches who make a difference and we have everything we need on the Central Coast that makes great athletes.
We have teams that continue to get closer to their ultimate goals, making strides this year as they pushed through their season, building their strength as their members gained age, experience, and maturity. Or the opposite—those teams that hit their peak this year, cradling a championship along the way, looking to a new year where they will have to rebuild and gain a novel set of athletes-in-progress.
Everything those athletes do pushes them forward. Each stride builds on the last. Every basket or goal scored moves them toward a penultimate goal.
Winning isn’t everything, but damn, it feels good.
RUNNER EXTRAORDINAIRE
Joseph Domingues Jr. earned a bronze medal in the 1,500-meter dash and the title of Junior All American at the Junior Olympics in Iowa earlier this year with a time of 4:19.
BIG DREAMS
Volunteers for the River Bend Bike Park project in Lompoc logged more than 5,000 hours of work time to try to make the bike-riding playground a reality this year. The project has been in the works since 2011, and while it came close to being more than just a dream this year, the project still needs to raise a little bit of money to complete the park’s finishing touches.
PRO COACH
Former NFL player Don Willis took over as head varsity football coach at Cabrillo High School, his alma mater, earlier this school year. Willis is also a
special education resource teacher at the school.
TITLE CHAMPS
For the first time since 1998, the Allan Hancock softball team stitched up the Western State Conference title in April with two major wins over Ventura, 12-2 and 10-2. Freshman Kayla Stevens worked in the batting cage after the team’s title win in preparation for regionals.
PEDAL POWER
The Pedal Power Club at Tommie Kunst Junior High School was the newest bike club of its kind in Northern Santa Barbara County this year. With the help of a teacher and support from Santa Barbara nonprofit Bici Centro, students learn about bike safety and nutrition and can earn a bike through the program.
YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES
Anthony Dakuras founded Santa Maria All-American Wrestling, which is the first class offered through the city of Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department. Offered five nights a week, his classes give students who aren’t in high school yet an opportunity to wrestle. Classes started in September.
HEALTHY ATHLETES
The Santa Maria High School Athletic Department received the National Athletic Trainer’s Association Safe Sports School award at the end of the 2013-2014 school year. It was one of six schools in California to win the award and one of 123 nationally. Awards are determined by an accreditation process that includes requirements on athletic training health care, physical exams, prevention, detail to environmental conditions, and nutrition counseling.
STANFORD AWAITS
Ernest Righetti High School senior Cameron Walker was recruited to play basketball at Stanford University on a full-ride scholarship. He signed a letter of intent to play for the Cardinals in November, and he’s also being considered for a spot on the McDonald’s All-American Basketball team.
WARRIOR WINNERS
The Ernest Righetti High School boys’ water polo team took the CIF Southern Section Division title by beating out Cerritos High School 8-4 in November. It’s the first division championship for the Warriors polo team since 2002.
THE FIRST
The Nipomo High School Titans made history in November when the football team won the CIF Southern Section Northwest Division championship by beating Arrowhead Christian 22-19. It’s the first title won by a Titans’ sports team in the school’s history.
It’s entirely possible that Managing Editor Camillia Lanham is too competitive and a sore loser. Email her at clanham@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Dec 25, 2014 – Jan 1, 2015.