Athlete of the Week Articles

“There’s no crying in baseball” may be a sports rule, but a more applicable (and broad) one is “There’s no rest for the athlete.” And that certainly applies to Allan Hancock College sophomore Sadie DeQuattro. She’s only just finished volleyball season, and now she’s starting on softball. This season may be her last on the […]

The Bulldogs recently played in the Fresno Community College basketball tournament in Fresno. They lost two close games, but their star center had two huge games, which included an impressive 16-point, 14-rebound effort against Clarke College, followed by an astonishing 32-point, 14-rebound, and five-steal explosion against Feather River. The stat line is no fluke. The […]

At age 36, Santa Maria’s Guillermo Medina isn’t running away from anything. In fact, he’s running toward something. Medina hopes to become the first 100-year-old to run a 26-mile marathon—and he’s still got plenty of time to practice. So far, Medina has run a total of 18 marathons, beginning when he accompanied his wife in […]

Keith Cutrone may be only an amateur in the field of mixed martial arts (MMA), but he’s already proven to his opponents that he’s as deadly as his action-movie heroes. In fact, Cutrone has fought a complete three-round bout only once, which was ruled in his favor. Since then, he’s fought two others that didn’t […]

There’s been at least one bright spot in an otherwise disappointing debut season for St. Joseph in the Pac-7: Knights starting quarterback Paul Avila. Just a junior, the Lakeview Junior High product has consistently proved his poise at the helm, most recently evidenced by the team’s first-ever league win on Oct. 30, a 41-13 whipping […]

When Rosario Bras was a Righetti High student, he was called the “Freshman Sensation,” and the name stuck with him for his freshman year on the Allan Hancock College soccer team. Bras earned the title, in both cases. During his freshman years at both schools, he was the highest scorer on the team. And, for […]

The McHaneys’ garage is filled with trophies that belong to both of their sons, who earned the awards at motocross races. But the youngest son, Collian—12, but nearing 13—has earned most of them. Although he’s amassed quite the collection, which has extended itself into the house, it was his brother who brought him into the […]

Under the lights at Santa Maria High’s Ralph Baldiviez Stadium on Oct. 8, Lompoc senior running back Jordan Collins had a night to remember. In the Braves’ 51-7 drubbing of the Saints, Collins rushed for 130 yards on 11 carries, scoring three touchdowns on scampers of 28, 38, and 45 yards. Lompoc High head football […]

Though Penny Popp, a nurse at Marian Medical Center’s rehab center, originally started participating in triathlons for herself, she’s noticed the effect the effort has had at her work. “It’s a good example for the patients who are in cardio rehab. It shows them that they aren’t the only ones who need to exercise,” she […]

It’s only been a year, but Mark Inguaggiato has already jumped from being ranked No. 74 all the way to No. 46 in the Southern California 4 Men’s Singles level. He’ll also have participated in 15 tennis tournaments at the end of the year—in a usual year, he only plays in 10. But even though […]

As starting offensive guard for the Knights of the Orcutt Youth Football League, Zachary Burg enjoys absorbing a big hit. The 12-year-old was a hit of a different sort at a recent Offense-Defense instructional football camp in San Diego. At an awards ceremony, camp organizers announced they’d selected Burg to participate in the annual Offense-Defense […]

In some athletes, talent is evident right off the bat. For longtime boxing trainer Willie Flores, he saw it in Brandon Gutierrez the moment the 12-year-old stepped foot into the Santa Maria Boxing Club. “I saw him hitting the bag and the way he was moving and the way he handled himself,” Flores said. “I […]