The year 2016 will be remembered for outstanding individual and team achievements by Cloverdale athletes in what amounted to a great year in local sports. This week, we’ll take a look back at many of the best moments in local sports over the past 12 months. Although there were far too many stories to list, here are some of the year’s best.
(1) Championship season – CHS senior basketballer and Co-MVP Marcus Poe (34) looked for an opening in the Sonoma County Classic Tournament at Piner last winter. The Eagles, under veteran coach Steve Bernardi, captured their second straight NCL-1 title in a great 2015/16 campaign before moving on to the North Coast Section playoffs in March. Cloverdale beat Redwood Christian before being bounced by Stuart Hall in the quarterfinals to finish at 26-5. Other team standouts included co-MVP Jayson McMillan, Adrian Bernardi Angel Vega, Gage Hoover, Travis Kitowski, Michael McDermott, Jared Hibbeln, Luke Pope, Jordan Persons and Emmett Lawson. (Greg Clementi)
(2) Fab Five – The 2015/16 Lady Eagles were a team stacked with senior veterans which included (l-r) Angel Bernardi, Teanne Edens, Karsyn Stewart, Ale Perez and Bailey Stewart. Under the watchful eye of longtime coach Rick Berry, Cloverdale enjoyed one of its best seasons in years, compiling an overall record of 25-8, complete with a pair of North Coast Section playoff wins to advance to the semifinals. The great showing earned the girls a spot in the prestigious CIF Nor Cal State Playoff Tournament for the first time since 2002, where they recorded an opening round win over Mariposa County. Other team members were Jaedyn Jenkins, Camryn Figueroa, Katie Edwards and Ruby Stone. (photo provided)
(3) In safely – Cloverdale High School baserunner Pat Ojeda dove across the plate in a varsity baseball win over Lower Lake in April. The Eagles, under head coach Keith Warner, were a league contender in posting a 9-5 NCL-1 record before earning a spot in the North Coast Section playoffs, falling to Stuart Hall in the NCS opener to end the season at 12-10. The roster also included ace pitcher Chris Harms, Michael McDermott, James Wirt, Drew Edens, Jared Hibbeln, Keller Sibert, Angel Vega, Nick Menzell, Kamrin Mitchell, Jeff Persons, Cole Stroh, Mason Kostoff and Issac Quesada. (Marni Thomson-Ojeda)
(4) Spring Heat – Lady Eagles ace softball hurler Teanne Edens fired a pitch in the North Coast Section championship game against visiting St. Joseph of Notre Dame in June. Although Cloverdale lost the epic battle in a 1-0 extra-inning heartbreaker, it did nothing to diminish the great season that preceded it. The Eagles posted a 12-2 league mark before recording NCS playoff wins over Hoopa Valley and St. Bernard’s before the title clash with the Pilots, finishing the 2016 campaign with an overall record of 20-4. The team was led by veteran head coach Margaret Fitzgerald and pitching coach Pat Fitzgerald and included standout players Jordyn Turner, Hailey Donahoo, Bailey Creager, Bailey Stewart, Hannah Bereschi, Aly Bernal, Heather Sterling, Arianna Carrillo, Xochilth Saldana, Nicky Martinez, Amber Adams and Gabby Gaona. (Greg Clementi)
(5a) Boys of summer – The Cloverdale Little League 9-10 All-Stars were one of two local youth baseball teams representing the city in the District 35 tournament in Ukiah in July. The boys recorded tourney wins over Willits and Ukiah before being bounced by Rincon Valley. The CLL 9-10 team was led by Manager Ian Jones and coaches Thomas Beeson, and Bobby Huls. Players include; Nicholas Beeson, Diesel Cavallo, Carson Clark, Emilio Diaz, Corbin Drake, Alexander Hanes, Jordan Huls, Kolby Jenkins, Dylan Jones, Jason Moffett, Rylee Reasoner, Taylor Vann, and Jackson Wurz. (photo provided)
(5b) All-stars – Fresh off a second-place finish in the Tournament of Champions in June, the CLL Junior All-Stars opened their respective District 35 tourney at Hoffman Field in Cloverdale on July 2, falling in their first two games to be eliminated. The squad was led by Manager Matt Lemley and coaches Rick Scaramella and Darren Sibert. Players include Jesus Ceja, Evan Gehres, Diego Granados, Joshua Lemley, Anthonie Rebottaro, Dylan Scaramella, Keller Sibert, Jacob Sullivan, Matt Vellutini, Mitch Wilson, Collin Patterson and Jonathan Meza. (photo provided)
(6) Tough Sledding – A mud-soaked and victorious CHS varsity football team gathered for a group photo after notching a 21-18 win at Willits in October. In a rebuilding campaign under first-year head coach Chad Talley, the Eagles managed just two wins in compiling an overall fall record of 2-8. The team was led by senior running back/safety Tristen Rege, quarterback/safety James Wirt, center/LB Drew Edens, RB/DB BJ Grady, TE/SS Kevin Scalabrini, WR/FS Eli Arreola, WR/DB Christian Chavez and TE/DE Alex Segobiano. (photo provided).
(7) Think pink – The CHS varsity volleyball team celebrated “Think Pink Night” before taking the court in a league match in October. Led by coach Margaret Fitzgerald, the Eagles posted an overall mark of 5-14 during the fall campaign, including victories over Willits, Middletown and Lower Lake. Team members included Alma Beltran, Hannah Bereschi, Xenia Echols, Jaedyn Jenkins, Shaye Stewart, Tehya Bird, Jessica Bartholdy, Heather Sterling, Camryn Figueroa and Kayli Persons. (photo provided)
(8) Endurance – The Cloverdale High School cross country team turned in a great fall campaign under head coach Leanne Fogg, enjoying a competitive regular season before moving on to the Coastal Mountain Conference Championship meet at Middletown in November. Team standouts for the girls included Katie Edwards, Julie Edwards, Frederike Tschernich, Grisselle Herrera, Sami Santana and Cheyenne Palmer. The boys were led by Paden Collard, Emmett Lawson, Jacob Elliott, Everett Conway, Juan Gutierrez, Joel Mendoza and Finn Addison. (photo provided)
