Welcome to Prep Spotlight, our feature that sheds more light on the Bay Area’s high school sports scene. For tips and story ideas, email highschools@bayareanewsgroup.com. If you haven’t already, please subscribe. Your contributions keep us going.
FLAG FOOTBALL: ST. FRANCIS SOFTBALL STARS
Flag football, now in its second season as a CIF sanctioned sport, has provided athletes from other sports – mostly softball, basketball and soccer – a way to try something new while also allowing them to utilize skills gained from their other disciplines.
Hayden Hummel is a power-hitting outfielder with a rocket arm on the St. Francis softball team that won a Central Coast Section Open Division title last spring.
So while it’s easy to credit her smooth transition to being the quarterback of the Lancers’ high-octane flag football team to Hummel’s elite arm strength and natural power, she said that is not the case.
It’s actually footwork honed on the diamond that provides her a foundation for success.
“In softball we do what we call quarter-back steps,” Hummel said while demonstrating the technique by taking a half-step back while opening up to an imaginary fly ball. “You’re trying to get a perfect angle to the ball.”
Playing catch with her dad and her younger brother Ryder – who plays on the freshman football team at St. Francis – didn’t hurt, either.
While Hummel dazzled as a dual-threat quarterback with a knack for making the pass-rusher miss before lofting balls to receivers in the Lancers’ victory over Notre Dame-San Jose, her outfield teammate shined on the other side of the ball.
St. Francis quarterback Hayden Hummel looks for a receiver against Notre Dame – San Jose, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, during a flag football jamboree hosted by The King’s Academy in Sunnyvale, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Maya Yumiba – who often made web gems for the 28-1 softball team last season – showed that her defensive instincts carried over to football.
Even though she was smaller than many of the other players, her tenacity and instinct stood out as she chased down ballcarriers and ripped flags on dramatic stops.
“I love doing anything that will help me get on the field,” Yumiba said.
– Joseph Dycus
FLAG FOOTBALL: OAKLAND TECH’S ‘ONE-HANDED’ PICK
Aliyah Williams wasn’t going to let a bulky purple and black cast wrapped around her hand stop her from achieving a personal goal in Oakland Tech’s 39-6 victory at Campolindo on Tuesday.
She picked off a pass and ran it back some 50 yards before being hawked down inside the five-yard line.
“I was playing with this cast on, and I don’t think a lot of people could do that,” Williams said before adding, “But I can.”
Williams was a victim of her own prowess as a linebacker for Tech’s phenomenal flag football program. Under coach Alexis Gray-Lawson, Tech is coming off a Silver Bowl victory and looks to be even better this season.
Williams is the heart and soul of the defense and injured herself getting a stop.
“I hurt it while I was flag-pulling, because nothing comes past me, honestly,” Williams said.
– Joseph Dycus
BOYS WATER POLO: CAMPO AIMS TO BUILD ON WIN OVER SRV
Campolindo’s Hayden O’Hare (21) takes a shot against San Ramon Valley in the second period of a water polo match in Moraga, Calif., on Sept. 25, 2024. Campolindo defeated San Ramon Valley 14-10. (Photo by Anda Chu)
Campolindo’s Ellis Culleton (8) takes a shot against San Ramon Valley’s Ben Livesay (3) in the first period of a water polo match in Moraga, Calif., on Sept. 25, 2024. Campolindo defeated San Ramon Valley 14-10. (Photo by Anda Chu)
Campolindo’s narrow 14-10 victory over San Ramon Valley on Wednesday wasn’t pretty, but that type of match is exactly what head coach Brodie Jasper wants to see his team play early in the season.
“Having a tight game like this is what it’s going to be about down the stretch,” he said. “The more tight games you have like this and come out on top, the better it’s going to be for us down the line.”
Wednesday’s match saw a physical SRV team take the No. 3 team in the Bay Area News Group rankings into deep water early in the fourth period. But the Cougars finished the final five minutes by outscoring the Danville school 4-0 to take the win.
Led by sophomore Cade O’Hare, who ended the night with four goals, Campolindo’s offense flourished late in the match.
Jasper said he hopes Campolindo (8-2) will build off the momentum going into league play, which starts on Tuesday against Miramonte.
“We just have to stay disciplined and keep working hard,” Jasper said. “The mindset for us is like, ‘We’re going to have obstacles and we have to figure out ways to overcome them.’”
– Nathan Canilao
WATER POLO: HOTLY CONTESTED BATTLE FOR GIRLS TOP SPOT
The start of the 2024 water polo season has been fascinating for several Bay Area teams. One of the most intriguing battles has taken place on the girls side.
Related Articles
Christopher’s defense clamps down in second half to ensure high-scoring win over Branham
Bay Area News Group boys athlete of the week: Colin Wright, Serra water polo
Bay Area News Group girls athlete of the week: Yesenia Moffett, Pittsburg water polo
Prep football: Readers pick Mills at Saratoga game for us to cover
Bay Area high school football 2024: Week 5 preview, schedule
A group of teams that comprised five of the top six seeds and all four semifinalists in the Northern California Division I championship field last season is duking it out for the top spot in NorCal once again. What is perhaps most fascinating is how these teams have done against each other in the early season.
Sacred Heart Prep, currently holding the top spot in the Bay Area News Group rankings, has split two games with No. 4 Miramonte and defeated No. 2 Carondelet, No. 5 Acalanes and No. 6 Leland. Carondelet has beaten No. 3 Campolindo and lost to SHP. And Campo has defeated Miramonte.
So who will finish on top? The story is far from written. This week, Carondelet takes on Acalanes in another chapter. In the weeks to come, Miramonte will face both Campolindo and Acalanes. Campo faces Acalanes near the end of October.
But the regular season is merely an appetizer. The real battle for supremacy will come back at the section and NorCal championships in November.
– Christian Babcock
