High school notebook: Frontier girls more at ease this year for golf regional
| Tuesday, Nov 09 2010 10:56 PM
Last Updated Tuesday, Nov 09 2010 10:56 PM
This time, Frontier's girls golf team means business.
When the Titans tee off this morning in the CIF Southern Cal Regional at The Golf Club at Rancho California, it'll be their third straight year in the tournament.
But, coach Tony Bernardin said Tuesday night, this one already has a different feel than the previous two.
"We were pretty calm, I thought," Bernardin said. "We went through a little practice round (Tuesday) afternoon and the girls were just methodical and calm.
"Two years ago, they weren't. They were nervous. They didn't know where to line up, where the tee boxes were."
Frontier shot 464 that year and finished ninth of 10 teams. The top three advance to the state meet Tuesday in Rancho Cucamonga, plus the top six individuals from non-qualifying teams.
Last year, the Titans shot 419 and finished seventh, and Jordanne Barr shot 75, two shots away from getting into a playoff for the final.
This year, Barr is back, along with a host of talented teammates who helped the Titans to the Central Section title: South Area champion Tavia Rutherford, Meghan Shain, Cami Ullrich and Lexi Keeter. All five competed in last year's regional and all but Keeter competed in 2008.
All have improved their stroke averages from a year ago.
"They know now that if they play their best, they have a chance (to reach state)," Bernardin said. "If everybody shoots their average, we have a chance. They're focused on that, because they know. This is a pretty special group."
Four other locals will compete as individuals: Stockdale's Kaley In and Abby Marina, East's Micah Lopez and Bakersfield Christian's Megan Cho.
Recruiting group in town
Jackie Bernardin left Bakersfield as a college athlete, and now she's trying to help other locals do the same.
Bernardin, a former Centennial athlete who played volleyball at Texas and the University of San Diego, works for SportsForce, an organization aimed at educating prospective college athletes and their families about the recruiting process and then publicizing them to recruiters.
"We're not a recruiting service," Bernardin said. "We basically give families and student-athletes the tools they need to understand the process, and then they go about it on their own. We go around to high schools around San Diego and California, and eventually we'd like to become national."
Now, SportsForce is coming to Bakersfield. The company will conduct a free one-hour seminar at 7:30 p.m. Monday at West High School.
SportsForce CEO Andrew Beinbrink, a former Arizona State and minor-league baseball player, will conduct the seminar, but it was Bernardin who led the San Diego-based company to extend its outreach to Bakersfield.
"I was born and raised in Bakersfield, and I come back and do summer camps all the time," said Bernardin, whose younger sister Caitlin is a senior standout at Garces in volleyball and basketball. "Everybody has been so great to me."
For more information or to reserve a seat at the event, call (858) 350-1786.
Three to sign today
Centennial volleyball standouts Alyssa Gammel and Regan Richert will sign letters of intent today in the school's library to play in college.
Gammel has verbally committed to Virginia Tech, while Richert plans to sign with Sonoma State -- turning down some Division I offers to do so.
Also today at Wasco, senior Taylor Serda will sign a letter of intent to play softball at Utah State.
Frontier junior Kelsey Fien, one of the nation's top volleyball recruits in the class of 2012, will announce her verbal commitment during a press conference Thursday at the Terrio Therapy Edge facility.
Centennial falls from rankings
After Friday's 20-19 loss at Liberty, Centennial fell out of the Cal Hi Sports state football rankings.
The Golden Hawks had been ranked No. 9. Centennial (8-1) also fell from sixth to No. 21 in the website's Southern California poll, effectively eliminating it from state bowl contention.
More bad news for the Golden Hawks: Senior wide receiver Tim Martinez, who missed the Liberty game, is doubtful for Friday's regular-season finale with Frontier (6-3) with a sprained foot, coach Bryan Nixon said. Martinez leads the team with 25 receptions for 516 yards and is second with six touchdowns.
Liberty-BHS tickets on sale
Tickets for the Liberty at Bakersfield football game Friday are on sale in each school's finance office all day today and Friday until noon.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The winner of the game is ensured at least a share of the Southwest Yosemite League title.
Meanwhile, Bakersfield coach Paul Golla said the Drillers (7-2, 3-1 SWYL) will be without running back Walter Hunt against Liberty (6-3, 3-1). Hunt has run for 540 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.
Sweat receives MWC honor
The Mountain West Conference has named former Stockdale standout Melissa Sweat its women's basketball Preseason Freshman of the Year.
Sweat was a two-time Californian Player of the Year and helped the Mustangs to four Division I section title games and one championship. ESPN's HoopGurlz.com ranked her the No. 20 shooting guard prospect in the country.
Ridgeview grad reaches nationals
Robby Baker reached the NAIA national championships as a freshman by running a 26:53.3 in the 8-kilometer race Frontier Conference championships in Great Falls, N.D.
Baker, who was named all-conference, placed fifth as the top freshman finisher. He'll compete at the nationals Nov. 20 in Vancouver, Wash.
East's Johnson shines in juniors
East junior D.J. Johnson has won two Southern California Tennis Association junior tournaments in the past month.
Johnson won the Central Coast Grand Prix Masters Championships in Santa Barbara and the K-Swiss Grand Prix Masters Championships in Lakewood.
Johnson's junior record is 49-11, and he's ranked No. 12 in Southern California among 16-year-old boys.
