Many of us played soccer as youths, whether it was because we showed a genuine interest, a particular knack for the game, or (more likely) our parents just wanted us out of the house in the afternoons. Luckily for local children (and parents), there are numerous places in which to partake in the sport these days.

In fact, soccer is by a wide margin the most popular youth sport in Sacramento, according to Shane Singh, president of the Pocket Area’s very own Greenhaven Soccer Club.

The Sacramento Youth Soccer League (SYSL), had an impressive 7,000+ children ages 4-18 play soccer for its numerous clubs in 2012, according to Singh. The SYSL is comprised of 15 soccer clubs within the Greater Sacramento area, some of which cater to our area.

When asked why soccer is the dominant sport in our area, Singh said “It’s designed for younger kids to play. Four-year-olds can’t really play Little League, but they can play soccer.” He also pointed to the fact that soccer entails constant participation, whereas other sports can have long lulls where some kids don’t do anything, which can lead to boredom.

In addition to keeping the sometimes fleeting attention of younger children, Singh talked about the benefits that soccer and youth sports in general have for youths.

“(Sports) keep kids out of trouble. There have been studies that suggest kids who play sports do better in school and are more focused in the classroom. It also helps them to develop life skills, like how to work in a team environment,” he said.

While there are players in most of the SYSL clubs all the way up to 18 years of age, Singh explained that the majority of the players are between ages 6-12. And while he estimates that 90% of soccer seasons within the SYSL run between August and December, the other 10% play a longer season and some of the competitive teams even play year-round.

Singh also estimated that 90% of kids play on strictly recreational soccer teams. If your child is a soccer star who wants to try his hand (or rather feet) at competitive soccer, many of the clubs within the SYSL offer competitive clubs which are generally more expensive, require more travel and often have longer seasons.

August is still a ways off, but registration for some leagues can begin as early as March. Check the end of this article for information about leagues in your area and find out when each club handles registration.

There is rarely a time when children are turned away from participating, but occasionally it does happen if there are too many kids and not enough coaches. Volunteer coaches are much needed, according to Singh.

While not affiliated with the SYSL, the Carmichael-based Del Dayo Soccer Club offers a wide range of teams for your young soccer star. In 2012, Del Dayo soccer fielded 20 teams and more than 350 players. Del Dayo Soccer Club is affiliated with the California Youth Soccer Association (CYSA). For information about registration and other inquiries, visit deldayosoccer.net.

In the Arden area, check out Fulton-El Camino Youth Soccer. For information about enrolling your child, visit fecsoccer.org. Also in the Arden area is St. Ignatius Soccer Club. The club can be reached at 916-649-9645.

Bob Rogers is a GSSC player and tournament star as well as a long-time sponsor of the Golden Seniors. When he played he was a manager, pitcher and infielder. Lou Coppola describes him as a versatile player. / Photo courtesy of Lou Coppola

For more than 30 years, the Golden Seniors Softball Club of Sacramento has been one of the nation’s bedrock organizations for slow-pitch players who have reached the age of 50. The club has about 450 members and provides nearly 420 games from mid-March into September.

Close to 100 of these members like it so much that they play in more than one of the club’s six leagues. For many, there is no such thing as “enough softball.” But there is plenty of room for someone new to the game, or who hasn’t swung a bat in more than a decade. “Hey, it can be like riding a bike. Just get back on and enjoy the ride,” said the club’s president, Tom Sansone. “Softball can really be a game for the ages — and the ageless.”

Playing 22-game schedules, there are three six-team night leagues for players 50 and over at the Sacramento Softball Complex — Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, with games at 6:30, 7:45 and 9. Two leagues play on Tuesday mornings, also at the Complex, for players 60 and older. The club’s Monday morning league at Howe Avenue Park is for players at least 70.

Sansone, 65, said playing softball at this stage of his life has been a very satisfying experience. “It gives me incentive to exercise and try to stay in shape. I enjoy the camaraderie. There are a lot of people who are really dedicated to this club. I urge anyone who wants to continue playing softball well beyond their middle-age status to check us out. You’ll be impressed with our quality of play.”  The Elk Grove resident pitches on Tuesday morning teams and is entering his 11th season with the club.

Mel Tennyson joined the club in 2009 when he was 55. He now plays in all three night leagues and serves as the commissioner in charge of the club’s Tuesday night league. He also plays for a nationally ranked traveling tournament team. Mel, a West Sacramento resident who pitches and plays the outfield, said, “I love the game” and the Golden Seniors club has provided opportunity to play with and against people more his own age while being more relaxed and less-competitive than his tournament team. “It keeps me healthy and I enjoy meeting people. I play softball for athletic and social reasons. My advice to anyone thinking of playing ball is to come out, have fun and stay young.”

Anita Kemp, 53, who resides in south Sacramento, joined the club in 2011 and became a fixture at third base, first base or catcher on Tuesday nights. She plays on a couple of coed teams and said she wanted more softball, so a friend suggested she try the Golden Seniors. How has it worked out? She said she has not been disappointed and felt welcomed as a new member. “It’s fun, to be honest with you. My other leagues are real competitive, true 5-women, 5-men coed teams.” The Golden Seniors is “really a fun league.” And when a guy thinks he can hammer a grounder by her at third, she said she takes a great deal of pleasure in her ability to throw him out.

The GSSCS Tuesday night league has about a dozen women spread among six teams. The club would like to attract more women, and Anita said more women would join if they knew about Golden Seniors. The club needs to advertise.” (Note the ad in this newspaper.) “Everyone gets along and gives you a pat on the back. It’s a friendly environment.”

The Wednesday and Thursday night leagues attract more competitive players, many who also play on tournament teams.

Ernie Kidwell is one of 137 current Golden Seniors “life members” who have played at least 15 consecutive years and attained the age of 75 or 10 years and celebrated their 80th birthday. Kidwell, who will turn 81 this year, lives in north Sacramento near Carmichael. He joined the club in 1991. He began playing in the night leagues and for the past decade has been playing Mondays and/or Tuesdays.”Why do I continue to play? Because I just like to play. I like the camaraderie, the fellowship … Softball is a good reason to get up and go somewhere.”

While leagues for the 2013 season are scheduled to conduct drafts in February, the first league games are not scheduled until mid-March. Some leagues may have immediate openings for those wishing to sign up, or players can sign up, come out and play as substitutes or be permanently assigned to teams as roster vacancies occur.

The club’s fees are very reasonable, Sansone said, amounting to less than $5 a game, and include uniform jersey, cap and umpires. And the fees are prorated for players who come aboard later in the season.

The club has a website, www.gsscs.org, where details can be found on how to join. The club’s player agent, Myron Dahl (916 451-2450), can answer questions and provide sign-up forms. Each league plays 22 to 24 games in a season that runs into September and concludes with league championship playoffs and a picnic.

The health and safety of club members is of paramount concern. Anita Kemp said the toughest thing for her was getting used to the base-running rules that are designed to reduce the risk of injury from runner-fielder collisions or from awkward slides into bases. As many men and women join the club not having slid into a base in 20 years, sliding is not allowed.

Besides special base-running rules, members are encouraged to sign up for training in the use of the club’s defibrillators, or AEDs, and to become certified by the Red Cross in CPR. According to doctors, more than one Golden Seniors player is alive today because of this program and staying active on the ball field.

Ron Roach is the editor of GSSC’s ‘Dugout Chatter’ and active player in two leagues. Accompanied photos were taken by Lou Coppola.

On Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers played in Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans.  It was their sixth Super Bowl appearance and the first since the mid-1990s, but I remember cheering for the old-time 49ers back in the 1950s on Janey Way.
Back then the National Football League (NFL) was in its infancy featuring only 12 teams:  the 49ers, the Los Angeles Rams, the Green Bay Packers, the Minnesota Vikings, the Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions in the Western Division, and the Chicago Cardinals, the New York Giants, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Pittsburg Steelers, the Baltimore Colts, and the Washington Redskins in the Eastern Division.  Then, the teams played a 12-game season to determine which two teams would play in the NFL championship.
In those days, football was just football, not a big time Hollywood production like the modern Super Bowl.  They played the games on outdoor, dirt and grass fields with names like Kezar Stadium, Soldier Field and the Los Angeles Coliseum.  They had no hour-long pre-game extravaganzas, just a brief introduction prior to each game.  Then, the players did not seem so flashy, just big bruisers with dirty uniforms smacking each other around the field of play.
The players seemed a bit more colorful too.  I remember 49er players with names like Y. A. (Yelberton Abraham) Tittle, joltin’ Joe Perry, Leo (the lion) Nomellini and R. C Owens.  We huddled around our 24 inch, black and white console television each Sunday to watch one local team play:  no national games back then.  The NFL blacked out home games within a 90-mile radius back then, so our local CBS channel 10 did not broadcast those games here is Sacramento.
Dad had solution to that problem though.  On home game weekends, he climbed up on the roof and turned the antenna north toward Chico.  Channel 12, the CBS affiliate there, stood outside the 90-mile radius, so they could broadcast the games.  I remember it now.  Dad would stand on the top of the roof saying, “do we have it now”.  Eventually, we yelled up, “that’s it dad, keep it there.”  Then down he came to watch the game with us.  Even with a faded black and white image, the games were still exiting. The 49ers never won the championship back then, but they always came close.  That kept us coming back for more.
I remember their quarterback; Y. A. Tittle had a play he used when the team needed to score late in the game.  He would drop back and loft a high pass to the end zone where 6’6” wide receiver, R. C. Owens stood.  Owens then out-jumped the smaller defenders to haul in the touchdown pass to win the game.  When that happened we poured out into the street to play touch football, emulating our heroes.
Football seemed a lot simpler back then, before the players earned such staggering amounts of money.  Then, they played mostly for love of the game.  Now my time of rooting for the old time San Francisco 49ers is just another nostalgic Janey Way Memory.

Imagine the C.K. McClatchy High School experience without sports and other extracurricular activities. That may seem far-fetched, but who could imagine that today the school is: shutting down earlier, reducing student activities, and slashing the number of coaches and school counselors?

District budget cuts have put school sports on the chopping block. Some are surviving only by the generosity of parents, alumni, and concerned fans. And all this is taking place at a time when child obesity is an epidemic.

In recognition of C.K. McClatchy’s 75th anniversary, Senior Kyle Thielen has founded an a non-profit organization called Cogs for Cause, which will counter some of the budget cuts and provide incentives and opportunities for students to exercise. Kyle wants to show the school district how important it is for students to realize that athletic participation leads to good health.

Kyle’s first event is a bike race on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 3 p.m. at C.K. McClatchy. All proceeds, including entry fees, raffle tickets and donations will go towards student athletics.

Thielen believes school sports are crucial to keeping kids fit and even prevents some from dropping out.

The Millennial generation is becoming the most obese generation in recorded history and because of this fact, the life expectancy in the United States is expected to drop for the first time in a century. According to the Sacramento County Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition – one in three Sacramento County teens is overweight. Fewer than 20 percent of Sacramento County adolescents report being active for 30 minutes, five days a week.

Donations can be made to C.K. McClatchy High School; c/o Cogs for Cause/Kyle Thielen, 4066 Freeport Blvd.

The varsity baseball team, coached by Cliff Perry, began the season one of the favorites in the league. With many experienced lettermen and new talent from the “J.V.: team to beat. Outstanding players were Bill Werry (catcher), Mike Toomey (pitcher), Bill Whiteneck (third base), and Gus Gianulias (first base). Upper left - Coach Perry. Front row 1 - Bill Werry, George Lyons, Mel Grable, Bill Whiteneck, Gus Gianulias, Larry Black. Row 2 - Kenneth Voet, Doug Pierce, Fritz Lund, Mike Toomey, Robert Rose, Cliff Harlow, Mgr. Row 3 - Kenneth Thomas, Donald Rose, Larry Kelly, Carlos Fernandes, Harold Woods, Alfred Smith, Mgr. Lower Right - Neil Dunton. / Photo courtesy Jim Coombs

As the 1950’s began, many changes would take place in both the United States and Sacramento.  “I Like Ike” would be a popular slogan and new terms like rock ‘n’ roll, television, suburbs, and drive-in movies would appear.
In McClatchy Lion country, Vic’s on Riverside would sell single scoop cones for a nickel and doubles for a dime.  Milk shakes were 21 cents and the Kiddie Matinee at the Tower Theater every Saturday was 14 cents.
Cruising Moon’s Drive-in on Freeport Blvd was a favorite Friday night pastime, and my favorite spot for Sunday dinner was Sam’s Ranch Wagon at 19th and Broadway where you could get “all you can eat prime rib” for less than $3.
The sports scene was also changing.  New high schools would spring up over the decade and El Camino, Norte Del Rio, and later Hiram Johnson and Highlands would challenge McClatchy’s sports dominance of the 1940’s.
Even though McClatchy didn’t always have great teams and championships, they had some truly outstanding athletes. Twenty-three of the 50 athletes and coaches to be inducted into the first class (1937-1962) at the McClatchy Sports Hall of Fame dinner were from the 1950s.
The dinner will take place as part of McClatchy’s 75th Anniversary celebration on Sept. 20 at the Riverside Elks Club.  For information go to:   restoretheroar.org.
Baseball was the only team that consistently still won championships, winning at least seven during the decade.  (See Land Park News June 28, 2012 “Greatest Teams Ever.”)  Cliff Perry and later Del Bandy would lead the Lions to over 170 wins in 10 years.
Two of the greats of the decade were Gene Cronin* and Frank Geremia.*  Cronin arrived at McClatchy from Ione as a raw-boned sophomore and was an All-City guard in 1951 at 170 pounds.
Cronin* went on to play at College of Pacific (now UOP) and in his first college game helped the Tigers beat Stanford.  He was drafted in the 7th round by the Detroit Lions and helped them win the NFL championship in his second season.
Frank Geremia* was the fourth Geremia brother to play at McClatchy and probably the best.  He was an outstanding football player getting a scholarship to Notre Dame.  He was an All-City basketball player dominating the post with his bulk, and he set the school record in the shot put at 55’ 1/4”.
Dave Thomas* would letter in football, basketball, baseball, and track.  Herb Jackson* would lead the Lions as a halfback and sprinter.  Dick Traversi* was the city’s leading scorer in basketball, and would star in baseball, and track and Gus Gianulias* would win nine varsity letters in three years.
The 1953 baseball team would go 24-4 and win the section championship behind pitcher Ralph Rose* (10-1 with a .457 batting average) Gianulias, Bill Whiteneck*, and Bill Werry.*   Mike Toomey would strike out 20 players in one game.
The 1954 class was probably one of the best of the decade.  The football team went 8-2 and tied Lodi for the championship.  They were led by Geremia and Gianulias* who hit Warren Knight with a 28-yard touchdown pass to beat the Dragons on Turkey Day 7-0.
Werry* was probably one of the very best catchers to ever play in Sacramento, making All-City three straight years and led the area in homeruns his junior year.  Werry would sign with the Dodgers and play in the minor leagues before returning to Sacramento to work for the State.
The 1953-54 basketball team proved to be Chauncy Wilson’s last great team, going 19-2 tying Lodi for the championship.  Ray Davis, the 52-53 leading scorer, graduated at mid-term, but Geremia*, Doug Pierce, and Ed Linn would earn All-City honors and team with Allen Wimberly* and Gianulias* to lead the Lions.
Probably the best all-around athlete of the decade was Wimberly.*  He was a star passer and runner in football who ran 50 yards for a touchdown on a quarterback sneak on Turkey Day .
He led the city in scoring his senior year in basketball but couldn’t overcome a dominant Grant team.  He was an All-City baseball player and a star in track in the sprints, hurdles and long jump.  He also held YMCA records in swimming.  He tragically died at a young age.
The 1957-58 class would also dominate the Sacramento sports scene as the Sac -Joaquin conference would disband and the Metro League would begin.  The Lions would have one of their best football teams of the decade led by running backs Roger Swearingen* and Lou Blakely and linemen Doug Graham*, Mel Garrison, and Walter Horton.  They would beat Sac on Turkey Day 18-0 to win the title.
The 1958 baseball Lions* (one of five Hall of Fame teams chosen) won 18 straight before losing the last game of the season to Sacramento 1-0.  Led by hitters Jack Marchaend*,  Dee Lewis*, Swearingen*, and Bill Bican, the Lions would dominate the new Metro League and win the title.
Lewis* would hit .387 and go on to play three years at UC Berkeley before graduating as a civil engineer.  Swearingen*, a bone jarring fullback in football, would hit .358 and drive in 27 runs for the baseball team.
He along with Whiteneck* would return to McClatchy as football and baseball coaches.   Whiteneck would lead the Lions in baseball in the 1960’s and Swearingen would follow George Bican* as football coach from 1967 to 1980.
Jack Mauger* would leave McClatchy to coach track at Sacramento City College and by the end of the decade, Scottie Bingham would rebuild McClatchy’s once great track dynasty.
Les Waters* would lead the 1956 track Lions being unbeatable in the 880 and the mile.  Russ Statum*, Ray Lincoln, Rick Dumm, Sam Nance and Byron Stone would dominate the sprints, and the Davidson twins would lead the Lions to two straight cross-country championships in 1958 and 1959 and a section track championship in 1960.
Dennis would run a 4:13 mile and place 6th in the State Meet in track while Dan ran a 1:58 half-mile.
The 1958-59 cross-country teams* were one of the five Hall of Fame teams chosen.  For two years they were unbeatable in distance races.
Led by Dan and Dennis Davidson*, Jim Keehner, John Didion, Bob Strahle, Al  Brodvsky, and Bill Lambert, they dominated in both cross-country and track.
The 1960’s would begin with two outstanding football teams.  The “Big Red Machine” would roll again led by Gary Kerns*, Rich Pesavento*, Steve Radich*, Bill Profitt*, and Tom Relles* who would make All-City.
In 1962 Ed Sullivan* would make the Superior California All-Star Basketball Team.  He would go on to attend the Air Force Academy and was MVP in 1966.   Kerns* would attend Stanford and later become an outstanding college football official.
Profitt*, a two-time All-City lineman, would go on to play at Sac City College and UOP.  He would become a teacher and football coach at Downey High School in LA.
In talking with people from the early 1960’s, many wanted to know if “Rich Pesavento made the Hall of Fame.”  We asked, why?  Val Lewis, who would be one of seven All-City players from the 1959 championship baseball team, commented, “The hardest I ever got hit playing football was in practice one day by Pesavento.”
Relles*, who was chosen by the Sacramento Bee as “one of the top 100 Sacramento area high school football players” would go on to star at Sacramento City College and UC Berkeley.  He would also play rugby for Cal in Europe and Australia.
In choosing the first 50 inductees, the committee considered over 100 athletes and coaches from the first 25 years.  We know we have left some deserving athletes out, but they will be added in future years.   There were no All-City teams before 1947, and Sacramento Union archives were difficult to obtain.
Next year we will add athletes from 1963 to 1983 to the Hall of Fame and pick up any we feel were missed this year.  Go to   restoretheroar.org   for information about McClatchy athletics and a HALL OF FAME NOMINATION FORM.

Editor’s note: This is the fifth in a series of articles about McClatchy athletes and teams chosen for its new sports Hall of Fame.
The 50 athletes/coaches and teams from 1938 to 1962 will be inducted as part of the 75 year McClatchy celebration on Sept. 20 at the Riverside Elks Lodge.
For information about the athletes and how to get tickets, go to restoretheroar.org.

At noon on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27, 1947, 24,000 frenzied football fans squeezed into Hughes Stadium to see the unbeaten McClatchy Lions and the Sacramento Dragons battle for the Sac-Joaquin League championship.
As a wide-eyed 8-year-old, this was my first football game and would become a Thanksgiving tradition for my family that would last until the 1970s, when the Turkey Day game ended.
Turkey Day 1947 would be the greatest sporting event in Sacramento history with more than half the city attending. After the school opened in 1937, the up-start McClatchy Lions began to chip into Sacramento High School’s athletic dominance by the mid-1940s.
One-half of the city was “Lion Red” while the other half was “Dragon Purple.”
North of Broadway, you were a Dragon; south of Broadway in the suburbs of Sacramento, you were a Lion.
In 1939, McClatchy first beat Sacramento 13-6 behind all-city running back Fred Wristen.* The only tie was in 1940, and Bob Geremia was the star of the 1942 game for the Lions.
1943 brought the Lions a close win 13-12 and the undefeated 1944 McClatchy* team slaughtered the Dragons 44-0 and 25-0. McClatchy had won the last five years, two in 1944 and 45 because there were no night games during World War II, and local teams played each other twice.

The 1947 team
In 1947, Sacramento was coached by George Relles and led by quarter-back Jack Higdon and running backs Henry Barsanti, Vic Frediani and Ed Day.
Burt Delevan and Peter Mering anchored the line. The closest game was against Grant where the team trailed 7-0 at half. The second half was led by Day, Frediani and Mering, and Sacramento ended up winning 19-7.
The Lions, coached by George Bican,* were led by the “high-stepping twins,” John Pappa* (14 touchdowns) and Del Rasmussen* (nine touchdowns).
Rasmussen had run for almost 700 yards and averaged 13.4 yards per carry. Pappa had more than 400 yards and fullback Chuck Marino had almost 300 yards.
Tony Geremia* was an outstanding passer and kicked extra points. Ends Curtis Rowland* and John Matulich were his favorite receivers.
The McClatchy line was led by all-city tackle/linebacker Leon King*, guards Sturmer White and Bill Burns*, all-city center Vern Sampson* and tackle Clarence “Tiger” Orr.
Grant Deary, Bob Farmer* and Bob Norris came in on a strong McClatchy defense that had four shut-outs during the year.
The Lions averaged 33 points per game on offense.
The winning streak
McClatchy started its winning ways on Oct. 4, with a 36-0 win over Christian Brothers with Geremia throwing touchdowns to Pappa and Marino.
The following Friday in the rain at Hughes Stadiums, the Lions beat Woodland 26-0 with Rasmussen running for 121 yards and Pappa 77 yards. At Grant the following week, Geremia threw for more than 200 yards and the “twins” each scored once for a 45-13 victory.
Bican pulled out his bag of tricks and put Leon King at fullback for a touchdown and extra point.
Meanwhile, Sacramento was rolling along beating CBS 27-0, Turlock 12-0, Stockton 12-0, Modesto 25-7, Lodi 13-6, Woodland 21-13 and Grant 19-7.
Defense was the heart of the team, and everyone expected the Lions to give a tough match when they met the Dragons on Thanksgiving Day.
Leading up to the big game, McClatchy visited the Lodi Flames, and before 5,000 fans, Pappa (94 yards and 3 touchdowns), and Rasmussen (68 yards and 2 touchdowns) ran wild for a 39-0 victory.
Rowland blocked a punt and Farmer intercepted a pass to preserve the shutout. The following week against Modesto, with Pappa having a bad heel and Rasmussen the flu, Marino was the workhorse with 104 yards and two touchdowns.
Rasmussen still had 89 yards, Rowland a TD and Deary an interception at linebacker.
Nov. 27 was here at last.

Turkey Day game
The city was in a frenzy.
The local radio station KFBK had a huge pep rally on the air at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday with Tony Koester, the Sacramento Solons announcer, as the MC. On Thanksgiving morning, people began lining up for tickets four hours early at 8 a.m.
The headline of the Sacramento Bee on Friday, Nov. 28, read: “Lions roar to 35-14 victory over Dragons before record 24,000.”
The article read: “A storming fireball C. K. McClatchy High School eleven collaborated with the greatest crowd in the annals of Sacramento sports yesterday to bust the record books wide open in the most dynamic and colorful Thanksgiving Day football game ever produced within the confines of Hughes Memorial Stadium.
While more than 24,000 gridiron enthusiasts crammed into every cranny of the arena for the first time in its history, overflowing into the aisles, hanging precariously on the rims, and spilling out on to the track surrounding the playing turf, THE RAZZLE DAZZLE LIONS cannonaded their way to the Sac-Joaquin section championship with a glittering 35-14 conquest of the Sacramento Dragons.”**
The Lions struck early and often building up a 21-0 halftime lead. Del Rasmussen* carried only nine times for 189 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The Sacramento Bee article continued: “The fair haired boy…was dashing Del Rasmussen, a swivel hipped, squirming, prancing ball packer of all-conference magnitude who broke the Dragons’ backs with two long touchdown scampers. Fronting the way for him and sidekick John Papa was a dominant offensive line led by the 220 pound Leon King…who was tremendously effective at tackle and linebacker. Geremia had an outstanding game, with fourth and goal at the three, he crossed up Sacramento with an end-around to Curtis Rowland for a touchdown and a 21-0 halftime lead.”**
McClatchy scored twice more in the third quarter with Marino scoring a touchdown in his fourth straight game against the Dragons.
Sacramento blocked a punt and scored to start the fourth quarter. Again in the fourth quarter, a missed handoff resulted in a fumble at the Dragon 22.
“Henry Barsanti caught the ball in mid air and set sail for the goal line. Pappa, however, picked himself up off the turf and, after spotting Barsanti 15 yards, amazingly overhauled him on the Lion nine. Fumbleistis set in on the second play, and Rasmussen recovered to thwart any hope of a Dragon rally.”**
When the game ended, it took Bican and Principal S. A. Pepper 20 minutes to break through the many well-wishers to celebrate the Lions’ first section title in football. When they arrived at the locker room, the team went crazy.
“The Lions coach waited for the cheering to subside. Bican tried to speak but was choked up with emotion before he finally said, ‘My 45 boys all looked good.’ My boys all blocked in excellent fashion and we were ready for this one.’”**

Great athletes
The 1948 graduating class had many outstanding athletes. Section championships were won in football and track, a tie with Sacramento for the baseball championship, and the basketball team led by Rasmussen, Dick Balfour and Matulich won the northern section, but lost to Stockton for the Sac Joaquin title.
Roger Osenbaugh* and Jim Westlake would go on to play professional baseball with the Solons.
Balfour would win the section pole vault and Pappa would win the section 100 and 220 for the third straight year.
Pappa would go on to UC Berkeley and score two touchdowns in the 1951 “Big Game” and play in two Rose Bowls.
Rasmussen would become a star running back at Santa Clara, and King would be a starter at Stanford and play in the 1952 Rose Bowl.
However, 65 years later, I think I remember Rasmussen dashing for long gains, Pappa chasing Barsanti over 60 yards to catch him on the nine, crushing hits by King and Sampson, and Geremia throwing darts to Rowland, Rasmussen, Matulich, and Pappa for big gains.
24,000 people in Hughes Stadium for one exciting, colorful, afternoon – I definitely remember that.

*Denotes Hall of Fame inductees
**Sacramento Bee quotes from sports writer Murray Olderman and Tom Kane

jim@valcomnews.com

When McClatchy opened its doors in September 1937, Sacramento was truly a small town.
Sutterville Road was the southern end of Sacramento, the Land Park Zoo had opened 10 years earlier in 1927, Sacramento Junior College had just moved from Sacramento High to its new site on Freeport Boulevard and the Sacramento Metro Airport sat among the fields of rural Sacramento.
In 1937, Land Park began to take shape, and the Land Park Plunge on Riverside was the place to swim. Holy Spirit Church wasn’t built until 1940.
It would be 10 years before Hollywood Park and Vic’s Ice Cream would open, and 30 years before Greenhaven was begun.
The Solons played at Edmonds Field where Target is today, and a three-bedroom home on Teneighth Way would cost the new owner $11,000.
As the second public high school in Sacramento, McClatchy was built for $800,000 in 1937 as part of Franklin Roosevelt’s Public Works Administration.
The style was classicized modern and was named after the editor of the Sacramento Bee, C. K. McClatchy. The first prinicipal was Sam Pepper, a great sports fan, who truly bled “McClatchy red” for 25 years.
Notable graduates include Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, Congressmen Bob Matsui and Xavier Becerra and judges Ron Tochterman, Morrison England, Art Scotland, and Tani Cantil-Sakauye as well as author Joan Didion.
McClatchy sports
As a new high school, it took about three years before the sports teams could compete with the powerful Sacramento High School Dragons who had dominated the valley for the previous 30 years.
But by the end of 1949, McClatchy High School and its great athletes would replace the Dragons as one of the truly great athletic high schools in California.
Thirteen Hall of Fame athletes and two coaches led the surge with baseball and track being the two strongest, while football and basketball peaked at the end of the decade.
Four outstanding coaches led the Lions: George Bican* (football), Chauncey Wilson (basketball) Cliff Perry (baseball), and Jack Mauger* (track).
Some of the early great athletes included Larry Manuian (Sacramento Smokies fame), Bob Libee, Ted Latona, Bob and Gene Geremia, Ted Forbes, Ernie Maskovitch, Burt Bonomi, Jack Burgess, Nick and George Stathos and golfer Billy Ogden, Jr.
Norm Greenslate*, a major league prospect in baseball, would head off to fight in World War II after being named all-city in 1941-42.
George Vernatchi, former long-time principal at Rio Linda High School was the first pitcher to beat Sac High 8-3 in 1942.
He talks about sitting in the library the day after the game, when the librarian, a notorious Dragon fan, came up to him and in an accusing tone, said, “Are you George Vernatchi? Mr. Pepper wants to see you immediately!”
All the way down to the office, Vernatchi kept thinking, what did I do now? When he got there, Pepper shook his hand, and said, “Congratulations, George. You are the first pitcher to ever beat the Dragons. Great job!”
The following year Vernatchi would pitch McClatchy’s first no hitter and lead the Lions to the championship game where he lost in 12 innings to Christian Brothers 1-0.

Early 40s football
Perhaps the greatest athlete of the early 40s was Fred Wristen, who excelled in football, basketball, baseball and track.
He scored a touchdown in McClatchy’s first victory over Sacramento by a score of 13-6 in 1939. Wristen went on to star in football at Nevada Reno and was all-conference.
George Bican arrived at McClatchy in 1943 as football coach and led the Lions to their first undefeated season in 1944.
The Lions were led by running back Roy Sules*. Ed Sprague, Darwin Farnsworth, Wes Busch, Don Aldrich, Charles Anderson and Ernie Johnson were other outstanding players.
In 1945, McClatchy again went undefeated in the north before losing to Modesto for the title. 1946 would be another strong year building to 1947 when McClatchy beat an undefeated Sacramento team on Thanksgiving Day 35-14 for the title.
Led by Del Rasmussen*, John Pappa*, Curtis Rowland, Leon King, Tony Geremia*, Vern Sampson*, Tiger Orr and Bill Burns*, the 1947 football team is considered one of McClatchy’s greatest teams ever.

McClatchy baseball
When Cliff Perry arrived as baseball coach in 1946, McClatchy would begin a 10-year period of excellence topped off with 80 wins over four seasons, 1950-53.
In 1947, the Lions won 18 of 24, and the 1948 team led by Roger Osenbaugh*, Jim Westlake and Ray Nieto, beat Sac High 3-2 for the title.
Osenbaugh, the valedictorian, would go on to play at Stanford in 1951-52 and then with Westlake on the Sacramento Solons.
The decade ended when the 1949 baseball team led by Tony Stathos, Bud Farley, George Timme and Earl Rose had to share the Sac-Joaquin section title with the Dragons.

McClatchy basketball
Basketball in the 1940’s was dominated by the defensive style of coach Chauncey Wilson.
In 1942, the team beat arch rivals Sacramento 21-16. Pete Peletta* would lead the area in scoring in 1945 as the champion Lions went 16-1.
The Lions were on their way to another great season in 1946 ending the first half with their sixth straight win over the Dragons 44-32.
However, top scorer Peletta graduated at mid-term and McClatchy ended up in second place.
Peletta would go on to coach at University of San Francisco and take the Dons to four consecutive NCAA appearances.
The 1948-49 teams were also hurt by midterm graduation, but the scoring and rebounding of Al Ricci* led the Lions over Sac.
Track and field
Track exploded during the 1940s under coach Jack Mauger, who started at McClatchy in 1937 when it opened.
He held the world record for left-handed pole vaulters for 26 years. The Lions started their remarkable run of victory years in 1943 with a conference title and second place at the Davis Picnic.
From 1943 thru 1949, the Lions were undefeated in dual meet competition and won the Sac Joaquin section title every year. During that period, they won the Lodi and Modesto Relays, the West Coast Relays in Fresno and the Davis Picnic.
Dick Balfour, whose 13-foot pole vault made him the best in California, and John Pappa* in the sprints, led the 1947 and 1948 teams to section titles and victories at the Modesto Relays.
The seven-year dual meet win streak was stopped in 1949 when the Lions lost a meet to El Cerrito.
Outstanding track athletes included Lou Montfort, Jerry Perich and Ed Casey in the pole vault, Bob Innis in the 110 hurdles, Ed Sprague in the 100m, Ray Schultz in the long jump, Ron Keskeys in the 200m, Nick Doudnik and Glenn Kingsley in the shot put, and Ray Biaggi Rudy Manriquez and Al Baeta in the distances.
John Pappa*, who went on to an outstanding coaching career, was unbeatable in the sprints.
“Jack Mauger was and remains truly the Dean of Track and Field in Sacramento,” said Al Baeta, former runner and one of the great track coaches in the Sacramento area. “Not only did he have success at the varsity level but with B and C teams as well. Statistically, he is the winningest coach of all time in Sacramento.”
The 1940s became the foundation for the 1950s and many more league championships in all four major sports.
The top 50 athletes and five teams from 1938 to 1962 will be recognized as part of McClatchy’s 75th anniversary celebration held on September 20 at the Riverside Elks Club.
All McClatchy graduates are invited to attend and be part of the tall tales about their excellence as students/athletes at McClatchy.
For information go to restoretheroar.org.
*Hall of Fame Inductees

loscoombs2@aol.com

Among the capital city’s social/service clubs is the uniquely named Over the Hill Gang. But don’t let the name fool you. This is one lively bunch.

Certainly, despite this all-men’s group’s name, its members are never too old for fun times.

A foundation of fun

THEY STILL LOVE THE GAME. Shown left to right, Sam Kanelos, Harry Dunlop, Larry Gunst and Ronnie King are among the longtime members of the Over the Hill Gang. / Valley Community Newspapers photo, Lance Armstrong

The foundation of the club, in fact, was laid in the name of fun.

The Over the Hill Gang was established a quarter century ago by a group of Sacramento men who knew a lot about having fun and shared a common interest in sports.

Larry Gunst, who is the youngest surviving member of the group, recently shared his memories about how the organization was formed.

“Gene Sullivan was a customer of mine, who was referred to me by Bobby Rehm, who was an old Stockton Ports (California League baseball) player,” Gunst said. “Sullivan had someone at his house (at 2751 12th St.) every day. I would stop by about twice a week. I loved to hear their stories.”

‘Español’ beginnings

Gunst added that Sullivan eventually called him on the telephone and invited him to a luncheon, which was to be held on Dec. 10, 1985 at the Español Restaurant on Folsom Boulevard in East Sacramento.

“(Sullivan) asked me to bring a couple of wines for advertising,” Gunst recalled. “He would also pass out my business cards. He was a very generous man. A hundred and four (people) showed up at that gathering.”

Gunst recognizes the luncheon at the Español Restaurant as the event that led to the official establishment of the Over the Hill Gang.

“The party at the Español was the beginning of the real thing,” Gunst said. “About March of 1986 at Sullivan’s house, we discussed making Over the Hill Gang a real club, and we would start selling annual memberships. I remember most members wanted $6 for the dues. I said, ‘If we charge $10, there would be less trouble with change.’”

So, upon Gunst’s recommendation, the initial, annual cost to be a member of the club was $10. Today’s annual membership cost is $15.

Early members

BASEBALL LORE AND WISDOM. Ronnie King shares baseball tips with local youth Nikolas Shinkevich and Francesca Caceia. / Valley Community Newspapers photo, Lance Armstrong

The first continuously active members of the “gang” were Sullivan, Charles “Babe” Anderson, Del Silva, Frank Nugent, Billy Rico, Sonny Valine, John Rakela and Lou Brusato.

The earliest occasionally attending members of the club included Gunst, Bill Conlin, John Giannoni, Elmer Enos, Barnie Bernard, Woody Scott, Elton “Lefty” Rogers, Vic Zito, Les Lollis, Carlo Dallosta and Ronnie King.

Sullivan served as the club’s first president, Nugent was the original treasurer and Rakela was the first secretary.

Regular meetings

As an official group, the “gang” began meeting on a monthly basis, mostly at the Golden Tee across from the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex, but also at The Distillery, the Palomino Room, Joe Marty’s and the Hereford House. Occasional mid-week gatherings were also held at the Sheldon Inn on Grant Line Road and Glenn Dufour’s Broken Arrow Inn in Rocklin.

The club has been meeting monthly at the Dante Club at 2330 Fair Oaks Blvd. since the early 1990s.

Some of the members of the group also enjoy spending time visiting with fellow member, Sam Kanelos at Old Ironsides, which is owned by some of the members of the Sam Kanelos family.

Mostly baseball today

In general, the “gang” has evolved from an all-sports club, which included Dallosta, John Giannoni and Milt Cupish, who were involved in football, and soccer player Harry Slaughter, to mainly a baseball club.

A May 12, 1988 article in The Sacramento Bee notes that the roots of the group date back to 1946, “if not to Sister Inez’s first grade class at St. Francis school, where ‘gang’ president Gene Sullivan and treasurer Frank Nugent were classmates in 1922.”

The 1946 reference refers to when Sullivan, Nugent and other former local athletes began meeting every Friday at the Commercial Hotel at 231 I Street, near the Southern Pacific depot.

Fast friendships

It should come as no surprise that the group has deep roots, considering that its earliest members were simply men who grew up in the capital city, played local sports and attended area high schools. As a result, many of the members were friends long before the establishment of the “gang.”

Gunst, who will turn 74 in July, said that when he joined the “gang” as its seventh member, he was the youngest member of the group.

Besides Gunst, Rico is the organization’s only other original founding member.

Rico, 89, said that he has fond memories of the early years of the Over the Hill Gang.

“I was one of the original guys,” Rico said. “We really had a good group when we started off. Gene Sullivan was one of the original guys and we used to meet at his house all the time. He was a nice guy. He went to St. Mary’s College and he went to Christian Brothers (High School). Most of the guys (at the time) were Catholic and Christian Brothers guys.”

A place to share

LET’S TALK BASEBALL. Former Major League Baseball player Ricky Jordan speaks at the Dante Club. Sitting alongside Jordan is the organization’s emcee and co-chair Dick Pierucci. / Valley Community Newspapers photo, Lance Armstrong

For Rico, who was a successful local baseball player in the Sacramento area for three decades, the group presents an inviting environment for him to share and listen to baseball stories.

Rico’s most notable accomplishment in baseball was managing and playing for the Carmichael Firemen baseball team, which won the first Canadian-American “World’s Series” for Non-Professional Baseball in 1946.

Harry Donlop is another member of the group who has plenty of baseball memories to share with the “gang.”

Altogether, he spent 50 years in the game as a player and coach. This experience included working as a Major League Baseball coach.

Dunlop said that among the many highlights of his career was catching three no-hitters in 14 days in the Appalachian League in 1952.

When asked about the group, Donlop showed off his sense of humor, saying, “Whenever I’ve been around, I’ve always gone to the Over the Hill Gang. We meet down at the Dante Club and we tell each other a bunch of lies.”

Like Donlop, during part of his membership in the “gang,” King was not always able to attend meetings of the group on a regular basis due to his baseball commitments.

King played semi-pro baseball and is a former Major League Baseball scout, who signed many notable players, including Steve Sax and Bob Oliver.

Giving back

As a service club, the Over the Hill Gang originally raised funds and made donations to the Stanford Home for Children.

The group has also donated to the Shriners’ Burn Center, the Sacramento Food Bank and St. Patrick’s Home for Children.

The Over the Hill Gang encourages any man with an interest in sports and socializing to visit with the group on any third Thursday at the Dante Club.

The Thursday luncheons feature different guest speakers. Speakers of the past have included former Major League Baseball players Don Larson, Dusty Baker, Greg Vaughn and Ricky Jordan, former National Football League players Danny Bunz and Skip Vanderbundt, and professional referees and umpires.

Arrangements for speaking engagements are generally made by Jim Jorgensen.

BASEBALL BROS. Sitting left to right, Ricky Jordan, Sam Kanelos, Gus Stathos and Guy Anderson enjoy a moment together at a past Over the Hill Gang gathering. / Valley Community Newspapers photo, Lance Armstrong

The group also holds annual picnics, which have been hosted at the trap shoot at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex, St. Joseph Church in Clarksburg and at the Dante Club.

For additional information regarding the Over the Hill Gang, call (916) 419-4406.

lance@valcomnews.com

Restore the Roar, an athletic booster club at C.K. McClatchy High School, is establishing an Athletic Hall of Fame, and in so doing, is establishing something more: a group of involved alumni who are enjoying making a difference in the community while having fun together.

‘How can I help?’

RESTORE THE ROAR began as a high school alumni booster club to support the C.K. McClatchy High School football team in 2007. Today, the booster group is working to support student athletes in all sports at the school. / Photo iStockphoto

Former Chief Deputy of Social Services Bob Sertich helped start the booster club in 2007 after he retired. He wanted to help out in his community and because he and his three adult children are alumni of McClatchy High School, he went to the school to find out where it needed help. The athletic director needed some assistance with the football team, so Sertich focused on the needs of the football team for two years.

Shift from football to all sports

The focus for the booster club has changed and the club is now working with Athletic Director Rod Feikert to create an umbrella for all sports, involving the alumni, parents and businesses. In 2009, Restore the Roar was licensed as a non-profit business.

“It is an outstanding program,” Feikert said. “It’s always great to have the alumni involved with the school.”

Mentoring…and building

Sertich started the booster club with the idea of having past athletes from the school meet with current student athletes. He wants the students to have positive role models.

“I want the long and heralded athletic tradition at McClatchy High School to continue,” Sertich said. “The goal is to build a booster program similar to that of many large suburban schools.”

Sertich said his father died when he was 10-years-old and he missed out on becoming athletically involved as a young boy. While attending McClatchy in 1964, Sertich remembers one man in particular who made a difference in his life. His name was Bill Morgan and he was the vice principal.

“He was a great educator,” Sertich said. “He talked to the students about the role of public service and making the community stronger. That stuck with me.”

Academic, athletic recognition

This year the club had a recognition event for seniors who played more than one sport and kept a high GPA. They also helped the girls basketball team. They were able to provide an after school study hall and tutors for the athletes and Taylor’s Market generously donated meals to the football team.

Cameraderie

Rod Kunisaki, an alum and member of the Sacramento Sports Commission, is the treasurer for the club

“I became involved in the club mostly because of the camaraderie,” Kunisaki said. “I enjoy the connection between the students and the athletes who attended McClatchy.”

2012 nominees – partial list

Many great athletes attended McClatchy High School. Lenore Modell, Barbara Romack and Judy Ghillarducci are three examples of the type of athletes being nominated for the first Hall of Fame.

Romack played professional golf, winning the U.S. Women’s Amateur golf tournament in 1954. She was on the cover of Sports Illustrated on April 16, 1956. At one time she served as vice-president of the LPGA.

Ghillarducci was golf pro at Haggin Oaks for over 20 years. She is a past winner of the County and City of Sacramento women’s golf tournaments.

Modell swam the English Channel in 1964.

The complete list of nominees thus far is posted on the Restore the Roar website, www.restoretheroar.org.

Sertich said the club is organizing a dinner for the Hall of Fame and they are still accepting nominations.

Four requirements for ‘Restore the Roar’ nominees

The following categories will be considered for induction into the C. K. McClatchy Athletic Hall of Fame:

1. Former student-athletes who compiled an outstanding record of athletic accomplishments while competing for McClatchy High School.

2. Entire athletic teams that represented McClatchy High School at the highest level of competition in its respective sport.

3. Coaches with a demonstrated record of teaching and athletic accomplishment during his/her tenure at McClatchy.

St. Francis High School in Sacramento made sports history this month, as five female sports made it to section finals and finished with one runner-up and four Sac-Joaquin Section Titles.

LETTERS OF INTENT SIGNERS. This fall, eleven seniors at St. Francis signed letters of intent to play college sports in 2012. Top row, left to right: Cora Stebbins (swimming), Paige Sellers (swimming), Haley Hughes (soccer), Emalia Seto (crew), Tessa Sandoval (tennis), Kamali Houston (crew), Nicolette Valicenti (crew). Bottom row, left to right: Ashley Noda (golf), Clara Nowinski (crew), Bryce Beckwith (water polo), Catherine White (crew). Crew is not an SFHS sport. / Photo courtesy, St. Francis High School

The Sac-Joaquin Section has been in existence for 70 years. There are currently 195 schools in the section and no female sports program has ever accomplished what the Troubadour’s fall sports did this year.

All five sports (cross country, golf, tennis, volleyball and water polo) made it to section finals and finished with one runner up and four Sac-Joaquin Section titles. St. Francis is the first female sports program to win four section titles in the fall.

Highlights from the season

Water Polo won the Norcal Championship Tournament and finished second in Division I Sac-Joaquin Section Playoffs.

Cross Country: the Frosh/Soph, Junior Varsity and Varsity teams swept the Delta River League, Subsections and Division I Sac-Joaquin Sections. They won their eighth section title overall and finished fourth in the state.

Golf won the Division I North Section Championship for their 19th Sac-Joaquin Section Title. They finished fourth in Norcals.

Tennis won The Santa Catalina Tournament and their seventh Division I Section Championship in a row and ninth overall. Tennis made it to the Northern California semi-finals.

Volleyball won the Super 8 Tournament and Division I Section Championship for their 11th section title overall.

Top program in state

This makes 81 Section Titles for St. Francis High school, the most of any female sports program in the Section and one of the top programs in the state.

In the last 10 years, from the 2001-2002 school year to 2010-2011, St. Francis has won the most section titles out of any high school in the Sac-Joaquin Section for just one gender. [St. Francis girls (48), Jesuit-boys (40), Davis-girls (27), Oak Ridge-girls (21)].

When both genders are considered, only Davis High has as many titles as the St. Francis Troubadours. [St. Francis-girls (48), Davis-both genders (48), Jesuit-boys (40), Granite Bay-both genders (35), Oak Ridge-both genders (29)].

Letters of intent

Another aspect of the Troubadour athletic program is the number of students who sign letters of intent to play sports at colleges and universities across the United States. This fall, eleven seniors signed letters of intent. They are: Bryce Beckwith (Water Polo), Kamali Houston (Crew – not an SFHS sport), Haley Hughes (Soccer), Ashley Noda (Golf), Clara Nowinski (Crew), Tessa Sandoval (Tennis), Paige Sellers (Swimming), Emalia Seto (Crew), Cora Stebbins (Swimming), Nicolette Valicenti (Crew) and Catherine White (Crew).