Contra Costa Herald

News Of By and For The People of Contra Costa County, California

Contra Costa high school swimmers make All-America top 100 list, Danville girl ranks 1st in 200 Yard Individual Medley

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De La Salle High School’s Ryan Iannaccone competes during a meet on April 14, 2019. Photo by Elizabeth Iannaccone.

By Allen Payton

The 2019 National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association (NISCA) High School All-America lists have been released and a long list of swimmers from Contra Costa County have made the top 100 in various events. Zoie Hartman, a senior this past year at Danville’s Monte Vista High School, was the nation’s top swimmer in the 200 Yard Individual Medley. She and many other swimmers made the list in more than one event.

BOYS

In the Boys 100 Yard Butterfly, Flanders, a senior this past year, ranked sixth with a time of 47.49 and Iannaccone, also a senior, ranked 94th with a time of 49.55. The top swimmer in the nation in the event was from Southern California and had a time of 46.63. The national record is 45.52 which was achieved by a swimmer in Florida in 2013.

In the 100 Yard Freestyle, senior Niklas Weigelt of Clayton Valley Charter High in Concord ranked 23rd with a time of 44.36. Junior Gavin Wright of San Ramon Valley High ranked 33rd with a time of 44.62. The top swimmer was from Ohio with a time of 43.27 and the record was set in 2011 in Pennsylvania with a time of 42.34.

In the 100 Yard Backstroke, junior Allen Dempster of San Ramon Valley High ranked 20th with a time of 48.44. Senior Andrew Rodriguez of Northgate High in Walnut Creek ranked 54th with a time of 49.16. Senior Mattias Blanco of Dougherty Valley High School in San Ramon ranked 81st with a time of 49.66. The top swimmer in the event was from Ohio with a time of 46.28 and the national record of 45.34 was set in 2012 in Florida.

In the 100 Yard Breaststroke, sophomore Jacob Soderlund of Monte Vista High in Danville in Danville ranked 11th with a time of 54.24. Senior Mason Loyet of Campolindo High in Morage ranked 96th with a time of 56.51. The top swimmer in the nation was from Pennsylvania and had a time of 52.52, and the national record in the event of 51.16 was set also in Pennsylvania in 2018.

In the 200 Yard Freestyle, senior Sean Percin of Campolindo High in Moraga ranked 67th with a time of 1:38.80. The top swimmer in the event was from Ohio with a time of 1:32.99 and the nation record was set in 2018 with a time of 1:33.06.

In the 200 Yard Individual Medley, Flanders ranked 30th with a time of 1:48.61. Andrew Rodriguez a senior at Northgate High ranked 64th with a time of 1:49.89. The top swimmer had a time of 1:43.99 and the record was set by a team in Pennsylvania in 2011 with a time of 1:41.39.

In the 50 Yard Freestyle, junior Matthew Muaddi of San Ramon Valley High ranked 37th with a time of 20:37. His teammate, junior Gavin Wright ranked 98th with a time of 20.75. The top time in that event of 19.55 was by a swimmer in Pennsylvania and the national record of 19.29 was set in Florida in 2013.

Five teams in the county made the top 100 list in the 200 Yard Freestyle Relay. The San Ramon Valley High team of Flanders, Muadi, Wright, and senior Jack Wilkerson ranked 2nd with a time of 1:22.13. Walnut Creek’s Northgate High team of Rodriguez, fellow senior Ledesma, and juniors Adrian Dulay and Kai Welsh ranked 30th with a time of 1:23.92. Close behind was Moraga’s Campolindo High all-senior team of Percin, Richard Zhang, Alec Baker and Jack Larsen ranked 33rd with a time of 1:23.95. De La Salle’s team of Dicks, Iannaoccone, fellow seniors Sean Iritani, and Joseph Grywczynski ranked 47th with a time of 1:24.54. Less than a second behind was the Clayton Valley Charter High team of seniors Cal Brown, Anthony Vizental and Niklas Weigelt, and junior John Parker, which ranked 50th with a time of 1:24.57. The top ranked team in the 200 Yard Freestyle Relay from Kentucky had a time of 1:21.96 and the national record was set in 2012 in Florida with a time of 1:19.27.

Four of the five teams from the same schools also made the top 100 list in the 200 Yard Medley Relay. Flanders and his teammates, Muaddi and fellow junior Allen Dempster, and sophomore Grant Watson from San Ramon Valley High ranked 25th in the event, with a time of 1:31.69. The Northgate High team of Rodriguez, Ledesma, Dulay and Welsh ranked 51st in the same event, with a time of 1:33.16. San Ramon’s Dougherty Valley High School team of Blanco and fellow senior Chaitha Dasari, junior Clifford Yao and sophomore Bryson Huey ranked 82nd in the event, with a close time of 1:33.76. Close behind them was Moraga’s Campolindo High team of Loyet and fellow seniors Matteo Lanzara and Richard Zhang, and sophomore Zach Le-Nguyen with ranking of 87th and a time of 1:33.83. Just a fraction of a second behind was the De La Salle High team of Iannaccone, Iritani, Grywczynski, and Dicks which ranked 98th with a time of 1:34.04. The nation’s top team in the event was from Ohio, with a time of 1:28.48. The national record of 1:27.74 was set in 2014.

In the 400 Yard Freestyle Relay, the San Ramon Valley High team of Wright, Dempster, senior Jack Wilkerson and sophomore Grant Watson ranked 11th with a time of 3:01.87. The Campolindo High team of seniors Baker, Zhang, Larsen and Percin placed 15th with a time of 3:03.18. The top team was from Indiana with a time of 2:58.75 and the national record of 2:53.81 was set in 2018 by a team in Pennsylvania.

GIRLS

In the Girls 100 Yard Freestyle, senior Sophia Kosturos of Miramonte High in Orinda ranked 4th with a time of 49.03. Senior Zoie Hartman of Danville’s Monte Vista High School ranked 15th with a time of 49.62. The top swimmer in the event was from Southern California with a time of 48.63 and the national record of 47.09 was set in 2015, also in Southern California.

In the 100 Yard Butterfly, Kosturos ranked 20th with a time of 53.56. Sophomore Alexis DePaco of San Ramon Valley High ranked 53rd with a time of 54.51. Junior Maddie Smith of Campolindo High ranked 91st with a time of 55.15. Senior Ashleen O’Brien, also of Campolindo, ranked 99th with a time of 55.22. The top swimmer in the event was from Virginia with a time of 51.29 and now holds the national record previously set at 51.53 in Southern California in 2015.

In the 100 Yard Backstroke, Kosturos ranked 9th with a time of 52.92. Sophomore Jessica Davis of Carondolet High School in Concord ranked 41st with a time of 54.53. Close behind with a time of 54.78 was Junior Margaux McDonald of Miramonte High, who ranked 50th. Sophomore Maile Andresen of Northgate High ranked 71st with a time of 55.11. The top swimmer in the event was from Tennessee with a time of 51.57 and the record of 51.43 was set in 2012 in Illinois.

In the 100 Yard Breaststroke, Hartman ranked 5th with a time of 59.92. Sophomore Shelby Suppiger, of Acalanes High in Lafayette, ranked 53rd with a time of 1:02.72. Sophomore Ana Jih Schiff of San Ramon Valley High ranked 63rd with a time of 1:02.87. Just 1/100th of a second behind was sophomore Channing Hanley of Campolindo who ranked 65th with a time of 1:02.88. The best swimmer in the event was from Indiana with a time of 58.91 who also holds the national record of 58.40 was set in 2018.

In the 200 Yard Individual Medley, Hartman ranked 1st with a time of 1:55.29. Smith ranked 49th with a time of 2:01.50 and Schiff was close behind ranked 50th with a time of 2:01.55. Suppiger ranked 66th with a time of 2:02.15, followed by McDonald who ranked 67th with a time of 2:02.20. The national record of 1:53.82 was set in North Dakota in 2009.

Hartman and Kosturos tied for 39th with the same time of 23:08 in the 50 Yard Freestyle. The top swimmer with a time of 21.95 was from Virginia and the record of 21.64 was set in Southern California in 2015.

Five teams from the county made the list in the 200 Yard Freestyle Relay. Those include the Acalanes team of Suppiger, seniors Emily Gebhardt and Nicole Edwards, and junior Jewel Roemer ranked 43rd with a time of 1:35.13. The Northgate team of Andresen, seniors Caraline Levy and Toria Stahl, and freshman Alyssa Lund ranked 58th with a time of 1:35.48. Close behind was the San Ramon Valley High team of Schiff, DePaco, fellow sophomore Kailen O’Rell and freshman Caroline Wight ranked 63rd with a time of 1:35.57. They were followed by the Campolindo team of O’Brien, junior Lola Ciruli, and freshmen Amber Van Meines and Lexi Fok ranked 67th with a time of 1:35.63. Then came the Monte Vista team of Hartman, fellow senior Gillian Flath, junior Jenna Seaman and freshman Madeleine Kan who ranked 71st with a time of 1:35.70. The top team in the nation from Tennessee had a time of 1:31.29 and the record of 1:30.72 was set in 2015 in Indiana.

Four teams from three of those same schools made the list in the 200 Yard Medley Relay. The Monte Vista team of Hartman, Flath, sophomore Kendall Johansson and freshman Anna Ryan ranked 8th with a time of 1:41.90. The Campolindo team of Van Meines, O’Brien, Hanley, and fellow senior Elizabeth Follmer ranked 40th with a time of 1:43.74. They were followed by the Miramonte team of Kosturos, McDonald and seniors Katie Lyons and Eloise Engs which ranked 49th with a time of 1:44.03. The San Ramon Valley High team of Wight, Schiff, DePaco, and fellow sophomore Abby Muaddi ranked 83rd with a time of 1:45.24. The fastest time of 1:39.91 was by a team in Tennessee and the national record of 1:38.13 was set in Colorado in 2018.

Three teams made the list in the 400 Yard Freestyle Relay. The Miramonte team of Kosturos, Engs, Lyons and McDonald ranked 17th with a time of 3:25.21. Close behind with a time of 3:25.54 and ranked 18th was the Monte Vista team of Hartman, junior Jenna Seaman, and freshmen Kyla Kelly and Taylor Christian. The Campolindo team of O’Brien, Smith, Van Meines and freshman Lexi Fok ranked 53rd with a time of 3:27.65. The top team with a time of 3:20.32 was from Southern California and the national record of 3:15.38 was set in 2015 by an Indiana team.

Many of the swimmers who graduated this  year, will be attending Division I colleges as a member of the swim team. Hartman will be attending the University of Georgia on a full-ride scholarship.

Contra Costa DA receives $1 million grant to initiate its first ever pre-filing youth diversion program

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By Scott Alonso, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa County District Attorney

Earlier this month, the Board of State and Community Corrections awarded the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office $1 million to establish a county-wide juvenile diversion pre-filing program. This diversion program will be the first county-wide program for Contra Costa County and comes on the announcement earlier this spring that our Office was starting a pilot program in Richmond for the fall of 2019. The BSCC grant will enable the pilot program in Richmond to be expanded and eventually taken county-wide.

The District Attorney’s Office joins the Contra Costa County Department of Probation, the RYSE Youth center, and Impact Justice to initiate a restorative justice program that will redirect youth from the juvenile and criminal justice system over a period of four years. The program will work with young people who have committed crimes and bring them together with those they have impacted in the community in order to atone for damages made and rebuild relationships.

“I am proud to have this program for the first-time ever in our county’s history. Our Office has a crucial role to play in reducing the pipeline into the juvenile justice system while at the same time reducing disparities in the entire criminal justice system. We have to invest in our youth to ensure they have other opportunities in their lives,” said District Attorney Diana Becton.

With the help of RYSE, the program hopes to lower recidivism rates, increase victim satisfaction, improve the youths’ relationships with their families, and lower incarceration and probation costs. Youth will learn about accountability and healing, as well as, how to establish trusting relationships with adults and authority figures. During the restorative justice process, RYSE will provide the victim and the youth offender with wrap-around services along with a facilitator for each person involved in the case.

By providing troubled youths with more resources and opportunities, Contra Costa hopes to divert up to 230 youths away from the juvenile justice system. A similar program in the Bay Area proved to be successful. Alameda County’s restorative justice program was remarkably successful as recidivism rates decreased; youths who participated in the program were 44 percent less likely to recidivate compared to similarly situated probation youth. The program carries a one-time cost of $4,500 per case while probation costs $23,000 per year and incarceration costs nearly $500,000 annually.

Fundraiser in Pittsburg to benefit East Bay youth services and programs July 18

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Courageous & Emerging Leadership Academy (CELA) is hosting its first ever “CELA Honors Everyday Heroes” buffet dinner and auction fundraiser at La Piñata Restaurant in Pittsburg on Thursday, July 18, 2019, at 5:30 pm. This event is an awards ceremony held in appreciation of leaders, mentors, and advocates making a difference in the community through their work with at-risk and vulnerable youth.

There will be raffles and silent auction prizes, including an all-inclusive 7-9 nights resort and spa vacation for two to Antigua! Event tickets are $30 per person and can be purchased on Eventbrite at https://cela.eventbrite.com. All proceeds benefit CELA, a local non-profit organization dedicated to the education and mentoring of Bay Area youth ages 8-20. CELA has been serving the region since 2017 and currently partners with the Richmond Police Activities League (RPAL) to provide services that present local youth with opportunities to succeed.

Your donations and ticket purchases will help foster CELA’s mission of building minds and saving lives through violence prevention, tutoring, and community development. In addition, you will help CELA expand their mentoring programs, which include:

• Boxing with Insight (BWI) – a pilot project that has been established to implement the combination of mentoring, counseling, education, and therapeutic case management support through boxing and martial arts training.

• Financial Literacy Program “Biz Kids”- a program provided by Travis Credit Union for high school students to engage in building tools for their future.

If you would like to make a donation to CELA, please contact Ms. Jacqueline King-Walton, Executive Director at (707) 301-1162 or Mrs. Phyllis Ritter, Board President at (925) 628-1641. More information about CELA’s unique programming can be found on their website at www.celacademy.org.

Stabbing in Concord Thursday afternoon

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By Corporal S. Galer, Concord Police Department

On Thursday, May 30, 2019 just before 2pm, Officers responded to the 1400 block of Bel Air Dr. for a report of a stabbing. Investigators learned that three male teenagers, two of which are brothers, were playing video games inside an apartment. For reasons that are unknown at this time, one of the brothers produced a knife and stabbed the visiting friend several times. The juvenile suspect then fled the apartment; however, soon after called CPD dispatch to turn himself in.

The juvenile suspect was taken into custody a few blocks away from the apartment without incident. The victim was flown to a trauma center based on the injuries he sustained. There is no additional threat to the community.

This is an active investigation and no further details are being released at this time.

Student from Brentwood at Antioch’s Givans Taekwondo on track for 2020 Olympics

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Heritage High denies him opportunity to graduate with class due to on-line schooling during training

CJ Nickolas with gold medal from the 2018 World Taekwondo Federation competition in Greece. Photo courtesy of Ed Givans.

C.J. Nickolas, a senior in high school, is headed to Taekwondo Senior World Championships in Manchester, England in May 2019.  He had to withdrawal from Heritage High School two days into his Senior year because he was one of eight athletes in the United States picked up by the United States Taekwondo (USAT) to train full time abroad and enter the European Taekwondo Open circuit.  The intention was to get these athletes ready for 2024 or 2028 Olympics.

However, Nickolas has defied the odds, outperformed the initial expectation, and is headed to the World Championships this year setting him on a track for the 2020 Olympics.  A few other things have to fall into place for him to make it, as well, but he’s definitely on track.

Nickolas is the son of Edward Givans, owner of Givans Taekwondo in Antioch, where Nickolas trains, and Denise Nickolas of Brentwood.

“His mom and I are very proud of C.J.,” the elder Givans said. “It’s been exciting to see him advance in his skills and the competitions.”

Arriving at this place in his life was not happenstance or luck for Nickolas.  He has put long hours, and extensive time into training over the years.  Nickolas has made many sacrifices to get where he is and says that even in the setbacks and losses and injuries, he knows he has to continue the grind.  He says he digs deep when it’s tough and keeps pressing his way.

Nickolas is finishing out his high school through an on-line school (CAVA) while he continues to train full time.  His travels in the past six months have taken him to compete in Greece, Poland, France, Croatia, Africa and Spain among other places.  He has one stop in Bulgaria before he heads back to England to train for Worlds.  CJ has been in Brentwood schools (Ron Nunn, Adams and Heritage) and has many ties to the community.

Sadly, he says, “I will not be allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony with my peers and I will be at Worlds during the Prom.”

Heritage High Principal Carrie Wells provided the reason Nickolas is not being allowed to graduate with this year’s class.

“He actually is not enrolled in our district, currently. In order to be enrolled in our district, he would have had to re-enroll in January, before the current semester,” she said. “His only option would be to enroll in Independence High School in our district. There would be seat time each week and check-in with the teacher.”

“It’s not that we don’t want him to graduate with us. But, board policy is pretty specific about that,” Wells added.

Nickolas puts that in the column of sacrifices and will continue his grind to get to the coming Olympics.

Allen Payton contributed to this story.

Pepper spray fight in Concord affects dozens of people Saturday night

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Emergency personnel at The Jungle in Concord to treat customers affected by a pepper spray fight Saturday evening, April 13, 2019. Photo by Concord PD.

By Concord Police Department

On Saturday, April 12, 2019 at 7:08 PM officers were sent to The Jungle (located in the Willows Shopping Center) for a report of a fight involving “5-10 young males and females”. Our Dispatch center then started receiving additional calls that pepper spray had also been used during the fight.

When we arrived, we learned that all of the involved parties in the fight had already left the scene. Approximately 25-30 customers (infants/minors and adults) came out after being exposed to the pepper spray, with some vomiting and complaining of difficulty breathing. Contra Costa Fire was immediately dispatched to check on the customers. Everyone affected at the scene was treated and released by medical personnel.

At this time we are still reviewing surveillance footage and talking to the patrons that were on scene. We do not have any suspect information to release at this time.

If you have any additional information about this altercation please contact our Dispatch Center at (925) 671-3241, or our anonymous tip line at (925) 603-5836.

Contra Costa County High School Mock Trial seeks legal professionals to volunteer

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Winners of the 2019 Contra Costa Mock Trial, the California High School Mock Trial Team, led by teacher coach Brian Barr and attorney coaches Larry Lowe, and Ken Mifsud represented Contra Costa County at the 38th Annual California State Mock Trial on March 22-24 in Sacramento, CA. Photo courtesy of CCC Office of Education.

Bay Area soon-to-be, practicing, and retired law professionals are needed to provide assistance to their future brethren at the upcoming 38th Annual Contra Costa County High School Mock Trial Program, held on seven early weekday evenings during late January and early February, in the Martinez Court Rooms. Last year, close to 100 Bay Area practicing and retired attorneys and sworn judges, as well as third-year law students volunteered their time with the Mock Trials.

Coordinated by the Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE), Mock Trial is an academic event provided for high school students. The hands-on educational program was created to help students acquire a working knowledge of our judicial system, develop analytical abilities and communication skills, and gain an understanding of their obligations and responsibilities as participating members of our society. This year’s case, People v. Klein: A young adult is charged with two felony counts: making a false report of an emergency (in this case, commonly referred to as “swatting”) and making a criminal threat.

“This program is a great tool to ensure that our students understand the workings of the trial courts and thus the importance of an independent judiciary, says,” says Contra Costa County Presiding Judge Barry Baskin. Judge Baskin, a long-time Mock Trial volunteer, encourages all of his local fellow law professional to join him in assisting with this year’s Mock Trial Competition.

Teams of high school students work with teachers and volunteer coaches to prepare their version of the criminal case, from both the prosecution and defense perspectives.  Students assume the roles of trial attorneys, pre-trial motion attorneys, witnesses, clerks, bailiffs, artists, and court journalists. Mock Trial judges and attorneys score their performance and provide immediate feedback. Winning teams advance through seven rounds of competition. The county’s champion advances to the State finals. This year, there will be 17 Mock Trial teams competing, representing high schools throughout all of Contra Costa County.

Volunteers will score two competing schools that argue the case in their assigned court. Each night, will begin with a 15-minute rules and regulations training, then the volunteers will go into their scheduled courtrooms to serve as Mock Trial judge and scorers.  The Mock Trials’ scorers are made up of Bay Area deputy district attorneys and deputy public defenders, as well as public-sector, private-practice, and corporate lawyers. In addition, seasoned law students are also welcome to participate. A practicing or retired judge or commissioner will preside over each trial, and also serves as one of the trial’s scorers.    

“We applaud the hard work and time our students and their coaches put in to prepare for our Mock Trial program,” said Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools Lynn Mackey. “In addition, we are grateful for the continued generous volunteer support we receive from our county’s Judicial, District Attorney, and Public Defender offices, as well as so many of our current and retired public- and private-practice attorneys. This successful program would never come together without so much support from the community.”

Teams from the following 17 Contra Costa County high schools will be competing:
Acalanes (Lafayette), Alhambra (Martinez), California (San Ramon), Campolindo (Moraga), Carondelet High (Concord), Clayton Valley Charter (Concord), De Anza High (Richmond), Deer Valley Law Academy (Antioch), Dougherty Valley (San Ramon), El Cerrito (El Cerrito), Hercules Middle/High (Hercules), Heritage (Brentwood), Kennedy (Richmond), Las Lomas (Walnut Creek), Miramonte (Orinda), Monte Vista (Danville), and Richmond (Richmond).  

Schedule for 2019 Contra Costa County High School Mock Trials:

Preliminaries: January 29 and 31; February 5 and 7, – 5:00-8:30 p.m. (Nine competitions each night)

Quarterfinals: February 12, 5:00-8:00 p.m. (Four competitions)

Semifinals: February 14, 5:00-8:00 p.m. (Two competitions)

Final and Consolation: February 19, 5:00-8:00 p.m. (Two competitions) 

Mock Trial will be headquartered at the A.F. Bray Courthouse, 1020 Ward Street, in Martinez.

Interested volunteers can learn more by visiting the CCCOE’s Mock Trial Web page, or contacting Jonathan Lance at jlance@cccoe.k12.ca.us or (925) 942-3429. 

The two highest-scoring teams will advance to the finals on Tuesday, February 19. The winning team will then represent Contra Costa County at the California State Mock Trial Competition, held in Sacramento, Calif., March 22-23. The California state finalist team will then compete in the National Mock Trial Competition, held May 16-18, Athens, Georgia.

In 1977, the Constitutional Rights Foundation (CRF) introduced the concept of mock trials to the Los Angeles schools. In 1980, the program expanded to the state level. The California Mock Trial Program currently involves more than 36 counties and over 8,000 student participants from more than 400 teams. Approximately 1,500 attorney volunteers serve as team coaches and scorers, and 500 Municipal, Superior, and Appellate Court judges preside over the trials. 

 

Richmond teen arrested for July murder of one, shooting of two other teens in Antioch

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Suspect arrested: Angel Leoncio Bautista. Photo by APD

By Sergeant John Fortner, Antioch Police Department, Investigations Bureau, Violent Crimes Unit

During the course of this investigation, evidence was obtained that led to the identification of one of the suspects involved in the shooting homicide of the victim, and the injury of two others.

On Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018 at approximately 12:00 pm, detectives from the Antioch Police Department’s Investigations Bureau, with the assistance of Richmond Police Department officers, arrested Angel Leoncio Bautista (19 years old) at his residence in the City of Richmond. Bautista was peacefully taken into custody and later booked into the Martinez Detention Facility.

On July 30, 2018 at 1:17 a.m., Antioch Police dispatch received several calls reporting multiple gunshots at a business complex located in the 2700 block of Hillcrest Avenue. (See related article)

When officers arrived at the complex, they located two males down on the ground in the parking lot. One male victim sustained multiple gunshot wounds and succumbed to his injuries at the scene. The second male (16 years-old) was located a short distance away and he was also suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers began first aid as fire department paramedics were called to the scene. The surviving victim was stabilized and transported to a local area hospital where he was taken into surgery.

While officers were still at the scene, they were advised that a shooting victim arrived at a local emergency room for treatment. Officers responded to the hospital and determined that this was an additional victim who was related to the shooting in the parking lot. No additional victims have come forward or have been identified at this time.

At this time, evidence suggests that the victims were involved in a confrontation with another group of unknown subjects in the parking lot when gunshots were fired.

The area was designated a crime scene and cordoned off. The Antioch Police Department’s Investigations Bureau was notified and responded to the scene. This incident is currently under investigation, and evidence is being collected.

The investigation into this incident remains ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to call the Antioch Police Department non-emergency line at (925)778-2441 or Detective Colley at (925)779-6922. You may also text-a-tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.

Liberty High Lions football team wins state championship

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Screenshot of video of Lions Head Coach Ryan Partridge holding the state championship trophy following his team’s victory Saturday night, Dec. 15, 2018. By Jesus Cano

Beat elite private school team from So Cal

By Jesus Cano, Herald Sports Reporter

NORWALK, Calif. — As soon as then-first year head coach Ryan Partridge and his Liberty High School football team won the 2017 NCS Division I Championship, they set their eyes on the next prize. And Saturday night, Dec. 15 at Cerritos College in Southern California, the Lions’ historic two-season run came to an end with a 19-17 victory over the Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) Trailblazers, allowing them to hoist the CIF Division 1-A State Championship.

“Every one of these kids deserve it. Every player is extremely important to this program. It’s just unbelievable, I can’t even put my thoughts into words right now.” said Partridge.

Sierra Canyon is a private pre-K through 12th grade day and boarding school where a variety of famous individuals have attended or send their children, including members of the Kardashian family, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith’s daughter Willow and Ireland Baldwin the daughter of actors Alec Baldwin and Kim Bassinger, to name a few.

Tyerell Sturges-Cofer made his last high school football game memorable, rushing for all three of Liberty’s touchdowns on his 188-yard night. With quarterback Jay Butterfield struggling, the Lions’ traditionally pass-heavy offense was forced to turn to the ground attack, with Sturges-Cofer leading the comeback from down 17-7.

“Our O-line was doing an amazing job. We just kept fighting and going for the first down.” said Sturges-Cofer. “In the beginning of the season, coach said we were going for state. We won D-one last year, so we had to take another step and we did it.”

Sierra Canyon got on the board first with an 87-yard drive, capping off with a Chayden Peery one-yard sneak. Sturges-Cofer responded one play later, escaping for a 72-yard touchdown to tie the game.

The Trailblazers went on to light up the scoreboard in the rest of the first half. Josh Bryan added a 24-yard field goal to make it 10-7 in the second quarter. Brendon Gamble tackled on a 22-yard rushing touchdown, giving Sierra Canyon the 17-7 lead heading into halftime.

Sturges-Cofer was set up with the defense’s second touchdown of game, as they forced Sierra Canyon to fumble for a second time. It only took two plays for Sturges-Cofer to score with a 31-yard touchdown run that saw him knock down a pack of Traiblazer linemen to make it 17-13.

Liberty quarterback Jay Butterfield was rattled, unable to complete passes to his receivers, but stepped up when it was necessary by hitting Adrik Lamar to set up Sturges-Cofer for his game winning touchdown drive.

“Our defense picked me up especially throughout the whole game,” said Butterfield. “You never give up anytime, you always trust your receivers. No matter if it’s your top guy or your bottom guy.”

It’s been a whirlwind for Liberty over the past two seasons. The Lions won the NCS Division I championship in 2017, and in 2018 were able to finish the regular season 10-0, and win the BVAL for the first time in school history, while beating powerhouse Pittsburg for the first time since 2005.

As the Lions arrived from Southern California, they were greeted with roaring Liberty fans in the downtown Brentwood campus.

“We have the best fans supporting us at every game.” Butterfield said.

“We have such great community support. It just means everything. We set the culture of service and love.” Partridge added.

Brentwood’s Liberty High Lions football team to play in state championship Saturday night

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The CIS Division 1-A NorCal Champions to face Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth

By Jesus Cano

Liberty has been making history for the past two seasons, and now they are finally on the big stage, and want to leave Norwalk with gold.

The Lions took home a 33-21 victory over Valley Christian and were crowned the California Interscholastic Federation Division 1-A NorCal champions. Liberty also sealed its ticket to state and will take on the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers of Chatsworth this Saturday, Dec. 15 at 8 p.m. for the CIF Division 1-A championship 372 miles away at Cerritos College.

The aerial duo of quarterback Jay Butterfield and receiver Sione Vaki have been making it a nightmare for opposing teams’ secondaries. But receivers Adrik Lamar and Jerrin Easter-Williams have been stepping up to the occasion, as well. They each caught one touchdown in Liberty’s victory over Valley Christian.

The Lions run game is also as productive, with lineman like Josh McKey, Payton Zdroik and Reese Watkins, running back Tyerell Sturges-Cofer has been able to find the gaps and turn on the wheels. The senior carried the ball for 1,343 yards. And after a slow game against Pittsburg where he only ran for 59 yards, Sturges-Cofer bounced back. Brenden Bell can also carry the ball whe needed.

Liberty will be without key play, linebacker Nicky Einess, who suffered a concussion against Valley Christian. The defense is still stacked with many of its defensive lineman playing both ways. Vaki, Bell and Sturges-Cofer also play defense. Mason Padilla is a player that could lead the linebacker core.

On their way to the Bay Valley Athletic League championship, the Lions defeated most of their rivals by large margins including the Deer Valley Wolverines 60-12, the Freedom Falcons 55-21 and blanking both the Antioch High Panthers with a score of 52-0 and the Heritage Patriots 49-0.