Marks Retires At Franklin, Johnson Remains As Football Coach

Almost lost amongst all the recent stories of local coaching changes, we need to mention that Fred Marks announced his retirement from coaching the wrestling program at Franklin this week. For more than 20 years, Marks has put quality wrestling squads on the mats of both Franklin and Laguna Creek High Schools.

A couple of his recent standouts include heavyweight Peter Anguiano who placed third at State in 2010 and 190-pounder Joey Banks who placed at State in 2014.

Marks will be missed amongst the local wrestling circles.

It was also announced this week that Mike Johnson, who resigned the football coaching job at Franklin after the 2014 season, said he'd stick around for at least one more year after Mark Johnson resigned just 24 hours after taking the Wildcats' job.

Johnson will have the double-duty next school year of coaching the girls' basketball program, too. 

Ken Manfredi was hired two weeks ago as the Wildcats' new boys basketball coach, replacing Jesse Formaker. Manfredi will move over from Monterey Trail High School over the summer.

It's likely former Pleasant Grove football coach Joe Cattolico won't be on the sidelines again this fall. He's involved raising two sons, a first and a third-grader, being a husband and teaching U.S. History at PG.  He resigned the Eagles' position after the 2013 season and has been mentioned in connection with past openings at Cosumnes Oaks and Franklin, but nothing materialized. I am aware of at least two other local coaches who have asked Joe to come on board their staff as an assistant.

I believe he's waiting for the right head coaching position to open.

Cosumnes River College will also be looking for a new men's basketball coach after James Giocomazzi announced his leaving for the same post at Las Positas College in Livermore. Joe Davidson wrote in his column this morning in the Bee that a front-runner to replace Giocomazzi is Nicholas Podesta.

Former Sheldon quarterback Nolan Merker will see plenty of time Saturday in the annual Green and Gold spring football game at Sacramento State. Merker walked on last year and is in a battle with former Rocklin quarterback Daniel Kniffin, a redshirt sophomore, for the starting job in the fall. Bill Patterson writes this morning in the Bee a transfer from Baylor and one from SMU will also

Nolan Merker, left, with current Huskies' quarterback Nathan Berry

compete at quarterback.

Transfers at the collegiate level, particularly in football, are becoming more and more common. Former Whitney standout QB Jake Rodrigues recently transferred from Oregon to San Diego State.

Patterson also mentioned one wide receiver expected to see plenty of time next season is Jabari Johnson, a former Franklin Wildcat.

In Friday's Citizen, I wrote about David Smith, a former EGHS pitcher, now at CRC who has recently signed a National Letter of Intent to continue his college career at Long Beach State.

Don't be surprised if his CRC teammate, Tyler Blake, a first baseman who graduated from Franklin, ends up at Chico State.

Notebook: Opening Day Win For CRC Baseball/Softball

After one of the most dreadful Super Bowls on the field and with only about three decent commercials (the puppy and the Clydesdales, the little kid turns cowboy - Doritos, and GoDaddy.Com's Tan Spraying) it's time to re-cap the weekend and look ahead....

Kyle Von Ruden (Franklin H.S.) and David Smith (Elk Grove H.S.) combined on a  four-hitter to lead the Cosumnes River College Hawks to a 6-2 win over Shasta College Saturday to open the community college baseball season.

Drake Atlee, who graduated from Foothill High School in Tustin, has returned to the Elk Grove-area where he attended high school his freshman year at Pleasant Grove. He led the Hawks by going two-for-four with a double.

CRC will face Skyline College Tuesday afternoon on the road.

Coach Tony Bloomfield has a roster this season loaded with area players including three from Pleasant Grove (Zack Stilwell, Austin Friello and Ian Chandler), three from Franklin (Von Ruden, Tyler Blake and Josh Pigg) and two from Elk Grove (Smith and Jordan Koch). Bloomfield is now in his 15th season at CRC.

Former Oakland A's farmhand and Laguna Creek graduate Brad Kilby is the pitching coach. Rejoining the Hawks' coaching staff is former Sheldon head coach John Misplay.

The Hawks won the California State Community College Championship in 2012.

CRC Softball Grabs Twinbill

Cosumnes River College's softball squad also opened its season Saturday and did so in a big way by taking a doubleheader win over Shasta College, 8-0 in six innings and 6-2.

Saunders Has Big Sugar Bowl; Callaway Dies

It was quite a night for the Oklahoma Sooners and for former Pleasant Grove wide receiver Jalen Saunders. Playing Jan. 2 at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, the Sooners upset Alabama, 45-31, with Saunders scoring a pair of touchdowns on pass receptions.

In his final collegiate game, the speedster caught five balls for 75 yards including TD receptions of eight and of 43 yards. 

Oklahoma's Jalen Saunders hugs Sooner coach
Bob Stoops following a touchdown Thursday during
the Sugar Bowl

He finished the year as the Sooners’ top receiver with 61 catches, the 13^th best all-time at Oklahoma. He also returned two punts for touchdown this season.

Saunders will be playing later this month in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., and then probably attend the NFL Combine in preparation for the pro draft in April.

CBS Sports.com rates him as the 23rd best wide receiver prospect coming out of college this year. The site has projected Saunders as a fifth-round draft choice.

Saunders was one of Pleasant Grove’s top players when the Eagles won the Sac-Joaquin Section championship in 2009.

Former EGHS Football/Basketball Star Dies

A key member of Elk Grove High School’s football and basketball teams of the late 90’s, Jeremy Callaway, died Jan. 3 at the age of 32. The cause of death isn’t known exactly but he was being treated for cancer of the colon.

In the Herd’s high-powered teams of 1997 and 1998, Callaway was a key slot receiver who scored 20 TD’s in 1998 and also played linebacker alongside Lance Briggs. He went on to play at Sacramento State.

On the basketball court he was one of Coach Todd Reiswig’s top defensive players.

Callaway lived in North Carolina and leaves behind a wife and a child.

Football Recruiting Now In High Gear

It’s just inside of a month before we know exactly, but there is a decent chance there will be a good number of Elk Grove-area high school football players signing NCAA National Letters-of-Intent with a college program.