Reviewing a calendar year of sports is a head-spinner.

Since the overall volume of events is slow this week, let’s chill out for a period of time and live in the past.

Reviewing a full school year of sports can certainly throw the mind for a loop — it’s the last half of one school year combined with the first half of the next.

We also can’t forget weekend warriors like Mike Benson, Brian Parriott and David Frame.

What story was the biggest? I’ll leave that for you to decide. That’s why we do things chronologically. Plus, why limit the list?

Some years, only 10 stories merit revisiting. Other years, 40 stories might warrant re-examining.

So, starting with last winter, here’s a look back at some of the area’s biggest sports stories of 2008, in chronological order:

Dick Vermeil on the sidelines one more time (January)

Calistoga native Dick Vermeil returned to the sidelines one more time just after the 2008 calendar year began to coach the East squad in the annual East-West Shrine Game played at the University of Houston.

One of the most distinguished head coaches in the history of both professional and college football, Vermeil spent 15 seasons as a head coach in the NFL and two years at UCLA. Vermeil is the only head coach to lead teams to victories in both the Super Bowl and the Rose Bowl.

He finished his professional career with an overall mark of 126-114 and was 15-5-3 in his two seasons with the Bruins.

Vermeil is one of only four coaches in NFL history to lead two teams to the Super Bowl. His St. Louis Rams won Super Bowl XXXIV while his Philadelphia Eagles lost Super Bowl XV.

His UCLA team upset No. 1-ranked Ohio State in the 1976 Rose Bowl.

Anthony Gee remembered (January)

Friends and family of Anthony Gee, the 16-year-old former Calistoga boy killed by a gunshot at a party in American Canyon, marked the one-year anniversary of his death at the Community Center Gymnasium in American Canyon.

Gee was a popular athlete who attended Calistoga Elementary School, St. Helena Catholic School, Vintage High School and Fairfield High.

Gee, the son of Leland and Kathy Gee, was a standout in Calistoga Little League and was a regular member of the All-Star team.

American Canyon Mayor Leon Garcia and his wife, Eva, were on hand in an unofficial capacity, as was their daughter Grace Paradeza, who was a friend of Anthony Gee, along with an estimated 60 to 70 others.

Billed as the “first annual” Anthony Gee Memorial Basketball Game, the event began with food and a talk by family friend and hospital chaplain Rita-Sophia Karvonen, followed by a pick-up basketball game.

Schlieder head of the class (February)

Calistoga High student-athlete B.J. Schlieder stood front and center on Feb. 21 at the San Francisco Airport Marriott banquet room — literally.

Schlieder was one of 24 young men honored by the Northern California Chapter of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame.

Schlieder was also the event’s keynote speaker. Each county has two representatives. Napa High’s John Boyett also represented Napa County.

At this event, student-athletes were honored for their ability to balance athletics, academics and other extracurricular activities.

Schlieder, who played tight end and linebacker, carried a GPA of 3.71. As an athlete, he was named All-North Central League II and All-Napa County as a junior and senior.

Schlieder was also his junior class ASB vice president and was a peer group tutor for two years. He was also a Cub football camp coach and member of the Boy Scouts for 10 years.

Here’s an excerpt from his speech:

“All of our lives we’ve heard the words scholar and athlete. Being either one requires hard work, drive and commitment, but being both is reason to be truly proud. To me and the other young men in this room, these words are inseparable.

“We feel the fundamental drive to succeed in academics and athletics. Our hard work in the classroom makes us better students and our hard work on the field makes us better athletes. We have been taught by our teachers and trained by our coaches to be all that we can, no matter what we have to do to get there.”

Parriott bounces back for Top-10 finish at Daytona (March)

Calistoga resident Brian Parriott took his first shot in the 67th running of the Daytona 200.

The event also marked the first attempt in nearly 30 years for his machine, the all-new BMW HP2 Sport ran by the official German factory in Munich on Saturday, March 8.

Parriott’s team consisted of 30 German technicians and five Americans from his San Jose-based team. There were also three other Parriott BMW riders who took the green flag, Richard Cooper, Rico Penzkoffer and Nate Kern.

Parriott qualified 33rd among 69 participants, putting him on the ninth row of the starting grid in a race that was broadcast live on Speed Channel.

Sanchez and Hitchko lead Upvalley finishers (March)

The Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon began in Calistoga and ended at Vintage High in Napa.

St. Helena’s Juan Sanchez and Calistoga’s Bruce Hitchko led the way for Upvalley finishers.

Sanchez placed 22nd overall while Hitchko came in at 463.

The event had 2,317 registered runners, 1,967 starters and 1,757 finishers.

For Pete’s Sake(Feb.-March)

The rain holding off until the afternoon must have been one example of late Calistoga Little League founder Pete Tedeschi still being present in spirit.

Tedeschi’s memory was on clear display on Opening Day for Calistoga Little League.

Tedeschi passed away at age 84 on Jan. 30 following a sudden respiratory affliction, according to his widow, Peggy Tedeschi.

The late Tedeschi was known as a talented infielder in the Chicago Cubs’ minor league organization, and as the local founder of the Calistoga Little League organization in the late 1950s.

He was born in San Francisco and attended Mission High School in San Francisco, but graduated from Calistoga High School before joining the Navy and fighting in the South Pacific during World War II.

After he returned from the war to work in Calistoga’s post office, where he worked for three decades before retiring in the mid-1980s, he started the Calistoga Little League.

The Little League field was named in his honor in 1979.

Twenty-nine years later, there is now a plaque dedicated in his honor that is on a large rock situated on the first base side of the facility.

Calistoga Little League president Darren Bohan said over the loud speaker:

“Calistoga Little League would like to dedicate this plaque in honor of our founder and namesake of our field. We hope the members of this community will stop by from time to time and take a moment to remember Pete in the shade of this tree and watch the children play the game that he loved in the warm, spring sun.”

“I would like to thank Mrs. Peggy Tedeschi for coming and suggesting that donations be made to Calistoga Little League in her husband’s name.”

That speech followed a moment of silence in Pete Tedeschi’s honor.

Cub Hoop Playoffs (March)

This year’s Cub Hoop Division Winners were Diablos and Lions Club (Kindergarten through 2nd grade); Calistoga Spa (3rd through 6th grade boys); and Koscielak CPA (3rd through 6th grade girls).

Smith and Jeffcoat display their gym skills (March)

Upvalley residents Jeffrey Smith (Calistoga) and Wyatt Jeffcoat (Angwin) displayed their fine gymnastics skills at the Northern California Boys Gymnastics Association State Championship in Oakland.

Smith took fifth in the all-around scoring at 53.175 out of 24 competitors in the 10-year-old class. Jeffcoat took eighth in the all-around scoring at 53.525 in the 9-year-old category.

By virtue of their performances, both Smith and Jeffcoat advanced to the Regional meet, which took place on April 6 in Reno, NV.

Smith’s collective scores and placements in each event went as follows: Floor (second, 9.100), pommel (fifth, 9.125), rings (eighth, 8.800), vault (9.000), parallel bars (sixth, 9.000), and high bars (8.150). The top 10 gymnasts in Smith’s age group moved on to the Regional meet.

Smith also qualified for the AU All-Star team.

Jeffcoat’s collective scores and placements in each event went as follows: Floor (10th, 8.725), pommel (sixth, 9.000), rings (9.100), vault (9.350), parallel bars (seventh, 8.925), and high bars (8.425). The top 12 in Jeffcoat’s age group moved on to the Regional meet.

The Framework for a champion (March)

Calistoga resident David Frame continued his mastery of the downhill racing circuit by becoming a state champion in Weaverville.

Frame placed first in his category, which is the Expert 40-and-over division. His ranking was also good for 18th place nationally.

From A to Zink (Nov.-April)

Jackie Zink loved basketball so much that her parents put in a cement court and basket next to a barn behind their Calistoga home when she was in the seventh grade.

But the day-time hours weren’t nearly enough for Zink, an All-League and All-Napa County shooting guard for Calistoga High School who later played for Cuesta College of San Luis Obispo and Sonoma State.

So her family installed lights above the hoop, allowing Jackie to play and work on her shot and other parts of her game at night.

Last season, Zink worked as a coaching intern for the Stanford University women’s team that made it to the Final Four at the St. Pete Times Forum Arena in Tampa, Fla.

Zink performed a number of duties for the Pac-10 regular-season champion Cardinal that kept her busy and made for a very special season.

She worked behind the scenes, doing everything from putting out the player’s uniforms in the team room to making sure everything was set up for practices and being on hand to assist a Stanford opponent when it was in town to use the school’s basketball facilities a day or two before a game.

Zink, who joined coach Tara VanDerveer’s staff last September at Stanford, was also on hand for meetings, film sessions and games throughout the 2007-08 season.

After winning their eighth straight Pac-10 title, the Cardinal captured the conference tournament. Stanford then advanced to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed and won five straight games before losing in the finals April 8 to Tennessee, 64-48, despite 14 points from All-America guard Candice Wiggins.

The loss snapped the Cardinal’s 23-game winning streak.

Zink has since joined the Long Beach State University coaching staff in 2008-09 as a full-time assistant. Her primary responsibilities will include player skill development, recruiting and scholastic supervision.

’Cat scratch softball fever (March-May)

For the sixth time in as many seasons, the Calistoga High softball team reached the playoffs, but the 2008 edition went further than any Wildcat softball team in history — to the CIF North Coast Section Class B semi-finals before an 8-0 setback to the Rincon Valley Christian (Santa Rosa) Eagles.

Calistoga (14-12 overall) was without seniors Lauren Hunt, Cassie Bohan and Hailey Harrell, as the contest coincided with the school’s senior trip.

The Wildcats, however, can take ample solace in winning two postseason games when it did not look like they would last long in the postseason.

They entered the playoffs losing five of their last seven regular season games but knocked off top-seeded Urban (San Francisco) 3-2 in the quarterfinals.

The Wildcats were led by Lauren Hunt, who was the Offensive Player of the Year on the All-Napa County team.

Younger sister Megan Hunt (catcher), Cassie Bohan (third base), Nicole Taylor (pitcher), and Rody Lilly (first base) also earned All-County status.

Smith and Brogan climb to the top (May)

The Upper Valley Tennis Association, led by captains Ann Smith and Kelley Brogan of Calistoga, claimed the No. 1 spot in the Sonoma Napa Marin Women’s Tennis League A-2 division.

The season started last September and ended May 2 with an exciting playoff match against Piper Park in Larkspur.

The playoff consisted of two singles and five doubles matches.

Upper Valley dominated with a 5-2 victory to win the first-place trophy.

With the victory, Upper Valley now moves to the A-1 division for the 2008-2009 season.

Playing out of Crane Park in St. Helena, the 30-member team includes players from up and down the valley, most living in the upper Napa Valley.

Funke-town (May)

Calistoga High sports awards banquets are filled with “thanks yous” and food all around.

The spring version, however, finishes with the presentation of the annual Funke Blanket Awards, which are given to one male and one female senior athlete for career achievement.

The honor is based on a point system of career participation as well as various awards (i.e. All-League).

The 2008 award winners were Raymond Fechter and Lauren Hunt.

Calistoga Little League gets all A’s (June)

The Cal Spa A’s get an “A” for effort and results.

The A’s were simply not to be denied in the Upper Valley Minors Tournament of Champions at Crane Park.

The Cal Spa A’s won their first Upper Valley Minors TOC in at least 15 years, according to league president Darren Bohan, by outlasting the Lions (St. Helena) 14-10.

The A’s finished the season 13-2 after losing their first game of the regular season. Taylor Martin served as the team’s manager while Toppa Epps and Ed Hayman were the coaches.

The A’s were off and running early with three runs in the first inning as Cole Martin hit an inside-the-park three-run homer that also scored T.J. Epps and Alex Archer.

The Lions scored one run in the bottom of the first inning to make it 3-1.

The A’s then added two more runs in the second to go ahead 5-1 and five more in the third with Archer and Zane Murphy getting RBI singles while Gunnar Hayman added a bases-loaded walk.

Martin, who was also the catcher, threw out a would-be base-stealer in the first inning with third baseman Hayman applying the tag. At the plate, Martin and Murphy each went 2-for-2.

Murphy added two RBIs and a stolen base while Martin scored three runs.

Archer went 2-for-3 with three runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base. Santiago Madrigal, Hayman, Gabe Fitzpatrick, Joseph Rees and Ben Montalbano each had one hit.

Hayman scored two runs. Madrigal, Dakoka Triglia and Rees each scored one run. Rees and Jonah Pelter each added a stolen base.

Ethan Herndon added an RBI for the A’s.

Taylor twins, Lilly help Steves softball (June-July)

For the second time in as many seasons, Steves Hardware compiled a softball team in the Napa Valley Girls Fastpitch Association combined with players from both St. Helena and Calistoga.

After struggling to a three-win season in 2007, the Rockets went 12-3-1 in the regular season and took first in the Majors division.

Calistoga twins Nicole and Lindsey Taylor delivered key contributions along with fellow Calistogan Erin Lilly.

Winning follows Aguirre around

There’s an adage that “winning follows certain people around.”

Calistoga High football fans remember 1983 graduate Jimmy Aguirre for his field goal that beat Kelseyville for the league title.

These days, Aguirre’s winning attitude permeates for Team Olympico based out of Napa that belongs to the US Club Soccer League. There were 13 girls on the roster from various Napa schools.

His team took first place in the Seawolves Classic at Sonoma State University in the Under-13 Division, beating the Lady Oaks (Santa Rosa) 8-4 in the title game.

In another recent tournament, Aguirre’s team took third place in the US Club Under-14 division, which is very good considering that Aguirre said his team is bettered suited for the Under-12 Division.

Aguirre, who is a Napa resident, has a team that varies in age from 10-14.

The team advanced to the Mayor’s Cup in Las Vegas, Oct. 24-26.

Teams throughout the world participated, including the United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe.

Taylor’s Plumbing a smashing Adult Softball success (July)

Taylor’s Plumbing made sure the Men’s Division Adult Softball title would not leak away.

The Co-ed and Men’s Divisions played for all the marbles as OK Tires (St. Helena) outlasted Pacific Union College (Angwin) 10-6 for the Co-ed crown while Taylor’s Plumbing (Calistoga) got by Ern Dawgs (St. Helena) 11-8 for the Men’s title.

Taylor’s Plumbing scored two runs apiece in the first and third innings, four in the fifth and three in the sixth to snap an 8-8 deadlock.

Ern Dawgs scored one run each in the first and fourth and six in the fifth to assume an 8-4 lead.

For Taylor’s Plumbing, Jason Tamagni went 4-for-4 with three runs scored while Brian Sereni was 3-for-4 with four RBIs, three runs scored and a triple.

Thomas Brown and Keegan Barrett each went 2-for-3. Barrett scored three runs while Brown delivered three of his four RBIs on a three-run homer.

Bryan Simning was 1-for-2 with three runs scored while Donnie Taylor, Troy Simning, Geoff Davies and Tony Biagi were each 1-for-3.

Olive Oilers win crown (August)

The bocce courts saw plenty of action with the top 32 teams from the nightly leagues contending for the spring session city championship.

Many of the 46 matches were tightly contested and there were relatively few blowouts along the way. By the end of Saturday’s play, the field whittled down to eight teams — four in the championship bracket and four in the consolation bracket. There were a few upsets but the top seeds were well represented in Sunday’s semifinals.

The consolation bracket final was composed of the 16 teams that lost their first-round match. The Rolling Stones, from the Friday Night League, edged Tutto Benne of Monday Night for their fourth win in a row, after their opening-round loss to Thursday’s champions — Paisans.

In the championship bracket, two Tuesday Night squads squared off, with the top-seeded Olive Oilers beating the No. 6 Grapestompers in a semifinal match.

The other semifinal matched the No. 3 Hone Dogs from Friday Night against the No. 7 Hardballers from Wednesday Night, with the Hone Dogs prevailing.

The championship match was well-played, with both teams performing admirably. After dropping the first game 12-6, the Olive Oilers rallied to win the final two games 12-6, 12-9 to capture another trophy for the Napa Valley Olive Oil Company.

The team is comprised of Capo Brent Randol, Ray Particelli, Kevin Grubbs, Rick Estes, Joe Beltrami and John Scholl.

‘Kiss My Pallino’ captures Farmer’s Market League title (August)

The spring session of bocce ended with the Farmer’s Market League Tournament.

Kiss My Pallino, the regular season champion, went undefeated in the tournament, besting Luccians in the championship game by scoring the final nine points of a 15-9 victory.

Kiss My Pallino was comprised of Capo Steve Castellano and his teammates Larry and Dot Varland, Michael and Barbara Monsler, John and Betsy Miklos, Joice Beatty and Jack Anthony.

Crane Park tennis season reaches District tournament (August)

The Crane Park 3.5 women’s tennis team’s outstanding run for the 2008 season came to a close at the District Tournament in Folsom.

The team needed to win two out of three matches in order to advance to the NorCal Section Tournament. They dropped all three, two of which came in close fashion. Crane Park entered play on a 14-match winning streak but lost to Sun Oaks 3-2 to open the weekend on Friday.

Reno Tennis Club downed Crane Park 4-1 on Saturday while Broadstone Racquet Club was a 3-2 winner over Crane Park on Sunday.

The local United States Tennis Association teams involve a combination of players throughout Napa County — including St. Helena, Calistoga, Angwin, Yountville, Napa and American Canyon.

Crane Park defeated Petaluma and Rohnert Park in the playoffs on the way to reaching the District Tournament.

Local boys make good at Speedway (August)

The top quarter of the main event finishers in Saturday night’s California Sprint Car Civil War Series had a quite local feel on an early August night in Calistoga.

Calistoga’s Mike Benson took sixth place while Pope Valley’s Jeff Parady finished fourth out of 22 drivers.

While both drivers view every race as important, by their own admission, the ones that take place in Calistoga carry that much more importance because various friends and family members often turn out.

Benson finished ahead of Andy Forsberg, who took seventh, in the main event. Despite a less-than-desirable start, Benson took fourth in his heat race (the top six go on to the main event) ahead of Bradley Terrell.

Benson also had the second-fastest qualifying time (18.435) behind Myles Bishop (18.399) and ahead of Bud Kaeding (18.438).

Parady edged out Sean Becker for fourth place. Parady took third in his heat race, finishing ahead of Kyle Larson.

Vermeil Classic makes for happy homecoming (August)

Growing up, Calistoga native Dick Vermeil learned what to value in life from his father.

After savoring the best of football — winning a Super Bowl in 1999 as the head coach of the St. Louis Rams — the now-retired Vermeil returned to the valley where the focus was vintage racing and wine.

Vermeil was at the Napa County Fairgrounds for the Louie Vermeil Classic, a race honoring his late father’s leadership and passion for sprint car racing that shaped Calistoga Speedway and the sport throughout Northern California for more than 50 years.

The younger Vermeil arrived towing his dad’s championship-winning car, restored to a concours quality more suitable to Pebble Beach than the dirt tracks it conquered almost six decades ago.

It rolled off the trailer to a stop on display next to the wines of his OnThEdge label — including a highly-rated tribute to his father, Jean Louis Vermeil Cabernet, just days after Vermeil announced the formation of a new company to expand the sales of his wine around the country.

With his football days behind him, Vermeil continues to live near Philadelphia on a 114-acre farm in Chester County. He has traded his playbooks for financial reports, serving on the Board of Directors of a few companies.

As for the races, Kevin Swindell celebrated the “crush” of harvest season in this renowned winemaking region in his own way — by stomping and squeezing the life out the rest of the field in Sunday night’s sprint car portion of the Louie Vermeil Classic at Calistoga Speedway.

Johnny Rodriquez, a two time USAC midget champion, won the midget race, repeating from Saturday night to make it a clean sweep of the weekend on the half-mile oval on the Napa County Fairgrounds.

St. Helena-Calistoga football series renewed (Sept. 12)

St. Helena and Calistoga are situated nine miles apart with populations of roughly 5,200 residents, but sometimes have more tourists than Disneyland as vineyards grace the abundant landscape.

The two teams used to meet regularly in high school football but the series disappeared for nearly two decades. The two schools play each other in virtually every other sport in high school and middle school. The two youth football teams (Calistoga Cubs and Carpy Gang) still play each other as well.

The last time the two teams had played was 1994.

The return of the series was good for one school but not the other as the Saints opened the Brandon Farrell head coaching era with a 37-0 win over the Wildcats.

Cub Football roars (Aug.-Nov.)

Cub Football enjoyed outstanding success across the board under the leadership of new president Paul Harrell, who enhanced the groundwork of previous president Laura Wilson.

Harrell was also the varsity head coach while Taylor Martin led the way for the JV club. Harrell’s varsity team went 7-2 while Martin’s JV club went 8-1.

Calistoga volleyball a winner (Aug.-Nov.)

High school volleyball returned full-time in 2007 — and while the Wildcats gained experience in a sport that had not had a full season since 2002, the program went winless.

Not so in 2008 under the leadership of Vanessa Brand (varsity) and Laura Wilson (JV). The JV team won the North Central League II South title while the varsity team garnered four victories.

Calistoga boys soccer (Aug.-Nov.)

The Calistoga High boys soccer team has seen plenty of regular season success, only to be toppled in the postseason.

The Wildcats did not make a run at a CIF North Coast Section Class A title, but there was no first-round flameout either — something that has happened four times in Calistoga’s run of seven straight playoff appearances.

Led once again by the astronomical scoring ability of Sacramento State-bound Edwin Meza’s 50 goals, the Wildcats breezed to a 20-1-3 record and a North Central League II South title under head coach Carlos Garcia.

In the postseason, Calistoga hammered Athenian (Danville) 6-0 before falling to Branson in a game that finished in a scoreless tie — but the Bulls outscored Calistoga 7-6 in penalty kicks.

Sports reporter’s family grows (Oct. 25)

My wonderful wife Jackie and I welcomed Thomas Vincent and Danielle Anne into the world on the morning of Oct. 25. They might not be twin towers a la NBA legends David Robinson and Tim Duncan, but the challenge of taking care of two newborns is definitely bigger than seven feet tall.

Calistogan, Star make it a clean sweep of CNPA awards

The Weekly Calistogan’s sports coverage was named best in the state among small weekly newspapers last month.

Judges for the California Newspaper Publisher Association’s annual Better Newspaper Contest for 2007-08 came from newspapers throughout the nation.

The Calistogan’s sports staff — Vince D’Adamo, Randy Johnson and Garrett Whitt — also took a second place award for its work with the St. Helena Star.

It was the first time in history that a Napa Valley sports staff has swept the sports coverage category for newspapers with circulations under 4,300.

“Vince, Randy and Garrett do so much for the community by covering the activities of local youth,” said publisher Doug Ernst. “They deserve this honor and they have my thanks.”

In a released statement, D’Adamo said:

“Awards might not be the No. 1 reason why we do what we do as professionals, but positive recognition such as this is great for the news organization as a whole,” he said.

“When I came here, I felt both sports sections needed changes to make this a championship product. I also felt that we had to restore our community connection, which I believe we have done. I might be the quarterback so to speak but this honor is also reflective of the weekly efforts of Randy, Garrett and Bill Ryan that make us a diverse section.

“Let’s just say, I consider this our state championship. St. Helena and Calistoga are great communities that have been supportive from Day One.

“My life being a father of three has been a big change but I promise that as long as I am here, the effort of putting a quality product that both St. Helena and Calistoga deserve every single week will remain.”

O’Neill among best horse jumpers in country: 27th

Calistoga’s Macella O’Neill recently finished the 2008 horse show season as the leading stadium jumping rider in Northern California.

O’Neill ranks among the top five riders in the current West Coast World Cup League, 27th in the United States, and 378th in the world.

She and her horses are based at Diamond Mountain Stables.

Several new horses are slated to arrive in the next few weeks at the Calistoga facility, which will open the 2009 show season during the third week of January at the Desert Circuit in Southern California.

Print this story   |   Email this story | Browse today's articles in this category: | Next