Trying to master this predictions thing

It's time to confess. I love predictions. For whatever reason, reading opinions on why a future outcome will happen based on convoluted thoughts fascinates me.

Cowboy tradition

By JAGADA CHAMBERS Staff Reporter of the Manteca (Calif.) Bulletin With the opening of the 2011 season the Manteca Cowboys youth football program is continuing their focus on developing players and, of course, winning championships. The Cowboys had experienced a great deal of success since their 2003 inception, managing to win a host of team championships including back-to-back Super Bowl titles at the junior varsity level. The agenda has not changed, and the coaching staff ...

Recharged

It's been a stressful past few weeks for Manteca Chargers president Jon Shaefer. Not that he's complaining. "I spent part of my day ordering 55 more helmets and 30 more shoulder pads because we picked up more kids this year," Shaefer said during the varsity team's practice at Sierra High Tuesday. It's a nice problem to have considering the state of the organization when Shaefer came on board as vice president in 2006. Shaefer said ...

Staying the course

The primary objective has not changed one bit for the Manteca Jaguars youth football program, and it won't this year as the squad is still focused on developing players into high school athletes heading into the 2011 season.

Bonner helps NorCal capture America’s Cup

Andrew Bonner's phenomenal summer run continued last week with an outstanding effort in the 39th annual Junior America's Cup at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen, Colo.

Rebels on the rise

The 2009 season may have marked the beginning of the end for one of Manteca's oldest youth football and cheer organizations.

GET IN THE HOLE!

One of the most pressure-packed moments in sports is the sudden-death playoff hole in golf. A few area youth got to experience just that Thursday during a junior golf clinic conducted at Manteca Park Golf Course. Of course, there was nothing pressure packed about it. Jacob Frisk, for example, initially putted from about 15-20 feet out and sprinted toward the hole as his ball settled just a few inches wide of the cup. All smiles, ...

Dog days of summer

STOCKTON – Twenty years ago kids played baseball into the summer and usually switched out their baseball spikes for football cleats in preparation for the transition from one sport to the other.

Gomes retakes lead in Southwest Tour after victory in Utah

Jacob Gomes earned the third win of his sophomore season in the Spears SRL Southwest Tour last Saturday.

Lady Cyclones bring IFA title back to Ripon

The Lady Cyclones 12-under softball team of Ripon put together an impressive two-day tournament run, winning the Independent Fastpitch Association Western World Series championship in Stockton over the past weekend.

Continuing on to Cooperstown

A pair of Northgate Little League standouts will continue their baseball seasons when Vince Cabeceiras and Guise Hulsebosch make the long trek east to Cooperstown, New York to participate in the National Cooperstown Tournament of Champions 12-and-under travel-ball tournament the first week of August.

Grappling for gold

Trevor Smith and Juliana Triplett of the Ripon Tribe Wrestling Club fell short of their goals at the ASICA/Vaughan Junior & Cadet National Championships this past week.

Rampage U12 takes second in Western World Series

The Ripon Rampage softball program left its mark in the 2011 National Softball Association Western World Series in Sacramento and Elk Grove earlier this week.

Manteca all-stars fall in Section 3 finals

It turns out that Belmont/Redwood Shores Little League of San Mateo has two pitching aces at its disposal.

Nuanez is Oklahoma bound

While Alex Nuanez was looking to the future, his dad and coach, Alex Sr., took a quick glimpse at the past.

RIPON WAVES

He’s running Down Under

By JAMES BURNS

Thunder claim Western title; Kelly Cup Finals start Saturday

STOCKTON – Olivier Roy put on the best performance of his postseason career as the Stockton Thunder won Game 5 over the Idaho Steelheads 2-1 to become the 2013 Western Conference champions in front of 4,530 fans at Stockton Arena on Saturday.

Giants back up Lincecum with three home runs

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Fredi Gonzalez left the Atlanta Braves for two games following a series-opening victory at San Francisco to attend his daughter's college graduation in Georgia.

A’s fall behind early, keep sliding with loss

SEATTLE (AP) - It's been a stretch of struggles for Oakland, and no one on the Athletics struggled more Sunday than Brandon Moss.

Warriors beat Spurs in OT, even series 2-2

OAKLAND (AP) - His spirits down, his left ankle limp and his team's season hanging in the balance, Stephen Curry wondered whether he could recover for the biggest game of his career until a text message popped up on his phone around 2 a.m. Saturday.

Tiger Woods wins Players Championship

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Tiger Woods had the last word against Sergio Garcia by winning The Players Championship on Sunday.

Westra leads Tour of California

ESCONDIDO (AP) - Lieuwe Westra of the Netherlands easily outsprinted Spanaird Francisco Mancebo to claim the sweltering and hilly stage 1 and assumed the overall race Sunday lead at the Amgen Tour of California.

Hinchcliffe’s profile raised by hot IndyCar start

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - James Hinchcliffe might have the busiest appointment calendar in IndyCar.

LeBron James shrugs off Bulls’ flopping accusations

CHICAGO (AP) - The suggestion that he's a flopper drew a grin as wide as his wingspan from LeBron James.

Detroit Red Wings finish off Ducks 3-2 in Game 7

ANAHEIM (AP) - Henrik Zetterberg and Valtteri Filppula each had a goal and an assist, and the Detroit Red Wings finished off the Anaheim Ducks with a 3-2 victory in Game 7 on Sunday night.

East Union earns No. 1 seed

Jim Todd gave his East Union girls soccer team the day off on Friday. Come Monday, though, it's back to work. The Lancers will open the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV playoffs on Thursday as the No. 1 seed, a just reward following a one-loss regular season and two hard-fought games against Valley Oak League champion and Division II contender Kimball. On Monday's practice agenda: "Basics," said Todd, the Lancers' seventh-year head coach. "We're getting back ...

DOWN BUT NOT OUT

The roller-coaster ride that is Ripon High's baseball season has hit another valley. The Indians were swept by Orestimba this week following Friday's staggering 13-2 five-inning loss at home. The Warriors (7-3 Trans-Valley League, 14-6 overall), on the other hand, appear to be peaking at the right time. By sweeping Ripon, they hold a tiebreaking advantage and clinched a berth to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V playoffs, something that coach Matt Candelario says, "hasn't happened ...

Manteca tandem stumbles in section semifinals

Yok Jing Ma and Angel Tejada's Cinderella run in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II Doubles Tournament came to an Friday morning at Johnson Ranch Racquet Club in Roseville. The Manteca High tandem did go down with a fight, however dropping a two-plus-hour long match to No. 2-seeded Alick Liang and Gurman Bains of Ceres, 6-3, 3-6, 3-6. "It was extremely competitive throughout," Manteca coach Frank Fontana said. "The Ceres team won the big points when ...

HIGH-WATER VOL MARKS

Erika Brown and the rest of the Ripon High girls swimmers put the cherry on top of a banner season in the Valley Oak League on Saturday. The Lady Indians more or less confirmed their status as regular-season co-champion with their performance in the VOL Championships, placing first with 129 points. Meet host Oakdale, which shares the girls crown with Ripon, posted 105 points. Oakdale dominated to win the boys competition, and the Mustangs topped ...