Striving for perfection

A self-described "athletic snob" who seeks perfection in every race, Paul Lyons IV has made great strides - figuratively and literally speaking - in his short but phenomenal career as a high school hurdler.

Style and substance

Jerrica Hauck has the hair for the dramatic. And the colorful mismatched socks to go with the red-dyed 'do. "Pole vaulters are prone to be weird, wacky and random," said the spunky East Union High junior, whose meteoric rise as a pole vaulter followed an impulsive decision to give the event a try during practice as a freshman. Training to be a long jumper at the time, she was instructed to run six 150-meter intervals ...

Paving new lanes

If dreaming to become a championship NASCAR driver seemed too far-fetched or unrealistic, the reality of Jacob Gomes' first SRL Spears Southwest Tour win recently has provided the dreams with some foundation.

Rivals now teammates for North

STOCKTON - Rivalries have been set aside for the 38th Annual Central California Lions All-Star Football Game, one of the four oldest events of its kind in California.

Ladiges going from Pacific to Pacific (Oregon)

STOCKTON - Robert Ladiges will put his talents on display at the University of the Pacific this Saturday.

Horse racing to kick off at SJC Fairgrounds

Horse racing fans will get a chance to take advantage of live thoroughbred racing as the San Joaquin County Fair Live Horse Racing kicks off its four-day run at 1:15 p.m. for the first of eight races in Stockton.

Lyons finishes prep career in Golden West Invitational

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }Paul Lyons IV ran his last meet in Manteca High garb Saturday. While it wasn't the grand finish to his prep career that he had hoped for, Lyons still got to see top-notch competition in the prestigious 52nd Golden West Invitational at Folsom High's Prairie City Stadium. He put together a solid effort in the 110-meter hurdles, placing fifth with a 14.44-second time against some of the ...

Tips from a pro

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }<font face="Times New Roman, serif">There is always room for improvement in baseball, even for those who teach the game.</font> "That's what I love about it, we're always maturing and learning more about this game," retired pro catcher Ken Huckaby said after completing a two-day hitting clinic at Sierra High Tuesday. "You never get to the point to where you've perfected it."

Vaughn, Sea Lions reign in Oakdale

Nine new records were set in the Oakdale Invitational Saturday, and Ripon's Rosie Vaughn was a part of three record-setting performances.

Two titles, one league

Bragging rights go to the oldest Little League organization in town. It was an all-Manteca Little League finale in the first Manteca City Tournament minor-division title game at Neil Hafley School Monday, as the Brewers held off the Pirates, 5-1. On Saturday, it was Manteca Little League's Angels that claimed the tournament's major-division championship by beating the Northgate Rays, 8-2. The Brewers, who will soon represent their league in the District 67 Tournament of the ...

MANTECA CITY CHAMPS

The Manteca Little League Angels scored early and often to take the Manteca City League Tournament majors division title with an 8-2 victory over the Northgate Little League Rays Saturday.

Scott Brooks to provide instruction at MUSD Camp

Area youth will have an opportunity to meet and pick up some tips from Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks in two weeks.

Ripon’s Scott named Trans Valley League Pitcher of the Year

Ripon High's Justin Scott was voted Pitcher of the Year in the Trans Valley League, after helping the Indians finish second in the conference.

Up and running

Two things influenced Terri Hauck's decision to start the Lancer Youth Track and Field Club - the first of its kind in Manteca.

Reindel finishes second in state championships

Lancer Youth Wrestling team standout Jaysen Reindel just missed on becomng the 120-pound boys novice champion during the Dave Schultz Kids Freestyle State Tournament, finishing an impressive tournament run with a second place finish this past weekend in Fresno.

RIPON WAVES

He’s running Down Under

By JAMES BURNS

Thunder claim Western title; Kelly Cup Finals start Saturday

STOCKTON &ndash; 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 ...