Prep sports: What were the top ten games from the condensed 2021 high school sports season?
By Kyle Foster
Twitter: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
To say that the last three months have been crazy would be an understatement.
With that being said, never before has it been so nice just to be able to make this list after the events of the last year.
Looking back at the seasons
As if the case, there will be a lot of normal parameters when it comes to having a game qualify for the list. The first and most important thing a game must have is myself being in attendance at the game. In a normal year, the requirement of it being a non-league game would be a requirement that would eliminate a large number of games before the list can even be made. However, this season I only covered one non-league game this year. Every game on this list will be a Vine Valley Athletic League contest due to everything else surrounding the high school sports year. Playoff games would be the only non-league games allowed to make this list, but there weren’t any of those this year. Luckily, they make their long-awaited return next year.
When we start with football, most of the games weren’t close due to the fact Vintage was miles ahead of everyone during the six-week season. That being said, there were some really good games from the rest of the league. The lone non-league game that we saw all year was a football contest between Justin-Siena and St. Vincent de Paul-Petaluma on April 3rd. The Braves won the game 42-19. There were a few games in American Canyon that were also good contests. Napa’s season opener in American Canyon was a defensive battle that they lost 13-3 on March 19th. Justin-Siena’s season-finale was an offensive shootout, in which they also lost 50-42 on April 16th. Of the two football games that were considered to be on the list, the season-opener where Justin-Siena beat Petaluma 7-0 on March 12th just misses.
To put a bow on the football season, it’s worth noting that last year’s winner and No. 1 game of Big Game won’t even appear on the list. There is just one football game that makes this list overall.
Next, we’ll pivot to what is normally winter and basketball season, which went from April to June this season. Basketball after daylight savings time was bizarre in so many ways, but the games certainly didn’t disappoint. In the past, basketball has had the most games in the top ten. However, this year we couldn’t be at as many basketball games, so there may not be as many games on the list.
Basketball is once again the king of having the most games on the list. There are five games from the gym, which is good enough to make up half of our list.
Lastly, we move to the traditional spring sports season where the only difference where the season starting later and mostly a league-only schedule. Baseball and softball gave us some great games, which will be mentioned in the list. Due to the conflict with basketball, we have no games that just missed the list. However, there are four games on this list, which is second most behind basketball.
When we go into the school’s records on this list, Vintage went 5-0, Justin-Siena was 4-3, and Napa was 1-5.
Making this list was a challenge with a lot of games being played on the same days as others. Number 10-7 were easy, but from 7 to 2 it was incredibly hard to figure out what game went where.
Now, let’s get into the list.
10. Sonoma Valley @ Justin-Siena girls basketball, May 31st, 2021
We begin the list with one of the last games we covered this year. It was Senior night for Justin-Siena, where they came away with a 40-36 victory.
This makes it in as the tenth-ranked game because of the exciting comeback we saw in the second half of this game.
Justin-Siena got off to a rough start in the first half. At one point in the first half, they were down by 14 points.
“We felt like in the first half, we actually played better than the score reflected,” Justin-Siena head coach Andy Bettencourt pointed out. “Our halftime was short. We told the girls to stick with what they were doing, made a few minor tweaks in terms of things that we thought we could do better. But this is all about the kids tonight, those kids played their butts off. They competed for every second of that game. They never gave up and we’re just incredibly proud of them.”
The Braves were able to claw their way back into the games behind some solid defense. After all, they held Sonoma to just 15 points in the second half while scoring 31 points.
It also helped that Justin-Siena was able to force a bunch of Sonoma Valley turnovers in the second half as well.
“We started making some big plays defensively,” Bettencourt explained. “I thought what we did was we turned them over a few more times, defensively. That’s at least what it felt like. Then, we were able to turn that into some easy baskets and some transition opportunities.”
The offensive effort was led by Alyssa Curtola who had 12 points on 5-of-6 free-throw shooting and two rebounds. Charmaine Griffin added 11 points while making 2 out of 3 free throws.
To read the full story, go here.
9. American Canyon @ Justin-Siena girls basketball, April 21st, 2021
Oddly enough, coming in ninth on the list was the first Justin-Siena girls basketball game we covered. It was also our second basketball game we had to start the season.
This game also had a massive second-half comeback. However, the one thing that gave this game the edge over the previous game on the list is the magnitude this game ended up having on the league standings. Otherwise, you could make the argument that a coin could be flipped between the two games.
The Braves battled back in the fourth quarter, where they outscored American Canyon 16-3.
“Honestly, I think a couple (of) things (changed),” Justin-Siena head coach Andy Bettencourt said. “I think we got a little more aggressive offensively and started taking some shots that we were maybe passing up early in the game. But honestly, I think we kept playing the way we had been playing defensively and we increased our physicality and we were able to get some stops. When you’re down ten, you’ve got to get stops and we did and then we started making plays offensively and we made some big plays down the stretch. But that last possession on defense was perfect. We didn’t even let them get a shot off.”
However, the game wouldn’t have been quite as close had the Braves connected on more of their free-throw attempts. In the first half, they made just 4 out of 12 attempts. They ended the night going 7 of 16 from the charity stripe.
“That was tough,” Bettencourt emphasized. “We’ve got to keep working on them in practice and again have the confidence that we’re good shooters. Unfortunate to leave that many points at the free-throw line, so we’ve got to keep working on it.”
Justin-Siena was led by Charmaine Griffin who had a great night. She finished with 22 points and six rebounds.
To read the full story, go here.
8. Justin-Siena @ Napa baseball, May 21st, 2021
This game may look like a dominant 3-0 shutout by Justin-Siena. But the game was way more than that.
The game was also a well-pitched one, which is always nice to see. In the game, Justin-Siena won 3-0.
Nick Andrews was the headliner in the game. The junior hurled a complete game shutout where he struck out seven and allowed just three hits.
“I saw what Nick Andrews has done since he was a freshman,” Justin-Siena manager Jeremy Tayson said of his junior right-hander. “He toes the rubber, he throws strikes, and even in that last inning, things were getting a little funky with everyone else – not him, not with him.”
The Braves jumped out to an early two-run lead in the first to help Andrews settle in. Andrews walked and advanced to third on a double by Dalen Tinsley. Andrews came in on a sacrifice fly to center by Noah Young, which also advanced Tinsley to third. A Keith Binz sacrifice fly to left field brought in Tinsley.
“I think it was very important. Like, we took the momentum in this game in the first inning,” Andrews said of the early rally. “With the walk and then Dalen’s double, I think it just created momentum for the game and it pushed us all the way through to the seventh.”
Justin-Siena also added one more run in the fourth when Robby Sangiacomo and Bryce Laukert singled. On a pickoff play to first base, Elliot Zuidema overthrew Kaleb Matulich, which allowed Sangiacomo to score from second.
To read the full story, go here.
7. Napa @ Justin-Siena football, March 26th, 2021
We’ve made it to the only football entry on the list. This matchup was a fun battle of the defenses where Napa came away with a 27-14 victory.
The game was tight until the Grizzlies were able to force a pair of Justin-Siena turnovers, which proved to be the difference. One of the key turnovers came with 6:03 left in the first half when Rudy Hernandez intercepted a Hudson Beers pass from the back of the end zone and later scored from ten yards out.
“All night we’ve been getting pressure on the quarterback and on that play, we had three or four guys in his face and he just threw it up,” Napa High head coach Askari Adams explained. “We tried to thrive off mistakes and that’s what we did. We knew we had to get the offense the ball and luckily we scored ourselves.”
Napa ramped up the pressure on Beers all night long, as they were able to record six sacks.
“They did a good job,” Justin-Siena head coach Brandon LaRocco said of the Napa defense. “They brought pressure from different spots. I think they were aggressive. They’re big up front and physical. So I thought in spots we did well picking it up in other spots, not so much.”
Before the pick-six, the game was a back-and-forth affair. The first score of the game was by Justin-Siena (2-1, 2-1 VVAL) when Beers found Seth Morrison from 14 yards away with 4:50 left in the first quarter.
After a solid kickoff return, Napa tied it up on a Benito Saldivar two-yard touchdown run at the 2:16 mark of the first quarter.
The Braves reassumed the lead with 9:26 left in the first half when Beers again found Morrison for a touchdown – this time from 24 yards out.
With 3:25 left in the half, Mal Turner connected with Issac Rojas from 25 yards out to tie it up once more.
The second half saw Napa kicker Oscar Sotelo convert on a pair of field goals. His first one was from 31 yards out with 6:10 left in the third quarter. Then, with just 3:20 left in the contest, he knocked one in from 22 yards out.
To read the full story, go here.
6. Big Game boys basketball 1 – Vintage @ Napa, May 6th, 2021
Big Game basketball is always a staple on the list. This year, it’s no different.
Even though each team came in with vastly different records, you wouldn’t know it watching the game.
Throughout the game, both teams traded the lead back and forth. At the final buzzer, Vintage won this game 71-62.
The Crushers were able to pull away in the second half thanks to a 16-3 run.
Vintage was led by Jackson Corley who finished the game who finished the game with a team-high 21 points and four rebounds.
Josh McCormick added 12 points and nine rebounds. Logan Nothmann added ten points and brought in three rebounds as well.
“A lot of that is game preparation,” Gongora said. “When we practice, it’s not just one player. We’re not just one-dimensional. We’ve got a number of guys that can be difference makers.”
Meanwhile, Napa was led by Brayden Greenlee who had a game-high 34 points with three rebounds.
“He’s definitely one of our go-to guys,” Garcia said of the senior guard. “I trust every single guy that we make plays for. We practice those plays and we expect everyone to get the hot hand and when one guy’s getting hot, we’re especially going to hit him.”
To read the full story, go here.
5. Big Game girls basketball 1 – Vintage @ Napa, May 7th, 2021
It wouldn’t be a normal year without one of the two Big Game girls basketball. It just so happens that this year it comes in as the start of our top five.
The reason this game gets the edge over the game that was the day before and the previous game on the list is that this game came down to the last possession at the end. When it was all over, Vintage came away with a 43-41 victory.
This game was turned on its head thanks to Lizzie Qui. The sophomore guard put the team on her back when they were down by eight.
Qui ended the night with a game-high 25 points along with four rebounds.
“Well, I asked her to,” Vintage head coach Joe Donohoe explained. “Coaches are only as good as their best players.”
“Lizzie is a really phenomenal player. We knew that coming in,” Napa head coach Taylor Willis pointed out.
Napa gained their eight-point edge in large part to the fact that Qui was in foul trouble with three fouls.
“I think we were definitely we were taking the momentum. We were going with it,” Willis explained. “We felt comfortable and confident. I think we felt too comfortable. I think that just kind of happens. In all honesty, we haven’t really been up on teams this year. So, I think we were like ‘okay, we’re right where we want to be.’ But I think we just felt a little too comfortable. Then, Lizzie snuck her way in and she started hitting those shots.”
Napa was led by Maizy Armstrong-Brown who finished with a double-double scoring 18 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Sophia Mostow added 10 points and two rebounds.
To read the full story, go here.
4. Napa @ Justin-Siena baseball, April 28th, 2021
While the second meeting between these two teams was a great meeting, this one tops it. This one also takes the fourth spot thanks to the wild finish.
Justin-Siena won this game 6-4.
The game turned when the Braves scored two runs with two outs in the bottom of the fifth. After Madden Edwards was hit by a pitch and Keith Binz singled, both of them advanced a base on a balk by Aiden Chatham. After the balk, a Braden Snoke single brought home both of them and tied the game at 4.
“They’re competitive,” Justin-Siena manager Jeremy Tayson said of Napa bouncing back from the balk. “Because even though they balked, they got the next two guys out.”
“We were running our bunt defense and we had a pick play on and Aiden stepped off,” Napa skipper Jason Chatham said of the balk. “He even stepped off the mound, I was watching him closely and because I wanted to make sure that he executed what I was looking for. I was looking for execution of this pick play. I saw him step off the mound. That’s not what the umpire saw.”
During the bottom of the sixth, Justin-Siena took the lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. After a single by Edwards, a Keith Binz doubled to left-center that missed being a home run by inches. Binz then came in on a single by Max Zuntz.
Napa score first in the game when they pushed two across in the top of the first. After being hit by a pitch, Dylan Snider came home on a Connor Ross double. Ross later scored on a Calvin Snider single.
The Grizzlies also scored two runs in the top of the fifth. Ross walked and then came home on a Cameron Taylor single. Taylor came home when Calvin Snider reached on an error.
Each starter received a no-decision.
Starting for Justin-Siena was David Elias. In 64 pitches, he went 4.2 innings, striking out one and walking one. Getting the win in relief was Snoke. He worked 1.1 innings on the day. The junior also struck out one and walked one on 21 pitches.
Meanwhile, Dylan Snider started the game for Napa. He worked four innings on 81 pitches. In those 81 pitches, he walked six and struck out two.
To read the full story, go here.
3. Vintage @ Justin-Siena baseball, April 21st, 2021
This was our first baseball game of the season. Safe to say, we couldn’t have asked for a better way to begin the baseball season.
The funny thing is this was the front-end our a two-sport doubleheader this day. The backend already made the list at No. 9.
In the first VVAL game for both teams, Vintage came away with a 6-5 victory.
The Braves appeared to have the game in hand after scoring two in the bottom of the sixth when a Noah Young single brought in Nick Andrews and Dalen Tinsley. Andrews reached base on a double while Tinsley had a double.
“His first at-bats of the season, so as the game went on he got a little better,” Justin-Siena skipper Jeremy Tayson said of Young’s effort. “(He) had a nice line drive into right-center. Noah’s just getting his baseball legs underneath him and the more he plays, the better he’s going to get. I anticipate him having an all-league caliber season.”
However, the seventh inning saw the Crushers take the lead on a two-RBI single by Alex Dehzad that scored Davide Migotto and Nick Schuttish. Migotto reached on a single that was followed by Schuttish getting hit by a pitch.
“Just to do a job,” Dehzad said as to what he was thinking before getting the game-winning hit. “Try and get some runners in, get us the lead. Just find the gap. I didn’t exactly do my job by putting the ball to third but still got the job done.”
Each starting pitcher in the game got a no-decision.
Dylan Rody started for the Crushers. He went 2.2 innings and allowed three runs. The senior walked three and struck out two on the day.
Getting the win in relief was Jorge Lopez-Rios. Lopez-Rios wiggled out of a bases-loaded, nobody out situation in the bottom of the fifth. Connor Smith recorded the save.
Andrews went three innings. The junior allowed two runs, both earned. He also struck out two and walked one.
To read the full story, go here.
2. Vintage @ Justin-Siena boys basketball, April 22nd, 2021
The highest-ranking basketball game on the list was a dandy.
In this game, Vintage came away with a close 44-40 victory.
The Crushers gained separation in this game when they went on a huge 17-2 run that lasted until the 3:35 mark of the third quarter. At the half, the game was tied at 14.
“We kind of stopped clamming up and we just played basketball,” Vintage senior forward Josh McCormick explained. “We got stops on defense and then we came down on the other end and then we came down the other way and we trusted each other and we just attacked the rim hard and made good passes and you just got buckets.”
“We kept going against the grain or kept going against the very thing Justin was trying to take away from us,” Vintage head coach Ben Gongora said. “We were playing to Justin’s strengths, instead of taking what they were giving us, which they were forcing us out of the middle.”
While the third quarter went to Vintage, the fourth went to Justin-Siena (0-2, 0-2 VVAL). The Braves were able to come roaring back due in large part that they were executing better and the fact that shots were also going down.
“We executed,” Justin-Siena head coach Dave Granucci explained. “They did what they were asking them to do and to a tee.”
Leading the way for Vintage in this game was McCormick who finished the night with 12 points and five rebounds. Logan Nothmann added eight points and five rebounds.
Justin-Siena was led by Vince Jackson who finished the game with a double-double by scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
To read the full story, go here.
1. Big Game softball 2 – Napa @ Vintage, May 20th, 2021
As is the case, a Big Game took the top spot. The only difference from past years is the honor of the top spot was passed to the softball diamond.
In this game, Vintage came away with a 3-0 victory over Napa.
This game was a pitcher’s duel, which is what made is what set up for a great finish. The great finish we’re talking about is what put this one as number one. In the bottom of the seventh, the game ended when Shelby Morse ripped a three-run homer over the fence in left-center. The rally had been set up on a walk by Raimy Gamsby and a single by Bianca Avalos.
“Honestly, I was going up there thinking I needed to get a base hit,” Morse said of her game-winning at-bat. “I was going up there thinking like ‘we just need to get Raimy to third, get her in somehow.’ I was actually thinking about how I didn’t really warm up. It had been a hot minute since I swung.”
The game was highlighted by missed opportunities and great pitching. Napa left eight runners stranded in this one, six of which were in scoring position.
“We were looking at pitches we shouldn’t be looking at,” Napa manager Ron Walston explained of the missed chances. “The strike zone was heavy to the inside and they knew it. They saw it early and just didn’t adjust. We’ve just got to take better advantage of opportunities. I mean, that’s kind of where we’ve been all year.”
Vintage left just two runners on base in the game.
The Crushers had dominant pitching on the afternoon. Starting and getting a no-decision was Gamsby. In five innings of work, she struck out nine and walked two. She also threw 81 pitches.
Getting the win was Morse. In just two innings, she struck out two and walked two. She also threw 29 pitches.
Despite pitching marvelously, Karen Sepulveda took the loss. In six-plus innings, she allowed just three runs. The senior struck out one and walked one as well.
To read the full story, go here.
