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The Foothill High girls’ volleyball team kept crushing it last week, taking a pair of East Bay Athletic League matches as well as winning the Bay Area Classic.
In a sweep of Livermore, the Falcons got highlights from Sophia Burdick (8 kills on 8 attempts), Kaycie Burdick (10 service points) and Paige Nelson (5 kills).
Next, the Falcons beat Carondelet 3-0, getting great play from Katie Salonga (33 assists, 11 service points), Kait Vogel (16 service points, 12 digs) and Paige Bennett (15 kills, 5 aces).
In the tournament, Foothill beat Aptos (2-0), Sequoia (2-0). Central Catholic (2-0) and Monte Vista in the final, 21-25, 25-8, 15-6.
Highlights came from Salonga (105 assists, 32 service points, 20 digs), Bennett (46 kills, 37 digs, 26 service points), Kaycie Burdick (28 kills, 19 kills, 11 service points) and Vogel (31 digs, 22 service points).
Amador Hall of Fame
The Amador Valley Sports Hall of Fame will induct another deserving class this Friday (Sept. 22) before the Amador-Foothill football game.
Rick Sira, Greg Kragen, Jean Zedlitz, the 2010 baseball team, Art Morley and Neil Sweeney are the six new members.
Following is information on each of the inductees from the Amador HOF committee:
Rick Sira: Sira was at the helm of the Amador football team for 30 years, from 1985-2015. Coach Sira instituted one clear and emphatic credo to all his players: Big Team, Little Me.
Under his direction, the Amador Valley Dons won EBAL titles in 1996, 1997 and 2004; shared titles in 1994 and 1990. His teams reached North Coast Section playoff championship games in 1996, 1997 and 2004. Sira retired as the longest continuously tenured East Bay high school varsity football coach with one school. His wife Rita, son Brian and daughter Carley (both Amador grads) were very instrumental in Rick’s success.
Greg Kragen: Kragen was a 1980 graduate, playing three years of basketball and four years of football. During his football career Kragen was named All-EBAL his senior year. He attended Utah State University and played defensive line for four years.
Kragen went on to the NFL where he spent the most time with the Denver Broncos, also playing for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Carolina Panthers during his 12-year career. Kragen played in the Pro Bowl in 1989, was part of five conference championships, and earned three Super Bowl berths.
Jean Zedlitz: Zedlitz graduated in 1986 and played varsity golf all four years. She won the 1985 EBAL title as a female competing against the boys and beat them all. Zedlitz attended UCLA on a golf scholarship and won three collegiate events in 1989. She played for 10 years on the LPGA Tour.
2010 Amador Valley baseball team: Coached by Lou Cesario, Vince Albanese, Erik Ekstrom, Tony Battilega and Kirk Ekstrom, the team accumulated incredible stats. They were the first baseball team to earn the title of EBAL champions in 30 years and the first team to win the NCS Championship in school history. They won 16 straight games and finished No. 1 in the state. This team was also ranked No. 1 in the nation for two weeks.
Art Morley: Morley lived in Pleasanton for 30 years. His six children attended Amador from 1985 to 2005 and participated in athletics. For 20-plus years, even after his kids graduated, Morley was a dedicated booster and supporter of Amador athletics.
Through these years he served in many capacities spending hours volunteering including Booster Club member, Amador Valley boys’ and girls’ basketball announcer, helped construct the current stadium snack bar, gave inspirational speeches to teams, helped scouting upcoming football opponents and participated in countless booster fundraisers to help fund Amador athletics.
Neil Sweeney: Sweeney came to Amador in 1951 and was the varsity football coach from 1951-57. In 1957, he became an administrator at Amador and stayed in that role until 1972. As an administrator, Sweeney made it a point to attend as many Amador sports games as possible to support the coaches and athletes. He emphasized the importance of high school athletics and wanted the Amador sports teams to be successful.
Some of the current Hall of Fame coaches and teachers that Sweeney hired include Skip Mohatt and Don Underwood. All eight of Sweeney’s children went to Amador, covering from 1951-1983. Three of Sweeney’s grandchildren are also Amador alumni.
Editor’s note: Dennis Miller is a contributing sports writer for the Pleasanton Weekly. To contact him about his Pleasanton Preps column, email acesmag@aol.com.
