Youth roundup: Masiel makes it happen at U.S. Kids Golf event

Davis resident Jackson Masiel, 12, finished in a tie for first after regulation play at the recent U.S. Kids Golf Wildhawk Junior tournament, firing a 2-over 74.

Masiel, a seventh-grader at Holmes Junior High, shot 36-38 on the par-72 course before eventually taking second place after a pair of playoff holes.

With the strong finish, Masiel finds himself in fourth place in the Sacramento Winter Tour point standings, which qualifies him for the U.S. Kids Golf World Championships set for this summer in Pinehurst, N.C.

Wildcats 12U hoops

The Davis Hoops Wildcats’ 12U boys Black team won the Presidents Day Challenge Tournament in Rocklin last weekend.

In the opener, the Wildcats defeated the North Bay Basketball Association, 50-36, with Kayden Hoal (14 points) and Rayan Tilmatine (10) dominating in the paint. Davis point guard Collin Yee paced the offense with nine points and two assists, Will Ziegler (eight points) shot well from the perimeter, and Henry Siegler and Max Seed each scored four points.

The locals then beat the Reno Ballers, 51-42, in the pivotal second game behind Hoal’s 12 points and 16 rebounds. Other key scoring came from Tilmatine (13), Yee (nine) and Lance Prussell (eight points, two blocks) as the Wildcats pulled away with great defense in the fourth quarter.

That win put Davis in the championship contest, where it ran all over the YBA Xtreme, 37-12. Erick Lengtat contributed to a balanced local scoring effort with six points, while Yee posted a strong all-around performance that included five points, two assists and two blocks. Hoal added 10 points and nine rebounds for the Wildcats.

Wildcats 8th-grade hoops

The Davis Wildcats’ eighth-grade boys Black team started strong with a 53-33 win over NBBA on its way to taking second place at the Presidents Day Challenge

In the victory, Trevor Hewitt controlled the boards inside, collecting 11 rebounds to go with his 10 points, while Ben Bergevin kept the ball in the locals’ hands with eight steals, scoring 15 points. Griffin Duisenberg added to the offensive punch for the Wildcats with 12 points and three assists and other contributions came from Jesus Jimenez (six points) and Miles Lampley (one basket).

Davis continued to roll, getting past the Delta Running Rebels, 41-30. Bergevin was the top scorer with 12 points, adding five steals, and Greg Silver chipped in six points.

In the championship matchup, the locals fell just short, 43-35, against the YBA Extreme. The Davis boys pulled to within three points in the second half, but struggled to make shots down the stretch. In the loss, the Wildcats were paced by Yiorgos Callaway with nine points.

Davis Diamonds gymnastics

Eleven gymnasts represented the Davis Diamonds at last weekend’s Star Wars Invitational in Redding.

At Level 4, Davis 8-year-old Lukas Smith took fourth in the all-around, while 9-year-old William Taylor finished third on pommel horse and fifth all-around. In addition, Markus Engwall, 9, used wins on floor and rings to capture second all-around.

Four more Diamonds gymnasts competed at Level 5, with 10-year-old Joshua Faith pacing the effort. Faith’s victories on still bar, parallel bar and high bar gave him a career-best all-around score, which was good for second place.

Also at Level 5, 8-year-old Leo Cooper excelled on pommel horse and took sixth all-around, one spot ahead of teammate Henri Schulz, 9. Tristan Langenegger, 8, placed third in the all-around with a personal-best score that was bolstered by second-place finishes on vault and high bar.

Davis’ Level 6 athletes earned third place as a team with Dante Yasui, 14, winning vault to take fourth all-around and qualify for the state championships. Other strong performances came from 10-year-old Kyle Moeller, who was second on rings and fourth all-around, Peter Conant (11th in the 13-year-old all-around) and Racha Elsbach, a 13-year-old who took sixth on still rings to finish ninth all-around.

Heat soccer

The Davis Heat, a U16 girls soccer team, made it all the way to the quarterfinals of the Las Vegas Mayors Cup International Showcase last weekend, narrowly missing a chance to advance.

The locals opened with a 1-0 victory over the Edmonton Scottish United, behind Jaha McClean’s early goal. Sophia Hernandez set up the tally with a corner kick, Mikayla Vang and Emily Strack provided offensive pressure and Davis got stingy defense from Hannah Thompson, Annie Leck and Renee Schuman.

Another 1-0 win, this time over the Nevada Downtown Rapids, came courtesy of an outstanding offensive performance, paced by Heat standouts Kristin Ward, Melissa Teuber and Alexia Moore. Eventually, Claire Dicker was able to set up Suleikha Sutter for the game-winner in the final minutes.

Game 3 saw Davis play the Colorado Rush Nike to a 2-2 draw as Hernandez scored once and assisted Olivia Haass for the second goal on a play that begin with a great run by Brooke Rosenblum.

That put the locals in the quarterfinals, where the Calgary Foothills Gryphons needed a shootout to get past the Heat. Davis keeper Christina Roeckl-Navazio capped an outstanding tournament performance with two sensational saves, but it wasn’t enough as the Gryphons prevailed, 4-3.