Youth roundup: NorCal posts several high hockey finishes

NorCal Extreme had three teams in the recent Pacific Inline Hockey League tournament in Woodland and each got at least second place with the 14U squad winning its division.

The NorCal’s 12U team dominated games against the Chico Firebirds (7-0) and the Stockton Junior Thunder (6-0) and edged the Ripon Redtails (6-4) to reach the age-group title matchup. There, the Extreme couldn’t get past Antioch and finished in second overall.

The locals were paced by seven goals from Sam Blakewell, and hat tricks by Brandon Pacciorini, Cole Skoog, Thomas Witham and Nick Blakewell. Jack Shields and Keith Walker each tallied once, while U12 goalie Max Muller saved 84 percent of the shots he saw.

NorCal’s 14U squad breezed past the San Jose Tsunami Red (7-1) and the Delta River Rats (10-1), then made the championship contest despite a 2-2 tie against the Tsunami Blue. In the title game, the Extreme got past Watch and Learn, 3-2, to take first place in the division.

Joe Blakewell’s eight goals led the local offense while Miguel Witham, Michael Cognetti and Pacciorini each had three and Sam Blakewell and Dylan Lee added two apiece. NorCal’s Max Landy was strong on defense in front of 14U goalie Nicholas Leacox (93 percent save rate).

The oldest Extreme squad won three 16U round-robin games — beating Chico (2-0), the Tsunami (5-3) and Ripon (2-1) — then made the title tilt despite a loss to Antioch. The two teams matched up again for the championship and NorCal couldn’t win the rematch, taking second place.

Joe Blakewell had four more goals in this division, and Caleb Hermle and Danny Kumata scored two each. Henry Campbell’s tally completed the local scoring with Ryan Kowta (one assist) and Tyler Schafer also contributing on offense. The Extreme defense was paced by Dalton Byard and Leacox, who saved 85 percent of the shots he saw.

Aquadarts swimming

Competing at the NCSA Junior National Championships in Orlando, Fla., four Davis Aquadarts posted top-eight finishes, with another three local swimmers making final heats in a performance that was one of the best in program history.

Davis also came back with several team and league records, and also with six times that ranked among that top 100 in USA swimming history.

USA swimming tracks the top 100 times ever swum at each age group and Aquadarts Chenoa Devine and Tara Halsted each cracked two lists, while Jonathan Pun and Matt Whittle accomplished the feat once.

Halsted, a Davis High senior who will swim for Stanford next fall, took fourth in the 200 butterfly, touching the wall in 1:58.12, good for 82nd on the all-time U.S. 17-18 girls list. Her time of 1:55.42 in the 200 backstroke was 42nd ever and put her in fifth place at the championships.

Blue Devil freshman Devine captured seventh place in the 1,650 freestyle with the 60th best time on USA swimming’s  13-14 girls list (16:32.25). Her 1,000 free time was 52nd in history.

On the boys side, Whittle took eighth in the 200 breaststroke, touching the wall in the 67th-fastest time ever in the 17-18 division (1:59.09). He also finished seventh at the meet in the 100 breast (55.29).

Pun also performed well in the breaststroke as his 20th-place time of 56.49 in the 100 was 81st on the all-time 15-16 list and he also capture 21st in the 200 (2:03.13).

Other Aquadart standouts included Alex Rieger, who finished eighth for her age group in the girls 50 free (23.35), Riley Hickman, Emma Barksdale and Kathleen Benjamin.

Diamonds gymnastics

Eight boys represented Davis Diamonds at the Northern California Gymnastics Association State Championship meet held at different locations depending on level.

At the Level 5 event in San Luis Obispo, 8-year-old Tristan Langenegger used a back level to place second on the still rings, then matched that finish in the high bar after performing a flyaway. Davis’ Joshua Faith, 10, placed second on the parallel bars by performing a front uprise, and ranked high enough in his age group to earn a trip to the regionals next month in Reno.

The rest of the Diamonds competed at the Level 6-10 event last weekend in Oroville.

In Level 6 action, local 10-year-old Kyle Moeller was 18th on still rings and finished 26th in the all-around, while Dante Yasui, 14th, placed eighth on the high bar and sixth on vault. Yasui’s all-around score qualified him for regionals.

Daniel Bair’s strong Level 7 performance included a silver on high bar and a tie for first place on vault. Meanwhile, Arvin Domier tied for eighth on the floor exercise and took seventh on vault as both Diamonds gymnasts advanced to regionals.

Also getting a trip to Reno were Davis’ Samuel Resendez, who earned 10th on the parallel bars and 12th on floor at Level 9, and Patrick Long (11th on vault, 12th on floor) at Level 10.

Los Azules soccer

The Davis Alliance Los Azules, a U16 boys soccer team, went on the road to beat the Folsom Red Bulls, 2-1, on Saturday. After a scoreless first half, Davis’ Ruben Mendoza scored the first goal off an assist from Anirudh Ramakrishnan.

After the Red Bulls tied it up, Bryant Murray delivered the ball to Mendoza, who scored again. Good supporting offensive play also came from Los Azules players Thomas Oide and Alec Farboud.

Murray, Ryan Quinn, Murtaza Masroor and Ryan Tinsley paced the local defense, while goalie Kevin Riley made four nice saves. Davis midfielders Juan Pablo Almanza, Otto Nichols, Will Stukas, Caleb McYates and Winston Tran also made solid contributions.