3 left in state meet

BAKERSFIELD - It wasn't a good way to start, especially in an event of this magnitude.

Pitman, Turlock tennis teams look for another league title

The Pitman High and Turlock High boys tennis teams know how to make life in the Central California Conference exciting. Last season is a prime example, seeing how the teams finished with a share of the league title.

Area golf teams hoping to make season memorable

The theme for the high school boys golf teams is this: Keep getting better, keep climbing up.

4 local wrestlers destined for this weekend’s state tournament

For some, the dream began last summer inside a hot and sweaty wrestling room with no one else except for themselves and their coaches. For some, the dream started well before then, when they were still learning the fundamentals of their new sport.

Eagles make it close, but fall in semifinals

GALT - The Turlock Christian girls basketball players could have easily submitted, letting their opponents run all over them. At one point, a fan shouted, "Make them go home early."

Moreno becomes first female Bulldog state wrestling winner

For a moment, Alexia Moreno thought it was going to be over. The Turlock High junior wrestler had this notion during the second period of her 119-pound championship match in the CIF Girls State Tournament at Lemoore High.

Masters of their fates

STOCKTON - Fabian Garcia and Emilio Saavedra are two different wrestlers from two different sides of Turlock.

Eagles headed to semis

For the second time in two games, the Turlock Christian girls basketball players started out slowly.

Season’s over for Bulldogs

It was a frustrating sight for fans of Turlock High girls basketball to watch their team fail to capitalize on wide-open layups and other easy opportunities. They groaned and tried their best to spread words of encouragement from the stands of Bulldog Arena.

Denair’s playoff run ends in opening round

In its first playoff game in four years, the Denair High boys basketball team traveled to Sacramento to play Capital Christian High. Though the Coyotes produced a good effort, the ride home must've been tough to get through.

Bulldogs finally get over first-round hump

For the Turlock High girls basketball team, the first round of the playoffs has been somewhat of a prison sentence.

Farrar’s triple-double leads Eagles in playoff victory

Turlock Christian High senior guard Molly Farrar understood the circumstances. Though her girls basketball team was favored to win the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V first-round game, she didn't let that slip into her head.

Bulldogs to host big, athletic squad

Before the last third of the league season commenced, coach Doug Cornfoot issued a challenge to his Turlock High boys basketball players. He wanted them to take every game as a do-or-die situation.

Perez, Saavedra lead Pride to runner-up finish

MODESTO - With his face still covered in sweat and the bruises on his body still fresh, Pitman High senior wrestler Andrew Perez made an announcement just outside of the Gregori High gym, where this season's Sac-Joaquin Section Division I South Championships took place on Saturday.

Bulldogs qualify four for Section tournament

MODESTO - Once he took off his trademark hat and his warm-ups, it didn't take very long for Turlock High senior wrestler Fabian Garcia to be crowned a three-time champion at the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I South Championships on Saturday night.

Before he became QB of the 49ers, Kaepernick was a Pitman standout looking for a chance to play coll

The piece of binder paper is slightly wrinkled. Surprisingly, it's still rather white after being stored in a manila envelope for about seven years. On the sheet are words written by an 11-year-old boy. This boy made a collection of bold predictions in Bret Sutterley's fourth-grade class at Turlock's Dutcher Elementary School. In 1998, the teacher instructed his students to write a letter to their future selves with thoughts on what they'll be ...

Goodbye, Turlock

Though I grew up in the Central Valley, I knew very little about Turlock. I knew it had a college, a couple high schools, good places to eat and shop … and that was about it. Call me naïve back then. After three years at the Journal, I will never look at Turlock the same again. I started as an education reporter in September 2008, but a few months later I segued ...

Pitman breezes through first round

The first two sets were a breeze. As for the third set? The Pitman High volleyball players knew they had to stay cool against a Kennedy High team that wanted to capture just one set before a long drive back to Sacramento. The setback, however, was no big deal for the No. 6 Pride, who overcame two late deficits for the 25-8, 25-8, 25-23 win at the Pitman High gym on Tuesday ...

Pride water polo’s fast start results in postseason win

MODESTO - It wasn't much of a challenge, not because Pitman High boys water polo faced a much lesser opponent. It was just that the Pride made it look that way. "Our guys just came out real hot," coach Drew Clute said. That statement perfectly summed up Pitman's performance against Johansen High, the top seed from the Modesto Metro Conference, in the opening round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I Tournament ...

Bulldogs water polo stomp over Modesto, enter today’s quarterfinals

MODESTO - In Saturday's Sac-Joaquin Section Division I opening round match against Modesto High, there was a sequence that made veteran Turlock High boys water polo coach Steve Feaver think, "Oh, wow." It happened near the end of the second period, when the Bulldogs were down two defenders. Usually, when a team is on the defensive, the players give up an easy goal. Not this time. Senior goalkeeper Neil Wraske knocked down ...

Pitman, Turlock, Hilmar football set for playoffs

Last week, the Pitman High and Turlock High football teams produced a Harvest Bowl classic. The game ended in the final seconds in the regular season finale. Pitman celebrated joyously after winning 16-13, while Turlock came together for a somber post-game meeting. But now, it's time to move on. The No. 7 Pride (9-1 overall) will host No. 10 West High of Tracy (6-4 overall) at Debely Stadium on Thursday at ...

Another close one

Pitman, Turlock football trade jabs in recent Harvest Bowls

For the first few years, the main location of the Harvest Bowl trophy was on the Pitman High campus. But for the last four years, it's been moving from place to place like an unstable sports franchise. Truthfully, the owners of the Harvest Bowl trophy don't do too much to the shiny object. Maybe they'll take a picture with it or show it off from time to time. Other than that, it ...

THS, TC golfers end season at Masters

STOCKTON - For golfers from Turlock High and Turlock Christian High, their season ended among the best golfers in the Sac-Joaquin Section. At Monday's Masters Tournament, which was set in nice, non-windy weather, Hannah Gong shot an impressive 13-over par 85 to finish as the top Turlock scorer at The Reserve at Spanos Park as her Bulldogs finished with a 466 - not enough to move on - and beating last year's team ...

Not enough for Hilmar

HILMAR - In perhaps the biggest game since winning the 2008 Sac-Joaquin Section title, the Hilmar High football team knew what was at stake Friday night in the mega-showdown against Escalon High, which is best known as the defending state champ in Division III. But a poor first half was too much for the Yellowjackets to overcome. Despite holding the Cougars scoreless in the final two quarters, as well as rendering standout ...

Bulldogs soccer wins first league title in 15 years

After Tuesday's loss to Golden Valley High, the Turlock High boys soccer team thought its hopes of a Central California Conference title were gone. "We basically thought we lost it already when we lost to Golden Valley," Turlock junior forward Ty Hyer said. But they didn't. They needed to beat crosstown rival Pitman High for a third time on Thursday afternoon, and that's what the Bulldogs did - though just barely. ...

In Feaver’s home farewell, Bulldogs finish with undefeated season

In front of hundreds of cheering fans, and as the night fell cold underneath the lit up Turlock sky, Steve Feaver took a dip into the swimming pool. With his clothes on. Well, it was more like a forced dip, a sort of water polo's take on the Gatorade bath popular in other sports. His Turlock High players wanted to congratulate him in what likely was his final home match at the facility ...

Turlock water polo handles Pitman in season finale

When the season started, Turlock High girls water polo coach Sonja Raynes wasn't sure about her team. The Bulldogs were young. But after Thursday night's 9-1 win over crosstown rival Pitman High in the regular season final, Raynes knew what she had. The Bulldogs controlled the match from the very beginning and never let up, thanks to standout performances by Kristine Groteguth (two goals, one assist, six steals), Haley Raynes (two goals, ...

THS’ Barton top runner in final league meet

Though seemingly out of breath, Ron Barton walked past race officials and other runners around the finish line area and found a tree to lean on - well beyond his team's designated park tables, while other finishers slapped hands and talked about their performance. No one was around him. He wanted to be alone. In terms of time, he had completed his best race of the cross country season at the ...

Bulldogs lose starting QB to injury

Sean Downs, the tough and relentless Turlock High sophomore who quarterbacked the Bulldogs to a playoff berth, is out for the season. He fractured his collarbone during last week's 27-24 win over Golden Valley High at Veterans Stadium in Merced. He is unable to play for four weeks. The injury happened in the final 2 minutes of the Central California Conference game, when he sprinted toward the sideline and tried to get ...