Napa athletes younger and older shine at Arizona track and field meets

By Marty James

NOTES AND QUOTES for a Friday in the Napa Valley:

Napa athletes performed very well last weekend at Northern Arizona University’s Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff, as the venue hosted a trio of indoor track and field meets.

Dominic Giovannoni, a 2008 Napa High School graduate, continued his steady improvement in the 60-meter high hurdles in collegiate action on Saturday, as athletes from Arizona, California, Hawaii, New Mexico and Utah met for the Northern Arizona Classic. Giovannoni recorded a personal-best time of 8.41 seconds en route to a second-place finish in the finals. That time will earn him a spot in the Big Sky Conference Championships in the event, which will take place Feb. 27 and 28.

Giovannoni has had an impressive freshman season for NAU, having previously posted qualifying marks in both the high jump and the heptathlon.

On Sunday, the Skydome opened its doors to a pair of meets that featured age-based competition for both younger and older participants. The Western Zone Junior Olympic Indoor Championships drew a huge crowd of athletes ages 8 to 18, while the Western Regional Masters Indoor Championships saw some of the country’s best athletes over the age of 40 in action.

Several of Napa’s top track and field athletes escaped the rainy and cold conditions at home to participate.

Kurt Ruegg, Napa High’s outstanding cross country and distance runner, won the very competitive high school boys mile run. The 16 year-old set a personal record in the event. His time, when adjusted for Flagstaff’s 7,000-foot elevation, was a very impressive 4:35.1.

Mario Giovannoni, also a 16-year-old member of Napa High’s junior class, turned in a very good early-season performance in the high jump. Competing for the first time in 2009, he had a clearance of 6 feet, 5 inches, and a pair of near misses at 6-7.

The final member of the Napa contingent to compete was Tony Giovannoni, the father of Dominic and Mario.

Giovannoni, 50, is a coach for the Napa Track Club and Napa High. He was returning to competition for the first time since high school. His masters debut was a successful one, as he captured gold in the 60-meter hurdles and took home the silver medal in the high jump.

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Frank Abbott and Dave Carroll both shot 77 and qualified for the match play portion of the PayPal San Francisco City Championships in the senior division at Harding Park Golf Course.

On Thursday, Abbott beat Bob Ackerman of Oakdale, 3 and 1. The win advances Abbott into the next round.

Carroll lost his match yesterday.

Both golfers play out of Silverado Resort.

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Shawn Moss will coach a fourth and fifth grade AAU girls basketball team, the Napa Renegades, who are entered in four tournaments starting in April. The Renegades will travel to San Francisco and Sacramento.

The team consists of Isabella Bollman, Addie Dearden, Gianna Gagetta, Alyssa Ilsley, Jamie Mills, Erin Mills, Taylor Moss, Riley Pridmore, Natalie Teague and Ashley Vogen.

The Renegades’ assistant coach is Darren Vogen.

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The National Federation of State High School Associations has banned the horse-collar tackle from prep football. The Indianapolis-based NFHS, the governing body for about 19,000 high schools in the country, also banned grabbing an opponent’s chin strap, along with the existing rules against grabbing the face mask or the edge of a helmet opening.

The association also approved a rule mandating that no more than three coaches may be in a designated area to talk to players during dead-ball situations. The coaches must retreat into the team box before the ball is put into play. This is designed to avoid sideline injuries.

The changes are effective for this fall.

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Santa Rosa High School cross country coach Doug Courtemarche is among 13 coaches statewide who have been selected as 2008-09 CIF Model Coach Award winners. The CIF Model Coach Award program, now in its eighth year, is designed to recognize coaches who have served as positive role models in their schools and communities, and who have exhibited the traits apparent in the 16 principles of Pursuing Victory with Honor.

Courtemarche is an important figure at Santa Rosa HS and in the greater community. The school’s cross country coach since 1992, Courtemarche has trained two individual state champions.

In addition to coaching, Courtemarche has organized the All-City Track Meet and the Big Cat Invitational for more than 10 years. He was rewarded for his work in Santa Rosa by being named a community hero in 1996, an honor that allowed him to carry the Olympic torch in the Olympic Torch Relay.

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SIRIUS XM Radio will provide listeners with extensive coverage of the annual NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on SIRIUS NFL Radio.

Hundreds of NFL prospects are put through drills, tests and interviews at the combine as representatives from all 32 NFL franchises measure players’ preparedness and abilities before they attempt to graduate from the college game to the NFL.

E-mail Executive Sports Editor Marty James at mjames@napanews.com or call 256-2223.

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