East-West gridiron physicals Saturday

By Marty James

NOTES AND QUOTES for a Friday in the Napa Valley:

Physical exams for players in this year’s East-West Charity All-Star Football Classic are Saturday at 9 a.m. at Armijo High School in Fairfield.

Co-sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Greater Napa and the Vallejo Police Activities League, the 37th annual midsummer game is July 18 at 7 p.m. at Napa Memorial Stadium. Graduating seniors from Napa, Solano and Yolo counties are chosen to play in the game, which benefits area charities.

Practices for both teams begin next week.

There are 36 players on the West team, which features Jeff Turner of Bethel-Vallejo and Craig Holden of Benicia as co-coaches.

There are 44 players on the East team, coached by LeVon Haynes of Vanden-Fairfiield.

This will be the second time that Holden and Turner — whose teams play in the Division III Solano County Athletic Conference — have co-coached in the All-Star game.

Tickets are $10 per person and are available in Napa at Replay Sports (598 Lincoln Ave.). They can also be purchased at the Memorial Stadium ticket booth on the night of the game.

Chuck Reiland, from the Kiwanis Club of Greater Napa, and Mike Kollar, of the Vallejo Police Activities League, are the co-game directors.

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Marsha Niemann, who retired this month after a 29-year teaching and coaching career at Justin-Siena, and her husband, Richard Niemann, a longtime teacher in the Napa Valley Unified School District, are my guests on Napa Community Public Access TV-Channel 28 in July.

The half-hour show, “Register Sports with Marty James,” airs Sundays at 9 p.m. and Mondays at noon.

In nine years as the girls basketball coach, Marsha Niemann won seven Superior California Athletic League championships and a CIF Northern California title. The Braves — who were 188-58 under Niemann — were also a runner-up in the state finals.

In 16 years as the volleyball coach, Niemann led the Braves to a 245-80 record, seven SCAL championships, and a Sac-Joaquin Section crown.

Richard Niemann retired in 2008 after 38 years in the NVUSD.

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Raneri & Long/Mark Coleman Insurance, off to an 11-2-1 start in the North Bay East, will represent the Napa Valley Joe DiMaggio Baseball League in the Keith Connelly Fourth of July Invitational next week.

The tournament starts July 1 and runs through July 5.

Opening ceremonies on July 2 at 4:45 p.m. at the Veterans Home of California’s Cleve Borman Field in Yountville will feature the presentation of the Dennis Rathjen Memorial Scholarship to Jake Calvin of Vintage and the Keith Connelly Memorial Scholarship to Jeff Quirici of St. Helena.

Besides Borman Field, games will also take place at Justin-Siena High School.

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Justin-Siena golfers Tristan Morris and Jack Wilson placed in the Green Valley Junior, a Junior Golf Association of Northern California premier event at Green Valley Country Club in Fairfield last week.

Morris shot a 3-over-par 75 and was fourth in the boys 16-17 division. Wilson tied for third, shooting a 78 in the boys 14-15 division.

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Ricky Del Zompo completed his junior year of baseball at San Francisco State by starting 21 games and batting .247 with two doubles and 10 RBIs.

Del Zompo, who plays third base, went to Vintage and transferred to San Francisco from Napa Valley College.

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Vintage graduate Carolyn Knudson was 3-2 with a 4.63 earned-run average in 13 appearances as a junior pitcher for the San Francisco State softball team.

Knudson is a transfer from Napa Valley College and had an outstanding career with the Storm, twice earning team MVP, Bay Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year, and First-Team All-State honors in 2007 and ’08.

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With a national championship in men’s golf, Sonoma State University finished 51st in the 2008-09 Learfield Sports Director’s Cup Standings.

The Seawolves finished with 307 points to place them in the top 80 percent of all NCAA Division II schools.

In the Director’s Cup standings, schools are able to accumulate points in up to 14 intercollegiate sports.

Points are earned by qualifying and then advancing in NCAA Championship competition. 

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

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