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Last Friday night when I was at Amador Valley High School for my induction into the Amador Hall of Fame, I had a chance to reminisce about all the past glory of the school while gazing at what the next generation of Amador will be with all the construction.
One of the main projects is a new gym at the school, something long overdue as it was the oldest facility in the East Bay Athletic League.
It will be wonderful when it’s completed, giving all the basketball and volleyball teams a new gym to practice and play games.
It also made me think about the naming of the facilities as well. Over at Foothill, where the Falcons are also getting an update on their aging structure, it will still be the Tom Hansen Gymnasium and the Randy Isaacs Court, named after the longtime athletic director and the former basketball coach who tragically passed away in the last couple of years.
That got me thinking about Amador and how easy it would be to name the gym and the court. And after a phone call from longtime Tri-Valley Herald writer Billy Ortiz where he offered a suggestion, it got me thinking even more.
Perhaps the gym has already been named for this gentleman and if so, I apologize for not knowing that. The Skip Mohatt Gymnasium would honor one of the greatest basketball coaches not just at Amador but in the entire EBAL, or Northern California for that matter.
Mohatt built the Amador program into a juggernaut known throughout Northern California. The teams were respected and feared.
When Mohatt stopped coaching, it was going to be a nearly impossible task to follow – but longtime junior varsity coach Don Underwood stepped in and did a wonderful job of continuing the legacy Mohatt built.
In a seemingly impossible situation, Underwood kept the engine full steam ahead for Amador basketball and kept racking up the wins. To name the court Don Underwood Court would be a worthy tribute to a great coach.
Don Underwood Court in the Skip Mohatt Gymnasium has a wonderful ring to it.
I noticed the Amador baseball field is named Lou Cesario Field, a fitting tribute to the coach that was the longest-tenured baseball coach in school history.
Being inducted the same year as Cesario into the Amador Hall of Fame was a special moment, for I have respected the coach for years.
It gives me great satisfaction to see facilities named after coaches that have put in the time. It is truly a thankless profession as none of these coaches were in it for money and the grief that comes along with being a coach is oftentimes overwhelming.
Foothill girls’ volleyball
The Falcons split their first two non-league matches of the season.
The win was a 25-18, 25-13, 25-19 decision over Heritage. Highlights came from Ilayda Caglar (14 kills, 17 digs, 9 service points), Olivia So (13 digs, 8 service points), Emily Evans (6 kills, 3 blocks) and Sewa Adesuyi-fasuyi (8 kills).
Foothill fell to James Logan, 21-25, 25-17, 21-25, 20-25. This time the highlights came from Kait Vogel (26 digs, 13 service points, 10 kills), Caglar (20 digs, 16 kills), Makenzie Bulaon (7 assists, 12 digs) and Sahej Toor (8 kills, 1 block)
Amador girls’ water polo
The Dons had a tough opener, falling 20-6 to an always-strong Monte Vista team.
Caitlin Brown and Dorian Selway scored two goals each. Addison Drain and Cruz Whites scored single goals to round out the scoring for the Dons.
Results needed
If you are interested in helping your athletes get their results in the paper each week, shoot me an email at acesmag@aol.com and I will help you set up an easy system.
For as little as 10 minutes a week, you can help get recognition for all our hardworking athletes!
Editor’s note: Dennis Miller is a contributing sports writer for Embarcadero Media Foundation’s East Bay Division. To contact him about his Pleasanton Preps column, email acesmag@aol.com.
