All eight Natomas and Inderkum soccer and basketball teams advance to section tournaments.
Natomas High School boys soccer team. / All photos courtesy of Suzanne Baker
Written by Nick Rosito
About NATOMAS topics | @natomsbuzz
Alexis Barba scored two goals in the first half as Natomas High School boys soccer won the Sac-Joaquin Section 4 title with a 3-1 victory over Galt High School on Saturday at Cosumnes River College.
Donovan Rodriguez scored on a second-half penalty kick to end the game and give the Nighthawks the school's fourth boys soccer title (also in 2008, 2011 and 2012). Goaltender Noe Lopez helped extend the team's unbeaten streak to eight games.
With seconds left, the Nighthawks held on to senior captain defender Gustavo Rosales.
“When the team is nervous, Gustavo calms everyone down,” said coach Gio Villalobos, a 2006 Natomas graduate. “When everyone is losing their cool, he cheers everyone up.”
Natomas will next visit Pleasant Valley in Chico in the first round of the Division IV Northern California Tournament on Tuesday at 5 p.m. The Nighthawks won the NorCal title in 2020.
Diego Gonzalez set up Barba's first goal with a precise pass that penetrated the Galt defense. Barba beat the goalie on a breakaway. Sebastian Torres scored the second goal with a follow-up valve that hit the near post. In the second half, Rodriguez sprinted down the sideline, beat two Galt defenders, and was fouled by a third defender, setting up a penalty kick.
All eight Natomas and Inderkum high school basketball and soccer teams advanced to the section championships.As did the Leroy Green boys. basketball team.
Indark Boys Hoops with Coach Fred Wilson.
basketball
The Inderkum boys defeated Mountain House and Weston Ranch on the road, but lost to top-seeded Modesto Christian in the Division I semifinals. The Tigers, who are 12-0 in Capital Valley Conference play, will play Granada of Livermore on the road in the first round of the Division I CIF State Championship. Jeremiah Butler and freshman Cynthia Hudson led Inderkum with 14.1 points per game.
The Inderkum girls lost to Monterey Trail in the first round of the Division I tournament. The team's 22 wins are the most since 2016. Senior Jamiah Fontenberry, who scored 1,000 points on the season, leads the team with 15.9 points per game.
The Natomas boys defeated Union Mine in the Division IV semifinals, avenging a preseason loss to the Diamondbacks, but lost 78-74 to top-seeded Venture Academy in the championship game at UC Davis. The Nighthawks are the No. 2 seed in the Division IV CIF state championship and will play Menlo Tuesday at 7 p.m. Manno Jenkins leads Natomas with 18.8 points per game.
Principal Natomas celebrates with senior Darius Hemingway after defeating Union Mines.
The Natomas girls won five of their last six league games to qualify for the Division III Sectional Championship. The Nighthawks lost in the first round at El Camino. Sania Dixon and Anna Elkins led the Nighthawks in scoring this season.
Leroy Green men's basketball finished second in the Northern Pacific Athletic Conference and was eliminated in the first round of the Division V section tournament.
Coach Alisha Harris and the Natomas girls basketball team. / Provided photo
soccer
In soccer, the Inderkum Boys suffered their only loss of the season, losing 2-1 to Whitney of Rocklin in the second round of the Division 1 playoffs. The Tigers won the Capital Valley Conference and finished the season with a record of 14 wins, 1 loss and 3 draws.
The Inderkum girls lost 2-1 to Davis High School in the Division 1 semifinals, but defeated Stockton's Edison and West Sacramento's River City by a combined score of 14-0. The Tigers won the Capital Valley Conference title and finished the season with a record of 25-2-1.
Inderkum women's soccer team.
The Natomas women's soccer team finished third in the Greater Sacramento League, but lost to Lincoln of Lincoln in the first round of the Division IV tournament.
Leroy Green won the Northern Pacific Athletic League, but lost in the first round of the Division VII tournament to Cristo Rey of Sacramento.
wrestling
Natomas and Indelkum each placed eight wrestlers in the top eight of each weight class at the regional tournament.
Natoma girls included Shyla Randall, who took first place; Chalia Sanders, 3rd place. Liz Estorga, 5th place. The Natomas boys included Division IV champion Eduardo Hernandez. Raymond Baleno, 3rd place. And Priyanth Kumar came in third place. Jacob Renderoth, 5th place; and Joshua Gomez in 6th place. The Indelkum girls included Zion Green, who placed fifth. Karianna Delgado, 5th place. Kara Rowe, 5th place. and Maia Cornejo, 8th place. The Indelkum boys included Joe Cornejo, who finished fourth. Riley Knight, 4th place. Alex Prostock, 4th place. Gage Fernandez finished 6th.
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