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A clear sky. Low around 65F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..
A clear sky. Low around 65F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
If a time machine was recently invented, perhaps 2012 would be a prime destination. Maybe the biggest reason to travel back to 2012 would be to enjoy the prices. Gas averaged $3.91 per gallon, a movie ticket cost $8.20, 12 eggs were $1.54, a stamp cost 45 cents, a Blu-Ray movie was $19.99, and a CD was $9.99.
Technology was on the rise, and yet, TikTok wasn’t a thing. Facebook announced that it had one billion active users, while Justin Timberlake led a group of investors that purchased Myspace. And Google’s Gmail became the most popular email service.
Sunday Night Football on NBC was the most popular TV show, while “Fifty Shades of Gray” was the best-selling fiction book and “The Avengers” was the highest-grossing film. The San Francisco Giants won the World Series for the second time in two years. And gluten became enemy No. 1 for many people.
The average life expectancy in the United States was 78.74 years and the most popular baby names were Sophia, Emma, Isabella, Olivia, Ava, Jacob, Mason, Ethan, Noah and William. In 2012, celebrity deaths included Whitney Houston, Michael Clarke Duncan, Neil Armstrong, Dick Clark, Etta James and Andy Griffith.
Now, let’s take a look at all that happened in the Calaveras County sports world one decade ago.
CALAVERAS BOYS’ BASKETBALL – Calaveras had the players to make some noise in the Mother Lode League standings. Gino Alberts, Tyler Cook, Chris Simpson and Szac Franklin hoped to supply the firepower that would be enough for some upsets. Calaveras won three in a row to begin 2012, which included victories over Argonaut (47-46), Summerville (56-45) and Linden (56-33). After a 47-45 loss to Bret Harte and a 55-33 loss to Amador, Calaveras beat Argonaut (70-56) and Summerville (51-42).
After losing to Linden (55-51) and Bret Harte (46-45), Calaveras beat Amador and then beat Summerville (52-50), Argonaut (62-40), Linden and Amador. Calaveras lost the regular season finale to Bret Harte 68-64 to finish the MLL season 10-5, which was good enough for second place.
Calaveras got the No. 5 seed in the D4 playoffs and started things off with a 68-64 overtime victory over Union Mine. Calaveras then beat No. 13 Bear River 52-49. The section championship dreams were dashed in an 80-62 loss to No. 1 Modesto Christian. In the state playoffs, Calaveras lost to Half Moon Bay in the opening round 67-28. Albers and Cook were all-Mother Lode League first-team players.
BRET HARTE BOYS’ BASKETBALL – The 2011-12 Bret Harte basketball team had a season to remember. Under head coach Jerry Rucker and led by Danny Radford, Jordan Gomez, Conor Zumbach and Tyler Evans, the Bullfrogs finished the Mother Lode League season a perfect 15-0 for their first outright title since 1994.
The Bullfrogs began 2012 with a 70-66 win over Linden and then followed that by beating Argonaut (69-57), Amador (48-39), Calaveras (47-45), Summerville (60-52), Linden (63-57), Argonaut (72-58), Amador (53-50), Calaveras (46-45), Summerville (80-46), Argonaut (68-51), Linden (70-64), Amador (74-64), Amador (74-46), Summerville (57-53) and Calaveras (68-64).
Bret Harte got the No. 2 seed in the D4 playoffs and started things with an impressive 91-54 victory over No. 15 Waterford. Unfortunately for the Bullfrogs, the season ended with a second-round loss to Ripon 52-46. Gomez ended the season as the new single-season assist leader at Bret Harte by passing former Bullfrog Brian Barnett. Radford set a new school record for points scored in a game with 47, beating the previous record of 44, which was held by Barnett (1997) and Brandon Russell (2011). Gomez was named as the MLL MVP and Radford was the Most Outstanding Player, while Zumbach and Evans were second-team players. Rucker and Jeff Eltringham were the Coaches of the Year.
CALAVERAS GIRLS’ BASKETBALL – Calaveras was coming off a 2011 season that resulted in a section championship loss. Coached by Mike Lewis and Rick Soracco, the squad, which featured Nikki Gleason, Savannah Duncan, Brianna McGinness and Madison Cox, looked to return to the title game.
Calaveras began 2012 with a 60-33 Mother Lode League victory over Argonaut and followed that with wins over Summerville (65-30), Linden (55-47) and Bret Harte (35-31). Calaveras suffered a non-league loss to Vanden (52-36), but rebounded with wins over Amador (70-28), Argonaut (36-26), Summerville (40-19), Linden (56-50), Bret Harte (61-47), Amador (60-20) and Summerville (64-24). Calaveras suffered its only league loss by falling at home to Argonaut 49-41.
The Mother Lode League season ended with Calaveras beating Linden (59-38), Amador (61-15) and Bret Harte (47-41). Calaveras went 14-1 in league play to win the league title for the second time in two years. Calaveras got the No. 1 seed in the D4 playoffs and beat No. 16 Mariposa 58-43 in the opening round. Calaveras then knocked off Liberty Ranch 55-35 to advance to the semifinal game. Calaveras punched its ticket to the section championship game with a 61-46 win over Bear River. In the section championship game at Arco Arena in Sacramento, Calaveras beat West Campus 56-45. Savannah Duncan scored 19 points, while Cox scored 11 and Gleason added nine.
Calaveras beat Marin Catholic 33-31 in the opening round of the state playoffs but fell to Saint Mary’s 62-38 in the second round. Calaveras finished the year as MLL and section champions with an overall record of 29-4. Cox was named as the MLL MVP, and Gleason was the co-Most Outstanding Player. Duncan was placed on the MLL first team and Brianna McGinness was a second-team player.
BRET HARTE GIRLS’ BASKETBALL – Under head coach Kim Ramorini, Bret Harte looked to improve from a 2011 season that ended with a league record of 5-10. With the senior duo of Rachel Spellenberg and Mackenzie Theiler leading the way, the Bullfrogs began the Mother Lode League season with wins over Linden (60-47), Argonaut (49-38) and Amador (57-19) before falling to Calaveras 35-31. After beating Summerville (67-26), the Bullfrogs lost to Linden (64-41) and Argonaut (57-45).
Bret Harte got back in the win column by beating Amador (46-27), but lost again to Calaveras, this time 61-47. Following the loss to Calaveras, Bret Harte won five in a row, which included victories over Summerville (52-44), Argonaut (48-38), Linden (55-53), Amador (50-20) and Summerville (65-30). The regular season ended with a 47-41 road loss to Calaveras.
The Bullfrogs finished the MLL season in second place with a 10-5 record. In the opening round of the D4 playoffs, Bret Harte lost on the road to Riverbank 54-51 and ended the year with an overall record of 16-11. Theiler and Spellenberg were named as first-team players, while Emma White and Nichole Avrit made the second team. Ramorini was named as the MLL Coach of the Year.
CALAVERAS WRESTLING – Calaveras entered 2012 having won the previous four Mother Lode League titles and looked poised to push that to five. Calaveras opened the Mother Lode League season with a 64-9 win over Amador with pins from Collin Kulp and Mike Valles. Calaveras got its second win by beating Argonaut 46-21. Calaveras got wins from Tyler Chavez, Kulp, Valles, Noah Shelgren, Joe Elliott, Ryan Castro, Justin Brown, Robbie Weaver and Tony Williams.
After beating Sierra Ridge 66-12 with pins from Valles, Nolan Kannel, Weaver, Elliott, Williams and Shelgren, Calaveras improved to 4-0 with a 43-22 win over Summerville, which put Calaveras at 4-0 in the MLL standings. Calaveras stayed perfect with a 56-18 win over Linden. Jarred Weber, Tyler Gonsalves and Brown all had pins. Calaveras clinched the MLL team duals championship with a 39-30 home victory over Bret Harte. Both teams were 5-0 heading into the winner-take-all match.
At the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Girls’ Wrestling Championship, Calaveras junior Jessica Paasch became the first Calaveras female wrestler to win a section championship. Paasch was also the first female wrestler from the Mother Lode League to become a section champion.
Calaveras won the Mother Lode League tournament and had Kulp, Kannel, Weaver, Williams, Shelgren and Derek Rittenhouse as individual champions. Calaveras went on to capture the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section division V championship by beating Escalon in the finals. At the Masters Tournament, Brown was the lone Calaveras wrestler to advance to state. Brown went 0-2 at the state tournament, losing a pair of one-point decisions.
BRET HARTE WRESTLING – The Bullfrogs had a strong squad heading into 2012 and hoped to be the team who could take the Mother Lode League title away from Calaveras. Bret Harte started the league season with a 35-27 win over Argonaut. Bret Harte got pins from Luke Brewer, Caleb Storey, Aaron Richey and Anthony Bertolino, while Oscar Orozco won via major decision.
The Bullfrogs continued to win, which included a 69-6 victory over Linden. Justin Barnes, Bertolino and Alex Miramontes picked up wins in the blowout over Linden. Bret Harte improved to 4-0 in the league standings by beating Summerville for the first time in three years by holding on 32-31.
By the time Bret Harte and Calaveras met on the mat, both teams were 5-0 in the league standings. However, it was Calaveras who stayed undefeated with a 39-30 victory. At the Mother Lode League tournament, Storey, Richey, Giovanni Murillo, Tanner Sherrow and Brewer were individual champions. After a strong showing at the section meet, Storey, Sherrow, Richey Murillo, Justin Barnes and Brewer advanced to masters. Bret Harte had a record day at the CIF Masters Tournament, by being the first MLL team to send four wrestlers to state. Sherrow, Brewer, Murillo and Storey all advanced. Sherrow and Storey each won one match, while Brewer and Murillo went 0-2 at state.
CALAVERAS BASEBALL – In 2011, Calaveras baseball reached the playoffs, only to lose to Marysville in the opening round. Head coach Mike Koepp, along with returning players Tyler Gillis, Thomas Douglas, Dustin Brant, Stewart Zabel, Donovan Vassey, Zach Thompson and Tyler Hughes hoped 2012 would end with a longer postseason run.
The 2012 season didn’t start the way Koepp would have liked, as the San Andreas squad lost six of its first seven games, which included a 3-2 loss to Argonaut to begin MLL play. Calaveras beat Summerville 12-2 and 10-8 to get in the win column and followed that with a 4-1 win over Linden. After losing to Stagg (11-9), Linden (3-2) and Northgate (15-2), Calaveras won nine in a row, which included wins over Amador (13-1), Bret Harte (3-2; 6-1), Amador (10-0), Argonaut (10-4; 8-3), Summerville (12-10), Linden (3-0) and Amador (4-2). The regular season ended with a 10-9 home loss to Bret Harte. In the opening round of the playoffs, Calaveras lost to Capital Christian 11-5.
Calaveras ended the 2012 season with an overall record of 13-11 and went 12-3 in league play. Gillis led Calaveras with 16 RBIs and five doubles, Dustin Brant had 15 RBIs and Jake Chambers and Jarrod Kennedy both had 14 RBIs. On the mound, Douglas went 4-2 with a 0.81 ERA in 43 innings pitched. Brant, Kennedy and Douglas were first-team players and Zabel and Gillis were placed on the second team.
BRET HARTE BASEBALL – Zack Abernathy took over the Bret Harte baseball program in 2012 and was leaning on returning players Josh Bailey, Tanner Sherrow, Justice Rasmussen, Jarrett Duarte, Tyler Evans, Tim Leary and Joey Carlon to lead the team back to the playoffs. Bret Harte started the second with wins over Ripon Christian (6-5), Stagg (7-3), Waterford (9-5) and Livingston (7-6).
After starting 4-0, the Bullfrogs lost five in a row, which included league losses to Linden (8-3) and Argonaut (2-1). Bret Harte struggled to put a winning streak together as it beat Amador (8-6; 7-5) but lost to Northgate (3-2) and Argonaut (5-2). After a 13-11 win over Summerville, the Bullfrogs lost twice to Calaveras 3-2 and 6-1. After a 7-6 win over Summerville and two losses to Linden (7-2; 6-3), the Bullfrogs ended the regular season with four wins in a row, which included a 10-9 victory over Calaveras in the final league game. Bret Harte beat Lindhurst 5-4 in the opening round of the playoffs, but had its season come to an end in a 16-2 loss to Escalon.
Bret Harte finished the season with an overall record of 13-12 and went 8-7 in the Mother Lode League. Rasmussen led Bret Harte with 24 RBIs and had four doubles, two triples and one home run; Bailey hit .521 with 22 RBIs, four doubles, seven triples and two home runs. Bailey was named as the co-MVP of the MLL, while Sherrow and Rasmussen were first-team players and Carlton, Tim Leary and Will Jones made the second team.
CALAVERAS SOFTBALL – Heading into the 2012 season, Calaveras softball looked to improve from a 2011 that ended without a trip to the playoffs. Returning for head coach Dominic Vasile was Nina Toia, Tatiana Beilstein, Courtney Tarbat and Preslie Kirk and a strong sophomore trio of Grace Carr, Jennifer Scantlen and Megan Walters hoped to make an impact.
After dropping the first two games of the preseason, Calaveras picked up victories over Sonora (5-3), East Union (6-1), Stagg (5-4), Mariposa (4-0) and Tokay (7-6) before losing to Placer (6-3) before the start of league play. Calaveras started the MLL season 4-0 with victories over Summerville (4-0; 6-1) and a 4-2 victory against Linden before losing to Linden 6-5.
After the one-run loss to Linden, Calaveras won seven in a row before having that streak snapped in a 7-6 extra inning loss to Argonaut. Calaveras lost again to Argonaut (3-0) but responded with a 16-4 thrashing of Summerville. After losing to Linden 2-1, Calaveras ended the regular season with a 13-2 win over Amador and a 6-1 win over Bret Harte.
Calaveras began the playoffs with a 9-3 home victory over Dixon but lost to Hughson 5-1 two days later. Calaveras’ 2012 overall record was 20-8 while going 10-4 in the MLL. Beilstein led Calaveras with 34 RBIs, followed by Megan Coleman with 21 and Kirk with 14. In the circle, Walters struck out 110 in 78 innings with a 1.97 ERA. Beilstein, Tarbat and Toia were first-team players, while Coleman, Kirk and Walters were placed on the second team.
BRET HARTE SOFTBALL – The 2012 season couldn’t have started any better for Bret Harte, as Taylor O’Connor doubled, homered, and threw a five-hitter in a 13-2 victory over Ripon Christian. Bret Harte followed that with a 20-5 win over Riverbank and Elle Burton went 3 for 3 with a home run and four RBIs. Bret Harte ended the preseason with an 8-6 loss to Ripon.
League play began with 7-0 losses to Linden and Argonaut. Bret Harte smacked Amador 20-1 and 17-0 in back-to-back games. After a 6-2 loss to Summerville, the Bullfrogs bounced back and beat the Bears 13-1. After the win over Summerville, Bret Harte lost to Argonaut (6-2), Calaveras (13-2; 8-4), Linden (4-2; 5-1) and Argonaut (15-4). The six-game losing streak was snapped with a 19-4 win over Amador, followed by a 5-4 road victory over Summerville. The season ended with a 6-1 loss to Calaveras.
Senior Lauren Lane led Bret Harte with 19 RBIs and had four doubles, one triple and one home run. O’Connor had three home runs and junior Bekka Gross hit two out of the park. The Bullfrogs ended the season 7-11 and 5-10 in league play. Gross and Lane were first-team players, while Cassidy Davis and O’Connor were placed on the second team.
CALAVERAS TRACK – Calaveras entered 2012 as the defending boys’ and girls’ champions of the Mother Lode League and were loaded with Kelly Airola, Kim Anderson, Samantha Baseman, Brianna Biondi, Brittany Kohler, Isabella Lohsen, Sheridan Loverin, Macklin Bolton, Joe Elliott, Corey Hazelwood, Kallen Hodgson and Zack Johnson returning, along with the exciting freshman Hannah Hull.
Early in the season sophomore Isabella Lohsen broke the 36-year-old school shot put record with her throw of 36 feet, 4 inches. The previous record of 35 feet, 11.5 inches was set by Debra Walker in 1976. Hull set a school record in the 1,600-meter race with her time of 5:11.5 while competing at the Stanford invitational. Hall also set school records in the 3,200 and the 800.
The Calaveras girls’ team won its fourth straight MLL title at the league championship at Amador. Calaveras got first-place finishes from Hull (800 meters, 2:28.62; 1,600, 5:22.30); Biondi (100 hurdles, 18.34; long jump, 14 feet, 5 inches; triple jump, 31 feet, 2 inches); Airola (300 hurdles, 50.89; high jump, 5 feet; pole vault, 8 feet, 6 inches); 4x100 relay (Kohler, Deborah Ark-Majiyagbe, Biondi, Baseman, 52.97); 4x400 relay (Airola, Kohler, Hull, Natalie Renfroe, 4:40.23); Lohsen (shot put, 34 feet, 4 inches); Brittni Barnett (discus, 106 feet, 7 inches). For the boys, Zack Johnson placed first in the high jump (5 feet, 10 inches).
At the D5 section championship meet, the Calaveras girls team won its very first blue banner. At the masters meet, Hull set a new record in the 800 of 2:17.57, which also broke the division IV/V meet record of 2:18.27.
BRET HARTE TRACK – Returning to the track in 2012 under head coach Hal Clements was Mackenzie Theiler, Hannah Cantrell, Joe Hollett, Rachel Spellenberg and Kaylee Sedler. At the Mother Lode League championship meet, Theiler took first in the 100-meter dash (13.00). For the boys, Hollett placed first in the 800 (2:02.83) and the 1,600 (4:42.48); and Tristan Boblet placed first in the 3,200 (10:36.34).
CALAVERAS SWIMMING – Calaveras won the boys and girls 2011 Mother Lode League championship in 2011 and hoped to repeat as champs in 2012. Returning to the pool was Aviel Bowsher, Rebecca Conley, Beth Gibson, Bridgette McGinness, Tommy Snider, James Simmons, Paul Motiu and Hunter Parker. Calaveras placed third in both the boys’ and girls’ divisions in the 2012 standings.
BRET HARTE SWIMMING – Lauren Gerber took over the Bret Harte swimming program in 2012 and was leaning on Kayley Rasmussen and Riley Preston to lead the Bullfrogs in the pool. At the Mother Lode League championship, Bret Harte claimed six gold medals and the Bullfrogs finished first in the boys’ and girls’ divisions and placed second overall in the standings. Winning first-place medals was Rasmussen, Erika Rasmussen, Colin Boblet, and the 200-freestyle team of Jacob Cardiel, Camden Irish, Ryan Soulier and Joey Calhoun.
CALAVERAS GOLF – Calaveras had a young team heading into 2012 and sophomore Garett Williams was a key returner. Calaveras ended the 2012 league season with an overall record of 8-7. At the league tournament, sophomore Sean Fitzsimmons was second overall with a 78 and qualified for divisionals, along with teammates Jake Padgett and Williams. Fitzsimmons was an all-league selection. At the D5 championship, Fitzsimmons placed sixth with an 83, while Padgett and Williams shot 93 and 100 respectively.
BRET HARTE GOLF – Bret Harte entered the 2012 season riding a 67-match Mother Lode League winning streak. Under head coach Rich Cathcart and returners Alex Milward and Jayden Saville, the Bullfrogs were once again the favorites to win the MLL crown. The Bullfrogs again finished MLL play with a perfect 15-0 record.
At the league tournament, Bret Harte edged out Summerville 449-450 to win the league title. Milward shot a nine-over-par 81 to lead Bret Harte, while Rodney Riner shot an 87, Saville shot a 90, Scott Hatfield shot a 95 and Nicholas Tribble carded a 96. Milward, Riner and Saville earned all-MLL honors.
At the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V championship, Milward shot a four-over-par 76 to win the tournament by one stroke. Milward was the first Bret Harte golfer to win the D5 individual championship. As a team, Bret Harte placed fourth out of seven teams. And at the master’s tournament, Milward shot a two-over-par 74. Bret Harte ended the season having won 82 straight MLL dual matches.
CALAVERAS GIRLS’ SOCCER – It would be hard to top what Calaveras did in 2011. The squad won its first MLL title in school history and reached the section championship game. In Angela Jarvis’ second year of coaching the squad, she hoped that the magic from 2011 would carry over to 2012 and she had a talented roster which consisted of Meghan Fought, Alissa White, Madison Cox, Kassy Dietle, Tiffany Souza, Mercedes Ball and Aubrey Carter.
After going 1-2-1 in the preseason, Calaveras started league play with a 5-3 win over Argonaut, a 1-1 tie against Summerville and a 2-1 win over Linden. After a 7-1 loss to Amador, Calaveras tied Bret Harte 1-1 and beat Argonaut with a forfeit. Calaveras lost to Summerville (3-2) and bounced back with wins over Linden (4-0) and Bret Harte (2-1). Calaveras then lost to Argonaut (4-3), tied Amador (2-2), beat Summerville (3-1) and Linden (1-0), lost to Amador (8-3) and ended the regular season with a 2-1 home win over Bret Harte.
Calaveras entered the D5 playoffs as the No. 2 seed from the MLL and lost to Hilmar 2-1. Calaveras finished the season 9-6-4 and went 8-4-3 in the MLL. Souza scored a team-high nine goals, followed by Cox (8), Davis Fee (7), Carter (3) and Fought (2). Souza also had a team-high 11 assists and Fought was close behind with four. Ball was named the MLL Defensive MVP. Fought and White were first-team players, while Souza and Cox made the second team.
BRET HARTE GIRLS’ SOCCER – Bret Harte finished fifth in the MLL standings in 2011 and returning players Nina Baldwin, Julia Rohrabaugh, Sharon Santos, Brie Preston, Allie Steele and Brittany Schulte hoped to change that in 2012. Bret Harte began the 2012 Mother Lode League season with a 2-2 tie against Linden. The Bullfrogs got their first league win with a 1-0 victory over Argonaut, with the lone goal coming from Lauren Redding. On a rainy night in Tuolumne, Bret Harte lost to Summerville 7-1. In the first matchup of the season between Bret Harte and Calaveras, the game ended in a 1-1 draw, with Bret Harte’s goal coming from Schulte.
Later in the MLL season, Bret Harte improved to 3-2-2 with a 2-1 win over Argonaut. Santos and Sally Wilson scored the goals for the Bullfrogs. Bret Harte continued to roll with a 1-0 win over Amador, with Preston scoring the winning goal. The Bullfrogs fell to 4-3-2 with a 2-1 home loss to Calaveras. Bret Harte suffered another one-goal loss, this time falling to Amador 1-0 and then the Bullfrogs lost to Linden 5-1 with Preston scoring the only goal. On senior night, Bret Harte beat Argonaut 2-1 with goals from Santos and Steele. In the final two games of the season, Bret Harte lost to Summerville (1-0) and to Calaveras (2-1).
Bret Harte finished the 2012 season with an overall record of 6-8-3 and went 5-7-3 in the MLL and for the second year in a row, missed the postseason. Bret Harte sophomore goalie Jessica Stohlman was named the MLL MVP goalkeeper. Preston made the MLL first team, and Baldwin and Redding made the second team.
CALAVERAS TENNIS – Anne-Katherine Smith took over as Calaveras’ head coach in 2012. Senior Leah Bayers went undefeated in league play and won the girls singles championship. The team of Serena Rutledge and David Rivera won the MLL mixed doubles championship. Calaveras entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed out of the MLL and got a first-round bye in the D3 playoffs. In the second round, Calaveras beat Forest Lake Christian 6-3. Calaveras lost in the quarterfinals 9-0 to Placer. Bayers was named as the MLL girls MVP and Rutledge was named as an all-league player.
BRET HARTE TENNIS – Angella Woods took over the Bret Harte tennis program in 2012. Returning to the courts was Dylan Arce Jaeger, Laurel Sudduth, Sean Gorman, Mallory Ward, Andrew Michels, Lindsey McTague, Katie Harrison, Jessica Piel and Blanca Medina. At the MLL singles tournament, Jack Gilbert won a league championship, and the team of Arce Jaeger and Gorman won the boys doubles championship. Bret Harte was the No. 3 seed out of the MLL and was eliminated from the playoffs by Delhi, falling 6-3. Individually, Gilbert came up just shy of winning an individual section championship. Gilbert was named as the MLL boys MVP. Gorman and Ward were named as all-league players.
CALAVERAS FOOTBALL – Calaveras had a talented roster heading into the 2012 season, which featured Zack Johnson, Joe Elliott, Kallen Hodgson, Christian Moore, Brian Golston, Mike Seawell, Michael Coltrin, and Noah Shelgren. Calaveras was coming off a 6-5 2011 and hoped to end the regular season as MLL champs.
The season began with a 54-20 home victory over Yosemite. Elliott and Seawell each rushed for two scores and Johnson threw two touchdowns. Calaveras followed that with a 37-30 win over Modesto Christian. Johnson threw two touchdowns and Seawell found the end zone once. Calaveras suffered its first loss of the season after falling to Sonora 35-26. Johnson threw touchdowns to Seawell and Golston and Hodgson rushed for two scores in the loss. Calaveras rebounded with a 25-20 win over Rio Americano on homecoming night. Johnson threw for three scores and Seawell rushed for 116 yards and one touchdown. Najelly Gonzalez was crowned homecoming queen. Calaveras ended the preseason with a 21-18 home victory over Lodi. Hodgson rushed for two scores and also had a receiving touchdown.
The MLL season began with a 27-20 home victory over Amador. Johnson threw for 206 yards and two scores and Hodgson rushed for one touchdown. Calaveras then knocked off Linden 39-34 behind three passing touchdowns from Johnson to Moore, Hodgson and Golston and rushing touchdowns from Elliott, Malachi Stockdale and Seawell. Calaveras improved to 3-0 in the MLL standings with a 42-28 win over Summerville. Moore, Seawell and Golston each had receiving touchdowns. Calaveras’ bid for a MLL title came to a halt with a 35-14 road loss to Argonaut. In the final game of the regular season, Calaveras knocked off Bret Harte 51-24 by scoring 30 points in the third quarter. Johnson threw three touchdowns and Seawell caught two of them. Hodgson rushed for 130 yards in the win. Calaveras’ playoff journey ended quickly with a 44-14 road loss to Escalon.
Johnson ended the season with 1,532 yards passing and 22 touchdowns. Seawell rushed for six scores, while Hodgson rushed for five and Stockdale and Elliott each rushed for four. Golston had eight receiving touchdowns, followed by Seawell and Moore with six and Hodgson with three. Johnson was named as the MLL Offensive Player of the Year. Calaveras’ all-league players were Shelgren, Golston, Moore, Hodgson, Elliott, Seawell, Blake Ehlers, Logan Sullivan, Emmett Barrett, Danny Gilmore and Stockdale. Calaveras finished the season 8-3.
BRET HARTE FOOTBALL – In 2011, Bret Harte finished the season 5-5 and looked to finish over .500 in 2012. Returning to the gridiron for head coach Scott Edwards was Chad Testa, Jared Taylor, Jesse Acedo, Rodney Riner, Conor Zumbach and Taylor Westberg.
It was a tough draw to begin the season, as Bret Harte lost at home to Ripon 45-0. The following week, the Bullfrogs enjoyed a 50-12 road victory over Gustine. Testa threw two touchdown passes and rushed for two scores, along with sophomore Mason Lowe. Zumbach had two receiving scores in the blowout. The following week, the Bullfrogs lost a Saturday afternoon game to Archie Williams in San Anselmo. Testa ran for two scores in the loss. Bret Harte fell to 1-3 with a 40-7 loss to Hughson and followed that with a 56-49 loss to Brookside Christian to end the preseason. In that loss, Testa rushed for 216 yards and three scores and threw a touchdown to Jake Piel.
Mother Lode League play began with a 35-6 homecoming loss to Summerville. The Enterprise’s own Dakota Morlan was crowned as homecoming queen. The following week, the Bullfrogs got shutout 17-0 by Amador and followed that with a 41-10 loss to Argonaut. In the final road game of the year, Bret Harte lost to Linden 34-7 and then ended the year with a 51-24 loss to Calaveras.
Testa threw for 847 yards and rushed for another 547 and 10 scores. Zumbach rushed for 425 yards and led the team with two receiving touchdowns. Testa, Luke Brewer, Riner, Zumbach, Taylor, Lowe and Peter Conrado made the all-league team.
CALAVERAS VOLLEYBALL – Calaveras had Madison Hull and Samantha Baseman returning to the court in 2012, along with newcomers Kelly Airola, Rebecca Conley and Dakota Butzler. Against non-Mother Lode League opponents, Calaveras went 9-6, which included victories over Waterford, Johansen, Los Banos, Riverbank, Alvarez, Kimball, Patterson, Orestimba and Beyer.
In the Mother Lode League, Calaveras finished with an overall record of 8-7. Calaveras went 2-1 against Amador, 3-0 against Linden, 1-2 against Summerville, 1-2 against Argonaut and 1-2 against Bret Harte. Calaveras advanced to the playoffs and for the second year in a row, lost in the opening round, this time to Escalon 3-0.
Baseman had a team-high 174 kills and 230 digs; Butzler had 170 kills, 43 aces and 45 blocks; Hull had 162 kills, 19 aces and 39 blocks; McGinness had 105 kills and 35 blocks; and Airola had 23 aces and 623 assists. Hull and Baseman were first-team players and Butzler made the second team.
BRET HARTE VOLLEYBALL – The Bullfrogs were fresh off a 2011 Mother Lode League championship and looked to repeat with returning stars Kylie Kester and Brittany Schulte. The Bullfrogs had a tough non-league schedule, which resulted in an overall record of 7-9-1.
In the Mother Lode League season, the Bullfrogs went 0-3 against Summerville, 2-1 against Amador, 0-3 against Argonaut, 3-0 against Linden and 2-3 against Calaveras. Bret Harte finished the season with an overall record of 14-17-1 and went 7-8 in the Mother Lode League.
Kester finished the season with 484 kills, 44 aces and 326 digs; Erika Rasmussen had 124 kills and 105 blocks; and sophomore Jessica Rapetti had 323 digs. Kester was named as the MLL Most Outstanding Player, while Schulte was a first-team player and Rasmussen was placed on the second team.
CALAVERAS CROSS COUNTRY – Heading into 2012, the Calaveras cross country team knew it would be difficult to dethrone Bret Harte, but Chelsea Ruthrauff, Zach Baciocco, Ron Orman, Ethan Smith and Mason Walker were up to the task. At the end of the season, Calaveras was unable to claim a league title, but still had a strong showing at the league championship meet. Calaveras’ Sheridan Loverin placed ninth overall in 21:02. Loverin qualified for the section meet with a strong performance at subsections. At the section meet, she placed 28th overall.
BRET HARTE CROSS COUNTRY – The Bullfrogs entered 2012 trying to repeat as boys and girls Mother Lode League champions for the seventh year in a row and Katharine Aiton, Hannah Cantrell, Jessie Evans, Hayley Rizzi, Madison Ward, Joe Hollett, Kevin Maurer, Eli Cardiel and Kyle Hovey looked to make that happen.
At the MLL championship meet, the run of 13 straight league titles for Bret Harte’s girls team came to an end, but the boys were able to capture another league title. Hollett placed first out of 45 runners in the 2.9-mile race with his time of 16:38. For the girls, Rizzi was the first Bullfrog to place, and she did so in 21:04.
At the subsection meet, Bret Harte placed third overall in the boys’ division and the girls placed eighth. At the section meet, Bret Harte placed third overall, but was unable to qualify for the state championship. Individually, junior Tristan Boblet made it to the state meet.
CALAVERAS GIRLS’ GOLF – Amy Gassner, Carleigh Bates and Cally Gustafson returned to the links for Calaveras in 2012 after a 2011 season that ended in sixth place in the Valley Foothill League North standings. Calaveras was unable to capture a league title, but Gassner earned all-league honors and advanced to the divisional tournament as an individual.
BRET HARTE GIRLS’ GOLF – The Bullfrogs lost three times in 2011 and all three losses were via forfeit. With Emaline Ellsworth, Melissa Spence, Jaymie Heryford and Rilee Hillman returning, the Bullfrogs were eyeing a Valley Foothill League North championship. The Bullfrogs were able to capture their first league title since 2008 with an overall record of 11-1. Ellsworth was named as the league MVP and Spence was an all-league player. At the division V championships, Bret Harte’s season ended after placing third out of seven teams.
CALAVERAS BOYS’ SOCCER – Colleen “CoCo” Kelly became Calaveras’ fifth head coach in as many years. After starting the season with a 4-1 loss to Sonora, Calaveras beat Denair 4-3 in overtime. Calaveras then lost nine games in a row before beating Argonaut 3-1. Calaveras got league victories over Amador (2-1), Argonaut (5-2), Bret Harte (4-0), Summerville (3-0) and Argonaut (3-2).
Calaveras finished the 2012 season with an overall record of 7-15 and went 6-9 in league play. David Caballero-Rodriguez scored a team-high 10 goals and had six assists and 39 steals. Caballero-Rodriguez was named as a first-team player, while Ryan Castro and Victor Vazquez made the second team.
BRET HARTE BOYS’ SOCCER – Qani Berisha took over a Bret Harte soccer team in 2012 that was only two years removed from a league championship. Bret Harte didn’t have the same success it had in 2010, but still finished the 2012 season in second place in the Mother Lode League standings with a 9-4-2 record. The Bullfrogs advanced to the playoffs but lost in the opening round to Riverbank 4-2. Senior goalie Mitchell Rudd was named as the Goalkeeper of the Year. Zach Jordan and Joses Torres were placed on the MLL first team, and Blake Beesley and Anthony Donakowsky made the second team.
WHAT’S NEXT? – Next week we’ll head back 20 years to 2002.
Photos from January through December 2012