Fall arrives, the lights come on Friday night and football naturally grabs the headlines.
But it certainly doesn’t have a monopoly on great performances.
All across San Joaquin County, athletes are reaching milestones, setting personal bests, filling stat sheets and putting together performances that deserve their own spotlight.
Some numbers jump off the page. Others need a little context to appreciate just how impressive they are.
Here are some of the standout performances from the start of the new school year in other fall high school sports through Aug. 29.
Flag Football
Julissa Alfaro, Edison — There wasn’t much the junior didn’t do. Alfaro scored twice on three receptions for 35 yards, then filled up the defensive stat sheet with 14 tackles, three sacks and
an interception in a 15-12 win over Ripon on Aug. 18.
Julieta Ceja Hernandez, Tokay — Opposing quarterbacks might want to start looking the other way. The junior picked off five passes and added three flag pulls in a 47-6 win over Galt on Aug. 18.
Sita Saenz, Tracy — Good luck keeping the junior from making something happen with the ball in her hands. Saenz turned seven receptions into 111 yards and a touchdown in Tracy’s 20-0 win over Central Catholic on Aug. 20.
Tessa Zalunardo, Sierra — Nearly every pass found its target for the junior quarterback, who went 22-for-25 for 251 yards and five touchdowns while adding 50 rushing yards and a score on 10 carries in a 49-20 win over Central Valley on Aug. 25.
Jaleiyah Ray, Lathrop — Three different ways to find the end zone made for quite the night. The senior rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown on three carries, caught a 10-yard touchdown and returned one of her two interceptions for a score in a 24-6 win over Sierra on Aug. 25.
Girls Volleyball
Alayna Sprinkle, Ripon — Add another digit to the career assist total. Sprinkle crossed the 1,000-assist mark while dishing out 26 assists to go with four aces and eight digs in Ripon’s 3-0 win over Sierra on Aug. 21.
Emma Strong, Escalon — One dig away from a double-double, the junior filled the box score with 14 kills, nine digs and an ace in a 3-1 win over Sierra on Aug. 24.
Erin Chunn, Lathrop — Fifteen kills were just the start for the senior, who added four aces and three digs to help Lathrop take down Los Banos 3-1 on Aug. 25.
Samirah Wilson, Weston Ranch — Ten kills on one side of the net and eight blocks on the other made for a busy night for the junior, who added three aces and three digs in a 3-0 sweep of Chavez on Aug. 26.
Ava Pasqualicchio, Tokay — Whether at the net, behind the service line or on defense, the junior made her presence felt. Pasqualicchio finished with 13 kills, two aces and eight digs in a 3-0 sweep of Galt on Aug. 27.
Aniston Hunt, Escalon — Setting was only part of the senior’s night. Hunt contributed just about everywhere with 27 assists, six kills, two aces, two blocks and 12 digs in a 3-2 win over Pitman on Aug. 27.
Leila Parsa, Mountain House — Eighteen blocks. In three sets. The sophomore made Calaveras work for seemingly everything at the net despite Mountain House falling 3-0 on Aug. 27.
Cross Country
David Avila, Millennium — Thirteen seconds separated the junior from everyone else. Avila finished the 5,000-meter varsity race at the Flame Invite at Lodi Lake in 16:02.37 to take first on Aug. 21.
Anna Dittman, Sierra — Second place came with a new personal best. The junior clocked an 18:13.5 at the Screamin' Scott Showdown at Atwater High School on Aug. 22.
Keegan Gehrke, Lincoln — Context matters with this finish. Gehrke placed 16th in a field of 338 runners while setting a personal best of 12:08.11 in the 4,000-meter race at the Oakmont Cross Country Invitational at Johnson-Springview Park on Aug. 29.
Girls Tennis
Hailey Kim, Manteca — Five teams. Five No. 1 players. None have been able to take a set from Kim. The sophomore has gone 10-0 in sets against St. Mary’s, Pitman, Kimball, Enochs and Gregori, outscoring her opponents 56-12 in games. According to MaxPreps, she is currently the No. 1-ranked No. 1 player in California.
Myla Barawed, St. Mary’s — Since opening against Manteca’s Hailey Kim in a 4-2, 4-1 loss, almost nothing has gone wrong for the junior. Against Sierra, Tokay, Monterey Trail and Elk Grove, Barawed hasn’t dropped a set and has surrendered just one game while winning 36.
Addison Roland, St. Mary’s — Put whoever you want next to Roland at No. 1 doubles. So far, the senior just keeps winning. Manteca, Sierra, Tokay and Monterey Trail have each gone down in straight sets, with only the second set against Sierra providing much of a scare.
Megan Vu, St. Mary’s — Freshman or not, Vu has looked right at home at No. 1 doubles. She won alongside Addison Roland against Monterey Trail and added victories against Bear Creek and Elk Grove, giving her a 3-0 record.
Gauri Krishna & Varna Maganti, Mountain House — Two matches together. Four sets. Not a single one lost. The senior duo is 2-0 at No. 1 doubles against McClatchy and Gregori, outscoring their opponents 24-7 along the way.
Boys Water Polo
Collin Bonds, Oakdale — Two games were all Bonds needed to pile up eight goals. He scored three in a 19-5 loss to Sanger, then not long after erupted for five goals and three assists in a 15-7 win over Enochs during an Aug. 22 doubleheader.
Trenton Johnson, Lincoln — The final score didn’t take away from the sophomore’s individual performance. Johnson had a hand in six goals, scoring three and assisting on three more in a 15-7 loss to Dublin on Aug. 25.
Braylen Ward, St. Mary’s — Five goals one game. Five more the next. The sophomore opened the season with five in a 20-10 loss to Jesuit on Aug. 26 before matching that total two days later in a 15-13 win over Pleasant Grove.
Kaustubh Avaral, Mountain House — Getting the ball past the senior wasn’t easy. Avaral finished with nine saves as Mountain House defeated Kimball 13-5 on Aug. 27.
Brandon Lucero, St. Mary’s — In a game decided by a single goal, the senior was all over the scoresheet. Lucero poured in seven goals and added two assists as St. Mary’s edged Atascadero 12-11 on Aug. 29.
This article originally appeared on The Record: San Joaquin County high school fall sports top performances for late August
