Benefield: Analy High's Bella Niedermair pulling double duty in all-star games

The only thing Bella Niedermair needs now is a cape. And maybe a phone booth for the quick change.

She's got every other aspect of the Superman routine covered, right down to the Clark Kent role of reporter.

Niedermair, a senior at Analy High, is pulling a double Friday night. At 6 p.m. she will suit up for the Schools Plus senior all-star basketball game at Montgomery High, representing Analy and the Sonoma County League.

By 8:30 p.m. she'll be across town at Santa Rosa High for kickoff of the Santa Rosa Kiwanis all-star soccer game, representing Analy and the best soccer-playing seniors from the north end of Sonoma County. To Niedermair's way of thinking, it's no biggie.

“I have been juggling those two sports for four years,” she said. “I figured I may as well do that for my last game as well.”

Niedermair's double duty is no surprise to Analy girls basketball coach Earl Passamonte.

“In 17 years, I have never had anybody like her. She's a beast,” he said. “She would go hard all of the time. She's unreal. I don't even know how she functions.”

Niedermair has started on the varsity basketball team since her freshman year. And that was despite the fact that she made it known that, yes, she would be balancing Tigers basketball and soccer with club soccer with Santa Rosa United.

“I've always played basketball and soccer,” she said. “I'm pretty used to going to two practices in a day.”

Passamonte thought surely he'd have to serve up an ultimatum.

“Absolutely. I thought I was (going to have) to be a hard-ass and tell her she was going to have to pick one or the other,” he said.

“I never had to say that. She never gave me a reason to doubt whether or not she could do what she said she could do. She proved me wrong quickly.”

She also proved herself invaluable in just about every discipline to which she applied focus.

In the fall, Niedermair anchored the Tigers' defense in soccer as Analy finished second in the Sonoma County League and made it to the quarterfinal round of the North Coast Section tournament. She was named second-team All-Empire.

In the winter, playing post for the Tigers basketball team, Niedermair led the squad in both points and rebounds with 10 per game in both categories. Analy finshed 19-10 overall and 10-2 in league, finishing second in the SCL.

Jann Thorpe knows all about what Niedermair can do.

The Sonoma Valley Dragons basketball coach had to deal with her all season long in the battle for league supremacy.

“She's a big force to be reckoned with inside. She is very strong, very active. She moves really well,” she said. “She's definitely someone you have to strategize around.”

But on Friday, instead of trying to find a way to stop her, Thorpe - who will coach the SCL all-stars - has Niedermair's talents at her disposal.

“I think that's going to be fun,” she said.

Fun is how Niedermair sounds when she talks about sports. I don't get any sense of obligation or even fatigue.

“Honestly, high school sports have really shaped the last four years for me,” she said. “All my best friends are people I have played sports with over the years.”

Surely all of that focus on athletic pursuits made her lose focus elsewhere? Something must have had to give, right?

Wrong. Niedermair worked her way to a 4.3 grade point average and is leaning toward attending U.C. Berkeley. Oh, and to round out the whole Superman analogy, she wrote for the school paper, too.

“As hard as she pushes in basketball and soccer, I think she pushes twice as hard in academics,” Passamonte said. “Never once did she tell me she couldn't go to practice because ‘I have AP this or AP that.'”

Nope, Niedermair just got it done on the basketball court, did a quick change and scooted off to soccer.

Niedermair says sports, and all that they ask of a young athlete, have made her who she is.

“I think it's taught me how to manage my time, it's taught me how to be supportive of my peers and it's taught me how to be a team player,” she said. “I think a lot of my values and my competitiveness and my drive come from being involved in athletics my whole life.”

Her peers see it, according to Passamonte. Niedermair is not one to flaunt what she's got. She'll just show you by working hard, he said.

“I will say this - when we are in team meetings and going through some rough times and Bella stops to speak, everybody shuts up,” he said.

“When she chooses to speak, everybody would listen. Everybody would respect Bella because nobody would outwork her.”

So if it's going to be tough to give it a go on both the basketball court and soccer field Friday, you won't hear Niedermair complain. This is what she does.

“I think it's just a really great goodbye,” she said. “It's a great event to commemorate the last four years.”

Correction: It's a great two events. But who's counting?

You can reach staff columnist Kerry Benefield at 707-526-8671 or kerry.benefield@pressdemocrat.com, on Twitter @benefield and on Instagram at kerry.benefield. Podcasting on iTunes and SoundCloud “Overtime with Kerry Benefield.”