Local sports notebook: Analy names new boys basketball coach

Analy High School has new leadership for its boys basketball program.

Kris Mahiri, who served an assistant to head coach Jason Carpenter last season when the school was known as West County, will be taking over the varsity job. Carpenter stepped down from his role after the season.

“I’m excited,” Mahiri told The Press Democrat on Saturday. “Originally I wasn’t going to go out for the job, but I’ve taken a liking to the kids. I’ve been coaching some of these boys now since last season, starting back in the fall before the season started. Most of them asked me if I’d be willing to come on and help the coach over the course of the season. I’ve kind of acclimated myself with these boys.

“Great group of kids, great group of kids. I’m excited.”

Mahiri, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, has an extensive background coaching basketball. He was a star during his prep days at Buchtel High School in Akron and had stints at both the University of Cincinnati and the University of Akron before injuries derailed his playing career.

He moved to Sonoma County in 1998 and has been coaching ever since. He was the head boys varsity coach at Santa Rosa in the early 2010s and then led the girls program at Maria Carrillo for several years.

“We are excited to have coach Mahiri take over the program and anticipate a smooth transition because of his well-established relationships with both players and parents,” Analy Athletic Director Joe Ellwood said in a text. “We are looking forward to coach Mahiri leading the program and continuing the tradition of fostering both athletic and academic excellence.”

Analy, which is returning to its original name in the fall, went 17-10 overall last season and finished second in the North Bay League-Redwood at 7-3. The Tigers return three all-league players in rising seniors Gavin Reid (first team) and Syris Paley (honorable mention), along with rising junior Walter Galbraith (second team).

Analy will also be jumping up to the more competitive NBL-Oak division for this upcoming season.

“Like I said, I’m excited,” Mahiri said. “We’ve got some talent over at the school. We’re gonna be some work, but I think we’re gonna be pretty competitive this season.”

Cal-Hi Sports’ final softball, baseball rankings

The Cardinal Newman baseball team closed out a historic season as the No. 27 team in the state in the final CalHi Sports rankings of the school year.

The Cardinals (24-6) won the North Coast Section Division 3 title, the first section title in program history, and earned a spot in the Division 1 NorCal Regional playoffs, where they fell to then-state No. 1 Saint Francis — which finished the year as the No. 2 team in the state after losing to state No. 1 De La Salle in the Division 1 title game.

CalHi Sports also ranked the Cardinals, who finished as co-champs of the NBL-Oak, as the No. 4 team in Division 2 in California. (CalHi Sports’ divisions sometimes vary from the NCS and CIF.)

The Ukiah baseball team also earned some well-deserved recognition for its miracle postseason run. The Wildcats (20-10) captured the NCS Division 2 title as the No. 9 seed and earned a trip to the CIF NorCal Division 2 playoffs, where they fell to eventual runner-up Granite Bay, which finished the year as the No. 30 team in the state in CalHi Sports’ rankings.

For all its success, CalHi Sports named Ukiah as the No. 8 team in Division 3 in the state.

Petaluma, which fell to Ukiah in the NCS Division 2 title game, was an honorable mention in Division 3.

Several softball programs were also recognized by CalHi Sports in their end-of-season division rankings.

Fort Bragg, the undefeated champion of the North Central League I, and St. Helena, the NCLI runner-up, finished No. 9 and No. 10, respectively, in the Division 5 rankings for the state.

The Timberwolves (23-5) were the runners-up in the NCS Division 4 playoffs, while the Saints (18-9) were runners-up in NCS Division 5 but qualified for the CIF NorCal Division 5 playoffs, where they reached the semifinals.

Clear Lake (16-8) and St. Vincent (21-7) also both appeared in CalHi Sports’ Division 5 rankings. The Cardinals were on the Expanded Next 5 Teams list, while the Mustangs were an honorable-mention selection.

Summer baseball check-in

Summer-league baseball is in full swing around the county.

Through the first few weeks of the season in the California Collegiate League, the Healdsburg Prune Packers, the reigning CCL champs, were back to their winning ways with a 6-1 record entering a doubleheader against the Solano Mudcats on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Sonoma Stompers, a new addition to the CCL this summer, improved to 5-5 after a 6-4 win over the Lincoln Potters on Friday.

The Santa Rosa Scuba Divers, the newest addition to the local summer baseball circuit, were 6-8 as of Saturday afternoon in the Pacific division of the Pecos League, an independent baseball league with teams in California, New Mexico, Arizona, Kansas, Texas and Colorado.

You can reach Staff Writer Gus Morris at 707-304-9372 or gus.morris@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @JustGusPD.