Empire notes: Piner football stars transition to hardwood

Different sport, same names. Piner High's 4-0 basketball team seems to be picking up where the football team left off.

High off of their near-magical run on the football field, big names from the Prospectors' football team are now leading Mike Erickson's basketball squad: Yonaton Isack, Jake Herman, Adonis Gutierrez, Sumail Berhe, Isaac Torres and Adrian Torres have all traded in their cleats for high tops.

A game to watch: Piner at Healdsburg, 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 19.

McClain shines on national stage

St. Helena junior Harper McClain, fresh off of her dominating CIF state cross country Division 5 win on Nov. 30, ran to a 65th-place finish at the elite, invitation-only Nike Nationals cross country race in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday. More than 200 runners raced and McClain was the seventh fastest among California competitors, crossing the line after slightly more than three miles in 18:53. Winner Katelyn Tuohy of New York won her third straight title, finishing in 17:18.

Cardinals rolling again

Cardinal Newman's girls basketball has yet to drop a game this season. The Cardinals are 5-0 heading into Thursday night's road game against American Canyon. The Cardinals beat up on American Canyon's Vine Valley Athletic League peer Vintage 84-21 in the opening game of the season on Nov. 20. The Cardinals have since dispatched an always-tough Sacred Heart Prep team 49-45 on Friday.

Kinahan wins coaching award

Santa Rosa Junior College men's soccer coach Marty Kinahan was named California Community College Athletic Association Northern California Regional Coach of the Year and the Bear Cubs' soccer staff won Regional Staff of the Year. The Bear Cubs won the Big 8 Conference title and went 18-2-2 overall and 9-0-1 in conference.

Kris Kringle tourney afoot

The Santa Rosa Junior College men's basketball team will bring its 6-3 record into the annual Kris Kringle Tournament this weekend. The Bear Cubs, led by sophomore Atmar Mundu, bring their balanced offensive attack into an opening around game against University of Antelope Valley's junior varsity squad Thursday. Tip-off is at 8 p.m. at Haehl Pavilion.

Analy looking for football coach

Analy High head football coach James Foster has stepped down. Foster, who has been with the program since 2010, took over head coaching duties in 2017, a year the Tigers went 6-4 overall and 5-0 in the last season of the Sonoma County League. The Tigers' transition to the North Bay League-Oak Division has been a mite rougher, with the team going 3-7 overall and 1-4 in league last year and 1-9 overall and 0-5 in league this year. “It was no one thing in particular,” Foster said. “I kind of felt it was the right time.” Analy High officials have opened a search for a new coach. Inquiries can be directed to Athletic Director Joe Ellwood at 707-824-2321 or jellwood.ahs@wscuhsd.k12.ca.us. The search will be open until Jan 10.