Empire notebook: Casa Grande trio signs to play lacrosse in college

Casa Grande senior Jeremy Bonner has signed on to play lacrosse at the University of Arizona next year. Bonner, a two-way midfielder, was called “very athletic” in the university's official announcement. Bonner will be joined by Casa teammate Josh Garcia, who has also signed on to play for the Wildcats. Garcia plays attack. A third Gaucho has also signed to play next year. Ian McKissick, a midfielder, is slated to play for the Vikings of Cleveland State University.

Dieter to be an Aggie

Maria Carrillo senior Ryan Dieter has signed a National Letter of Intent to play soccer for the UC Davis Aggies in the fall. “I am excited to add Ryan to our program,” Aggies head coach Dwayne Shaffer said in a statement. “He is physically very quick and fast, as well as very technical … he is a versatile soccer player that will help our program at several positions.” Dieter is leading the Pumas to a strong start this season. The Carrillo squad is 8-3-1 and 3-0 in the North Bay League-Redwood Division heading into Tuesday night's matchup with Cardinal Newman.

Poulsen on the move again

Erik Poulsen has been somewhat of a basketball nomad. He started his high school career at Analy and ended it at Montgomery. He started his college career at Santa Rosa Junior College where he earned Big 8 Conference Player of the Year honors before transferring to USF. He spent a season with the Dons where he put up an average of 3.5 points and 1.9 rebounds per game in 25 appearances. He's now set to play at Western Oregon University in Monmouth. Because of transfer rules, Poulsen, a 6-foot-10 center, will be eligible to compete for the Wolves next year as a junior.

Newman busts out for 22

Santa Rosa Junior College freshman Shayla Newman doubled her season average in the Bear Cubs women's basketball team's loss to Sierra College Friday night. Newman, who prepped at Montgomery, got 22 points in the 77-55 home loss. She's shooting nearly 49 percent from the field while pulling down nearly 10 rebounds per game. The Bear Cubs were 6-8 overall and 2-3 in the Big 8 heading into their home contest with American River Tuesday night.

See the Bear Cubs on stream

The Santa Rosa Junior College men's basketball team has three upcoming games that will be streamed online by NorCal Sports TV. Friday's road game against Diablo Valley at 5:30 p.m., the Jan. 25 game at 7:30 p.m. at San Joaquin Delta and the Feb. 19 home game at 7:30 p.m. against Diablo Valley will all be streamed on the NorCal Sports TV YouTube channel. The Bear Cubs were 13-4 overall and 4-1 in the Big 8 Conference heading into their home game Tuesday night against American River.

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.”