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Late update: Mercy Warriors knock off No. 2 seed Happy Camp, Thursday night, more details on 2B Friday Boys Hoops Playoffs — Red Bluff at Chico, 7 p.m. Boys Hoops Playoffs — Las Plumas at Corning, 7 p.m. Masters Wrestling Championships at Redding, Noon Sports 1B Friday February 25, 2011 Going out a winner Pearce named to Team USA I didn’t come into work today with the knowledge Iwas about to engage in a war of words with another local sports writer — especially one I respect and who’s part of the same company. I was all set to do my yearly Oscar-themed column, but we’ll push that off until next week as I believe Jeff Larson’s Paradise Post column bashing the Lady Spar- tans for opting out of the playoffs needs a rebuttal from up north. Seems Larson was disturbed the Division II girls playoff brack- et this year wasn’t neatly symmet- rical. Rich Greene The Northern Section divvies up its teams for the bas- ketball playoffs based on the state playoff guidelines. In recent years that has left just four teams — Chico, Pleas- ant Valley, Shasta and our Spartans to compete in Divi- sion II. So all four teams make the playoffs, regardless of record and a champion is crowned rather quickly. That also means even a 5-19 team like the Lady Spar- tans is guaranteed a semifinal spot. But while a school is guaranteed the slot, they don’t have to take it. Schools have the choice to opt out. Usu- ally this happens with smaller division schools looking to save some travel expenses. This year a beat-up five-win Lady Spartans basketball program elected to not make part. A reader e-mailed me yesterday after he had read the same Paradise Post piece, which took the Spartans to task for opting out of the playoffs and called the decision unfair to their would-be opponent. The reader said I should write something as well and call out Red Bluff’s coach for her actions. He asked if we’re teaching our kids to quit when things don’t go their way. I think coach Kathy Brandt was going for a different lesson here. She, and everyone else who has seen the Lady Spar- tans play this season, already know her kids aren’t quit- ters. Just over a week ago they lost to Pleasant Valley by 41 points and the kids never stopped trying even though it was clear five minutes into the game they didn’t stand a chance. By the way, that’s the team the Spartans would have been matched up against in the playoffs —a team ranked by MaxPreps as No. 18 in the state in Division II. No, the Lady Spartans don’t quit. They had multiple injuries, deaths in the family and were down to just seven players by their last game — but they never quit. When the decision to opt out of the playoffs hap- pened, Red Bluff had lost 16 of their last 17 games. The lone win coming against Gridley, who we all know is a powerhouse. But they never quit. No, this wasn’t a lesson about quitting. This was a lesson about earning a right. When Brandt was a player, things were different. Not every team made the playoffs. You had to quali- fy. She knows first hand, as she was part of a Lady Spar- tans team that would eventually earn a state title. Ultimately, Brandt’s goal as a coach is to return the Lady Spartans’ program to those great times. Obviously, there’s still a long way to go. But she’s not about to take any shortcuts. With only one senior leaving, Brandt has told me she believes her team can achieve a .500 record next season. She said when her team does that she wants her play- ers to know they did something to earn their ticket to the playoffs, not just have it handed to them because there’s only four Division II teams in the section. So, Brandt asked her team to vote on whether they wanted to play Pleasant Valley. The players voted to opt out. She then went to the Red Bluff athletic department. Three levels — players, coaches and administrators, — made the decision to forgo the playoffs. Sure, there was some pride swallowed, but they made a decision based on what was fair for them. The team spent the few days after the playoff brack- ets came out preparing for their final game of the season against Oroville. A team in all honesty, more at their level. It essentially turned into their playoff game. Those Lady Spartans who never quit, battled hard and took a lead into halftime and for the first time this season the majority of the crowd didn’t leave at inter- mission. Brandt said her players noticed this. They were thrilled. They came out the second half and finished the job they started. They even broke their losing streak. Brandt said they acted like they just won the NBA Finals. Her team ended the season on a positive note. That was important to Brandt. When you’re running a five-win program it’s not just about the players you have, it’s about the players you don’t have. A lot of kids don’t want to be a part of a bad team, who they read about being drubbed in the newspaper. Losing to Pleasant Valley by 40 points on the road doesn’t get students excited to join or in some cases even stay on the team. Larson wrote in regards to the postseason “it’s clear it’s a benefit to both the school and the players.” I think it’s clear Brandt believed that’s not the case if her team was invited just to serve as Pleasant Valley’s fodder. The Lady Spartans didn’t quit. They opted out of a system driven by participation trophies for every athlete and an extra ticket gate revenue for schools. It’s refreshing to see some honest self-reflection. Those Spartans will be ready to go back to work next season — healed, proud and I bet ready to put on a good show when they travel to Paradise. Red Bluff’s Paige Pearce was named to the 2011 Jr. United States Archery Team. Special to the DN ARCHERY USA Archery has announced the 2011 Jr. United States Archery Team (USAT) and soon to be sixteen year- old Paige Pearce, daughter of Kevin and Stacy Pearce and granddaughter of Clarice Meyer and Grover and Flo- rence Pearce of Red Bluff has secured the second position on the18-20 year- old team. This team represents the U.S. at National Tournaments and will occa- sionally travel out of the country. “The U.S. has several different teams,” Pearce said. “This particular team is based on the Junior rankings of several tournaments in 2010 and will last all of 2011. There are a total of five archers per discipline and per age divi- sion.” Pearce, a sophomore at Red Bluff High, will be traveling to several tour- naments across the country this year including Florida, Nevada, Arizona, Southern California, South Dakota and possibly New Jersey and Texas to name a few. This year, the JOAD Nationals and Junior World Trials will be held in Sacramento at Discovery Park July 7- 11. Several hundred youth from all over the country will be participating in the tournament vying for one of the three positions per division on the 2011 Junior World Team, which will be trav- eling to Legnica, Poland in August 2011. A total of 24 archers will make Courtesy photo “Archery has given Paige the opportunity to see the world. She has been exposed to so many different cultures and she has friends from all over the world.” mother Stacy Pearce the team. “The Junior World Team is yet another of the U.S. Teams,” Pearce said. “This team is selected based on the results of the JOAD Nationals and Junior World Trials only. The World Championships take place every two years, with the exception of back to back World Championships in 2008 and 2009.” World Championships are nothing new to Paige who made her first World Team in 2008 at age 13 and traveled to Antalya, Turkey where her team won the Gold Medal against the Russian Federation and broke the team round World Record. Pearce made the team again in 2009 at age 14 and traveled to Ogden, Utah. Kailey Johnston of Georgia, Kayla Harmeyer of Wisconsin along with Pearce broke their old World Record and won the team Gold Medal against the team from Mexico. Pearce also won the Individual Gold Medal against Stephanie Salinas of Mexico, tying the World Record during her Gold Medal Match. These matches can be seen on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDn3Zn n5d5w. Junior archers shoot the same dis- tances as the Senior Archers 70, 60, 50 and 30 meters, so they receive Senior rankings as well. Pearce’s current rolling rankings have qualified her for a position on one of the United States Senior teams. She will be representing the U.S. at the IV Copa Merengue De Tiro con Arco 2011 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, March 13-20. “This will be such a great opportu- nity and challenge to participate in this adult World Ranking event,” Pearce said. “I am looking forward to compet- ing at the world level in the Senior Division.” However, competing in the adult division is nothing new to Paige, who was the No. 1 ranked Female Senior in California and the winner of the 2010 California Triple Crown. Pearce also won the Female Adult Division and broke the National Hunter Round Record in the NFAA Outdoor Nation- als held in Darrington, Washington last See PEARCE, page 2B Masters mat glance NSCIF Masters Wrestling Championships Redding Convention Center Friday: Two rounds beginning at Noon Saturday: Matches begin at 10 a.m., Championships scheduled for around 5 p.m. 2010 recap: Chico won with 172 points, followed by Orland with 154 and Pleasant Valley at 119 points. Red Bluff was fourth with 114.5 points. The Spartans had two wrestlers reach finals in Sultan Beardsley (132) and Dillon Reid (154). Corning’s Thomas Marshall placed second at 217. Nashon Garrett, Hermillo Esquiv- el, Nathan Monck, Efren Rodriguez, Nick Morelli and Ross Longnecker won as underclassmen. Top 4 seeded wrestlers followed by Tehama County athletes. 105: 1. Clayton Buchanan, Chester; 2. Jaxon Fitzgerald, Foothill; 3. Hugo Punzo, Orland; 4. Matt Smull, Shasta; Elias Vallejo, Corn- ing. 114: 1. Nashon Garrett, Chico; 2. Zeke Andrede, Foothill; 3. Dan St. John, Red Bluff; 4. Lucas Gaeth, Durham; Martin Solano, Corning. 121: 1. Hermillo Esquivel, Orland; 2. Mason Sauseda, Chico; 3. Trevor Mantz, Wheatland; 4. Josh Plotzke, Trinity; 6. Nathan Fultz, Corning. 127: 1. Efren Rodriguez, Chico; 2. Nathan Monck, Orland; 3. Blaine Shaw, Paradise; 4. Brycent Molakides, Foothill; David Edson, Corning; Dalton Gutierrez, Red Bluff. 132: 1. Connor Anderson, Gridley; 2. Aron Garcia, Willows; 3. Jesse Chambers, Chico; 4. Jimmy Gamboa, Orland; 5. Matt Boles, Corning; Cayetano Alcarez, Red Bluff. 137: 1. Nick Morelli, Paradise; 2. Daniel Garcia, Willows; 3. Derek Tenckhoff; 4. Spencer Larson, Ander- son; Sean Lowe, Corning. 142: 1. Christian Wathen, Orland; 2. Pang Lee, Chico; 3. Tanner Meyers, Paradise; 4. Zack Davis, Lassen; Eric Anderson, Red Bluff; Ramon Lopez, Corning. 147: 1. Chase Boontjer, Foothill; 2. Justin Gildemeister, Sutter; 3. Jacob Mertz, Orland; 4. Cordero Rios, Chico; 5. Kyle Case, Red Bluff; Dominic Azeve- do, Corning. 154: 1. Bret Schumann, Orland; 2. Jason Powell, Par- adise; 3. Ryan Pickering, Pleasant Valley; 4. Dallas Poston, Foothill; Raul Espinoza, Corning. 162: 1. Dillon Reid, Red Bluff; 2. Calvin Meister, Corning; 3. Westley Ruffer, Chester; 4. Trevor Wright, Winters. 173: 1. Cody Linton, Winters; 2. Casey Gingrich, Orland; 3. Jared Stine, Willows; 4. Reid Pelfrey, Live Oak; Bryce Eggert, Red Bluff; Parker Johnson, Corning; T.J. Lar- son, Los Molinos. 191: 1. Ross Longnecker, Chico; 2. Jariah Booker, Las Plumas; 3. Javier Lopez, Wheatland; 4. Darling, Espar- to; 5. Daniel Welborn, Corning. 217: 1. Austin Lobsinger, West Valley; 2. Mark Jorgenson, Chico; 3. Alex Ryan, Sutter; 4. Trevor Cande- laria, Willows; 5. Erik Miranda, Corning; Jeff Skaggs, Red Bluff. 287: 1. Luke Peterson, Lassen; 2. Jose Avina, Gridley; 3. Scott Nelson, West Valley; 4. Bryce Melani, Sutter.