Fun & Games

Writer Tom Scanlon Photographer Pogue Photography   Asked about personal goals, some basketball stars might say “score 25 points a game” or “hit the winning shot as time expires in the state championship.”   Sam Young’s goal for her senior season?   “I want to be a good leader,” answers Young, the center of attention for the Boulder Creek High School girls’ basketball team. She is doing just that, and she also has a nice touch on her shots, plays intimidating defense and runs the floor well.   Oh, and she’s 6 feet, 3 inches tall. And she’s headed to California State University Northridge on a full scholarship.   Sam Young is literally the biggest thing to hit the Boulder Creek High girls’ basketball team. She is a major reason the team went 23-7 last year, setting a school record for wins, scoring the first post-season win in the program’s history and qualifying for the state playoffs.   This year, Young led the team to an 18-9 record in the regular... More

Some years ago, a little girl from Eschborn, Germany pleaded to play what her mother considered a “boys’ sport.” The child was relentless, and her mother finally gave in to the athletic, strong-willed little girl.   That little girl played fussball (which we Americans call soccer) with passion throughout her young life. She later came to America, started a family and is now coaching the athletic, strong-willed girls of the Boulder Creek Lady Jaguars - fast becoming the pride of Anthem.   Natalie Schmidtke’s first season as coach of the Boulder Creek varsity girls soccer team is off to a roaring start. Through the first 16 games of the season, the Lady Jags had a glittering 14-1-1 record. Schmidtke, a 33-year-old mother of three, was the junior varsity girls soccer coach last year, and has unleashed a potential powerhouse as a rookie varsity coach.   “When I had players at the beginning of the season ask me who I had hired, they were excited that Coach Schmidtke was the... More