Justin-Siena's Natalie Kelly, middle, competes in the 100 meters at a San Mateo meet during her sophomore track and field season on April 13, 2019.
Napa Christian's Bella Young races upcourt after getting a steal against visiting Summerfield Waldorf on Jan. 16, 2020.
Trace Willoughby is eager to get his senior baseball season started after a five-game junior campaign wasn't enough to get his bat going.
The Register sports staff has turned its attention to the Napa County student-athletes who are returning to play sports in 2020-21.
The North Coast Section Board of Managers — which include athletic directors Jill Stewart of American Canyon and Tom Hoppe of St. Helena — voted Friday to allow all sports except football to start this Monday, Feb. 1 and end by June 12, and for football to start Feb. 1 and end by April 17 to give underclassmen ample recovery time before the fall season.
All games this spring will likely be against league opponents only. The next step is for leagues to come up with a schedule for each sport based on what is allowed during what colored tier. Per the California Interscholastic Federation, the only sports that can be played as long as the Bay Area remains in its current purple tier — or “widespread” stage — of the COVID-19 pandemic are cross country, golf, swimming and diving, tennis, and track and field.
Baseball, girls lacrosse and softball will be allowed once the area is in the red-tiered “substantial” stage; badminton, football, gymnastics, boys lacrosse, soccer, volleyball and water polo when it reaches the “moderate” orange tier; and basketball, competitive cheer and wrestling when it’s a yellow tier and the risk is “minimal.”
Vintage High Athletic Director Cam Neal said the Vine Valley Athletic League — which includes American Canyon, Justin-Siena, Napa and Vintage — will meet Monday to discuss and create tentative schedules, and then will need them to get approved by Napa County Public Health and the principals of the league’s member schools before practices begin.
“Hoping that happens this week,” he said.
The Coastal Mountain Conference, which includes St. Helena’s North Central League I and Calistoga’s NCL III, has canceled all fall and winter sports except cross country. The CMC is hoping to save spring sports, however, to make up for them being canceled last year and will also discuss scheduling Monday.
For now, we continue our Up & Comers series, which highlights rising stars and players to watch for when their long waits are finally over.
Our 87th edition features Bella Young of Napa Christian, Tracy Willoughby of Napa High, and Natalie Kelly of Justin-Siena.
Bella Young
School: Napa Christian
Class of: 2022
Sport: Basketball
She has been shooting around with the Napa Christian boys at open gym, when COVID-19 restrictions have allowed it, and tried to stay as active as possible.
Young will need to stay active for whenever basketball starts again, be it April, October and or somewhere in between.
“From my point of view, we will depend upon her to be more active,” Napa Christian head coach Darren Smith said. “As an upperclassman, you have to take a leadership role. For her, it will be through her play, Bella is quiet so she is not going to do much talking, but she is a very good defensive force inside. She will need to improve her ability to score. She has already improved to so much, compared to when she was a freshman and had not yet grown into her height. Now, as a junior, she is more than capable of taking that next step.
“This is going to be a challenge. We lost three starters from last year, one to graduation and two (who chose not to play) due to COVID, so Bella is going to be important to any success we have.”
Trace Willoughby
School: Napa High
Class of: 2021
Sport: Baseball
He was starting to find his groove as a sophomore on the junior varsity in 2019, when he had 11 hits with a team-high three triples. But he had yet to get his first varsity hit last spring when the pandemic halted things, so few are as eager to get their senior season going than Willoughby.
“Trace is a strong human being,” head coach Jason Chatham said Friday. “He has plus arm strength and pop in his bat, and he is exceptionally coachable. He has been waiting for this opportunity to break out at the varsity level and he is chomping at the bit for our season to start.
“If he consistently finds the barrel of his bat, watch out. We are really excited about what he can do for the team.”
Natalie Kelly
School: Justin-Siena
Class of: 2021
Sports: Track and field
The senior will team with sophomore Mary Heun and junior Sydney Thweatt in the 4x100 relay once again, and try to finish what they started last spring with then-senior Claire Sullivan. Those four placed fourth at the Stocking Super Seven Invitational at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill to open last season.
It ended on March 11 in a Vine Valley Athletic League meet at Casa Grande. Her 4x100 relay team took first place in 52.3 against the Gauchos and American Canyon and Kelly was second in the 200 meters (29.4) against the Wolves. She was also second to Sullivan in the pole vault.
“Natalie has been a key, multi-talented member of our track team from Day 1 of her freshman year,” head coach Tracy Martin said. “Not only has she achieved top league marks in the pole vault, but her speed also helped her 2019 girls 4x100 relay team earn the school record. She runs the first leg with a really strong block start, which leads into fantastic corner running skills.
“She is an impressive athlete, but she is equally an impressive leader. She has been a team captain for two years and defines that role with her work ethic, motivation, and supportive style with her teammates. While I am eager for her to have a great senior season, I am also a bit sentimental about it being her last year with our team. The school community as a whole has greatly benefited from Natalie’s participation in numerous programs, so I know I won’t be alone in cheering her on this spring, as well as into her collegiate road ahead.
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