Sierra High celebrates rare ‘Valley Oak League Slam’

It truly was the Year of the Timberwolf in the Valley Oak League.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Sierra High School followed one milestone with another, becoming the first school in the modern history of the Valley Oak League to hold all three of its major boys titles – football, basketball and baseball.

On Wednesday, all three teams gathered in the quad of the West Manteca campus to commemorate their banner year with a photograph. Football players donned their cool blue jerseys, basketball wore home whites, and baseball checked in with gray T-shirts.

“You could not write a more fitting story,” vice principal and athletic director Anthony Chapman said.

They mingled and prodded one another, mixing it up as only champions do. The hard part was over ... at least for the players and coaches.

Christopher Leonard of Leonard Photography was charged with finding a place for his 76 subjects, including principal Steve Clark, assistant principal Dan Beukelman and vice principals Greg Leland and Chapman. He worried aloud if the stand would hold the weight of the linemen.

“We’ve done this before,” one said boastfully, making his way to the top bleacher.

Chapman said the picture will hang in a prominent place in the foyer of the gymnasium, where the school’s trophies and plaques collect. Those shelves tell the story of Sierra’s evolution as one of the premier public school athletic programs in the Central Valley.

In 1995-96, the first varsity season with only juniors, the Timberwolves went 14-46-1 overall and 8-32 in VOL play in three major boys sports. This school year, Sierra was 59-12-1 and 32-3 in league.

“Our student-athletes may not completely grasp what they have accomplished until they get some years under their belt,” said Chapman, a member of the school’s first graduating class.

The photo shoot also highlighted the Valley Oak League’s commitment to multi-sport athletes.

In April, the VOL’s principals and athletic directors unanimously adopted multi-sport patches for athletes who play two and three sports. The patches will be available to the VOL’s eight schools beginning in the fall.

The concept was developed with athletes like Sierra’s Hunter Johnson (football, basketball and baseball), Scott Teicheira (football, basketball and baseball) and Daniel Wyatt (football and basketball), among others, in mind.

Chapman has credited the multi-sport philosophy for bolstering his programs. Sierra’s varsity programs benefit from the school’s very best athletes.

Under the direction of coach Jeff Harbison, the football team kicked off the championship haul, sharing the VOL title with Oakdale. The Timberwolves used a massive offensive line to spring 2,000-yard back Mark Paule Jr. Sierra (10-2 overall) finished the season 6-1 in league play with signature victories over Oakdale and eventual Division IV state champion Central Catholic.

The boys basketball team clinched its fourth consecutive VOL title in impressive fashion, rolling unscathed through one of the thorniest leagues in the southern half of the Sac-Joaquin Section. The championship helped propel the Timberwolves (30-3, 14-0) through a historic postseason. Sierra and coach Scott Thomason netted their first section championship with a 67-51 victory over VOL rival Weston Ranch in the Division III final at Sleep Train Arena and reached the second round of the Northern California tournament.

Skipper Jack Thomson and the baseball team completed the slam, edging Oakdale at the finish. With many of the football and basketball players cheering them on from the stands, the Timberwolves (19-7-1) went 12-2 in the VOL and captured their first baseball title since 2001.

Rarer yet? The Valley Oak League Slam.

League commissioner Norm Antinetti pored through the history of the league, searching as far back as the 1960s, and couldn’t find another instance of the trifecta.

That accomplishment isn’t lost on the school’s notable alumni.

“Always give credit for success where it is earned, because the act of doing so serves to encourage more success,” said Rick Arucan, the school’s first principal. “Sierra High, through the leadership of Steve Clark and his administrative team, teachers, staff and coaches, has continued to demonstrate the focus upon developing student-athletes. I have marveled all year long at the ongoing successes of the various athletic teams.”

This story was originally published May 30, 2015 at 8:05 PM with the headline "Sierra High celebrates rare ‘Valley Oak League Slam’."