Notebook: Basketball starts with Modesto City Classic; MJC Football to host bowl game
The high school basketball tournament season officially tips off with the only event that features multiple Modesto teams.
The Modesto City Classic has been a staple of the community for more than 30 years and after a year off, coaches are excited to bring the tradition back this season.
The tournament starts on Wednesday, Dec. 1 and ends with the championship on Saturday, Dec. 4.
Varsity teams will play at Modesto High and Enochs High and there are two additional host sites for junior varsity and one for freshman.
Twelve teams will compete in pool play on Dec. 1-3 and the tournament championship will be on Dec. 4 at Modesto High.
Defending champion Gregori High plays Downey in its first game of the tournament Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. and coach Ryan Green knows the importance the event has in showcasing the city’s basketball talent.
“If you want to get more involved and know more about the city of Modesto’s public schools, and how their basketball programs are doing ... come check us out.” Green said. “It’s a long standing tradition that hopefully will continue to go on for years and years to come.”
MJC football wraps up season this weekend: There is a lot going on in the Modesto Junior College football program. The Pirates finished 7-3 and are the No. 3 ranked team in Northern California. They host Diablo Valley College (6-4) in the Grizzly Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 1 p.m.
The Pirates picked up 16 All-Valley League Awards, most of any other team in the conference. Gino Campiotti (Manteca) won conference Offensive MVP and Rusty Stivers earned Co-Coach of the Year honors. Alex Ramirez (Beyer) was one of the team’s three offensive line All-League selections.
Central Catholic products D’Angelo Bellamy and Dauson Booker earned All-Valley League DB honors and former Raider Kyle Jackson was named All-League LB.
Booker also picked up a Division I offer from Conference USA’s The University of Texas at El Paso.
MJC Volleyball Closed out season: The Pirates’ volleyball team made the playoffs for the first time since 2013, and the fourth time in school history. They finished fourth in the Big 8 with a 13-12 record. They fell to Cosumnes River in the NorCal Regional Play-In Round, 25-17, 25-13, 25-22.
Three players earned All-League honors. First-teamer Ava Chiesa (Turlock) led the Pirates with 278 kills and was second in digs, picking up 244.
Camryn Wong earned second team honors for her efforts as libero. The Beyer High grad finished with 483 digs, good for first in the Big 8 and fourth in the state.
Wong finished 11 digs shy of the school record for digs in a season.
Freshman setter Lanai Torres (Orestimba) played every set for the Pirates and was named honorable mention after leading the Big 8 in and finishing third in the state with 466 assists.
Central Catholic football cracks top 30: The Raiders won the Division II Sac-Joaquin Section title on Saturday night, extending what has already been a successful season. They host Bullard of Fresno in the CIF Division 2-AA NorCal Bowl Game on Friday, Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Thanks to its continued success, Central Catholic continues to move up the ranks of CalHi Sports’ weekly state rankings. After coming in at 35 last week, it has cracked the top 30, coming in at 29.
2021 Modesto City Classic Schedule
Modesto High School
Dec. 1
4 p.m. – Beyer vs West
5:30 p.m. – Johansen vs Modesto
7 p.m. – Kimball vs Pitman
Dec. 2
4 p.m. – Pitman vs Johansen
5:30 p.m. – West vs Kimball
7 p.m. – Modesto vs Beyer
Dec. 3
4 p.m. – West vs Modesto
5:30 p.m. – Beyer vs Pitman
7 p.m. – Kimball vs Johansen
Dec. 4
3 p.m. – TBD
4:30 p.m. – TBD
6 p.m. – TBD (Championship)
Enochs High School
Dec. 1
4 p.m. – El Capitan vs Davis
5:30 p.m. – Downey vs Gregori
7 p.m. – Enochs vs Lathrop
Dec. 2
4 p.m. – Lathrop vs Downey
5:30 p.m. – Davis vs Enochs
7 p.m. – El Capitan vs Gregori
Dec. 3
4 p.m. – Davis vs Lathrop
5:30 p.m. – Downey vs El Capitan
7 p.m. – Enochs vs Gregori
Dec. 5
1 p.m. – TBD
2:30 p.m. – TBD
4 p.m. – TBD
This story was originally published November 30, 2021 at 4:22 PM.
