National Signing Day: CC’s Sani signs with Dartmouth, MJC trio sign with DI schools

While on an official visit to the University of Washington in late January, Central Catholic senior tight end Nic Sani said the Husky coaches talked with him about choosing the school that felt like home.

After returning from the visit, Sani and his family spent a couple of days deciding what school was the best fit.

In the end, it was the school he had No. 1 for the longest: Dartmouth.

“(Dartmouth is) going to put me in the best position for life after football,” said Sani, who has a 4.37 GPA.

Sani, senior wide receiver Frank Clark, and senior running back Minaya Olivo all signed in a ceremony in the lobby of the school’s gym on Wednesday.

Clark signed with Luther College in Iowa while Olivo signed with Montana State.

For most of the year, Sani was set on Dartmouth until Jan. 23 when he was offered by San Diego State and Washington.

“It was crazy,” Sani said about the recruiting process. “Schools started offering and talking to me all at once.”

Both SDSU and Washington intrigued Sani because they were closer to home.

Sani said he thought about the November visit to Dartmouth and feeling at home at the Hanover, New Hampshire campus.

“It was a gut feeling,” said Sani, who is undecided about what he will major in.

Olivo said he chose Montana State over Cal Poly and Dartmouth among others because he liked the environment of the campus and bonded with the coaching staff.

“They were asking me about my family and wanted to really know me,” Olivo said. “It’s a Division I opportunity and I took it.”

Olivo said he will major in pre-med.

MJC trio sign with DI schools: Ferrin G Manuleleua, Antonio Pule, and Paul Sogialofa spent two years together at Modesto Junior College, where they helped lead the football team to the school’s best two-year run in school history. That included a NorCal Championship appearance and an overall record of 17-6.

On Wednesday, all three signed with NCAA Division I programs with Manuleleua and Sogialofa signing with Missouri State while Pule is headed to Pullman, Washington where he will play at Washington State.

“They were leaders by action and a lot of our success had to do with those three guys,” Pirates coach Rusty Stivers said.

Manuleleua, a Manteca High grad, was voted as an All-State linebacker in 2019 and had 162 tackles, 20 tackles for a loss, and nine sacks in two years with the Pirates.

Pule was voted All-Conference in both years at MJC and Sogialofa was a All-American in 2019.

The 2019 Pirates now have five players who signed with Division I schools with tight end Rory Hanson and quarterback Danny Velasquez both signing with Fresno State.

Pitman girls basketball beats Gregori: Pitman (6-1, 19-6) girls basketball remained atop the Central California Athletic League standings with a 59-33 win over Gregori (5-2, 14-11) on Tuesday.

“We are starting to play with a lot of energy and getting up into people (defensively) and playing with a pace that is really good for us,” Pride coach Dustin Curtiss said. “We are 10 or 11 deep and when we keep picking up our pace, it’s tough for people to keep up.”

The win avenged a 50-41 loss to the Jaguars on Jan. 16, one that Curtiss said “didn’t sit well” with the team.

“They outplayed us that game and we have had a different attitude since then,” Curtiss said.

Junior Malaikah Kashif led the Pride with 16 points while senior Rayden Simmons added 11.

Two local coaches honored by Sac-Joaquin Section: Gregori coach Rob Steves and Hilmar coach Patti Harris each were named 2019-20 Sac Joaquin Section Model Coach Award winners on Monday, the section announced.

The award honors coaches who are positive role models within their schools and community.

Harris has coached the Yellowjackets’ varsity girls volleyball team for the last 11 years, where she’s seen those teams win six league championships and two section Division IV titles.

Steves has coached varsity baseball for the last 21 years, JV baseball for two years, varsity football for seven years, and varsity girls golf for four years.

Both will will receive a plaque and a lifetime Sac-Joaquin Section pass at an awards breakfast on Tuesday, April 21, 2020 in Lodi.

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2019-2020 Stanislaus District Signees

This story was originally published February 5, 2020 at 2:14 PM.

Julian A. Lopez

The Modesto Bee

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Julian A. Lopez has been covering local sports for The Modesto Bee since August 2018. He graduated from Arizona State in 2016 with a BA in Journalism.