SPORTS SATURDAY, JANUARY 13, 2018 | napavalleyregister.com | SECTION B Pope Valley course to close Aetna Springs in its final days Sunday after 125 years ANDY WILCOX Sunday. noon Friday. “We have over 30 [email protected] “There’s a new prospective people right now, and tomor- Being one of the oldest and owner,” Aetna Springs Director row’s going to be very busy and prettiest nine-hole layouts in the of Operations David Cage said I’m sure Sunday will be even western United States has made Friday afternoon. “He hasn’t busier.” Aetna Springs Golf Course worth purchased it yet, but he’s in the Cage said about 4,800 rounds the occasional 30- to 60-minute process of doing due diligence were played in all of 2017 – which drive from St. Helena or Napa, – and I heard he’s just going to works out to 13 a day. Despite or as a side trip for those visit- build home sites around here.” reasonable rates, the course av- ing the Napa Valley from else- Cage said he was informed eraged only about 20 weekday where in the world. of this weekend’s closure only rounds a day during the week Unfortunately for the a week and a half ago, and has and 25 to 35 during weekends this 125-year-old facility in Pope Val- been telling golfers about it when past summer, he said, and those ley, set between rolling vineyards they’ve called to make tee times. rounds started dropping come with mountain views, those vis- Ironically, it’s led to a boost in September. its have become too occasional business. “It’s very sad,” Cage said. “It’s for the owners – the Dallas Po- “We’ve been really busy this such a great little golf course with ANDY WILCOX, REGISTER lice and Fire Department Pen- week, everybody trying to get The clubhouse at Aetna Springs Golf Course overlooks the ninth green. sion Fund – to keep it open past their last round in,” he said at Please see AETNA SPRINGS, Page B4 LOCAL REPORT PREP WRESTLING Wolves drop close SCAC hoop opener REGISTER STAFF The American Canyon High girls basketball team, after a 2-12 preseason, nearly knocked off ri- val Benicia in its Solano County Athletic Conference opener at home Thursday night. The Wolves fell 45-43 despite Robyn-Elizabeth Yan’s 17 points, three steals, three assists and three rebounds. Adriauna Samodio added 11 points, two steals, four rebounds and an assist, Lauren Summers nine points, three steals and two rebounds, and Mariah Carlyle and Erika Culannay three points apiece. Youth Swimming Gilsenan shines at All-Star Meet Max Gilsenan of the Napa REGISTER FILE PHOTO Valley Swim Team recently rep- St. Helena High’s Kevin DePina, right, was a four-time league champion for the Saints and an example of the type of wrestler the community has resented Pacific Swimming at the potential to mold. He’s shown here competing in the 2007 King of the Valley wrestling tournament. the annual Pacific Coast All- Star Meet held in Snohomish, Washington. The quad meet was between all-star teams from Southern California Swim- ming, Oregon Swimming, Pacific Northwest Swimming and Pa- From top to bottom cific Swimming. Gilsenan, competing in the qualified for state. Now, after multiple years of The most glaring is participa- Storied St. Helena They entered the program as barely scraping by, the program tion. Please see REPORT, Page B4 freshmen – many with youth has finally folded. “There’s no secrets,” said St. wrestling program experience to boast – and stuck St. Helena did not field a wres- Helena High currently on hiatus with it all four years. tling team for the 2017-18 sea- School’s long- But that glory has long since son, pulling the plug on a sport time athletic YOUSEF BAIG faded. Herschel Sandler, the that has been a staple at the high director, Tom [email protected] coach who directed that dom- school for generations. It was Hoppe. “We fin- A decade ago it would have inant run, resigned after the laid to rest peacefully, with no ished three sea- been hard to imagine a time when 2006-07 season, citing personal real announcement declaring it sons ago with one St. Helena High School would be reasons. Months after his depar- was gone. kid, two seasons devoid of a wrestling team. ture, he was the subject of a toxic Very quietly, one of the loud- ago with one kid, From 1997 to 2007, the Saints scandal that resulted in jail time. est pieces of St. Helena’s recent and last year with Hoppe won a Coastal Mountain Confer- Regardless of the residue athletic history vanished from two kids. It’s just ence championship nine out of Sandler’s legacy left behind, St. the high school level, and the hard to justify it when schools 10 seasons, and even captured a Helena’s wrestling program was chilling effect of that could sti- like Fort Bragg and Willits come North Coast Section Class A title never the same. fle the sport’s growth in the years down with a full team to wrestle as a team in 2005 and 2006. In Over the last decade, the to come. and we have two kids that can fact, they were two points shy Saints steadily lost ground in the wrestle.” of winning their third in a row CMC, and no coach – whether it The decision to drop the That trend was also happen- SUBMITTED PHOTO in 2007. was Joe Luna, Matthew Coit or ing at St. Helena’s Robert Louis team Max Gilsenan recently broke Individually, the caliber of Roger Bubel – was able to breathe Stevenson Middle School, which his own Napa Valley Swim wrestlers was exceptional for a enough life into the program The path to this point branched serves as the primary feeder pro- Team record in the 200-yard community of St. Helena’s size. to resemble what it once was. from numerous directions, but gram. breaststroke at the Pacific Coast Countless athletes won indi- The best league finish in the all have contributed in varying For whatever reason, whether All-Star Meet held in Snohomish, vidual league titles, advanced post-Sandler era was second in degrees to the sport’s decline in Washington. to section meets, and some even 2010 under Luna. St. Helena. Please see WRESTLING, Page B4 NAPA VALLEY BASKETBALL REPORT Storm men tied atop BVC MARTY JAMES added 20 points and seven James Ned (four points, four re- [email protected] boards, Sasha French 14 points, bounds), Malcolm Bracy (three Despite a season-high 26 11 rebounds and three blocks, points, three assists), Hampton points from Akeem Dear, the Adopo Amancho 13 points, Joe (five rebounds, five assists) and Napa Valley College men’s bas- Fons six points and nine re- Calvin Johnson (three rebounds). ketball team absorbed its first bounds, and Jayden Hampton Bay Valley Conference loss of seven points and five assists. Krill leads Wesleyan the season, 99-89 in overtime, to In a 66-53 win at Solano Com- Nathan Krill scored a team- visiting Yuba on Thursday night. munity College in Fairfield on best 14 points and had four re- Napa Valley The Storm (9-8, 5-1 BVC) and Tuesday, French led the Storm bounds to help the host Wesleyan College’s Akeem the 49ers (13-5, 5-1 BVC) were with 16 points on 7-of-16 shoot- University men’s basketball team Dear (2), shown tied 84-84 after regulation, be- ing, 14 rebounds, two assists and defeat Middlebury College Sat- driving for a fore Napa Valley had a six-game two blocks. Tom Salsman scored urday at Silloway Gymnasium, layup against win streak snapped. The Storm 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting 80-70, in Middletown, Con- Alameda on Jan. and Yuba are now tied for first and had four assists and three necticut. 4, led the Storm place with Contra Costa (11-6, rebounds. Mills had 11 points, Krill, a Justin-Siena High with a season- 5-1 BVC), but not for long. The three rebounds and three assists. School graduate who is from high 26 points in Comets host Napa Valley at Other contributors were Dear St. Helena, was 4-of-4 from Thursday’s loss to 1 p.m. Saturday in San Pablo. (nine points, seven rebounds, 3-point range in 15 minutes for Yuba. Dear also had six rebounds two steals), Fons (eight points, M DEAN RUGGIERO 1 against Yuba. Armani Mills eight rebounds, two blocks), Please see BASKETBALL, Page B4 PHOTO B2 | SATURDAY, JANUARY 13, 2018 THE SPORTS PAGE NAPA VALLEY REGISTER NFL | PLAYOFFS DIVISIONAL ROUND MATCHUPS | AFC (regular season statistics) AFC NEWS & NOTES Tennessee (5) at New England (1) Jacksonville (3) at Pittsburgh (2) Belichick intends 8:15 p.m. ET Saturday 1:05 p.m. ET Sunday to return as coach TV: CBS TV: CBS Under Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots have often 314.0 Total o ense (yds/g) 394.2 365.9 Total o ense (yds/g) 377.9 thrived when inundated with 114.6 Rushing o ense 118.1 141.3 Rushing o ense 104.1 scrutiny from outside of their locker room. 199.4 Passing o ense 276.1 224.6 Passing o ense 273.8 They’ll have to do it again this 328.0 Total defense (yds/g) 366.0 286.1 Total defense (yds/g) 306.9 week as they prepare for their divisional round matchup with 88.8 Rushing defense 114.8 116.2 Rushing defense 105.8 the Tennessee Titans.