CLOVERDALE EAGLES ARE SOARING AGAIN

Check out the small school boys' basketball standings and no surprise,

Cloverdale is in the middle of yet another outstanding season.

The Eagles, coached by John Gastineau, average over 70 points a game and

have started NCL I South play at 3-0 and are 15-3 overall.

The school that produced state championships in 1983 and 1984 and has had

two coaches in the last 46 years (John McMillan and Gastineau), looks to be on

its way to a fourth consecutive 20-win season and a berth in the very tough

Division V playoffs. Cloverdale's records the last three seasons: 23-6, 25-5,

25-3.

The Eagles have a nice mix of inside players, shooters and defensive

standouts from among Robby Rowland, Mitch Delfino, Tyler Lawson, Gavin Mills,

Jordan Gambetta and Kyle Domenichelli.

Delfino, also the Eagles' starting shortstop on the baseball team, has been

scorching the net of late. Last week, he was 23-for-31 on 3-pointers in three

games, scoring 36 points against St. Vincent and 30 against

St. Helena.

As a team, the Eagles are shooting 36 percent from 3-point range, led by

Delfino, Lawson and Gambetta. Even Rowland, the Eagles' 6-5 sophomore is a

good 3-point shooter.

Cloverdale likes to run, but opponents know this and usually try to slow

down the Eagles. The Eagles like to think they can play any style.

''We try and play the same fastbreak and controlled offense that John

McMillan coached,'' Gastineau, who played for McMillan, said. The only change

is the 35-second shooting clock.

Cloverdale, which hasn't had much good fortune in the postseason recently,

has already gone up against its arch nemesis, two-time defending state champ

Branson. Cloverdale met the Bulls in the Redwood Classic at Boonville early

this season and took an 8-point lead, before eventually losing. Cloverdale's

other losses were by two points to Berean Christian and by one point to

Central Catholic of Modesto.

Last year, Cloverdale lost to Branson in the North Coast Section Div. V

playoffs in the second round and the year before that to International

Studies. Private schools have dominated the NCS and state championships of

late, particularly in Div. V.

If there's a public school likely to break that hold, it just might be

Cloverdale.

GRAPPLING TIME

One of the largest and most successful high school wrestling tournaments is

set for Saturday at Maria Carrillo with the staging of the 10th Puma Classic.

The tournament with a waiting list will have 30 teams in action starting at

9 a.m., including defending state champ Vacaville and defending NCS champ

College Park.

Other teams from outside the Empire entered, include Foothill, Granada,

Dublin, Alhambra, California, North Monterey, Vintage, Miramonte, Castro

Valley, Mission of San Jose, Northgate and Woodland. Among the area schools

participating include Petaluma, Healdsburg, Sonoma, Montgomery and Rancho

Cotate.

With the wrestling postseason quickly approaching, coaches look to

tournaments for matchups with top wrestlers that could enhance a wrestler's

resume before section championships.

State qualifiers on hand include Chase Aura of Foothill and Freddy Duerr of

Montgomery.

Maria Carrillo coach Tim Bruce also plans on awarding five teams who have

participated in every Puma Classic -- Hayward, Petaluma, St. Helena, Windsor

and Casa Grande.

Finals should begin around 6 p.m. Admission is $5 and $3 for students.

IN THE ARENA

Chris Hunsaker, an all-Empire linebacker from Middletown, who later starred

at Butte College and Northern Arizona, has signed with the Columbus Destroyers

of the Arena Football League.

Columbus lost to San Jose in last season's AFL championship game.

In the 2006 season, Hunsaker was a third team 1-AA Associated Press

All-American and a first-team all-Big Sky Conference selection, leading the

nation in tackles for a loss (21) and second in sacks with 11.5.

You can reach Staff Writer Rich Rupprecht at 521-5275 or rich.

rupprecht@pressdemocrat.com