NU MINER FOOTBALL ADDS COVERAGE

Nevada Union Football has more coverage than a top high school wide receiver as the Miners add an App to their secondary which will allow you to follow the game in real time.

This Friday night a rivalry returns. Nevada Union's Varsity football team will travel to Placer High School to take on the Hillman. The kickoff is scheduled for 7:30. If you can not make it to the game but would like to follow the the game's action as it happens then follow the directions located in the photo below. There is a catch though, see the last line. NU is looking for a little help and so are those who can not attend.

If NU doesn't have anyone at the game who is making updates then try following Walter Ford (on Twitter) who is the sports editor of the Union Newspaper in Grass Valley. I'm sure he will be on the sidelines keeping you up to date as to how the game is progressing. For those of you that have an online subscription to The Union Ford posts his game story on the paper's website about 2 hours after is post game interviews. 

I'm sure you could catch the radio broadcast on KNCO or KaHi. As this is a storied event.

If high quality video with commentary which is produced by Touchdown Productions is your medium of choice then be sure to tune into NCTV on Saturday night at 8pm for a replay of the full game as well as 10pm Sunday. The game will also be available for viewing on Touchdown Production's Game of the Week YouTube channel mid-day Saturday.

Let's hope the Miner's secondary can cover the Hillman receivers the way the local media covers NU's team.

BEAR RIVER HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL - PACHECO

The Bruins will deploy athleticism on Friday night (8/29 at 7:30) at Bear River High School when they play host to the Pacheco Panthers who are returning all of their key players for their senior season.

The Bruins did not make the 2013 playoffs in spite to starting the season 5-0. Pacheco did make the playoffs going  7-4 in 2013 but they were sent home in the first round falling to Christian Brothers by a score of 54-20. BR has 34 players on their roster while Pacheco High School has 44. The host team is a lot like the visitors of last season, as they will have a lot of juniors playing key roles on both offense and defense.

As we taking a closer look at the PHS Panthers's returning players it is clear that the team from Los Banos will bring a lot more varsity experience to the field for Friday night's game at Bear River High School.  First let's look at the quarterbacks from both teams. Bear River will call upon Austin Smith, a senior signal caller who was Braden Duncan's backup in 2013. Smith threw the ball 19 times (167 yards) in his junior season while PHS's quarterback Juwan Epperson threw the ball 131 times (1,275 yards) which resulted in 11 scoring strikes. Both QBs have a quarterback rating higher than 100 which is very good. In addition to Epperson's passing game he can also run the ball. He ran the ball 61 times for 505 yards which resulted in seven scores. Smith ran the ball 6 times which resulted in 4 yards and no scores. Epperson's total yards in his junior season was 1,806. 

At the running back position it is very clear who will get most of the touches for the Panthers while the Bruins will have a host of options. PHS will lean heavy on Frank Ginda (6'2, 220 LBS) who rushed for over 1,000 yards as a junior including a 300 yard night. He also scored 17 rushing TDs and two through the air. The Bruins have a host of juniors who will look to get into the mix. The only returning tailback for BR will be John Voter who ran the ball 51 times for 239 yards with no scores. What should also be noted is the Panthers also have an additional returning back Moffet Teneng (5'7", 175 lbs) who is their quick back. He tallied 579 yards rushing on 83 carries and five TDs in eight games. 

For a quarterback to have a great season they must have a sure handed receiving core. Bear River's leading returning receiver is Ryan Wagner who caught 10 passes for 101 yards and a score. While Pacheco will look to Maurice Harden as he is their leading returning pass catcher. Harden caught 22 balls for 397 yards and five scores.

While it is very clear the Panthers have a lot more experience at the varsity level on the offensive side of the ball the Bruins do return a few of their defensive standouts which include Voter (80 tackles), Kyle Krogman (51 tackles) and Cannon Fetter who stands 6-foot-6 300 lbs (39 tackles). Pacheco only returns Ginda who had as many tackles (81) as BR's top three. 

This year the Bruins are a young athletic group of young men who will get better each and every week. By the time the Pioneer Valley League kicks-off they should be ready for a playoff push. 

BURNING MAN 2014 SLOWED BY RAIN

More than 70,000 Burners were due to travel to the Playa in the Black Rock, Nevada today. Police are turning guests away and instructing them to return to Reno and other area cities as the Playa dust has turned to mud.

Click here for a webcam from Black Rock Nevada which shows current conditions.

The LA. Weekly headline stated Burning Man Closed. The article went on to say...

The annual Burning Man festival in Black Rock, Nevada was shut down today after light overnight rains left the area known as the Playa flooded and muddy, officials said.

Organizers advised festival-goers heading to the annual event to postpone their arrival until at least midday tomorrow. Burning Man was providing updates on Twitter.

Zach Tolby, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Reno, Nevada told us that the rains were very light—only two-tenths of an inch worth at the most—but that ...

" ... they're out on a dry lakebed and it gets really greasy out there."

In a statement sent to the Weekly, organizers said:

Black Rock City has shut down following rainstorms that left standing water on the playa, leaving it un-drivable.

Rudy Evenson of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which runs the property where Burning Man is held each year, said the main gate to the party was closed down this morning "because there was too much rain. When it dries out they'll let people in again."

According to the Burning Man statement:

ASPOA LAUNCHES SECOND YARD SALE WEEKEND

This weekend, the Alta Sierra Property Owners Association (ASPOA) will be promoting its second yard sale weekend, so you can sell your treasures, or discover new treasures at someone else’s sale. Based on its members feedback, they have added Friday to the sale. The sales are scheduled Friday through Sunday (8/22-8/24) from 8am – 3pm.

The event was a big success in the spring. My family purchased two great kayaks as well as sold a bunch of stuff that was just lying around.

 The event has been advertised in the ASPOA monthly e-newsletter, the Union, on KNCO, Yubanet, Craigslist, Facebook, community signs, and flyers.

A FREE LIST/MAP of the registered yard sales will be available the morning of August 22 at aspoa.org, which you can download and print to help you navigate the winding (and often confusing) roads in our community. Yard sales will take place Friday, Saturday, and/or Sunday. We’ll include that information in our list, as well.

Happy hunting.

NEVADA UNION VS BEAR RIVER - FOOTBALL SCRIMMAGE - 8/23/2014

Are you a local high school football fan? Have you wondered why Bear River and Nevada Union don't play each other? Well this Saturday night (8/23) they will match up in a scrimmage at Bear River High School along with Mesa Verde.

This sets up an interesting conversation for the future. NU is currently playing the in ultra loaded Sierra Foothill league which could be the toughest league in the state. The SFL schools have student populations near 2,000. While Bear River plays in the Pioneer Valley League which has teams that have from 650 students to 1,700. The Bruins are one of the smaller teams in the league with about 800 students. The two largest schools in the PVL are Lincoln and Placer high schools which are in the 1,700 range. Both of which the Miners have on their 2014 schedule. While this is only a scrimmage Nevada County bragging rights may be on the line.

Schedule

The Freshman and JV teams will be on the field for about 40 min. commencing at 6pm. The Frosh teams will be on one end of the field while the JV teams will be at the other end.

The three varsity teams will go at it at 7pm utilizing the entire field. 

$2 for students and $4 for adults.

PACIFIC MOUNTAIN BIKE WORKS - ALTA SIERRA COFFEE SHOP

On Wednesday I went to the garage and noticed my bike tire was flat. Ugh I said to myself as I had planned to take my morning ride. So I loaded the bike into my car and planned to drive to Nevada City to get a new tube. On my way I recalled a new bike shop in Alta Sierra which is very close to my home. The location of the new shop is perfect for South county residents as it is at the corner of Alta Sierra drive and Highway 49, next to Alta Sierra Pizza and Grill.

The business model seemed a bit odd to me as it is a coffee shop as well as bike sales, repair and accessories shop. As I entered I was greeted by the owner Kyle Thompson who can be reached at 530-263-5245. He is a very knowledgeable man. We talked coffee and bike trails as I sipped the Chronic blend while he put a new tube in my tire. The Chronic is a very full flavored strong brew which comes from a Colombian bean that is roasted in Idaho.

The bikes in his inventory span a wide range of prices and styles including custom one of a kind models. Kyle also carries clothing and accessories for beginners to the advanced rider. The shop is clean. I would recommend the coffee as well as anything cycling related. While I did not understand the combination of coffee and bikes at first, it now makes perfect sense. I enjoyed my time with the new shop keep.

DISTRICT 11 LITTLE LEAGUE - CHAMPIONSHIPS IN SIGHT

As the local Little League scene moves towards declaring its champions there is one thing that is becoming clear. We have some great baseball teams in our area.

Tonight in Nevada City at Pioneer Park Area I champion Lincoln will take on the Area II champion Sierra Foothill at 6:30. The clear favorite is Lincoln who defeated the defending champion 17-8. But Lincoln comes into the contest having played two games yesterday while Sierra Foothill played a 5 inning game on Tuesday. Sierra Foothill should have the advantage on the mound while Lincoln has a lot of fire power at the plate. This is a must see game.

In the Junior division tonight in Rocklin at Tri-City Little League, Bear River will look to avenge Mercy rule loss which came earlier in the tournament to Grass Valley. First pitch is scheduled for 5. The night cap game (7:30) will pit the unbeaten teams (Lincoln vs Tri-City) with the winner having a clear route to the District 11 championship.

In the 9/10 Division it is Bear River who stands above all others in Area I as they are the only team that has not lost a game. They will play the winner of Rocklin vs Lincoln on Saturday night. I Area II it is Nevada City who will wait to play the winner of Sierra Foothill vs Grass Valley on Saturday.

Leagues still playing
Lincoln (3 teams) Junior, Major and 9/10.
Bear River (2 teams) Junior and 9/10.
Grass Valley (2 teams) Junior and 9/10
Sierra Foothill (2 teams) Major and 9/10.
Tri-City (1 team) Junior.
Rocklin (1 team) 9/10.