Central Catholic football recognized by MaxPreps; Turlock alum selected for MLB All-Star Weekend

Though there is still more than a month until the first football game of the season, one Stanislaus District program already is being recognized by MaxPreps.

The top resource for national high school sports rated Central Catholic as one of the top 20 most dominant California high school football programs of last decade.

The MaxPreps Twitter account posted the list June 20 and word quickly spread to head coach Roger Canepa, who was surprised by his school’s place on the list.

“They said it was for the decade and I started thinking, OK, well, I think we’ve got three state titles, I think we just barely made it,” said Canepa, who took over the program in 2008. “I said we might be number 20, but then we were 15.”

The list of 20 schools includes the normal California national powerhouses: St. John Bosco of Bellflower, Mater Dei of Santa Ana, De La Salle and Centennial of Corona were the top four schools.

Folsom was one of two Sac-Joaquin Section teams on the list, coming in at No. 5 after three state championships, a state runner-up appearance and finishing in the top 25 each year.

The Raiders were ranked as the 15th most dominant football program after three state championships (2013-2015), a state runner-up finish in 2021 and a state top 25 finish in 2015. Central Catholic won two state titles in Division IV and one in the SMALL division and finished as the Division 2-AA state runner-up.

The Raiders finished with 87 total points finishing behind Helix of La Mesa (90) and ahead of Narbonne of Harbor City (86) and Oaks Christian of Westlake Village (86).

Serra of San Mateo and Central of Fresno join Folsom and Central Catholic as other notable Northern California programs mentioned.

“All of those schools have been the best of the best, so to be in the top 20 is impressive,” Canepa said. “It’s for everybody, the guys who have played here, the guys that are playing now, the coaches, the assistant coaches and alumni. It’s pretty cool to be mentioned with all of them being from Modesto.”

Each team was ranked by a system that gave teams points for top 25 finishes in the MaxPreps state computer rankings, top 25 finishes in the MaxPreps national computer rankings, state championships and state championship game appearances.

Cederlind released from Pirates, signs with Padres: Blake Cederlind had a tough two and a half years rehabbing after Tommy John Surgery and reinjuring his elbow, but perseverance has paid off for the 27-year-old pitcher, who recently signed with the San Diego Padres. He has spent time in the minor leagues, getting settled in with his new organization.

Cederlind was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fifth round of the 2016 draft out of Merced College and worked his way up to Triple-A in three minor-league seasons. He made his MLB debut with the Pirates in the shortened 2020 season. He pitched four innings in five games, striking out four batters. He pitched in seven minor-league games in the Pirates organization this season, recording eight strikeouts with a 13.50 ERA.

Cederlind had surgery to repair a torn UCL but was unable to fully ramp back up after reinjuring his elbow. While continuing to improve, he was ultimately released by the Pirates earlier this year. He is back healthy, he told the Turlock Journal, and the Padres noticed, signing him June 8.

He was assigned to the ACL Padres after signing, but on June 26 was assigned to the Double-A San Antonio Missions.

Turlock High alum Soderstrom to play in MLB All-Star Futures Game: Turlock High alum Tyler Soderstrom has been tearing through the minor leagues again this season. The Oakland A’s top prospect has hit .255 with 63 hits, 16 home runs, 15 doubles and 51 RBIs for the A’s Triple-A team, the Las Vegas Aviators. For his outstanding start to the season, Soderstrom was selected to the MLB All-Star Futures Game on July 8 in Seattle.

Soderstrom’s brilliant 2023 season is just the latest step in what has been an outstanding career in the minor leagues. In 2022, the catcher and first baseman worked his way up from High-A to Triple-A, collecting 135 hits with 29 home runs, 21 doubles and 105 RBI.

Central Catholic softball pitcher named Pitcher of the Year: Awards keep coming in for former Central Catholic High School pitcher Randi Roelling. Roelling, who graduated this past spring, recently was named The Bee’s Softball Player of the Year for the second straight season after leading California in strikeouts and pitching a perfect game and hitting a two-run home run to lead the Raiders’ NorCal Division III championship game win over Ponderosa.

On June 23, SportStars Magazine announced that the Cal Berkeley-bound pitcher was named the 2023 Softball Pitcher of the Year. Roelling had a dominant NorCal tournament, allowing just one run on four hits over 21 innings. In the Raiders’ three wins, she struck out 42 batters and walked just three.

Heat’s Vincent to host high school basketball players at MJC: Miami Heat guard Gabe Vincent will be in attendance for the Modesto Slam-N-Jam youth camp July 5-7, an event for children in second through eighth grades at Modesto Junior College. After the camp, Vincent will host an event for a number of the area’s premier high school basketball players July 7 from 4 to 6:30 p.m. The session will include an open gym, as well as insight and tips from Vincent on advancing to the next level. As of June 23, 20 of the 40 spots were filled. A $25 fee is required to help offset the cost of the extra gym time. Coaches looking to recommend a player can email modestosnj@gmail.com or call at 209-622-0923 and ask for an application.

Ceres’ Cowell helps USMNT in CONCACAF Gold Cup: Ceres native Cade Cowell made yet another appearance for the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team on Saturday in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Cowell entered the USMNT opener against Jamaica in the 55th minute with the U.S. trailing 1-0. The United States scored in the 88th minute as the game ended in a 1-1 tie.

Cowell, who plays professionally in the MLS for the San Jose Earthquakes, made his Men’s National Team debut at just 18 years old in 2021 and has scored five goals and tallied three assists in 11 appearances early in his national team career.

For the Earthquakes, Cowell has started all 13 games he has played this season and is one of just 10 players on the roster that has played more than 1,000 minutes this season.

Cowell and the USMNT play two more Group A games in the coming days, taking on St. Kitts and Nevis June 28 and Trinidad and Tobago July 2.