As a student athlete ready to take the next step in competing at the college level, you want to give yourself every advantage you can. An often overlooked aspect in gaining that competitive edge is nutrition. All the hard work put in on the field and in the training room can be wasted if you don’t have the same discipline with your nutritional habits. Also, with good habits you can ensure that, come game time, your body will be running at its peak performance level.

So Where Do You Start?

The best way to think about the right way to eat is to think of food as fuel for your body. If you eat a lot of junk, that is what your body will be running on. The better quality gas you put into your car the better it runs. The same thing is true for the food you put into your body. If your diet consists of foods that are high in processed sugar, bad fats (trans and saturated) and fast food then your body going to run poorly.

Breakfast is Key!

Breakfast is the foundation for starting your day with good eating habits. After going with no food for 7-9 hours because you have been sleeping your body is craving nutrients. Getting food into your body within the first 30-45 min of waking up will provide a base for your energy levels throughout the day. It gets your “motor” running and prepares your body for whatever activity it will be doing for the day. It should consist of protein and high quality carbohydrates. It doesn’t have to be a huge breakfast. It can simply be peanut butter and banana or some whole wheat toast and eggs. Another quick option is grabbing a nutritional bar and piece of fruit. A bowl of high sugar processed cereal may taste good but provides little nutrition value for your body and zero protein.

Eating Throughout the Day

Eating throughout the day is also a staple in any successful athlete’s nutrition plan. Instead of the standard three meals a day, you should be eating 5-6 times throughout the day. You can still have standard breakfast, lunch and dinner times. But you should fill the gaps between those meals with some snacks. Everyone loves snack time. By snacks I am not talking about chips or a candy bar. Good snack choices include nuts (almonds, peanuts, pistachios) fruit (apples, orange, and bananas) and certain nutritional bars (balance bars, zone bars, tigers milk and others that provide a balance between carbs, protein and fat). Snacking also makes it easier not to overeat or make bad food choice because you are “starving” when meal time comes around.

Plan Ahead with a Good Nutritional Game Plan

A lot of times the key to good nutrition is having a good game plan. If your day is filled with classes, practice and a workout it might be hard to be able to find the right food choices when you need it. If you plan ahead and carry the right foods with you, you’ll be less tempted to make bad food choices when your body is in need of nutrition.

Stay tuned as we will explore more nutritional topics and give you the best advice on eating for optimal performance.

Positions: RB Height: 5′ 11″ Weight: 200 Class: 2010 School: Mira Mesa High School San Diego, CA

The CIF playoffs are finally here, and Damien Williams made sure his Mira Mesa Marauders weren’t going to have an early exit. The 5’11” 200 lb running back ran all over the Carlsbad Lancers, rushing for 275 yards and 2 touchdowns as he led his team to a 48-29 victory. Lancers head coach Bob McAllister was well aware of the explosive ability of Williams telling the North County Times, “He’s the real deal, we knew we had to stop him, and we didn’t. We just had to tackle better than we did.” Williams now has 2, 285 rushing yards with 24 touchdowns on the season. Next up for Williams and the Marauders is a date with the #3 ranked Escondido Cougars in a division 1 showdown this Friday. With Williams and the all-time CIF San Diego rushing leader Ricky Seale positioned to receive a lot of carries, both defenses might want to brace themselves for an all out rushing assault for the ages.

Visit Damien’s full SportsForce profile

Position: OH Height: 6’0” Class: 2011 School: La Jolla Country Day School La Jolla, CA

Mollie Rogers killed the competition last Saturday as she led La Jolla Country Day to a CIF San Diego Division IV title. Rogers was aggressive at the net the entire night recording a game high 19 kills and sparked a 3^rd game rally which saw LJCD outscore Bishops 7-2 to win the game. Mollie was also named the CIF Championship MVP. The win marks the first time since 2003 that LJCD has claimed a Girl’s Volleyball championship. Mollie and her team advance to the State Championships Playoffs which start this week.

Visit Mollie’s full SportsForce profile

by Kyle Englehart at 619Sports.net

There was an offensive explosion Friday night at Scripps Ranch High School. The scoring frenzy left one casualty: the Orange Glen defense. Scripps Ranch lit up the scoreboard all night long scoring a season high 63 points.

Orange Glen fought hard, but Brennan Clay and the Scripps Ranch offense were too much to handle. Routing the Patriots 63-34, the Falcons (6-5) soared their way into the quarterfinals of the Division II CIF Playoffs, where they will face Lincoln. Clay, a University of Oklahoma commit, looked spectacular rushing for over 150 yards with two touchdowns; all in less than two quarters of play.

The Falcon offense was firing on all cylinders throughout the game. In the first half, Scripps Ranch got into the end zone on all but one drive. After trailing early 14-7, the Falcons quickly rallied and entered the half with a 42-14 lead. Déjà vu struck in the last 42 seconds of the half when QB Jake Fish found WR Jeff Brown for two 10-yard TD strikes.

“Tonight we came together and played well, these past few weeks this offense has been out of sync,” said Clay post-game. “We finally got this offense clicking. With the offense clicking it brings the defense together and makes them play harder.”

The Falcons defense certainly played hard, but they could have taken the night off.

Scripps Ranch punted the ball only once in the game (3:06 4^th Quarter) and scored touchdowns on all but three drives. Halfway through the second quarter, Clay broke off a stunning 65 yard TD run that gave Scripps a 28-14 lead, the closest Orange Glen would be the rest of the game.

The victory sends the Falcons to Lincoln next week to face off against their Valley League counterparts. Three weeks ago, Scripps Ranch was pummeled 41-7 by the Hornets. Clay is expecting a different outcome this time around.

“That’s going to be a hard fought game, a shootout. There’s probably going to be a lot of points scored,” said an anxious Clay. “The defense just has to hold tight, they’re a speed team, and speed kills.”

Clay and the Falcons played what is likely their last home game of the season, and for seniors like Clay, the last home game of their high school career.

“It felt great; we had a good crowd, a lot of supporters, a lot of family and friends, and alumni.”

Next week, the Scripps Ranch Falcons travel to Lincoln in hopes of earning a spot in the semifinals. Clay will be looking to punish the Hornets defense which allowed 306 rushing yards in their final regular season game against Mira Mesa.

—Courtesy 619Sports.net

Former Student Athlete of the Week, Natalie Hagglund, helped lead the LCC Girls Volleyball team to victory over No. 1 ranked Torrey Pines. The San Diego Union-Tribune writes of the match,

In a thrilling back-and-forth battle between two of the state’s top programs, the Avocado League rivals did not disappoint in the San Diego Section Division I finals.

In the end, No. 2 La Costa Canyon took the 25-15, 25-27, 25-22, 26-24 victory over the top-seeded Falcons at Cathedral Catholic last night, earning the Mavericks a sixth consecutive section title before a near-capacity crowd.

Just two weeks earlier, La Costa Canyon (28-5) fell to Torrey Pines (25-9) in the final match of the regular season, resulting in the league title being shared by the two schools and the higher seed in the playoffs going to the Falcons.

But the Mavericks managed to finish ahead in the tightly contested match, getting a stunning performance from big-match veterans Kendall Polan and Natalie Hagglund as well as underclassmen such as sophomore Natalie Bausback and junior Karsta Lowe.

Hagglund had a match-high 10 kills, while Bausback and Lowe each added nine.

See video below of Natalie in action at the California Challenge:

Full article here

See Natalie’s full SportsForce profile here

The 8th Annual America’s Finest City Showcase took place last month and was an all around success. This years tounament featured top softball talent from from California and beyond including Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, New Jersey Virgina as well as every western state. The Showcase is now a musst attend for college recruiters. SportsForce was at all of the games for the AFC and got to witness some great games.

Pumas, Ventura, CA vs Case Batbusters, San Clemente, CA

Fire Crackers, Huntington Beach, CA vs. Victory Gold USA, Newbury Park, CA

Minor’s Gold, San Jacinto, CA vs. OC Elite Gold, Santa Magarita, CA

Corona Angels, Corona, CA vs. So Cal Athletics , Upland, CA

Positions: RB Height: 5′ 8″ Weight: 165 Class: 2010 School: Mt. Carmel High School San Diego, CA

Kenneth James Jr. ran, and ran, then ran some more, and didn’t stop running until he had rewritten the record books. The 5’8” 165 lb running back out of Mt. Carmel High School set the CIF San Diego Section single-game rushing record by torching the defense for 424 yards and 4 touchdowns last Friday, while beating the Westview Wolverines 49-32. James edged the previous rushing mark set back in 2003 by 14 yards. Mt. Carmel football coach Sanford Carvajal told the North County Times, “If the opportunity presented itself, we were going to ride that horse until he fell over dead.” As it turned out it was the defense that looked 6 feet under, allowing rushes of 84, 70, 63, 39, 34, and 21 yards by James. James, however, was quick to share the glory with his teammates telling the North County Times, “I just hit the holes, and everyone made their blocks. Everyone played a part in it.” Now, James and his Sundevils can only wait and hope their impressive victory will be enough to vault them into the playoffs. After witnessing James’s spectacular performance, Coach Carvajal is positive his team will receive a playoff bid saying, “I can’t see us not getting in now.” Very few would be inclined to disagree.

No. 3 Poway and No. 2 La Costa Canyon faced off this week in the finals, both aiming for a chance at the CIF San Diego Section Championships. Poway was eventually outplayed by the dominating LCC, 3-1. With matches at 25-11, 25-21, 19-25, 25-17, Poway did not give up, but LCC just had more steam. Poway was not without some great performances with junior setter Bridget Hill stepping up and leading the team with 12 assists, while Mariah Counts contributed 6 kills. Check out the highlight video below and be sure to visit the SportsForce Girls Volleyball section for more video, resources and events.

Position: Setter Height: 5’10” Class: 2011 School: Poway High School Poway, California

Bridget Hill, as junior who moved up to varsity this season has proved herself to be up for the challenge. Bridget is a member of the 2009 Palomar League Champion Poway Girls Volleyball team. Bridget helped the team advance through the CIF playoffs and had 26 assists in a 25-9, 25-15, 25-16 win over Vista in the first round. Hill then had 35 assists in a 25-18, 25-17, 25-13 win over San Pasqual in the quarterfinals of the CIF San Diego Section Division I playoffs.

Unfortunately Hill and Poway were knocked out of the CIF Finals this week by No. 2 La Costa Canyon 25-11, 25-21, 19-25, 25-17. Despite the loss, Hill still led the team with 12 assists that helped them win one match over LCC. Hill leads her team in assists, racking up 721 for the season.

Nolan Mera is a center fielder for the University City High School baseball team. Nolan also plays for the SoCal Blast. Visit Nolan’s full profile and see his video below.

Nick Sloan is kicker/ punter for Scripps Ranch High School. The 5’11 185lb junior has been a member of the varsity squad since his sophomore year and was named the Special Teams MVP in 2008. Visit his full profile and see him in action below.

Mar Vista High Softball pitcher, Angelica Iacovetti has received much recognition for her talents, named 1st Team All-Southbay League Led league in HRs(6) 2nd Team CIF San Diego Section Div III Union Tribune Athlete of the Week(5-12-09) and San Diego Section III CIF Finalist. Angelica has her sights set on a few schools: St.John’s University; Academy of Art University; Stanford; University of California; Berkeley; Wagner College; San Francisco State; Savannah College of the Arts. Visit her full profile.

Shelby Isley is a midfielder for the Girls Soccer team at Archbishop O’Leary High School in Alberta, Canada. She is also a member of the track and field team. See her video below and visit her full profile.

A senior at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, CA, Thomas Pluschkell plays third base and first base. Thomas received the All Academic Team AZ Fall Classic HS Coaches Award and is looking at MT, UCLA, Stanford, USC, UCSD and Notre Dame to continue his baseball career. See his video below and visit his full profile.

Chelsea Maestas is a junior at Murrieta Valley High School and plays second base and center field for the Nighthawks softball team. She also plays for the San Diego Legacy and was a member of the the 2009 League Champions and recieved the 2009 Golden Glove Award. Check out her full profile.