Do you like sports? Yay, sports.

Today your Lost Coast Outpost introduces another new feature … LoCO Sports! While other local media outlets provide you entire sections devoted to local kids’ athletic pursuits, LoCO simply does not have the budget, man power and/or patience to be there on the sidelines. In this area, we totally fail. (Sad face.) 

So here’s the deal we’ll cut you: If your kids do a great sports thing and you write said thing up for the LoCO whilst simultaneously providing us an objectively good photo, well, we’ll just go ahead and run that business. This deal will be good until a) it becomes overwhelming for us to keep up with submissions, b) overly invested parents make us regret this decision by acting worse than kids in our comment section or c) someone steps up to be the full time LoCO sports go-getter for virtually no pay. (Our money’s on “b”.)

Ta-da! Local sports news! Our first article was submitted by Mad River United Elite team manager Carolyn Pryor whose team of soccer all stars did good at the WESCO Apple Classic tournament in Sebastopol over the weekend! Take it away, sports! 

I thought maybe the Outpost might be interested in some positive news about local sporting youth performing well outside of the redwood curtain. 

The Mad River Elite (a local Mad River United U-12 boys team) took first place in the WESCO Apple Classic tournament held in Sebastopol this weekend. The boys played as a team and held their own against clubs from all over the northern Bay Area, including Marin, Santa Rosa and Napa. Winning their first three matches 5-0, 6-2 and 5-0, the boys met up with a strong Petaluma team in the championship game. Initially down 1-0 at halftime, the boys fought back, in the pouring rain, and tied things up midway through the second half with a solid shot from striker Jason Tuermer-Lee. Still tied after regulation play, the boys geared up for overtime. As the rain picked up, the teams found themselves locked in a draw and eventually headed in to a penalty shootout.  With goal keeper Aidan Atkins-Salazar representing the MRU Elite, players Andy Miranda, Sean Handl, Talon Tornetta-Kline, Caleb Coke and Connor Olson stepped up for the team. After a few suspenseful moments, the MRU Elite proved confident and strong as they topped Petaluma and took home first place!

*Front row (L-R): Caleb Coke, Talon Tornetta-Kline, Luis Melecio, Aidan Atkins-Salazar, Gabe Sanchez, Levi Robbins, Jason Tuermer-Lee.  Back row (L-R): Connor Olson, Sean Handl, Gavin Perry, Andy Miranda, Garrett Hall, Jack Taylor, Aidan Hasslequist.  Coaches (L-R): Head Coach Ed Handl & Assistant Coach Andy Salazar (not pictured: Assistant Coach Larry Kline)

-Carolyn Pryor