Don Norcross

San Diego

Writer at The San Diego Union-Tribune

Pappy to six grandsons. Writer, reader, pickleballer, believer. Heart attack survivor. Factoid: as starting QB at CIF champion Kearny, barfed before every game.

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Articles

Valhalla wins first CIF boys tennis title; La Jolla continues reign in Division 1

1 week ago | sandiegouniontribune.com | Don Norcross

Valhalla High School fielded its 50th boys varsity tennis team this year. Number of section championships coming into the season: none. On a cool Saturday afternoon at the Lake Murray Tennis Club, that drought came to an end. In a would-it-ever-end match that lasted 3 hours and 24 minutes, the Norsemen beat Mater Dei Catholic 10-8 to secure the Division 2 title. No one enjoyed the history-setting moment more than Valhalla’s 66-year-old head coach, Don Ackerly, who’s in his 31st season.
Canyon Crest Academy tops Torrey Pines for Open Division boys tennis title

1 week ago | sandiegouniontribune.com | Don Norcross

LA JOLLA — Canyon Crest Academy boys tennis coach Kevin Brown knows he’s blessed. In a sport that requires only nine players for team matches — three singles players and three doubles teams — his roster numbers 34. The team is young, the top three singles players being sophomores. And they’re talented. The Ravens demonstrated their skill and depth Friday evening, beating rival Torrey Pines 11-7 to win the CIF San Diego Section Open Division championship at UCSD’s Northview Tennis Courts.
Preview: Boys tennis championships continue Saturday in San Diego

1 week ago | sandiegouniontribune.com | Don Norcross

CIF San Diego Section Boys Tennis ChampionshipsWhen: SaturdayAdmission: FreeDivision 1: (4) Patrick Henry vs. (3) La Jolla, 3 p.m. Where: Lake Murray Tennis ClubPreview: La Jolla is the defending Division 1 champion. The Vikings beat Carlsbad 10-8 in the semifinals. Henry beat top-seeded Bishop’s 13-5 in the semis. Division 2: (1) Valhalla vs.
Preview: Torrey Pines, Canyon Crest Academy clash for Open Division boys tennis title

2 weeks ago | sandiegouniontribune.com | Don Norcross

CIF San Diego Section Boys Tennis Team ChampionshipWhen: 5 p.m. FridayWhere: UCSD Northview Tennis CourtsAdmission: FreeOpen Division: (2) Torrey Pines vs. (1) Canyon Crest AcademyPreview: The teams split two matches during the season. Torrey Pines is the reigning Open champion, while CCA won the title in 2023. Canyon Crest is led by No. 1 singles Aditya Khanna, a sophomore. Torrey Pines is led by freshman Liam Thiele.
Softball program continues to put Escondido Charter on the map

2 weeks ago | sandiegouniontribune.com | Don Norcross

ESCONDIDO – Escondido Charter High School, enrollment 925, sits on East Valley Parkway, a busy thoroughfare lined with stores, shops, gas stations and restaurants. The school’s nickname: White Tigers, although the softball team’s uniforms are almost solely black. The softball team plays home games about half a mile away at a community park, the outfield “fence” consisting of netting that protects the apartments in left and center field and the car wash in right field. The Taj Mahal it is not.
Mater Dei Catholic’s softball players ‘a slew of sisters’ for 7-year-old honorary teammate

3 weeks ago | sandiegouniontribune.com | Don Norcross

CHULA VISTA — The No. 1-ranked softball team in the section, Mater Dei Catholic High School, follows a script before every home game. The Crusaders stand in single file along the first-base line, with the visiting team doing the same along the third-base line. The players stand in silence while the national anthem plays. Then 7-year-old McKenna Cooney breaks from the Crusaders’ queue, walks to the pitching circle and fires a ceremonial first pitch strike to catcher Charlize “Chuck” Masingale.
Cathedral Catholic rallies, thumps Point Loma in softball

4 weeks ago | sandiegouniontribune.com | Don Norcross

With nine CIF San Diego Section championships, Cathedral Catholic boasts one of the county’s elite softball programs. This year, under a new head coach, 25-year-old Jennifer Marnia, Cathedral wants to hang a 10th banner to their crowded gymnasium walls. Tuesday afternoon at Correia Middle School, the Dons demonstrated how formidable they can be.
Motivated Mater Dei Catholic blasts Christian in softball showdown

1 month ago | sandiegouniontribune.com | Don Norcross

CHULA VISTA – Mater Dei Catholic High School, the No. 2-ranked softball team in the section, was sitting on a three-game losing streak. Never mind that two of the losses came against teams ranked second and seventh in the state. Three straight losses are an eyesore. And invading the Crusaders home turf Tuesday afternoon was Christian, ranked No. 1 in the section. By virtue of a 3-1 win over MDC last month, the Patriots owned bragging rights.
‘My story’s unique’: University City tennis finds fun, fascination with tennis

1 month ago | sandiegouniontribune.com | Don Norcross

When he was a young boy, about 5 years old, Oskar Rouse was fixated on a ceiling fan in the family’s Clairemont living room. He would stare at the blades for minutes at a time, his head turning round and round. ”I told him to stop,” said Rouse’s father, Richard. But Oskar continued to be mesmerized, staring at the rotating blades. Richard was an avid tennis player and one of his friends offered a suggestion that might stop Oskar from staring at the fan.
Olympian wins “World’s Fastest 5K” in Carlsbad

1 month ago | sandiegouniontribune.com | Don Norcross

CARLSBAD — No one questions Sam Atkin’s ability to run fast. The 32-year-old from Great Britain is a two-time Olympian and at one time was the British record holder across 3,000 meters indoors and the 5K on the road. Getting to the starting line healthy, that’s Akin’s challenge. He has been sidelined by foot injuries and illness too many times to count. When it comes to training, Atkin said: “I’m one of those athletes that needs to be reined in.”But when healthy, watch out.