Phil Jensen

San Francisco

Freelance Journalist and Writer at Freelance

Freelance writer who has covered Bay Area high school sports for more than 25 years. Romans 12: 9-18

Articles

Kalpin among a decorated class joining Hall of Fame

1 day ago | enewspaper.mercurynews.com | Phil Jensen

Nick Kalpin, one of this year’s inductees into the Los Gatos High School Athletic Hall of Fame, had a quick answer about what he learned most from his time as a Wildcat. “Perseverance comes to mind,” said Kalpin, a 2008 graduate who was a three-sport athlete. “Even though times are tough, if you keep putting in the work, it will pay off.
Beach Volleyball Crashes Ashore in the EBAL As Every League School Gets Feet Wet While Riding First-year Wave

1 day ago | independentnews.com | Phil Jensen

Beach volleyball has found its way to the East Bay Athletic League. The EBAL has a girls beach volleyball schedule this spring, with all the schools involved. It is the first year that the league has offered the sport.
Falcons, Gaels Continue Quest for EBAL Baseball Playoff Berths

1 day ago | independentnews.com | Phil Jensen

Foothill High School’s baseball team gained a split of its series with visiting Dublin on April 18 as the East Bay Athletic League squads continued their battle to earn spots in the league playoffs, which start May 13. In past seasons, six EBAL teams advanced to the league tournament, three from the Valley Division and three from the Mountain Division. This season, the number of league playoff teams has been cut to two from each division.
Livermore Softball Set to Resume EBAL Title Chase

1 week ago | independentnews.com | Phil Jensen

The Livermore High School softball team springboards into the rest of the East Bay Athletic League season after a great final-day performance at its elite Livermore Stampede tournament last week. The Cowboys scored a total of 17 runs in their final two games, including a 9-5 victory over Benicia in the fifth-place game on April 12. Livermore had a 4-1 record in the tournament at the Ernie Rodrigues Softball Complex. “Been to a lot of championship rounds and ended up 3-2, 2-3.
Foothill Girls Lacrosse Team on the Rise, Showing Huge Improvement Over Past Years

2 weeks ago | independentnews.com | Phil Jensen

The Foothill High School girls lacrosse team has turned around its program, and despite a narrow 7-6 loss to Dougherty Valley on April 3, the Falcons are on an upswing. The program had a 4-32 total record the past three seasons, but it entered the school’s spring break this week with more wins this season (seven) than those past three years combined. The Falcons also have a 2-3 mark in the East Bay Athletic League Valley Division.
Granada Continues Winning Ways, Sweeps Pair From Amador Valley

2 weeks ago | independentnews.com | Phil Jensen

The Granada High School baseball team graduated nine seniors from last year’s California Interscholastic Federation NorCal Division I championship squad. But the winning has continued. The Matadors improved to 10-2 overall and 6-0 in East Bay Athletic League play with a sweep of Amador Valley last week, including a combined no-hitter on April 4.
Huge Inning Lifts Amador Valley Softball Team Over Granada

3 weeks ago | independentnews.com | Phil Jensen

PLEASANTON – The Amador Valley High School softball team fell behind early against visiting Granada on March 27, and trailed by three runs midway through the game. Then the bottom of the fifth inning occurred. The Dons scored 10 runs, sending 15 batters to the plate, and ended up winning the game 15-6.
Team Effort Pushes Livermore Baseball Winning Streak to Five Games

3 weeks ago | independentnews.com | Phil Jensen

LIVERMORE – An example of the Livermore High School baseball team’s season can be seen in this statistic: eight of the nine batters in the Cowboys’ starting lineup got hits in a 6-0 victory over Dougherty Valley on March 28. Livermore improved to 9-3 overall and 3-1 in the East Bay Athletic League, and the Cowboys increased their winning streak to five games. Livermore is close to having as many wins as it had all of last season (14). “It’s a group effort.
Dublin Relay Team Produces Great Time at Distance Fiesta Meet

4 weeks ago | independentnews.com | Phil Jensen

A fourth-place finish by the Dublin High School boys 4 x 800-meter relay team in the fastest heat of the event led local performances at the huge Dublin Distance Fiesta on March 21-22. The Dublin Distance Fiesta, which includes only events from 800 meters to 3200 meters and distance relays, had 225 high schools and 4,047 athletes participating in more than 200 heats during the two-day meet.
Foothill Edges Granada in High-scoring Softball Home Game

1 month ago | independentnews.com | Phil Jensen

It’s becoming a trend: The last two times that the Foothill High School softball team and Granada faced each other in 2024 were both high-scoring affairs (11-10 and 8-7). Their East Bay Athletic League game on March 19 followed suit, as host Foothill held off a Granada rally to win 8-7. “I think we know each other well,” said Foothill coach Greg Chandler about the two teams.