Well, I told you the updating here might be slow in the early-going. Didn't mean for it to be quite this slow, but you know how things go around the holidays.
Speaking of which, how was everybody's Christmas (or holidays, if you prefer)? I went up to the Bay Area for the first time in my life and had a great time. But I'll bet everybody is ready to get going with high school sports again.
I've spent the past two days at tournaments in town, a boys event at Garces and a girls tourney at Stockdale. Been pretty impressed with what I've seen. Centennial and Ridgeview look for real on the boys side, both with entertaining, athletic rosters, and I didn't even get a chance to see Garces, which was the highest-ranked Central Section team at the tourney. Centennial played L.A.-Washington Prep tonight, which should have been a great game (Washington is ranked sixth in the L.A. City Section). Either way, if Garces gets its expected win in the quarterfinals nightcap, it'll make for a great semifinal tomorrow night at 8:45.
As for the girls, Stockdale seems to have mastered "32 minutes of heck." The Mustangs punished San Mateo-Aragon this afternoon, racking up 86 points and numerous turnovers that had the Aragon players looking like they'd never picked up a basketball before. I'd definitely look for Stockdale to challenge for a section title and maybe even do some damage in the state tournament. If SHS has a weakness, though, it's definitely size and youth. We'll see how much that holds them back. They'll play either Bullard or Atascadero on Friday, with plenty of tough teams waiting in the rest of the bracket, including BHS, Centennial, Monache and Visalia-El Diamante.
Other than that, check out http://www.bakersfield.com/...>The Californian's All-Area selections for fall sports. There will be a few more coming in the next two days, including the volleyball team Saturday and the football team Sunday. Congratulations to all honored.
Also, Independence and Mira Monte, the two Bakersfield high schools opening their doors next fall, have hired football coaches. Mira Monte chose Foothill JV coach and basketball coach Tony Varela and Independence went with Bakersfield High offensive coordinator Sean McKeown. Neither has any head coaching experience at the varsity level. Both teams will play JV schedules next year, but it's worth asking now: Did the schools make good choices? How long will it take them to be competitive? Feel free to share your thoughts below.

Hello Kern County, and welcome to School House Zach, my corny-title, (hopefully) better-content blog on high school sports in the area.
Let me introduce myself first. I'm the newest preps writer for the Californian. I arrived in Bakersfield last week after the long drive from Joplin, Mo., where I was a sports writer for the Joplin Globe. Before that, I attended the University of Missouri in Columbia and had internships at ESPN the Magazine in New York and the Palm Beach (Fla.) Post. I'm originally from Albuquerque, N.M.
But enough about me. Let's talk about the blog and why you'll want to read it, bookmark it, do whatever you can to keep up with it.
First of all, I'll be updating it as often as possible, as much as five or six times a week during the school year (though I'll admit, the first few weeks might be a little slow because of schools' finals and holiday scheduling). I'll drop any tidbits here that didn't fit in the paper or that couldn't wait until the next day to be revealed. I'll also be offering analysis on games I see and even some I don't based on results and talking to coaches/players.
Without further ado, here's your first bit of information, told to me by outgoing Liberty High football coach Chad Provensal a couple nights ago: stud defensive lineman Matt Akers, the SEYL's defensive player of the year, has verbally committed to Fresno State, keeping alive a strong pipeline of Bakersfield athletes headed up Highway 99. I didn't get to see Matt play, but his total of 16 sacks would be enough to open anybody's eyes.
We could have several other football players committing to D-I programs in the next month, but that's the only one I've heard of so far. If you hear of any, feel free to e-mail me at zewing@bakersfield.com or drop them in the comments section below.
That brings me to my final point. With 16 high schools in Bakersfield — plus two more on the way — and about 15 others in surrounding Kern County, I can't possibly keep tabs on everything that happens. News will slip through the cracks, no matter how well I do my job. That's where you come in. If you know of a signing, an award, a coaching change, a suspension, anything at all newsworthy, please give me an e-mail or comment on the blog. That will help me get the information out to everyone, which is what this is all about.
Thanks folks. I look forward to blogging with you.