A young redhead blew hard one last time into her noise-maker vuvuzela, marking the end of the Soccer by the Bay Tournament in San Mateo on Aug. 21 and 22. When the echo of the horn had faded, her brother’s Scotts Valley-San Lorenzo Valley Thunder under-13 boys travel soccer team had defeated Livermore, 2-0, to claim third place in the competition that featured teams from all over California.

Kendra Salangsang of San Lorenzo Valley High School has been named Pitcher of the Year by Maxine Richards, wife of the late Santa Cruz County softball icon Wayne Richards.

San Lorenzo Valley High School athletes practice during the summer to keep sharp.

There are 384 Little Leagues in Northern California, which is considered a state by the national Little League organization. Of those 384 leagues, 330 fielded 10- and-11-year-old All-Star teams this year. After several dozen divisional and sectional tournaments in which only one team advances to the next bracket, just six teams in Northern California are left in the hunt for a state crown.