When you think of who might be perhaps the most impactful Valley Christian Warrior of all time, today’s guest certainly has to be listed towards the top.    Coach John Diatte graduated from Valley Christian in 1984.  He was a 4 year letterman on the Varsity baseball team, and was also a starter on the football team during the first 3 years of the program’s existence.  After he graduated, Coach Diatte’s first coaching gig was actually as an assistant football coach for the Warriors, including stints as the JV head coach and as a varsity assistant.    

Eventually Coach Diatte would have the opportunity to take over the Valley Christian baseball program in 1990.  In total, he inherited only 10 jerseys and 5 pairs of baseball pants -- a far cry from the locker full of uniforms that today’s players have become accustomed to.  Over the next 30 years, Coach Diatte would transform the program into what is today recognized as a national powerhouse.  

During his tenure, the Warriors have won 15 league championships across 5 different conferences, including 5 in the most competitive West Catholic Athletic League.  His baseball teams have raised Central Coast Section championship trophies on 9 different occasions, including the most recent CCS Open division 3-peat in 2017, 18, and 19.    

Several successful baseball players have played under Coach Diatte’s guidance, including former big leaguer Mike Rouse, current Minor League Baseball players Bryson Brigman and Kyle Marinconz, and two high school draftees in Shawon Dunston, Jr. and Cam Stewart, to name just a few.  In total, Coach Diatte has developed 4 WCAL Players of the Year, 3 CCS Players of the Year, and 6 All-Americans.  Coach Diatte himself has received Coach of the Year honors on numerous occasions by organizations like Cal-Hi Sports, the CCS, and the American Baseball Coaches Association.    

The Warriors Baseball program has received national recognition several times under Coach Diatte’s leadership, perhaps most notably in 2018 when Valley Christian was listed by Maxpreps as the #1 team in the United States.  

Thanks for tuning in to the Warrior Rewind, where we take time to visit with members of the Valley Christian Athletics community---past and present.  Once a Warrior, always a Warrior.  

Warrior Rewind is hosted by Rob Fair '09, who also serves VC as a football coach, lacrosse coach, and Assistant Athletic Director.  Connect with Rob on Twitter (@robfair3) to nominate a new guest for the show!   

Music: https://www.bensound.com

Today’s guest is another fellow 2009 classmate of mine, and I’m excited to spend time today with Kelsey Byrd.  Kelsey was a 3-year team captain of the Valley Christian women’s basketball team, ultimately leading the Warrior to back-to-back CCS championships in 2007 and 2008.  She was selected to the all-WCAL team and earned all-CCS honors all three years she spent on the varsity team.  Additionally, she was selected to the All-San Jose Mercury News team her junior and senior years, San Francisco Chronicle’s all-metro team her junior year, was the Valley Christian female junior athlete of the year in 2008, and was Valley Christian’s overall female scholar athlete of the year in 2009.    

Ultimately, her experiences allowed her to attend the high academic and athletic Ivy League school Dartmouth College where she studied Geography and Health Care Policy.  Kelsey would go on to become a member of the Big Green women’s basketball team, but pivoted her Junior year and instead took up competitive cycling, racing road and mountain bikes her last two years at Dartmouth.     

After graduating from Dartmouth, Kelsey would go on an exciting journey to get her career off the ground.  First, she moved to Maine were she served as an AmeriCorps volunteer.  After that, Kelsey moved back to California and took up a graduate assistant coach position with the women’s basketball program at Cal Poly San Luis Opispo, where she would go on to earn a Master’s in Sports Management in 2018.    

Eventually, Kelsey realized she felt called elsewhere, and so she pursued an MBA in Design Strategy, which she completed just this past week.  Today, Kelsey is a Product Manager at Microsoft, where she specifically engages in the development of technology for social impact.    

Thanks for tuning in to the Warrior Rewind, where we take time to visit with members of the Valley Christian Athletics community---past and present.  Once a Warrior, always a Warrior.  

Warrior Rewind is hosted by Rob Fair '09, who also serves VC as a football coach, lacrosse coach, and Assistant Athletic Director.  Connect with Rob on Twitter (@robfair3) to nominate a new guest for the show!   

Music: https://www.bensound.com

PJ Labarbera played Football and Baseball throughout his time as a Warrior before graduating in 2016.  On the football team, PJ was a force to be reckoned with in the defensive secondary.  When opposing quarterbacks threw the ball his direction, PJ only allowed 7 completed receptions for a total of 67 yards his entire senior year, and year in which he played every defensive snap.    

PJ was then recruited to play both football and baseball at Pomona College, where he is currently virtually pursuing an Economics Major and Mathematics Minor in his final semester as a Sagehen.  PJ hopes to pursue a career in sports-driven venture capitalism.    

PJ has certainly seen his fair share of adversity, as he was decided to hang up his baseball glove after his second labrum surgery during his sophomore year.  He was hindered by injury throughout his football career as well, but eventually earned a starting role at the safety spot his junior and senior year, that is, until his senior year was cut short by an ankle injury that required tightrope surgery.    

However PJ refused to be defined by his struggles, and instead used them as motivation to create a blog and now a podcast platform he calls “Speak.”  Instead of taking on wide receivers, PJ is now tackling issues related to athletes’ mental health, including depression, grief, performance-based acceptance, and anxiety.    

Thanks for tuning in to the Warrior Rewind, where we take time to visit with members of the Valley Christian Athletics community---past and present.  Once a Warrior, always a Warrior.  

Warrior Rewind is hosted by Rob Fair '09, who also serves VC as a football coach, lacrosse coach, and Assistant Athletic Director.  Connect with Rob on Twitter (@robfair3) to nominate a new guest for the show!   

Music: https://www.bensound.com

Elena Bruckner graduated from Valley Christian High School in 2016, and her athletic accomplishments as a Warrior are numerous.  Her biggest highlights include 2 California state championships in shot put and one in volleyball.  She is the California state high record holder in the shot put with a mark of 54’ 7”, a mark that still stands tall today.  Furthermore, Elena is top 5 all time in the nation for both shot put and discus.  Elena was selected as the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame Female Athlete of the Year in 2015 & 2016  In 2016, she was selected as the California Gatorade Track and Field Player of the Year.    

On the international stage, Elena took 5th place in shot put and discus in the U20 world championships in Poland in 2016, and also participated in the US Olympic trials that year.  Elena plans to again participate in the Olympic trials in June of next year.    

Needless to say, when it came to her college recruitment, Elena had many options, and ultimately chose to attend the University of Texas (Austin).  During her time as a Longhorn, Elena has continued her amazing athletic journey, as she has become the University of Texas all time record holder in the hammer throw, weight throw, and discus.  Just a couple months ago, Elena clinched the 2020 BIG12 Indoor shot put championship.    Today, Elena is completing her last semester of her B.S. in Economics at UT.    

Thanks for tuning in to the Warrior Rewind, where we take time to visit with members of the Valley Christian Athletics community---past and present.  Once a Warrior, always a Warrior.  

Warrior Rewind is hosted by Rob Fair '09, who also serves VC as a football coach, lacrosse coach, and Assistant Athletic Director.  

Connect with Rob on Twitter (@robfair3) to nominate a new guest for the show!  

Music: https://www.bensound.com

Kevin Parizi graduated from Valley Christian in 2008.  During his time as a student at VC, he was a record-setting member of our swim team.  In 2008, Kevin swam the backstroke portion of the 200 medley relay team that set a WCAL record.  In the same year, Kevin was on the CCS Championship winning 200 medley relay 400 free relay teams.  In total he acheived 13 all-american swim times.  Kevin would go on to swim at UC Davis, where his team won the Big West Conference Championship.  Kevin competed in the Jr. Nationals 2006, 2007, 2008, and swam at the US OPEN in 2008, & 2009.   He has since hung up his swimsuit and has swapped it for a whistle, as most Warriors will recognize Kevin as . . . Coach Kevin.  A title he’s held at Valley Christian for nearly 10 years.  A long-time assistant coach for the Warrior swimming & diving program, Kevin took the reigns as head coach in 2015 and took over as Valley Christian’s Director of Aquatic Operations in 2017, following in the footsteps of longtime head coach Cathy Manthey.    Kevin has coached swimmers that broke WCAL Records, CCS Champions, and qualified for Jr. Nationals.  His swimmers have had opportunities to go on and compete at the college level for schools like Loyola Marymount, the University of Minnesota, San Jose State, Cal Baptist, UC Santa Barbara, and many more…   Thanks for tuning in to the Warrior Rewind, where we take time to visit with members of the Valley Christian Athletics community---past and present.  Once a Warrior, always a Warrior.  Warrior Rewind is hosted by Rob Fair '09, who also serves VC as a football coach, lacrosse coach, and Assistant Athletic Director.  Connect with Rob on Twitter (@robfair3) to nominate a new guest for the show!  Music: https://www.bensound.com

Tyler Mariucci graduated from Valley Christian in 2003.  As a Warrior, Tyler played quarterback, and would go on to lead the Warrior football team to its first CCS Championship since Valley Christian moved into the new Skyway campus.  

Tyler would go on to play football at Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo, and after finishing up his collegiate playing career would return to Valley Chrsitian to serve as a biology teacher, Asst. Athletic Director, and Asst. Varsity Football Coach.    

From there, Tyler would go on to develop an impressive resume as an Athletic Director at several NCAA institutions across the nation.    

Thanks for tuning in to the Warrior Rewind, where we take time to visit with members of the Valley Christian Athletics community---past and present.  Once a Warrior, always a Warrior.  

Warrior Rewind is hosted by Rob Fair '09, who also serves VC as a football coach, lacrosse coach, and Assistant Athletic Director.  Connect with Rob on Twitter (@robfair3) to nominate a new guest for the show!  

Music: https://www.bensound.com

Jen Bergman made an immediate impact when she first stepped on the Valley Christian High School campus in the fall of 2005, winning a cross country CCS championship her freshman year.  Jen would go on to win two more--a total of 3 CCS championships--during her time as a Warrior.  She won WCAL Every year.

She was honored several times throughout her high school career by the San Jose Mercury News as an athlete of the week, and ultimately was selected her senior year by the Mercury News as their Athlete of the Year for the 2008-2009 school year.  She also qualified for the 2008 Footlocker National Championship, an event that only invites the top 40 participants from across the United States.

By competing in the Footlocker National Championship, Jen opened the door to receive a full athletic scholarship to any school of her choosing.  She chose the University of Arizona.

At U of A, Jen was a 7x 1st Team All American, was selected as a team captain her junior and senior year, and placed 3rd in Nationals in the 10K in 2012.  Pac-12 runner up 2011, 2012, and Pac-12 champion in 2013.

After college, Jen first signed a professional contract and ran for a team in Washington, D. C. for 2 years, then Portland, OR where she finished 61st in the Marathon Olympic Trials in 2016, then moved to Boulder, CO, where she currently lives, and most recently placed 17th at the Marathon Olympic Trials on February 29th.    

Currently, Jen is the Marketing Manager and Lead Coach at Viral Fitness Group  

Thanks for tuning in to the Warrior Rewind, where we take time to visit with members of the Valley Christian Athletics community---past and present.  Once a Warrior, always a Warrior.  

Warrior Rewind is hosted by Rob Fair '09, who also serves VC as a football coach, lacrosse coach, and Assistant Athletic Director.  Connect with Rob on Twitter (@robfair3) to nominate a new guest for the show!  

Music: https://www.bensound.com

Thanks for tuning in to the Warrior Rewind, where we take time to visit with members of the Valley Christian Athletics community---past and present.  Once a Warrior, always a Warrior.  

Today’s guest is unique in that he coached both the men’s and women’s basketball teams at Valley Christian during his tenure as a coach for the Warriors.  

Coach Steve Cotton enjoyed a very successful 11 year career at VC, highlighted by CCS championship victories in 2004 & 2005 for the boys and again in 2010 for the girls.  The boys also won the WCAL championship in 2005.  In 2001, Coach Cotton was at the helm during one of the most storied seasons to date in Warrior Athletics, where he took the boys team on to win the Mt. Hamilton Athletic League championship and the CIF Nor Cal Championship.  Coach Cotton was also voted as the 2001 MHAL Coach of the year.  

Warrior Rewind is hosted by Rob Fair '09, who also serves VC as a football coach, lacrosse coach, and Assistant Athletic Director.  Connect with Rob on Twitter (@robfair3) to nominate a new guest for the show!  

Music: https://www.bensound.com

Thanks for tuning in to the Warrior Rewind, where we take time to visit with members of the Valley Chrsitian Athletics community---past and present.  Once a Warrior, always a Warrior.  

Jolene Fugate served as Valley Christian High School’s Athletic Director from 2008 - 2016 and as the head coach of the Warriors’ women’s soccer program from 2003 - 2016.  During her time at VC, Jolene’s accomplishments inlcude:  

- In 2016, the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association presented Jolene with the national award of merit in recognition of her outstanding leadership and personal commitment to the values of interscholastic athletics in the State of California.    

Since 2016, Jolene has served as the commissioner of the West Catholic Athletic League becoming the first female to hold that position.    

Warrior Rewind is hosted by Rob Fair '09, who also serves VC as a football coach, lacrosse coach, and Assistant Athletic Director.  

Music: https://www.bensound.com

Today’s guest is certainly one of the most decorated Warriors of all time.  Ronika Stone was a 4-time WCAL all-league selection, ultimately chosen as the 2015 WCAL Player of the Year.  In her 4 years at Valley Christian High School, Ronika helped lead the volleyball program to 4 Central Coast Section championships (even got a 5th with the basketball team her sophomore year), 2 CIF Norcal championships, and 2 California Interscholastic Federation state championships.   

Ronika was recognized as a 1st Team All American by both Under Armour and & USA Today.  She was also listed as a top 10 recruit in the nation by several media outlets, and ultimately chose to sign with the University of Oregon. 

While a Duck, Ronika was selected to the All-Pac-12 team three times, and is in the Oregon record books as the school’s all time leader in hitting percentage and block assists, is #3 all time in total blocks, and #5 all time in points.    

On the International stage, Ronika has represented the United States as a member of both the  Women’s Volleyball Youth National Team 18U and the Junior National Team 20U.  

Music: https://www.bensound.com