Daily Archives: May 22, 2009

"He could have played any sport he wanted," Hill said. "But lacrosse is a game that requires a combination of athletic ability, finesse and smarts, and Louie has the whole package. As junior he really started to blossom, and this year he just exploded. But we knew from the beginning that he was going to be our best player one day."

CLAYTON VALLEY High senior Louie Jacobus has a compelling character trait. Hand him any kind of stick, and he seems to have a knack for running with it.

In lacrosse, Jacobus was a scoring sensation. He led the school to its first Diablo Valley Athletic League title and North Coast Section victory. His 72 goals and 111 total points shattered league records and unofficially ranked him second in California, according to statistics compiled by MaxPreps.com.

In track and field, a sport he participated in for the first time this year, he has run the leadoff leg for Clayton Valley’s 4×100 relay team, which finished second in the DVAL league meet and qualified for NCS despite missing two key runners. Showing his dedication in one recent race, he went airborne to complete a diving baton pass.

But what makes Jacobus particularly special is that he is proficient with another kind of stick — a violin bow. Hand him one, and he’ll play a mean solo on Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto No. 5,” just one tough tune in his repertoire as the Clayton Valley orchestra’s first-chair violinist.

Somehow, along with all that fine stick work, he also was a standout special teams player on the Eagles’ championship football team as well as a 4.0-plus student throughout his four years at Clayton Valley. He will take his array of talents to UC San Diego.

 ”I would call him a Renaissance man,” Clayton Valley track coach and football assistant Les Garaventa said. “He’s just a great kid, and I can’t say enough about him. You don’t see too many kids like him that do all the things he does and strives to do more.”

Garaventa has been trying to get Jacobus out for track since he was freshman, but Jacobus has had too many other commitments with lacrosse, orchestra and school. This year, he decided he’d try to juggle them all.

“I never had the experience before because I was always playing lacrosse in the same season, and it’s a little different running on a track than on a field,” he said. “I didn’t know how it would work out, but I just gave it a shot. I’m glad I did. It’s been fun.”

Jacobus went out for lacrosse as a freshman having never played the sport and gradually developed to become one of the best players in the Bay Area. The two-year captain was voted the DVAL’s MVP, and his coach, Matt Hill, firmly believes he is deserving of prep All-American status for which he is currently nominated.

“He could have played any sport he wanted,” Hill said. “But lacrosse is a game that requires a combination of athletic ability, finesse and smarts, and Louie has the whole package. As junior he really started to blossom, and this year he just exploded. But we knew from the beginning that he was going to be our best player one day.”

Like Garaventa, Hill is just as impressed by Jacobus’ all-around talents. When Louie had to miss a lacrosse game to play in a concert, the coach had no problem. After all, Hill had heard him play, knew how good he was and also knew how important the violin was to him.

“It’s just like anything else in his life, he doesn’t do anything halfway,” Hill said. “Louie could do anything, and he’d be good at it. He has that kind of focus, but at the same time, he’s one of the most humble kids you’ll ever meet. He’s just in an elite group of kids at any level in high school. He’s going to do big things. It’s been an honor to coach him.”

Of his myriad activities, Jacobus said he’s actually been playing the violin the longest. He took it up in the fourth grade and found that it opened a new world to him away from athletics.

“It’s kind of a different environment,” he said. “I’ve gotten pretty good at it over the years. It’s just something I like to do in my free time, and it keeps me well-balanced.”

Jacobus said he does get a little ribbing about it from time to time. Then again, he is so respected by his fellow teammates and classmates, it’s never mean-spirited. One of the highlights of Clayton Valley’s 12-1 football season was Jacobus, playing backup receiver, catching the first pass thrown to him for a touchdown on senior night.

In short, his final year couldn’t haven’t played out much better had it been rendered on a Stradivarius.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/sportsheadlines/ci_12424003