In making one of the most important decisions of her young life, then-freshman Taylor Snaer noticed that the No. 3 was not available to the East Union girls basketball team.
Coach Jim Agostini explained that it had long been retired by former star Lancer Danelle (Liles) Bishop, now head coach at Cal Poly Pomona.
Snaer continued to weigh her options, pestering teammates for their opinions on which number looks best. She eventually picked one, only to change her mind the following day. Finally, Snaer settled on the No. 2.
“In all of my years of doing this, no one has ever taken it that serious,” Agostini said.
No. 2 has since made a name for herself, and she’ll be faced with more big decisions ahead.
Snaer is the Manteca Bulletin All-Area Girls Basketball MVP for a second straight season after leading the Lancers back to the California Interscholastic Federation Northern Regionals with almost an entirely different supporting cast.
Joining Snaer for top honors on the winter sports all-area teams are Manteca soccer virtuoso Cameron Silva and Sierra wrestler Alyanna Loaiza. Silva and Snaer are among the three Manteca Unified athletes — the other being East Union boys soccer player Gio Perez — as Sac-Hi Sports Winter Players of the Year in the southern half of the Sac-Joaquin Section.
Snaer goes away as a two-time All-Valley Oak League MVP and three-time VOL champion. The league did not award champions for the 2020-21 academic school year when the Lancers went 9-1 in the pandemic-shortened spring season. In all, the Snaer-led Lancers went 40-4 in league games and 81-18 overall.
The dynamic combo guard averaged 21 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals in her remarkable senior campaign. She eclipsed the 30-point mark on four occasions — all in succession — and went for 20-plus 14 times.
East Union reached the SJS Division III semifinals and the NorCal tournament the last two seasons after last advancing that far in 2009. The Lancers fell to Lincoln of Placer County in the Section semifinals both years. Their 2022-23 run ended in the opening round of the NorCal Division IV playoffs, falling on the road to Pierce of Arbuckle, 55-52. Snaer finished with 21 points and six steals.
Also a standout sprinter in track, Snaer will have her choice in four-year universities that are interested in her talents in either sport or even both.
“She came in her freshman year as a young lady wearing glasses and headbands, and now is a possible Division-I athlete when she leaves East Union,” Agostini said. “She did it in all phases, as an athlete and a student.”
ALL-AREA TEAM
First Team: G Marcelina Chaparro, Manteca, Sr.; G Nylah Dyson, East Union, Fr.; G Brianna Parker, Manteca, Sr.; G Sanah Sunner, Lathrop, Sr.; G Maddie Yonker, Ripon Christian, Sr.
Second Team: G Emma Gilmore, Sierra, Jr.; G/F Kailee Inderbitzin, Ripon, Jr.; C Kerena Malone, Manteca, Sr.; F Alaba Olaleye, Lathrop, Sr.; C Doneese Payne, East Union, Jr.
GIRLS SOCCER
MVP: Cameron Silva, Manteca, Sr.
The Buffaloes’ striker is on her way to one of the top NCAA Division I programs after setting career highs with 44 goals and 18
She finishes her decorated four-year varsity career with 112 goals, 56 assists and 280 points while helping Manteca win an SJS Division III (2020) and VOL (2022) championships in that time. She was named league MVP her freshman year.
Silva carried more of the scoring load for her team this past season, accounting for nearly half of Manteca’s 89 goals. She went off for six hat tricks in the first month, netting all four of the Buffaloes’ goals in a 4-4 draw with Gregori and five in an 8-0 win over Los Banos.
Silva had a hand in the large majority of Manteca’s 15 goals in league play, scoring eight while assisting five.
She is headed to the University of Alabama, which is coming off a 23-3-1 season in which it reached the NCAA Women’s College Cup semifinals.
Attacker of the Year: Olivia Maragos, Ripon, So.
Midfielder of the Year: Jaydin Kroutil, Ripon, Sr.
Defender of the Year: Makenna Pokorny, Ripon, Sr.
Forwards: Hailey Cruz, Sierra, So.; Elizabeth Enriquez-Lopez, Lathrop, So.; Dayna Koolhaas, Ripon Christian, Jr.
Midfielders: Brooklyn Cornish, Manteca, Fr.; Kaiya Kroutil, Ripon, Fr.; Lindsey Rose, Sierra, Jr.; Chloe Silva, East Union, Jr.
Defenders: Brianna Bedolla, Lathrop, Jr.; Tatiana Orozco, Manteca, Jr.; Mackenzie Weber, East Union, Jr.;
Goalie: Ellena Parenti-Gomez, Ripon, So.
GIRLS WRESTLING
Wrestler of the Year: Alyanna Loaiza, Sierra
The senior wound up two wins shy of qualifying for the state meet in the 121-pound division, dropping a 6-4 decision to eventual third-place finisher Alanna Harwell of St. Mary’s. She also finished in second place in the SJS Southern Regional.
All-Area Team: Jade Dias (123), Ripon; Prabhnoor Dhillon (103), Sierra; Alina Dizon (113), Sierra; Valeria Galvan (101), Sierra; Kamalpreet Kaur (118), Ripon; Stefany Perez (108), Sierra; Kiana Quintero (126); Mackenzie Sandoval (235), Manteca.
