“If you would have told me on June 3rd that we were going to be in the NorCal Championship, in the final inning of the final game of the year, sign me up for that all day, every day.”

That was the response from Santa Clara Westside 11U Manager Kenny Dame when asked about a tough ending to his squad’s two-month summer ride. The 11Us reached the NorCal Championship through the winner’s bracket and only needed to win one of two games. 

After an 11-game winning streak, Westside’s season ended with back-to-back narrow losses by scores of 4-3 and 10-8. As wise coaches of young athletes, Dame and his assistant coaches, Geoff Alves and Greg Tesimale, made sure to focus their postgame messages entirely on the positives and not the negatives. 

“We didn’t focus on any of the mistakes from that game; we focused on the experience, what they accomplished over the entire two-month run. For them to remember what they did,” remarked Dame. “They played amazing defense for two months, and the bats came alive in sectionals. We just tried to reiterate to the kids how proud of them we are. Not everyone gets to experience this; the fact we were one of the top two teams in all of Northern California, that’s what is important to remember. Be happy and thankful.” 

After speaking with a couple of the players, it seems readily apparent that they took their coaches’ advice to heart. 

“I had a lot of fun playing baseball with my friends every day,” chimed Gavin Dame, who played second base and pitcher while leading off for Westside. “I liked when we went to the aquarium at the NorCal Tournament, and also just hanging out with my friends at the hotel, and when we went out to eat as a team after each game.”

“It was cool. We got to play with friends from different teams who we don’t get to play with in the regular season,” echoed Landon Wong, a pitcher, first baseman, and outfielder. “After each game our coaches had us meet at burger spots or other restaurants, and we could bond together.”

“Most of the players were at the hotel, so we had fun, running around the hallways,” joked pitcher and center fielder Lincoln Chu. “The A’s game was really fun. We were cheering like crazy.” 

The kids also raved about meeting Jarren Advincula, the Westside alum who was just drafted in the second round of the MLB draft to the Los Angeles Angels.

“I liked how he gave us a lot of good advice. It was a super great experience talking to him,” beamed Dame with an infectious excitement level. “I also got a ball signed by him.”

“It was pretty cool because he gave us lots of tips on what to do. Like if we’re under pressure, he said we should always get good sleep,” added Wong. “And he even told us how important it is to have a mental coach to help with how you are feeling.”

From an outsiders’ perspective, the kids on the 2026 Westside 11U All Stars certainly seem to be feeling pretty great after what surely was a summer to remember. All their on-field success allowed them the opportunities to make a bunch of (and arguably even more important) off-field memories to last a lifetime.

Rounding out the Westside 11U roster were leading RBI man Jonathan Lopez, Taimana Tesimale, Caden Catlett, Makai Duenas, Henry Beals, Zach Shamoun, Jacob Alves, Ian Rocha, Koa Tran, and Beau Gray. 

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