When I decided to highlight the top athletes from Amador Valley High School that I have seen over the years to coincide with the Amador Centennial Celebration next week (Sept. 14-16), it was my idea to bring up some names of athletes I remember and stood out to me.

What it has turned into is a nightmare.

Everyone is now an expert on former Amador athletes, telling me who I need to list each week.

To recap, last week I went from 1967 to 1976 naming some athletes I remember when I was growing up. This week will cover 1977 to 1985, the years I was at Amador through my college years up until I started writing for the Tri-Valley Herald. Finally, I will end by going from 1986 through present day — basically those athletes I covered.

1977-1985

Before I start, I need to once again mention this is my list based on my opinion. You may be upset by certain omissions, which is your opinion. My goal is not to force anyone into therapy because I left out a name but just to bring up some names that were memorable to me!

This is going to carry the most names in any of my three stories because I was there and saw firsthand many of these amazing athletes. Since there will be more names, these will be listed by sport with only comments for a few.

I consulted multiple people to try and cover my bases. It helped bring back some names I had not heard in years and would have been a major mistake to not have on this list.

I even got into my garage and found the yearbook from my senior year. But for every one I remembered, there are probably two I missed. Enjoy … and please go easy on me regarding those I missed!

The best: There were not as many sports options for the girls back then, but arguably the best overall athlete I grew up with in Pleasanton was Jayne Kuhns.

I first knew of Jayne in middle school when she was kicking our butts in pretty much any sport we played. She went to the University of Denver, then was a California Highway Patrol officer from 1985 to 2013. Anyone who grew up in Pleasanton when I did is nodding in agreement to Jayne’s athletic prowess.

Athletes (non-sport specific, good at all sports): Eric Whalen, Darren Hicks, Mike Bowling, Tom Northam, Greg Danska, Pat Inglesby, Mitch Campbell, Tim Heinzel, Tom Eccleston, Barry Baker, Bret Crawford, Stan Larson, Debbie Oxen, Kris Brittain, Sheryl Withoft, Jamie Watson, Carmen Macon, Marian Hagler, Sherri Brittain and Lori Gilliam.

Baseball: Rob Wicks, Mike Johnson, Dean Shotwell, Bill Edwards, Jeff Bailey (and he got me through chemistry!), Ralph Lopez, Bill Edwards, Rick Stevenson, Mark Hellum and Jim Ford.

Boys’ basketball: Chris Kearns, Creighton Kearns, Darren Pembroke, Brad Pembroke, Sam Jorgenson, Mike Hansen, Mark Jorgenson, Eric Patterson, Tony Marcopolous, Greg Peters, Allen Larson, Jeff Hales, Darrell Packard, Brian Pasut, Chris Carabello and Mike Daley. Girls: Sue Eccleston, Shannon Garrity, Kathleen Hart, Denise Stennette, Anne Cooper and Carolyn Hill.

Football: Scott Smith (was on the field for “The Play” — Cal-Stanford legendary finish), Greg Kragen (Pro Bowler for Denver Broncos), Tim Monday (heart of a lion — passed in 1979), Steve Sebahar, Ken Whitaker, Ron Capilla (“Dr. Death”), Dave Valdix, David Hughes, Mike Harris, Glen Hill, Glen Gunter, Chuck Thole, J. J. Costello, Jeff Withoft, Rob Flores, John Sevo, Josh Shinnick, Brian Connolly and Paul Goodison.

Golf: Frank Mona.

Boys’ soccer: Joe Correira, John Costello, Kevin Crow, Steve Englebrick, Greg Oxsen, Marty Espinoza, Mike Nieto, Tony Chaverria, Brad Boldrini, Keith Clay, Mark Clay, Matt Hickman, Leonard Baines, Russell Baines, Mike Deleray, Steve Wilcox, Dave Reineking and Mark Deleray. Girls: Michelle Nieto, Traci Hirst, Laurie Meyers, Anne Peterson, Karie Allen, Sheri Brittain, Callie Heinbaugh, Sherry Heinbaugh and Gretchen Heinbaugh.

Softball: Michelle Hubbard and Sue Healy.

Swimming: Dave Daniels, Edmond Carter, Leonard Pagcaluigan and Dana Davidson.

Tennis: Matt Anger, Marilyn Morrell and Jenny Anger.

Gymnastics: Sandy Ellis and Lynn Eelsing.

Track and field/cross-country: Curtiss Smith, Greg Novacek, David Robinson, Jim Beagle, Casey Safreno, Danny Vargas, Dave Hill, Steve Vargas, Bryce Swartzwelder, Diane Robinson, Holly Mills, Angela Carlos, Marie Clark and Lindy Toman.

Others: Maryann Gill (toured with the Ice Capades), Mark Hanna (horse racing), Danny Morgan (horse racing), Roger Pyfer (horse racing) and Allen Aldrich (horse racing).

Foothill volleyball

The Falcons got ready for East Bay Athletic League play with a pair of big, non-league wins last week.

They opened the week with a 27-25, 25-16, 25-17 win over Branson, the defending Division I state champion. Highlights came from Paige Bennett (21 kills, 7 service points), Katie Salonga (42 assists, 8 service points, 7 digs), Ema Vukojevic (9 kills, 1 block) and Kaycie Burdick (12 digs, 9 kills).

Later in the week, Foothill beat Campolindo 25-20, 25-15, 25-15. This time the highlights came from Salonga (30 assists, 6 aces), Paige Nelson (5 kills, 1 block) Maddy Snodgress (3 kills) and Lulu Hoenninger, in her first time playing since suffering torn ACL in last year’s North Coast Section final (3 kills, 1 block).