Mark Tennis
Mark Tennis: Editor/Publisher
In 1979, while he was attending San Jose State, Mark joined forces with his uncle Nelson (the founder of Cal-Hi Sports) and the duo decided to create a publication based on all of Nelson’s vast research. For the next 10 years, the publication gained statewide notoriety and a newsletter-based subscription list showed enough growth to provide a modest income for both Mark and Nelson.
In 1989, after Mark and Nelson became partners with publisher Andy Bark, Cal-Hi Sports became successful on many other levels. With Bark as publisher, Mark was able to concentrate on editorial operations and Cal-Hi Sports magazine was morphed into Student Sports, a national magazine, in 1993. Student Sports was the nation’s leader in high school sports coverage for 11 years.
During this time, Mark helped coordinate the publication of seven Cal-Hi Sports state record books and was editor of all content when CalHiSports.com was a member of the Scout.com and Rivals.com networks.
From 2008 to 2012, Mark was a deputy sports editor for ESPN, specializing in high school sports content. He was director of the ESPN FAB 50 national rankings program for all four years with the company as well.
In 2010, Mark (along the with late Nelson Tennis) were members of the first class of inductees into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame. Mark went to La Sierra High of Carmichael (Class of 1977 but the school itself closed in 1983). Nelson went to Nevada Union of Grass Valley.
Contact Mark Tennis at markjtennis@gmail.com or call him at his office at (209) 463-9050. Follow him on Twitter: @CalHiSports
Ronnie Flores
Ronnie Flores: Managing Editor
Ronnie has been scouting and evaluating high school basketball and football talent in California for 20 years and has over a decade’s worth of experience in publishing, editing and managing high school sports websites for companies such as Student Sports and ESPN. He’s also served as a manager and consultant for grassroots high school events.
Flores began collaborating with Cal-Hi Sports in the 1990’s while still a student at UC Santa Barbara, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Communications after graduating from Van Nuys High School. Considered one of the state’s foremost authorities on the history of its high school sports, Flores co-authored the seventh edition of the 352-page CalHiSports.com State Record Book & Almanac with Cal-Hi Sports co-founder Mark Tennis in 2009.
Ronnie has been quoted in numerous publications such as the Los Angeles Times and has appeared on radio sports talk shows to discuss high school football and basketball. He’s the only scout/prep journalist to serve on the prestigious Long Beach Press-Telegram’s Best of the West panel for both football and boys’ basketball. He’s also served on the selection committees for the Gatorade Athlete of the Year program, the John Wooden Award for high school basketball players and as a player personnel director for events such as the Ballislife All-American Game and the Under Armour Elite 24.
Contact Ronnie Flores at ronlocc1977@gmail.com or text him at (323) 573-6921. Follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores
Harold Abend: Associate Editor-Girls Sports/Marketing
Harold Abend
One of the most passionate prep sports writers in the state, Harold has been working as a correspondent and writer for Cal-Hi Sports and previously Student Sports for more than 12 years. He also is the vice president of the California Prep Sportswriters Association and is a board member of the West Coast Jamboree girls basketball tournament with vast experience in executing and attaining sponsors for high school events.
Other than a four-year period when he lived in San Diego, Harold is a life-long resident of the San Francisco Bay Area and has frequently contributed rankings, articles and features about high school teams and players from that area for over 30 years. He also has evolved into one of the most respected girls basketball and softball analysts in the state.
In addition to writing for Cal-Hi Sports, Harold has written for many other publications, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Marin Scope, BayPreps.com and SportsStars Magazine. He is a graduate of Washington High School in San Francisco.
Contact Harold at marketingharoldabend@gmail.com or call him at (707) 981-8201. Follow him on Twitter: @HaroldAbend
Bob Barnett: CIF Central Section correspondent
Bob is the foremost authority on Central Section sports and is the official Central Section sports historian. As a close collegue of the late Nelson Tennis (the founder of Cal-Hi Sports), Bob has contributed many articles and has made contributions to the researching of records for the Cal-Hi Sports Record Book and Almanac. His knowledge of prep sports in the central region of California was culminated when he authored “90 Years of High School Basketball — Central Section Record Book 1907 -1996.”
Bruce McIntosh: Historian
One of the nation’s most renowned high school historians, no one in California prep sports history has collected as much memorabilia or event results going back more than 100 years than Bruce. A former worker at the Helms Athletic Foundation in Los Angeles, Bruce later lived in San Pedro for many years and spent the last years of his life in Rio Vista before passing away in late 2017. Similar to co-founder Nelson Tennis, McIntosh will also be a senior editor Emeritus because his research and findings are utilized on a daily basis on this website.
Jennifer Ezpeleta: Art Director
For nearly 10 years, Jennifer was the art director of Student Sports Magazine and also was responsible for the layout of the last four Cal-Hi Sports state record books. She is continuing to aid Cal-Hi Sports through her work laying out the weekly newsletters in addition to the creation of e-book covers and advertisements.
Kathleen Moody: Co-Owner
Kathleen and Mark were married in August 1993 and have one son, Sean Tennis. Kathleen is a teacher and has worked for the Stockton Unified School District since 1991.
