A luminary in Sequoia’s modern athletic era, Maffia’s contemporaries still marvel at his 1994 performance while leading the Cherokees to the CCS Division 2 championship after transferring from Serra High for his junior year.  A hard-nosed, never-say-die infielder, he was the Pete Rose of his time for Coach Bud Papadakis’ nine.  His scorching .414 batting average as the Tribe leadoff was astounding enough, but he also led the SPAL in steals and runs scored.  All-league recognition in 1993-94 presaged his ’94 all-county selection.  At College of San Mateo he was first-team all-conference before moving up to an all-league season for the Culver-Stockton College Wildcats in Canton, Mo.