January 10, 2008

SPORTS

Leland High holds annual alumni soccer game

Photos by Joe Proudman

Generations of players take to the field

By Joe Proudman
Staff Writer

Leland High School soccer players, both past and present, took the field at Pat Tillman Stadium on Saturday Dec. 29.

The annual alumni soccer game was held under gray skies and occasional drizzles, featuring players and coaches from past and present years.

Leland’s strong soccer tradition was well represented, including members of the 1985 team that won a Central Coast Section title while going undefeated. Among those was longtime Leland coach David Gold.

“I coached here for 20 years, I think I can play in the alumni game,” Gold said. “In fact I’ve coached all the kids out there.”

Frosh-soph soccer coach Fred Safar said, “It’s mainly a gathering for these guys who graduated from Leland. You got six to seven generations here.”

About 23 alumni players turned out for the event, versus the 14 Leland players suited up.

At first it seemed that the alumni team hadn’t lost a step since departing Leland, going up 2-0 within the first 20 minutes of the game. Mike Hacket scored the first goal eight minutes into the game, with the second courtesy of Peter Pena.

But Leland students whose team struggled early in the season, responded with two goals of their own before the half. Adonis Lavine and Zade Shakir scored for the younger team, knotting it up at the midway point.

Going into the second half, it seemed as if the former students were showing their age, as the present Leland team was breathing down their neck, but that was not the case. All in all, the alumni scored four unanswered goals in the second half, beating their younger counterparts 6-2.

For the alumni, Pena had two goals, Hacket had one and Stevie Muñoz had three.

“It was a good game, pretty intense,” said Muñoz, who graduated in 2006. “It felt good, I hadn’t been here in a while.”

“It’s fun to see all those guys out here,” said Leland head soccer coach Rich Kubic.

“It’s been going on forever. It’s a good time for the alumni to get together,” he added. “It’s tradition.”

Almaden cheerleaders are among nation’s top 10

The Almaden Mustang Jr. Pee Wee Cheer Squad, which had been selected as the first-place team here, attended the national competition in Orlando Fla. in December.

On the first day of competition, the 15 girls, ages 8-11, were congregating in a coach’s room for “hair duty.” Hair in place, uniforms checked and smiles affixed they boarded the bus headed to the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex. Four days later the Almaden Mustang Midget cheer squad, 17 girls ages 11-15, would repeat the process.

National Competition was the finale on a fantastic season for both teams. The season began in August for these 32 girls. There were old friends and some new to the cheer program, each bringing their own unique talents and personalities to the two teams.

Head coaches Janice Morreira and Sonia Connolly successfully managed and merged these 32 individuals into two cohesive teams that brought trophies home from Cheer Invitationals, Cheer Championships and a first-place for both teams at Regional competition.

National Competition brought a host of new teams from as far away as Hawaii and Massachu-setts and everywhere in between. It also brought a sense of camaraderie between former rivals representing the Pacific Northwest region.

The spirit of the cheerleaders was contagious. The Jr. Pee Wee squad performed to their full potential, filling every coach with pride. They placed seventh out of 17. The Midget squad had a spot on performance that brought their coaches and fans to their feet. They placed eighth out of 18. Reaching the top 10 in the nation is an amazing accomplishment for these 32 girls who dedicated over four months of their lives, and poured their hearts into the sport.

Almaden Mustang Cheerleaders are a part of the Pop Warner Sports Program. The Almaden Valley Youth Athletic Association was established in the early 1970s as a non- profit organization dedicated to promoting teamwork, commitment, physical health, and self-confidence through football and cheerleading to the youth in the community.

AVYAA has partnered with Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc., the largest national youth football and cheerleading organization and the only youth sports organization with an academic requirement. Its tradition of building community leaders for tomorrow has been sustained through the commitment of board members, coaches, the efforts of parents, and the generous support of the community and local businesses. If you are interested in becoming a part of the Almaden cheer program, contact Leay Heck, AVYAA Spirit Athletic Director at leay_h@yahoo.com.

Another successful season for the SSJ Xtreme

The 14 members of the South San Jose Xtreme pose with their coaches.

The South San Jose Xtreme was established in 2004 and is a competitive soccer team for girls born between Aug. 1, 1995 and July 31, 1996. The team is made up of girls from the Almaden Valley, Blossom Valley and Santa Teresa areas. The girls made great strides this season, finishing in third place for the Fall 2007 Delgado B bracket with a record of 7 wins, 2 losses and 1 tie. The only league losses came against the first and second place teams in highly contested matches.

For more information about the Xtreme and upcoming tryouts (Jan. 26, 27 and Feb 2), visit www.ssjysl.org or call (408) 202-2058.

Sponsors prepare for the third annual Pat’s Run

Get your running shoes broken in because the third annual Pat’s Run is scheduled for Saturday, May 3. The run, which benefits the Pat Tillman Foundation, is now seeking sponsorship through several levels.

Proceeds of this signature race enable the Foundation to offer the youth leadership programs in California and Arizona. The Foundation partnered with Youth Re:Action Corps, a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, in the fall of 2006, to cultivate leaders in social change. In San Jose, Youth Re:Action Corps works in partnership with the six San Jose Unified School District High Schools to launch a year long program that educates young people about local, national, and global issues; empowers them to create plans for social change; and invests financially in their visions of a better world. Proceeds also support the Tillman Scholars Program, a national leadership development program for college students across the country who attend Arizona State University.

There are six sponsorship areas for corporations, companies and individuals to help make this race a success. Presenting sponsorship, those contributing $25,000, receive advertising in several different ways. The name with presenting sponsor will appear on 6,000 Pat’s Run T-shirts, 25,000 registration brochures and 1,000 posters. It also will appear on the Web site and the Foundation’s Web site as well as all media materials and public service ads where permitted.

Presenting sponsors’ names also will appear in a full-page ad in Pat’s Run magazine edition, a display of eight sponsor-provided banners in the stadium, on stage and at the expo. It will provide the sponsor with an opportunity to place sponsor-provided inserts into 6,000 race packets and offer 30 complimentary entries in the race as well as unlimited media opportunities and other benefits.

A $10,000 race sponsor will receive race sponsor on 6,000 race T-shirts, 25,000 registration brochures and 1,000 posters as well as their name on the race and foundation Web sites. In addition, they will receive a half-page ad in the magazine, display of five banners in the stadium, on stage and at the expo, opportunities for ads in 6,000 race packets, 20 complimentary entries and the opportunity to staff a booth at the expo.

Kids Area Title sponsors receive the same collateral material identification as well as a half-page ad, five display banners—two in the kids area and three in the stadium and expo, inserts in 6,000 brochures and 20 complimentary entries in the run.

Honor sponsors pay $5,000 for a quarter-page ad in the race magazine, the opportunity for inserts in 6,000 race packets, 10 complimentary race entries and the opportunity to staff a booth. Contributing sponsors provide $2,500 and receive their name and logo in the special magazine edition, the opportunity to place 6,000 inserts in race brochures, five complimentary race entries and the opportunity to staff a booth at the race.

An expo sponsor, at $1,000, receives a quarter-page ad in the special magazine edition and a 10-foot by 10-foot space with a table and two chairs at the expo.

If you are interested in helping, please contact race officials at (408) 506-4427 or visit www.PATSRUN.com or www.pattillmanfoundation.org.

Sports Briefs

Almaden Wildcats Girls U-13 soccer tryouts

The Almaden Wildcats girls under-13 soccer team will hold tryouts for girls born after July 31, 1995 at the following dates, times, and locations;

Jan. 20 (3 to 5 p.m.) at Bret Harte Middle School,

Jan. 23 (4 to 5:30 p.m.) at Bret Harte MS

Jan. 26 (Noon to 2 p.m.) at DeAnza Park. 

The Wildcats will be moving up to Class 1 (Select level) play in 2008.  In order to obtain more information and pre-register, contact Ron Richardson at 997-6168 or rkrichardson@sbcglobal.net.

Almaden Valley Girls’ Softball League holds Sign-ups
The Almaden Valley Girls’ Softball League is holding sign-ups. Our league is a Santa Clara County-wide League and available to all Santa Clara County girls which means we are not restricted by territory. The age range is 5 to 16 years.  We welcome all applicable ages and every skill level.  We will be holding sign-ups on the following dates at Greystone Elementary School, 6982 Shearwater Drive in San Jose.:

Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 9, from 6 to 9 p.m.

For more information, please visit our website at www.avgsl.org.


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