SPORTS

Pioneer boys’ hoops drops 56-52 loss to league rival Leigh

Leigh’s Chris Weber leads with 24 points;
Mustangs drop to 1-3 in league play

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

The Pioneer Mustangs struggles continued after the team dropped to 1-3 in the Mt. Hamilton Division following a 65-52 road loss to Leigh on Jan. 13.

Pioneer guard Matt Montelongo drives down the court with Leigh’s Chris Weber trailing. Photo by Jeff Frazee

For Pioneer, the loss was the team’s second straight, giving Mustangs an unfavorable start in league play after finishing the preseason with a robust 14-1 record. Mustang guard Nolan Maggipinto led the team with 14 points in the loss.

“The team that worked harder overall, got the win,” said Pioneer head coach Joe Berticevich. “They sustained that for 32 minutes and we didn’t. We’re in a rut right now. It seems like we can’t sustain it for 32 minutes, and we’ve got to change that. We’re not working hard enough in practice and that’s my responsibility.”

Leigh point guard Chris Weber proved to be the player to stop in the game, as the sophomore guard led all scorers with 24 points, including 16 in the second half with 12 in the third quarter alone.

“We’ve been gearing our defense and intensity to this game,” Longhorns’ head coach Greg Wolf said. “We did what we needed to in order to beat a team of Pioneer’s caliber.”

The Longhorns (10-6 overall, 21 in league) held a small 25-22 lead at halftime before taking firm control of the game in the second half. The second half effort included a key third quarter that saw the Longhorns outscore Pioneer 19-10 to grab a double digit lead in the game.

The Longhorns opened up the third quarter with a 10-4 run, getting six points from Weber during that span to lead the offense. The scoring spurt gave Leigh a 35-26 lead while Pioneer struggled on offense, mustering a pair of layups from Kyle Fager and Ryan LaCorte at 7:27 and 6:42, respectively.

The Mustangs didn’t get a point on the board for another three minutes, getting a pair of free throws from Maggipinto at 3:39 to end the drought. Matt Montelongo followed Maggipinto 13 seconds later, hitting one of two free throw shots, cutting the lead to six at 35-29.

Pioneer’s Andrew Lerma battles Longhorns’ forward Blake McFarland during a 65-52 loss to Leigh on Jan. 13. The loss dropped the Mustangs’ league record to 1-3. Photo by Jeff Frazee

But with just over three minutes left in the third quarter, the Longhorns embarked on yet another scoring run, piecing together a 9-3 stretch to end the quarter, aided by six more points from Weber on a jumper, a pair of free throws and a layup at the buzzer to grab a 44-32 lead.

“He’s a good player,” Berticevich said of Weber. “He’s stepped up his game from his freshman year and he’s a very good player. We had trouble guarding him.”

Weber contributed 12 points in the quarter and said a packed house cheering the team helped fuel Leigh’s scoring effort.

“I think we play better the bigger the scene is,” Weber said of playing in front of a capacity-filled gym. “I think we came out tonight more intense than we have during any game this season. So, I think the bigger the crowd, the more pumped up we come out.”

Things didn’t fare any better for the Mustangs in the fourth quarter, as the Longhorns answered back on every basket the Mustangs knocked down.

With Leigh up 52-36 and just over six minutes left in the game, the Mustangs put together their most significant run of the night, an 11-4 scoring edge that saw Maggipinto drop in seven points, cutting the lead to 56-47 with just over two minutes left to play.

The Longhorns answered back quickly however, getting a 3-pointer from Justin Gladfelter at 2:01 before Weber followed up with a pair of free throws at 1:29, bumping the Longhorns’ lead back up to double digits at 61-47 and effectively sealing the win.

Sports Briefs

Almaden Wildcats girls’ U11 soccer tryouts
The AVYSL Wildcats, a U11 girls’ Class 3 soccer team, will hold tryouts for girls born between Aug. 1, 1995 and July 31, 1996 at Almaden Elementary School on Jan. 7 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Jan. 21 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, call Ron Richardson at (408) 997-6168.

Almaden Venom BU10 Soccer Tryouts
The AVYSL Venom, a U10 Boys Class 3 soccer team, will hold tryouts for boys born on or between 8/1/96 and 7/31/97 at Almaden Elementary School on Jan. 22 from 1-3:30 p.m. and Jan. 29 from 1-3:30 p.m. Please check in at least 15 minutes early and be prepared to show a copy of the player’s birth certificate. For more information, contact coach Dave Ballard at dballard@ipass.com or (408) 268-1305

Almaden Valley Girls U12 soccer tryouts
The AVYSL Valley Girls, a U12 Class 1 soccer team, will hold tryouts on Jan. 24 and 26 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at Bret Harte Middle School, as well as Jan. 28 at Castillero Middle School from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. For more info call Monica Geraghty at (408) 927-6252

Almaden Stealth Boys U10 soccer tryouts
The AVYSL Stealth, a U10 boys’ Class 3 soccer team, will hold a tryout for boys born between Aug. 1, 1996 thru July 31, 1997 at Almaden Elementary School on Jan. 21 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. For more info, call Tom Geraghty at 408-927-6252

Almaden Valley Strikers U11 soccer tryouts
Almaden Valley Strikers, a boys’ under-11 Class 3 soccer team in the Almaden Valley Youth Soccer League, is holding tryouts for players born between Aug. 1, 1995 and July 31 1996. Tryouts will be held Feb. 11 from 10 a.m. to noon at Almaden Elementary School. Call Lela Huenergardt at (408) 997-8903 for more details.

Los Gatos Christian Church Youth Baseball League registration through Feb. 6
The Los Gatos Christian Church-sponsored Youth Baseball League is currently accepting registration for the upcoming season through Feb. 6. The season runs from April 1 through June 10 and is open to both boys and girls. Girls must be born between the dates of 8/1/97 to 7/31/01, while boys must be born between 8/1/95 to 7/31/97. For registration information, call the sports office at (408) 997-4642

Pepsi Major League Baseball hosts Pitch, Hit & Run Competition
Provides boys and girls the opportunity to compete at a Major League ballpark
This spring, youngsters ages 7-14 will have the unique opportunity to showcase three fundamental baseball skills – pitching, hitting and running - for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete on-field at the 2006 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

Pepsi Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit & Run (PHR) is the official skills competition of Major League Baseball.
This free grassroots program is in its tenth year of existence and is designed to provide youth across North America with an integrated competition that recognizes individual excellence in core baseball skills. Children compete in four age groups: 7/8, 9/10, 11/12, 13/14, and have the chance to advance through four levels of competition, including the Local, Sectional, Team Championship and National Finals.

Once advancing to the MLB Team Championship, participants will compete at a Major League Ballpark. From there, the top four competitors nationwide from each of the four age groups will win a trip to the National Finals to compete for the National Championship during All-Star Week in Pittsburgh, PA.

PHR is a great way for youth organizations nationwide to put their town on the map and allow children in their community the opportunity to compete at a Major League Ballpark. Organizations interested in hosting a local competition may visit www.mlb.com/phr or call (770) 641-7415.

High School Scoreboard

Jan. 10
Leland boys’ basketball 61-46 win at Prospect

Pioneer girls’ soccer 3-2 win at Leigh

Jan. 11
Leland boys’ soccer 1-0 win vs. Yerba Buena

Pioneer boys’ soccer 3-2 loss vs. Oak Grove
Pioneer boys’ basketball 57-42 loss vs. Westmont
Pioneer wrestling 44-35 win at Prospect

Jan. 12
Leland wrestling 70-12 win at Yerba Buena
Leland girls’ soccer 3-2 win vs. Leigh

Pioneer girls’ soccer 3-0 win vs. Branham

Jan. 13
Leland boys’ basketball 56-53 loss vs. Silver Creek

Pioneer girls’ basketball 68-48 loss vs. Leigh
Pioneer boys’ soccer 3-1 win at Leland

High School Sports Schedule

Leland High School
Friday – Varsity boys’ basketball vs. Silver Creek, 7:30 p.m.
Friday – Frosh/soph boys’ basketball vs. Silver Creek, 5 p.m.
Friday – Varsity girls’ basketball at Westmont, 7 p.m.
Friday – JV girls’ basketball at Westmont, 5:30 p.m.
Friday – Varsity boys’ soccer vs. Pioneer, 3:15 p.m.
Friday – Frosh/soph boys’ soccer vs. Pioneer, 3:15 p.m.

Saturday – Wrestling at San Ramon Varsity Tournament, all day

Tuesday – Varsity boys’ basketball vs. Overfelt, 7 p.m.
Tuesday – Frosh/soph boys’ basketball vs. Overfelt, 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday – Varsity girls’ soccer at Branham, 3:15 p.m.
Tuesday – JV girls’ soccer at Branham, 3:15 p.m.

Wednesday – Varsity girls’ basketball at Leigh, 7 p.m.
Wednesday – JV girls’ basketball at Leigh, 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday – Varsity boys’ soccer at Mt. Pleasant, 3:15 p.m.
Wednesday – Frosh/soph boys’ soccer at Mt. Pleasant, 3:15 p.m.
Wednesday – Wrestling vs. Prospect, 6:30 p.m.

Thursday – Varsity girls’ soccer vs. Overfelt, 3:15 p.m.
Thursday – JV girls’ soccer vs. Overfelt, 3:15 p.m.

Pioneer High School
Friday – Varsity boys’ basketball at Leigh, 7:30 p.m.
Friday – Frosh/soph boys’ basketball at Leigh, 6 p.m.
Friday – Varsity girls’ basketball vs. Leigh, 7 p.m.
Friday – JV girls’ basketball vs. Leigh, 5:30 p.m.
Friday – Varsity boys’ soccer at Leland, 3:15 p.m.
Friday – Frosh/soph boys’ soccer at Leland, 3:15 p.m.

Tuesday – Varsity girls’ soccer vs. Overfelt, 3:15 p.m.
Tuesday – JV girls’ soccer vs. Overfelt, 3:15 p.m.

Wednesday – Varsity boys’ basketball vs. Piedmont Hills, 7 p.m.
Wednesday – Frosh/soph boys’ basketball vs. Piedmont Hills, 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday – Varsity girls’ basketball at Piedmont Hills, 7 p.m.
Wednesday – JV girls’ basketball at Piedmont Hills, 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday – Varsity boys’ soccer at Overfelt, 3:15 p.m.
Wednesday – Frosh/soph boys’ soccer at Overfelt, 3:15 p.m.

Thursday – Wrestling at San Jose High, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday – Varsity girls’ soccer at Piedmont Hills, 3:15 p.m.
Thursday – JV girls’ soccer at Piedmont Hills, 3:15 p.m.


For more information about Leland and Pioneer sporting events, go to:

Pioneer Athletics:
www.phsathletics.com

Leland Athletics:
www.lelandathletics.com

Blossom Valley Athletic League:
www.bval.org

For more complete and up to date schedules on CCS playoffs, go to:
www.cifccs.org

Mustangs take 56-45 win on the road over Westmont

Four Pioneer players score in double figures; Mattern leads with 14

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

Fueled by a strong second-half offensive effort, the Pioneer girls’ basketball team took a decisive 56-45 win at Westmont on Jan. 11, bumping the team’s record to 8-7 overall.

Pioneer’s Renee Cummings (with ball) scored 11 points, all in the second half, in a 56-45 win at Westmont on Jan. 11. Photo by Diego Abeloos

For the Mustangs, the win also upped their Mt. Hamilton Division record above the .500 mark at 2-1, good for a second place tie in the standings.

“It was awesome. We came in with a game plan and we executed,” said Pioneer head coach Kim Yanda. “…We had a really good overall win and we executed our game plan well.”

For Westmont, the loss left the team winless in Mt. Hamilton Division play at 0-3, despite a 9-8 overall record. Westmont’s Megan Scheibli led all scorers with 16 points, including a six-point effort in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter.

“Every team throughout the season goes through a little bump in the road here and there, and right now, we’re going through some growing pains,” Westmont head coach John Mackey said of his squad. “…There’s different levels of experience (on the team), and we’re still learning how to play together. Sometimes that doesn’t go smoothly, but we’ll pick it back up and we’ll be okay. It’s just that these are tough to take.”

The Mustangs were well-balanced on offense throughout the game, as four Pioneer players reached double figures in points scored, led by Steffi Mattern’s 14 points.

Yanda said she was pleased to see the distributed scoring effort from her team, considering that Michele Rebozzi, arguably the team’s most consistent scoring threat, had a nine-point effort in the game, fifth among team scorers in the game.

“I keep telling the team that we’ve got to play as a team in order to win some games,” Yanda said. “People are going to focus in on (defending) Michele, so the rest of the team’s got to step up, and they did tonight.”

Holding a slight 27-25 lead in the early portion of the third quarter, the Mustangs broke the game open with 6:21 left on an 11-2 run in a stretch of just three minutes.

The run opened up with a jumper from Nancy Neal and was soon followed by a 3-pointer from Mattern with 5:16 left. Less than a minute later, the Mustangs bumped their lead even more on 3-pointers from Rebozzi and Neal, giving their team an 11-point lead at 38-27.

The Mustangs’ outside shooting, in particular 3-point shooting, proved to be effective against the Warriors’ defense. Overall, the Mustangs nailed six 3-pointers on the night, including four in the third quarter alone.

Pioneer’s Mercedes Pardo battles Westmont’s Krystal Wahl (10) and Kelly Gregg in the low post. Pardo finished the game with 12 points. Photo by Diego Abeloos

Mattern, who hit a second 3-pointer with 1:15 left in the third as part of an 8-2 run to bump the Pioneer lead to 46-31, led the team with four 3-pointers overall.

“There’s not much I can say. We just have some shooters on our team,” Yanda said of her team’s shooting effort. “They pulled through tonight. I had a talk with Steffi before the game that she needed to be more accurate, and she was. I don’t know. When you come and you shoot, you just feel it.”

Yanda said she was also pleased with the effort put forth by senior forward Renee Cummings, who scored 11 points on the night, all of them coming in the second half.

With Pioneer holding a 48-37 lead early in the fourth quarter, Cummings supplied most of the offense in an 8-2 run to bump the Mustangs’ lead to 15 points. The senior forward nailed a pair of layups in less than 30 seconds to start the run, before dropping in a jumper with 4:52 left in the game.

That effort came after Cummings contributed five points in an 8-2 run at the end of the third quarter, hitting a layup to open the stretch before completing a 3-point play with a layup and a foul shot with 2:00 left in the third.

“She was struggling at the end of the preseason and I was starting her, and then not starting her,” Yanda said of Cummings. “… She’s really turned it around and has come through big for us, especially tonight.”

Leland girls out-duel Westmont with portion of Yoshioka tandem

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

Forgetting her concussion, Leland guard Kristen Yoshioka willed focus into her fellow Chargers teammates, who overcame a four-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win 55-54 at Westmont Friday.

One of two Leland seniors Mika Yanai kicks the ball out to a teammate on the three point line versus Santa Teresa last Wednesday. All-league Yanai finished with 12 points on the night.

A 26-point combined scoring effort courtesy of recovering Kristen—who demanded to play despite feeling the cloudy effects of an injury she suffered during the Chargers’ 61-44 drubbing of Santa Teresa High on Wednesday—and twin sister, Meggie Yoshioka, lifted the undefeated Chargers (11-6 overall, 3-0 league play) over the winless Warriors (0-4, in division) in the Mount Hamilton Division contest.

“It ended up being a good game for us because we won,” said Leland Head Coach Wade Nakamura. “Kristen was still having headaches, so she didn’t practice the day before—I was going to hold her out as long as I could.

Typically, I feel pretty confident playing against everyone in our league, but Westmont always plays us tough at their place.”

Down by four when the first quarter buzzer sounded, Nakamura learned that Leland’s offense was parked without the team’s leading scorer, Yoshioka. Also considered one of the league’s finest defenders, Yoshioka was checked into the game to begin the second quarter, despite battling lingering pain as a result of Wednesday’s collision which came in the waning minutes versus Santa Teresa. when a lumbering Saint inadvertently cross-checked Yoshioka as the junior guard navigated the baseline. Yoshioka’s head appeared to break both girls’ fall.

“We’re just a different team without Kristen,” Nakamura said. “We lose a lot without Kristen on offense and on defense. Plus we didn’t have a great game.”

While Westmont shot an impressive 48 percent from the field, Leland struggled for offensive consistency, outside of players named Yoshioka. Meggie led Leland with 14 points, while Kristen rushed to a final 12-point tally. Senior Mika Yanai also dropped in 10.

“I think in that game, our defense wasn’t as great as in the past couple of games, and they have some good shooters that drove well and dished the ball,” said Yanai. “But at the end, we played together as a team and it worked out.”

Kristen’s twin sister Meggie denied shared pain, while her sister was inflicted with the head injury. For Meggie, the Westmont game was business as usual, with the addition of offense.

Leland junior Meggie Yoshioka drives to the baseline versus Santa Teresa. The guard paced the Charger with 14 points Friday versus Westmont.

“I just took my open shots and scored because Kristen wasn’t able to play that much,” said Meggie. “I tried to think more offensively, I guess. Usually, I look to pass it to Kristen.”

“Meggie had a big game in a tough situation,” added Nakamura. “But as a team, we just didn’t have a very good game. It pretty much goes back to what I tell the girls everyday. Everybody in the league is going to play their best game against us. It just so happens that Westmont is better than their record indicates, having lost close games to good teams, but they still played extra hard versus us.”

Despite Leland’s undefeated record, questions remain about the Chargers’ presence in the post. Leland lost Hillary Barnes and Amanda Doe—a forward and guard—to knee injuries in preseason, which forced sophomore Anna Farrington and juniors JoVanna Cobos and Pam Wolfe into action sooner than expected. However, the girls are silencing opponents who may have underestimated the corps.

“Our posts have been working really hard this year,” said Nakamura. “Everybody has been overlooking our posts. They are getting better every day. We are still going to try hard and attack you inside.”

The posts will be tested on Jan. 18 when the Chargers faced Leigh for first place. Leigh boasts two of the top post players in CCS with Laura McLellan and Angela Ruiz patrolling the blocks. McLellan has signed a letter of intent with University of Washington, while Ruiz will reportedly attend Bethany College.

The game also boasts last year’s best in the Mt. Hamilton Division, when Leland and Leigh shared the 2004-05 league championship crown.

The Chargers next face Piedmont Hills at home on Jan. 20. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

A Texas-sized experience

Leland head football coach Jason Tenner spends a week as the
offensive line coach for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

For most football coaches in the Blossom Valley Athletic League, the 2005 season drew to a close at the end of November.

Leland head football coach Jason Tenner spent his first week of the New Year coaching the West’s offensive line in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas. The bowl is a showcase All-Star contest featuring the nation’s best senior high school football players. Photo courtesy www.mikejanes.com

But for Leland head coach Jason Tenner, football didn’t end until after Jan. 7.

That’s because Tenner was on the sidelines at the Alamo Dome in San Antonio, Texas, as part of the West’s coaching staff during the annual U.S. Army All-American Bowl, a nationally televised All-Star contest featuring the nation’s top high school senior football players.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Tenner, who just finished his first season at the helm of Leland’s football program, posting a 3-7 record. “It’s a great celebration of high school football. The Army and all the sponsors did a great job of putting on a good game. I was just happy to be a part of it.”

This was Tenner’s third trip down to the bowl, which he describes as a circus-like atmosphere, complete with blue-chip football players declaring their choice of college to attend and play football for, not to mention a packed house of football fans in an area commonly known as a hotbed for top quality high school football in Texas.

For the first time as a coach however, Tenner was on the sidelines with a specific task in coaching the offensive line for the West. In previous trips, Tenner has served in a variety of coaching capacities for the West, but never as an “official” coach. Being named as part of the West’s coaching staff, according to Tenner, requires that a coach run his own football program as a head coach for a high school.

“Basically, to be a game coach, you have to be a head coach,” said Tenner, who spent more than a week down in San Antonio, getting acquainted with the coaching staff and players for the West. “Last year kind of segued into this year, because last year, the offensive line coach didn’t show up the first day. I ended up coaching the offensive line last year for the first day and then kind of helped out throughout the week.”

Tenner first became in-volved with the All-American Bowl through his offensive coordinator at Leland, Heath Clark. Clark, who played football at Rutgers with All-American Bowl Director Garrett Shea, served as head chaperone for the West, something he’s done for the past three years. It was through Clark and Shea that Tenner became involved, with Clark offering up the Leland head coach as a volunteer for the game.

But the bowl, which saw the East take a 27-16 win over the West on Jan. 7, posed a fair amount of challenges for Tenner. One challenge was the need to teach the West’s offensive linemen pass blocking techniques in a week, since most of the players came from schools featuring a running-style offense. Tenner brought a wealth of experience to the table, having played defensive tackle at Villanova for four years before spending one season (1999-2000) on the San Francisco 49ers practice squad as an offensive tackle and guard.

“I had a lot of knowledge to share about both sides of the ball,” said Tenner. “My goal during the week was to give the kids at least one thing that they could take with them into fall training camps (for college), that’ll help them compete and stand out from the other freshmen.”

Although Tenner spent his time teaching the nation’s best, he also walked away from the experience learning something new. Tenner, whose Leland team was bumped down from the Mt. Hamilton Division to the Santa Teresa Division following league meetings at the end of the season, said he walked away from the experience confident in his abilities as a coach.

“It was interesting,” said Tenner of the experience. “Going down there and coaching with these coaches from Texas and Southern California, and seeing coaches from all over the country who are known for being coaches of the year … there’s not that big of a difference. I felt as if I fit into that group, and that I should’ve been there. I felt pretty secure with my football knowledge around that group, which kind of reassured me that I’m the right man for my job here and that I will be successful down the line.”

Bay Area runners to remember Pat Tillman with ‘Pat’s Run’ April 30

San Jose will soon get a chance to remember one of its most inspiring natives. The Pat Tillman Foundation is organizing Pat’s Run, a 4.2-mile running/walking event at Leland High School on April 30, to celebrate the life of former Bay Area resident Pat Tillman.

The event celebrates the life of Pat Tillman, a scholar-athlete and alumnus from Leland High School who first earned Arizona’s respect through his academic achievements and accomplishments as a football player for Arizona State University and the Arizona Cardinals.

His dominating defensive play resulted in a multi-million-dollar contract which he gave up to serve his country after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. People throughout the world mourned his 2004 death in Afghanistan.

Pat’s Run offers a chance for everyone to take action in Pat’s name by running or walking 4.2 miles. Participants eight years old and younger can test themselves in a .42-mile run. All the distances commemorate the number 42, which Pat wore during his days as an Arizona State University scholar-athlete.

To register, go to www.patsrun.com on the Internet. Registration cost starts at $25.

The foundation held its first Pat’s Run near ASU, Pat’s alma mater, in April 2005. It drew more than 6,000 participants, a nearly unprecedented number for a first-year event. A second Annual Pat’s Run in Tempe will be held April 15.

Proceeds from Pat’s Run will benefit the Pat Tillman Foundation and its Leadership Through Action initiative at ASU. Leadership Through Action is the focus of the foundation’s mission of creating responsible, civic-minded leaders in Tillman’s mold. The Tillman family recognized the impact he had on the people of Arizona and wanted to create a lasting legacy for people inspired by his actions. The first group of Tillman Scholars began studying under Dr. Laura Burgis and Professor Mike Mokwa in the fall. Each year, officials from the foundation and ASU will select up to 15 Tillman Scholars for Leadership Through Action.

To learn more about the Pat Tillman Foundation, visit www.pattillmanfoundation.org.

Share your news

Do you have a sports story to share? Contact the sports department at 494-7000 x 217 or by e-mail at diego@timesmediainc.com or fax to Almaden Times Sports at 494-7078.