February 15, 2007

SPORTS

Leland girls’ hoops defeats neighborhood rival Pioneer 61-38

With two games left in league, first-place Chargers hold two-game edge; Mustangs look to close out season at .500

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

The Leland girls’ basketball team kept pace in the Mt. Hamilton Division, posting a 61-38 win on the road over rival Pioneer on Feb. 7.

Leland’s Kristen Yoshioka battles Pioneer’s Michele Rebozzi for the ball during a 61-38 win for the Chargers on Feb. 7. Yoshioka led the Chargers with 14 points. Photos by Dan Miranda

Following a 76-47 win on Feb. 9 over Leigh, Leland boosted its record in league play to 10-2, two games ahead of second place Santa Teresa. Kristen Yoshioka led the Chargers with 14 points, while forward JoVanna Cobos chipped in 12 points off the bench. Starting forward Pam Wolfe also added 10 points in the win.

“Our goal and focus was to come out extremely aggressive and extremely business-like, and I think we did that tonight,” Leland head coach Wade Nakamura said. “…Overall, we were solid.”

All told, Nakamura said his team is looking to close out league play strong, in preparation for the post season.
“We’re trying to get ready for CCS,” Nakamura said. “We want to try and get better. We came out and showed how we need to come out every game.”

While the win gave Leland some breathing room in the Mt. Hamilton Division, the 61-38 final gave Pioneer its seventh loss in the past eight games. Pioneer ended a six-game losing streak coming into the game against the Chargers, having taken a 62-43 win at Leigh on Feb. 2. Pioneer head coach Kim Yanda said poor defense was one of the main factors in her team’s slide.

“I don’t know if it’s taken a step back, but we just haven’t been able to perfect it this year like we should,” Yanda said of her team’s defense this season. “Against Leland, we were talking about switching on screens, that was our strategy, but then if the (Leland player) went the opposite way of the screen, the (Pioneer defender) didn’t stay with her, so they got wide-open looks at the basket in the lane. It’s been tough with the defense this year.”

Pioneer never managed to get on track in the first half against Leland, as the offense was limited to just seven points through two quarters, including a scoreless second quarter, as Leland grabbed a 36-7 lead. Yanda said her team’s first half effort in the loss to Leland was uncharacteristic, pointing to the fact that the Mustang offense came into the game averaging more than 50 points per game.

Leland’s Ana Farrington goes up for a shot during a 61-38 win over Pioneer on Feb. 7. Farrington finished the game with nine points.

“It was a little bit of a surprise,” Yanda said of the team’s first half effort on offense. “I don’t know, the kids have always had a thing playing Leland, mentally. I don’t know what it is, but they just couldn’t get into it. When we were down by so much early, it was hard for them to recover from that.”

Although the Pioneer offense got back on track in the second half, the Chargers maintained their pace and a double-digit lead, going into the fourth quarter with a 48-24 lead. That trend continued in the fourth, as Leland closed out the win at 61-38, allowing just a 6-2 scoring run by the Mustangs in the game’s final minutes.

Nakamura said he was pleased with the play of Cobos and Wolfe in the low post, particularly on offense. He added that the team’s low post play will prove to be crucial as the team closes out league play and awaits the CCS playoffs. Cobos scored 10 of her 12 points in the second half, while Wolfe scored eight of her 10 points in the first half of play.

“If we’re feeding the posts and we’re doing everything that we’re supposed to be doing, they should score in double figures,” Nakamura said of Cobos and Wolfe. “Tonight they played how I expected them to.”

For the Mustangs, who followed up the loss to Leland with a 63-51 win over Westmont on Feb. 9 to improve to 5-7, finishing the year at .500 is now the goal, Yanda said.

Accomplishing that goal, Yanda added, might allow for an outside shot at a CCS Playoff berth. After making it to the first round of the CCS Playoffs last season in her first year at the helm, Yanda said it’s difficult to judge if her squad has regressed this year.

“It might be considered a little step back for us,” said Yanda. “That’s definitely not what our goal was. Our goal was to make it to the second round of CCS, at least, this year, since we did make it last year to the first round. …It’s hard to judge.”

Pioneer’s Righetti signs with SJSU

Pioneer senior receives soccer scholarship to San Jose State, signs letter-of-intent on Feb. 8

By Eric Zimmerling
Times Intern

Pioneer senior midfielder Stephanie Righetti got the new year off on the right foot by receiving a four-year soccer scholarship to San Jose State University.

Pioneer’s Stephanie Righetti will move on to play soccer at SJSU next season after signing a letter-of-intent to play for the school on Feb. 8.

Surrounded by teammates, coaches, and her parents, Righetti signed her letter-of-intent to play at SJSU on Feb. 8.

The captain of the Pioneer girls’ varsity soccer team had been waiting for the day since she started playing soccer at the early age of 4.

“My dream has come true,” said Righetti. “From the time I can remember, I have wanted to play soccer at a Division I school. All the hard work paid off. I have reached my goal and I am very excited.”

Righetti said she chose San Jose State over Santa Clara University after having a long talk with Dave Siracusa, head coach of the SJSU women’s soccer program.

Steve Righetti, Stephanie’s father, was impressed by Siracusa and pleased with his daughter’s decision to attend SJSU. “Dave sat down with us and we had a good conversation,” he said. “Stephanie really liked him and the decision was right (to attend SJSU). Stephanie has worked so hard to get to this point. She tore her ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) two years ago and was back playing soccer five months later. She has had tunnel vision and it’s been focused on playing soccer at a Division I college.”

Despite tearing the ACL in her knee after her sophomore year in a club soccer game, Righetti missed no action for Pioneer the following year. A four-year starter at Pioneer, Righetti helped lead the Mustangs to an 8-7-3 record this season, good for second place in the Mount Hamilton Division. Pioneer head coach Randy Worthington said Righetti’s leadership skills were evident both on and off the field.

“We simply wouldn’t be where we’re at right now without her,” said Worthington. “We had a great group of girls come to our program four years ago, but she was the standout. She has been our leader for the past two years as a captain for us. Stephanie makes everybody on our team better. She is so positive both on and off the field and has a great personality. She is always cracking jokes and has been a lot of fun to coach the last four years.”

Righetti will now look to use her skills next season in helping to boost a women’s soccer program at San Jose State University that struggled last season, finishing with a 7-11-3 record, placing fourth among the eight teams in the Western Athletic Conference.

Sports Briefs

Editor’s note: Due to the high volume of requests, announcements in the Sports Briefs section will run for one issue only, effective immediately.

Announcements submitted to the Times must be 100 words or less and must be received by the Times no later than noon on Monday for that week’s issue. To submit announcements, please e-mail Almaden Times Weekly Sports Editor Diego Abeloos at diego@timesmediainc.com.

Almaden Strikers U13 boys’ soccer team seeks players
The Almaden Strikers U13 boys’ soccer team is looking for dedicated players for the upcoming fall season. Interested players must be born after 8-1-94. For more information, contact Jesse Saenz at (408) 997-3422.

High School Sports Schedule

Leland High School
Friday – Boys’ basketball at Willow Glen, F/S 6 p.m. and varsity 7:30 p.m.
Friday – Girls’ basketball at Gunderson, JV 3 p.m. and varsity 6 p.m.

Saturday – Boys’ soccer CCS quarterfinals, time and opponent TBA*
Saturday – Girls’ soccer CCS quarterfinals, time and opponent TBA*

Tuesday – Boys’ basketball CCS Playoffs begin, sites and times TBA*
Tuesday – Girls’ basketball CCS Playoffs begin, sites and times TBA*
Tuesday – Boys’ soccer CCS semifinals at Milpitas High, time and opponent TBA*
Tuesday – Girls’ soccer CCS semifinals at Valley Christian High, time and opponent TBA*

Wednesday – Girls’ soccer CCS semifinals at Valley Christian High, time and opponent TBA*

Thursday – Girls’ soccer CCS semifinals at Valley Christian High, time and opponent TBA*

Pioneer High School
Friday – Boys’ basketball at Piedmont Hills, F/S 6 p.m. and varsity 7:30 p.m.
Friday – Girls’ basketball vs. Piedmont Hills, JV 5:30 p.m. and varsity 7 p.m.

Saturday – Girls’ soccer CCS quarterfinals, time and opponent TBA*

Tuesday – Boys’ basketball CCS Playoffs begin, sites and times TBA*
Tuesday – Girls’ basketball CCS Playoffs begin, sites and times TBA*
Tuesday – Girls’ soccer CCS semifinals at Valley Christian High, time and opponent TBA*

Wednesday – Girls’ soccer CCS semifinals at Valley Christian High, time and opponent TBA*

Thursday – Girls’ soccer CCS semifinals at Valley Christian High, time and opponent TBA*

*For up to date information about CCS playoff games, go to http://www.cifccs.org.

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

Pioneer Athletics: http://www.phsathletics.com/
Leland Athletics: http://www.lelandathletics.com/
Blossom Valley Athletic League: http://www.bval.org/

High School Scoreboard

Feb. 6
Leland boys’ basketball 46-31 win at Live Oak
Leland boys’ soccer 4-1 loss at Oak Grove

Pioneer boys’ soccer 7-2 loss vs. Lincoln

Feb. 7
Leland girls’ soccer 1-0 loss at Piedmont Hills

Pioneer girls’ soccer 2-1 loss vs. Santa Teresa
Pioneer boys’ basketball 67-43 loss at Oak Grove

Feb. 9
Leland girls’ basketball 76-47 win at Leigh

Pioneer girls’ basketball 63-51 win at Westmont

Almaden Storm defeats No. 1 Union City in state cup tournament play

When the state cup draws came out in December, the Storm team’s members’ jaws collectively dropped.

To get to the “Sweet 16,” the Northern California, eighth-ranked Almaden Storm was going to have to play four games—two against a pair of teams in the top 15 rankings in Northern California. After that, the Storm would have to play the number-one team in the state of California and fourth-ranked team in the U.S., the Union City Tecos. All of this, just to get to the “Elite Eight.”

Front row: Roberto Mendoza, Stephen Zhang, Kyle Reickerd, Branden Nall. Middle row: Alex Mitchell, Brandon Potts, Garrett Heinen, Luc Brubaker, Aurash Bani-Taba, Tommislav Ketlesa. Back Row: Mike Reickerd, David Rosas, Ante Maursic, Alfred Redmonds, Besnik Madzar. Besar Madzar, Mass Nishizaki, Chris Brubaker. Not shown: Brian Kelleher and coach Dave Gold.

The Storm prevailed in Sacramento for the opening round of the state cup, dispatching the Tracy Blast 4-0, Santa Rosa Blue 4-0 and 15th-ranked Bay Oaks Blizzard from Oakland 2-0.

The Storm was then placed in a bracket that required them to play a fourth game in order to get into the coveted “Sweet 16” bracket, squaring off against the Walnut Creek Storm, ranked 11th in the state. Again, the Almaden boys prevailed by a 2-0 score, giving the team entry to the “Sweet 16” bracket.

That’s when the Storm squared off against the Union City Tecos, winners of every major tournament in Northern and Southern California.

“Union City destroyed everyone they played, having scored 33 goals in four games and yielding one (goal),” said Storm head Coach Dave Gold.

Gold then formed what he termed “perfect strategy” to beat the Tecos.

“We are going to man-mark their four best players, flood the mid-field with five players, play one forward and defend for our lives,” Gold said.

The plan worked, as Union City’s four best players were taken out of the game and the Storm jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on a goal by Alfred Redmond. The Storm defended and then countered, as David Rosas had a break away and was hauled down in the box for a penalty kick. Tommislav Ketlesa converted on the opportunity, giving the Storm a 2-0 lead before heading into the half with a 2-1 lead on a late Union City goal.

The second half proved to be much of the same for the Storm, as a combination play netted a third goal by Besnik Madzar for a 3-1 lead. Behind the play of Storm goalkeeper Masa Nishizaki, the team held on, yielding just one more goal to Union City, before prevailing 3-2.

The Storm will continue its quest with two games left before the state championship, squaring off against the Danville Mustangs Red (the number-four ranked team in the state) on Feb. 17 in Turlock.

Speed City exhibit is on display at History Park of San Jose

By Renee Robinson
Special to the Times

The History Park of San Jose recently unveiled a retrospective exhibit entitled “Speed City: From Civil Rights to Black Power, Athletics at San Jose State College, 1940 to 1969,” a look at the San Jose and American history seen through the eyes of its student athletes.

Speed City Athletes, San Jose, Ca., March 1968. Top, left to right: Kirk Clayton, Jerry Williams, Sam Davis, Bill Gaines, Lee Evans, Bob Griffin, and Frank Slaton. Bottom, left to right: Tommie Smith, Ronnie Ray Smith, and John Carlos. Photo by Jeff Kroot

Urla Hill, guest curator and former educator of African-American Studies at San Jose State University, has collected on loan through the generosity of athletes and their families, a vast array of photographs, authentic artifacts including Olympic medals, and clothing worn by both Olympic athletes and state coaches.

The exhibit celebrates two themes: the role San Jose State students played in the turbulent Civil Rights movement and the political stance they took in the Black Power movement on the world stage. The second theme is of San Jose State’s policy of integrating the sports department as early as the 1940s, before the National Football League, and Major Baseball League teams recruited minorities.

“San Jose State has not only a rich tradition of its sporting program, but it too should be valued for its acceptance of people of color decades before it became de rigueur,” Hill said.

The exhibit will be on display at History Park on Senter Road through Nov. 30. There will be several panel discussions with various professionals well versed on the subject of San Jose State’s History Makers at venues throughout the city. The exhibit and various discussions groups are an opportunity for families, historians and art lovers of every age to explore and learn from the past, and celebrate the history of San Jose State athletes and coaches, and their impact on world history.

For more information about History Park of San Jose’s exhibit, “Speed City: From Civil Rights to Black Power, Athletics at San Jose State College, 1940 to 1969,” go to www.historysanjose.org.

Leland soccer’s boys’ and girls’ teams primed for section playoffs

Chargers enter postseason on up-note

By Justin Petersen
Staff writer

Leland landed playoff slots for both the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams Sunday at the Central Coast Section seeding meeting in Santa Teresa.

The berths rounded out a tumultuous year for the Mount Hamilton Division teams, and spirits were sailing with the playoffs in sight.

Boys’ team gets at-large berth in CCS Division I
The boys’ squad received an at-large berth in CCS Division I playoff action upon finishing fourth place in league. According to coach Rich Kubec, Leland petitioned CCS as a team that deserved a playoff appearance, possessing better talent and drive than the Chargers’ regular season finish indicated.

“I think they feel like they can beat anybody, and I know they can beat anybody,” Kubec said of his team.

“Hopefully the bracket worked out…They get up for the big games.”

The seeding committee granted Leland (9-5-5) a ninth seed, after the Chargers closed out the regular season by winning three games, losing just one, and tying three, on a quick sprint toward the playoffs.

While the team’s early efforts were a mixed bag—the Chargers were at .500 through the first half of league play—Kubec said his players have handled top competitors, while staggering versus teams that they are expected to defeat.

Leland, in fact beat top Division I seed, Lincoln, 1-0, on Feb. 1 with the playoffs on the line. Two days later, they tied 2005-2006 CCS finalist Overfelt, currently the ninth-ranked team in the section and the third seed in division II playoffs, on Feb. 3. The outcomes assured Leland that they would be eligible to enter the playoffs.

Still, Leland lost 4-1 at Oak Grove on Feb. 6, and the team was forced to petition for entry.

“We have a definite chance to do something special,” said Kubec. “We beat Lincoln in a must win, and they are the top seed in Division I.”

Kubec called the Chargers’ victory at Lincoln an example of what the team could do on a regular basis, if everybody is in synch.

“We were really fired up,” said Kubec.

Senior Adelle Arobi produced the Chargers’ top performance, shutting down the Lions’ top offensive performer and San Jose State University scholarship player Ricky Dorrego.

Goalkeeper Tim Ackerson also saved the game, when he stopped a Lincoln penalty kick attempt with eight minutes remaining in the game.

“We just marked them out with our best guys,” said Kubec. “Our last roadblock will be the first game of the [tournament]. If we can get by that game, the sky is the limit, but they have a number of strong guys and that game will be tough.”

Leland ladies
On the girls’ side, Leland enters the playoffs having lost just one game in its past eight.

The turning point in the Chargers’ year came at home on Jan. 25 versus Pioneer. Leland defeated the Mustangs 2-1 and captured momentum that led to three wins, one loss and four ties, during the second half of its league campaign.

The run brought Leland to a fourth place finish, which was good enough for an automatic bid into CCS Division I playoffs this season.

“The girls treated the Pioneer game like it was the playoffs,” said Coach David Blutrich. “They had defeated us the first time, and we felt like it was really important that we come back and play them tough the second time.”

Blutrich said that the victory proved to Leland that it could play with top teams.

“It was in the girls’ minds that that they could play,” he said. “We went on an unbeaten streak for seven games after that.”

The streak ended in the season finale, when Leland lost 1-0 to Piedmont Hills on Feb. 7. However, Piedmont’s motivation was high with their playoff dreams relying on the outcome.

Blutrich said that juniors Sara Chehrehsa and Karina Cavanna have been outstanding on the offensive side of the field, while the leadership and efforts in the net by junior goalkeeper Elisa Vye helped change the course of the season for the Chargers.

Vye has allowed just 0.73 goals per match since a midseason return, and has also produced four shutouts.
“Elisa came back in midseason and helped our focus and team shape,” said Blutrich.

With an eye toward the CCS playoffs, Blutrich said he’s optimistic regarding the Chargers’ chances. Leland faced Gunn in the opening round on Feb.14. A final score was not available at press time.

“We faced them in the Palo Alto Winter Classic and we won 4-0,” Blutrich said of Gunn, prior to facing the Titans in the CCS opening round game. “We have to go out play good, solid defense and execute if we want the results. Gunn is an improved team since the first time that we played them.”

Chargers force two-way tie for second place with win over Silver Creek

Leland senior David Janes was honored for his contributions to the school’s basketball program prior to the start of the Chargers’ game versus Silver Creek on Feb. 9. Janes, shown here with parents Mike and Bobbi Janes, was honored along with seniors Patric Calhoun and Adam Munoz.

The Leland boys’ basketball team made things a little more interesting in the Santa Teresa Division after taking a 49-40 win over the Silver Creek Raiders on Feb. 9.

The win, which saw Leland bounce back from a 24-19 halftime deficit, bumped the Chargers into a two-way tie for second place with the Raiders. With only two games remaining in league play, the Chargers find themselves just two games behind Willow Glen and Sobrato, both currently tied for first place at 10-2 each.

The win, Leland’s eighth in league play, came on the heels of a 46-31 victory at Live Oak on Feb. 6. In addition, the Feb. 9 game was also senior night, with the Chargers honoring the team’s three seniors – Patric Calhoun, Adam Munoz and David Janes – in a pre-game ceremony.

Sophomore reserve Adam Mackey led the Chargers with 13 points in the win over Silver Creek, while guard Drew Marino contributed eight points.

—Photos by Dan Miranda

Watson layup with 3.8 seconds left gives Mustangs 58-56 win over Warriors

Pioneer boys’ hoops improves to 9-3 with second comeback win over Westmont this season

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

T.J. Watson’s layup with 3.8 seconds left in the game lifted Pioneer to a 58-56 win over Westmont on Feb. 9, giving the Mustangs their second comeback win over the Warriors this season.

The game-winning shot came on the heels of a 12-3 scoring run by the Warriors late in the fourth quarter to grab a 56-52 lead, only to see the Mustangs storm back with six points in the final minute-and-a-half of play. The win allowed Pioneer to keep pace in the Mt. Hamilton Division, placing the Mustangs in third place at 9-3, two games behind frontrunner Oak Grove and one game behind second place Piedmont Hills.

Pioneer’s T.J. Watson goes in for the game-winning layup with 3.8 seconds left to give the Mustangs a 58-56 win on Feb. 9. Photos by Dan Miranda

In addition, the win was also Pioneer’s second comeback effort this season over Westmont, having taken a 57-56 win on the road on Jan. 17 with a game-winning shot from Gilbert Mendoza with six seconds left. Mendoza led the Mustangs with 16 points in the 58-56 win on Feb. 9.

“As far as the game-winning shot, I just tried to work as hard as I could, but the win was a total team effort,” said Watson, who finished the night with 11 points. “Everybody chipped in, did their part, and we won.”

Trailing Westmont 56-52, Pioneer received a layup from Watson with 1:34 to go, cutting the lead to two, followed by an Andrew Springer layup with 58 seconds left to tie the game. Westmont then failed to convert on its possession, giving Pioneer the ball back with just seconds left to play. Watson then received the ball on the inbound pass with 14.2 seconds left, and proceeded to dribble past three Westmont defenders into the lane, hitting the game-winning layup with 3.8 seconds left. Pioneer head coach Joe Berticevich said the play was originally intended for point guard Matt Montelongo, but the Westmont defense left Watson open for the inbound pass, allowing for the game-winning play.

“Matt couldn’t get the ball in, so when T.J. caught it, I told him, ‘take it,’” Berticevich said. “With the ball in T.J.’s hands, he usually does good things with it, and he did. …It was great to see.”

Coming into the game, Berticevich said he was concerned about defending Westmont senior forward Michael Weimer, who scored 52 points just days earlier in an 87-67 win over Evergreen Valley on Feb. 7. The Pioneer defense proceeded to hold Weimer to just seven points in the 58-56 win.

“We can’t do that with just one guy,” Berticevich said of the defensive effort in keeping Weimer at bay. “It was a total team effort. It was just unbelievable.”

Down 32-30 at the half, Pioneer grabbed the lead midway through the third quarter at 39-38 on a three-point play from Watson, who hit a layup while being fouled in the process. That started a modest 7-2 scoring run by Pioneer to close out the third quarter and grab a 43-40 lead, before extending the lead to five at 49-44 with 5:02 left in the fourth quarter.

Westmont bounced back with a 12-3 stretch, getting six points from Darrien Broadnax during that span, leading to Pioneer’s game-winning 6-0 run to end the game.

The win over Westmont came on the heels of a tough 67-43 loss at league-leading Oak Grove on Feb. 7, Pioneer’s second loss in league to the Eagles this season. Still, Berticevich said his team didn’t feel any after-effects of the Oak Grove loss in the win over the Warriors.

“We just don’t match up well with them,” Berticevich said of Oak Grove. “We just don’t. But we didn’t have what we call ‘the Oak Grove hangover.’ We didn’t dwell on (the loss).”

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