SPORTS

Chargers split final week of regular season play, await CCS opponent

Leland wins big at home before dropping season finale at
Willow Glen; Chargers get 14th seed in CCS

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

The Leland boys’ basketball team finished off the regular season splitting their final two games, while also securing a 14th seed in the CCS Division II Playoffs.

Leland’s David Farsai scored 18 points in a 75-64 win over Gunderson on Feb. 14, teaming up with wingman Nav Deep Rai, who scored a team-high 22 points. Photo courtesy www.mikejanes.com

The Chargers started the week off in winning fashion, posting a robust 75-64 win over Gunderson at home on Feb. 14. The Chargers then ended the regular season on the road, posting a 62-54 loss at Willow Glen on Feb. 17.

In the win over Gunderson, Leland was led on offense by senior Nav Deep Rai’s 22 points, while senior David Farsai chipped in 18 points to aid the offense. Senior wing Scott Lucas also reached double figures in the win, posting a 13-point effort.

“The first eight guys, I thought, did a tremendous job, in the second half especially,” Leland Head Coach Dave Frandsen said of his squad. “ … It really was evident in how they came out and just took over.”

The win gave the Chargers their eighth league victory, but came with some tense moments down the stretch.

With Leland holding a 23-point lead at 61-38 with only 3:46 left in the game, the Grizzlies made it interesting by going on a 15-5 run down the stretch against the Chargers’ bench players—subbed in at the start of the quarter—cutting the lead to 13.

Later in the quarter, with Leland holding a 69-55 lead, the Grizzlies continued to roll on offense, hitting a trio of 3-pointers in less than 30 seconds, while Leland countered with a pair of free throws, cutting the lead to 71-64.

But in the final moments of the game, Leland managed to regain control, getting to the free-throw line twice in the final 23 seconds of play and hitting four shots—all by Nav Deep Rai—to pad the lead and end the 2005-06 regular season at home with a win.

“It was a situation where you just wanted to maintain control,” Frandsen said of the final two minutes of play. “It wasn’t so much that you wanted to score more points, but just to maintain control. It’s tough on those guys who do want to play, but you have to be able to handle the pressure.”

After holding a slight 27-21 lead at the half, the Charger offense came out efficiently to start the second half, going on an 11-5 run in the first three minutes of the third quarter to take a double-digit lead at 38-26.

After a short 5-0 stretch by the Grizzlies cut the lead to 38-31, the Chargers used the final four-and-a-half minutes in the third quarter to put together another scoring stretch. The Chargers busted out with a 10-0 run, highlighted by 3-pointers from David Farsai and Brennan Walker, to take a 17-point lead at 48-31 heading into the final quarter of play.

Frandsen said he was pleased overall with the offense, adding that he wants it to resemble the efficient up-and-down style of Duke, among other NCAA Division I college programs.

“We’re at a good point right now where we really understand how to do that,” Frandsen said of his players executing the offense to his liking.

Sports Briefs

Almaden Valley Storm Class 1, U16 soccer tryouts
Almaden Valley Storm, a boys’ U16 Class 1 soccer team in the Almaden Valley Youth Soccer League, is holding tryouts for players born between Aug. 1, 1990 and July 31, 1991. Tryouts will be held after the high school season ends. Call Jay Vyas at (408) 997-0812 or Dave Gold (408) 997-7775 for details.

Almaden Valley Storm Class 1, U13 soccer tryouts
Almaden Valley Storm, a boys’ U13 Class 1 soccer team in the Almaden Valley Youth Soccer League, is holding tryouts for players born between Aug. 1, 1993 and July 31, 1994. Tryouts will be held at normal practices, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Steinbeck Middle School. Call Mike Reickerd at (408) 268-7576 or Dave Gold 408-997-7775 for details.

Bret Harte Middle School needs track coaches
Coaches are needed for the following events:

- Long and triple jump
- Discus and shot put throwing
- Hurdles and high jump

The season begins in the last week of March, 2006 runs to mid-May, 2006.

Time commitment for interested coaches: approximately 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., two to three days a week at Bret Harte Middle or Leland High School. There is a $1,000 stipend for the qualified coach.

The coach will also need to be fingerprinted and have a TB test completed through San Jose Unified School District. The Bret Harte Booster Club will reimburse the coach for the expense. Coaches report to the head coach and are under the direction of the school administration and Bret Harte Booster Club.

Those interested may call Addison Jones at (408) 535-6270.

Almaden X-treme soccer players needed
Almaden X-treme soccer team, a girls’ U15 Class 1 team, is looking for players. The team took second place in league last year and is looking for players in all positions. Birth dates need to be Aug. 1, 1991 through July 31, 1992. If interested, contact Bob Spaletta 371-8687 or taxhound@aol.com.

Almaden Valley Storm Class 1, U11 soccer team needs players
Almaden Valley Storm, a boys’ U11 Class 1 soccer team in the Almaden Valley Youth Soccer League, is looking for players born between Aug. 1, 1995 and July 31 1996.  Call Mike Reickerd at (408) 268-7576 for more details.

Boys’ U13 competitive soccer team seeks players
A boys’ U13 competitive soccer team is looking for player to try out for the 2006 spring and fall soccer team. All practices and home games are in Blossom Valley.

Contact Laura Ino at (408) 224-2298 for more information.

High School Sports Schedule

Leland High School
Friday – Wrestling CCS Playoffs at Independence, time TBA

Saturday – Wrestling CCS Playoffs at Independence, time TBA
Saturday – Varsity girls’ soccer CCS Finals at Valley Christian, time and opponent TBA
Saturday – Leland girls’ basketball CCS Quarterfinals at Oak Grove, time and opponent TBA
Saturday – Leland boys’ basketball CCS Quarterfinals at Santa Clara High, time and opponent TBA

Tuesday – Varsity boys’ basketball CCS Playoffs semifinals at Santa Clara High, time and opponent TBA
Tuesday – Varsity girls’ basketball CCS Playoffs semifinals at Oak Grove, time and opponent TBA

Pioneer High School
Friday – Varsity boys’ soccer CCS Finals at Piedmont Hills, time and opponent TBA
Friday – Wrestling CCS Playoffs at Independence, time TBA

Saturday – Wrestling CCS Playoffs at Independence, time TBA
Saturday – Varsity girls’ basketball CCS Quarterfinals at Burlingame, time and opponent TBA
Saturday – Varsity boys’ basketball CCS Quarterfinals at St. Ignatius, time and opponent TBA

Wednesday – Varsity boys’ basketball CCS Playoffs semifinals at St. Ignatius, time and opponent TBA
Wednesday – Varsity girls’ basketball CCS Playoffs semifinals at Burlingame, time and opponent TBA


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

Leland Spirit wins Nor-Cal Championship

The Leland Spirit Squad traveled to Sacramento on Feb. 11 to compete in the California Spirit Championships.

Leland competed in the Varsity Intermediate Show Cheer division against 10 squads from high schools through out Northern California. Leland won the championship and proudly took home the first-place trophy and banner. This was the third competition for Leland this season, which previously competed at events in Antioch and Lodi.

The squad placed second and third in those competitions and qualified to compete at nationals in Anaheim next month. The spirit squad and their families have worked hard this season to raise enough money to fund their trip to Anaheim. Now the squad will focus on perfecting their routine with the hope of winning the national title.

Pioneer basketball wins workman-like finale over Branham

Mustangs boys’ hoops takes 46-36 win over Bruins;
JV squad cruises to victory as well

On a night honoring six Pioneer seniors, the Mustangs got solid contributions from juniors Matt Montelongo, T.J. Watson and especially Gilbert Mendoza to grind out a 46-36 win over a very hungry Branham Bruin team on Feb. 17.

Prior to the start of the game, Pioneer honored seniors Andrew Lerma, Chris Walters, Ben Aldridge, Kevin Denardi, Kyle Fager, Ryan Lacorte and Nolan Maggipinto for their contributions to the school’s basketball program.

After jumping out to a 7-0 lead, Pioneer seemed content to play it safe while relying on a swarming defense designed to stop 6-foot, 8-inch Derrick Fletcher from scoring inside. To a large extent, the strategy worked as the Mustangs defense gave up only 14 first half points en-route to a 24-14 halftime lead, while saddling Fletcher with three first-half fouls.

In the second half, Branham did a nice job getting the ball to their shooters, in particular Anthony Pisano, who wound up scoring 18 of his team’s 36 to lead all scorers, as the Bruins climbed back into the game.

With Fletcher patrolling the middle and guard Kai Kawahara sticking like glue to Pioneer’s shooters, the Mustangs were stymied, scoring only 4 points (two of those on a jumper by Watson) in the third quarter as Branham cut the lead to three early in the fourth quarter.

Pioneer forward Andrew Lerma, shown here in a game earlier this season, scored 8 points in a 46-36 win over Branham on Feb. 17. Photo by Jeff Frazee

That’s when Mendoza took over for Pioneer. His 3-pointer from the right baseline doubled the Mustang lead and when he later converted a 3-point play on a steal and breakaway layup, the Mustangs were able to cruise home with a lead they would not relinquish.

It proved to be a team victory with eight Mustangs getting in the scoring column, led by Mendoza and Fager with 9 points each, while Lerma chipped in 8 points, respectively. Pioneer got solid point guard play all night from its tandem of Kyle Fager and junior Matt Montelongo, who together combined for 14 points and only one turnover.

Fager continued to impress in his first year at the point, and in this game he wowed the crowd with numerous entry passes leading to easy buckets for his teammates.

As for Montelongo, his finish on a reverse layup early on may have been the most artistic shot of the night and was much needed as Branham’s defense held the efficient Mustang 3-point attack to one made shot in only six attempts.

The Mustangs found a way to win however, relying on team defense and smart shot selection, while refusing to force shots and consistently took what the defense gave. The win sent coaches Joe Berticevich and Doug Nishijima home with their fifth consecutive victory to improve their league record to 7-5 and 21-6 overall.

For their part, the Mustang brain trust has turned the season around after a 1-4 start, winning six of their last seven league games.  

As a result, the Mustangs were awarded the third seed in the Division III CCS playoffs.  

JV Mustangs coast to victory
In the frosh/soph game, Pioneer Coach Kevin Mack emptied the bench in a comfortable, feel-good 63-46 win over Branham to push their season record to a school best 23-4 record and a league mark of 11-1, earning Mack his third title in the last five years and two out of three in the Mt Hamilton division.

Sophomore Mike Beltramo led the way again.

In his past two games, Beltramo has been otherworldly, knocking down 16 out of 20 field goals, while bagging nine out of 11 from 3-point land, scoring 42 points in an impressive shooting streak over a two-game stretch.

Overall, the combined 44 wins (21 varsity 23 F/S) for both Mustang teams is the best combined record in the recorded history of Pioneer basketball, making the 2005-2006 a very successful season indeed.

Leland girls’ hoops closes out regular season
with 66-52 win over Pioneer

Kristen Yoshioka scores 25 in win; Chargers,
Mustangs prepare for CCS Playoffs

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

The Chargers closed out the 2005-06 regular season with a 66-52 win over neighborhood rival Pioneer on Feb. 17, ending the season in second place in the Mt. Hamilton Division standings.

Leland seniors Amber Barbieri (left) and Hillary Barnes (right) share a hearty laugh during pre-game player introductions on Feb. 17. Both players were honored in a pre-game ceremony for their contributions to Leland basketball over the past four years. Photos by Jeff Frazee

With the win, the Chargers finished up with a 10-2 record in league play, garnering a fifth seed in the CCS Division II Playoffs. Pioneer also got in on the CCS act, grabbing a 10th seed in the Division III Playoff bracket.

In the season finale for both squads, Leland grabbed an early 17-13 first-quarter lead before the offense got on a roll, outscoring the Mustangs 25-9 in the second quarter alone to grab a 20-point lead at the half.

The Chargers began the second quarter with a 13-2 run in just under four minutes of play, getting 8 points during that span from Kristen Yoshioka on two 3-pointers and a jumper. Yoshioka finished with 25 points on the game, including 18 first half points to lead all scorers.

In the final two minutes of the second quarter, holding a 33-22 lead, Leland embarked on another scoring stretch, a 9-0 run to close out the first half with a 42-22 lead.

“I was just a little surprised with how they played us defensively,” Leland Head Coach Wade Nakamura said if Pioneer. “We were able to attack and get good shots. Kristen came out, hit her first couple threes and got off to a real hot start.”

Pioneer Head Coach Kim Yanda pointed to her team’s defense as the culprit in the loss.

“We just didn’t play defense,” said Yanda. “There’s not much else you can say. The kids, our goal was to get out and harass. When you have a girl five inches shorter than you shooting a 3 in your face, you know your hands aren’t up. I don’t know what else to say but, you’ve got to play defense. Our team goal is to hold teams to under 45 points, and they had 42 in the first half.”

Leland managed to hold onto the lead without any serious threat from the Mustang off-ense in the second half, holding onto its double-digit advantage in the third quarter, which ended with the Chargers holding a 50-39 lead.

The Chargers then managed to put some more distance in the score, holding a 14-point lead in the early portion of the final quarter at 57-43 before going on a 9-0 run in less than two minutes to put the game out of reach at 66-43 with 2:31 left.

Pioneer made on last offensive push to close out the game, a 9-0 run in less than two minutes as Mercedes Pardo dropped in 4 points during that span, and Michele Rebozzi adding the rest on a 3-pointer and a jumper.

“Pioneer, they’re solid,” Nakamura said, “because they’re well-coached and they play hard. They’re capable of hitting threes. I think I’m a little worried about them than I am, say a Piedmont Hills or even a Westmont maybe … Kim does a really good job with them, for seven girls, and they just play hard.”

Aside from the game itself, both coaches also spoke highly about the efforts of their seniors, whose high school careers will end at the conclusion of both teams’ CCS playoff runs.

Leland held a pre-game ceremony honoring the three seniors on the squad in Mika Yanai, Amber Barbieri and Hillary Barnes. While Nakamura praised the contributions of those players, he also spoke to the future of his program.

“I think any good coach and any good program is preparing for the future,” Nakamura said. “Our JV team is 12-0 (in league) and 19-4 overall, so we have some pretty good players that are going to move up to the varsity team.”

For Pioneer, a short roster of only seven players will see the departure of one senior, Renee Cummings. Yanda praised Cummings for growing as a player in her final season of high school basketball.

“I’m going to miss her,” said Yanda. “She’s really picked up in the second half of the season. In the first half, we had some issues and worked them out. It’s nice that she had a really big attitude adjustment and she’s been playing hard the last few games. She’s been a huge presence for us inside the post, with her and Mercedes (Pardo) working well together. I’ll be sad to see her go.”

Fertile fields

Leland, Pioneer charge CCS playoff brackets

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

Pioneer and Leland boys and girls soccer landed in the CCS playoffs last week, and after the clouds cleared, two teams fell while two others will storm to the semifinals.

Pioneer boys
Pioneer’s boys played two roles last week, acting as slim 2-0 victors at 15th-seed Gonzalez in opening round action on Feb. 15, then gorging on offense in a 4-1 win over No. 7-seed Santa Cruz in the quarterfinals.

Coach Pedro Fuentez’ Mustangs accelerated through the final half of their schedule in league and landed a No. 2-seed in Division II action, setting the stage for a rare run at the CCS title.

“Seeding means nothing really,” said Fuentez. “We went into Gonzales and they played outstanding ball on us. It was one of our toughest games. They really gave us a run, and I think they should be playing in another league.”

The Mustangs struggled to adjust when they learned Gonzalez’ field was thinned by five yards, compared to the regulation fields they are familiar with.

“We are used to switching the ball a lot,” said Fuentez. “We like to go sideways and they like to go up and down. They really didn’t allow is to get to the ball. It wasn’t really a possession game for us.”

Junior Serafin Arreguin pierced the tension, however, when he poked in a goal off a feed from fellow junior Favio Huato. Brian Velez followed and the Mustangs advanced to the quarterfinals, where they dismantled Santa Cruz.

Velez, junior Ken Earle and Hauto each scored versus the Cardinals, with Velez doubling up for two goals.

Pioneer (11-6-4) faced 14th-seeded San Mateo (17-2-3) late Wednesday to learn if they will vie for the title at Piedmont Hills, Friday Feb. 24.

“All of our players know what we have to do once we get on the field and everybody is going to do their part,” said Huato after the game. “We are going to get another win.”

Leland girls
Rested and prepped after earning a first round bye, No. 3-seed Leland came out with a fresh look and revitalized energy, fooling familiar foe and Mount Hamilton rival Santa Teresa 2-0 on Saturday.

“It was a really good game for us,” said junior midfielder A.J. Huffman. “It was a physical game. We changed it up on them from what they knew of us in the regular season. We passed more and communicated better. Everything seemed to work perfectly.”

Sophomore Karina Cabanna led off the scoring, when she nailed a goal early in the first half. The Chargers’ determined defense held the lead and added one other goal with 10 minutes remaining, thanks to freshman Lauren Chinn.

“It’s CCS. It’s time to go all out,” said Huffman. “A whole bunch of girls are stepping up on offense. Our defense is good. As log as we work as a team, and barring injuries, we’ll do really well.”

Pioneer’s Shannon Righetti, shown here in a game earlier this season, will return next year to Mustang soccer, but senior teammates Lauren West, Kiki DeMarquez and Syra McCarthy won’t, after the Mustangs dropped a 2-0 loss to St. Francis in the CCS quarterfinals on Feb. 18. Photos by Jeff Frazee

The Chargers (12-4-5) faced No. 2-seed Carlmont late Wednesday in semifinal action. The winner will play in the championship at Valley Christian on Feb. 25.

Pioneer girls
Despite carrying a No. 1 seed, the lady Mustangs drew menacing West Catholic Athletic League power Saint Francis and were unable to penetrate the Lancers’ physical defense, finally losing 2-0 in quarterfinal action Saturday.

“Everyone came out super pumped up,” said senior captain Lauren West, who recently signed a letter of intent to play at Fresno State for the next four years. “Everyone put everything they had on the field. It was just heartbreaking to go down senior year like that. It was upsetting.”

The Mustangs fell behind early; however, hope remained until referees did not overturn Saint Francis’ second goal, which was tainted by a confounding handball play. Facing Pioneer goalie Kiki DeMarquez, a Lancer shot glanced off of the crossbar apparently grazing the shooter’s hand as she fell into the net. However, no call was made.

“Most of us thought they should have called it back, but we were behind anyway,” said West. “But we definitely had a good run with Pioneer. People didn’t even notice us a few years ago.”

Along with West, Pioneer will graduate four-year varsity standouts DeMarquez and Syra McCarthy, who captured four consecutive league titles with the Mustangs.

Leland boys
Shabby fate rewarded No. 5-seed Leland’s inspired 3-1 opening round victory versus Homestead, with a narrow 1-0 loss against Gunn in the quarterfinals.

After spotting Homestead a goal early in the first half, Leland punished the Mustangs for presuming to compete. Senior Peter Rodriguez led off the rally with a 40-yard penalty kick, reminiscent of a shot he nailed last season to edge out Gilroy in playoff action.

“After that, everyone was on a new page,” said Rodriguez, who also signed a letter of intent with University Nevada-Las Vegas last week. “Everyone had the life put back into them. We were more intense. We played good soccer and hammered them. Possession was in their half the whole time.”

The Chargers also spotted Gunn an early goal, but were unable to regain command of the game as they had versus Homestead.

“You never know in soccer,“ said first year Charger Coach Rick Kubec. “Anything can happen anytime you put two teams on the same field.”

“It doesn’t come down to who is going to make the nicest goal, it’s who makes that one mistake,” said Rodriguez. “It was a bummer because we honestly felt that we were the better team, but that one mistake just kills you.”

Almaden United girls compete in state cup soccer final

Special to the Times

The girls’ U12 Almaden United will compete the state cup championship at noon this Saturday, Feb. 25, at the Santa Clara soccer complex.

Pictured, Top row: Megan Caviglia, Emily Sklar, Courtney Lisowski, Emily Griffith, Morgan Dreyer; middle row: Kendall Jung, Lauren Kuechle, Joycelyn Martinez, Hayley Wilson, Aly Murakami, Katie Foreman. Bottom row: Lauren Tarantino, Melissa Johns, Alyssa White. Photo by Matt Dreyer

A long winter of hard work and sacrifice paved the way to this opportunity for greatness. Come the holidays, most players put away their soccer balls in the closet until spring, but not these dedicated young ladies.

Since Thanksgiving, Almaden United athletes have trained weeknights and weekends in preparation for the premier youth soccer event—state cup.

A total of 70 teams were pared down to 16 during late January pool play. Almaden powered its way through that round and then went on to win three straight single-elimination games to reach this pinnacle. Their journey took the girls through Sacramento last weekend, where they defeated the Capitol Valley Crossfire in the quarterfinals
4-1 and followed that up with a tense 1-0 victory over the Mt. Diablo Velocity in Sunday’s semifinal tilt.

Throughout the tournament, Almaden has outscored its opponents 16 to 1. A balanced attack has been the key with 10 different girls putting the ball in the back of net, while the defense has been stingy, recording five shutouts.

A tall task awaits Almaden in the finals this weekend where they’ll face the reigning state cup champion, Mustang Rampage, a team that has not lost a Northern California game in almost two years. Ironically, it was the Mustang that dashed Almaden’s hopes last year with a 1-0 opening round defeat.

Sights from the 2006 SAP Open

The weeklong 2006 SAP Open at the HP Pavilion saw some familiar faces from the international tennis world, as well as a local product coming out of retirement for the event.

American Andy Roddick, the No. 1 seed in singles coming into the open, battled his way into the semifinals, beating out Kenneth Carlsen in round two and Bjorn Phau in the quarterfinals, before Great Britain’s Andy Murray sent him home prematurely with a 7-5, 7-5 win on Feb. 18 to advance to the finals against Lleyton Hewitt, the No. 3 seed at the start of play on Feb. 13.

Murray then completed his quest at the SAP Open, narrowly defeating Hewitt 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 on Feb. 19 to win the 2006 SAP Open.

The open also saw the triumphant return of tennis great John McEnroe, a local Stanford product, who came out retirement to team up with doubles partner Jonas Bjorkman for the event.

McEnroe’s return proved to be fruitful, (and yes—he debated calls with the officials) as he and Bjorkman battled their way to the finals, before ultimately defeating the doubles team of Americans Paul Goldstein and Jim Thomas 7-6, 4-6, 10-7 on Feb. 19 to take the doubles championship at the SAP Open.

Andy Roddick	John McEnroe

—Photos by Ron Stenn at www.actionphotodesign.com.

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