March 15, 2007

SPORTS

So far, so good for Leland softball

Chargers return with senior-heavy roster in 2006-07;
team eyes league title with freshman hurler

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

The senior-laden Leland softball team is off to a rousing start in preseason play, posting a 3-1 record as league play approaches on March 20.

Leland's Elisa Vye (in blue) is part of a senior-laden infield for the Chargers in 2006-07. Vye is one of seven players returning to the starting lineup this season. Photos by Dan Miranda

The Chargers, according to head coach Joe Gron, are gunning for a league title in 2006-07 with a battle-tested squad that is returning mostly the same lineup it featured last season, when Leland finished third in the Mt. Hamilton Division. Gron said he hopes his team’s hard work in the off-season will pay off this year. The Chargers’ most outstanding goal this season is to take the league title and reach the CCS Playoffs, he said.

“So far, we’ve had a great start,” said Gron. “The girls have been working real hard in the past couple of months preparing for the season to start. It’s a great group of kids with great attitudes. There are a lot of great athletes. This is probably the most athletic team I’ve ever had here.”

And while the team is returning starters at seven spots in the lineup this year, arguably the squad’s most important position—starting pitcher—is in the hands of someone new. After getting ace-like performances out of departed senior Vanessa Truan the past several seasons, Gron didn’t have to look too far to find his next ace. In fact, Gron kept within the same bloodlines, choosing freshman Lindsay Truan, Vanessa’s younger sister, for pitching duties in 2006-07.

All told, Gron said, Lindsay Truan has the chance to make the same impact her older sister had on league foes the past four seasons. And despite her youth, Gron said the younger Truan has the mental makeup often seen with veteran players.

Leland freshman pitcher Lindsay Truan will take over pitching duties for her sister, Vanessa, a senior on last season’s team.

“Being young, sometimes you don’t know what to expect from them,” Gron said of Lindsay Truan. “I’ve had the pleasure of coaching her, besides high school, in fall ball, so I kind of knew what she had coming in. She throws well. Lindsay just needs to do her job and hit her spots, just pitch the way she’s been pitching. She’s got a great defense behind her. She doesn’t need to worry about carrying the team on her shoulders.”

Adding to Gron’s comfort level with having a freshman in the pitching circle is the fact that Truan will be paired up with returning senior catcher Jessica Talaugon, while also having the added benefit of playing with a mostly senior infield.

“She works with her every single day in practice, they talk to each other, and they have a good feel for each other,” Gron said of Talaugon’s efforts in helping Truan transition to the varsity game. “I just have to tell Jess one thing and she’ll go out and talk to her. It’s not only her, but it’s the seniors who are out on the infield too. If they need to calm things down, they’ll call timeout and go talk to her, I don’t need to go out there. They’ll settle things down. Having those seniors and Jess behind the plate like that is huge.”

In fact, having a senior-laden team out on the field is taking some burden off the shoulders of Gron as well. Gron said that while his team has not hit the ball well during the season-opening four-game stretch, strong defense and smart play has helped guide the team to its current 3-1 record.

This year’s lineup will feature returning players in A.J. Huffman, Kristen Rorie and Amy Hakkinen to round out the outfield, while Sara Adams, Elisa Vye, Jennifer Tkach and Talaugon bring experience to the infield. Aside from Truan, the team’s other position with relative inexperience will be at second base, currently shared by Lisa Fujihara, who played at the JV level last season, and Megan Unger, who is still settling in on the team after coming off a playoff run with the Leland soccer team.

“It’s very comforting,” Gron said of having a senior-laden starting lineup out on the field. “It’s huge. They’ve been out there, most of them, for three years straight now. The way we’re playing, we’re not hitting the ball well and the defense has been playing tough, they’ve been out there leading the way. Good teams find ways to win early when they’re not hitting the ball well, and that’s what we’ve been doing.”

AVYSL member donates soccer uniforms to orphans in Nairobi, Kenya

Almaden Valley Youth Soccer League (AVYSL), a provider of youth soccer programs for girls and boys, supported its longtime member and Almaden resident Rudy Maske, his wife Susan and their four children, who provided soccer uniforms to orphan children while vacationing in Kenya and Tanzania, Africa.

More than 100 children from an orphanage in Kenya came out to meet the Maskes, who were representing AVYSL, as they delivered duffel bags filled with soccer uniforms and equipment.

Neiman and Alex, two of the couple’s four children, had the philanthropic idea of fulfilling their Boy Scouts of America Troop 290 (Bret Harte Middle School) service project by donating the previous season’s soccer uniforms to an orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya. Because the boys grew up playing soccer in AVYSL and Rudy coached teams in the league, they thought that outfitting soccer teams with uniforms and equipment would be a worthwhile endeavor. The Maske family contacted AVYSL, who donated 30 sets of new uniforms (shirts, socks and shorts), soccer balls, and miscellaneous soccer items to outfit two full soccer teams.

The Maske family’s travel agency, Micato Safari Tours, introduced them to their nonprofit division, AmericaShare, which was founded by Micato Safari Tours to help give back to the people of Africa.

AmericaShare is involved with a number of children's orphanages and projects in Kenya. All operating costs are funded by Micato Safaris, and all donations go directly to the orphanages and projects. AmericaShare informed the Maske family that “the children appreciate anything you want and can do for them.”

The family also dug deep into their pockets to donated extra supplies, and Susan's company donated more than $500 worth of school supplies requested by the orphanage.

On their way to Africa, the Maskes carried 12 bags with donations and supplies in addition to their own luggage. After their exciting daily safari trips, and before they returned home to the U.S., they visited the orphanage in Kenya.

“The experience was inspiring, yet difficult to describe,” said Susan Maske.

More than 100 children came out to meet the Maskes from the orphanage and the surrounding areas. The children where speaking melodic greetings of “how are you, how are you, how are you,” as if they were singing. There were formal introductions, followed by a tour, and a show of group songs and dances. The high point of the trip was when the Maskes began opening the duffle bags, and the Maske children started distributing the contents of the duffle bags. The gratification from the orphan children was overwhelming, the family said.

“We are most thankful for AVYSL's generosity and support,” said Rude Maske. “They allowed us to have a memorable and a humanitarian vacation that was an experience of a lifetime.”

Focused primarily in the Almaden Valley region of San Jose, the Almaden Valley Youth Soccer League (AVYSL) provides a breadth of youth soccer programs for girls and boys. The mission of the league is to foster healthful recreation and responsible social interaction through the sport of soccer. The league also supports the training and certification of coaches and referees.  AVYSL is a nonprofit organization affiliated with the California Youth Soccer Association (CYSA), District II. Almaden is currently accepting registration for the Recreational Spring 4 vs. 4 Soccer. To register for spring soccer or for more information about Almaden Valley Youth Soccer League, visit www.almadensoccer.org.

AmericaShare supports many orphaned children afflicted by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Micato Safari Tour’s AmericaShare program aim is to help these children by creating and providing real and lasting change in their lives. For more information on the AmericaShare program, visit www.americashare.org.

High School Sports Schedule

Leland High School
Friday – Swimming at Independence, 3 p.m.
Friday – Varsity girls’ lacrosse at Castilleja, 4 p.m.
Friday – JV girls’ lacrosse at Mercy-Burlingame, 5:30 p.m.

Saturday – Track at Raymond Relays at Live Oak High, 9 a.m.
Saturday – Boys’ volleyball at Willow Glen Tournament, all day
Saturday – Frosh/soph boys’ volleyball at Aptos Spring Fling, all day
Saturday – Varsity girls’ lacrosse vs. Stevenson, 11:30 a.m.

Monday – Boys’ lacrosse at Woodside, 4 p.m. varsity and 5:30 p.m. frosh/soph

Tuesday – Boys’ volleyball at St. Francis, 6:30 p.m. varsity and 5 p.m. frosh/soph
Tuesday – Baseball vs. Willow Glen, 3:30 p.m.*
Tuesday – JV golf vs. Leigh at Almaden Golf and Country Club, 3 p.m.
Tuesday – Boys’ tennis at Piedmont Hills, 3:15 p.m.
Tuesday – Softball vs. Piedmont Hills, 3:30 p.m.*
Tuesday – Badminton vs. Evergreen, 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday – Girls’ lacrosse vs. Menlo, 4 p.m. varsity and 5:30 p.m. JV

Wednesday – Golf vs. Pioneer at the Villages, 3 p.m.
Wednesday – Boys’ lacrosse at Serra, 4 p.m. varsity and 5:30 p.m. frosh/soph

Thursday – Track at Westmont, 3:30 p.m.
Thursday – Softball vs. Live Oak, 3:30 p.m.*
Thursday – Boys’ volleyball at Saratoga, 6:30 p.m. varsity and 5:45 p.m. frosh/soph
Thursday – Baseball at Willow Glen, 3:30 p.m.*
Thursday – Golf vs. Pioneer at Almaden Golf and Country Club, 3 p.m.
Thursday – Badminton vs. Silver Creek, 3:30 p.m.

Pioneer High School
Friday – Badminton at Gunderson, 3:30 p.m.
Friday – Swimming vs. Westmont, 3 p.m.
Friday – Girls’ lacrosse at Gunn, 4 p.m.

Saturday – Track at St. Francis Track and Field Carnival, 8 a.m.

Tuesday – Badminton at San Jose, 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday – Baseball at Piedmont Hills, 3:30 p.m.*
Tuesday – Softball vs. Westmont, 3:30 p.m.*
Tuesday – Girls’ lacrosse vs. Menlo-Atherton, 4 p.m.
Tuesday – Boys’ tennis at Branham, 3:15 p.m.
Tuesday – Boys’ volleyball vs. Prospect, 7 p.m. varsity and 6 p.m. frosh/soph

Wednesday – Golf vs. Leland at the Villages, 3 p.m.

Thursday – Boys’ volleyball at Gunderson, 7 p.m. varsity and 6 p.m. frosh/soph
Thursday – Boys’ tennis vs. Silver Creek, 3:15 p.m.
Thursday – Softball at Piedmont Hills, 3:30 p.m.*
Thursday – Baseball vs. Piedmont Hills, 3:30 p.m.*
Thursday – Badminton vs. Live Oak, 3:30 p.m.
Thursday – Golf vs. Leland at Almaden Golf and Country Club, 3 p.m.
Thursday – Track at Piedmont Hills, 3:30 p.m.


*JV or frosh/soph team plays at opposite site of varsity at the same time

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

March 6
Leland baseball 5-4 loss vs. Westmont
Leland softball 6-3 win at Santa Teresa
Leland boys’ tennis 6-1 win vs. Santa Teresa
Leland boys’ lacrosse 11-9 loss at Harbor

Pioneer boys’ volleyball 25-19, 25-21, 25-21 loss vs. Oak Grove
Pioneer badminton 9-6 win at Sobrato
Pioneer baseball 4-1 loss vs. Live Oak

March 7
Leland softball 2-0 loss at Presentation

Pioneer softball 5-0 loss vs. Gilroy
Pioneer golf 211-218 win vs. Branham
Pioneer boys’ volleyball 25-17, 25-14, 25-14 win vs. Gilroy

March 8
Leland boys’ track 67-60 loss vs. Leigh
Leland girls’ track 78-49 win vs. Leigh
Leland baseball 7-3 loss at Westmont
Leland boys’ tennis 6-1 win vs. Evergreen

Pioneer boys’ volleyball 25-19, 25-16, 21-25, 25-22 loss vs. Westmont
Pioneer badminton 8-7 win at Gilroy
Pioneer boys’ tennis 4-3 loss at Prospect
Pioneer baseball 7-2 loss at Live Oak

March 9
Leland golf 221-230 win vs. Piedmont Hills

Leland boys’ volleyball opens preseason with 3-2 loss to Monterey

Chargers look to iron out the wrinkles before league play; Anderson leads team with 17 kills

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

The Leland boys’ volleyball team kicked off the 2006-07 preseason on a down note, posting a 3-2 loss at home to Monterey on March 8.

And while the opening loss to Monterey was certainly disappointing, said Leland head coach Jason Hilbert, it’s also important to keep in mind that the preseason serves a larger purpose—to get ready for league competition.

Leland senior Daniel Ortiz gets ready for a hit at the net during a 3-2 loss to Monterey on March 8 to open preseason play. Photo by Dan Miranda

“It’s not the end of the world,” Hilbert said of the loss. “It’s the first match. It’s always fun to get the season rolling again.”

Leland held a 2-1 advantage in the match and nearly closed things out in game four, holding a late 22-20 lead before Monterey closed things out on a 5-0 run to tie the match 2-2. Similarly, the Chargers held a small 13-11 lead late in the fifth game, before Monterey went on a 5-1 scoring run to close out the match with a 3-2 win. Not being able to close out either game, said Hilbert, was at least in part a result of his team feeling too confident about the final outcome at the wrong time.

“I think we were feeling too good about ourselves and we took it easy,” Hilbert said of the late slides in the match. “…We let them back into it mentally. I think we had game five too, the same way, but we were looking to other people to make a play and you’ve got to make plays yourself.”

Still, the loss served a useful purpose, according to Hilbert. After weeks of playing each other in practice, getting to face an opponent gave the team, and Hilbert, a chance to assess their strengths and weaknesses as the Mt. Hamilton Division schedule approaches.

“The guys played hard and we made some mistakes and finally we get to know what we’re weak in and what we’re strong in,” Hilbert said. “As a coach, I’ve got to turn that around myself. But the guys worked hard and I know they’re disappointed. We have some great individual performances, and I’d like a great team performance next time.”

As for the team itself, this year’s roster consists of a mix of veteran experience and youth. All told, the Chargers carry five seniors on the squad, while seven underclassmen round out this season’s roster. Of the seven underclassmen, six are juniors.

Youth, however, isn’t a deterrent, Hilbert said, pointing to the fact that several of his younger players have gained playing experience through club volleyball during the summer. The only thing missing, he added, is cohesiveness on the court.

“We’ve got some good senior leadership, and we’ve only got a few seniors, but it’s all a process,” Hilbert said of this year’s squad. “They play clubs and they’ve got some experience. They just need the game experience and some time together.”

Hilbert said it’s no great secret that this year’s offense will rely largely on the team’s three biggest hitters in middle blockers Daniel Ortiz and Seth Anderson, as well as outside hitter Kenny Tran. All three are returning players with starting experience from last season’s team. In the loss to Monterey, Anderson led the Chargers with 17 kills and four ace serves, while Tran chipped in 15 kills and 12 digs.

One other important component to the offense, said Hilbert, is crisp passing.

“It really goes through our setter (Justin Conmy), and he’s a junior, but he’s a damn good junior,” Hilbert said of the offense. “He’s been told to run the middles first with Kenny (Tran), and that’s what we’re going to focus our game around. If we have successful passing, we’ll be a successful team.”

Leland girls’ lacrosse wins league opener over Gunn

Chargers take 13-5 win over Titans; Roe scores four goals

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

The Leland girls’ lacrosse team kicked off league play on a positive note, posting a resounding 13-5 win at home over Peninsula Athletic League rival Gunn on March 13.

Leland’s Christina Lee, left, advances on offense with Gunn defenders on her heels during a 13-5 win to open Peninsula Athletic League play on March 13. Photos by Diego Abeloos

The 13-5 final was Leland’s first win of the season, bumping the Chargers’ record to 1-3 under first-year head coach Dianna Paz, who spent the past two seasons serving as the program’s JV coach. Leland’s Allison Roe led the Chargers in scoring, recording four goals in the win, including three second-half scores. In addition, Jenna Emerson, Grace Chang and Tina Khazaneh-Darlou each scored two goals to aid the offense.

“The girls have been looking forward to getting the season started because we had a rough start in non-league games,” said Paz, whose team went 0-3 in preseason play. “But our league opener seemed to work out well. …It’s looking good for a successful season.”

Trailing 3-2 midway through the first half, the Chargers managed a quick turnaround to gain momentum both offensively and defensively. Emerson started things off by scoring a goal to tie the game at 3-3 with less than 12 minutes remaining in the first half, which started a 5-1 point swing in favor of the Chargers.

Leland quickly gained the lead at 4-3, getting another goal from Emerson at 15:23 before Khazaneh-Darlou put the Chargers up by two points with a goal at 17:01. Chang and Tarah Knaresboro each added goals before the end of the first half, both coming within the final four minutes of play, while the defense held Gunn in check. After allowing three goals to the Titans in the game’s first 12 minutes, Leland managed to keep Gunn off the scoreboard for nearly 10 minutes in the first half. A Gunn goal at 22:08 ended that spell.

“They wanted this first win,” Paz said in explaining the turnaround in the first half to gain the lead. “We’ve been working hard. We’ve had some struggles during practice, but they came out and showed me and the team that they can work together.”

Leland continued its momentous push in the second half, getting two quick goals—one each from Chang and Roe—in the first two minutes of play to go up 9-4 before a Gunn goal at 3:31 cut the lead to four.

Gunn’s fifth score of the day proved to be its last however, as Leland goalkeeper Staffanie Hong and the rest of the Charger defense rebuffed repeated Gunn scoring opportunities. Hong recorded seven saves in the second half, and Paz credited defenders such as Danae Rodriguez for keeping pressure on the Titans throughout the game.

“She’s the one out there picking up the girls,” Paz said of Rodriguez. “She’ll take on two or three (opposing players) at a time and she’ll get on them. She’s my wall for the team.”

The second half defensive effort allowed the Leland offense to function efficiently throughout the remainder of the game, as the Chargers scored four more goals—including two by Roe—in a 10-minute span to put the game out of reach.

Paz said Roe’s effort in the win was not surprising, considering the tools she brings to the field, noting that Roe uses her speed, height and strength to outmatch her opponents on the field.

“She’s one of my star players on the team,” Paz said of Roe. “She’s looking good. …She’s tall, she’s fast and she gets it done.”

John Muir boys’ basketball finishes season at 14-0

Team takes championship win 47-41 over Bret Harte

The perfect season is one many teams can only dream of achieving. Yet for the undefeated John Muir Falcons boys’ basketball team, that became a reality.

The team’s road to victory started in October when the 10 players earned spots on the team, and got right to work. The next two months proved that the team was filled with talent and a knack for hard work, en route to a 14-0 record.

The season kicked off with victories over Bret Harte and Willow Glen and after that, the team took off and never looked back, defeating Castillero, Burnett and Hoover. The end of the regular season came down to the final regular season game against Bret Harte for the battle for first place and the regular season title.

With Bret Harte leading by 14 points in the fourth quarter, the John Muir team rallied to tie the game within the final minute and in the closing seconds, sank the winning shot to give the team not only the regular season title, but also a 12-0 record for the season.

Following the win over Bret Harte, John Muir opened the championship tournament with a 40-29 victory over Willow Glen to move on to the championship game to face non other than Bret Harte once more.

Once again, the game came down to the final seconds. In the last few minutes of the game, Bret Harte was able to close the gap on John Muir and go ahead by one point with less than a minute to play. The lead did not last long however, as the Falcons made two free throws and came away with a key steal, leading to a breakaway layup to seal the championship win 47-41.

Almaden Lady Soldiers take Silicon Valley NJB
Sectional League Basketball Championship

For the second year in a row, the Almaden Lady Soldiers seventh grade All-Net girls’ basketball team (pictured above) won the Silicon Valley NJB Sectional League Basketball Championship by beating the Redwood-1 team 45-22 in the championship game.

Almaden won the regular season title by posting an 11-1 record, with their only loss to the Redwood team. The Lady Soldiers won the past two championships despite several injuries, including the loss of Emily Griffith, last year's second leading scorer and rebounder to season-ending surgery. 

The Lady Soldiers began the playoffs with a resounding 53-18 win over Palo Alto-1. Almaden was led in scoring by Savae Harper (12 points) and Jessy Marshall (10 points) and had additional contributions from Vivian Blain (six rebounds and six points), Lauren Kuechle (three steals and four rebounds) and Briana Miller (nine points).  

In the semifinal game, Almaden played a tough Palo Alto-2 team and won 41-26, getting a double-double from Courtney Lisowski, who scored 13 points and registered 10 rebounds. Lisowski’s six clutch free throws down the stretch that kept Almaden on top. Efforts by Cristen Hordes (seven points, three rebounds, three steals) and Aly Murakami (seven points, five rebounds, six steals) helped the team to victory.  

The championship game started slowly with Redwood taking a 9-6 first-quarter lead, before an 11-4 second quarter put Almaden in front at the half 17-13. Emily Sklar provided key minutes during the second quarter stretch and dropped in a key shot at the end of the half. Tough team defense limited Redwood to only nine second-half points. Ashley Cancilla scored 16 points on an array of drives and outside shots and grabbed six rebounds. Miller, the Soldiers season leading scorer, fought back illness to score eight points, while Lisowski scored seven points and added 11 rebounds.  
 
With the tournament victory, the Lady Soldiers have qualified to compete in the National All-Net Tournament, to be held March 23-25 in Southern California.

Pioneer track up for A-league run in 2006-07

Boys’ and girls’ squads rejuvenated and ready for new challenges

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

Pioneer will field top track teams on both boys’ and girls’ sides this season, according to second year coach Aaron Hansen.

The boys will compete amidst A-league Mount Hamilton Division ranks, after capturing the Santa Teresa Division crown a year ago. Still, several stars are missing from last year’s team because of graduation, namely J.J. Goulden, the Santa Teresa Division champ in both 100-meter dash and long jump events.

“The guys look great on the track so far,” said Hansen. “New faces will help us contend in the A-league.”

Senior Steven Lopes is the most accomplished of those returning, and Hansen said that his leadership will pace the Mustangs. The team itself graduated into arguably the swiftest division of public schools—the Mt. Hamilton Division—in the Central Coast Section.

“Steven will run the 200-meters, 400-meters and both relays,” said Hansen. “He will be our team leader. He has tuned his body to be as perfect as possible.”

Lopes, who also stars on the Mustang football squad—the tailback rushed for 833 yards last fall—will strive to improve on his time of 0:23.08 seconds in the 200-meter race, a mark that captured the league title for him last season.

Joining Lopes in Mustang sprinting corps are his football backfield mates in Marquee Heffner and Shane Murray. The juniors rushed for a combined 1,618 yards during football this year, and hope to put their speed to the test for the track squad this season.

“They are both all-league running backs with enough speed to lead our team to many victories,” said Hansen.
Junior Tyler Chase is Pioneer’s strongest performer in the field. Hansen expects Chase to shine this season, channeling heart and an “amazing” work ethic.

“I want the [guys] to understand the importance of teamwork,” said Hansen.

The girls, meanwhile, possess more talent than any Pioneer team in recent memory, said Hansen.

“They are the best group of female athletes that I have coached,” he said bluntly.

Last season, the Mustang ladies petered out at league finals, finishing fourth in the Santa Teresa Division, while fielding just five athletes at the final event.

“For those girls to score as many points as they did was just outstanding,” said Hansen of last season’s performance.

This year, however, Pioneer is rejuvenated and with greater experience.

Seniors Zeebah Aleshi, Marissa Silver and Natalie Spoelstra will pace the races.

Aleshi and Silver return as members of the 4x100-meter relay team that posted the league’s top time, 0:52.97, winning the Santa Teresa Division crown last season.

Silver, in fact, captured an individual title as well last year, when she finished the 300-meter low hurdle race in 0:48.16 seconds.

“Marissa is working through some injuries right now, but she will come back as one of the top hurdlers in the league,” said Hansen.

Hansen called Aleshi the hardworking core of all the Pioneer sprinters. Spoelstra will also enhance Mustang sprinting presence, but the long jump is her strongest event.

“Natalie is the anchor of our girls in the field,” said Hansen.

Freshman Kara Rienecker will also be a big contributor. Hansen called her extremely talented and an all-purpose athlete, but he is still contemplating at which events she will be most valuable to the team.

“She is so athletic that she can do anything,” he said.

While the girls did not win a league title last season, they must also compete among A-league contenders. Hansen said that with this year in particular, the girls should hold their own.

“I hope that our girls are not worried about the change in divisions,” he said. “The Pioneer women are very talented. Once they get their jitters out, they will be able to win their races.”

Athletes aside, Hansen also made another key addition to the track program this season with new-hire Erin Smialek, who will join assistant coach Bill Gregg and Hansen to round out the coaching staff.

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