SPORTS

Pioneer boys hit the ball up the middle to take Lincoln 12-0

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

RBI MAN. Pioneer’s Danny Ventura lines a single to center field, scoring two runs during a 12-0 win for the Mustangs over Lincoln on March 10. Photo by Diego Abeloos.

Five Mustang starters drove in at least two runs apiece as the Pioneer baseball team coasted to a 12-0 win over Lincoln on March 10.

“To give ourselves a lead allows us to be a little more relaxed at the plate,” said Pioneer Head Coach Jake Hernandez, whose team won 8-2 two days earlier on the road at Independence. “We’ve been a little tense early on in the year but the bats are coming alive right now.”

Shortstop Andrew Schulz, first baseman Steve Matos and catcher Ryan Gall each delivered two-run doubles to key the victory for the Mustangs (6-3, 3-0). In addition, leftfielder Shaun Souza went 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a stolen base while second baseman Danny Ventura also went 1-for-3 with a two-run single.

In his first start of the season, Mustang pitcher Brent Osborn threw four scoreless innings for the win, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out three.

“It’s nice when your team puts out a lot of runs,” said Osborn. “You don’t have to worry as much and there’s no pressure.”

After a quiet first inning, the Mustang bats went to work in the second, scoring six runs, three of which came with two outs in the inning. Lincoln starter Luis Machuca loaded the bases by hitting two batters and walking rightfielder Justin Kaufmann before Gall laced a pitch down the left field line, scoring Zane Bailey and Michael Schulz for a 2-0 lead. After another hit batter loaded the bases once more, Machuca uncorked a wild pitch, scoring Kaufmann from third for the third run of the inning.

With two outs, Matos belted a double to the fence in center field, scoring Gall and Andrew Schulz before a single from Souza brought Matos home from second base for a 6-0 lead.

“Earlier with the past few wins, we got up a little and we kind of let up,” said Andrew Schulz of the Mustang offense.

“In this game we were more focused on keeping at it.”

The Mustangs scored four more times in the third, and in doing so, chased Machuca from the game with one out in the inning. Machuca once again loaded the bases and with one out, Andrew Schulz launched a long double to the left field fence, scoring Michael Schulz and Kaufmann for an 8-0 advantage. The next batter, Ventura, quickly made it 10-0 with a sharp single to center field, scoring Gall and Andrew Schulz.

The Mustangs put the finishing touches on the win in the fifth inning, scoring on a sacrifice fly from Souza and on a wild pitch that scored Steven Muirhead from third base for a 12-0 score.

“Everyone in the lineup made an adjustment,” said Hernandez. “Hitting the ball up the middle, not trying to do too much. It worked out for us.”

Robbie Nelson came on in relief of Osborn in the fifth inning to close out the game, which was shortened to five innings because of a 10-run rule in the Santa Teresa Division. Nelson secured the win by allowing one hit before striking out the next three batters.

High School Sports Schedule March 18 - March 24

Leland High School
Friday – Baseball at Santa Teresa, 3:30 p.m.
Friday – Girls’ lacrosse at Menlo-Atherton, 4 p.m.
Friday – Boys’ lacrosse at Carmel Tournament
Friday – Swimming and Diving vs. Mt. Pleasant, 3 p.m.
Friday – Softball tournament at Twin Creeks, time TBA

Saturday – Softball tournament at Twin Creeks, time TBA
Saturday – Boys’ volleyball Charger Classic Tournament at Leland, all day

Tuesday – Golf vs. Lincoln at Cinnabar, 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday – Softball vs. Branham, 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday – Boys’ lacrosse at Menlo- Atherton, 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday – Girls’ lacrosse vs. Menlo, 4 p.m.
Tuesday – Boys’ tennis vs. Independence, 3:15 p.m.
Tuesday – Badminton at Prospect, 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday – Boys’ volleyball at Westmont, 6 p.m.
Tuesday – Baseball vs. Westmont, 3:30 p.m.

Wednesday – Golf vs. Lincoln at Santa Teresa, 3:15 p.m.
Wednesday – Swimming and diving at Leigh, 3 p.m.
Wednesday – Track vs. Oak Grove, 3:30 p.m.

Thursday – Softball at Santa Teresa, 3:30 p.m.
Thursday – Girls’ lacrosse at Gunn, 4 p.m.
Thursday – Badminton vs. Yerba Buena, 3:30 p.m.
Thursday – Boys’ tennis at Silver Creek, 3:15 p.m.
Thursday – Baseball at Westmont, 3:30 p.m.

Pioneer High School
Friday – Girls’ lacrosse vs. Woodside, 4 p.m.
Friday – Swimming and Diving vs. Westmont, 3 p.m.

Monday – Golf vs. Branham at Santa Teresa, 3 p.m.

Tuesday – Boys’ volleyball at Willow Glen, 6 p.m.
Tuesday – Softball vs. Mt. Pleasant, 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday – Baseball vs. Prospect, 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday – Boys’ tennis vs. Mt. Pleasant, 3:15 p.m.
Tuesday – Badminton vs. Gilroy, 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday – Girls’ lacrosse at Gunn, 4 p.m.

Wednesday – Golf vs. Branham at the Villages, 3 p.m.
Wednesday – Track at Del Mar, 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday – Swimming and diving vs. Independence, 3 p.m.

Thursday – Baseball at Silver Creek, 3:30 p.m.
Thursday – Boys’ volleyball vs. Leigh, 6 p.m.
Thursday – Boys’ tennis at Leigh. 3:15 p.m.
Thursday – Badminton at Leigh, 3:30 p.m.
Thursday – Girls’ lacrosse at Menlo School, 4 p.m.
Thursday – Softball at Leigh, 3:30 p.m.

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

High School Scoreboard

March 7
Pioneer softball 3-1 loss at Saratoga

March 8
Pioneer boys’ tennis 4-3 loss at Branham
Pioneer boys’ volleyball 25-15, 25-15, 25-21 loss at Westmont
Pioneer golf 202-235 win vs. Santa Teresa
Leland golf 217-231 win vs. Leigh
Leland badminton 15-0 win at Mt. Pleasant

March 9
Leland softball 4-0 win vs. Piedmont Hills
Leland boys’ tennis 5-2 win vs. St. Ignatius
Pioneer golf 202-236 win vs. Santa Teresa
Pioneer softball 1-0 win vs. Valley Christian

March 10
Leland badminton 10-5 win vs. Willow Glen
Leland softball 7-0 win vs. Santa Clara

March 11
Leland softball 2-0 win vs. Independence

Sports Briefs

Almaden Valley Girls Softball League hit-a-thon set for April 10
The Almaden Valley Girls Softball League will hold its second annual hit-a-thon on April 10 at Bret Harte Middle School. Individual and team prizes for fund-raising will be awarded by the AVGSL. The AVGSL also seeks sponsors that would like to make a cash donation in exchange having their name and company logo on hit-a-thon T-shirts.

Prizes can be picked up by the AVGSL, but those fitting in a standard business size envelope can be sent to P.O. box 20642, San Jose, CA 95160.

For more information visit www.avgsl.org or call 408-808-1405.

USYVL youth volleyball sign-ups for spring 2005 going on now
The United States Youth Volleyball League is accepting registrations for the spring 2005 season, slated to begin in early April, for programs in Los Gatos, San Jose and Morgan Hill. Boys and girls ages 8 to 14 are welcome to sign up and learn the basic techniques of volleyball. The program meets two days a week with one day for practices and one day for games.

For more information on registering, visit www.usyvl.org or call 1-888-988-7985.

2005 Pop Warner Football sign-up dates announced
Sunday March 20, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Country School baseball field (Little league field on Trinidad)
Saturday April 2, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. at Country School baseball field (Little league field on Trinidad)
Saturday April 9, 10 a.m. -3 p.m. at Country School baseball field (Little league field on Trinidad)
Saturday April 16, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Country School baseball field (Little league field on Trinidad)

Almaden Ladybugs soccer holds tryouts
Almaden Ladybugs Premier/Class 1, U17 Girls, tryouts for state cup and spring/fall season, every Tuesday and Thursday.  Date of birth after 7/31/88. Contact Roger Haupt (408) 779-7697, Linda Urzi (408) 723-0928.     

Leland bats quiet in 4-0 loss to Longhorns

Chargers manage two hits against Adams, Derby

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

The Chargers managed only two hits and committed four errors in a 4-0 loss on the road to Leigh on March 11.

Leland baserunners never saw third base in the game, getting only three runners in scoring position, all at second base, throughout the contest as Leigh starter Jack Adams combined with Tyler Derby to post seven shutout innings in which the pair struck out six batters while allowing only two walks.

“We kind of walked through the motions,” said Leland Head Coach Scot Gillis, whose team earlier in the week took a 6-3 win over Leigh at home. “We made some key mistakes and struggled early on the mound. They (Leigh) wanted it more than we did today and in some ways, we laid down a little bit. We have to be more consistent.”

Leland starting pitcher Matt Slaton was in trouble early on in the game, allowing a one-out single to Derby before uncorking a wild pitch, allowing Derby to move to second base. Longhorn leftfielder Jadd Correia then hit a chopper to third baseman Kevin Battipede, who threw high and over the head of first baseman Logan Foos, scoring Derby from second base for a 1-0 Leigh advantage.

Slaton’s troubles continued in the second inning, when the right-hander loaded the bases with one out by hitting a batter and walking the next two. Derby then stepped to the plate and delivered a groundout to second base, scoring second baseman Andy Holloway from third for a 2-0 lead.

In the fourth, with Leland right-hander Andy Micko on in relief of Slaton, the Longhorns plated one more run for a 3-0 edge. With one out and a runner at first, Battipede took a hard chopper from Brian Wendt off the chest, deflecting the ball near the outfield grass, putting runners on first and second. The next batter, first baseman Adrian Mull, then hit a tailor-made double-play grounder to shortstop Danny Dyer, but second baseman Alex Todd did not arrive at second base in time for a throw, loading the bases for the Longhorns. Designated hitter Jamie Wagner stepped up next and delivered a groundout to second base, scoring Correia from third for a 3-0 lead.

“They just came out and wanted it more than us,” said Foos. “We came out a little lackadaisical and they came out and took it from us.”

Meanwhile, the Leland bats struggled to get things going. A one-out double by Andrew Kim in the first inning didn’t plate a run, as Dyer grounded out to shortstop and Battipede struck out to end the threat. The Chargers had another scoring opportunity in the third inning with Todd at second base after a walk and a groundout, but Kim hit a routine fly ball to right field with two outs to end the threat once more.

In the fifth, the Chargers had pinch runner Jimi Kogura at second base with one out, but groundouts by Micko and pinch hitter Tim Parks ended the scoring opportunity for Leland again.

“At first, I kind of started out a little shaky,” said Adams of his performance on the mound. “I wasn’t really getting the strikes down as well as I should. But then later on in the (first) inning, I started calming down a little bit and started working through it pretty good.”

The Longhorns scored their fourth and final run of the game in the fifth inning off Micko, getting a one-out double from Blake McFarland followed a single from Zach Samuels to drive McFarland in. Micko provided a bright spot for the Chargers in the loss, tossing four innings of relief in which the junior allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out one and walking a batter.

“Andy threw a couple of groundballs for us in an inning that we should’ve been out of,” said Gillis of Micko. “We didn’t pick up the ball behind him and were out of position. Andy, again, did a great job pitching and we need the defense to back him up.”

The loss dropped Leland to 4-5 overall with a 2-2 record in the Mt. Hamilton Division, good for a two-way tie at second place in the standings.

Leland boys’ volleyball gets 3-0 home-opening win over Gunderson

Chargers cruise to easy victory for first Mt. Hamilton win

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

The Leland boys’ volleyball team started out the 2005 season on a positive note, getting a 3-0 win over Gunderson on March 8.

The Chargers opened their 2005 Mt. Hamilton Division season at home against the Grizzlies, and managed a convincing 25-10, 25-8 and 25-6 victory, as Kenny Tran and Arnold Won led the team with 3 kills each. Alex Moon and Bryan Holmdahl were particularly effective on serves in the win for the Chargers, combining for 12 aces.

“It’s just good to get into league play after a long pre-season of waiting to play,” said Leland Head Coach Jason Hilbert, whose 2004 team finished in second place in the Mt. Hamilton Division. “… It’s kind of exciting. The guys are looking to do well, especially the seniors. They’re looking to have a great season.”

Things started out close in the first game, which saw both teams match point-for-point for a narrow 10-8 Chargers lead. After a Leland timeout, things quickly went south for the Grizzlies, as the Chargers went to work offensively, scoring 7 of the next 8 points for a 17-9 lead. During the run, Leland’s Jonathan Luu notched an ace on a serve, while Scott Lucas and Sam Lee provided back-to-back kills.

After the Grizzlies got a point on the board to make it 17-10, the Chargers reeled off 8 straight points to take the first game 25-10.

“I think we were a little uptight because it was our first league game,” said Lucas of the close score in the early portion of game one. “We were seeing where we were and as the game progressed, we came together.”

If game one was an indication of things to come for both teams, games two and three served only as confirmation. The Chargers jumped out to an 8-2 lead in game two, getting kills from Derrick Truong and Tran while also taking advantage of miscommunication on Gunderson’s side, resulting in dropped passes and errand serves.

Later in the second game, with a 12-6 lead, Leland reeled off 13 of the next 16 points to take a 25-8 win in game two as Gunderson continued to have problems with wayward passes while the Chargers also remained solid up front with blocking from the likes of Lucas and others.

Lucas, who recently got finished with the basketball season, is one player Hilbert will be counting on this year. Hilbert said Lucas, who often serves as the team’s jokester, has tremendous leaping ability and an aggressive style of play.

“As weird as he is, we love him. He’s doing a great job,” Hilbert said jokingly.

Game three saw the Chargers put the finishing touches on the victory by scoring 22 of the first 25 points. Leland notched 7 straight points in the early stages before the Grizzlies managed to get on the board with its third point of game three. With an 8-3 score, the Chargers went on a 14-0 run, getting an ace from Holmdahl in the process, while also taking advantage once again of poor communication and passing mistakes from the Grizzlies.

“It was a good win for us,” said Lucas. “We’ve got to start out strong. We have to set the tone for this league and come out strong.”

Regardless of the win over Gunderson, Hilbert knows his team has a lot of work left to do this season. With strong teams in Branham and Leigh, among others, the Mt. Hamilton Division race figures to be a close one.

Nevertheless, Hilbert believes his team has the ability to make its mark this year in the division.

“I think this is more of a cohesive group and definitely a more fun and wacky group (than last year),” Hilbert said.

“I think these guys have the potential to be one of the great Leland teams.”

A day for the record books

Pioneer sets records on new metric track

By Carl Ponzio
Times Intern

It was more than just another winning track meet for the Pioneer Mustangs on March 10. It was a day for new records to be set and an old record to be broken.

A new season of track and field has begun for the Pioneer Mustangs and with it comes a brand new track.

Switching over from a 440-yard track to a new 400-meter track, the Mustangs and Head Coach Mark Krail feel confident about their up coming season.

Coming off of a 6-0 season with the boys and 5-1 season for the girls, the Mustangs are looking to make this season even better than the last. Krail has hopes of obtaining a league championship with the boys and the girls this season. Despite losing a couple of graduating seniors, Krail feels that last season was a great building year for the Mustangs and this season will be even better than the last.

“We have converted to the modern era,” said Krail, when asked about Pioneer’s switch from a yard to metric track.

With the arrival of a new track comes a laundry list of new records to follow. Every first-place finish on the new metric track in Pioneer’s home opener on March 10 against the Yerba Buena Aztec Warriors, which Pioneer won 87-42 for boys and 81-32 for girls, was declared a record.

Pioneer set the bar for the records in boys’ 4-by-4 relay with a time of 44.94. Marissa Silver set a 54.39 record for the girl’s 330 hurdles and Drew McReynolds set a 44.33 record for the boys’ 330 hurdles. Camille Brown set the track record for the girls’ 220 with a time of 27.09.

“Everyone is trying their best, and it is making me try my best,” said Brown. “The positive energy is great here, and it is going to carry out for the rest of the season.”

While some of the Mustangs were setting records on the new track, one was breaking a school record. Senior Rolando Gomez shattered Pioneer’s discus record of 167 feet with an astounding 171-foot, 7 ½-inch throw.

Walking along the side of the track and cheering on his teammates, Gomez’s excitement was written all over his face.

“It was great,” said Gomez. “It took four years to do, but I finally did it.”

Gomez and Brown were among the few Mustangs that were invited to the K-Bell Invitational sponsored by Bellarmine High School, held on March 12 at Los Gatos High School. Gomez took first place in the boys’ discus throw with a 158-foot toss.

Pioneer’s 87-42 win against Yerba Buena has started the Mustangs out with a 1-0 record in the Santa Teresa division, keeping the team on track towards Krail’s goal of a league championship.

Blossom Valley Athletic League
all-league selections for winter sports

Leland boys’ basketball
David Farsai – Santa Teresa Division First Team All-League
Danny Hamouie – Santa Teresa Division Second Team All-League

Leland girls’ basketball
Jackie George – Mt. Hamilton Division MVP
Kristen Yoshioka – Mt. Hamilton Division Sophomore of the Year and First Team All-League
Mika Yanai – Mt. Hamilton Division Second Team All-League
Meggie Yoshioka - Mt. Hamilton Division Second Team All-League

Leland boys’ soccer
Ryan Villalpando – Mt. Hamilton Division Senior of the Year
Steven Beitashour – Mt. Hamilton Division First Team All-League
Roheet Sen - Mt. Hamilton Division First Team All-League
Grant Robson – Mt. Hamilton Division Second Team All-League
Damon Ronnsvalle - Mt. Hamilton Division Second Team All-League

Leland girls’ soccer
Valerie Huffman – Mt. Hamilton Division Senior of the Year
Stephanie Kato – Mt. Hamilton Division First Team All-League
Ali Sturgeon - Mt. Hamilton Division First Team All-League
Katie Campbell – Mt. Hamilton Division Second Team All-League
Morgan Wampler - Mt. Hamilton Division Second Team All-League

Pioneer boys’ basketball
Mark Bundlie – Mt. Hamilton Division Co-Senior of the Year
Mike Kaufmann – Mt. Hamilton Division First Team All-League
Robbie Nelson – Mt. Hamilton Division Second Team All-League

Pioneer girls’ basketball
Michele Rebozzi – Mt. Hamilton Division First Team All-League

Pioneer boys’ soccer
Flavio Huato – Mt. Hamilton Division Junior of the Year
Josh Lichtenstein – Mt. Hamilton Division First Team All-League
Ryan Gall – Mt. Hamilton Division Second Team All-League

Pioneer girls’ soccer
Randy Worthington – Mt. Hamilton Division Coach of the Year
Lauren West – Mt. Hamilton Division Junior of the Year
Stephanie Righetti – Mt. Hamilton Division Sophomore of the Year
Bianca Springer – Mt. Hamilton Division Freshman of the Year
Amy Cusick – Mt. Hamilton Division First Team All-League
Kalia Demarquez - Mt. Hamilton Division First Team All-League
Kendra Worthington - Mt. Hamilton Division First Team All-League
Angelique Roman – Mt. Hamilton Division Second Team All-League
Julia Setnicker - Mt. Hamilton Division Second Team All-League
Samantha Vega - Mt. Hamilton Division Second Team All-League

STEALTH DROP FIFTH STRAIGHT GAME

The San Jose Stealth lost their fifth straight game with a 12-10 loss to Arizona on March 12 at the HP Pavilion.

Despite hat tricks by brothers Curt and Derek Malawsky, the Stealth were outscored 11-4 after the first quarter, dropping them to 3-7 in the West Division.

Forward Mike Regan (pictured), a key player for the Stealth last season, made his return to the team after sitting out the first nine games this year. Regan made his presence felt in the loss, scoring a power-play goal in a 6-1 first-quarter for the Stealth.

“It was really good to be back out there,” Regan said. “This is a place where the fans really appreciate you and they’re fans you want to play for.”

Photo provided by Ron Stenn at www.ActionPhotoDesign.com

Leland track team is slow out of the blocks

Chargers compete in year of rebuilding

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

Promising talent on Leland track and field squads is likely a year away from racing around the school’s new all weather track in a victory lap.

The young Chargers stumbled on March 9 in the first dual meet of the season, finally falling to Mount Pleasant 85-48 on the boys’ side and 80-47 in girls’ action.

Coaches say that despite possessing heart and determination, the young Chargers lack leadership. Assistant Coach Nick Tuttle is pleased with the efforts put forth by juniors attempting to fill leadership roles typically occupied by seniors, yet the fact remains: the chargers have a lot to learn.

“We have some good athletes, just not many seniors,” said Tuttle, a first-year assistant and Leland alum who went on to a fruitful career at West Valley College and finally the University Nebraska, following his 1996 graduation. “We have some skills; it’s just a matter of refining them.”

Freshman Kikita Fkiarias may prove to be the team’s brightest star on the girls’ side this season. She took the long jump event Wednesday with a leap that measured 15 feet, 3 ½ inches.

The boys anticipate big things from senior football star turned sprinter Arthur King Jr. and discuss/shot-put thrower Joey Boose.

Boose took the shot-put event versus Mount Pleasant, covering 41-feet-7-inches in one heave.

“We’ll be improving a lot throughout the year,” said junior Rosu Ferroni, whom coaches say the chargers will rely on for leadership more and more. “But we’ll be good in the end. We’re excited to have Coach Tuttle’s help. He is a very good influence. He seems to be experienced and he knows how to make people go faster.”

“In my career I’ve learned that it’s not always about being the best guy,” said Tuttle. “A lot of times at Nebraska, it was about counting national championship trophies and that, but I was able to take a step back and recognize I was training with world class athletes and coaches. That was the big deal. It’s about work ethic and having a good time while you learn about yourself. Coaching here is something I have looked forward to my whole life.”

Leland will next face Piedmont Hills at Piedmont on March 17 before heading to West Valley to compete in the West Valley Relays on March 19.

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