March 19, 2009

SPORTS

Leland junior varsity baseball continues to win

Santa Teresa, Sobrato and Branham are latest victims

Freshman Ben Maxwell and sophomore Tony Montini nearly collide in the outfield going for a fly ball. Photos by Kevin Jones

The junior varsity baseball Chargers continue to play quality baseball and have run their record to 8-1 overall and 4-1 in league play.

After losing their only game this young season to Santa Teresa, they started a three-game winning streak. First they avenged their lone loss to the Saints defeating them 9-4 at home on March 12.

Freshman Kyle Marquez goes up for a throw on a steal attempt by Sobrato. At right: Freshman Steven Rodriguez runs down a fly ball against Sobrato.

Then they hit the road for a 10-5 victory over the Sobrato Bulldogs on March 16. The game featured a complete game pitching performance by Tim McLaughlin with some timely hitting from Ben Maxwell, Tony Montini, Michael Reeve and Chris Asplund.

The Chargers returned to the friendly confines of their home field and completely dominated the Branham Bruins in a close 2-1 game. Michael Reeve started the game on the mound and Maxwell secured the win by closing out the pitching duties. The Bruins were held to two hits for the game. The Chargers managed seven hits and most important got the runs they needed for the victory.

Branham struck first with a run in the fourth inning on a close play at the plate. The Chargers answered back and then scored the go ahead and winning run when Conor Jones hit a sacrifice fly scoring Mitch Evanier.

The Bruins get a shot at evening the series when the Chargers travel to Branham Thursday at 3:30.

Lady Mustangs beat Sacred Heart in lacrosse

Pioneer’s lady Mustangs defeated Sacred Heart in varsity lacrosse 9-5 last week, bringing their overall total to 3-1 and 1-0 in league play.

Leading the way for the Mustangs was senior Laura Spanko, who drove down the field for three goals along with junior Tara Mancuso-Grady tossing in two more. Four other team members each scored a goal bringing the score to 9. Pioneer goalie Kat Silva had 16 saves to lead a strong defensive line against a very aggressive Sacred Heart offensive. Sacred Hearts offensive line was led by Kendall Cody with two strong decisive goals in the first half with three more goals scored by her teammates.

Almaden All-Net girls qualify for NJB national tourney

The sixth grade girls Almaden All-Net team took second place in the National Junior Basketball (NJB) Silicon Valley Sectional tournament this past weekend and qualified for the NJB National All-Net Tournament March 27-29 in southern California. The team made it to the championship game with two impressive come-from-behind victories over different Redwood City teams. In the first game after trailing by two points at halftime, the girls used a full-court man defense to seize control and cruise to a 36-18 victory. Almaden balanced scoring with Brooke Lisowski, Melissa Fletcher and Kelly Scharrenberg all contributing nine points. In the second game they were the underdogs against a higher-seeded team that had defeated them twice during the regular season. A pivotal play occurred just before halftime, as Scharrenberg launched a half-court buzzer beater, giving Almaden a 14-10 lead. The girls maintained their four-point advantage and lead 24-20 after three quarters. Using a swarming full-court defense led by Ashley Parsons and Monica Scharrenberg that wore down the team, Almaden pulled away to a 40-28 victory. Melissa Fletcher, Kelly Scharrenberg and Kristin Baer who scored 20, 12 and 6 points, respectively paced the team. Top seed Foothill defeated the Almaden girls in the championship game. In the front row, from the left, are Ashley Parsons, Monica Scharrenberg, Alli Foreman, Kelly Scharrenberg and Hannah Hajost. In the back row are Frank Lisowski, Eilidh Hajost, Melissa Fletcher, Brooke Lisowski, Jessica Earnshaw, Kristin Baer and Brian Baer.

Access Forum to feature 49ers head coach

The San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce will present the 2009 Access Forum on Tuesday, March 31 from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. hosted by Santana Row.

The forum features Head Coach Mike Singletary and General Manager Jed York. They will discuss their outlook for the 2009 season as well as provide updates on the continued efforts to relocate the football stadium to Santa Clara. Sponsors include Comerica Bank, legal firm Hoge, Fenton, Jones & Appel, Inc., Robert Half and VTA.

Tickets are $15 and are available along with registration information at the Chamber's Web site, www.sjchamber.com.

High School Sports Schedule March 20–26

Leland

Tuesday—Boys’ tennis vs. Silver Creek at Leland at 3:15
Tuesday—Baseball vs. vs. Pioneer at Pioneer at 3:30
Tuesday—Badminton vs. Leigh at Leland at 3:30

Wednesday—Track vs. Mt. Pleasant at Leland at 3:30

Tuesday—Golf vs. Pioneer at Almaden at 3 p.m.

Thursday—Baseball vs. Pioneer at Leland at 3:30
Thursday—Boys’ tennis vs. Westmont at Leland at 3:15
Thursday—Softball vs. Oak Grove at Leland at 3:30
Thursday—Badminton vs. Mt. Pleasant at Mt. Pleasant at 3:30

Pioneer

Monday—Golf vs. Live Oak at Coyote Creek at 3:30

Tuesday—Boys tennis vs. Prospect at Pioneer at 3:15
Tuesday—Baseball vs. Leland at Pioneer at 3:30
Tuesday—Badminton vs. Branham at Pioneer at 3:30

Wednesday—Golf vs. Live Oak at Boulder Ridge at 3 p.m.

Thursday—Baseball vs. Leland at Leland at 3:30
Thursday—Boys’ tennis vs. Branham at Pioneer at 3:15
Thursday—Softball vs. Leigh at Leigh at 3:30
Thursday—Track vs. Silver Creek at Pioneer at 3:30
Thursday—Badminton vs. Mitty at Pioneer at 3 p.m.

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

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

Sports Briefs

Fun and Exciting tennis events are coming to your community this spring!
The first annual Evergreen Valley College Men and Women’s Open tournament will be held at the Evergreen Valley College Upper Courts on April 19 from 12 noon till finish. The tournament is open to all tennis players in the Bay Area and there is prize money to be won! The entry is free to the staff and students of EVC and for all others the entry fee will be $10 for this event. This is a one day only event and matches will be on a knock-out basis. To register, please visit www.nirustennis.com and follow links to adult tournament. The second event will be the United States Tennis Association NORCAL junior Novice and Challenger tournament for juniors of all ages from Under 10 events to Under 18 events. This will be held at the Evergreen Valley College Upper Courts on March 14, 15, 21 and 22. To register for this event, simply go to the link below. http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/tournamenthome/tournament.aspx?T=78310 Spring tennis programs at Evergreen Valley College start March 15 for ages 4 through 15. Programs taught by World Class tennis pros. Visit www.nirustennis.com for details.

Class 1 Select Girls U13 Soccer Tryouts
The Almaden Valley Fusion, a Girls Under 13 Class 1 Select Soccer Team (birthdates after July 31, 1996) is inviting all interested players to tryouts during March. We will be holding open practices on Tuesdays from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Pioneer High School Grass Field (far right of the stadium) and on Fridays from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Leland High School Turf Field (second field behind the stadium). We have year-round professional coaching to advance your level of play. Coach Adam Whaley has a Sports Coaching degree from England and holds a B-level coaching license. Coach Kendra Sato is a former DeAnza College player and holds an E-level coaching license. Our team promotes friendship, sportsmanship and love of the game. Please contact Team Manager Carey Lisowski at 408-316-3954 or dflaadmin@att.net to pre-register and for more information.

Girls’ U-13 Comp Soccer Tryouts
The South San Jose Hot Shots, a girls’ Class 3 “comp” soccer team, is holding tryouts for experienced players born between 8/1/96 and 7/31/97. The team is comprised of players from the Almaden and Santa Teresa valleys, and has played in the Delgado comp league for the past several years. Please contact the coaching staff at ssj.hotshots@gmail.com for further details.

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