March 26, 2009

SPORTS

Leland golf program continues to tee off with success

With the current success the Leland varsity golf team is having and the size and talent of the JV team, it would appear that the golf program at Leland will be one that other teams contend with for some years to come.

Junior Cody Fallon drops a putt during a match at Santa Teresa. Photos by Kevin Jones

Undefeated in league play, the varsity team is dominating the MHAL with players like Tiffany Lim and Danny Schwartz, who have been exchanging medalist honors between them in their matches this season. Rounding out the top six players are Michael Jones, Nick Giampaoli, Evan Droz and Andy Stacey.

Tiffany Lim went to CCS in November and placed second carding a 73. Lim is a sophomore and plays in numerous junior tournaments around the U.S. including a win in a recent tournament held in Lubbock, Texas.

“This years’ team has enormous potential. We can go far in CCS if we believe in ourselves. We still don’t understand how good we are yet since we have not faced real pressure. When all six of our players play to their abilities, we are a very competitive team. For us, it’s all about sharpening our competitive edge,” said varsity coach Mark Schwab.

Freshman and team captain Melanie Cheung hits her approach shot to the green in a match versus Santa Teresa.

The success of the program has piqued the interest of new players this year as a record number of kids have turned out for the team.

“Typically you play a match with your top six players with the top five scores counting toward the match totals. However, this year so many kids came out and were excited to play, I felt compelled to keep all of them and figure out a way to get them all playing,” said new JV coach Kevin Jones.

Sophomore Sam Aiken was the medalist in the Chargers first victory earlier this season.

This year’s JV team has four girls and there is a possibility that Leland will form a girls’ golf team to compete in the fall. Right now, they play with the boys during their season and play from the same tees.

“There some really good young players in this group with the girls right there with some of the boys. I would love to see a girls’ team get started. This squad is made up of nine freshman, six sophomores and two juniors so the future is very bright for Leland Golf. Not only that but they are a great group of kids who take their schoolwork seriously. The team has a cumulative GPA of 3.6,” added Jones.

The team is off to a 3-1 start and will play through the end of April. They have defeated Santa Teresa twice and split matches with Leigh. The team plays such courses as Santa Teresa, Los Lagos, San Jose Muni and Rancho Pueblo.

Making up the 2009 team are, freshman Ahmad Alnajjar, Tyler Brennan, Alex Caruso, Team Captain Melanie Cheung, Jeffrey Chiu, Michael Kukar, Chris Montrose, Marcus Nijmeh, Jenn Park, sophomores Sam Aiken, Michael Ezaz, Nate Fidler, Brandon Lee, Erina Nashimoto, Eileen Xing and juniors Rohit Verma and Cody Fallon.

High School Sports Schedule March 27–April 2

Leland

Tuesday—Baseball vs. Live Oak at Leland at 3:30
Tuesday—Badminton vs. Lincoln at Leland at 3:30
Tuesday—Boys volleyball vs. Branham at Leland, JV at 6,Varsity at 7 p.m.
Tuesday—Softball vs. Leigh at Leigh at 3:30

Wednesday—Track vs. Oak Grove at Oak Grove at 3:30
Wednesday—Softball vs. Westmont at Leland at 3:30
Wednesday—Swimming vs. Willow Glen at Leland at 3 p.m.
Wednesday—Golf vs. Leigh at San Jose Muni at 3:45

Thursday—Baseball vs. Live Oak at Live Oak at 3:30
Thursday—Boys’ tennis vs. Santa Teresa at Leland at 3:15
Thursday—Golf vs. Leigh at Almaden at 3 p.m.
Thursday—Boys’ volleyball vs. Sobrato at Leland; Varsity at 6 p.m.
Thursday—Badminton vs. Gunderson at Gunderson at 3:30

Pioneer

Monday—Golf vs. Branham at Spring Valley at 3:45

Tuesday—Boys’ tennis vs. vs. Independence at Independence at 3:15
Tuesday—Baseball vs. Leigh at Pioneer at 3:30
Tuesday—Boys’ volleyball vs. Prospect at Pioneer; JV at 6, Varsity at 7 p.m.
Tuesday—Badminton vs. Mitty at Pioneer at 3 p.m.
Tuesday—Golf vs. Branham at San Jose Muni at 3:45
Tuesday—Softball vs. Live Oak at Pioneer at 3:30

Wednesday—Golf vs. Branham at Boulder Ridge at 3 p.m.
Wednesday—Softball vs. Oak Grove at Oak Grove at 3:30
Wednesday—Swimming vs. Westmont at Pioneer at 3 p.m.

Thursday—Baseball vs. Leigh at Leigh at 3:30 at 3:30
Thursday—Boys’ tennis vs. Overfelt at Pioneer at 3:15
Thursday—Track vs. Leigh at Pioneer at 3:30
Thursday—Badminton vs. San Jose at San Jose at 3:30

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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