SPORTS

Bret Harte lacrosse makes a name for itself

Interest in sport grows in fourth year at middle school

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

Bret Harte Bravo Team Coach Mike Garcia gives some last-minute instructions to his players. The Bravo Team is the development team for Bret Harte, with many of its players moving up to the Alpha Team, which plays stiffer competition at the middle school level.

The game of lacrosse seems to have found a pulse within the confines of Bret Harte Middle School.

The traditionally East Coast sport has slowly made its way west, finding its place as a sport in middle schools, high schools and even at the professional level with the San Jose Stealth. Only in its fourth year of existence at Bret Harte, the game of lacrosse is beginning to draw the notice of young athletes who may have otherwise turned to sports like baseball in the past.

“The area is growing with interest in the sport,” said Mike Garcia, who serves as co-head coach for Bret Harte’s Bravo Team, a developmental team at the middle-school level.

“There are other leagues that are forming all over the place. We have a total of over 46 boys in our league (NCJLA) alone, so I think it’s just going to take off from here.”

In those four years, Bret Harte has fielded two lacrosse teams for its students. The Bravo team is typically the first stop for Bret Harte lacrosse players. Serving as an introductory-level team to many players, the Bravo Team is where players from the sixth through eighth grade learn the basics of lacrosse in a competitive setting.

“The majority of our kids are first-time players, where they’re still learning how to throw and run as many as three miles in a game,” said Garcia. “They haven’t really been in contact sports either, so it’s been a real interesting challenge to teach them not only the skills of passing and throwing on the run, but also learning how to (run) the distance.”

Coupled with the challenge of learning the physical basics of lacrosse is the additional challenge of learning the many rules of lacrosse, which is something new to not only the players, but spectators as well.

“It’s not just (new) to the kids, but also the parents,” Garcia said. “Many of us never grew up with lacrosse like we did with football or baseball. So we have to read the rule book every day and understand exactly how to do things. For the players it’s a big challenge because they don’t understand the rules at that point.”

One level up from the Bravo team is the Alpha team. In the same vein as the Bravo team, Alpha serves as a medium for players in the sixth through eighth grade to learn the basics of lacrosse, albeit at a slightly higher level of competition.

“We have high expectations for the kids and they meet those expectations pretty well,” said Alpha Team Head Coach Larry Adams, whose team won a 7-2 decision over the Santa Cruz Warriors on April 2 to improve to 6-1.

“It’s amazing how these kids come together as a team … they never quit and they never give up.”

With the help of volunteers in parents and others, Garcia and Adams have helped make lacrosse a point of interest at Bret Harte. What began as lukewarm interest in the sport four years ago has now grown into a legitimate pastime for many middle school students at Bret Harte. Both teams also enjoy the support from Bret Harte in the form of field use and athletic boosters.

Even so, both coaches have still had their share of troubles filling their rosters with kids from Bret Harte and are still taking players who attend other local schools in the Almaden area, including students from Castillero and Ida Price, among others.

“Every year, more and more kids seem to be coming out,” Garcia said. “We’ve had kids come up who didn’t sign up but who are interested in playing, who want to come out next year. So absolutely, I think we’re going to double in size.”

Throughout the 13-game season for both squads, competition can vary, as was the case on April 2. The Bravo team, still young in its development of players, faced off against the Santa Cruz Roughriders, a team with much bigger and more experienced players. The result—a 12-1 loss for Bret Harte—didn’t do anything to discourage Garcia or any of his players from keeping up with their progress in lacrosse. The team did, however, bounce back in their second game of the day, taking a 10-8 win over Harbor to improve to 3-2.

“When you get guys who outweigh your guys by 20 or 30 pounds and who are 6 feet tall, you have to regroup them and remind them that they’re here to have fun,” Garcia said. “…The kids are in a great mood, even though they lost today. Attitude, solid team spirit, the camaraderie around each one of the guys has been fantastic. As a coaching staff, we couldn’t feel better about these guys.”

High School Sports Schedule April 8 - 14

Leland High School
Friday – Baseball at Willow Glen, 3:30 p.m.
Friday – Boys’ volleyball vs. Branham, 6 p.m.
Friday – Softball vs. Willow Glen, 3:30 p.m.
Friday – Girls’ lacrosse at Pioneer, 4 p.m.
Friday – Boys’ lacrosse vs. Santa Cruz, 4 p.m.

Tuesday –Golf vs. Santa Teresa at Almaden, 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday – Swimming vs. Pioneer, 3 p.m.
Tuesday – Boys’ lacrosse vs. Carmel, 4 p.m.
Tuesday – Boys’ volleyball at Gunderson, 6 p.m.
Tuesday – Boys’ tennis vs. Piedmont Hills, 3:15 p.m.

Wednesday – Softball at Mt. Pleasant, 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday – Boys’ lacrosse vs. Menlo-Atherton, 4 p.m.
Wednesday – Baseball vs. Branham, 3:30 p.m.

Thursday –Golf vs. Santa Teresa at Cinnabar, 4 p.m.
Thursday – Badminton vs. Mt. Pleasant, 3 p.m.
Thursday – Boys’ volleyball vs. Prospect, 7 p.m.
Thursday – Boys’ tennis at Independence, 3:15 p.m.
Thursday – Track at Silver Creek, 3:30 p.m.

Pioneer High School
Friday – Swimming vs. Branham, 3 p.m.
Friday – Boys’ volleyball vs. Gunderson, 6 p.m.
Friday – Softball vs. Branham, 3:30 p.m.
Friday – Girls’ lacrosse vs. Leland, 4 p.m.

Monday – Golf vs. Lincoln, 2:30 p.m.

Tuesday – Boys’ volleyball vs. Oak Grove, 6 p.m.
Tuesday – Baseball at Piedmont Hills, 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday – Boys’ tennis at Branham, 3:15 p.m.
Tuesday – Badminton at San Jose, 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday – Girls’ lacrosse vs. Menlo-Atherton, 4 p.m.
Tuesday – Swimming at Leland, 3 p.m.

Wednesday – Golf vs. Lincoln at the Villages, 3 p.m.
Wednesday – Softball at Santa Teresa, 3:30 p.m.

Thursday – Baseball vs. Evergreen, 3:30 p.m.
Thursday – Boys’ tennis at Mt. Pleasant, 3:15 p.m.
Thursday – Track at Santa Teresa, 3:30 p.m.
Thursday – Badminton at Sobrato, 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 22
Leland girls’ lacrosse 10-7 loss vs. Menlo
Leland badminton 10-5 win at Prospect

Pioneer badminton 9-6 win vs. Gilroy
Pioneer boys’ volleyball 25-15, 25-14, 25-14 loss at Willow Glen

March 23
Leland golf 202-234 win vs. Lincoln

Pioneer golf 205-235 win vs. Branham
Pioneer boys’ track 73-54 win at Del Mar
Pioneer girls’ track 63.5-57-5 win at Del Mar
Pioneer boys’ swimming 125-53 win vs. Independence
Pioneer girls’ swimming 119-64 win vs. Independence

March 24
Leland baseball 8-0 win at Westmont
Leland boys’ tennis 6-1 win at Silver Creek
Leland badminton 13-2 win vs. Yerba Buena

Pioneer girls’ lacrosse 11-2 loss at Menlo School
Pioneer badminton 12-3 loss at Leigh
Pioneer boys’ volleyball 25-7, 25-14, 25-20 loss vs. Leigh
Pioneer boys’ tennis 7-0 loss at Leigh

March 25
Leland baseball 4-3 loss vs. Westmont
Leland softball 4-2 win vs. Mountain View at Charlie Miguel Tournament
Leland softball 10-1 win vs. Pacific Grove at Charlie Miguel Tournament

March 26
Leland softball 10-1 win vs. Santa Teresa at Charlie Miguel Tournament
Leland softball 1-0 win vs. Monte Vista at Charlie Miguel Tournament
Leland softball 2-1 win vs. Mountain View at Charlie Miguel Tournament

Pioneer baseball 12-6 win vs. Leigh at Valley Christian Crown Classic
Pioneer baseball 11-1 loss vs. Valley Christian at Valley Christian Crown Classic
Pioneer softball 4-0 win vs. Los Altos at Charlie Miguel Tournament
Pioneer softball 4-3 win vs. Santa Clara at Charlie Miguel Tournament
Pioneer softball 10-7 loss vs. Santa Teresa at Charlie Miguel Tournament

Sports Briefs

Almaden Valley Girls Softball League hit-a-thon April 10
The Almaden Valley Girls Softball League will hold its second annual hit-a-thon 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 for 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 signups for spring 2005
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 announces sign-up dates
The Almaden Pop Warner Football organization will hold tryouts at the Almaden Country School Little League Field on Trinidad Drive on the following dates: Sunday March 20, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday April 2, 1 p.m.-3 p.m., Saturday April 9, 10 a.m.-3 pm; and Saturday April 16, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Almaden Ladybugs soccer 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 or Linda Urzi (408) 723-0928.     

Bay Area TPX Top 96 High School Invitational Baseball Showcase
June 3 and 4
Applications are now being accepted for the Bay Area TPX Top 96 High School Invitational Baseball Showcase.  The top 96 position players and top 48 pitchers will be selected from those who apply.  The application deadline is April 30.  The showcase is June 3-4 at PAL Stadium in San Jose.  Apply online at www.top96.com or call Doug Henson at 508-481-5939.

Leigh talent supreme

Slew of Longhorns fill all-league posts in winter

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

Luck struck Leigh’s class of 2006 in the girls’ talent pool. It seems an unprecedented number of junior Longhorns filled MHAL All-League slots this past winter.

Most impressive, Amy Neaustedter joined Jackie Hill in carrying flashy MVP awards, and a season—in the case of Neaustedter—or two—for softballer Hill—remains.

Powerhouse pitcher Hill garnered the honor last year as a sophomore, and guided the Longhorns to their first ever CCS championship.

“We just have a really talented junior class,” said Leigh Athletic Dir-ector Pam Ziel-azowski, who has learned first-hand, coaching tennis and track and field. “We’ve been blessed with athletes that are good in several sports. And it’s not a couple kids, either. We’re talking 10 to 15 individuals.”

Neaustedter received the accolade in a season where the Longhorns finished second place, behind Pioneer. Her 15 goals led the team.

“Amy can score from any angle with either foot,” said second year Coach Michelle Kennedy. “She is one of those players that will always finish when you need the goal.”

Neustedter came to Leigh with one half season of competitive soccer to her credit. After playing on junior varsity in 2003, and joining a select club team, she returned rejuvenated, heading into sophomore year. The result was a second-team all-league selection; however, in 2004-2005 she broke out.

Neustedter was also named to the Mercury News’ Second Team All-CCS team.

“I just like to play hard,” summed Neustedter. “I don’t necessarily have the moves, or do anything too fancy. I get the job done, but try not to blend in.”

Hill further filled her trophy cabinet this winter as well, earning All- MHAL soccer second team status. Fellow juniors Marissa Robasciotti and Jessica Sitarz were also awarded second team honors.

The class of 2006 also accounted for a league title on the basketball floor. Juniors Laura McClellan, Natalie Nurnburg and Stephanie Ruiz led the Longhorns, who tied with Leland for the MHAL championship. The girls each claimed first-team honors, with Nurnburg owning the junior of the year title.

“We all know each other pretty well,” continued Neustedter, of her class. “We’re all talented and fairly well-rounded.”

The girls are rather multi-talented. Neustedter played tennis for the first time last fall, going undefeated in league doubles competition, and will run track again this spring. Nurnberg doubles as a standout in field hockey, while Hill will, of course, compete in softball this spring.

Arguably the best of the bunch, Lauren Dowd, didn’t even grace winter schedules in 2005. She narrowed her tasks to those on the volleyball court.

“Well of course all the coaches would love to see Lauren compete in several sports,” said Zielazowski. “But it’s OK. The nice thing about this group is that they are all good kids, in addition to their talents. They are outstanding students and very well-rounded. It really makes our job that much easier as coaches.”

Look for Leigh to compete fiercely again in the MHAL softball race, behind the leadership of Hill. Meanwhile, Neustedter will keep busy passing the baton in the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays, in addition to her duties running the 100 and 200 races.

Redefining age

Members of AVAC’s USTA Women’s 3.0 Senior Tennis Team show it’s never too late to start something new

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

For 13 women at the Almaden Valley Athletic Club, age really is just a number. These women, all over the age of 50, are members of AVAC’s United States Tennis Association women’s 3.0 Senior Tennis Team.

The group is an unlikely bunch with varying ages, nationalities and personalities. Some still have children in high school, while others, like 80-year-old Rose Terrill, have been playing tennis longer than some people have been alive. All these women share a common bond in tennis and use the sport to not only stay fit and fuel their competitive spirits, but also as a means of socialization.

“It’s a great game to play and a great way to meet people,” said Shirley Gouebbel, an original member of AVAC since 1967.

Terrill, the oldest player in the group, first picked up tennis after moving from Utah to the Bay Area more than 30 years ago. An avid skier in Utah, Terrill found the trip to Lake Tahoe too burdensome to make with four children. On the advice of her husband, Terrill took up tennis in her late 40s and was hooked from the start.

Although Terrill doesn’t make a big deal of playing tennis at her age, even her teammates are at times amazed at her energy and drive to play the game. For Terrill, age has never been a question or a roadblock to playing the sport she loves.

“It just comes kind of naturally, because I’ve always been in some kind of athletics and I’ve always trained,” Terrill said. “I love it. I love to move my body … it’s hard to sit still.”

Terrill, who plays doubles with 60-year-old partner Penny Tenczar, is unassuming about her role within the team.

She repeatedly says she’s “privileged” to be playing tennis with the other women on the team and thrilled to go to the playoffs in Carmel later this month. For Tenczar, picking Terrill as a doubles partner never presented any doubts or questions in her mind.

“Rose has so much tenacity,” said Tenczar, who also serves as team captain. “She has a great work ethic. She does yoga, she lifts light weights. She’s so determined. You have to have a lot of guts in sports. That makes up for a lot of things. She has the whole package.”

Team heads to district playoffs
The group can also be considered as diverse as the United Nations, with members from England, Canada and the Netherlands, to name a few. Together, the group has done something no other AVAC senior women’s tennis team has done before in reaching the USTA District Playoffs of Northern California, set to begin April 15 at the Carmel Valley Ranch Resort.

The group, dubbed affectionately the Racketeers, got to the district playoffs by serving up wins against Los Gatos on March 5 and against Fremont Hills in Los Altos on March 26 after compiling a 10-4 record throughout the regular season.

Although no one on the squad is looking past the district playoffs, a much desired win there would send the Racketeers to Fresno in mid-May for their first-ever appearance in the USTA sectional playoffs.

“It’s going to be tough,” Tenczar said of going to Carmel. “We’re going to have a lot of really good competition, but we’re ready for it. We’re practicing and working out. We’re going to win.”

While all of those potential feats would serve as bragging rights for the Racketeers, they are also just happy to be out on the tennis court. More than just the spirit of competition, the women simply enjoy playing tennis and spending time with each other, talking about their families or any other number of topics that come up. Although the women are all business when an opponent lurks on the other side of the net, they also take the time to share a good laugh and feed off each other’s personalities to make things fun.

“The exercise and the camaraderie that you get from tennis, it’s so healthy and mentally good for a person,” Tenczar said. “…I’d prefer to do that than do some aerobics because I just think you can go out and have a blast. It really keeps you young.”

Home runs from Kaufmann, Osborn give Pioneer 7-4 win over Oak Grove

Michael Rudolph picks up win with 5-and-2/3 innings effort on the hill

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

Home runs from Justin Kaufmann and Brent Osborn helped the Pioneer baseball team to a 7-4 win over Oak Grove on March 29 at the Valley Christian Crown Classic.

Starting pitcher Michael Rudolph, recently converted from his previous position as an outfielder, pitched 5-and-2/3 innings for the win, allowing four runs on seven hits while striking out two and walking three.

“We were short on some arms and he’s a pleasant surprise,” said Pioneer Head Coach Jake Hernandez of Rudolph. “He came in and battled for almost six innings and he helped us out today.”

The Mustang offense got an early boost and an early lead in the second inning, scoring four runs off Eagles starter Steve Harlow.

With runners on the corners and one out, Mustangs’ centerfielder Zane Bailey knocked in the first run of the game with a single to right field, scoring catcher Eddie Hsieh from third. Later in the inning, with two outs and runners on second and third, Justin Kaufmann pulled a Harlow pitch down the left field line, a high line-drive that hugged around the left field foul pole and cleared the fence for a three-run home run, giving Pioneer an early 4-0 lead.

“I’ve been kind of struggling lately, but I just took my swing and I just tried to make contact,” said Kaufmann of his home run. “The rest just happened by itself. I’m glad I was able to help the team because we ended up winning by three runs. So actually, it made a big difference. I’m glad I could help and take advantage of my opportunities.”

The Eagles struck back in the third inning however, as Rudolph hit a batter, followed by a single and a walk, to load the bases with two outs. Eagles’ first baseman Robert Draminski then stepped up and delivered a single to left field, scoring leftfielder Steven Hop and third baseman D.J. Ulloa to cut Pioneer’s lead to 4-2.

Pioneer got one of those runs back in the fifth inning, as Hsieh delivered a two-out single to center field, scoring second baseman Danny Ventura from second base for a 5-2 lead. The inning got started when Ventura led off with a walk before first baseman Steven Muirhead dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Ventura to second.

Oak Grove’s offense wasn’t finished for the day however, as the Eagles scored twice in the sixth inning to make it a one-run game and chasing Rudolph after 5-and-2/3 innings of work on the hill.

Back-to-back singles from Kevin Vye and Greg Fuji with one out put runners at first and second for the Eagles. After a groundout moved both runners up a base, Hop helped his own cause by hitting a sharp single to right field, scoring Vye from third for a 5-3 score.

That prompted Hernandez to remove Rudolph from the game and bring in left-hander Andy Wright to close out the game for the Mustangs.

“He’s a quality pitcher now,” Kaufmann said of Rudolph. “He gets up there and just throws strikes, which is really what our defense needs.”

Facing his first batter of the game, Wright went to first on a pick-off move to keep Hop close, but Fuji unexpectedly took off for home plate on the move and scored before Muirhead’s throw reached Hsieh, cutting the Mustangs’ lead to 5-4.

The Mustangs got some insurance on offense in the sixth inning, getting a pinch-hit two-run home run from Brent Osborn to give them a three-run edge.

After Bailey drew a lead-off walk to open the sixth, Osborn stepped up and drove a pitch from reliever Tony Puentes down the left field line in almost the exact same spot as Kaufmann’s blast for a two-run home run.

“Brent was given an opportunity to pinch hit and he took full advantage of it,” Hernandez said. “That’s what I tell the guys. When you’re given an opportunity off the bench, do something to get some more time in there. He hit a ball pretty far. It’s one of the farthest ones I’ve seen hit.”

The shot gave Pioneer a 7-4 lead and gave Wright a little breathing room. Wright came out in the top of the seventh and shut the door on the Eagles’ offense for a save, allowing only a two-out walk before getting pinch hitter Steve Yodz to hit a weak chopper to the mound for the final out of the game.

Almaden Little League 1 - Mother Nature 0

Almaden Little League’s opening day a success despite fears of poor weather

Special to the Times
On March 26, Almaden Little League took on one of its toughest foes—Mother Nature—and won.

Nearly every year, official opening day ceremonies are cancelled because of bad weather. This year looked like it would be the same, but the league and its volunteers persevered and the day’s events came off without an error.

Starting about 8 a.m., all 1,000-plus players of Almaden descended upon Country School for team pictures and introductions on the outfield. A highlight was the tee ball players, ages 5-6, running the bases. Later, 8-year-old Brian Huhn sang the “Star Spangled Banner,” with the Little League pledge recited by 9-year-old Jack Pizzo.

Once the introductions were over, the fun really kicked into high gear. Two major players, 12-year-olds from each team, participated in a home run derby. Chad McCarthy of the Yankees won, with second place going to his teammate Russell Doodokyan and Justin Buller taking third place.

The rest of the day was spent enjoying the BBQ donated and put on by Big Daddy’s BBQ. The new season’s T-shirts and sweatshirts were sold, along with sno cones, cotton candy and popcorn.

There was a pitching arcade that measured the speed of pitches thrown and an inflated bouncy obstacle course.

There was actually some baseball played as well. The major field featured the Rangers and Brewers followed by the Padres and Rockies. At about 6 p.m., the day came to an end and families returned home knowing that everyone was a winner on this day.

South Valley Lacrosse offers a place to play for beginners in Bay Area

By Carla Nuemann
Special to the Times

The oldest sport in North America is gaining popularity in California and now has a new club in the south bay: South Valley Lacrosse.

Lacrosse is often described as the sport other more popular sports have borrowed from. It uses skills commonly seen in soccer, hockey and baseball. In 1988 the Northern California Junior Lacrosse Association reported a membership of 42 teams; this year there are about 425 teams, including the Chiefs, the South Valley Lacrosse team.

“It’s been a blast,” said Coach Pat Bennett. “Many of the kids had never played [lacrosse] before. They’re working hard, gaining skills and having a great time.”

Bennett, along with Tom Fedyna, goalie coach Fred Ensman, and part-time coach Brian Cheek, are the Chief’s coaching team. Cheek was the founder of the popular Bret Harte Middle School Lacrosse program.

Established in 2005, SVL is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization, created as a starting point for kids to feed into existing teams in the area (Bret Harte MS, Leland High, Pioneer High, San Jose Extreme, and the West Valley Redhawks).

“Involvement has been tremendous,” said club Manager Joy Bender. “Parents have really banded together to make this a fun club for the kids. It’s a great inaugural season.”

The Chiefs are currently comprised of 65 players on three teams: the PeeWees (second and fourth graders), the Pups (fifth and sixth graders), and a JV scrimmage team. The last group formed from an overflow of Bellarmine High School players.

Recently, the Chiefs got to play with the big boys, or at least on their field. On March 25, SVL was invited to play at the HP Pavilion during the San Jose Stealth’s half-time. The team played a quick scrimmage and displayed the skills that one day may be developed on a more professional level.

Although lacrosse is making an appearance in more and more school sports programs and community clubs, it’s still not very well known.

“What are they playing—cricket?” asked one gentleman as he walked his dog near the team’s practice field in San Jose.

The club’s next game is April 9 at Lone Hill Park (near Camden and 85) from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The team invites anyone interested in the sport (or just wants to see how lacrosse is different from cricket) to come out and watch a few games.

The club is not part of any single city or school district and accepts players of all ability levels from all cities in the South Bay. Check out SVL’s Web site for summer clinic dates, the registration deadline for the fall and general information at www.southvalleylacrosse.com or send an e-mail to joy.bender@prodigy.net.

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Do you have a sports story to share? Contact the sports department at 494-7000 x 217 or by e-mail at diego@timesmediainc.com or fax to Almaden Times Sports at 494-7078.