SPORTS

Lady Chargers shut out Mustangs in Leland’s final home game

By Carl Ponzio
Times Intern

Leland’s Kellee Quane, shown here in a picture earlier this season, is one of many players helping the Chargers to an 8-6 overall record and an 8-5 record in the Peninsula Athletic League. The Chargers shut out neighborhood rival Pioneer 15-0 on May 3. Photo courtesy www.mikejanes.com

The Leland girls’ lacrosse team executed an all-out attack on their rivals from Pioneer, scoring at will as the Chargers racked up a 15-0 win against the Mustangs on May 3.

After suffering a 9-8-overtime loss at the hands of Pioneer on April 8, the ladies of Leland were ready to show the Mustangs what they were really made of. Scoring quickly and putting the game out of Pioneer’s reach, the Chargers took control of their early advantage and never looked back. When the bullhorn sounded, Leland had captured its first shutout and caught a glimpse of the post-season.

“I think we were mentally prepared to come into this game, where last time we weren’t as ready,” said Leland Head Coach Becky Crozier. “…This time we prepared ourselves to play a game to our ability level.”

Jumping on top of Pioneer early, Leland established a comfortable five-goal lead early in the first half. The Chargers relentless attack had Akasha Perez, Pioneer’s sophomore goalkeeper, under constant pressure for the entire first half of play. The Chargers found the net four more times before the half concluded. Sitting pretty at a 9-0 lead, the Chargers pulled senior Hilary Gardner from the net.

Crozier explained that pulling Gardner is standard procedure. “We try to give everyone playing time.”

A four-goal run in the beginning of the second half shut the door on the Mustangs. However, Leland didn’t slow down despite their 13-0 lead. The Chargers took shots at Pioneer’s back-up goalkeeper after Perez was taken out of the net late in the second half. Perez let 13 shots get past her and blocked 18 clean shots-on-goal before she took her helmet off. The Chargers managed to score two more points before time expired. Melanie Nimori finished the game as Leland’s leading scorer with six goals.

“It was nice to finish the year on our field in such a dramatic win,” said Gardner.

There was a lot of drama after the Chargers (8-6, 8-5) took their gear off and the Mustangs (1-14, 1-12) walked off the field. Leland broke out in a celebration of pictures and goodies commemorating the seniors’ last home game and the accomplishments the team has made this season.

As the season comes to an end, the Chargers are looking to the postseason. Leland is believed to be the in the No. 2 spot of the top four teams in the Peninsula Athletic League that make it to the playoffs. The league standings are a bit sketchy because of the rain that has delayed a number of games around the league.

There is no MVP for the Chargers this season; rather than recognize one person, an entire group is being recognized this season. Crozier said that her group seniors have definitely contributed to the team this year.

Some of them stood out through scoring, some through transitions and others through goalkeeping.

The Mustangs are also pleased with where they are at as the season comes to an end. The improvements have been, “ridiculous” since Pioneer’s first game of the season according to Head Coach Kristin Rivers.

“Every official and every coach has commented on just how amazingly they (Pioneer) have improved,” said Rivers.

“…The vast majority of them had never even picked up a stick or even knew what they looked before this season.”

Rivers said that she truly feels that the Mustangs are doing great. They have passion for the game and while they may not have had a break-out first season, they are all winners.

Team spirit and cooperation is key to constructing a new team, and freshman Micaela Heyden’s desire to pass the ball and include everyone on the Mustangs has stood out this season. Most of the Mustangs are picking up on Heyden’s spirit, with two-thirds of the team returning next year the Mustangs should be able to carry that spirit into next season.

“I think the game today was really fun and we played our hardest. The defense was awesome,” said Heyden.

Check-swing single ruins day for Chargers in 2-1 loss at Westmont

Leland drops to third in Mt. Hamilton before regaining second place after blowout win versus Willow Glen

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

The Mt. Hamilton Baseball Division race got a little more interesting after the Leland Chargers dropped a close 2-1 loss at Westmont on May 4.

Coming into the rain-drenched contest, the Chargers found themselves in a three-way tie for second place in the division with Westmont and Santa Teresa. Upon leaving Westmont with a loss, the Chargers dropped a game back into third place along with Santa Teresa, which lost a 5-2 decision to Leigh on the same day.

As for the 2-1 loss, the Chargers scored their only run early on a two-out double from third baseman Kevin Battipede in the top of the first inning. On the hill, Danny Dyer pitched effectively for much of the game, allowing just four hits through his first five innings of work before getting into trouble in the sixth.

Westmont starter Ryan Magana, who picked up the win for the Warriors, limited the Chargers to just one run on three hits throughout seven innings of work, despite seven walks.

“I thought we had pretty quality at-bats,” Leland Head Coach Scot Gillis said. “The timely hitting wasn’t there for us today.”

With the Chargers still up 1-0, Dyer went to work in the bottom of the sixth and promptly hit Westmont’s D.J. Jackman with a pitch, putting a runner at first with one out.

Westmont starting pitcher Ryan Magana followed with an infield single behind the bag at third base, putting runners on first and second, before Dillon Tindall stepped up and during his at-bat, tried to check his swing on a Dyer pitch. However, Dyer’s pitch found Tindall’s bat, resulting in a check-swing single over Leland first baseman Logan Foos that landed in shallow right field, scoring Jackman and tying the game 1-1.

After the game-tying hit, Steven Brady stepped up and quickly dropped down a squeeze bunt, with Magana barreling down the third baseline on the play. The bunt went to the right side of the infield near the pitcher’s mound, scoring Magana easily for a 2-1 Westmont lead.

“It was a pretty simple call to make,” Westmont Head Coach John Salberg said of the squeeze play. “I knew the minute we were there that we were going to make that (call). We worked on that in practice but you have to have the right opportunities in order to do a play like that. We had the right guys in the right place.”

The Charger offense made things interesting in the top of the seventh for Magana as well. Matt Slaton got the offense rolling with a one-out single to center field and was removed from the game after reaching base in favor of pinch runner Nate Jones. After a single from Battipede put runners on first and second, Dyer stepped up and hit a low, sinking liner to center field that had all the looks of a base hit. But Westmont centerfielder Ryan Kanzaki made a headlong dive on the play and came up with the ball for an out, with Jones running all the way past third base on the play. Kanzaki then ended the game for the Warriors by trotting into the infield and stepping on second base, doubling Jones off.

“He actually made the perfect read,” Gillis said of Jones. “What I mean by that is that he needs to score to tie the game. That’s a line drive to centerfield; if he hesitates and the ball drops, he’s not going to score … it took (Kanzaki) to make a diving catch to double him up. If (Kanzaki) short-hops that ball, we’re going to score and tie the game.”

Leland’s position in third place didn’t last long however. The Chargers bounced back from the 2-1 loss to take a convincing 18-8 win over Willow Glen on May 6, scoring 14 runs in the first three innings of play. Coupled with a 9-5 win from Santa Teresa over Oak Grove and a 3-2 loss at Leigh for Westmont, all three teams ended the week right where they started—in second place.

High School Sports Schedule May 13 - May 19

Leland High School
Friday – Baseball vs. Mt. Pleasant, 3:30 p.m.
Friday – Softball at Oak Grove, 3:30 p.m.
Friday – Swimming CCS preliminaries at Stanford, 11 a.m.

Saturday – Diving CCS finals at Stanford, 9:30 a.m.
Saturday – Swimming CCS finals at Stanford, 1 p.m.
Saturday – Boys’ volleyball CCS quarterfinals at Santa Clara High, time TBA
Saturday – Boys’ lacrosse PAL finals at Menlo-Atherton, time TBA
Saturday – Girls’ lacrosse PAL finals, time and place TBA

Tuesday – Boys’ volleyball CCS semifinals at Santa Clara High, time TBA

Wednesday – Softball CCS playoffs begin, times and dates TBA
Wednesday – Baseball CCS playoffs begin, times and dates TBA
Wednesday – Badminton CCS playoffs begin, times and dates TBA

Thursday – Boys’ volleyball CCS finals at Santa Clara High, 7 p.m.

Pioneer High School
Friday – Softball at Westmont, 3:30 p.m.
Friday – Swimming CCS preliminaries at Stanford, 11 a.m.

Saturday – Diving CCS finals at Stanford, 9:30 a.m.
Saturday – Swimming CCS finals at Stanford, 1 p.m.

Wednesday – Softball CCS playoffs begin, times and dates TBA
Wednesday – Baseball CCS playoffs begin, times and dates TBA
Wednesday – Badminton CCS playoffs begin, times and dates TBA

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

High School Scoreboard

May 2
Pioneer golf CCS qualifier first-place 404 (Alex Hunt medals with 76 round) at San Jose Municipal

Leland baseball 3-0 win vs. Santa Teresa

May 3
Pioneer baseball 3-1 loss vs. Piedmont Hills

May 4
Leland softball 3-2 loss at Westmont

May 5
Pioneer boys’ volleyball 25-15, 30-28, 25-15 win at Gunderson
Pioneer badminton 8-7 win vs. Live Oak

Leland badminton 11-4 loss at Westmont
Leland boys’ tennis 5-2 win vs. Aptos in First Round of CCS Playoffs
Leland boys’ track seventh-place finish at Mt. Hamilton Division championships
Leland girls’ track fifth-place finish at Mt. Hamilton Division championships

May 6
Pioneer softball 3-0 win vs. Santa Teresa
Pioneer boys’ track third-place finish at Santa Teresa Division championships
Pioneer girls’ track third-place finish at Santa Teresa Division championships
Pioneer girls’ lacrosse 16-3 loss at Menlo-Atherton

Leland boys’ tennis 6-1 loss vs. Palo Alto in CCS quarterfinals

Sports Briefs

Almaden Ladybugs hold 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, Linda Urzi (408) 723-0928.     

San Jose to host Citywide Youth Track Meet
The City of San Jose, Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services and the San Jose Police Amateur Athletic Association are sponsoring a free track and field meet for boys and girls ages 9-14 on Sunday, May 22 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Evergreen Valley High School track, located on 3300 Quimby Road in San Jose.

Track events include the 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 meter, and 4 x 100 meter relay. Field events include the standing long jump and softball throw. Group one is for athletes born between 1995-1996; group two is for athletes born between 1993-1994; and group three is for athletes born between 1991-1992.

The event is a qualifier meet for the Nor Cal Hershey State Track and Field Meet Saturday, June 18, at San Jose City College, and is a stop on the road to the National Meet in Hershey, Pa.

Pre-registration is encouraged but not required. To obtain more information and registration forms, call the Citywide Sports Office at (408) 369-3900. Registration will also be accepted on the day of the event between 8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.

Almaden Quicksilver holds soccer tryouts
Almaden Quicksilver Class 3, U12 girls, is holding tryouts for spring/fall season every Tuesday and Thursday. Date of birth must be after 7/31/93. Contact John (408) 323-8768 or john@politoski.com.

Central Valley Edge youth soccer tryouts
CV Edge, a Class 3/U17 girls’ soccer team, is offering Monday/Wednesday tryouts to girls born after 7/31/88 for the fall season for all positions. Contact Patty Rashid (408) 267-2740 or Afsari at (650) 771-6213 for more information.

Multi-Disability Meet comes to San Jose
Multi-disability athletes are encouraged to compete at Far West Games to earn points for U.S. national competitions. The City of San Jose Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services and Far West Wheelchair Sports sponsor this multi-sport, multi-disability meet. Events include boccia, track and field, aquatics, and 3-on-3 basketball.

The events will be held Thursday, May 19 through Saturday, May 21. Other events include a boccia clinic May 21, 4-6 p.m. at San Jose City College, 2100 Moorpark Ave.; the boccia and pentathlon from 6-9 p.m.; the 5000 meter event 6:30-7:30 p.m.; field events May 22 from 9 a.m-12:30 p.m.; track events 2-7 p.m.; and on May 23 at Camden Community Center, 3369 Union Avenue, San Jose, the 3-on-3 basketball event 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; and swimming 2-6 p.m.

Youths and adults with disabilities may participate. The cost is free for spectators. Competitors must pay a $60 registration fee to participate.

Leland High School Spirit Squad hosts Junior Spirit Camp June 20-24
“Give me an L!” Leland Junior Spirit Camp is set for June 20-24 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Leland High School Quad, 6677 Camden Ave, San Jose, for students entering K-8 in fall of 2005. Age-appropriate cheers and routines. Daily snacks provided. Space is limited so sign up early. Early-bird registration of $100 ends June 1.
All participants invited to perform at a Leland High School football game.

Participants should wear comfortable clothing and shoes appropriate for athletics. Light jacket or sweater in case of cool weather (labeled with name) and bring a water bottle (labeled with name). Wear your sunscreen!

For more information on Leland Junior Spirit Camp, contact Angelica Niklowitz (408) 268-5549 or e-mail aniklowitz@yahoo.com.

Traveling Norcal Grizzlies select three lacrosse players from Leland

Chen, Mason, and Jones to compete in Vail

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

Despite lackluster results in league, Leland landed a whopping three athletes on Northern California’s premier traveling lacrosse outfit for amateurs, the Norcal Grizzlies.

Charger sophomore Justin Chen joins junior Gentry Jones and senior Andrew Mason in the lore of local lacrosse legend following a tryout at Monte Vista High School in Danville.

The Chargers crept to a 4-10 record in Peninsula Athletic League play this year; however, area coaches marveled at the skills the Leland boys brought to try out.

“Leland produces strong athletes,” said Grizzlies Head Coach Adam Lechner. “These three guys beat out the candidates from schools that may have better programs, and that’s a testament as to the quality of coaching and quality of players out there.”

Lechner selected Chen and his cohorts out of approximately 150 players offered by 55 local high school coaches as the finest talent in their respective programs. They vied for 56 slots on two Grizzly squads, the under-17s and under-19s.

The teams will compete in Vail, Colo., this summer, hoping to better sixth and fourth place finishes last year.

“I predict that we are going to win the Vail tournament,” espoused Lechner. “This is probably the strongest team that we have fielded. In years past we have been very strong in certain areas and weaker in others. Not this year. I am very happy with our chances.”

To win, the Grizzlies must beat grisly teams from all over the country, namely those hailing from the East Coast and host Colorado. Lacrosse is just jutting from promiscuity in California, where the sport is young.

“Lacrosse in California is about where it was 15 years ago in Boston,” said Mike Sheridan, who coached the Grizzlies last season and operates prominent lacrosse apparel store ‘Sling It’ in Mountain View. “We’re starting to see less of a gap between younger kids that compete from different areas. But at 17 and 19, lacrosse is still brand new to kids in California, where as kids in Boston and Colorado grew up on the sport.”

The selection was Mason’s second. He competed on the under 17s a year ago, and will embark on his farewell tour with the Grizzlies this summer, before packing for Sonoma State in the fall.

“Mason is a very strong athlete,” said Lechner. “He has a great field sense, and we already knew that his stick skills were exceptional based on his performance last year. That’s what sets him apart in a tryout with so many kids out there.”

Midfielder Mason led Leland in scoring with 48 goals this season.

“We counted on Andrew for four or five goals per game,” said Leland coach Iliad Rodriguez.
Jones’ largest asset is his strength.

“Gentry is quite aggressive,” said Rodriguez. “He gets ground balls, and when the ball’s in his sling, he’s almost unstoppable on the fast break. He also faces off well.”

According to Lechner, Jones demonstrated composure at tryouts.

“He is very comfortable on the field,” said Lechner. “He seems to know what he’s doing and also what the other players around him are going to do. He can pick apart a defense.”

Sophomore Chen is one of the youngest players on the team, and fresh to the attacker position. Coaches credit his natural ability and mental threshold.

“Justin knows when to move the ball and when to challenge somebody,” said Rodriguez. “The most impressive thing about him is his control. Even when he beats somebody, he maintains the frame of mind to look for the open man.”

Lechner noted Chen’s exceptional stick skills as well, specifically his ability to protect the ball.

“That may be the most important skill with the competition we‘re going up against,” said Lechner, of protecting the ball.

The Grizzlies leave for Vail in June.

For more information please visit www.leaguelineup.com/teamnorcal.

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