SPORTS

Slaton homer helps Leland to 5-1 win in regular season finale over Cardinals

Chargers get ninth seed in CCS Division I playoffs; Slaton’s big fly put him in triple-crown territory

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

Leland slugger Matt Slaton, shown here in a game earlier this season, added to his impressive 2005 stats in a 5-1 win over the Mt. Pleasant Cardinals. Slaton went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs, which tied him for first in the league in home runs while also leading the league in RBIs. Slaton finished second in the league in batting average at a .437 clip. Photo courtesy www.mikejanes.com.

The Leland baseball team finished off the regular season in style, posting a 5-1 win at home over Mt. Pleasant on May 13.

The win gave the Chargers a 14-7 record in the Mt. Hamilton Division, good for second place, along with a berth in the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs, where Leland placed with a ninth seed.

Against the Cardinals, the Chargers displayed solid efforts in pitching and offense that the team will surely need against CCS Playoff competition. Right-hander Danny Dyer threw a complete game to pick up the victory for the Chargers, allowing just one run on five hits while striking out four and walking one.

“I think we’ve won 12 out of our last 16, so we’re obviously trying to turn things around and get ready for CCS,” said Chargers Head Coach Scot Gillis. “It’s nice when you get another solid outing from Danny Dyer on the mound. He’s certainly primed and ready to go.”

On offense, the Chargers were equally effective, picking up single runs in the first, third and fifth innings before getting a two-run home run from slugger Matt Slaton in the bottom of the sixth for a little insurance.

Leland got things going in the bottom of the first on a leadoff single from Dyer, who later in the inning moved to second on a wild pitch. After a walk to Slaton put runners on first and second with two outs, catcher Andrew Kim stepped up and laced a single into the leftfield gap, scoring Dyer easily for a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom of the third, the Charger offense went to work again, getting a one-out single from shortstop Lance Gemette followed by a hit-and-run single off the bat of third baseman Kevin Battipede, putting runners on the corners. Slaton then drove Gemette in with a slow chopper to third base for a 2-0 Charger lead.

In the fifth, the Chargers added one more run, beginning with back-to-back singles from Slaton and Kim.

Centerfielder Damon Ronsvalle then stepped up and dropped down a sacrifice bunt, but a wild throw to third to nab Slaton clipped off third baseman Aaron Torres’ glove and the ball trickled into shallow left field, scoring Slaton from third.

“About six weeks ago, we made some serious adjustments at the plate,” Gillis said. “We came up with, not necessarily a new philosophy, but we’re not swinging at curveballs when we’re ahead in the count. We’re forcing the pitcher to throw more pitched and we’re teaching the guys to be more patient.”

Meanwhile, Dyer pitched effectively for the first five innings, allowing just one walk and four hits, before getting into some trouble in the sixth. A two-out double from Cardinal second baseman Aldo Madrigal was followed by a ground ball to shortstop, but Gemette bobbled the ball on the play and then threw wildly to first, with the ball going into foul territory. Madrigal scored all the way from second base on the play, giving Mt. Pleasant its’ only run of the game. For Dyer, who came into the game with a 4-4 record and a 2.82 ERA, one of the hardest parts of the game wasn’t necessarily facing opposing hitters, but the mound he pitched on.

“I’ve been going through a lot of tough mounds,” Dyer said. “Westmont has a pretty good mound with a drop that’s pretty even. Our mound is a little bit different, so the drop was something I had to get used to because I haven’t throw a game here in a while.”

The Chargers put the finishing touches on the win offensively in the bottom of the sixth, getting a two-out single from Battipede before Slaton stepped up and hit an arching liner over the high leftfield wall for his team-leading sixth home run of the season. Slaton came into the game against the Cardinals near the top of the division in batting average (.426) and first in RBIs with 27, while placing second in home runs, one behind Leigh’s Jadd Correia. Slaton’s performance against the Cardinals nearly gave the junior slugger a triple crown in the division, missing out on a batting title by only .002 while finishing tied for the lead in home runs and first in RBIs.

“He’s been a big help to us the whole year and every at-bat, we think he’s going to hit a home run or he’s going to hit something hard,” Dyer said. “…He’s helped us get this far.”

Leland volleyball wins round one against Valley Christian in CCS

Chargers’ season ends two days later with 3-1 loss to Bellarmine in round two

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

Leland senior Sam Lee registered a team-high 12 kills for the Chargers volleyball team in a convincing 3-0 first-round CCS playoff win over Valley Christian on May 12.

The Chargers’ season ended all too soon however, as the team dropped its second-round match to Bellarmine College Prep on May 14 by scores of 25-18, 22-25, 25-17 and 25-22.

Coming into the contest on May 12, Leland was the projected favorite with a No.4 seed in the playoff picture, compared to Valley Christian’s 13th seeding. Nevertheless, Leland Head Coach Jason Hilbert was wary of starting out the first round against an opponent from the West Catholic Athletic League.

“The guys were excited but they know that playing West Catholic (Athletic League) teams is always tough,” Hilbert said. “They (the Chargers) needed to prove their seeding. Leland ranked No.4, that’s happened only once before.”

The Chargers jumped out quickly in the match, taking a 25-16 win in game one over the Warriors. During game one, the Chargers were matched point-for-point in the early stages before gradually pulling away with a short 7-2 scoring run to take a 13-8 lead. Lee contributed often in the early stages of game one, knocking down four kills and registering a tip, while also getting some offensive support from teammate Tommy Phan. Phan helped the Chargers to their 13-8 lead with a pair of kills before serving up an ace for Leland’s 13th point of the game.

“That’s why Sam Lee is team captain and that’s why Sam Lee gets all the honors and awards that he does,” Hilbert said of Lee’s play. “He is an amazing player and he was just on fire. Nothing was going to stop him.”
Later in game one, the Warriors bounced back to make it a four-point game 18-14, only to see the Chargers end the game on a 7-2 run to take a 25-16 win.

Although the Chargers took game one on convincing fashion, games two and three were the polar opposite, with both teams trailing close and trading leads the rest of the way.

The Chargers started out game two with a convincing 9-3 lead on a pair of kills from Scott Lucas and one more from Lee, holding at least a three-point lead throughout the first half of the game.

“Our setters (Chris Hong and Boris Sanchez) set it really well today, and so that was the reason why we got good looks,” Lee said of the offense in the early stages of game two.

Down 18-12 to the Chargers, the Warriors bounced back to tie things up with a 6-0 run, getting a pair of kills from Drew Larson along the way. The Warriors continued to build on their momentum by eventually taking a 22-20 lead on a short 4-2 run.

The Chargers proved to be resilient however by ending game two on a 5-1 scoring run for a close 25-23 win.

Leland got the offense it needed to overcome the small two-point lead on tips from Derrick Truong and Lucas while also getting a kill from Jonathan Luu. The Chargers were also able to take advantage of a pair of Warriors errors during the run, as Valley Christian’s Mark VanElderen knocked one kill attempt into his own net while another attempt sailed well out of bounds for Leland points.

“We had a little dry spell, but the guys know how to play,” Hilbert said of the comeback in game two. “They’ve played tough teams and they know how to come back. They know what it takes to win.”

Like game two, the third and final game of the match proved to be a nail-biting experience for the Chargers.

Neither team was able to grab more than a one-point lead in the early going of game three until the Chargers were able to put together a short 4-1 run to take a 21-18 advantage. Throughout the first half of game three, the Chargers got offensive support from Lucas, who registered a pair of tips and a kill.

“Our defense started stepping up, digging a lot of balls because they had a huge outside hitter (VanElderen) who we really couldn’t defend,” Phan said.

The Warriors bounced back once more and went on modest 3-1 run to make it a one-point game once more at 22-21, getting a kill from Larson and a block from Jeremy Georges on a Lee kill attempt.

The Chargers finally took game three—and a first-round win—by going on a 3-0 stretch the rest of the way, getting points on kill attempts from Truong and Lee that were tipped out of bounds by Warrior defenders before a wayward set by Valley Christian on the final point gave the Chargers the win.

High School Sports Schedule May 20 - May 26

Leland High School
Saturday – Baseball CCS Division I playoffs quarterfinal round at Valley Christian, time TBA
Saturday – Softball CCS Division II playoffs quarterfinal round, time and place TBA
Saturday – Track and field CCS semifinals at San Jose City College, 9:30 a.m. for field events; 11 a.m. for running events

Wednesday – Baseball CCS Division I playoffs semifinal round at San Jose Municipal Stadium, time TBA

Pioneer High School
Saturday – Track and field CCS semifinals at San Jose City College, 9:30 a.m. for field events; 11 a.m. for running events
Saturday – Baseball CCS Division II playoffs quarterfinal round at Washington Park, time TBA

Thursday – Baseball CCS Division II playoffs semifinal round at San Jose Municipal Stadium, time 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 10
Leland golf 10th- place finish with 400 score at North Regional CCS playoffs
Leland girls’ lacrosse 9-7 loss vs. Menlo School at Peninsula playoffs

May 11
Pioneer golf 8th-place finish with 409 score at North Regional CCS playoffs
Pioneer baseball 5-2 win at Evergreen Valley

Leland softball 7-0 win at Pioneer
Leland baseball 10-7 win at Branham

May 12
Leland softball 1-0 win vs. Mt. Pleasant

May 13
Leland softball 1-0 loss at Oak Grove

Sports Briefs

Almaden Ladybugs host 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.     

Bay Area TPX Top 96 High School Invitational Baseball Showcase June 3-4
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 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.

Citywide Youth Track Meet set for this weekend
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 at 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 holds 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 welcomes athletes to San Jose event
Multi-disability athletes are encouraged to compete at the upcoming 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, which includes 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.

Leland girls’ volleyball camp for grades 4-8
The Leland girls’ volleyball team invites girls in grades four through eight to sign up for the Leland girls’ volleyball camp, held at Leland High School from May 31 through June 3 from 4-6 p.m. The camp will be instructed by the Leland girls’ volleyball team and its staff. Girls with all levels of playing ability are welcome to join the fun.

The cost for the camp is $50, with all proceeds going to Leland High School girls’ volleyball. To register early, please sign up at the Leland School Bank.

Mustangs walk home with win

Pioneer tops Prospect 11-1 in season-ending game

By Carl Ponzio
Times Intern

The Pioneer Mustangs wrapped up the regular season on May 12, taking advantage of some free bases and beating Prospect 11-1 in five innings in the regular season finale.

It was a short game for the Mustangs (22-6, 17-1) in their victory over the Panthers (11-12, 9-9). However, it appeared that Prospect was burning the candle on both ends. Sending in three relievers, the Panthers gave up 10 walks before the Mustang bats came to life in the fourth inning. With the division title already in hand, the Mustangs are preparing themselves for a long-awaited C.C.S. playoffs.  

“We came out focused and we took advantage of their mistakes,” said Pioneer Head Coach Jake Hernandez. “We got key hits at key times.”

The action got started in the bottom of the first after Pioneer starting pitcher Andy Wright retired the top of Prospect’s order. Things got started in the bottom half of the first when Andrew Schulz reached first on a walk. On the next play, Schulz rounded second and stopped at third after Zane Bailey hit a double to centerfield. Steve Matos then drove a fly ball to centerfield, giving Schulz enough time to tag up and give the Mustangs the early 1-0 lead.  

Wright made short work of Prospects’ No. 4, 5 and 6 hitters. After striking out Prospect starting pitcher Jonathan Eseroma, Wright got Tim Maag and Scott Skinner to hit routine fly balls to end the inning. It wasn’t until there was one out in the top of the third that Wright gave up his first hit. Junior Jerry Rock hit a shot into shallow center field. However, Wright retired the next two batters to end the inning.

“…Our pitcher kept them off the bases,” said Hernandez of Wright.

The Pioneer offense went back to work, as Eseroma gave up back-to-back walks to Matos and Hsieh in the top third after retiring Bailey. Junior Nik Mitchell relieved Eseroma with one out and two men on base. After Matos stole third, Mike Kaufmann hit a single to right field, driving in Matos for a 2-0 lead.

“We were only up two runs and we knew we couldn’t sit on two runs. We stepped it up a notch and we put the ball in play and put some pressure on them,” said Hernandez.

The action in the bottom of the fourth began with a single to left field by Brent Osborn. After Justin Kaufmann made the first out of the inning, Andrew Schulz hit a single left of the mound, advancing Osborn. Junior Chris Cucchiara stepped in and relieved Mitchell. Cucchiara then walked Bailey and hit Matos and Hsieh with pitches, allowing Osborn and Schulz to walk in two runs. With the score 4-0, Mike Kaufmann stepped into the box and hit a booming double to deep centerfield bringing in three to make it a 7-0.

“It was a fastball, and I was sitting on a fastball and I got it,” said Mike Kaufmann of his three run shot. “…It was good to hit the ball well today and get momentum going.”

Picking up where they left off, the Mustangs continued to score with relative ease. After his double, Mike Kaufmann stole third before Prospect got Ventura out at first. Michael Schulz then stepped up to the plate and hit a single to shallow left, bringing in Mike Kaufmann and extending the Mustang lead to 8-0.

After a single by Osborn, Cucchiara threw a wild pitch to Justin Kaufmann, advancing Schulz and Osborn. Cucchiara then walked Justin Kaufmann before being replaced by Hutcherson. With a chance to extend the lead even more, Andrew Schulz came to the plate with the bases loaded and hit the ball to shallow left, but Skinner was there to make the grab and end the inning.

Wright got into some trouble in the top of the fifth. With two outs and two men on base, Wright threw a wild pitch and advanced the runners. A pitch hit junior David Morgan, loading the bases. Nichols was hit after Morgan which brought in Rock to make the score 7-1. Osborn relieved Wright and finished the inning before any more runs were scored. Wright finished the game only allowing two hits.

“I had a few walks, hit a few people, and that’s what really bothers me,” said Wright.

Juull came on in relief after Hutcherson loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth. A single to shallow right by Jon Silva brought in Robbie Nelson making the score 9-1. Ryan Gall finished the game with a base hit up the third baseline bringing in two and finalizing the score 11-1.

The Mustangs finish their season at the top of the Santa Teresa division. One year earlier, the Mustangs missed the playoffs by “one at bat” according to Hernandez. The Mustangs will practice three days before going into the playoffs.

“It’s been a long time coming. 17-1, it’s been a great league season and hopefully we can carry that into the playoffs,” said Hernandez.

Blossom Valley Athletic League track championships

Top nine finishers for Leland and Pioneer

Leland boys
1600 – Stephen Matsuoka, 8th place finish with 4 minutes, 48.31 seconds
Triple jump – Philip Petro, 9th place finish with 41 feet, 6 1/2 inches

Leland girls
4x100 – 5th place with 52.02 seconds
100 hurdles – Kikita Fkiaras, 7th place with 16.43 seconds
400 – Danielle Ott, 8th place with 1 minute, 3.84 seconds
100 – Samantha Peters, 6th place (tied) with 13.26 seconds
800 – Connie Wang, 3rd place with 2 minutes, 26.24 seconds
300 hurdles – Kikita Fkiaras, 2nd place with 47.12 seconds
4x400 – 7th place with 4 minutes, 24.72 seconds

Quote from the coach:
“Those kids have been great … this year has been a character-building year for the team. The team should come back strong again next season.”
– Leland Head Coach Jerry Rose

Pioneer boys
4x100 – 7th place with 45.52 seconds
1600 – Steven DeLay, 7th place with 4 minutes, 46.93 seconds
110 hurdles – Drew McReynolds, 5th place with 16.23 seconds
100 – Collin McCarthy, 7th place with 11.40 seconds; J.J. Goulden 9th place with 11.44 seconds
300 hurdles – Drew McReynolds, 5th place with 42.18 seconds
Discus – Rolando Gomez, 1st place with 171 feet; Jason Wetzel 5th place with 135 feet, 4 inches
Long jump – J.J. Goulden, 5th place with 20 feet, 5 1/2 inches

Pioneer girls
4x100 – 4th place with 51.85 seconds
400 – Camille Brown, 3rd place with 59.25 seconds
300 hurdles – Marissa Silver, 7th place with 49.07 seconds
200 – Camille Brown, 7th with 26.73 seconds
4x400 – 5th place with 4 minutes, 22.44 seconds

Quote from the coach:
“It was a good year. We came in second in the boys and third in the girls (in league) … We competed really well all year and I’m really proud of the kids.”
– Pioneer Head Coach Mark Krail

McFarland throws one-hitter as Longhorns beat Willow Glen 1-0

Longhorns draw No. 3 seed in CCS Division I playoff picture

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

The Leigh baseball team got a pleasant surprise from one of its own on May 11.

Pitcher Blake McFarland, who drew a starting assignment to give the rest of the pitching staff some rest as the team prepares for Central Coast Section playoffs, tossed a one-hit shutout against the Willow Glen Rams in a 1-0 win for the Longhorns.

“Being a junior, I wanted him to get a little bit of confidence hopefully, coming into next season and gave him a chance to pitch,” said Leigh Head Coach Noe Ochoa. “He did a great job today.”

McFarland went through the Willow Glen batting order with little trouble, allowing only a third-inning single from Rams rightfielder Eddie Romo while walking two through seven innings and striking out five. McFarland’s most laborious inning came in the fifth, when the Rams’ Jose Torres drew a leadoff walk before finding his way to third with two outs. McFarland got out of the slight jam when he induced leftfielder Eric Walberg into a routine popup in foul territory near third base, with teammate Brian Wendt making the catch to end the threat and keep the game scoreless.

“It was a nice chance to show them what I can do,” McFarland said. “Hopefully we’ll have a good team next year.”

The Longhorn offense, quiet for most of the game, found life in the bottom half of the same inning, getting a two-out infield single from second baseman Andy Holloway to get things going. Holloway then promptly stole second base and scooted over to third on the play when Willow Glen catcher Will Robinson threw the ball wildly into center field. Rightfielder Darren Gobin, who came into the game second on the team with a .404 batting average, then stepped up and laced a single to center field, scoring Holloway easily from third for a 1-0 lead.

“I just knew he (Tom) was going to throw something off-speed, so I just let it get deep and did what I do best,” Gobin said.

The lone run was an unusual occurrence for the Longhorns, who routinely field a lineup with four hitters owning averages over .360.

“We were kind of a little flat,” Ochoa said of the offense. “We’ve hit a lot better. They were just flat.”

From that point on, McFarland proceeded to set the Rams down in order in the top of the sixth with two routine fly balls and one groundout. In the seventh, McFarland put the finishing touches on the win, striking out the first two batters before allowing a walk to Torres. With pinch hitter Jason Jeffries at the plate, McFarland worked the count full before ending the game with a strike-three call.

For the Longhorns, the regular season ended two days later versus Branham with an 11-3 win, but the post-season was still just around the corner. The Longhorns took the Mt. Hamilton Division title with a 20-6 overall record and a 17-4 in the division. The Longhorns’ record earned the team a third seed in the Division I CCS playoffs.

Monsees sails to CCS title—twice

Leland, Pioneer respectable in swim finals

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

Leland’s Courtney Monsees paced the field in Saturday’s CCS swim finals at Stanford.

The sophomore accounted for approximately 48 of Leland’s 80 points, en route to a 12th place finish for the Chargers and two individual titles—in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle lanes—for Monsees.

The results included an unlikely jaunt to the podium following the 200-yard event. Savior Monsees drowned demons of her past, surging past Evergreen Valley’s Jamie Martinez, a familiar foe since neighborhood club competition, to win outright. Last season it was Martinez who basked in championship light.

“It was really exciting,” said Monsees. “It’s a great feeling to get to firsts at CCS. I definitely wasn’t sure what to expect going in. Jamie and I swam against each other since we were 10 years old. And last year she won.”

Yet nobody flinched as Monsees assumed her perennial stance as the section’s top 500-yard freestyler. The results qualified her for All-American status, the second time in as many tries—and as many years since Monsees left middle school.

For Leland, Monsees extended a proud tradition, adding an approximated 48th All-American time to the list of Charger luminaries, according to Leland girls Coach Mike Haake.

Leland senior Casey Armstrong finished her career at wave’s crest. The UCSD-bound swimmer and water polo player drowned her personal record in the 100-yard breaststroke event, in addition to her duties on relay teams.

Armstrong’s 1:13.59 minute time in the 100-yard race landed a 17th place finish, one slot from the finals.

“Casey is absolutely the best kid,” said Haake. “So many kids today think swimming is a part-time deal. Casey is what I allude to as a rare breed of dedicated athlete.

The Lady Charger show saved Leland’s reputation amongst swim aficionados. While the girls repeated as Blossom Valley Athletic League, Mount Hamilton Division Champions in 2005, the boys suffered a windy campaign following the departure of several key seniors from last year.

“We’ve got a really young team,” said Coach Mike Monsees, whose son Zac deserted the Chargers for U.C.

Berkeley this season. “But we still qualified relays for CCS and posted our best times of the season.

Senior Brian Kane teamed with junior John Pavlovich and sophomores Max Devrussian and Raymond LaRochelle to finish the 400-yard freestyle relay in 3:30.55 minutes. The mark was good for a 24th place finish, ahead of 38, where they arrived.

“We’re absolutely excited about next year,” said Monsees. “We’ll be traveling some with the water polo team over the summer, and it’s just one of those sports that cross over. The two help each other out.”

Mustang madness
The Pioneer girls made waves finishing number 23 in the section, based largely on the performance of sensational freshman Cara Simpson, while the boys’ showed in limited numbers.

Freshman Simpson reached consolation brackets in both the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke events. Mustang Coach Gordy Smith is convinced that Simpson’s early results are just a glimpse of what her potential holds.

“I was very pleased,” said Smith, who doubles duty as girls’ water polo coach. “We have a very talented group of freshman this year, and we expect to gain some more over the summer.”

Simpson broke a long-standing school record in the 50-yard freestyle race earlier this season, and will set her sights on more next year.

Pioneer also relished success in its girls’ 200-yard free relay Saturday. Simpson, junior April Ham, sophomore Taylor Feezor and senior Angela Ngyuen rounded out the line-up that finished number 14 in the section.

Junior Kevin Zondervan lugged Pioneer’s torch on the boys’ side, competing in the 100-yard freestyle event. His time of 57.17 seconds was good enough to place 20th overall.

“We competed in all six relays between the boys and girls,” said Smith, who’s Mustangs overachieved at CCS, following a second place finish at the Blossom Valley Athletic League, Santa Teresa Division finals several weeks ago. “Our kids are actually looking at what is takes to make finals. It was a great year for us in that sense experience-wise.”

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