July 12, 2007

SPORTS

2-0 starts for Almaden All-Star teams in District 12 pool play

North versus South in game three; pitching and offense shines for both squads

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

The Almaden North and Almaden South All-Star teams kicked off pool play in the District 12 All-Star Tournament in winning fashion with two wins each.

Almaden North began pool play with a tightly contested 1-0 win over Saratoga on July 6, followed by a lopsided 10-0 victory over Quito the next day. Almaden South, meanwhile, posted a 4-0 win over Saratoga on July 7, followed by a 10-2 victory over Willow Glen on Monday, July 9.

Almaden South’s Dylan Bell gets ready to unleash a pitch during a 4-0 win over Saratoga on July 7. Photos by Diego Abeloos

The wins by both teams led to one thing—a match-up against each other on July 11. A final score of the game was not available at press time.

Prior to the start of the July 11 game, managers from both squads noted that unlike the District 12 Tournament of Champions finale, featuring Brad Rocca’s Almaden North Braves versus the Almaden South Marlins, the All-Star match-up should bear less significance, given both teams’ 2-0 starts.

“It’s not a championship game, and even if we lose, I think we still have a chance to go on,” said Rocca, the Almaden North manager. “That doesn’t mean I want to lose, naturally. We obviously want to win them all.”

“I’m telling my kids, ‘don’t look at game three as your championship. Your championship would be game six,’” Almaden South manager Dion Pizzo said. “You keep playing to get to the championship game. …This is just game three in a series of six games.”

Rocca noted that his team is poised to reach the All-Star semifinals regardless of the July 11 match-up.
“We’re 2-0 right now, so pretty much, we only need to win one out of our next two to guarantee us going on to the semifinals,” Rocca said.

Almaden South takes two
The Almaden South All-Stars kicked off District 12 pool play with a close 4-0 win over the Saratoga All-Stars. Backed by a five-inning, shutout performance from starting pitcher Dylan Bell, Almaden South managed to take an early 1-0 lead before adding a run in the bottom of the fourth on a one-out RBI single from Ryan Perry.

Almaden South added to its lead in the bottom of the fifth to put the game out of reach, loading the bases on singles from Travis Painter and Matt Brass, as well as a walk by Bell. Troy Kenyon then stepped up and drew the inning’s second walk, forcing in Painter from third for a 3-0 lead. Just a couple of pitches later, Bell came sliding in to home plate following a wild pitch, bumping the lead to 4-0.

Pizzo credited Bell’s performance on the hill, noting that the shutout effort allowed the Almaden South offense to scratch out some key runs.

“Dylan will keep us in the game when we’re not hitting,” Pizzo said of Bell. “…If the team gets off to a slow start (offensively), he allows us (time) to get things going.”

Almaden South followed the win over Saratoga with a robust 10-2 victory over Willow Glen on Monday, July 9, as the offense supplied runs quickly, including a solo home run from Painter in the second inning. Bell followed suit in the fifth, driving a two-run home run out of the park to add to Almaden South’s lead. Pizzo noted that his team’s offense has the firepower to compete in the tournament.

“Dylan Bell has the power to put it out on one pitch, so does Travis (Painter), and so does Ryan Perry,” Pizzo said. “…You sprinkle those guys throughout your lineup and if you can get a guy on base, those guys will knock him in.”

Pizzo also passed along credit to Perry, who closed out the 4-0 win over Saratoga with a scoreless sixth, before pitching five innings and allowing just two runs in the 10-2 win over Willow Glen. Pizzo noted that if Bell is the team’s ace, Perry is close behind him.

“That’s why he started the second game,” Pizzo said of Perry. “Bell would be our No.1 and Perry would be our No. 2.”

Almaden North starts out 2-0
Like Almaden South, the Almaden North All-Stars began District 12 pool play with a 2-0 record, posting a close 1-0 win over Saratoga on July 6 before taking a five-inning, 10-0 rout over Quito the following day.

Almaden South’s Ryan Perry laces an RBI single during a 4-0 win over Saratoga on July 7.

Almaden North broke through in a scoreless game against Saratoga in the bottom of the sixth, as shortstop Michael Rocca scored from second base on a walk-off, one-out single to center field from starting pitcher Ben Maxwell.

“It was back-and-forth with lots of strikeouts and lots of great defensive plays for both Saratoga and our Almaden kids,” manager Rocca said of the 1-0 win.

The game winning run helped support a stellar six-inning shutout effort on the hill by Maxwell, leading Rocca to praise his ace pitcher.

“He’s the finest pitcher we have in our league,” Rocca said of Maxwell. “There’s a reason why we (the Almaden North Braves) went undefeated.”

In stark contrast to the team’s 1-0 win, the Almaden North team posted a lopsided 10-0 win over Quito the following day in five innings. Almaden North scored early, getting four runs in the bottom of the first on an RBI single from Maxwell, followed by back-to-back home runs by Brett Nakano and Michael Bellinger.

Almaden North then closed the game out in the bottom of the fifth, scoring six runs in the inning to end the game. During the six-run outburst, Almaden North received an RBI single from Nick Bachmeier, a run-scoring sacrifice fly from Eric Caldwell, followed by a two-run home run by Matt Woodley. Maxwell later added an RBI single, before a Nakano grounder scored Maxwell from third later on to close out the game 10-0.

On the pitching front, starter Bret Hausmann picked up the win by tossing four scoreless innings, striking out 11.
“You only have so many nerves to handle those types of games,” said Rocca, referring to the team’s 1-0 win over Saratoga. “It was nice that we had a little easier time of it against the Quito team.”

Brotherly basketball duo

Leland brothers Drew and Trevor Marino playing on the same team for the first time ever

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

For brothers Drew and Trevor Marino, playing summer league hoops for Leland this summer means more than just an opportunity to polish their on-court skills. That’s because for the first time in their lives, the two brothers are playing on the same team.

Drew Marino (above) is expected to fill a leadership role with the 2007-08 Leland Chargers boys’ basketball team, while younger brother Trevor (below) is expected to learn the game at the varsity level and contribute some time on the court this coming season, according to head coach Steve Seandel. Photos by Dan Miranda

All told, both said they knew the rare chance might come around before summer league play began.

“We definitely discussed it because we knew there would be a chance that he could be playing up on varsity in basketball and when baseball season comes around too,” said Drew, an incoming senior who, like his younger brother, plays both basketball and baseball at Leland. “We thought it would be fun and be a good experience, being that this will be my last year in high school. Playing with my brother, it’s definitely neat and a good experience.”

Trevor, an incoming sophomore, said that while playing on the same team might be a new experience, competing against each other isn’t. Whether it’s a one-on-one pickup game of basketball in the driveway, or a highly contested round of whiffle ball in the backyard, both Drew and Trevor said competing against each other helps drive their competitiveness on the court, or on the baseball diamond.

“If he makes a shot, I want to make a shot the next time down the court to keep pace,” Drew said.

“We’re both really good competitors and we want to win at all costs,” Trevor added. “Whatever’s good for the team.”

Leland head coach Steve Seandel said that while both players will be on the varsity roster when the regular season begins this winter, he’s looking to Drew to provide senior leadership and be a reliable scoring option.

“We’re obviously relying on Drew to do a lot more scoring and be a little bit more of a vocal leader,” Seandel said. “I think Trevor has a chance, if his strength improves and his aggression improves, to play a lot for us. …I don’t expect Trevor to be a leader, because it’s hard to be a leader when you’re a sophomore, but I expect Drew to be a leader.”

One of the most important aspects for Trevor this summer league and during the upcoming regular season, noted Seandel, will be the sophomore’s ability to adjust to the varsity game.

“Drew’s just done it more,” Seandel said. “He knows how to play a little bit more and he’s a little stronger. Trevor’s just learning. It’s a big jump from frosh/soph and the bodies are bigger, the bodies are stronger, the bodies are faster (at the varsity level). He’s just got to get used to that.”

Still, Drew said playing with his brother has its advantages in that both players know each other’s tendencies, as well as their strengths and weaknesses on the court.

“We pretty much know what the other one’s going to do,” Drew said. “He can get the ball up the court, and I can too, so it definitely helps, knowing each other and what we like to do.”

Trevor, meanwhile, said having his older brother on the team also comes in handy when he has questions about certain aspects of the game.

“Since this is my first experience on the varsity court, sometimes even during games I’ll ask him questions on what play to run or whatever,” Trevor said.

And regardless of how much time both will be on the court at the same time this summer, Trevor and Drew said they are simply enjoying the experience together.

“We grew up playing one-on-one and now to get on the court and play on the same team, it’s a lot of fun,” Trevor said.

“It’s kind of fun,” Drew added. “…It’s the first time I’ve played with him, and being an underclassman, it’s good for him being up here. It’s good.”

Almaden’s Eric Johnson makes waves in USTA boys’ 16s

Almaden’s Eric Johnson is continuing his ascent in the United States Tennis Association Boys’ 16 rankings after winning bringing home gold by winning his age group in the USTA National Open in Long Beach, held June 30-July 4.

The win came on the heels of the Saratoga Open, where Johnson took first place in the Boys’ 16 singles and the Mixed 16 Doubles, playing against mostly local Northern California players.

Almaden’s Eric Johnson

Johnson, who previously held No. 1 rankings in USTA Norcal Boys’ 10 Singles and 12 Singles, as well as a No. 4 ranking in Boys’ 14 Singles and a No. 1 ranking in Boys’ 14 Doubles along with partner Calvin Mark of Union City, said moving into Boys’ 16 competition will allow his tennis game to blossom.

“I’m playing events that are best for growing my game for the long haul, versus just playing for ranking points,” said Johnson, who is sponsored by Prince. “When I was ranked No. 4 in 14’s, I could have played a few more events to be No. 1, but that wouldn’t have been good for the development of my game. Moving up to the next age group (16’s) was.”

Johnson, who will compete at the USTA National Clay Court Tournament later this month, as well as the USTA National Championships in San Antonio, Texas, in August, is currently ranked 20th in Norcal Boys’ 16 singles and third in doubles.

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