SPORTS

South edges North 18-16 in Wedemeyer all-star game

South scores twice in fourth quarter on TD runs for win

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

For the seniors on the field, the 31st Annual Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football Game meant only one thing. It would be the last time any of them would play in a high school football game.

The South team gets into a huddle before the start of the 31st Annual Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football Game at San Jose City College on July 20. The South won the game 18-16 on two fourth-quarter touchdowns. Photo by Dan Miranda

So it came as little surprise that the all-star showcase, played at San Jose City College on July 20, saw fourth-quarter heroics in an 18-16 win for the South team.

Trailing the North squad 16-12, the South, comprised of senior players mainly from San Jose schools, drove the ball 72 yards on 11 plays, culminating in a one-yard touchdown run by Steven Pinon of Piedmont Hills with 2:12 left to take a two-point lead.

“We came through in the fourth quarter,” said Pioneer’s Steve Matos, who played guard for the South. “It was the biggest quarter of the game, but we came through.”

The South took the ball at its own 28 and quickly made it near midfield on a 15-yard pass from Branham’s T.J. DeStefano to Live Oak’s Shaun Standridge to the 48. Lincoln’s Raul Figueroa opened the drive with a five-yard run.

The key play of the drive and the game came with the South seemingly stuck at the North 42 on fourth-and-12. DeStefano took the snap and tossed a lateral to Santa Teresa’s Marlon Rosales, who heaved a pass downfield and found, among a crowd of defenders, the outstretched arms of Piedmont Hills’ Terrence Critchlow for a 34-yard completion.

With a first-and-goal at the North eight, the South then handed the ball off twice to Mt. Pleasant’s Hasaan Jackson for four yards before Pinon took two straight handoffs, one for three yards and the latter handoff on fourth-and-inches, resulting in a one-yard touchdown run.

“First of all, nobody gave us a chance,” said Pioneer Head Coach Mark Krail, who served as head coach for the South squad. “Everybody thought this was the North’s year to stop the South and so we played on that a little bit. Our guys just played a great game. It was 100 percent team effort. I told them yesterday, I said, ‘You’re not an all-star team, you’re a team.’ There were 45 guys who believed in each other and you know, that carried us.”

Prior to the game-winning drive, the South put together a scoring drive that began with 2:34 to go in the third quarter, advancing the ball 74 yards on nine plays for a touchdown from Oak Grove’s Burton Iosefa, who tucked the ball and ran for the score from four yards out, cutting the North’s lead from 16-6 to 16-12 with 10:37 to go in the game.

Yerba Buena quarterback David Andrade opened up the drive by connecting on consecutive passes to Richie Martin (a Yerba Buena teammate) for seven yards and Pinon for another two yards. Rosales then took a handoff from Andrade and scrambles 46 yards, giving the South a first down at the North’s 19.

On third-and-10 from the North 19, Iosefa’s number was called again and the first-team all-league player responded with a 12-yard dash, setting the South up at the North seven with a fresh set of downs. The South then pounded the ball on the ground three straight times, getting a two-yard run from Pinon followed by a one-yard run from Figueroa before Iosefa completed the drive with a four-yard touchdown run.

“It was just a team that, I know it’s a cliché but, never said die,” Krail said of the South. “They just refused to quit. We were down 16-6 and they refused to quit and we were able to punch it in a couple of times.”

At the start of the contest, it seemed as if the North squad would have the better of the South, striking first on a 21-yard field goal from Lincoln’s Patrick Yanez to go up 3-0 in the first quarter.

The South struck back right away, as Gunderson’s Eley Dytanion ran back the North kickoff 73 yards from the South seven, placing the offense at the North 20. Iosefa made quick work of the opportunity, taking the handoff on the first play from scrimmage and running the ball 20 yards into the end zone for a 6-3 South lead with 5:52 left in the first quarter. The South failed on the extra point conversion.

The score remained the same until the first drive of the third quarter, when the South took the ball from its own 23 and advanced it to the North 37. On third-and-three, Evergreen Valley’s Steven Walraven tossed a lateral to Rosales, who fumbled the ball. St. Francis linebacker Mike Morales recovered the ball for the North at the 38 and ran the ball 62 yards untouched into the end zone with 7:15 left, giving the North the lead back at 9-6. The North failed on the extra point.

Later in the third quarter, the North added to its lead, as St. Francis’ Ekahi Casino fielded a punt from Pioneer’s Bobby Lopez at the North 14 and ran it back 86 yards for a touchdown with 2:42 left for a 16-6 lead.

In the end, however, it was the South that got the better of the North.

“That was a tough team,” said Westmont Head Coach Tony Santos, head coach of the North squad. “They were hard-running and Iosefa, there’s a reason why he led the (CCS) section in rushing. Their offensive line did a great job, but I think offensively, we let the team down today.”

Sports Briefs

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.

South Valley Lacrosse Chiefs offering free clinic Aug. 20
South Valley Lacrosse Chiefs are offering a free clinic during the summer for kids in grades three to eight. The date is Aug. 20 from 10 a.m. to noon at Williams Elementary School in San Jose. 

The Chiefs are adding a seventh- and eighth-grade team in spring 2005. Our free summer clinics give newcomers a chance to try the sport before they purchase equipment (loaner sticks available on first-come, first-served basis). So bring a friend and come have some fun with lacrosse.

Please RSVP to joy.bender@prodigy.net.  Our Web site is www.svlax.com.

Almaden Metro holds soccer tryouts
Almaden Metro Class 3 U17 boys, is holding tryouts for fall season most Sundays. Date of birth after 7/31/88. Contact Jeff Earl at (408) 268-5125 or jesvo11@yahoo.com.

Bret Harte seeks boys’ junior lacrosse coaches
Bret Harte Middle School in San Jose is looking for boys’ junior lacrosse coaches for the 2005-06 season. Multiple positions are available for both head coaches and assistants. Previous lacrosse coaching experience strongly recommended. Competitive salary offered. If you are skilled in lacrosse, kid-oriented, and motivated to create a winning team from the ground floor up, we would love to talk with you! This is an exciting, and rapidly growing sport in California, and these Bret Harte boys are ready to go!

For more information, please contact Mike Garcia at (408) 590-6949 or emailmgarcia@gmail.com.

BU12 Select Soccer team is looking for a goalie
Almaden Valley Storm, a Class 1 U12 boys’ select soccer team, is looking for a full-time goalkeeper. Last year, the Almaden Storm advanced to round 16 at the state cup and was knocked out by one of the teams that went to the finals. This year, we hope to win the cup.  If you have a son who wants to play goalie full time and has had some competitive or select level playing experience, feel free to come to our Tuesday and Thursday practices. The age group for BU12 is 08/01/93 to 7/31/94 (or younger, if he is good goalkeeper).  Contact Mo Bani-Taba for location and times at (408) 221-5377 or mbanitaba@yahoo.com.

U15 comp girls’ soccer team needs a goalie
Almaden Phoenix, a Class 3 comp U-15 girls soccer team, needs a full-time goalie. We have an extremely good team put together for the fall season with two goalie coaches. You must be born after 8/1/90. Please contact Scott Hoyt at (408) 323-7803 or shoyt@cinnabarhills.com.

Leland, Pioneer players compete in Wedemeyer all-star game

Three players from Leland and four from Pioneer, along with Mustang head coach, represent schools

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

Among the numerous senior football players for the South at the 31st Annual Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football Game were those representing Pioneer and Leland high schools.

Pioneer had the largest representation of the two schools, with four seniors in Rolando Gomez, Bobby Lopez, Steve Matos and Pat Walsh taking part in the contest. Also representing Pioneer was head coach Mark Krail, who served as the South head coach, along with various members of his staff.

Leland’s Blake Ferras (white jersey) was one of three seniors representing the Chargers at the 31st Annual Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football Game at San Jose City College on July 20. Ferras will go to school at the University of Idaho in the fall. Photo by Dan Miranda

Krail said being able to coach some of his Pioneer players at the all-star game was something he’ll cherish.

“Those four Pioneer guys had great careers at Pioneer and it was a real privilege for me to be able to coach them one more time in a player-coach type of environment,” Krail said.

As for Leland, three senior players—all who made an impact on the Charger program in their careers—represented their school. Linebacker Alex Bynum, defensive end Blake Ferras and tackle Gabe Castaneda all played their final high school game wearing Leland colors on their helmets. Castaneda said the end of his high school football career was a bittersweet moment, made easier by being able to play with his Leland teammates.

Regardless of any melancholy feelings, Castaneda said he felt honored with the chance to play in the game.
“It feels great to be able to play with all these great players,” said Castaneda, who will head to Foothill College in the fall. “I’m so glad that I had the chance to be in this game.”

Likewise, the Pioneer players expressed similar feelings about their last high school game, even though all four will go on to play football in college.

“It’s definitely special, because it is your last game,” Walsh said. “You play with all your buddies (on Pioneer) and you play with all the buddies you played against (during the regular season). We came together and worked hard in the heat at practice. All the grudges went out the door and we built some camaraderie. We came out on the field, busted our butts and had a blast.”

Matos, like many of his teammates on the South squad, said playing in the game was a tremendous honor.

Matos, who will go on to play football with Walsh and Lopez at Foothill College in the fall, collected an impressive list of accomplishments during his time at Pioneer, particularly during his senior season, when he received first-team all-league honors in the Mt. Hamilton Division along with being named the league’s most outstanding offensive lineman.

“It’s a privilege,” Matos said of being chosen to play in the game. “I mean, I never thought I’d make it, but coming with Pat, Rolando and Bobby, it was fun. It made it fun play with Pat at center, so we talked the talk and then we walked, like we did in the season.”

In the end, Krail said the game is a memory for him to share not only with his Pioneer players, but the players he coached against during the season as well.

“I told the guys at the end of the game to look at the scoreboard,” said Krail. “They’ll carry it with them for the rest of their lives. This is something that we can all share forever.”

Pioneer hoops beat Leland, St. Francis for summer league championship

Mustang trio of Weaver, Denardi and Maggipinto combine for 51 points in win against Chargers

By Ken Lotich
Times Intern

On July 14, four boys’ basketball teams entered the Oak Grove gym in search of the summer league championship. Three games, four hours, and one near-brawl later, Pioneer High School emerged victorious with a 61-48 victory against Leland and a 59-52 win versus St. Francis in the finals to take the championship.

“Our objective now is to win league and do well in CCS,” said Pioneer Head Coach Joe Berticevich after the final game. “We’ve gotten better this summer—but we need to keep improving.”

Pioneer vs. Leland
In the opening bout, Pioneer battled its Almaden neighbor, Leland High School.

The Chargers stood their ground for two periods before the Mustangs broke free in the third en route to a 61-48 victory.

Leland Head Coach Dave Frandsen said mental mistakes—a technical foul assessed because there were too many men on the court, as well as an intentional foul—set Leland back.

“Summer league is the place to shake those kinds of things out,” Frandsen said. “When situations happen later on in the year, they can think back to that and gain some experience.”

For the Mustangs, forward Kevin Denardi and guard Craig Weaver led the squad, scoring 19 and 17 points respectively.

Guard Nolan Maggipinto chimed in with 15 points.

On the other side of the court, Chargers’ guard David Farsai led his team with 17 points. Forward Nav Rai contributed with 14 points.

Both teams came out strong, combining for 35 points in the first period.

The three-man show of Denardi, Maggipinto and Weaver combined for six 3-pointers in the game.

With the Mustangs up 19-16 after one period of play, the Chargers tried to claw their way back by taking the ball aggressively to the hoop. The Chargers were sent to the line seven times in the half, making four of their free throws.

In the third period, Denardi, Maggipinto and Weaver collectively put up all 19 Mustang points. The Mustangs would go into the fourth period with a 10-point lead, with the score 49-39.

In the end, the Chargers were able to contain the Mustang offense a little better, but when the final buzzer rang, the Mustangs walked away with a spot in the championship game.

Although Pioneer was the No. 1-seed in the tournament, Farsai said he was optimistic of his team’s chances for a spot in the championship.

“I expected a lot of pressure going into the game,” Farsai said. “I didn’t expect anything to be easy—but overall, I thought we could have come out on top.”

With no practices scheduled the rest of the summer, the Leland players are taking on the responsibility to put themselves in game condition.

Rai said he would be putting in some time at the gym as well as running two to three miles every day.
Forward Philip Petro will be running as well. Currently he’s training with his track coaches, where he competes in the long and triple jump, as well as the 400-meter race. He’s also taking his first strides in the 300-meter hurdles.

St. Francis vs. Oak Grove
In the second game of the evening, the semifinal match-up of St. Francis-Oak Grove took place, with the Lancers coming out on top 57-44. During the final seconds of the game, a St. Francis player held the ball to let the clock run out. With one tick left on the clock, an Oak Grove player shoved the Lancer. Referees, coaches and parents from the stands were able to disperse any possible scuffle.

Fifteen minutes later, the Lancers’ presence was requested back on the court to take on the Mustangs.

Pioneer vs. St. Francis
With viewers satisfied by the first Mustangs’ three-man show, an encore presentation was displayed against the Lancers.

Denardi, Maggipinto and Weaver steered the stable to a 59-52 victory, and more importantly, a summer league championship.

The Chargers came out of the gate with 16 points in the first period. Maggipinto and Weaver hit back-to-back 3-pointers to set the tone of the game.

With the score 16-10 in the second quarter, the Mustangs kept up their intensity, putting up two 3-pointers en route to a 33-25 lead to close the first half.

In the fourth period, the Lancers would go on a run, closing in on the Mustangs lead. Pioneer was able to hold on, and finished the night, as well as the summer, on top.

Weaver, entering his fourth year as a varsity basketball player, said the Mustangs’ aggressiveness and hustle helped them secure the championship.

“We went hard at both teams we played tonight,” Weaver said. “We fought tough and never let go.”

Weaver said he would be working on his game as well as working out during the summer.

“The season never stops for us,” Weaver said.

The Taylor Woodrow Grand Prix of San Jose course map. Map courtesy www.sanjosegrandprix.com

The Grand Prix of San Jose roars into town

WHAT:
The inaugural Taylor Woodrow Grand Prix of San Jose. Round 8 of the 2005 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford.

WHEN:
Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 29-31.

WHERE:
The streets of downtown San Jose surrounding the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. The start/finish line is on Almaden Boulevard.

THE CIRCUIT:
Approximately 1.6 miles in length, 11-turn temporary street circuit.

FEATURE RACE:
The Champ Car World Series: The Champ Car World Series race features an international field of world-class drivers expected to include: Former Series Champions Jimmy Vasser (1996) of Morgan Hill; Cristiano da Matta (2002); Paul Tracy (2003) and Sebastien Bourdais (2004); plus Ryan Hunter-Reay, Mario Dominguez and A.J. Allmendinger of Los Gatos.

SUPPORT RACES:
Toyota Atlantic Championship: The Toyota Atlantic Championship Presented by Yokohama is the premier open-wheel development series in North America. The championship is noted for its long history of graduating its stars into Champ Car competition and has helped produce past Champ Car champions like Tracy, Vasser, Bobby Rahal, Danny Sullivan, Michael Andretti and Jacques Villeneuve.

Trans-Am Road Racing Series: The Trans-Am Series features closed-fendered, production-based, V-8-powered sports cars, competing on permanent road courses and temporary street and airport circuits throughout.
North America. The Trans-Am Series is America’s oldest continuously running road racing series and celebrates it 40th consecutive year of competition in 2005.

United States Touring Car Championship (USTCC): USTCC is one of the best-known touring car racing series in the United States. It features some of the fastest drivers in the country battling wheel-to-wheel in high performance versions of everyday road cars. The cars retain the shape of their mass production counterparts, but are bona fide racing machines.

Historic Stock Car Racing Series (HSCRS): HSCRS is committed to the restoration and preservation of authentic and historic NASCAR stock cars while providing for their continued competition in a safe and entertaining environment.

Formula Drift: Formula Drift or “drifting” is the hottest new form of motorsports. Drifting, which originated in the mountains of Japan, is the art of controlling a car sliding sideways with drivers judged on style and showmanship, rather than speed.

GENERAL PARKING AND TRANSPORTATION:
The Taylor Woodrow Grand Prix of San Jose encourages patrons to use the extensive public transit system that is available to and from the event.

From South San Jose catch the light rail to the Children’s Discovery Museum Station where one of the four Grand Prix gates is located.

From North San Jose, take light rail to the Paseo de San Antonio Station. There is a Grand Prix gate located at Plaza de Cesar Chavez.

The following bus lines will stop at the Grand Prix gate located at Santa Clara Street and Almaden Boulevard: Bus lines 23, 63, 64, 65, 81, 85, 180, 300 and 305 and the Downtown Area Shuttle (DASH).

Use Caltrain from San Francisco and the peninsula, Morgan Hill or Gilroy. Use Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) trains from the Central Valley.

Parking will be available in both public and private parking facilities. The parking rates for the City of San Jose will be as follows:

- $15 on Saturday and Sunday
- $5 on Friday and Saturday evening (6 p.m. to 6 a.m.)
- Free on Sunday evening (6 p.m. to 6 a.m.)

STREET CLOSURES AND RESTRICTIONS
The following closures will take place from Thursday evening through early Monday morning:

- NB Market Street between William and San Salvador streets

- SB Market Street between William and San Fernando streets

- Both directions of Almaden Boulevard between Santa Clara and Reed streets

- San Fernando Street between Almaden and Delmas avenues

- San Carlos Street between Market Street and Woz Way

- Park Avenue between Market Street and Woz Way

TICKETS
Tickets for the Taylor Woodrow Grand Prix of San Jose are on sale now and can be purchased through Ticketmaster (call: (408) 998-TIXS or (510) 625-TIXS or (415) 421-TIXS). Ticket plans range from a single-day general admission price of $25 on Friday to $150 for a three-day Gold Grandstand seat, which includes a paddock pass. Corporate and group discount rates are also available. For corporate sponsorships, hospitality and group tickets call (408) 277-9470.

WEB SITE
For information about schedules, drivers, tickets and race-related events go to www.sanjosegrandprix.com.

Share your news

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.