August 31, 2006

SPORTS

Leland girls’ tennis looks to build on last year’s success

2005-06 freshmen foursome of Chow, Hsia Tsay and Na return to fold as
sophomores after helping Chargers to undefeated league record

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

After a stellar 2005-06 season that featured an undefeated league record, the Leland girls’ tennis team is gearing up for a second championship run this year.

Leland's Aileen Tsay returns to the fold for the 2006-07 season as the Chargers look to defend their Mt. Hamilton Division crown. Photos by Jeff Frazee

Under first-year head coach Pam Headley, the Chargers took the Mt. Hamilton Division crown last season with a team consisting of a solid mix of experienced upperclassmen, as well as young and inexperienced players, including four freshmen.

“It exceeded the expectations,” Headley said of last season’s run by the Chargers. “…Even on the JV level, we didn’t lose a match.”

All told, the 2006-07 version of the Chargers remains largely the same, except for the departure of Katie Alesch and Connie Wang, two seniors who paired up in No. 1 doubles play last season. Returning to the fold this season are, among others, seniors Roxie Pourmirzaie and Connie Chen as well as sophomores Lydia Chow, Allison Hsia, Aileen Tsay and Youngeun Na, to name a few. Headley, back for season No. 2 at the helm, said this preseason has already gone smoother on several fronts.

“I think I have the techniques down as to the administrative end and how to run a tryout, or how to set up a ladder (match) and all that,” said Headley. “That’s not a worry. We can focus more on getting down to the actual fundamentals of tennis.”

Last season, Pourmirzaie as well as Chow reached CCS in singles play, only to be bounced in their first round of play. Alesch and Wang, as well as Hsia and Tsay, all four playing in CCS doubles, were also ousted early. To that end, Headley said she’s out to change the mindset of the team when it comes to postseason play. All too often, said Headley, teams of the past have been simply happy enough to work toward a league title, instead of also focusing on advancing in the CCS playoffs.

Senior Roxy Pourmirzaie will be looked upon to provide veteran leadership to the 2006-07 girls' tennis team, according to head coach Pam Headley.

“We’ve always been pretty complacent sitting back on that, saying ‘OK, we’re league champions, and we get into CCS,’” Headley said. “Maybe you’re in a bye in the first round and then you lose in the second round. I think it’s time for that trend to stop. We need to start looking beyond that and we need to get Leland one of the four semifinal berths.”

Headley said with her team mostly intact from last year, she’s confident that her young players have learned some new things from their experiences last year, which will help the team succeed in 2006-07.

“With four freshmen on varsity last year all coming back this year, there’s depth in our roster because they have more match experience now,” Headley said. “They know what’s it’s like in high school tennis, they know what to expect. They can actually start setting little loftier goals for themselves.”

The Chargers, who open their season Sept. 5 on the road at Santa Teresa, are still in the midst of ladder matches—matches between teammates to determine singles and doubles rankings on the squad—before a quick turnaround to the start of the season. While Headley hasn’t committed any particular player to any particular spot yet in singles or doubles, she said she’s pleased to see the squad take shape for the fast-approaching start of the 2006-07 season.

“They’re real focused, and in general, tennis players need to be real focused,” Headley said of her current squad. “This group isn’t the exception to that.”

Sports Briefs

Almaden National Junior Basketball signups
Almaden National Junior Basketball (NJB) signups begin Aug. 15. Boys and girls grades one through eight are eligible. The 11-game season starts Dec. 3. For details and signups, go to www.almadennjb.homestead.com or call Ken Keiser (408) 592-4190.

SJA Water Polo Club looks for players
The SJA Water Polo Club is looking for seventh and eighth grade players for its upcoming season, which begins Aug. 29 and runs through Oct. 19. Practices are Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 8 to 9:15 p.m. at the Leland High School pool. The Sunday game schedule, which will feature games on three Sundays throughout the season, will be announced soon. Total cost for the season is $80.

For questions and additional information, contact Mike Monsees at (408) 267-4502 or mmonsees@comcast.net.

Girls U11 class 3 competitive XTreme team seeks players
The Xtreme, a South San Jose Youth Soccer League girls U11 class 3 competitive soccer team, is looking for two players to join the team. Home fields and practice facilities are in the Blossom Hill/Santa Teresa area, and the team currently practices on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at Stratford School on San Ignacio at San Anselmo. Girls interested in joining the team should be somewhat experienced with a good attitude toward learning the game. Age restrictions are between 8/1/1995 and 7/31/1996. For more information, Contact Nigel Cooper at (408) 202-2058.

Save the date: 13th annual Almaden Times Classic will be held Sept. 24
The 13th annual Almaden Times Classic will be held early this year (it’s usually held in October) in an effort to avoid potential scheduling conflicts with the San Jose Half Marathon. The Classic will be held on Sunday, Sept. 24 at 9 a.m. The popular 2-mile/10k run/walk community event benefits the Almaden Valley Counseling Service and it starts and finishes at Leland High School on Camden Avenue.

For more information, visit www.avcounseling.org or call (408) 997 0200. Register at www.Active.com or look for race applications in future issues of the Almaden Times Weekly.

High School Sports Schedule

Leland
Friday – Football at Santa Clara, 3:15 p.m. varsity

Tuesday – Field hockey vs. Branham, 3 p.m.
Tuesday – Girls’ tennis at Santa Teresa, 3:15 p.m.

Thursday – Girls’ tennis vs. Leigh, 3:15 p.m.
Thursday – Field hockey vs. Leigh, 3 p.m.

Pioneer
Friday – Football vs. Mitty, 5 p.m. frosh/soph and 7:30 p.m. varsity

Tuesday – Girls’ tennis at Evergreen, 3:15 p.m.

Thursday – Girls’ tennis vs. Westmont, 3:15 p.m.

For more information about Leland and Pioneer sporting events, go to:
Pioneer Athletics: http://www.phsathletics.com/
Leland Athletics: http://www.lelandathletics.com/
Blossom Valley Athletic League: http://www.bval.org/

Charger girls’ volleyball set for consistency

Leland seniors to stabilize youthful forces

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

Three Leland seniors possess the experience of six, and longtime coach Chris Hansen says that leadership may be enough to bring home a league title in volleyball this season.

Chaulet Scala kills a ball behind the fron line Tuesday. Scala is reportedly the Chargers' most dominant force offensively. Photos by Justin Petersen

Finishing 23-10 overall, and 10-4 in league last year, the scrappy Chargers landed third in Mount Hamilton Division play behind Leigh, Branham and Westmont.

Yet, 2006 holds high hopes with seniors Joyce Chang, Grace Chang (no relation) and Chaulet Scala back for their fourth varsity campaigns.

The Chargers also inherit troops from the top finishing junior varsity squad in the league last season.

“I think we have a shot at the league title, but we are definitely going to be in some close matches that could go either way,” said Hansen, a week after she viewed her Chargers for the first time in action at the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s annual jamboree, where each team trains with each other to prep themselves and referees, prior to the regular season kick-off.

Hansen said that while Live Oak and Evergreen both looked impressive, Leland’s standard work ethic will succeed in 2006, barring injury. The Chargers will focus on fundamentals, hard work and discipline.

“I ask for hard work and dedication, they all give that,” said Hansen. “Right now I feel like team chemistry is better than it has ever been. We are all excited for the season to start.”

But the Cougars and Acorns are the ones who must prove themselves. Leland has not finished below third place in the Mt. Hamilton Division in more than 10 years.

Asked the secret to Leland’s success, Hansen cited consistency.

“It’s the most important aspect of volleyball,” she said. “You always strive to be a consistent player and a consistent team.”

On the volleyball court, mental errors are the toughest kill.

Grace Chang spikes down a point at practice Tuesday. Chang is one of three Leland seniors who have played varsity since freshman year.

“We try to just concentrate on the fundamentals,” Hansen said. “Nobody has to have super special skills to be consistent. They just have to demonstrate control.”

Rest and relaxation is also a major component of Leland’s program. This year, Hansen led the Chargers, in fact, on an August retreat to realign forces. The Chargers regrouped off the court in August, traveling to the American river, where the girls navigated the rapids together in a rubber raft.

“We didn’t lose anybody,” said Hansen jokingly. “We try and do a little something together and to get us all on the same page before the season starts every year.”

As per talent, Joyce Chang is prepped for a big year following time spent recuperating from an injury that affected her 2005 season. Chang is strong since skipping the club season this summer, and adds a speedy dimension to the Chargers’ attack on offense. “We are going to be able to run a faster-paced offense because of her, with the way she moves the ball,” said Hansen. “She can create some miracles out there.”

Scala is arguably the Chargers most dominant player. The younger sister of former Leland standout and Mt. Hamilton Division Most Valuable Player Breana Scala—currently attending Sonoma State University—Chaulet Scala is a leader and a shooter, according to Hansen.

“She definitely dominates offensively, and she has a great attitude,” said Hansen.

Middle blocker Grace Chang, meanwhile, will provide the consistency every coach desires, Hansen added.

“She is not a power hitter, but a placement hitter,” said Hansen. “Grace is one of those kids that kind of get overlooked, but she handles the ball as well as any of the kids in the league. She is the most consistent player that I have.”

Final tune-up

Pioneer football gears up for season-opening challenge
versus Mitty with scrimmage against Andrew Hill

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

One week prior to its season-opening game against West Catholic Athletic League opponent Archbishop Mitty, the Pioneer football team got some much-needed game-like exposure by hosting a scrimmage against Andrew Hill on Aug. 25.

Pioneer running back Scott Lowry makes a run around the Andrew Hill defense during an Aug. 25 scrimmage at Pioneer. Photos by Jeff Frazee

And while no score is officially kept for scrimmages, Pioneer head coach Mark Krail said he saw some positive developments out of the Friday afternoon match-up against the Falcons.

“It took us a little bit of time to get started, but once we got going, I thought we did well,” Krail said of the scrimmage. “Obviously, there’s things to improve on, otherwise you wouldn’t do those kinds of things.”

The scrimmage came after a particularly tough week of practice by the Mustangs. Although things may not have gone right during practice, Krail said he sees an advantage to that coming into the game against Mitty in that his players will hopefully hit the field with renewed hunger to succeed.

That said, Krail made no bones about the fact that facing Mitty will be a tough challenge, right out of the gates, for the Mustangs.

“We’re playing a real good Mitty team. I think it’s a team that will present a real challenge for us physically and I think they’re going to be super well-coached,” Krail said. “I couldn’t ask for a better challenge as a coach, and certainly, our players are hopefully up for that challenge as well. There’s no doubt in my mind that we can compete with them.”

Like many schools, Pioneer will enter the 2006-07 season with several new faces at key positions. Among them, senior wide receiver Matt Montelongo, who took last season off from football, will get the nod come game day, as will emerging tight end Travis Lorius, a 6-foot-4-inch, 215-pound sophomore who has plenty of speed to boot, said Krail. And while the offensive line will return mostly intact, with the exception of Jason Wetzel, who moved to tight end, that core group will be punching holes through defensive lines for an entirely new trio of running backs in Nico Pagan and Steven Lopes, two reserves from last season, and Shane Murray, a frosh/soph standout in 2005-06. Lastly, Krail was also faced with replacing nine seniors on defense.

“I know they’re itching to prove something out there,” Krail said of the new starters on offense, “and I’m sure they will.”

As usual, Pioneer will lean on a staple in its season-opener—running the football. To that end, Krail said keeping the ball in Mustang hands, and off the ground, will be needed for the Mustangs to win.

“The keys for us are always ball control and no turnovers,” Krail said. “If we control the ball, get first downs, hang onto the ball and obviously put it in the end zone, I think we’ve got a shot. If we’re stymied on offense and their offense is on the field a lot, it’s going to be trouble for us.”

Aside from ball control, Krail said his team relishes the roll of underdog in preparing mentally for the challenge of facing Mitty.

“I think that we’re probably viewed by the world as an underdog in this game, and we love that,” Krail said. “Win or lose, we’re going to go out and compete and try to improve. It’s going to be a tough game, but I think it (a win) will send a little message out there. But you know what? We’re just going to try and play hard, and see what happens.

Opening day

Leland varsity baseball coach Anthony Siri opens
Sirious Baseball Performance Academy in Campbell

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

For Leland head baseball coach Anthony Siri, opening day occurred in August.

That’s because Siri, a former player at West Valley College and at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, opened his own baseball facility, Sirious Baseball Performance Academy, in Campbell on Aug. 26.

For Siri, opening the baseball academy was the realization of a dream.

Leland head baseball coach Anthony Siri, center, alongside fielding/skills instructor Bob Tarantino, left, and Director of Fitness Ross Headley opened the doors to the Sirious Baseball Performance Academy in Campbell on Aug. 26.

“It’s very overwhelming,” said Siri, a Leland alumnus who spent last season as the school’s varsity baseball co-head coach with Scot Gillis after a stint as an assistant coach in Westmont’s baseball program. “I’m very excited. It’s by far a dream come true. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and believed in. I’m just excited this day has finally come.”

Siri, who has run his own baseball clinics at local fields previously, celebrated the opening with a crowd of friends and family, as well as numerous baseball students, ranging from Little Leaguers to his own Leland players. Siri and his staff opened the 4,500-square foot facility to the public by offering free swings in the new batting cages to youngsters, as well as offering a baseball staple—grilled hot dogs—for free to the crowd.

Siri said having his students come out to join him at the grand opening of the facility speaks to the personal touch he and his staff bring to every baseball clinic or private baseball coaching session.

“We try to stay on top of our clients and make them feel as if they are the most important client, because every client to us is the most important client,” said Siri, who celebrated the day with his wife, Valerie, and 2-month-old son Eli, as well as numerous other family members. “That’s how we stay in operation … having my kids here that are within my clientele, it’s special.”

Siri also said he’s been overwhelmed by the support he’s received from his family in opening the facility.

“I have to tip my cap to my whole family,” said Siri. “My family has been so supportive. My wife, Valerie, my 2-month-old son, Eli, my immediate family with my mom, my sisters, my in-laws. Everybody’s just been a huge part of making this what it is. You have to have a good supporting cast to do things like this.”

The new facility features three batting cages, including two coin-operated cages—one for high school and college players, and one for Little League and Pony League players. The third cage serves as an area where players can see live batting practice against a pitcher, as opposed to a pitching machine, and can also be used as an area for pitchers to throw bullpen sessions.

Additionally, a fourth “mini” batting cage is used for whiffle ball batting practice and other drill work.
Siri said his facility will serve players of all ages.

“Our clientele is primarily Little League and Pony (League) kids. We do have high school, college and pro guys who work with Sirious Baseball too,” said Siri, who added that he chose to place his facility in Campbell because of it’s centrally located near other South Bay neighborhoods.

And while the focus at the Sirious Baseball Performance Academy will be on hitting, fielding and pitching, there’s also a big emphasis on conditioning. To that end, Siri has teamed up with Ross Headley, who will head up the facility’s conditioning center as its director of fitness. Siri said the conditioning center will cater to not only baseball players, but to athletes from other sports as well.

Headley, a St. Francis alumnus, previously worked as a conditioning coach for former San Francisco 49er Jeff Garcia, and started his own sports development and personal training company, Heads up Fitness, in 2003.

Headley said he focuses his conditioning programs on more than simply building muscle and gaining brute strength. Instead, Headley said he focuses his programs on developing core strength, agility, balance, coordination and flexibility, to name a few.

“There’s a lot more to baseball than just hitting and throwing,” said Headley. “The conditioning center gives us a chance, especially with the young kids, to develop the stability muscles and the muscles that they use when they’re playing baseball. It prevents them from injury, and gets them faster and stronger without putting tension on the muscles. We don’t want to focus on a lot of weight training in here, that’s not what the emphasis is. It’s more about speed and agility, and balance and stability training.”

And while the day was one of overall joy for Siri, it also came with a twinge of sadness. The facility opened its doors approximately one year after the death of Siri’s close friend, Erik Hanson, who shared the goal of opening the facility with Siri. Hanson, a former Gonzaga University baseball player, died at the age of 34 of natural causes, said Siri.

“I guess you could say it’s bittersweet in the sense that Erik Hanson was a big part of my life,” said Siri. “…I met Erik in 1997 when I came back from school (University of Arkansas at Little Rock), and I became just great friends with him. I talked to Erik back in 1999 about doing this, about opening up a baseball academy for kids, and to get kids geared into fitness and geared into a sport they can love, to share the passion we shared. Erik had that, and he was great with kids.”

To honor his friend, Siri placed a framed No. 18 Gonzaga baseball jersey of Hanson’s in the facility’s lobby. To further honor Hanson, Siri named his high school and college batting cage after his friend, complete with a baseball shaped plaque featuring his name and jersey number at Gonzaga. Siri also named one of his cages after San Francisco Giants legend Willie Mays, as well as a third cage after his young son, Eli.

Several members of Hanson’s family were also in attendance, including his parents.

“As funny as it sounds, I know he’s here and I know he’s loving every minute of this right now,” said Siri. “Every day is going to be a special day for us because Erik is going to be here every day.”

For more information about the Sirious Baseball Performance Academy and its programs and services, go to www.siriousbaseball.com. The Sirious Baseball Performance Academy is located at 599 E. McGlincy Ln., Suite A, in Campbell. Facility hours are Monday-Friday noon-8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday noon-5 p.m.

Young blood

Lots of new faces for the Pioneer cross country teams

By Margo Consul
Times Intern

With a successful ’05-’06 season under their collective belts, the Mustangs hope to keep up the good work this cross country season with some fresh legs.

Both the boys and girls varsity teams finished with a 4-1 record in league last season, placing them second in league before finishing third at league finals.

Still, head coach Blaine Hashimoto pointed out that there are going to be some changes in the league and the team this season that may prove challenging.

“We have three new teams that will be joining us in Branham, James Lick and Sobrato high schools, so that will change the makeup of our league a little bit,” said Hashimoto. “A lot of new things (and) a lot of changes this year.”

With several key runners from last year’s team graduated, Hashimoto is leaning on a younger but talented group of runners to help lead the way in 2006-07.

“We are kind of rebuilding again, we have a very young team,” Hashimoto said, adding that he believes that having a lot of young runners will “be a big plus” this season.

Hashimoto also pointed out that there are more boys than girls this season, leaving the head coach feeling confident about his boys’ team in 2006-07.

“We look to be pretty strong as far as a boys’ team because there are more boys on the team this year than girls,” Hashimoto said. “There are a lot of new faces on our team.”

Ken Earl, a senior who earned league MVP honors last season, is one to watch for on the boys’ team, according to Hashimoto.

“He is probably our most competitive runner this year,” Hashimoto said. “He is also our CCS from qualifier last year, so individually he will be looked to for leadership on the team as well.”

Drew McReynolds, who is also a returning senior, is expected to be strong as well. In short, Hashimoto knows “that experience from last year’s boys’ team will be good.”

Still, Hashimoto’s girls’ team is a work in progress, albeit a promising one, given the large turnover on the roster.
“We have a lot of new faces on our girls’ team that we did not have last year,” he said. “We lost a lot of girls that did not return this season.”

One freshman, Kira Rienecker, is really standing out in the crowd, Hashimoto said. He points out that “she’s been very promising so far, and she’s a very hard worker. She has been a good catalyst for our older girls as well, kind of putting the pressure on the older girls.”

Hashimoto said Rienecker’s competitive spirit is a boon, citing the fact that she can keep up with the older group during practice runs as an example.

“We have few juniors and only one senior this year, so it’s a good attitude to show them that a freshman can be just as competitive as a senior, and I like that,” Hashimoto said.

Pat Tillman Foundation announces Pat’s Run dates for 2007

The Pat Tillman Foundation is pleased to announce its third annual Pat's Run in Tempe will be held April 7, 2007, at Sun Devil Stadium/Frank Kush Field, while its second annual San Jose run will be held Sunday, April 29, 2007, at Pat Tillman Stadium at Leland High School.

Participants pour through the start gate at the first annual Pat Tillman Memorial Run April 30, 2006 at Leland High School. Photos by Jeff Frazee

"We look forward to watching Pat's Run continue to improve, not only in numbers but in the quality of the events surrounding them," said race director and friend of Tillman, Perry Edinger, who was the football trainer at Arizona State University while Tillman was a linebacker and also helped train him for a marathon. "The past two years the numbers have been outstanding, and we look forward to promoting and staging not only the Run, but the Kid's Area and the Kid's Run."

The race in Tempe was moved to one week earlier this year due to the Ironman Triathlon taking place in Tempe the weekend of April 14-15.

On April 15, 2006, the foundation held the second annual Pat’s Run Tempe, which ran around the campus at Arizona State with nearly 10,000 participants. All funds raised from the Tempe race benefit the Pat Tillman Foundation's Leadership Through Action Program at Arizona State's W.P. Carey School of Business.

Nearly 5,000 people were part of the inaugural Pat's Run in San Jose on April 30, 2006. Through corporate and community sponsorship, along with participant entry fees, the run raised enough funding to launch a leadership program at South Bay area high schools.

Money raised from both runs (www.patsrun.com) aids the Pat Tillman Foundation and the Leadership Through Action program at Arizona State University. Pat's Run was created to celebrate the life of San Jose native and Arizona State graduate Pat Tillman, a scholar-athlete who first earned the nation's respect through his academic achievements and accomplishments as a football player for the Arizona Cardinals and at Arizona State and later for his service to our country after the Sept. 11 attacks. The run is inclusive of runners and non-runners alike with a 4.2-mile run/walk and a 0.42-mile kids’ run. All distances commemorate the number 42, which Pat wore during his days at Leland High School and at Arizona State.

About the Pat Tillman Foundation
The Tillman family created the Pat Tillman Foundation following his death in April 2004. The foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, is determined to carry Pat's legacy forward by inspiring people to make positive changes in themselves and in the world around them. To learn more about the Pat Tillman Foundation, visit its Web site at www.pattillmanfoundation.org.

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