SPORTS

Almaden girl brings home Junior Olympics silver medal in field hockey

By Sheila Sanchez
Staff Writer

Almaden’s Katie Holcomb brought home a silver medal for her outstanding performance in the sport of field hockey during the 37th annual Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Junior Olympics 2004 held in Des Moines, Iowa July 27-Aug. 7.

The 16-year-old Olympian was one of only three other Northern California girls to participate in the Olympics and was among more than 140 players from all over the country to participate in the National Futures Tournament in Virginia Beach, Va., to make the field hockey Olympic team.

The AAU Junior Olympic Games are known as the largest national multi-sport event for the country’s youth. It has become the showcase event of the AAU sports program. The AAU Junior Olympic Games prides itself with the nation’s most outstanding athletes.

Through the Futures Program U.S. Field hockey evaluates and identifies talented young athletes with the potential to become future Olympic level athletes.

Katie Holcomb brought a silver medal back home to Almaden.

Holcomb participated in three qualifying regional tournaments this summer in Palo Alto, Los Angeles and San Diego to advance to the National Futures Tournament held in Virginia Beach, Va., June 30-July 4. In that competition, Holcomb represented Region 11 and was on the U-16 team, which includes California and 10 other western states.

Her Olympic team, however, made up of 15 players, played six games—three practice games and three qualifying games for the gold, silver and bronze.

Although her team lost two of the first three games, it won the two qualifying games to advance to the final round and get the silver.

A junior at San Jose’s Archbishop Mitty High School, Holcomb began playing field hockey four years ago after her mother enrolled her in the Stanford field hockey camp in the summer of 2000. From there, she decided to enroll in the Archbishop Mitty High School field hockey team while she was attending the eighth grade, practicing on a grass field, next to the school’s baseball field.

The Archbishop Mitty Monarchs field hockey team has 23 players. Holcomb plays right mid-field. This is her third year with the high school team, a commitment that requires her to practice the sport more than two hours on a daily basis. Last Tuesday, her team played against Presentation High School’s field hockey team.

Last year, the Archbishop Mitty High School field hockey team placed third place in the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs and this year it has a strong team and will be contending for the CCS championships scheduled for late November.

“I love field hockey. I like the intensity of the game and I like playing team sports. It’s nice to interact with all the players. It’s different. Not everyone plays it,” said Holcomb.

The strong and physically fit Holcomb also plays on a travel club team called the San Jose Fly. The club has several teams, and Holcomb plays on the U-19 team. The number represents the age limit of the players as they must be under 19 years of age to play.

During the Olympic finals, Holcomb played for a team called “black” losing to a team called ‘Caribbean blue” by a 2-1 score, but winning the silver.

Originally considered far too dangerous for female participation, field hockey has quickly became popular with women and is now played more by females than males in the United States and is highly concentrated on the East Coast.

Today, nearly 14,000 players, coaches, officials and fans enjoy the benefits of U.S. Field Hockey Association membership. With programs ranging from elite teams and futures identification to club hockey and grassroots development.

“We’re extremely proud of the fact that she was selected to the Junior Olympic teams through the qualification process and she’s worked very hard over the last two years in developing her skills to get to the level that she’s at. She’s still very excited to play field hockey through the rest of her high school years and hopefully into college,” said Ron Holcomb, Katie Holcomb’s father.

At the Junior Olympic tournament, teams are placed in two pools of four teams each. Teams compete in pool play to determine seeding for the crossover matches.

Games at the AAU Junior Olympics consist of two 30-minute halves with a 5-minute halftime. The current FIH Rules of Hockey are used for the tournament.

Medals are awarded to all members of the top three teams.

He’s up, but not rolling

Kirk Andre (pictured, left), heir apparent as Leland High School’s next turf-scorching running back, was in super-star form when he ripped off a 50-yard run in a scrimmage versus James Lick High School last week (pictured, right), but minutes later Andre took a bad hit and his season was all but over with a broken leg. “I was looking forward to watching him run,” said Charger Coach Kelly Edwards. “He worked his butt off for two years behind Mike Day (record-setting running back now graduated).” Edwards noted that the injury to Andre also will have a big impact on the Leland defense. Andre led the team in tackles for the last two seasons and was a first-team All BVAL Santa Teresa selection last year at strong safety. In his last game of the 2003 season, Andre gained 199 yards on 23 carries and scored three touchdowns when Day was injured in the first quarter of a CCS playoff loss to North Salinas High. “Kirk is staying positive and still helping the team,” added Edwards.

—By Karl Laucher

Leland’s Galante leaves for head coaching position at Oak Grove

Former Bellarmine standout accepts jobs in varsity baseball and frosh-soph football

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

Oak Grove High School has taken the first step in rebuilding a baseball program formerly touted as a perennial contender—all to the dismay of Leland. Late last month the Eagles lured away Tom Galante, a Bellarmine grad and prominent member of Almaden’s athletic community most recently working as an assistant coach in both football and baseball at Leland High School.

Just three years out of college, Galante has already amassed an impressive resume and hopes to continue his winning ways as the head coach for both the Eagles’ varsity baseball team and frosh-soph football team. In addition, Galante will bring his work ethic and no-guff attitude into the classroom where he has signed on for a full-time position as a special education teacher.

“I’m really excited to be a part of the school,” said Galante, who played a major role in Leland’s back-to-back appearances in 2003-2004 CCS Div. I semi-final baseball games. In addition, Charger pitchers compiled a record setting 2004, establishing new marks for the lowest E.R.A. in team history, all with Galante serving as pitching coach.

As a kid, honing his skills in the Almaden Little League and local youth football organizations, Galante grew up watching every round of the historic Leland-Oak Grove rivalry. He recalls the excitement and significance in many contests noting of his new job. “It’s like a dream come true.”

“The two schools I had always wanted to coach at were Leland and Oak Grove,” he continued.

After competing in football, wrestling and baseball for the Bells from 1993-1996, Galante parlayed his All-CCS baseball status into a partial scholarship at the University of California at Santa Barbara. “I wanted to be a professional baseball player,” conveyed Galante. However, suffering two years as a struggling Gaucho changed his mind. Galante made the decision to transfer to Div. III powerhouse, Cal-Lutheran. “I knew after I transferred that I probably wasn’t going to play pro. For awhile I considered being a sports broadcaster, but when I stopped playing I still wanted to get on the field.”

Galante’s solution? Coach. “Sports are very important,” he said. “They keep kids out of trouble and keep their heads in school. I think back and remember how much I loved to play. But I also loved the camaraderie. I loved meeting all the guys and establishing relationships.”

It didn’t hurt that Galante was successful. At Cal-Lutheran, he received All-Western Regional recognition playing outfield and hitting the number four spot. With Galante in the lineup Cal-Lutheran played in the regional playoffs two successive years.

“I’m just looking forward to the future at Oak Grove,” said Galante, shifting the spotlight off himself onto the promise of Eagle baseball “I look forward to coaching a program that used to be a powerhouse and bringing it back.”

Galante inherits an Eagle team whose two lone stars were lost to graduation and, frankly, finished low in the division even so. “I believe strongly in positive reinforcement,” he said, in anticipation of long days ahead. “A lot of coaches pick out negatives. My thing is to address the negatives but really stress the positives.”

Asked to describe his coaching techniques, Galante responded: “I do wear my emotions on my sleeve. I’m not one of those sit back with your leg on your knee types. I’m guess I’m still like a player in that regard.”

With football season already underway and the Oak Grove baseball diamond currently weathering a revamp in construction, Galante’s new position is in full swing. Come springtime he will look more and more to assistants David Ordonez and Mike Manselle to help delegate some responsibility within the Oak Grove baseball team. “You have to surround yourself with good assistant coaches,” said Galante, considering his fortunes in transcending the lines from assistant to head coach. “I wouldn’t be anywhere if Scott Gillis hadn’t helped me out at Leland.”

Unfortunately for Gillis and the Charger faithful, Galante’s Oak Grove Eagles appear to be reaping the benefits.
“There is a bright future at Oak Grove,” concluded Galante. “I love the staff at O.G. I hope to be here for a long time.”

Since accepting the positions, Galante has already made plans to involve the local community with Oak Grove baseball. The Eagles plan to host Oak Ridge and Oak Grove Little Leaguers in baseball camps next summer.

On the prowl for a USA Rugby Championship
Todd Clever (right), a 2001 graduate of Santa Teresa High School, stalks an opponent in the USA National Rugby All-Star 7-Aside Championships. Clever’s fierce tackling helped the Pacific Coast Grizzlies win all six games recently at Watson Bowl in San Jose as the Grizzlies won their third consecutive national title. The Grizzlies women, meanwhile, collected their fourth straight crown. Clever, a three-time All-American at the University of Nevada Reno and a member of the USA Eagles as both a 15- and 7-a-side player, will be in Malaysia this month playing for the British Penguins, an international invitational team, in the Cobra 10-A-side tournament. His older brother, Chris, currently is a player for the Blackheath Rugby Club in England, the world’s oldest rugby club at 150 years old. Both Clever ruggers are products of the San Jose Seahawks youth program. For more information visit www.sjrugby.org.

—By Karl Laucher

Leland girls set to defend MHAL crown

Volleyball champs will be targeted in 2004

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

The two-time reigning Blossom Valley Athletic League, Mount Hamilton Division Champion Chargers of Leland High School have a bumpy road ahead in girls’ volleyball competition. Despite going undefeated in 2003, Leland staff and personnel pull no punches admitting that their record does not necessarily reflect tyrannous dominance, and now, since graduating MHAL Most Valuable Player Briana Scala, Leland’s young corps must fend off familiar contenders playing on grudge. The 2004 Chargers are targets.

“Our league is so evenly matched,” said Leland Coach Trish Moore. “Anybody can knock us off on any given day and vice-versa.”

Most recently, Leland faced fellow MHAL power Leigh High School in a pre-season match. There at the Milpitas Spikefest, Leland fell to the Longhorns in the Bronze Division finals, finishing 10th overall amongst nationally ranked competition.

“We look pretty good,” continued Moore. “Despite losing our big middle, Briana, from last year. But we are happy to say that we have her younger sister, Chaulet Scala and Christie Gillick returning.”

The younger Scala, who received MHAL Freshman of the Year honors in 2003, and Gillick represent the core of returning leadership in 2004. A young team, the Chargers start four sophomores and just two seniors.

Senior Gillick returns for setting duties and will control the flow on offense. “She’s the quarterback of the team,” said Moore of Scala. A transfer from Mitty, Gillick, has been outstanding since joining the Chargers. Currently the University of California at Santa Barbara is pursuing Gillick for “outstanding athleticism and skills,” according to Moore.

“We really have amazing team chemistry,” continued Moore, “with all of the hard work that they put in every single day.” For weeks preceding the first day of school, Leland’s volleyball girls endured a schedule widely reputed as miserable. “The girls come out before school starts for conditioning and two-a-days. If you just make it through tryouts it’s an accomplishment.”

To succeed in repeating as league champs, Moore feels that offense is key. “Coach Hansen [Leland A.D. Chris Hansen] and I stress passing and defense,” said Moore. “But this year with a smaller team, our offense needs to improve. You can’t teach height and eventually you can’t dig anymore.”

“In the last couple of seasons we’ve been trying to get a more competitive spirit,” continued Moore. “We want them to be competitive in a good sportsmanlike way. Whether we are victorious or lose, I would hope they could hold their heads high in their effort. We have a team of 13 kids and I don’t like to name names. If we win we win as a team. If we lose, we lose as a team. It takes all 13.”

Next up for the Chargers is Milpitas High School at Milpitas on Thurs, Sept. 9. The match is scheduled to begin at 6p.m.