September 13, 2007

SPORTS

Chargers top cross-town rival Pioneer 25-17

Forced fumble by Leland’s Tyler Beigibing seals win; Mustangs drop to 0-2

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

Tyler Beigibing learned a thing or two about redemption on Sept. 8.

With his team leading 25-17 late in the fourth quarter, the Leland senior was flagged for a personal foul following a late out-of-bounds hit on Pioneer quarterback Joe Alise that set the Mustang offense up on the Leland 14.

Leland’s Tyler Beigibing (left) strips the ball loose from the grasp of Pioneer running back Marquee Heffner in the fourth quarter to seal a 25-17 win for the Chargers on Sept. 8. Leland safety Tom Felt (27, right) recovered the fumble with at the Leland 2 with less than three minutes left in the game. Photo by Jeff La Plante

Two plays later, Beigibing got exactly what he was looking for – a redeeming, game-changing play – when the senior knocked the ball loose from Pioneer running back Marquee Heffner’s grip during a run that was seemingly headed for the end zone with less than three minutes left in the game. Leland safety Tom Felt recovered the forced fumble at the Leland 2, sealing a 25-17 win at home over the cross-town rival Mustangs.

“I was just trying to make the tackle and I got my hand in there and got kind of lucky pulling it out,” Beigibing said of the forced fumble. “It bounced right up into the safety’s hands. That was kind of lucky there. I was just trying to do anything I could do to make a play. I just didn’t want him to get into the end zone.”

Beigibing said he was happy to get a chance to redeem himself for a costly and potentially game-changing mistake.

“That was a mistake, obviously,” Beigibing said, regarding the personal foul call against him for the out-of-bounds hit. “I was worried that I was letting my team down, but I tried to keep a level head and not get too low, just kind of stay in the game and not let it affect me too much. We still had a game to win.”

The cross-town rivalry had plenty of personal ties as well, particularly for Pioneer head coach Mark Krail and his son, Leland senior running back/defensive back Kevin Krail. The younger Krail led the Leland offense, racking up 147 yards rushing on 21 carries, including a 64-yard touchdown run with 8:39 left in the fourth quarter that gave Leland a 17-10 lead.

Leland quarterback Ricky Battipede looks downfield for an open receiver during a 25-17 win over Pioneer on Sept. 8. Battipede completed 6 of 13 passes for 72 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Photo by Ben DeKoven

“I want to be the guy to lead our team and that’s what I did on that play,” Kevin Krail said. “It felt great. That was exactly what I wanted to do.”

Both father and son noted the difficulty in having to compete against each other, and expressed a sense of relief at the end of the game.

“I’m glad it’s over,” coach Krail said. “I want to cheer with my whole heart for him, and unfortunately, for two hours I can’t do that. But, we’ll never have to do this again, so now for the rest of his life, I’m his biggest fan.”

The elder Krail noted that he tried to view the match-up as he would with any other game.

“You try to keep it the same, but obviously, when your son, your loved one, is on the other side, it’s a distraction,” coach Krail said. “I don’t know that I wanted to win this game any more (than other times). I wanted the team to play well, and had we played well, I think we’d have won the game.”

Leland head coach Mike Carrozzo said he was acutely aware of the situation heading into the game, but also noted that he wasn’t concerned about how things would be handled by his running back.

“Kevin is such a mature young man and such a pleasure to coach that stuff like this, I don’t have to worry about. His maturity takes care of itself,” Carrozzo said. “His desire was what got him to run as hard as he did today. …I’m sure it was tough for the entire Krail family. I don’t envy them having to be in that situation - Mark, Kevin or Mrs. Krail. They’re all great people.”

The win, which improved Leland’s preseason record to 2-0, saw the Chargers take advantage of a pair of second-half turnovers by the Mustangs that set up scoring drives.

Pioneer running back Cody Otsuji receives a handoff from quarterback Joe Alise during a 25-17 loss to Leland on Sept. 8. Photo by Ric Medlinger at www.medlinger.net

Trailing 3-0 at halftime following a late second quarter drive by the Mustangs that ended with a 28-yard field goal from Victor Aguirre, the Chargers wasted little time getting back into the game.

The Chargers recovered a Shane Murray fumble on the first play of the second half at the Pioneer 16, before quarterback Ricky Battipede found Beigibing in the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown pass with 11:32 left in the third quarter, giving Leland a 7-3 lead. Leland later added a 30-yard field goal with seven minutes left in the third quarter to boost the lead to 10-3.

Pioneer then tied the game 10-10 with 4:16 left in the third after Alise found Murray for a 32-yard touchdown pass, completing a quick seven-play, 64-yard drive, before Krail’s 64-yard touchdown run once again gave Leland the lead at 17-10 in the fourth quarter.

Leland then successfully executed a squib kick, with Michael Santini pouncing on the ball at the Pioneer 43, giving the Chargers the ball back just three seconds after taking the lead. That set up another scoring drive by the Chargers, highlighted by a 14-yard touchdown pass from Battipede to wide receiver Nate Jones with 6:18 left. Immediately following the touchdown, Jones also ran in a two-point conversion after a botched extra point attempt, giving the Chargers a 25-10 lead.

Pioneer answered right back with a 77-yard scoring drive, ending with a 5-yard touchdown run from Heffner with 3:32 left, cutting the lead to 25-17. Heffner finished the day leading Pioneer with 60 yards rushing on 12 carries. Pioneer then successfully executed an onside kick, recovering the ball at midfield, before Beigibing’s game saving forced fumble sealed the win less than a minute later.

Pioneer quarterback Joe Alise (7) gets ready to unleash a pass during the game. Alise completed 11 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown in the loss. Photos by Ben DeKoven

“It’s a huge win,” Kevin Krail said. “We were talking before the game about how the only people who thought we could win were our 50, our team. …Even the people at our own school said, ‘don’t get beat too bad.’ It was just our team going against the world, and we pulled it off.”

Carrozzo acknowledged that the atmosphere surrounding a Leland/Pioneer match-up was unlike any other game during the season, and credited Pioneer for a hard-fought battle on the field.

“I take nothing away from Pioneer,” Carrozzo said. “It’s an absolutely monster program and this game had very little to do with A, B and C league stuff. It had to do with cross town rivalries and probably 100 kids who grew up together. …Pioneer scares me every time they step on the field. They’re a great ball club and I expect that they’re going to have a lot of success this year. I expect nothing less from them.”

Coach Krail praised Leland’s effort, and noted the road for the Mustangs won’t get any easier with a Sept. 15 match-up at home against Aragon to conclude preseason play.

“Give Leland a ton of credit, they deserved to win today,” coach Krail said. “They played harder than we did, they were more efficient with the ball, and they certainly were as physical or more physical than we were. We talked all week about ‘finish,’ that was kind of the word of the week, and we didn’t. We didn’t finish our plays, we didn’t necessarily finish our drives, obviously, and we didn’t finish the end of the game. We had an opportunity there to put us within two, and we turned it over, unfortunately. Is it the end of the world? No, but obviously it’s disappointing.”

Balanced Pioneer girls’ water polo squad eyes postseason play in 2007

Mix of seniors, juniors and sophomores aim for CCS playoff berth

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

With a healthy mix of seniors, juniors and sophomores in tow for the 2007 season, Pioneer girls’ water polo coach Gordy Smith sees a solid and potentially playoff-bound season ahead.

The 2007 Pioneer girls’ water polo team will look to senior Elyssa Samson, who is returning for her fourth year at the varsity level, and others to provide offense and leadership in the pool this season. Photo by Dan Miranda

After losing five seniors from the 2006 squad that went 3-2 in league play before dropping a close 12-10 overtime loss to Soquel in the first round of CCS postseason play, Smith and co-head coach Katy Furth are returning to the pool in 2007 with a balanced roster of five seniors, five juniors and five sophomores. All of the players, according to Smith, are ready to put their stamp on the team.

“We’ve got a lot of experience at the top end, and we had some kids that came up and played varsity as sophomores last year and they’re going to fill some holes for us. They’re already doing a good job for us in the starting lineup,” said Smith, whose team kicked off the season with a 16-1 win over Sequoia on Sept. 6. “…It’s a good group of kids.”

Of those returning for another season are seniors Elyssa Samson, Brittney Bylund, Ariel Carlson, Teri Hreha and Shawna Reed, as well as a group of juniors who received valuable playing time – and experience – in the pool last season in Kim Atala, Stephanie Bastiaans, Natasha Eibach, Abby Lineberry and Joanna Short. In addition, Smith said five sophomores will round out the team, and will be allowed to learn the varsity game at a comfortable pace, which, according to Smith, has been the secret to developing strong teams over the past few seasons.

“Those younger kids can watch and grow at their pace,” said Smith, who credited Furth for giving the younger players playing time during appropriate game situations. “A few years back, we went into a situation where we graduated everybody and we had to basically start five sophomores. That was a tough year, so ever since then, we’ve tried to keep a good balance of kids and get some kids playing varsity to get them experience. I think the way we’ve moved them through has helped the program overall.”

Smith said the team will rely on its experienced players to provide both offense and leadership in the pool in 2007, led by the likes of Samson, Atala and others.

“Obviously, after the last three years, Elyssa Samson is one of our go-to players,” Smith said. “She’s been one of the top players in the league since she was a freshman, so hopefully she can finish off her senior year the same way. We look to her for leadership in the pool. Kim Atala has had quite a bit of improvement and she’s turned out to be a leader in the pool too. Abby Lineberry, our 2-meter player, is a real battler down there. She’s grown a lot.”

Leadership, Smith noted, has been one of his team’s best assets so far this season. To that end, Smith said he’s seen that quality emerge from some of the younger players as well.

“It’s not always all the seniors too. We’ve got a couple of juniors who have stepped up and are kind of leading by example,” Smith said. “The seniors do a good job. …They get out and lead by example, which is what you want.”

Smith noted the margin for error in the Mt. Hamilton Division is slim, as usual, given the competitive nature and talent of their opponents.

“We can’t give games away,” said Smith, who is returning for his eighth season as coach of the Pioneer program. “The top end in this league, I think, is going to be so competitive this year, you just can’t afford to hand other teams games. You have to limit mistakes, you have to take advantage of opportunities and you just can’t have any mental letdowns.”

As far as where the Mustangs might place in the Mt. Hamilton Division, Smith noted that the league has a sense of uncertainty, but also sees Pioneer among those potentially competing for postseason play.

“The league’s really up in the air this year,” Smith said. “Leland graduated a lot of kids, but I think they’ll still be good again, as usual. Live Oak, I think, will be strong, but I think we’ll be in the mix as well. Hopefully we’ll get one of the spots to qualify for CCS, like we have the last couple of years. I know that’s the goal the girls want and that’s what we want to help them achieve.”

Leland cross country teams on the rise in 2007

Charger girls return with Barnett sisters, while sophomore boys
look to advance in league standings this season

By Gary van den Heuvel
Special to the Times

An infusion of youth and the presence of two fast-rising sisters are cause for optimism for the 2007 edition of the Leland cross country team, according to coach Jerry Rose.

The Chargers will return in 2007 with 2006 CCS Division II champion Stephanie Barnett leading the girls' side, closely followed by her sophomore sister Claudia.

Matt Vera of Leland finished 27th among 209 junior boys with a time of 17 minutes and 22 seconds at the North Monterey County Early Bird Invitational at Toro Park in Salinas on Saturday, Sept. 9. Photos by Dan Miranda

Rose, who has been at the helm of the cross country and track programs at Leland for seven years, described Stephanie Barnett, a junior, as "very determined," though the sisters are not very competitive with each other, Rose added. He estimated that Stephanie Barnett is 30 to 40 seconds faster than her younger sibling at this point, but was quick to point out that both bring unique and valuable aspects to the table.

"They don't have to beat each other," said Rose. "Claudia's Claudia. She's a gamer. She's coming off an injury, but she'll be very solid."

The elder Barnett’s strength lies in her climbing skills, according to Rose, which come in handier in cross country distance running than in track and field, another sport both sisters compete in during the spring.

"True cross country runners don't like track," said Rose. "They don't like going in circles. Stephanie loves hills; she's a great climber."

At the North Monterey County Early Bird Cross Country Invitational on Sept. 8, Stephanie Barnett placed second among 143 junior girls, posting a time of 18 minutes and 49 seconds, 17 seconds behind St. Ignatius runner Katy Daly. The elder Barnett’s time placed her in a two-way tie for second overall among all girls at the invitational, along with Half Moon Bay sophomore Sammy Hamilton. Claudia Barnett also fared well, placing fourth among 148 sophomore girls at the invitational with a time of 19:56, which also placed her 14th overall in a field of nearly 550 girls at the invitational.

Leland's Stephanie Barnett second among 143 junior girls at the Invitational.

The boys' side boasts one of the top-rated sophomore team in the Central Coast Section, according to Rose, who noted the team’s burgeoning skills. While he acknowledged that the roster is very young, Rose described the sophomore team as "the number one team around. They buried everyone at the Crystal Springs Invitational."

Matt Vera has been the "number-one guy the last couple of years," said Rose, who listed Frank Gao as a close number two to Vera. Like Claudia Barnett on the girls’ side, Gao is also coming off an injury.

At the North Monterey County Early Bird Cross Country Invitational, Vera finished 27th among 209 junior boys, with a time of 17 minutes and 22 seconds on the Toro Park course. In addition, Leland’s Ryan Hirahara placed 51st among junior boys with a time of 18:29.

Rose noted that he has two separate goals for the boys' and girls' teams. For the boys, "no less than second place in the Mount Hamilton division. We want to finish high in CCS," he said.

With the infusion of several "real good freshmen coming in," Rose added, "next year could be our year."

For the girls, meanwhile, Rose's expectations are even higher. "There's no way we won't win [the girls division] this year," he said.

High School Sports Schedule Sept. 14 –20

Leland
Friday – Cross country time trials at Montgomery Hill, 3:30 p.m.
Friday – Girls’ volleyball annual Alumni Game, 6:30 p.m.
Friday – Varsity girls’ water polo at St. Francis Invitational, times TBA
Friday – JV girls’ water polo at Monta Vista Tournament, times TBA
Friday – Varsity boys’ water polo at Roche Tournament (Menlo School), all day

Saturday – Varsity girls’ water polo at St. Francis Invitational, times TBA
Saturday – Varsity boys’ water polo at Roche Tournament (Menlo School), all day
Saturday – JV girls’ water polo at Monta Vista Tournament, times TBA

Tuesday – Girls’ tennis vs. Leigh, 3:15 p.m.

Wednesday – Girls’ volleyball at Live Oak, 5 p.m. JV and 6 p.m. varsity

Thursday – Girls’ tennis at Piedmont Hills, 3:15 p.m.
Thursday – Cross country vs. Silver Creek at Montgomery Hill, 3:30 p.m.
Thursday – Varsity boys’ water polo vs. Pioneer at Independence, 5 p.m. JV and 6 p.m. varsity
Thursday – Field hockey at Saratoga, 3:30 p.m.

Pioneer
Saturday – Football vs. Aragon, 11 a.m. JV and 2 p.m. varsity
Saturday – Freshmen football vs. Palo Alto, 9 a.m.
Saturday – Cross country at Chieftain Classic Invitational at Toro Park (Salinas), time TBA

Tuesday – Girls’ tennis at James Lick, 3:15 p.m.
Tuesday – Girls’ volleyball vs. Yerba Buena, 5 p.m. JV and 6 p.m. varsity

Thursday – Girls’ tennis vs. Gunderson, 3:15 p.m.
Thursday – Girls’ volleyball at San Jose, 5 p.m. JV and 6 p.m. varsity
Thursday – Varsity boys’ water polo vs. Leland at Independence, 5 p.m. JV and 6 p.m. varsity

For more information about Leland and Pioneer sporting events, go to:

Pioneer Athletics: www.phsathletics.com
Leland Athletics: www.lelandathletics.com
Blossom Valley Athletic League: www.bval.org

Sports Briefs

Almaden National Junior Basketball Signups
Online registration for Almaden NJB 2007 season is now open.  The league is open to boys and girls in grades 1-8.  Practice starts Oct. 20 and games begin on Dec. 2.  To register online go to almadennjb.homestead.com.  Walk-in registration is Sept. 20, at Amato's pizza on Meridian from 6-8 p.m.  If you have any questions, please call Ken Keiser at (408) 592-4190.


Bay Area Boot Camp 5K Fitness Training Program
Boot Camp dates are from September 10 - November 4 at South Bay locations. The cost is $125 - All proceeds benefit the Bay Area Women's Sports Initiative. The 5K Fitness Training program, developed by Bay Area Boot Camp’s expert coaching staff, is a comprehensive workout series designed to prepare you for the Silicon Valley 5K Run/Walk on November 4, 2007.

Designed for runners of all levels, this 8-week program includes:

Eight weekly training sessions led by Bay Area Boot Camp coaches

A detailed schedule of running, speed, and cross-training drills

A Training log to help you track your progress and keep your focus

An eight-week nutrition plan designed to support your training and optimize your energy level

Unlimited phone and email support from our coaching staff of veteran 5K, 10K, and marathon runners

15% off September and October Boot Camp sessions - an ideal way to enhance your race preparations and cross train in a supportive group environment

A pre-race party – get to know your fellow 5K racers and learn more about BAWSI!

For more information, contact Mary Beth Gonzales at marybeth@bayareabootcamp.com or phone 408-425-9475. Visit our website at www.bayareabootcamp.com.

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