September 14, 2006

SPORTS

Rivalry renewed

Annual Leland/ Pioneer football match-up sees Mustangs take 59-28 win over Chargers

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

Pioneer’s offense racked up 362 total yards and scored five touchdowns in the first half as the host Mustangs defeated neighborhood rival Leland 59-28 on Sept. 8.

Leland’s Kevin Krail sprints down the sideline as a crowd of Pioneer defenders give chase during a 59-28 loss for the Chargers on Sept. 8. Photo by Jeff Frazee

The win was Pioneer’s first of the season and evened the team’s record to 1-1, while Leland dropped to 0-2 on the year. The Mustangs led at halftime by a score of 38-0 before Leland bounced back with a pair of touchdowns in both the third and fourth quarters. Pioneer’s offense didn’t let up however, scoring once in the third quarter and twice in the fourth quarter to seal the lopsided win.

“It was a great start,” Pioneer head coach Mark Krail said of his team’s first-half scoring surge. “We talked this week about getting off to a fast start. We were proud of the effort last week against Mitty, but the efficiency of our offense wasn’t there. Tonight, it really was. They did a fantastic job.”

For Leland, the game came down to costly errors, according to Leland head coach Jason Tenner.

“We’re still making those mistakes,” Tenner said of his team. “We had guys in position in the first half to make plays, and they didn’t. Missed tackles here, missed block there, dropped pass, fumble, you know? It’s about the execution we’ve been talking about but just haven’t seen. But the effort was there this week, as evidenced by how we took the field in the second half.”

The Mustang offense was led by a solid running attack that totaled 331 yards and six touchdowns on the ground, as Pioneer running back Steven Lopes led the team with 114 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Running backs Marquee Heffner and Shane Murray also contributed to the running game, with Heffner totaling 107 yards on eight carries and a touchdown, while Murray recorded 79 yards on the ground with two touchdowns. Running back Nico Pagan also scored a touchdown while gaining 16 yards on three carries.

“Steven is a pretty special back,” Krail said of Lopes, who added that the running game was helped by a solid effort from the Pioneer offensive line. “He’s fast, he’s powerful and he’s got all the tools that a good runner needs. And then we complimented him with Murray, Pagan and Heffner tonight, who had a great game as well. It’s a nice thing to have when you don’t have just one weapon. If you’ve got multiple weapons, then you kind of keep people honest.”

Tenner said Pioneer’s efforts in running the ball were in part a result of poor execution defensively by his team.

“We just missed tackles, where their guy would run through the pile and we would meet him, but he’d fall forward for two yards,” Tenner said. “We can’t have that. We’ve got to secure our tackles and hold on to the ball and execute.”

The Mustangs scored early and often against the Chargers, scoring three touchdown in less than six minutes to open the first quarter with a 21-0 lead. On the Mustangs’ first offensive series, Lopes found the end zone with a two-yard touchdown run with 8:26 left in the first quarter, completing a nine-play, 62-yard drive.

That was quickly followed six seconds later by another score, as Leland quarterback Ricky Battipede’s pitch to running back Lance Gemette hit the ground, with Pioneer recovering the ball at the Leland 11. On the first play back on offense, Pioneer quarterback Chris Foley found wide receiver Matt Montelongo on the left side of the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown pass with 8:20 to go, giving the Mustangs a 14-0 lead.

Later in the first quarter, it was Lopes again who found the end zone, taking the handoff on the first play of the series at the Pioneer 33, and scrambling 67 yards for his second touchdown of the quarter with 6:40 left to give the Mustangs a 21-0 lead.

Pioneer scored two more touchdowns in the second quarter, getting a pair of scoring runs from Murray and a field goal from Kyle Burchfiel. Murray scored on a 20-yard run with 11:52 left in the first half, before adding his second touchdown of the quarter on a nine-yard run with 7:10 left. Burchfiel then booted through a 24-yard field goal with 3:44 left to give Pioneer a 38-0 lead at halftime.

Leland, meanwhile, struggled in the first half, turning the ball over twice before bouncing back in the second half.

The Leland offense turned its first series of the second half into a scoring drive, completed by a 47-yard run from Adam Ondi with 7:40 left in the third quarter to cut the lead to 38-7. Ondi finished the night with 75 yards rushing on 13 carries.

Pioneer, playing with mostly second-string players to begin the second half, struck back a little more than three minutes later however, as Heffner scored on a 64-yard run with 4:26 left in the third for a 45-7 Pioneer lead.

Still, the Chargers wasted no time getting on the scoreboard once again, as Battipede took the snap under center on the first play on offense following the Heffner touchdown, and scrambled 80 yards for a touchdown with 4:12 to go. Battipede, starting at quarterback for the first time this season, completed 5 of 17 pass attempts for 58 yards and two interceptions, but ran for 89 yards on six carries.

Leland then went on to score twice on consecutive offensive series in the fourth quarter, getting a two-yard touchdown run from Gemette with 10:33 left in the game to cut the score to 45-21 before the Leland special teams unit recovered an onside kick, setting the Leland offense up once more at the Pioneer 46.

Leland quarterback Ricky Battipede drops back to pass during a 59-28 loss at Pioneer on Sept. 8. Battipede finished the night doing his best work with his feet, as the junior ran for 89 yards on six carries with a touchdown. Photo by Jeff Frazee

The Chargers responded with a seven-play series that concluded with another touchdown run, a two-yard scramble from Gemette with 7:40 to go, cutting the Pioneer lead to 45-28. Gemette led all Charger running backs with 79 yards rushing.

“Lance is always going to play his butt off,” Tenner said of Gemette’s effort in the second half.

That prompted Krail to insert his first-team offense once again into the game, and it responded quickly.

The Mustangs recovered a second onside kick at the Leland 43 before finding the end zone just over two minutes later as Pagan scored on a five-yard touchdown run with 5:38 to go to complete a six-play drive, pushing Pioneer’s lead back up to 52-28.

The Mustang defense also responded, as Heffner intercepted a Battipede pass on Leland’s first play on offense following the Pagan touchdown, giving Pioneer the ball back at the Leland 27.

Pioneer scored once more as a result of the turnover on four plays, capped by a 20-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Joe Alise to tight end Travis Lorius with 3:33 left to seal the 59-28 win.

For Tenner, the loss did have its positive developments overall. “That’s all I really wanted to see,” Tenner said of his team’s second-half effort. “Everybody was coming together, and firing off the ball, and caring, and playing hard. That’s what they did this week. I just told them, ‘the scoreboard doesn’t always tell the whole story.’ They played their hearts out tonight. If we do that, we’ll be okay the rest of the year.”

For Pioneer, the win came on the heels of a tough home loss to Mitty last week. Krail said he hopes the win over Leland is a start of better things to come.

“We wanted to play well tonight,” Krail said. “It’s a preseason game but it’s also a good rivalry game for us. I think it jumpstarted us. We talked about kind of breaking through a wall that we’ve been feeling ourselves knocking our heads against. The wall wasn’t Leland, the wall was us. I think we broke through that wall tonight. It was a real good feeling.”

Sports Briefs

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

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.

Bret Harte Middle School needs a flag football coach
Bret Harte is looking for a coach to lead the after-school flag football team. Responsibilities will include overseeing tryouts, running practices at least twice a week after school, attend games, which are played once a week (usually on Wednesday) in the evening at Hoover High. Coach will also need to be fingerprinted and have a TB test completed through San Jose Unified School District. Bret Harte Booster will reimburse the coach for the expense. The coach will be under the direction of the school Administration and Bret Harte Booster. If interested, call Amy Yorkey at (408) 535-6270 ext. 214.

Almaden United boys’ U-15 soccer team seeks players
The Almaden United boys’ U-15 soccer team is looking for a few new players with serious interest in soccer, for all positions, even goalkeeper. The team is a part of the Almaden Valley Youth Soccer League, Delgado (class 3) competitive league for the fall of 2006. Interested players must be born between Aug. 1, 1991 and July 31, 1992. For more information, contact Kimberly at kiminn@mindspring.com or (408) 206-1198.

High School Sports Schedule

Leland High School
Friday – Football vs. Homestead, 5 p.m. frosh/soph and 7:30 p.m. varsity
Friday – Girls’ volleyball annual Alumni Game, 7 p.m.

Tuesday – Field hockey at Monta Vista, 3 p.m.
Tuesday – Girls’ tennis vs. Silver Creek, 3:15 p.m.
Tuesday – Girls’ volleyball at Evergreen, 5 p.m. JV and 6 p.m. varsity

Thursday – Girls’ tennis at Independence, 3:15 p.m.
Thursday – Girls’ volleyball vs. Live Oak, 5 p.m. JV and 6 p.m. varsity
Thursday – Field hockey vs. Mitty, 3 p.m.

Pioneer High School
Saturday – Football at Aragon, 11 a.m. frosh/soph and 2 p.m. varsity

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

Wednesday – Girls’ volleyball at Sobrato, 3:30 p.m. JV and 5 p.m. varsity

Thursday – Girls’ tennis at Mt. Pleasant, 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/

High School Scoreboard

Sept. 5
Leland girls’ tennis 6-1 win at Santa Teresa

Pioneer girls’ volleyball 25-20, 25-13, 26-24 loss vs. Silver Creek
Pioneer girls’ tennis 5-2 loss at Evergreen

Sept. 6
Leland girls’ volleyball 25-22, 25-22, 25-12 win vs. Milpitas
Leland girls’ tennis 7-0 win at Aptos

Sept. 7
Leland girls’ tennis 6-1 win vs. Leigh
Leland field hockey 3-0 win vs. Leigh

Pioneer girls’ volleyball 25-20, 21-25, 10-25, 26-24, 16-14 win vs. Overfelt

A Krail for each sideline

Sept. 8 Leland-Pioneer rivalry football game pits Pioneer Coach
Mark Krail on one side and Leland’s Kevin Krail on the other

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

It was a game both had been waiting for, and now that it’s over, the Krail household is surely full of football chatter once again.

The annual Leland-Pioneer rivalry football game featured, for the first time, Pioneer head coach Mark Krail pitted against his son, wide receiver/running back Kevin Krail, and the Leland Chargers.

Following Pioneer’s 59-28 win over the Chargers, both coach Krail and his son said the game had a strange feeling at times, with father and son on opposite sidelines.

Pioneer head coach Mark Krail (blue sweater) looks on from the sideline during a 59-28 win over Leland. Photo courtesy of Ric Medlinger at www.medlinger.net

“It was hard,” said coach Krail, who has previously coached his son in baseball and has never had to face him in a game. “As a dad, you’re rooting for him to do great things, and yet, as a coach, you don’t want him to do anything. I can’t say how proud I am of the effort that he put out tonight. He played for four quarters and didn’t quit. He took some shots and kept getting up. I could not be more proud of a son than I am right now.”

Kevin Krail said he had the mindset to look at the game as if it was any other game. Still, there was that small matter of dad standing on the opposing team’s sideline.

“It was definitely weird, but overall, I treated it just like it was a normal game,” Kevin Krail said. “It was weird looking over to the (other) sideline and seeing him. I know for him, he said it was weird. Mostly, I just treated it like another game and tried my hardest to win.”

One of those moments where the roles of father and opposing coach clashed, if briefly, was during the fourth quarter, when Kevin Krail returned a kickoff and took a big hit from one of Pioneer’s special teams players, knocking his helmet off. Coach Krail said the play had him naturally concerned.

“You want him to be safe, and you know, anytime a player’s helmet comes flying off, that’s obviously a sign of a big hit,” coach Krail said. “It was a good, clean shot. Our player came over and apologized and said, ‘coach, I didn’t know that was your son.’ There was nothing wrong with it. It was a good play.”

The game came on the heels of an unusually quiet week in the Krail home. Coach Krail and his son, who normally share news about each other’s sports endeavors, had to deal with staying mum about their respective teams. Hence, no football talk.

“It was a quiet week,” coach Krail said. “I always ask how things are, and it was more quiet than usual, just because I didn’t want to pry and I didn’t want him to feel like I was prying. It was a fairly quiet week. I think there was a lot on his shoulders, as far as expectations and wanting to do well, knocking off the rival team, and all that.”

“The other weeks, you can sort of talk about your game plan, and what you’re trying to do as a team, but this week, I couldn’t tell him about any tricks or anything since it was against him,” added Kevin Krail, who acquitted himself well in front of his father, with 76 yards rushing on 11 carries. “We would just come home and we couldn’t really talk about practice or where they have me lined up, or anything. It was kind of building up for the game.”

As for the rest of the family, Lisa Krail provided a supportive cheering section for her husband and son, getting some help from daughter Courtney along the way.

When asked whom his wife was rooting for, coach Krail admitted that it was probably his son, reasoning that his wife has seen a fair amount of wins from her husband over the years.

“I think in her heart, she wanted to see her son do real well,” coach Krail said of his wife.

“They’re there for me, and my dad’s been successful, so I think my mom wants my dad to do well, but I think she’d rather be on my side for our team to win,” Kevin Krail added.

With the game over, life can now go back to normal, with both father and son talking football with each other once again.

“I can go root for him and sit up in the stands, relax, and enjoy the dad part of it,” coach Krail said.

And while Kevin Krail said playing against his father was a bit unusual, he’s looking forward to another match-up next year.

“It was uncomfortable, but I would want to do it again,” Kevin Krail said of playing against his father’s team. “It wasn’t bad.”

Leland girls’ volleyball claws back for 3-0 win over Milpitas

Leland bounces back for close wins in first two games before taking
charge in game three; Scala leads team with 15 kills

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

Slow but steady progress, according to Leland girls’ volleyball head coach Chris Hansen, proved to be the key to the Chargers’ 3-0 win at home over Milpitas on Sept. 6.

Leland’s Elisa Vye goes up for a hit at the net during the Chargers’ 3-0 win over Milpitas on Sept. 6. Photo by Jeff Frazee

The 2006-07 Chargers, 4-2 in non-league action, were led to victory in part on senior Chaulet Scala’s 15 kills.

Leland fought back from early deficits in the first two games for consecutive 25-22 wins, before taking game three by a lopsided 25-12 score to seal the 3-0 win. The third game of the match was the most promising sign of steady improvement, said Hansen, as the Chargers finished the game on a 12-1 scoring run.

“We were a little sloppy and slow coming out,” Hansen said. “The first two games were close. I’m proud of them for finishing in those two games, but it’s not really what we practiced. That was a little disappointing, but you can never be too disappointed with a win. …I was more happy with how they finished in the third game. They actually picked it up in the third game and they were able to dominate in the areas that we were supposed to.”
Leading game three 13-11, the Chargers began to assert some dominance over Milpitas beginning with a 5-0 stretch that featured a blistering kill down the line from Scala, followed by an ace serve from senior Grace Chang, as well as a key double-team block at the net from Kat Beheshti and Vicki Chang. The run suddenly gave the Chargers their most comfortable lead of the night at 18-11.

Hansen praised the efforts of Chaulet Scala, Grace Chang and setter Joyce Chang. Aside from her 15 kills to lead the team, several of which were peppered down the line, Scala also recorded 13 digs and two aces on serves. Grace Chang, meanwhile, recorded six kills and two aces.

“They both dominated,” Hansen said of Scala and Grace Chang. “Chaulet, she must’ve had 10 kills down the line, and that was only because we didn’t get enough sets outside for her. I mean, if we had gotten the ball further outside, she would’ve had more kills down the line.”

After a Milpitas kill cut the lead to 18-12, the Chargers were back at it again, this time embarking on a 7-0 game-ending scoring run featuring yet another hard-hit kill down the line from Scala, as well as a kill from Grace Chang. Vicki Chang followed Grace Chang’s kill with an ace serve.

The Chargers were also aided by four hitting errors from Milpitas, including the game’s final two points, which featured a pair of hits landing squarely against the net for Leland points.

“They had a goal in the third game to keep them (Milpitas) under 15 points,” Hansen said of her squad. “…I felt like in the first two (games), we were a little flat and we just kind of gave them some points. In the third game, I challenged them to keep them to 15 points or less, and they stepped up.”

Hansen pointed to inconsistent passing by her team as the culprit in making the first two games a struggle for the Chargers. Hansen added that although the start of the season will typically feature some struggles in various areas of the game, the team still has its work cut out in improving.

“We had a hard time passing in the first two games,” Hansen said. “We didn’t have an offense because of that.”
More specifically, Hansen said the team’s passing problems were a result of poor accuracy. Still, Hansen said the team’s passing accuracy began to improve in game three.

“Getting the ball to target, that was the big thing,” Hansen said. “We were kind of all over the place in the first two games. You saw the inconsistency that was happening out there. It’s about consistency and momentum in volleyball. We didn’t keep either of those in the first two games. In the third game, we finally did. We had a little more consistency and we actually kept some momentum, and you can see the difference in the scores.”

New coach, new division, new goals set for Pioneer’s girls’ tennis team

By Margo Consul
Times Intern

In only their second match with new head coach Long Pham, the lady Mustangs lost to Westmont 5-2 at home in girls’ tennis action on Sept. 7.

Senior Giana Flores called Pham “a great coach. He has a lot of experience and he brings a lot to the team.” Pham has been coaching for 25 years.

Senior Shira Straus shoots a forehand over the net on Sept. 7 in her match against Westmont. Photo by Margo Consul

Pham, an Oak Grove alum, played juniors in his youth and was nationally ranked in the top five for four years, before spending two years on the pro circuit and holding a world ranking until he was injured.

Pham took over coaching the Pioneer girls’ team after three years of assisting with both the boys’ and girls’ tennis teams. Prior to the start of the season, former head coach Julie Szarlacki decided to step down and asked Pham to step up. Pham has found coaching to his liking. “I guess my girlfriend was right. I do like it. She kept convincing me for years go out and coach,” Pham said.

Still coaching the girls’ team brings its challenges. “Coaching girls is very different than coaching boys.” Pham said. “You have to approach it differently than you do with boys because they react to you differently.”

The loss to Westmont continued a slow start to the season for the young Mustangs, who dropped to 0-2. The team previously lost to Evergreen by a 5-2 score to open the season.

“I think the girls were nervous because most of them had never played a match before,” Pham said of the first match.

Still, Pham hopes for a .500 season this year and he feels that his job is to “get them ready for next year, if anything.”

Despite the early losses, Pioneer seniors have made strides this year on individual levels. Seniors Shira Straus and Giana Flores are both undefeated in their matches.

Straus, who has been dealing with an elbow injury this season, won her Sept. 7 match 6-4 and 6-4 and said she “felt pretty good about it.”

Still, Straus said there’s room for improvement as the season goes along. “With my elbow hurting, I did not do as well,” Straus said of her own expectations in the win.

Straus continued to catch her opponent off guard in the match with short volleys close to the net. Straus also utilized another strength, a powerful forehand, throughout the match and particularly during the fourth game of the second set.

Fellow senior Flores also competed well against Westmont, winning her match 6-0, 6-2.

Like Straus, Flores thought there was still room for improvement in her match.

“I double faulted a lot,” said Flores. “I could have made more points serving.”

Flores’ ability to move her opponent side to side and hit deep into the corners helped allowed her to win her match.

A third senior on the team, Katrina Huynh, lost her match in two sets 6-3, 6-3. Although she lost, Pham said he is proud of Huynh’s ability to compete and challenge her opponent because of her lack of experience in the sport. Huynh picked up the sport of tennis only two years ago.

Doubles, however, proved to be troublesome for Pioneer. Junior Kim Nguyen and freshman Chandler Nelsen lost in two sets 6-2, 6-4, while juniors Ana Quan and Anna Luc also dropped their match in two sets by scores of 6-0, 6-0.

In addition, juniors Amber Haywood and Ashley Keeley lost in two sets by scores of 6-1, 6-1.

Pham said he hopes the team will grow and win as confidence builds throughout the season.

“The game is based on confidence,” he said. “You come out here, you compete, you beat a couple teams out there, and you gain some confidence.”

And in spite of opening the season 0-2, Pham is not discouraged.

“It’s not how you start,” he said, “it’s how you finish.”

Almaden Times Classic returns Sept. 24 with some new twists

The 14th annual Almaden Times Classic 2-Mile/10 K Run/Walk sponsored by the Almaden Valley Counseling Service Auxiliary begins at 9 a.m. Sept 24 at Leland High School.

This event is the first of three races to be held in San Jose.

2005 Times Classic 10K winner John Mentzer gets ready to cross the finish line.

Runners are encouraged to participate in the San Jose “Hat Trick.” Participants in all three races—the
Almaden Times Classic, the Metro Silicon Valley Marathon held on Sept. 29 and the Rock N Roll Half Marathon held on Oct. 8—will receive a special award recognizing their distinctive place in the San Jose Running/Walking Community. Runners will need to register their interest at the first race, the Classic. For more information on the “Hat Trick” e-mail doug@evolve-sports.com.

The Classic features awards for eight age groups. This year’s prizes feature gift certificates from two new fitness programs coming to Almaden, Sports Fitness Camp, which works out of Leland High School and Athletic Nation, a men’s fitness gym. In addition, there will be gift certificates from Classic Car Wash, Sonoma Chicken Coop
(coming soon to Almaden Valley) McDonalds, In-N-Out Burger and Carl Jurman Chiropractor.

All winners will receive a visor with a top finisher logo. New also this year is a prize for the youngest and oldest runners.

All of the runners will receive a goodie bag with coupons and other valuable items. There are special rates for families and nonprofit groups.

And back by popular demand, 123 Cheese will take photos of the runners, which will be available for purchase.

For more information on the race, visit www.avcounseling.org. You can register online at www.active.com or call (408) 997-0200. Leland High School is at 6677 Camden Ave.

Leland girls’ tennis welcomes newest BVAL member by issuing Live Oak a loss

Chargers win in seven straight over Acorns

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

Leland extended its Mount Hamilton Division competition south, welcoming Live Oak to the Blossom Valley Athletic League with a 7-0 route in girls’ tennis action Tuesday.

The Chargers are favored to dominate Blossom Valley Athletic League’s top tier this season after graduating just two seniors, both members of the No. 1 doubles’ team from the overall league championship team in 2005.

Second year Leland girls' tennis coach Pam Headley takes time to pose with the Chargers number one singles' player Lydia Chau, just a sophomore, following a lopsided 7-0 vicotry in league action Tuesday. Photo by Justin Petersen

Leland proved itself again, defending its home emphatically from the gritty Acorns, who are in their first year in the BVAL. According to head coach Pam Headley, Leland overmatched perennial public school powerhouse Live
Oak with experience, depth and sizzling shots across the court.

The Chargers did not drop a set all afternoon, and Leland extended a spotless (5-0, 3-0) start with the victory.
Headley warned, however, that the fast start this season could be blown if the Chargers grow too full of their talent and accomplishments. She said the true goal lies ahead in CCS.

“I would like the girls to continue to build on the success we have had so far,” said Headley. “After every match [I hope they] think about one shot and work on that shot until [it’s] perfected it and then we’ll move from there.”
Last season, Leland’s CCS run ended in the quarterfinals. However, Leland’s top 10 lineup includes four sophomores slated to start in singles action, so Headley hopes that means trouble this season and in years to come for anybody who steps in the way.

Tuesday, No. 1 singles’ star Lydia Chau flanked No. 2 Allison Hsia, No. 3 Eileen Tsay, and recently appointed No. 4 player Youngeun Na. All four were victorious by large margins versus the Acorns, Chau winning 6-4, 6-1, as did Hsia.

Tsay won 6-1, 6-1, and Na enjoyed a victory in her varsity singles’ debut.

While Chau figures to be Leland’s top contender in CCS singles play, senior Roxy Pourmirzaie may earn equal opportunity, depending on how she recovers from a bout with mono. Leland learned last week that they would trek ahead without their No. 1 singles’ player in 2005.

Coincidentally, Chau had dethroned Pourmirzaie in a challenge match a week prior, but Headley said that it was matter of time for Chau, a mentally strong player for someone her age.

“She is very even keeled, not visibly angry, not a racquet thrower,” said Headley. “You can see her working through it in her mind. The strength of her game is that she is a really smart player. She picks shots well.”

While Chau ultimately cruised Tuesday, she exercised her mental capacity, adjusting after she dropped the opening two games to her opponent.

“The other girl was a backboard,” said Headley. “It is frustrating to play against a backboard because they get to everything, and this girl hit it back with spin.”

Meanwhile, two freshman and two juniors leave just two slots for seniors in doubles action.

The No. 1 doubles tandem, featuring freshman Nikita Gettu and junior Vivian Ngo, were flawless, winning 6-0, 6-0. The No. 2 doubles tandem fared nearly as well, winning 6-1, 5-0, thanks to quick racquet work by talented junior Kristen Hoppe, in only her second year of organized tennis, and freshman Stephanie Hwang.

Finally, the No. 3 duo featured seniors Connie Chin and Rosie Biel, whom Headley lauds as the most consistent of the bunch. Chin and Biel won by forfeit.

Leland doubles’ tandems have not dropped a match yet this year, and Headley said that overall the Chargers performed up to her expectations.

“There were a few things we can work on,” she said. “Mostly in the mental game, maybe playing somebody who isn’t as strong. The hardest thing is: stay focused on your game when you have, for example, an unconventional player.”

Leland girls’ water polo team places second at Clovis Invitational

The Leland girls’ water polo team had its best finish ever at the Clovis Invitational this past weekend, placing second in the tournament.

The team defeated Redwood in the first round 15-2, before beating Sunnyside 12-4 in the second round.

The Leland girls’ water polo team placed second at the Clovis Invitational Sept. 8 and 9, the team’s highest finish ever at the annual tournament. Photo courtesy of Mark Sarpa

In the quarterfinal action, the Chargers beat last year’s CIF Central Section Division II champion, Porterville, by a score of 11-6.

In the semifinals, the Chargers defeated powerhouse Clovis West, which has won eight of the past nine CIF Central Section Division I championships, 7-6.

However, Leland’s finals match put a stop to the team’s winning streak, as the Chargers endured a tough 10-3 loss to Buchanan.

Overall, the Chargers put up impressive numbers in the tournament, with Christy Stibbe scoring 22 goals, while recording 10 steals and 7 ejections drawn. Goalie Allison Mossing recorded 32 saves and was named to the All-Tournament team.

Leland head coach Eric Rise added that Courtney Monsees, Elena Santamaria, and Andrea Henneman also came up big in the tournament.

“Courtney and Elena were key to our success on offense as well as defense,” he said.

Monsees finished the tournament with 15 goals, 17 steals, and 12 assists. Santamaria contributed with 9 goals, 13 steals, and nine assists in the tournament.

Rise said that Henneman, the team’s main two-meter defender, was continually locked up defending the other teams' best player, and more often than not shut them down.

“Her defense was what allowed our defense to smother the perimeter and get out and counter,” Rise said.

Sophomore Kylie Sarpa and senior Hannah Duckworth also chipped in a goal each over the weekend and combined for five assists.

Meanwhile, freshman Kelsey Nolan started in the semifinal win over Clovis West and played much of the final match as well, drawing praise from Rise.

“Her speed and intensity on defense helped shut down the Clovis West’s counter attack,” he said.

Sophomores Emily Chortek, Melinda McKenzie, Morgan Gahagan, and goalie Amy Georgiou, as well as junior Lauren Sheridan gave the team some much-needed depth off the bench in the tournament, according to Rise, who added that his bench consists of “strong defenders who have good speed.”

Lacrosse registration now open

Lacrosse in San Jose! Registration will be open soon for the spring 2007 season for South Valley Lacrosse.
If you want to give lacrosse a try, reserve your spot today!

- Free clinic: Sept. 30
3 p.m. to 4 p.m.—third-sixth graders
4 p.m. to 5 p.m.—seventh-10th graders

- Introductory lessons
Oct. 21 and 28, 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Cost is $20

- Private (or group) lessons
$20 per hour, or group rate also available.
RSVP to Joy Bender at joy.bender@prodigy.net.
 
Lacrosse coaches needed
South Valley Lacrosse needs at least two coaches for its boys' pups (fifth/sixth grade) and JV (ninth/10th grade) teams. The club is in its third season and has lots of parent support.

If interested, call Joy Bender at (408) 679-1297 or e-mail joy.bender@prodigy.net.  

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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.