SPORTS

Pioneer to test Saratoga’s faux turf after holding off MA 14-13

By Karl Laucher
Staff Writer

A CLEAN SWEEP. Pioneer High School running back Andrew Schultz follows his blockers around right end for a big gain against visiting Menlo Atherton on Saturday as the Mustangs rolled somewhat tentatively to their second straight victory. Photo by Kevin Jones

While Pioneer High School’s football team has made spectacular use of its new all-weather gridiron, opening the season and christening the turf with two straight victories, the Mustangs will visit Saratoga High School Friday afternoon (Sept. 17, 3:30 p. m.), where the host Falcons had an opposite experience.

Saratoga is seeing red after getting knocked off 29-24 in the first game on its new field in a sea-saw battle with Leigh High School last Friday. The confrontation on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road will be Pioneer’s final non-league game before opening official Blossom Valley Athletic League/Mount Hamilton Division action at home again versus Silver Creek High School on Oct. 2.

The Mustangs are feeling quite spirited about their defense which appears to be comfortably stuck on 13 after defeating Gunderson High School 37-13 followed last week by a dramatic 14-13 victory over Menlo Atherton High School.

It wasn’t the number, but circumstances that so satisfied the Pioneer troops, who called on the defense to stand strong in the final minutes to hold off the dangerous MA Bears, who, like Pioneer, were a Central Coast Section playoff team last year.

The Mustangs got touchdown runs of 30 yards from Shaun Souza and two yards from Andrew Schulz, each followed by crucial conversions by Bobby Lopez in the third quarter. The job then was to keep MA from scoring for the next 17 minutes.

Easier said than done, but with some aggressive tackling forcing MA errors, it got done. The key was to stop the Bears’ talented quarterback, the much sought-after Clark Hagman, who threw for two third period touchdowns, but he was stymied thereafter. Among standouts cited on the Pioneer defense by coaches where linebackers C.J. Miller
and Collin McCarthy and lineman Rolando Gomez.

Pioneer defensive coordinator and linebacker coach Eric Perry credited his guys for “battling hard” and noted that the coaching staff did not have a chance to scout MA because it held its pre-season scrimmage in Southern California. “We worked on taking away their passing game; fortunately, they did everything we practiced against,” Perry said.

Menlo Atherton coach Gregg Patner gave begrudging credit to the Mustangs, blaming the loss on “our own errors,” but added, “We should have scored more points. They (Pioneer) played tough and did a good job.”

While the Pioneer running game appears as dangerous as ever, despite the departed swift feet of Jeremy Landucci to graduation, the Mustangs’ passing game is a work in progress. Sophomore quarterback Chris Foley still has growing to do as he fills in the shoes of Jarod Koblis, who earned second-team All-BVAL honors last year as a junior, but is now playing for Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill where he is a two-way starter (but not at quarterback) along with his brother Bryson Texiera. Attempts to get the players a waver to cross district lines to attend for the 2004 football season Pioneer were unsuccessful.

Leland lit up for Lincoln after
dramatic 13-12 win in season opener

By Karl Laucher
Staff Writer

Warning: When Leland High School faces Lincoln High School in a non-league football game Friday night (Sept. 17) at PAL Stadium (7:30), it could put stress on your heart.

Such was the case last week when the Chargers invaded Mount Pleasant High territory in the season opener last week. It was a real thumper.

Few would argue that it appears to be a rebuilding year for the Leland football team as it transitions from Blossom Valley Athletic League/Santa Teresa Division champion in 2003 to top-tier BVAL/Mount Hamilton Division challenger in 2004.

Whether or not the Chargers have the horses to make a run at another crown remains to be seen, but a thrilling 13-12 victory over Mount Pleasant proved that the legionnaires of Leland are ready to battle to the finish against all odds.

Who would have guessed that the Chargers, down by a touchdown with 21 seconds left to play in the game, on their own 32-yardline, facing fourth down and 21 yards to go for a first down, would walk off the field a winner?

Not me.

It really was a thing of beauty. First, a 45-yard pass from quarterback Cory Williams to the dashing dangerman Art King. And then, with the whole world, including political pundits, thinking it would be another pass to the acrobatic King, Williams threw over the middle to a streaking wide receiver Kevin Bertrom, who ignored the flailing Cardinal safety in a dazzling pass-run burst for the winning TD with 1.6 seconds showing on the clock.

Wow.

You couldn’t blame the Mount Pleasant gridders for feeling like they got hit with a left hook when they were waiting for a bolo punch. Cardinal Coach Clancy O’Hara

would say he and his troops weren’t fooled, just disappointed. “We got beat by a better team,” he said. “We knew what they wanted to do and we couldn’t stop ‘em.”

King, who led the Chargers with eight catches for 171 yards, said Leland should have won the game much earlier. “We going to have to work harder,” he declared.

Leland’s first seven points came midway through the second quarter on a 14-yard run by Steven Ruel, followed by the all-important point-after=touchdown by place kicker Sohrab Madame.

The victory took some of the sting out of a dubious start to the 2004 season during which the Chargers the lost two-way standout Kirk Andre to a broken leg and 2003 defensive stalwart Will Hurley to a hazing incident. Hurley transferred to Bellarmine College Preparatory after some Charger teammates forcibly cut his hair several weeks ago. Because of the incident, two players sat out the game versus Mount Pleasant and an assistant coach was fired. Hurley’s brother, Joe, led the Chargers from the quarterback position last year. Their father, Matt, has quit as Charger game announcer.

“It was an unfortunate incident,” said Leland Coach Kelly Edwards. “It involved a lot of family and friends. Will was a good kid for us. We wish him all the best.”

In all, Leland had 11 current Chargers out of the game against Mount Pleasant for one reason or another versus Mount Pleasant. Seven of those players are expected to be available when the Chargers this week go against Lincoln High, which opened its 2004 season with a 35-5 crunching of Del Mar High.

Leland girls water polo snag ninth place in state tournament

By Coach Eric Rise
Special to the Times

The Leland Girls Water Polo team went 3-2 at the Clovis Valley Showdown, a 32-team tournament that included teams from all over the state. Twenty of the teams were top contenders in their respective CIF sections.

Friday, the girls beat Edison 8-1 and lost a close battle with Clovis East 7-5. On Saturday, they defeated El Diamonte 11-6 and Tulare Western 9-3. They lost another tight game to Golden West 5-2 for the ninth-place game.

This year the team only has one senior—Casey Armstrong. In fact, four sophomores started. The girls have put in a lot of hours, training before and after school. Many played club polo over the summer. The girls are really starting to come together, with every player contributing. Christy Stibbe led the way with 13 goals, Courtney Monsees had 7, Amanda Maciel and Elena SantaMaria each had 4, Rebecca Pele and Casey Armstrong added 3 each, and Brittany Hall had 1. Allison Mossing had 22 saves. Casey also played solid set D helping Mossing hold our opponents to under 5 goals a game. Heather Sheridan also added tough D, along with dishing out 4 assists.

Emma Noftz and Lindsay Dreyer provided strong bench play, adding to our depth that allowed us to out-condition the other teams.

We still have a lot of work to do, but the girls have shown such a focus and drive to improve that this could be an exciting year for Leland girls water polo.