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September 21, 2006 SPORTSChargers win first game of the season 20-3 over HomesteadLeland defense limits Homestead to first quarter field goal; offense piles up 179 yards rushing in win
The win for Leland (1-2) came after two road losses to open the season, as the Chargers took care of business both offensively and defensively, limiting Homestead to just a first quarter field goal while racking up 179 yards rushing.
Near the end of the second quarter, the Leland defense stopped an otherwise promising drive by the Mustangs again, as Gemette intercepted a pass from quarterback Alex Jones in the end zone with just two seconds left on the clock. Sports BriefsAlmaden National Junior Basketball signups Girls U11 class 3 competitive XTreme team seeks players Bret Harte Middle School needs a flag football coach Almaden United boys’ U-15 soccer team seeks players High School Sports ScheduleLeland High School Pioneer High School High School ScoreboardSept. 12 Sept. 13 Sept. 15
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| Jamiel Danesh, Leland High 1995 grad, has lofty goals after winning two gold medals in regional track cycling action. Photo by Karl Laucher |
The 29-year-old Danesh set himself up for a serious foray at the U.S. National Track Championships by winning both the individual pursuit and the team pursuit (with three others) at the Hellyer Park Velodrome last
weekend.
The double-gold performance in the Northern California/Nevada Cycling Association Championships was just another harvest of organic pollen for Danesh, who scored two podium finishes in the National Criterium Championships in Chicago and was the bearer of the red sprinter’s jersey for five stages at the International Cycling Classic’s “Superweek” competition this year in Wisconsin.
Danesh said he was inspired to hit the road on a two-wheeler when cycling was used to rehabilitate ankle injuries he sustained playing basketball during his prep years. The fact that the San Jose International Triathlon was staged near his house lured him into the thick of that fray where he earned age-group laurels.
The two victories on Hellyer Park’s one-third mile cement oval puts Danesh in a positive mood for making a break-through effort for his Oakland-based RH Villa/Montano Velo cycling team, one of the few elite teams to ride American-made bicycles, the “Bocklobster Cycle” manufactured in Santa Cruz.
“I am very happy with my form,” said Danesh. “I found a few things I can improve upon over the next few weeks, and I will. I would have been happy to just qualify for L.A., but the two wins this weekend were a big
bonus.”
As for his ultimate goal as a cyclist, Danesh says he is hoping to be part of the swarm of athletes who will converge on the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Beyond that, he says he wants to “see more people use human power to move around this planet.”
Leland splits versus Evergreen and Santa Teresa on cross country trails
Barnett sisters score big at Montgomery Hill Park
By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer
Swift sisters Stephanie and Claudia Barnett paced the race at Montgomery Hill Park in Leland girls’ cross country action on Sept. 14
The Charger girls cruised to double dual meet victories, outscoring Evergreen Valley 32-24, and Santa Teresa, 34-22. The boys, meanwhile, dropped their match-ups at the same site, 31-24 to Evergreen, and 44-17 to Santa Teresa.
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| Leland’s young talent takes time out to pose on an Almaden trail at practice this week. Photo by Justin Petersen |
Longtime Leland coach Jerry Rose was pleased and said both Leland teams are improving at a rapid rate, and with the number of underclassmen that fill the rosters, hopes are high that times will shine this year and in years to come.
“They are really young,” said Rose. “My best kids are freshmen and sophomores. They are going to take their lumps this year, but they are going to be good. They are learning the trade.”
But the girls are stalking a pace that the boys hope to reach, with sophomore Stephanie Barnett leading the way. She was the Blossom Valley champion as a freshman last year, and she paced the field at Montgomery Hill, completing the 2.7-mile south San Jose course in 18 minutes and one second.
Freshman sibling Claudia Barnett closed in on her big sister, close behind with a stellar time of 19:23.
“Last year Stephanie finished No. 63 in the state and 13th of all freshman,” said Rose. “You have a top-notched girl right there. She is the top girl in whole BVAL.”
Rose said the elder Barnett sister separates herself with focus and an extremely strong work ethic. “She loves to run—she loves competition,” he said of Stephanie Barnett.
Of Claudia Barnett, Rose said, “[Claudia] is a lot the same, but she is a little taller than Stephanie. She is running times pretty much comparable to what Stephanie ran last year in her first few outings.”
Fellow freshman Michele Hsieh and sophomore Ashley Nguyen joined the Barnetts at the finish line, crossing in 20:32 and 20:41, respectively, good for the 12th and 13th best times at the event.
“We showed them we are a team to be reckoned with when we knocked off Evergreen,” said Rose.
Rose sited a failure to catch Evergreen in the past, but a turn for the better has occurred this season. He said the Chargers have their eyes set on a division championship if the hard work continues on the trails.
In boys’ action, Leland sophomores Matt Vera and Frank Gao finished 10th and 14th, respectively. Vera crossed the finish line in 16:24, while Gao trailed close behind, ending with a time of 16:42.
Rose said Vera is his top boys’ runner this season, despite Vera’s first season on the cross country trails.
“He doesn’t give up,” said Rose. “He works very hard in practice. He ran constantly all summer. Matt is very dedicated; where as some of the other kids may have been on vacation. Matt and Frank stayed and did all of their hard work.”
Gao, meanwhile, reminded Rose of an all-time team leader in Takahiro Shiraiwa, who graduated from Leland a year ago.
“Frank was one of the top kids as a freshman last year, right behind Takahiro Shiraiwa,” Rose said. “‘Taka’ was one of the ones who was an average runner, but an overachiever. His leadership was by example.”
Rose said that by Gao assuming Shiraiwa’s role as leader by example, the relatively inexperienced Leland boys’ squad is on the rise again.
“He is one of the reasons our team is up and coming right now,” Rose said. “Frank saw how hard ‘Taka’ ran and Frank picked up that skill.”
While no other Leland runners placed amongst the top 15, Rose expects No. 3 sophomore Joel Ayala to score points this season. Rose said he also expects senior John Kassa to continue improving and to become a
force.
“We tell them to persevere,” said Rose. “We are not telling them they will be the team to beat next year—but soon.”
Hat trick time
13th annual Almaden Times Classic this Sunday at Leland
The 13th annual Almaden Times Classic 2 Mile/10 K Run/Walk sponsored by the Almaden Valley Counseling Service Auxiliary will be held this Sunday, Sept. 24, starting at 9 a.m. at Leland High School.
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| A crowd of runners gets a quick start from the starting line at the 12th annual Almaden Times Classic, held Oct. 9 at Leland High School. More than 400 runners took part in this year’s event. Photo by Diego Abeloos |
This event is the first of three races to be held in San Jose. Runners are encouraged to participate in the San Jose “Hat Trick.” Those who run in all three races—The Almaden Times Classic, the Rock N Roll Half Marathon held on Oct. 8 and the Metro Silicon Valley Marathon Oct. 29 and —will receive a special award recognizing their distinctive place in the San Jose running/walking community.
To register for the Hat Trick, you must sign up at the Almaden Times Classic race. (This does not obligate you in any way to complete the Hat Trick, but it will let organizers know that you are going to make the attempt.)
If you are among the first 100 people to register for and complete all three races, you will receive a special San Jose Sharks game-used hockey puck signed by several team stars to denote your elite status in the Silicon Valley running and walking communities. In addition, the five fastest men and women (measured by combined time over the three races), will be invited to take in a Sharks game (date TBD) from a luxury suite. The evening will include a visit from Sharkie and a welcoming announcement during the game.
For more information on The “Hat Trick” e-mail doug@evolve-sports.com.
This weekend’s 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 runner.
All runners will receive a goodie bag with coupons and other valuable items. There are special rates for families and nonprofit groups.
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 Avenue.
East Valley Softball early bird signups
East Valley Girls Fastpitch Softball is holding early-bird signups for the coming season.
Signups are for girls ages 5 to 16 at the Day in the Park event, held at Lake Cunningham Regional on Oct. 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Items required at the time of registration (no exceptions) are as follows:
- Completed registration form (available at registration and online)
- A copy of the player’s birth certificate (to keep in our files)
- The registration fee in full (no scholarships available)
- A complete release of liability and assumption of risk agreement (available at registration and online)
- Volunteer signups (each family will be required to sign up)
Forms will be available at the time of registration or can be retrieved at our Web site: www.eteamz.com/evsltwisters
For more information, call the East Valley Softball League telephone line, (408) 291-3248.
Mustangs drop 31-14 loss at Aragon
First-quarter outburst by Dons leads to 21 points; Mustangs await Leigh in league opener Sept. 30
By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor
The Mustangs took a 31-14 loss at Aragon on the chin on Sept. 16, leaving Pioneer with a 1-2 non-league record just two weeks before the team’s league-opener against Leigh.
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| Pioneer quarterback Chris Foley (14) throws a pass during the Mustangs’ 31-14 loss on Sept. 16. Foley finished the day 11 of 23 passing for 113 yards and two interceptions. Photos courtesy of Ric Medlinger at www.medlinger.net |
Despite the loss, Pioneer head coach Mark Krail found some positive developments as the Mustangs prepare for league play, beginning with a home game versus the Longhorns on Sept. 30.
“We knew when we put them on the schedule last spring that they would be a handful for us,” Krail said. “They’re a top-notch program, a perennial CCS playoff team that has won its league several years in a row. So we knew it would be a true test and I think we responded to that test. We didn’t finish a couple of drives, we had a special teams breakdown, and that was part of the outcome. I think we’re getting better but we’re not where we need to be yet.”
The Pioneer offense functioned well in the first half, scoring touchdowns in both the first and second quarters, but struggled otherwise with a scoreless second half. Pioneer running back Shane Murray contributed much of the offense, rushing for 73 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries to lead all Pioneer running backs, while also leading all receivers with five catches for 76 yards.
The game opened quickly with an early Aragon touchdown in the first quarter, a 56-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage. That was quickly countered by a Pioneer scoring drive, featuring an eight-play, 80-yard drive capped by a 6-yard touchdown run from Nico Pagan with 8:19 left for a 7-7 tie.
From the outset of the game, Aragon focused its defense on Pioneer’s run-heavy offensive attack. To that end, Krail said he opted to balance the offense out to counter the defense, as evidenced by quarterback Chris Foley’s 11 of 23 passing performance for 113 yards.
“We knew they were going to have eight or nine guys up at the line of scrimmage,” Krail said. “We’ve struggled to throw the ball and today we worked on that. …It was good, it was a positive thing. I think you can’t be absolutely one-dimensional. I mean, you can be running team but you still have to throw the ball a little bit. Today, we had a little bit of success there.”
Still, the tide turned Aragon’s way quickly in the first quarter, as the Dons struck back to regain the lead with back-to-back touchdowns, including one series that featured a six-play 60-yard drive for a score with 4:01 left in the first quarter to give Aragon a 14-7 lead.
A little more than a minute later, Aragon was in the end zone again, as the Dons’ special teams unit blocked a Pioneer punt at the Mustangs’ 21-yard line, running the ball in for another score with 2:55 left in the
first.
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| Pioneer running back Shane Murray (5) led the Mustangs in rushing, with 73 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown, as well as receiving, with five passes caught for 76 yards. |
Pioneer inched closer at the start of the second quarter, completing an 11-play, 61-yard drive that ended with Murray scoring on a one-yard run with 11:18 left in the first half, cutting the lead to 21-14. A key play on that drive occurred at the Aragon 30 with Pioneer facing a fourth-and-15 situation. The Mustangs faked a field goal attempt, with holder Joe Alise tossing a lateral to tight end Travis Lorius instead, who then promptly found Murray wide open for a 29-yard pass completion, setting the Mustangs up at the Aragon 1.
Still, that was all the offense Pioneer could muster against the Dons, who went on to add a 28-yard field goal with 22 seconds left in the first half for a 24-14 lead, before padding the lead with a two-play scoring drive early in the fourth quarter for a 31-14 edge.
Despite Aragon’s 31 points on the day, Krail said he was happy with the performance on defense by the
Mustangs.
“The defense played great,” Krail said. “They caught us out of alignment on the first play and scored a touchdown and then they blocked a punt for another touchdown. The defense, I thought, played outstanding. …The kids fought hard.”
And in spite of the early-season 1-2 record, Krail said he’s confident about his team’s ability to compete in league play.
“I told the guys after the game today, ‘we have two goals every season: to win a league championship and a CCS championship, and both of those are right there for us to fight for,’” Krail said. “…These guys, you’re going to hear from them. They’re not going to quit. There’s no way. We’re going to be right there and we’re going to fight for 10 weeks, at least.”
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