October 2, 2008

SPORTS

Pioneer Frosh football lands first win in two years

The Pioneer Freshman football team won their first game in two years against Los Gatos High School.

In the first play of the game, running back Sean Nelson returned the kick-off for a 75-yard run and scored a touchdown. He also recovered a fumble in the first quarter.

Tyler Campani also had an interception in the first quarter.

Pioneer won by a final score of 22-20.

Pictured above is a handoff to Tyler Campani (25), who ran the ball from the 45 to almost the 20 yard line.	Camani is taken down at the 20 after a long run.

—Photos and report by Kymberli Brady

Almaden Quicksilver wins Shootout championship

By Phyllis Politoski
Special to the Times

The Almaden Quicksilver U15 girls competitive soccer team won the U16 championship at the Vacaville United Shootout on September 27-28. Most of the 12 teams competing were a year older than the Quicksilver team, yet Quicksil-ver emerged as the only team winning all their games over the weekend

The Almaden Quicksilver U15 girls competitive soccer team pose with thier trophies after a win at the U16 championship at the Vacaville United Shootout on September 27-28.

Quicksilver got off to a great start against Fremont FC Pumas with a 1-0 victory. It was a very close game until Jillian Marquard scored from 30-yards out on a direct free kick. The tough defensive squad of Ellen Tung, Savannah Trudeau, Tamara Qutmiera and Megan Dingley held on for the victory.

Facing 100 degree heat and a lack of substitutes, Quicksilver next squared off against Rocklin Blue Heat who recently finished top four in the state Association Cup. Megan Keys and Brenna Fowler's hard work in the midfield helped create a lot of goal scoring chances. Inspired by the fast-paced play of forward Jessica Blecher, Quicksilver battled back from a two goal deficit with an outstanding performance from forward Julia Mangin. Julia headed in a goal, converted a penalty kick and volleyed in a perfect cross from Anahita Asefi in the closing minutes to complete her hat-trick performance.

On Sunday morning, Quicksil-ver faced off against Davis Legacy Stars. In an odd turn of events, the referees ended the game midway through the second half after a Davis player and both coaches were ejected. Quicksilver was awarded a victory by forfeit and moved on to the championship game with the top results in the qualifying rounds.

In the championship game, the Quicksilver faced-off against the U16 South San Jose Quakes, a top team in District 2 in an older age bracket. Dana Sever volleyed a cross for a goal in the first 5 minutes to get Quicksilver off to a great start. Playing with confidence, Quicksilver maintained possession of the ball with strong play from midfielders Jenny Politoski and Jacqueline Gill. Katelyn Parker put Quicksilver up 2-0 with a beautiful shot from the right side.

Inserted as a central defender in this final game, Samantha Engstrom was dominant in the middle of the field shutting down the Quakes. Quicksilver's final goal came off a long kick from goalkeeper Jillian Marquard that Julia Mangin chased down and slotted into the net from the left side.

Quicksilver celebrated their 3-1 victory in the final and began preparation for next weekend's District Cup. Quicksilver is coached by John Politoski, Joe Blecher and Bob Parker.

High School Sports Schedule, Oct. 3 - 9

Leland
Friday—Football vs. Westmont at Leland; JV at 4:30; varsity at 7 p.m.
Friday—Field hockey vs. Mitty at Mitty at 3:30 p.m.

Tuesday—Girls volleyball vs. Westmont at Westmont; JV at 5 and varsity at 6 p.m.

Wednesday—Boys water polo vs. Pioneer at Willow Glen JV at 6:15 and varsity at 7:15 p.m.
Wednesday—Girls water polo vs. Pioneer at Willow Glen, JV at 4:15 and varsity at 5:15 p.m.

Thursday—Girl’s tennis vs. Leigh at 3:15 p.m. at Leland
Thursday—Girls volleyball vs. Lincoln at Lincoln at 3:15 p.m. at 3:30 p.m.
Thursday—Field hockey vs. Los Altos at Leland at 3:30 p.m.

Pioneer
Friday—Football vs. Oak Grove at Pioneer; JV at 4:30 p.m. and varsity at 7 p.m.

Wednesday—Girls volleyball vs. San Jose at Pioneer; JV at 5 and varsity at 6 p.m.
Wednesday—Girls water polo vs. Leland at Willow Glen; JV at 4:15 and varsity at 5:15 p.m.
Wednesday—Boys water polo vs. Leland at Willow Glen; JV at 6:15 and varsity at 7:15

Thursday—Girls tennis vs. Gunderson at Pioneer at 3:15 p.m.


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

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

Sports Briefs

Girls’ Volleyball Tryouts
Jumpstart Volleyball Club tryouts are scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 9, 2008, at Buchser Middle School located at 1111 Bellomy St.,Santa Clara. 

Tryout times:
12 yrs & under - 10 a.m. to 12 noon;
13 to 14 yrs - 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
15 thru 18 yrs -  6 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

Tryout fee is $30. For more information, visit www.jumpstartvolleyball.com or call 408-378-8590.

Almaden Elite seeks players
Almaden Elite U16 Girls Soccer needs Select Division 1 team members. Interested players should contact Irene Johnston at 859-3617 or irene_johnston@yahoo.com.

South Valley Lacrosse Club needs players, Coaches and Referees
Registration is now open for the Spring 2009 Season! Space is limited due to our high rate of player return so act now! We are looking for players ages 7 - 15.

Our season runs from Jan. 12 - May 29. Practices are in the Cambrian area and games are on Saturdays or Sundays.

Coaches: If you have lacrosse experience we could use your help. Referees: Our league is very low on referees so if you would like to become a ref, let me know. (It’s great pay - $40 per game at minimum.) Questions? E-mail Joy Bender at joy@joybender.com. To register or for more information about our club: www.svlax.com.

Walk For Lupus Now
The Lupus Foundation of America is hosting their inaugural Walk for Lupus Now event in San Francisco on Oct. 11 at The Band Shell in the Music Concourse at Golden Gate Park. This is a 5K (3.1 mile) fundraising walk that raises critical funds for lupus research, education programs, and patient and family support services. This year, thousands of walkers will participate in more than 52 Walk for Lupus Now events in the United States, promoting lupus awareness, physical activity and healthy living in a family-friendly setting. They will walk to raise funds to save lives from lupus, a life-threatening autoimmune disease that damages any organ in the body and affects more than 1.5 million Americans today. The proceeds from Walk for Lupus Now are invested into each local community. To Register: walkforlupusnowsf.kintera.org.

Holy Spirit School & Church Golf Tournament on October 23
Enjoy some beautiful fall outdoor time with friends and colleagues for a round of golf, dinner, awards and auction. Green fees are $195 per golfer which includes cart, range balls, tee prize, lunch, drinks on the course and dinner. All will be held at the fabulous Cinnabar Hills Golf Club in San Jose.

The event will begin at 1pm with a shotgun start. Cocktails, dinner, awards and auction follow immediately after golf at 6pm. If you don’t play golf, please feel free to join your friends and family for the evening events. Dinner will be $40 per person for non-golfers. Remember all proceeds will go to support Holy Spirit School & Church. You can register on line at www.holyspiritchurch.org. The deadline to register is Oct. 17.

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