October 11, 2007

SPORTS

Leland takes charge

Takes down unbeaten Santa Teresa

By Dan Miranda
Sports Coordinator

The Leland Chargers used their style of football to beat the undefeated Santa Teresa Saints 21-10 last Saturday.

The Charger’s defense stops Santa Teresa's Alonzo Parks for a short gain during the game. The Charger's defense held the Saints to minus three yard on the ground. Photos by Ben Dekoven

“The last two games weren’t our style of football. Today we played our style of football,” said Leland head coach Mike Carrozzo.

The Chargers used the running game as well as the passing game to keep Santa Teresa’s defense on its heels. “Coach Portera, our offensive coordinator, called a great game,” Carrozzo said.

The Charger offense compiled 220 yards on the ground and 84 in the air on seven completions. Leading the way for the Chargers were Kevin Krail with 70 yards on 18 attempts and two touchdowns and Jeff Sommer who had 54 yards on seven attempts and caught one pass for 24-yards.

The Chargers’ passing attack has really come of age. Quarterback Ricky Battipede had seven completions on 10 attempts for 84 yards with receiver Nate Jones grabbing four passes for 48 yards; his longest at 27 yards. Running back Matt Machado also got into the act by catching one of Battipede’s passes for a touchdown.

Leland's Kevin Krail looks for an opening through Santa Teresa's defense on Saturday Oct. 6 at Santa Teresa High School. Krail had 70-yards on 18 carries to lead all Leland rushers for the game.

The defense seemed to feed off the offense’s success by holding the Saints to -3 yards in the second half. The Chargers defense also had 67 tackles and three sacks for -16 yards and one interception of Saints quarterback Mitch Bowman by Kevin Krail, which he returned for 8 yards. “I told them to be aggressive and to use natural instincts,” said Carrozzo.

About the only thing that didn’t go right for the Chargers was penalties. There were too many penalties in the game with some that seemed to stop potential scoring drives. “We were just careless and not thinking. We just had to focus.” said Carrozzo.

Leland never trailed in this contest, scoring the first touchdown in the first quarter on a 3-yard run by Kevin Krail and putting the Chargers ahead 7-0. But Santa Teresa answered when Alonzo Parks scored on a 3-yard run in the second quarter tying the score at 7-7.

The Chargers Jeff Sommer was instrumental on the next scoring drive catching a 24-yard pass from Battipede to move the ball to the 46-yard line of the Saints. Krail followed that with a 9-yard run down to the 37-yard line of Santa Teresa.

Sommer again took the ball down the right side for 11 yards to the 26-yard line with Krail taking a 4-yard run for a touchdown. The extra point put the Chargers back on top 14-7 with 2:35 remaining in the half.

Leland's defensive end Jeff Sommer sacks Santa Teresa quarterback Mitch Bowman.

Saints running back Alonzo Parks managed to the work the ball to the 21-yard line of the Chargers with good hard running but on third and seven with the Saint’s quarterback Mitch Bowman throwing for the touchdown in the corner of the end zone. But coverage from Charger cornerback Jones was good and the pass was incomplete. The Saints settled for a field goal. At halftime, the Chargers lead 14-10.

In the third quarter, the Chargers unleashed their defense giving Santa Teresa trouble by shutting down the Saints’ running game and pressuring Bowman.

In the fourth quarter, Leland was able to put the game away with the help of Michael Santini who rumbled 9 yards and on the second down for another 2 yards. On third and goal, Battipede found Machado in the end zone for a touchdown and the extra point put Leland ahead to win 21-10.

Next up for the Chargers are the Westmont Warriors on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. “Westmont’s offense is as wide open as you are ever going to see in this league,” said Carrozzo.

Pioneer tops unbeaten Leigh, 28- 7

By Gary Van Den Heuval
Sports Writer

The Pioneer High School football team put on its most impressive performance of the season last Friday, beating the undefeated Leigh Longhorns 28-7 at Leigh High School.

The Longhorns, ranked 12th in the CCS before the game, couldn't contain the Mustangs' powerful running game, led by senior Marquee Heffner's 211 yards, or the blitzing pressure applied by the Pioneer defense.

Pioneer's Marquee Heffner runs the ball through the Leigh defense during their game on Friday night Oct. 5 in Campbell. Heffner was the leading rusher for the night tallying 225 yards on 14 carries. Photos by Dan Miranda

"I have a lot of confidence in these guys," said head coach Mark Krail, whose Pioneer squad won their second straight Blossom Valley league game after losing their first three preseason contests. "We felt like we could line up and play with them."

Sloppy play affected both teams early. Leigh was unable to capitalize after the opening kickoff bounced off the knee of a Mustang player and was recovered at the Pioneer 42 by Jacob Jimenez. A third down completion by junior quarterback Ryan Stillwell to receiver Nathan Smith, which would have put the ball on the 15-yard line, instead was nullified due to a holding penalty.

Two plays later Pioneer took over after a punt, but after going three downs and out, the Mustangs retained possession when Heffner recovered a bobbled punt return at the Longhorn 40. But that threat subsided when quarterback Joe Alise, eluding the pass rush, heaved a desperate pass as he was falling, which was picked off by Leigh's Tyler Pao.

The Pioneer defense stiffened and forced a punt, and after two Shane Murray runs gained a first down, Heffner demonstrated the explosiveness that defines him as "a game breaker," in Krail's words. After breaking a tackle, Heffner turned on the jets and raced down the left sideline for a 72-yard touchdown. Victor Aguirre's extra point made the score 7-0.

Leigh's pass-heavy, pro-set offense, which often spreads the field with three or more receivers, began clicking on their next possession. Stillwell completed passes to Ryan Valentine, Shawn Sanders (who caught two on the drive) and Nathan Smith while Tom D'Amico and Valentine provided run support.

But the Long-horns ran out of steam when they got to the Pioneer 10-yard line. Still-well threw three incomplete passes, the third when he was under heavy pressure from Mus-tang defensive lineman Travis Lorius, and a fourth down pass was broken up at the goal line. The 16-play drive came up empty for the Longhorns.

Buoyed by the defensive stand, Pioneer's offense went to their bread and butter: the running game. Heffner started things off with an 18-yard run; Murray, who finished with 129 yards on 11 carries, busted off 11 yards; followed by a Heffner 9-yard gain. Two plays later Alise kept the drive alive by recovering a Murray fumble, Heffner converted a fourth and short, finding his opening and scooting through it, going all the way for the touchdown, this time a 38-yarder.

Leigh mounted one more threat before halftime, but again had nothing to show for it after a lengthy 11-play drive stalled out. To the surprise of many in the crowd, Pioneer went into the locker room at the half with a 14-0 lead.

Krail wasn't surprised, though. "We went through a tough preseason and the guys refused to crumble," he said. "The last two games we've controlled the line of scrimmage and that's where you win the ballgame."

Pioneer's David Figueroa sacks Leigh's quarterback Ryan Stillwell in the fourth quarter for a loss of 8 yards during the game.

Leigh's offensive misfortunes continued in the second half. Coach Shawn Thomas's squad opened the third quarter with a 9-play drive, which ended on a fourth down incompletion inside the Pioneer 30. Once again the Mustangs capitalized, this time relying on the legs of Murray, who had runs of 42 and 11 yards, before taking it the final 13 yards for the score and a 21-0 Pioneer lead.

"We bent but didn't break," Krail said about his defense, which in the next possession again shut down the Longhorns in the red zone. Linebacker David Figueroa contributed a key sack of Stillwell among his team-leading 13 tackles, and two plays later a wall of Mustangs clobbered the lanky Stillwell, who despite the lack of scoring still completed 23 out of 45 passes for 197 yards, on fourth and short.

Pioneer's final score came on an 11-yard Mike Cobb score in the fourth quarter, which ended whatever suspense was left. The Longhorns finally got on the scoreboard on a 10-yard run by Josh Chou.

The Leigh crowd clung to a little hope when the Longhorns recovered an onside kick and drove inside the Pioneer 5-yard line, but another fourth down incompletion, this time with 3:07 left, put the final nail in the Longhorn’s coffin.

The talented Stillwell looked sharp at times but spent much of the second half running for cover from the likes of Lorius, Figueroa and linebacker Daniel Montesano, who had 11 tackles.

"That was a part of our halftime adjustments," said Krail, "bring a lot more heat [on the quarterback]. He's a good thrower, and if you leave him a lot of time, he's going to pick you apart. The defense is playing really inspired football, which is nice."

Pioneer's record improved to 2-0 in league play, 2-3 overall. Leigh is now 1-1 in league play and 4-1 overall

The Almaden Fusion

Almaden Fusion wins Almaden Champions Cup

Almaden Fusion, a class 1 U11 girls' soccer team, took first place in the Almaden Champions Cup tournament. The tournament, hosted by Almaden Valley Youth Soccer League, was played in Morgan Hill Sept. 27 and 28. After winning its bracket, the team advanced to the championship game and defeated Orchard Valley Chaos 3-0.

The members of the team are, from left, front row: Ashley Parsons and Kristin Baer; middle row: Rhiannon Holmes, Piper Gleadhill, Sydnie Stanton, Ashley Kirchick, Adrianna Lash and Michelle Maemone; and top row: Megan Rogusky, Alli Foreman, Kelsey Allmon, Courtney Chang, Kelly Lymberopoulos, Melissa Fletcher, Katie McMullin, Brooke Lisowski and Alexa Kuechle. The team is coached by Veronica Zepeda and Kendra Sato.

Sporting takes second at tournament

The Sporting Girls U10 Select soccer team took home second place in the Battle of the Bay soccer tournament. The tournament, held Sept. 29 and 30 in Union City and hosted 12 class 1 U10 girls’ teams from all around northern California.

Sporting Girls U10 Select soccer team

The Sporting girls rolled over all their opponents in the three games leading up to the finals with 17 goals scored on offense giving up only two goals defensively. The finals were played against their archrivals, the Danville Xplosion, last year’s Norcal state champions.

By the time the final whistle blew, the Sporting had lost by a score of 5-3. However they played a tough game and never gave up. Both the Sporting and the Xplosion are their respective league champions and have played each other many times throughout the last few years.

“These girls have to be proud of their play in this tournament,” said head coach Jim Lawrence. “The girls put out their best effort and nearly won the whole tournament. They are so focused and dedicated that I am convinced they will be a top California select team for many years to come.”

So far, the Sporting are once again in first place in their league and hope to put up a strong showing in the Norcal state cup in November. They took second place in last year’s state cup.

The team includes, from left, front row: Megan Wheelock, Erica Nakano*, Maddie Cavanna*, Shaelan Murison-Brown, Sierra Painter* and Danielle Hadfield*; second row: Head coach Jim Lawrence, Erin McCoy*, Kylie Nall (guest player), Ashley Lawrence*, Hanna Gratny*, Sierra Painter*, Regan Heslop* and assistant coach Jamie Berg*. Not pictured are Reese Gonzalez and Julia Houk*.
(* Denotes Almaden resident )

Almaden Flames win 2007 District Cup

The Almaden flames in their first appearance as a class1 U14 girl's soccer team took first place in the Silver division at the District Cup championships in Santa Clara on Oct. 6 and 7.

Almaden Flames

The Flames came in as underdogs in their division with two players out for the season and a shaky start to the season. In league play they received a second chance to compete against the teams in their division at district cup.

The team came together and turned on the heat in league play. They won their first game against the Alpine Stings, tied against SMSC Fury and went on to beat DeAnza Force 93G Blue and Palo Alto 94G White. They earned enough points to take over first place in the Silver bracket for the District Cup tournament.

Pictured are, from left, top row: Chantel Dariano, Teri Lawrence, Katy LaPlante, Kristine Mijatovich, Stephanie Maniglia, Brianna, Slater, Kayla Souza, Rachelle McGuy and Mariah Gutierrez; front row: Adrianah Ramirez, Milian Pollifrone, Alexa Wise, Marisa Cavanna ,Morgan Yost, Sarah Blackford and Maddi Hyde. Ron Ramirez and Sara Mijatovich coach the team.

High School Sports Schedule Oct. 12 – 18

Leland

Saturday – Frosh/soph football vs. Westmont, 11 a.m.
Saturday – Varsity football vs. Westmont, 1:30 p.m.

Tuesday – Field hockey vs. Saratoga, 2:45 p.m.
Tuesday – Girls’ tennis vs. Piedmont, 3:15 p.m.
Tuesday – Girls’ volleyball at Lincoln, 5 p.m. JV and 6 p.m. varsity
Tuesday – Boys’ water polo at Lincoln, 5 p.m. varsity
Tuesday – Girls water polo at Lincoln, 3 p.m. JV and 4 p.m. Varsity

Thursday – Cross country at Montgomery Hill, 3:30 p.m.
Thursday – Field hockey at St. Francis, 2:45 p.m.
Thursday – Girls’ tennis vs. Santa Teresa, 3:15 p.m.
Thursday – Girls’ volleyball vs. Branham, 5 p.m. JV and 6 p.m. varsity

Pioneer

Saturday – Frosh/soph football vs. Independence, 11 a.m.
Saturday – Varsity football vs. Independence, 2 p.m.

Tuesday – Boys’ water polo at Evergreen, 3 p.m. JV and 4 p.m. varsity
Tuesday – Girls’ water polo vs. Santa Teresa at Independence, 5 p.m. JV and 6 p.m. varsity
Tuesday – Girls tennis at Gunderson, 3:15 p.m.

Wednesday – Cross country at Montgomery Hill, 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday – Girls’ volleyball vs. San Jose, 5 p.m. JV and 6 p.m. varsity

Thursday – Girls tennis at Willow Glen, 3:15 p.m.

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

Lacrosse Signups
Registration is now open for South Valley Lacrosse Club. We have 12 spots open for 3rd and 4th grade boys and a few spots open for 9th and 10th grade boys. Practice starts January 21 and games begin in March. Our season ends May 31. Learn to play the fastest growing sport in America!

Coaches Needed!
We have coaching positions to fill for boys in grades 5 - 10. If you have lacrosse experience, we would love your help! South Valley Lacrosse Club is entering it’s 4th season and we have lots of parent support! For more information, contact Joy Bender at joy.bender@prodigy.net or 679-1297.


Point Break Volleyball Club Clinics and Tryouts
We will be holding volleyball skills clinics on October 21 and 28 from 5-7 p.m. at Santa Clara High School. The cost is $20 per session. Players are encouraged to come out and meet the Point Break coaches, players, and families, and get a taste of the club’s “Live Aloha” style. Players of all ages who wish to brush up on their skills before the tryout season begins are welcome to participate, whether they plan to tryout for a Point Break team or not. Tryouts for Power and Area teams will be held on November 3 at Lynbrook High School for $25. Power team tryouts for all ages will be from 2:30-5:30 p.m. Area team tryouts for all ages will be from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Be sure to come at least 45 minutes early to check in. If you cannot make it on that date, there will be make-up tryouts on November 11 from 4-6 p.m. at Santa Clara High School for all ages, for both Power and Area teams. The cost is $25. For more information, please visit our website, www.pointbreakvbc.com.


Youth Lacrosse coaching opportunity at Bret Harte Middle School
Bret Harte Middle school has an opening to hire a coach for the spring ‘08 Lacrosse season. Youth coaching experience preferred. Traditional sports such as soccer and football make a great foundation. Lacrosse experience not a prerequisite as Lacrosse training will be provided. Responsibility, positive attitude, and patience are required. Season / practice starts Jan. ’08, games begin March 1, ending by Memorial Day. This is a great opportunity to help our youth Lacrosse program grow in Almaden Valley while learning the fastest growing new sport on the west coast. The kids are great, the parents are top notch, and the school supports the program. This is an excellent part time opportunity for a sport-minded college student. Please apply before Oct. 31, to allow time for training, background check, etc. Interested parties should contact Club President Wayne Schatz at 623-4691 or wayne_schatz@sbcglobal.net See also; www.brethartelax.com.

San Jose Aces 18U Travel Baseball Team Seeks Players
The San Jose Aces 18U competitive travel team seeks 16-17-18 YO players (no older than 18 years on April 30, 2008 ) for the fall/winter season.  All positions are welcome but especially seeking experienced high school-level pitchers.  Current team consists of players from Branham, Leigh, Bellarmine, Santa Teresa and other local schools.   

This team will compete at local and some regional 18U wood bat tournaments.  Players should have prior travel/tournament and/or high school baseball experience. 

Contact Coach Warren Nagatani at warren@sanjoseaces.com or 449-7229 for tryout, practice and fee information.  You may also visit www.sanjoseaces.com for more information.

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.

Get listed!
Sports Briefs listings are subject to the following fee structure: $25 per month, per publication for the Evergreen and Almaden Times; $10 per month, per publication for the monthly newspapers. Indicate publication placement at the time the listing/payment is submitted. Sports Briefs accepts checks – payable to Times Media, Inc – VISA or MC.
To charge your payments call Sonia Pineda at 494-7000 x205. Be sure to reference your team/organization with your payment. Listings appear once payments are received. TMI sponsored events and full-proceed charity fundraisers
exempted. Email, fax or mail listing text to: candy@timesmediainc.com 1310 Tully Road, Suite 107, San Jose, CA 95122. 408-494-7078 (fax) Limit 200 words. Questions? Call 494-7000 x225