October 25, 2007

SPORTS

Mustangs and Lions tie, pushing Pioneer to second place

Seesaw game ends 27 all

By Gary Van Den Heuval
Sports Writer

The Pioneer High School football team's quest for the Mount Hamilton division crown hasn't been derailed, but Saturday the Mustangs hit a speed bump at Lincoln High School.

Pioneer's Marquee Heffner runs the ball during their game with Lincoln on Saturday at Lincoln High School. The game ended in a tie 27-27. Photos by Ric Medlinger www.medlinger.net

In an exciting seesaw battle, both teams fought to a 27-27 tie. The tie game drops the Mustangs into second place with a league record of 3-0-1 (3-3-1 overall), trailing 4-0 Oak Grove, while the Lincoln Lions stay in contention at 2-1-1 (4-1-1 overall).

“We knew coming in it would be this kind of game,” said Pioneer coach Mark Krail. "They know us, we know them pretty well and we knew it would be a dogfight."

Lincoln's high-octane offense struck first midway through the first quarter. On the first play following a Pioneer punt, Lions quarterback Nick De Martini threw a bomb to receiver Jagjeet Sidhu, who bobbled the ball but held on and took it downfield for a 60-yard touchdown reception.

Pioneer responded with a march downfield on the steady yardage of runners Shane Murray and Mike Cobb and a 38-yard gain from Marquee Heffner, but the drive died when Heffner was chased down by Lions cornerback Jordan Jimenez on fourth down at Lincoln's 12-yard line.

The Mustangs' offensive frustrations continued moments later when they took over deep in Lincoln territory following an interception by linebacker Jossan Torales. Facing a fourth and nine at the 10-yard line, Joe Alise completed a pass to Don Medlinger but the play ended far short of the first down.

The Mustang defense hung tough until the offense finally got on the scoreboard late in the second quarter. The Heffner-Cobb-Murray trio carried the team downfield--Heffner and Murray also caught a pass--and on the drive's 13th play, Cobb scored on a 5-yard run to tie the game 7-7. Pioneer’s momentum continued when linebacker Daniel Montesano recovered a fumble and six plays later Cobb had his second touchdown of the game, this one a 1-yard dive. At halftime Pioneer led 14-7.

In the third quarter, Montesano made his second fumble recovery, and two plays later Alise threw a picture-perfect ball down the middle of the field to an open Jimmy Leary, who ran untouched into the end zone for a 50-yard touchdown catch. Despite the missed extra-point attempt, Pioneer looked well on their way to victory with a 20-7 lead.

And just like that things changed. "We hit the big pass in the third quarter and they came right back and ran the kickoff back for a touchdown," said Krail, referring to the touchdown scored by kick returner Sidhu on a spectacular runback. After a missed extra point, the Pioneers clung to a 20-13 lead.

"There was never time for any breathing room," said Krail warily.

Again, the talented Sidhu did further damage, scoring his third touchdown of the game on a 25-yard reception early in the fourth quarter to square things up at 20-20.

"(Sidhu's) good," Krail acknowledged about Lincoln's offensive star. "We double-covered him on the touchdown catch, and we tried to kick away from him on the touchdown return," but the Mustangs couldn't come up with an effective way to contain the receiver.

Pioneer's running back Shane Murray make a move on Bryan Mitsumori of Lincoln during the game.

Pioneer also had its hands full with the Lincoln running combination of Miguel Ramirez and Alex Ortega, and Ramirez's 39-yard touchdown charge on a run up the middle put the Lions up 27-20, having scored 20 unanswered second-half points.

The Mustangs were reeling and could have gone into the tank, but instead struck right back when Shane Murray returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown. Murray nearly went down at midfield but was able to regain his balance and make the tying score.

After tough defensive stands from both teams, Pioneer had one last shot at a win in the game's final minute. After a very short Lincoln punt that was held up by the brisk afternoon wind, Alise, who was unable to find an open receiver, calmly tucked the ball in and ran 25 yards to the Lion 24-yard line.

The Mustangs got inside the 20 on another Alise scramble, but an illegal blocking penalty nullified the gain and marched the Mustangs back to the 27-yard line. With six seconds left, the Mustangs missed the 44-yard field goal attempt, then got a scare when the kicked ball, still live, ended up at the goal line in the hands of the playmaking Jagjeet Sidhu, who turned upfield and started racing down the left sideline. Luckily for the Mustangs, the 27-27 tie was preserved when Sidhu was chased out of bounds around the Pioneer 40 with no time left.

As unsatisfying as the result was, Krail dwelt on the positives of the tie game. "It wasn't a loss," he said. "Our goal to win a championship is still there, and that's what we're shooting for."

Leland comes from behind to beat Gunderson 35-21

By Daniel Miranda
Sports Coordinator

The Leland High School football team came from behind to earn a victory over Gunderson 35-21 on Saturday as the Grizzlies’ Armando Olmo took the opening kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown.

Leland's Josh Carroll run the ball during their game with the Grizzlies on Saturday October 20 at Gunderson High School in San Jose. Photo by Jeff Laplante

“One play does not a game make, we understood and believed in our game plan and we spotted them seven points so now we had to work harder,” said Chargers head coach Mike Carrozzo.

Jeff Sommer took that speech to heart and turned out a great game for the Charger offense. He was the leading rusher for Leland with 136 yards on nine rushes. His longest run was a 52-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

After spotting the Grizzlies seven points, the Leland offense went on a scoring drive that tied the game at 7-7 as quarterback Ricki Battipede found Michael Santini in the end zone for an 8-yard touchdown.

The team then went to work to break the tie, scoring early in the second quarter as Sommer ran a 36-yard reverse down to the 4-yard line of Gunderson. Battipede then scored on a 1-yard run to give the Chargers the lead 14-7 with 10:15 left to play in the half.

On the Grizzlies’ next possession, the offense marched down the field helped by a Leland penalty that put the ball on the 10-yard line. Running back Roger Rose scored to tie the game again at 14-14 with 4:32 left in the half.

Leland’s Nate Jones returned the kickoff 20 yards with a key block provide by teammate Santini, who set up the Chargers at mid-field with a 31-yard run. Then Kevin Krail broke a long run for a touchdown of 49 yards to put the Chargers back on top 21-14 at the end of the half.

“At halftime, I told them to keep it up and keep the pressure on,” said Carrozzo. “ We had guys with little injuries so some kids were playing in positions that they weren’t accustomed to playing,” he said. It seemed to work as Leland, which had the ball starting the second half marched down the field and scored on a 4-yard run by Battipede with 10:47 left in the third quarter and a lead of 14 points.

The Chargers’ defense turned up the heat as well. With the ball on the 39-yard line, Gunderson’s running back Anthony Watson lost 3 yards making it second-and-15. Grizzly Chris Eke managed to gain 5 yards on the next play to make it third and 10. The Grizzlies’ quarterback Javier Zuniga then found tight end Guillermo Manzanares for 10 yards and a first down.

With a new set of downs, the Grizzlies unloaded a steady dose of Rose, but the Charger defense was ready, stopping him with no gain on the drive. The defense also shut down the passing game of the Grizzlies as Zuniga threw three straight incompletions.

On fourth down, Zuniga tried to get the ball to Eke, but Leland’s Jones had great coverage and the pass was incomplete. Gunderson turned the ball over on downs.

Josh Carroll started Leland’s next drive with a 12-yard jaunt and Santini ran for another 6 yards. But the big blow came from Sommers, who ran 52 yards for a touchdown, putting the Chargers ahead by three touchdowns at 35-14 with just over five minutes to play in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Leland’s Ben Delamore recovered a fumble that stopped a Grizzly scoring drive. The Chargers’ Krail ran the ball for short gain, but a facemask penalty put the ball on the Grizzlies’ 49-yard line for a first down.

A couple of plays later, on third and eight, Leland tried a play that they had scored on earlier with Sommer on the reverse. This time Gunderson was ready and stopped him for no gain on the play. Leland had to punt.

The Grizzlies used the run to put the ball at the Charger 24-yard line. Then Gunderson running back Watson ran for a touchdown with 3:21 left to play, but Leland still led 35-21.

The Chargers recovered the on-side kick and ran out the clock for the 35-21 win, bringing their record to 3-1 in league and 5-2 overall.

Next up for the Chargers is homecoming on Saturday, where they face undefeated Del Mar.

Leland girls’ volleyball and cross country notes

Leland's girls volleyball team continues to roll through the Blossom Valley Athletic League's Mount Hamilton Division. It recently swept visiting Branham in three games. Senior outside hitter Elisa Vye had nine kills for the Chargers, which improved to 15-9 and 10-0.

The girls’ cross country runner Stephanie Barnett set a course record at the 2.73-mile Montgomery Hill course with a time of 16:56 in a Mount Hamilton Division dual meet Thursday. Barnett helped the Chargers win the league dual meet title with a 7-0 record. Sobrato was second at 6-1.

Pioneer downs Lincoln in water polo

By Gary Van Den Heuval
Sports Writer

The Pioneer High School boys’ water polo team opened such a big lead the first three quarters that even a six-goal fourth quarter by the Lincoln Lions wasn't enough to make Tuesday’s contest a close game. The Mustangs won 14-10 at Frank Fiscalini International Swim Center at Independence High School.

Strong goalkeeping by Zealand Hatch and nice ball control by the Mustangs gave an early edge to Pioneer, which jumped ahead 3-0 in the first quarter on goals by Andrew Berg, Anthony Samson and Evan Lineberry.

Andrew Berg of Pioneer shoots the goal during their match with Lincoln Tuesday Night Oct. 23 at Independence High School. Photo by Dan Miranda

"I didn't know a lot about Lincoln in advance," said Pioneer's head coach Scott Kaubish, who's in his fifth year with the team. "We put the pressure on their offense and that was key for us."

The Mustangs had several opportunities to take a much bigger lead if not for some impressive play by Lincoln goalie Jerry Hernandez. But then leading 3-1, the Mustangs scored three goals within one minute, each of them by Berg, who finished the game as his team's scoring leader with seven goals.

Whether he was spinning around from in close to slam the ball into the net, shooting from 10 feet away or pitching a nifty lob over the goaltender's head and out of his reach, Berg's offensive presence was a constant force. Another Berg, Andrew's brother Nick, scored before halftime as Pioneer led 7-3.

Any suspense was removed from the game in the third quarter, with Pioneer scoring five of the six goals in the period, one each from Samson, Lineberry, Andrew Berg, Hunter Pomeroy and Joe Reuter. Brian Lopiccolo contributed several timely passes to create scoring chances.

The coach was pleased with the Mustangs' execution. "There's been some excellent play that we've been developing through the season that has continued to get better with the ball-handling, hitting people that are open and just creating opportunities," said Kaubish.

Leading 12-4 as the fourth quarter started, Pioneer may have gotten a little too comfortable with such a big lead, and Lincoln, refusing to surrender, gave hope to their fans with five consecutive goals on scores from Rodriguez, Smeed (they each had two) and Williams. Lincoln closed to within 12-9 but two final goals by Andrew Berg iced the game for the Mustangs.

Kaubish was satisfied with the win, which makes the Mustangs 3-2 in the league, and 10-10 overall. "It pretty much went the way I hoped it would," he said. "That was really good to see that happen out there."

High School Sports Schedule Oct. 26 – Nov. 1

Leland

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

Tuesday – Girls’ field hockey at Los Gatos, 2:45 p.m.
Tuesday – Girls’ volleyball vs. Leigh, 5 p.m. JV and 6 p.m. varsity

Thursday – Girls’ volleyball at Westmont, 5 p.m. JV and 6 p.m. varsity
Thursday – Girls’ Girls’ field hockey vs. St. Ignatius, 2:45 p.m.

Pioneer

Saturday – Frosh/soph football vs. Branham, 11:30 a.m.
Saturday – Varsity football vs. Branham, 2 p.m.

Tuesday – Girls’ volleyball at Del Mar, 5 p.m. JV and 6 p.m. varsity

Thursday – Girls’ volleyball vs. James Lick, 5 p.m. JV and 6 p.m. varsity

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

Girl’s Club Volleyball Tryouts
Jumpstart Volleyball Club tryouts for beginner to advanced players for competition and developmental teams. Tryouts on Sunday, Nov. 4, 2007, at Buchser Middle School located at 1111 Bellomy St., Santa Clara. Tryout Times: 12 & under - 10 a.m. to 12 noon; 13 to 14 & under 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.; 15 thru 18 & under 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tryout fee $30 - www.jumpstartvolleyball.com for more information or call 408-378-8590.

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.

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