SPORTS

Bret Harte cross-country team closes year
with successful endeavor at finals

Runners tackle 2.4-mile hilly course

By Ken Lotich
Staff Writer

The Bret Harte Middle School cross-country team wrapped up its season with some impressive performances from many runners on Oct. 19 at Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy.

Bret Harte’s Claudia Barnett (right), was one of several top cross country finishers at the Christmas Hill Park course in Gilroy on Oct. 19. Barnett finished fifth in the eighth-grade girls' race with a time of 14:26. Photo by Bea Baechle

The course the runners competed on was a 2.4-mile hilly course. The Bret Harte squad embraced the challenge and earned some notable times to close the book on this year’s season, said third-year coach Tiara Nelson.

Top finishers for Bret Harte included Erika Eisenberg, who placed third place in the eighth-grade girls’ race with a time of 14:12.

Claudia Bar-nett placed fifth in the eighth-grade girls’ race with a time of 14:26.

Jacob Wells placed third in the sixth-grade boys’ race with a time of 14:08, while Kristen Chin placed fourth in the sixth-grade girls’ race with a time of 15:19.

Eighth-grader Jessie Fredi-ani finished ninth with a time of 16:00.

Cassandra Perez placed 11th in the sixth-grade girls’ race with a time of 16:13.

Sam Aiken came in 13th place for the seventh-grade boys. He finished the race in 14:38. In addition, James Betts came in 17th out of 90 seventh-grade boys with a mark of 14:44.

Dexter Tan was the top eighth-grade boy finisher for Bret Harte with a time of 14:21.

This year’s squad had 69 members, which included sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade boys and girls who practiced Monday through Friday as a team, Nelson said. Team workouts included speed work as well as off-campus runs at local Almaden trails.

“The kids really enjoy running,” Nelson said. “It’s a great way for them to get to meet other students. It’s also a good sport to compete in because it takes a lot of individual effort—but at the same time it takes a lot of teamwork.”

The cross-country team at Bret Harte started four years ago by then-coach Nancy Petty. Nelson now coaches alongside fellow teacher Jenny Murtha, as well as numerous parent volunteers, whom Nelson said she values immensely.

Many of the athletes on the team compete in other sports, Nelson said. She said many use the long distance to condition for their other sports.

Nelson said she uses incentives to drive students to do well in the sport. She keeps track of miles run by each athlete, and when one reaches 50 miles, she gives them a “50-mile club” T-shirt.

Eighth-grader Claudia Barnett has ran more than 200 miles in three seasons, which is quite a feat said Nelson.

“I’m always impressed with middle school kids that take up running,” Nelson said. “It’s great to see them determined to exercise and be part of the team—it’s not an easy sport. It’s also great to see those who improve. These kids are out here working hard every day.”

Neighborhood rivalry sees Pioneer top Leland 54-14

Mustangs remain undefeated at 7-0, Leland drops to 2-5

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

The Pioneer Mustangs remained undefeated at 7-0 after taking a convincing 54-14 win over neighborhood rival Leland in football action on Oct. 21.

With the win, the Mustangs improved to 4-0 in Mt. Hamilton Division play, one game ahead of both Piedmont Hills and Oak Grove in the standings. The Mustangs will face Oak Grove on Oct. 29.

Pioneer’s Nick D’Antonio brings down Leland’s Lance Gemette during a 54-14 win over the Chargers on Oct. 21. Photo by Ron Reed

“So far we’ve been OK,” said Pioneer Head Coach Mark Krail. “We’ve been classic and our saying has been ‘stay in the present.’ We’ve really focused on trying to take it one week at a time and one opponent at a time. Obviously, when you’re playing Leland, it’s a special event and my hats are off to those guys. I’ve seen so many of those guys grow up and become men. It’s really hard for me to compete against them because I love a lot of the kids on that team and I know them very well.”

The occasion was also special to Krail because he got to see his son Kevin, a sophomore wide receiver on Leland’s frosh/soph team, win on the same field on Oct. 21. The frosh/soph Chargers won 31-22 over Pioneer. Kevin Krail scored twice in the game, which included returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown.

For Leland’s varsity squad, the loss to the Mustangs was the team’s third in a row, dropping the Chargers’ record to 2-5 overall and 1-3 in league play. Following the loss, Leland Head Coach Jason Tenner said he was disappointed by his team’s play.

“Right now, we don’t want to hit anybody, we don’t want to run around,” Tenner said of his squad. “There are a few kids in our program that do things the right way consistently, the rest of them have to start developing that skill, just one skill—consistency. Just flying around with some heart and some passion and some drive and doing things the way you’re supposed to.”

Tenner said his team at times lacked the “passion, intensity and pride” in the game against Pioneer. He added that he doesn’t have a specific plan heading into the next week of play. Instead, Tenner said he would work with his team on simply getting better.

“When I look in their faces, I don’t want to see that glossy, ‘I’m afraid’ look. I want to see some guys that are ready to do things the right way and hit people in the mouth,” said Tenner. “My guys are too nice. I calculated GPAs before this game and we have a team average of a 3.2 GPA. I’ve got a bunch of good, smart kids. I just don’t know how many of them, given the opportunity, would get into a fight with somebody, which is kind of what football is—putting your hands on the ground and hitting somebody in the mouth. It’s not a nice-guy sport.”

As for Pioneer, the offense and defense operated efficiently throughout the game. The Mustang offense gained 360 total yards throughout the contest, including 268 yards rushing.

On defense, Pioneer’s C.J. Miller led his team with 12 tackles and an interception, while Jerry Barnes, Jon Silva and Dan Alvord added seven tackles each.

Quarterback Chris Foley completed five of nine passes on the night for 92 yards, including two touchdown passes to J.J. Goulden. The first touchdown strike came in the first quarter, when Foley found Goulden for an 18-yard score with 6:29 left to go up 7-0. Foley found Goulden again midway through the second quarter, connecting on a 14-yard strike with 7:26 left to go up 28-0.

Running back Shaun Souza led the Mustangs in rushing, gaining 101 yards on nine carries, including two touchdowns. Souza had help with the rushing attack, as Nick D’Antonio ran for 41 yards on six carries, scoring two touchdowns, while Silva, Nico Pagan and Steven Lopes combined for 107 yards rushing, including a fourth quarter 34-yard touchdown run from Pagan with five minutes left for a 48-7 Pioneer lead.

Souza’s first touchdown came in the second quarter, a 6-yard run with 9:21 left, giving Pioneer a 14-0 lead. D’Antonio soon followed with a 1-yard run just over a minute later, giving Pioneer a 21-0 lead with 8:14 left to play in the first half.
L
eading 28-0 at the half, the Mustangs added two more scores in the third quarter, getting a 25-yard touchdown run from Souza with 7:40 left, before D’Antonio scored his second touchdown of the night with 4:09 to go on a 28-yard run.

“They are the best team I’ve seen this year,” Tenner said of Pioneer. “They have a bunch of kids that run around and hit. They play football the way it’s supposed to be played. … They run, they hit, they tackle, they break tackles and they run hard. I don’t see them losing a game this year.”

Leland managed to get on the board in the fourth quarter, getting a 2-yard rushing touchdown from Lance Gemette to cut Pioneer’s lead to 42-7 with 10:20 left in the game. Leland scored once more in the fourth, as Adam Ondi scrambled into the end zone on a 9-yard pass from Garrett Avilla with 1:12 left. Overall, the Charger offense managed 306 total yards, including 278 yards rushing.

Leland will face Silver Creek at home for homecoming on Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m.

Sports Briefs

Almaden National Junior Basketball League sign-ups
Almaden National Junior Basketball League sign-ups are currently available online at www.almadennjb.homestead.com/ for boys and girls third through eighth grade. For more information call Ken Keiser at 592-4190 or e-mail: hoppekeiz@aol.com.

The Leland Spirit Squad invites you to Homecoming 2005
The Leland Spirit Squad and their families are hard at work planning this year’s homecoming events. In addition to celebrating Charger pride, the Leland homecoming is the Spirit Squad’s largest fund-raiser of the year.

This year’s theme is “Vegas Nights” and the girls along with their parents will transform the Leland cafeteria into the fabulous Las Vegas strip for the homecoming dance.

The celebrations kick off on Thursday Oct. 27 at 7 p.m., when the community and alumni are invited to attend the rally in the Leland gymnasium. The evening will be filled with music, appearances by the 2005 Homecoming royalty and skits performed by the Leland Spirit Squad and football players. Also, a special presentation will be given to this year’s seniors and their parents honoring their hard work and dedication in spirit, football and band.

The homecoming games will be at Pat Tillman Stadium on the Leland campus on Friday Oct. 28. The competition begins when the Leland Chargers JV team takes on the Silver Creek Raiders at 5 p.m. The varsity game follows at 7:30 p.m.

Venom Boys U9 Class 3 soccer team looks to add players
The Almaden Venom Boys U9 Comp soccer team is looking to add a couple of quality players for the winter indoor soccer season at Off The Wall Soccer Arena. If interested, please contact Dave Ballard: dballard@ipass.com or 408-268-1305. Age requirement: Born between 8/1/96 and 7/31/97.

San Jose Sharks to host high school sports writers’ day Nov. 12
On Saturday, Nov. 12, the San Jose Sharks will host “High School Sports Writers Day,” providing San Jose high school journalism students an opportunity to cover a professional sports game and experience the life of a sports reporter. Interested aspiring sports journalists need to submit a 250-word essay on one of two topics: 1) What the experience would mean to you, and 2) What is the significance of the Sharks to the city of San Jose? Submissions are due on Friday, Oct. 28 and should be sent to Jeff Cafuir at jcafuir@svse.net. Space is limited to up to 12 applicants.

South Valley Lacrosse Chiefs’ spring league registration now open
All interested lacrosse players: online registration for our spring league continues through Nov. 30.  See www.svlax.com and contact joy.bender@prodigy.net with questions.

High School Sports Schedule

Leland High School
Friday – Frosh/soph boys’ water polo at Leland Tournament, all day
Friday – Varsity girls’ water polo at Lincoln Tournament, all day
Friday – JV girls’ water polo at Hollister Tournament, all day
Friday – Varsity football vs. Silver Creek, 7:30 p.m.
Friday – Frosh/soph football vs. Silver Creek, 5:15 p.m.
Friday – Girls’ tennis BVAL team play, time and place TBA

Saturday – Varsity girls’ water polo at Lincoln Tournament, all day
Saturday – Frosh/soph boys’ water polo at Leland Tournament, all day
Saturday - JV girls’ water polo at Hollister Tournament, all day

Monday – Cross country Mt. Hamilton Division Finals, time TBA

Tuesday – Varsity field hockey vs. Lynbrook, 2:45 p.m.
Tuesday – JV field hockey vs. Lynbrook, 4:15 p.m.
Tuesday – Varsity girls’ volleyball at Leigh, 6 p.m.
Tuesday – JV girls’ volleyball at Leigh, 5 p.m.
Tuesday – Girls’ tennis BVAL singles and doubles tournament, time and place TBA

Wednesday – Girls’ tennis BVAL singles and doubles tournament, time and place TBA

Thursday – Varsity girls’ volleyball vs. Mt. Pleasant, 6 p.m.
Thursday – JV girls’ volleyball vs. Mt. Pleasant, 5 p.m.


Pioneer High School
Friday – Girls’ tennis BVAL team play, time and place TBA

Saturday – Varsity football vs. Oak Grove at Santa Teresa, 1 p.m.
Saturday – Frosh/soph football vs. Oak Grove at Santa Teresa, 10:30 a.m.

Monday – Cross country BVAL finals, time and place TBA

Tuesday – Girls’ tennis BVAL singles and doubles tournament, time and place TBA

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

Pioneer Athletics: http://www.phsathletics.com
Leland Athletics: http://www.lelandathletics.com
Blossom Valley Athletic League: http://www.bval.org

High School Scoreboard

Oct. 18
Leland girls’ volleyball 25-20, 25-22, 28-26 win at Westmont
Leland girls’ tennis 7-0 win at Independence
Leland boys’ water polo 21-11 win at Lincoln
Leland girls’ water polo 10-4 win vs. Pioneer
Leland field hockey 0-0 tie at Westmont

Pioneer girls’ volleyball 25-17, 25-19, 25-19 loss vs. Prospect
Pioneer boys’ water polo 15-5 loss vs. Mt. Pleasant

Oct. 20
Leland girls’ tennis 7-0 win vs. Pioneer
Leland boys’ water polo 12-9 win vs. Mt. Pleasant
Leland girls’ water polo 15-6 win vs. Independence

Pioneer girls’ volleyball 25-15, 25-15, 25-21 win vs. San Jose High

Oct. 22
Pioneer girls’ water polo 8-5 win vs. Gunn at Sixer Fall Invitational

Leland field hockey takes 2-1 win on the road over Cupertino

Chargers up record to 8-0-3, remain in first place in Santa Teresa Division

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

The Leland field hockey team kept its undefeated record intact at 8-0-3 with a 2-1 road win over Cupertino on Oct. 20.

Leland’s Ashleigh Adams moves the ball away from her opponent and avoids a collision during a 2-1 win over the Cupertino Pioneers on Oct. 20. Photo by Diego Abeloos

The win also kept the Chargers atop the Santa Teresa Division standings in first place, as the Chargers got a game-winning goal from Jessica Talaugon, with an assist from Jessica Kolte, with 12:05 left in the game to take the win.

Leland Head Coach Sharan Kalla said she was pleased with the win, but added there’s always room for improvement with her squad.

“Overall, the game was OK. It wasn’t the best game we’ve played,” said Kalla. “But, the girls definitely did bring their game to this field; their passing, their movement and their support for each other, connecting on their passes and things like that.”

The Chargers wasted little time getting on the board in the first half, getting a goal from Christina Vierra, who was assisted on the play by Sarah Powell, to grab a quick 1-0 lead with 26:54 to go.

“I guess it always works when we carry the ball down the right side (of the field) and we cross it to the left,” Kalla said of Leland’s first half goal. “Our left wings are great at just putting it in. Christina doesn’t mess around in the circle, she just flips it in.”

The Chargers then turned to their defense, namely goalkeeper Megan Stiller, to hold the lead throughout the first half of play.

With less than 18 minutes to play in the first half, the Cupertino offense was threatening but came up empty, as Stiller delivered a kick-save on a goal attempt with 17:30 to go, preserving Leland’s 1-0 lead.

Just 10 minutes later, Stiller was up to her tricks again, as the Cupertino offense was on the move again, taking another shot on goal with 7:38 to go, with Stiller once again performing a kick-save at the goal.

Kalla said she’s come to expect big plays from Stiller, who has allowed just two goals throughout the season.
“That says a lot about her and that says a lot about our team and they way we play,” Kalla said of Stiller’s defense. “She’s been rock solid back there along with our defense, and our midfielders and our forwards. Everyone’s been great.”

Things quickly changed for the Chargers in the second half, seeing their 1-0 lead disappear when Cupertino’s Page Dickson scored unassisted with 27:43 left to even things up at 1-1. The goal came after Cupertino failed to convert on two consecutive penalty shots less than a minute prior to the game-tying goal.

Nevertheless, the Chargers prevailed 15 minutes later on Talaugon’s game-winning shot with 12:05 left, giving Leland a 2-1 lead and eventual win. Much like Cupertino’s game-tying goal, Leland’s offense threatened near Cupertino’s goal consistently for several minutes, which saw the Charger offense narrowly fail to convert on a penalty shot with 18:20 left as a Derica Ellzey shot sailed wide of the Cupertino goal.

Kalla said the goal wasn’t a total surprise, considering Talaugon’s aggressive play throughout the game on offense.

“I’m definitely not surprised by it. She’s always wanting to play up a little more,” Kalla said of Talaugon.

Leland girls’ tennis team ready for playoffs

Playoffs await as Chargers finish strong with undefeated record in league play

By Pam Headley,
Leland tennis head coach
Special to the Times

The Leland Charger Girls’ tennis team wrapped up the regular season last week with wins against Independence and Pioneer.

Prior to last Thursday’s home match against the Pioneer Mustangs, the Lady Chargers recognized the four seniors on the team for their contributions to the program. Katie Alesch, Yuka Kagami, Jamie Lam, and Connie Wang were acknowledged by their teammates, friends and fans before the Chargers went on to capture their 12th straight league shutout, beating Pioneer 7-0 in the final league contest of the season. With that win, the Chargers finished the season with an overall record of 15-1, going 12-0 in league play.

Leland’s Roxanna Pourmirzaie, shown here during a match earlier this season, was one of several contributors to the Chargers’ undefeated record in Mt. Hamilton Division play. Pourmirzaie became a No.1 singles division champion this year after winning 6-3, 7-5 over Independence’s Nicole Blatt in the finals of the Mt. Hamilton Division Tournament. Photo by Diego Abeloos

Last Tuesday, behind a strong singles showing, the Lady Chargers defeated the Independence 76ers, giving up only two sets to earn the 7-0 win. Lydia Chow, Allison Hsia, and Aileen Tsay, the trio of freshmen making up the two, three, and four singles roster, led the charge with straight-set victories.

The doubles teams had a harder time, but still prevailed. Vivian Ngo and Youngeun Na, playing number-one doubles for the first time this season, went to a second set tiebreaker before overcoming their 76er opponents. In the two and three spots, the teams of Aggi Bialy and Connie Chen, and Yuka Kagami and Rosanna Biell, each fought come-from-behind, three set battles to earn their wins. Roxanna Pourmirzaie, a junior playing number one singles for the Lady Chargers, sealed the win with a straight-set victory over Independence’s strong number one, Nicole Blatt.

Pourmirzaie and Blatt faced off in the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s Mt. Hamilton Division Tournament the day before. The top finishers of the division tournament go on to the league tournament, and compete for a chance to represent the BVAL in the CCS Individual Tournament.

Leland sent Pourmirzaie and Chow as singles, and the teams of Alesch and Wang, and Hsia and Tsay to compete in doubles. In doubles action, Alesch and Wang overcame a Pioneer team, and the eventual third place finishers from Oak Grove to earn their way to the finals. Hsia and Tsay, competing in doubles for the first time this season, defeated teams from Oak Grove, Pioneer and Santa Teresa on their road to the finals, where they faced their Leland teammates. In the all-Leland final, the freshmen team of Hsia and Tsay overcame the seniors in a hotly contested 6-4, 6-4 fight.

On the singles side, Pourmirzaie, the top seed in the tournament, defeated players from Santa Teresa and Silver Creek before beating Blatt in the finals, 6-3, 7-5, to become division champion. Chow started out strong, winning her first match, but fell to Blatt in the semifinals. She then went on to defeat Lutran from Silver Creek 6-1, 6-1 to take third place, and earn a spot in the league tournament as well.

After a strong showing in the division tournament, the Lady Chargers look ahead to the BVAL tournament next week, with hopes of reaching the Individual CCS competition at the end of November. And with a Division Championship under their belts, the Leland women have begun preparations for CCS team play, which gets underway Nov. 8, hoping the success of their regular season follows through to the postseason.

Leland girls’ volleyball takes 3-0 road win against Overfelt

Chargers improve Mt. Hamilton Division record to 7-3, claiming third place in standings

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

The Leland girls’ volleyball team took a 3-0 win on the road against Overfelt on Oct. 20, improving the Chargers’ record to 7-3 in the Mt. Hamilton Division, good for third place.

Leland’s Kelly McDaniel digs one out during a 3-0 win on the road against Overfelt on Oct. 20. Leland improved its’ record to 7-3 in league play. Photo by Diego Abeloos

The Chargers, who got a team-leading 11 kills from junior Grace Chang, also improved to 16-8 overall on the season.

“She’s always available for us. Whether she’s in the front row or the back row, we can always count on Grace,” said Leland Co-Head Coach Trisha Moore. “If we’re having a hard time, we just set a specific set to Grace and nine out of 10 times, she’ll get that kill for us.”

It was a matter of will for Leland, especially in game one, which saw the Chargers down by as much as seven points throughout most of the game to the Royals. The Chargers battled back later in game one however, tying the game 24-24 after a 5-1 scoring run that saw three passing errors from the Royals, coupled with a key block and a tip over the net from junior team captain Joyce Chang.

Soon after the Royals reclaimed the lead at 25-24, the Chargers finished off game one with three straight points for a 27-25 win, getting a kill from Grace Chang, who also helped out teammate Justin Johnson on a block that dropped over the net for the final point of game one.

“We’re recognizing where our shortcomings are and we’re able to make plays and get out of it somehow,” Moore said. “ … What happened in that game (game one) was that each player was trying to do more than they really needed to do. They were kind of playing in their own little bubble and when they realized that they had five other people out there helping out, when they started trusting in them and working together again, we were able to get our own runs going again.”

After a tough game one, the Chargers came out blazing in game two, securing a lengthy 14-5 lead in the early going before extending the lead to 19-7 on kills from Chaulet Scala and Caryn Mohr. Scala didn’t play in game one because of a left wrist injury sustained earlier in the week, but bounced back from her ailment to give the Chargers some firepower in games two and three.

The Royals then went on a brief 4-1 run to cut Leland’s lead to single digits before the Chargers rallied, going on a 5-1 scoring stretch that saw a tip from Scala and a pair of kills Grace Chang to take game two 25-12.

Moore said less errors committed by Leland was a key factor in helping the team out to a big lead in game two.

“We kept the ball in play, we were a little bit more consistent in that game and we played within ourselves,” Moore said of game two. “In the first game we had a hard time getting going, and in the second game we just did what we know how to do. We stayed as consistent as possible. Ultimately, the more consistent team is going to win.”

Game three proved to be a trying experience for the Chargers much like game one, as the Royals took an early 17-15 lead. The Chargers bounced back once more, going on a game-changing 6-1 run to take a 21-18 lead.

During the run, the Chargers took advantage of a pair of Overfelt passing errors and also got a kill from Scala.

Soon after, the Royals closed in on Leland’s lead with a short 3-1 run, but the Chargers again finished off strong, getting three straight points, including a tip and a kill from Mohr and a tip by Joyce Chang, to take game three 25-21.

“Caryn’s been doing a great job for us not only in the front row, but with her serving as well,” Moore said of Mohr.
“She’s able to get several aces for us almost every single game and her front row, she’s just intimidating. She comes in with an explosive approach and she’s got a fast arm swing. Most defensive players tend to back away.”

Williams Elementary students get lacrosse lessons from the pros

Students at Williams Elementary School in Almaden received a pleasant surprise on Oct. 24 when Jim Moss and Matt Oglesby of the San Jose Stealth gave a presentation about the sport of lacrosse.

San Jose Stealth players Jim Moss, left, and Matt Oglesby talk to students at Williams Elementary School about playing lacrosse on Oct. 24. Photo by Diego Abeloos

Moss and Oglesby talked to the young Williams crowd about the skills developed through playing lacrosse and explained the differences between girls’ and boys’ lacrosse. The students were then shown a video of Duke playing Maryland in the NCAA lacrosse Final Four playoffs, followed by Moss and Oglesby talking to the kids about sportsmanship and teamwork in the sport and how it relates to everyday life.

Following the presentation, the kids were invited out onto the field during lunchtime to practice playing lacrosse with Moss and Oglesby.

The presentation was set up in part through the South Valley Lacrosse, which started a program for elementary school age children in San Jose in the spring of 2005.

“Obviously, these guys here are very passionate about the sport,” said South Valley Lacrosse Coach Pat Bennett of Moss and Oglesby. “We want to teach discipline and focus. … Most of all, we want to spread the love of the sport.”

Bennett said the sport’s popularity has been growing steadily in the Bay Area, which now has more than 70 teams ranging from the elementary school age level through high school and beyond. Bennett added that the sport has grown in the Bay Area by about 40 percent each year.

Moss and Oglesby both are involved at the youth level of the sport as well. Moss currently coaches the Sacred Heart girls’ lacrosse team while also playing for the Stealth. Oglesby helps run All West Lacrosse Camps throughout the greater Bay Area year round, including during the season when he’s playing for the Stealth.

Moss said he enjoys bringing the love of the sport to places like Williams and hopes to see the sport grow even more in the Bay Area.

“This is the fuel for the growth of the sport,” said Moss of elementary school-age kids interested in lacrosse. “ … Once they try it once, they’re hooked.”

For more information about South Valley Lacrosse, go to www.svlax.com.

For information about the San Jose stealth, visit the team Web site at www.sjstealth.com.

—By Diego Abeloos

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Do you have a sports story to share? Contact the sports department at 494-7000 x 217 or by e-mail at diego@timesmediainc.com or fax to Almaden Times Sports at 494-7078.