SPORTS

Mustangs drop first game of the season 27-14 to Oak Grove

Pioneer now in three-way tie for first place in the
Mt. Hamilton Division with Eagles and Piedmont Hills

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

The Pioneer football team’s season-long winning streak was snapped on Oct. 29 with a 27-14 loss on the road to the Oak Grove Eagles.

Pioneer running back Nick D’Antonio lunges for a pass during a 27-14 loss to Oak Grove on Oct. 29. The loss to the Eagles dropped the Mustangs into a three-way tie for first place in the Mt. Hamilton Division. Photo by Kevin Jones at www.johub.com

The Mustangs, who came into the game with a perfect 7-0 record and a league-leading 4-0 record in the Mt. Hamilton Division, are now in a three-way tie for first place with Oak Grove and Piedmont Hills.

The Mustangs totaled 211 yards of offense on the day, including 153 yards rushing. But it was Oak Grove’s offense that carried the Eagles to the win, gaining 282 total yards in the game, including 198 yards rushing.

“We knew it was a big game and it is a tough loss,” said Pioneer Head Coach Mark Krail. “The bottom line is we had several plays that we didn’t make that could’ve turned this game around … it came down to two or three plays.”

Pioneer was led on offense by Shaun Souza and Nick D’Antonio, combining for 147 yards rushing on 17 carries.
“It’s definitely disappointing,” D’Antonio said of the loss. “We wanted to come in here and work hard. I’m feeling a little disappointed that we put up 14 points after all these huge victories.”

D’Antonio played a big part in Pioneer’s lone scoring drive of the first half, taking the first play of the game from scrimmage and running the ball 69 yards deep inside Eagles territory. That play resulted in Jerry Barnes scoring on an 11-yard touchdown run to give the Mustangs a 7-0 lead with 11:43 left to play in the first quarter.

From that point on, the Eagles stormed back to take a 10-point lead in the first half, getting a touchdown on a 12-yard run from Terezz Canty with 11:55 left in the second quarter to tie the game 7-7.

Midway through the second quarter, the Eagles were on the board again, getting an 11-yard pass from Kevin Vye to Bobby Draminski to complete a 12-play, 69-yard drive with 6:24 to go, giving the Eagles a 14-7 lead.

Just before the end of the first half, the Eagles put together one more scoring drive, going 72 yards on 10 plays before settling for a 22-yard field goal from Joel Kinne with 3 seconds to go for a 17-7 lead.

Despite the final outcome, Krail credited his defense with a solid effort on the field.

“Our defense fought,” Krail said. “Boy, they were on the field a lot today and they did a heck of a job.”

The Mustangs started out in promising fashion in the second half, taking their second offensive series after recovering a fumble on the Oak Grove 29 and turning it into a touchdown drive. On fourth-and-nine at the Oak Grove 28, quarterback Chris Foley found a wide-open Souza for a 28-yard touchdown pass with 4:40 left, cutting the Eagles’ lead to 17-14.

But the Eagles quickly countered with a scoring drive of their own, going 40 yards on 15 plays before settling for another field goal from Kinne, this one from 42 yards out to give Oak Grove a 20-14 lead with 7:40 left in the fourth quarter.

Pioneer’s final two offensive series stalled inside Mustang territory, the first going as far as the Mustang 40 before a fake punt, in which J.J. Goulden attempted a pass play, went nowhere.

That allowed the Eagles to take possession of the ball at the Mustang 40, driving the ball to the Pioneer 18 and settling for another field goal attempt. But on the field goal attempt, Pioneer was flagged for a roughing the kicker penalty, allowing the Eagles new life. The Eagles then proceeded turn it into a touchdown drive, ending with a 4-yard touchdown run from Vye with 2:27 left in the game to lengthen the Eagles’ lead to 27-14.

“At that point it was a long shot that we come back. That kind of was the last straw,” Krail said of the penalty. “We had no choice but to sell out there, and that’s the risk you take when you do.”

Krail said there’s no time for his team to think about the loss, considering the Mustangs’ next opponent will be Piedmont Hills, which is currently tied with Pioneer and Oak Grove for first place.

“We don’t have any time to feel sorry for ourselves,” Krail said. “We’re playing a team (Piedmont Hills) that’s on a roll and that’s smelling the opportunity to win a championship and so we’re going to prepare like we always do and come up with a plan to try and beat them. I told our guys, ‘the sun’s going to come up tomorrow.’ This game is over. I told my guys to stay in the present; that (the loss) is in the past. We’re moving on.”

The Mustangs will square off against Piedmont Hills at home on Nov. 5 at 1:30 p.m.

Pioneer girls’ water polo ends season on a high note

Mustangs topple Lions 22-6

By Ken Lotich
Staff Writer

The Pioneer girls’ water polo team ended its regular season with a 22-6 rout of Lincoln High School on Oct. 25.

The Mustangs end the regular season at 4-4, with final standings and placements in the Central Coast Section tournament to be announced in the next couple of days.

Elyssa Samson gets ready to attack the net in Pioneer’s 22-6 victory against Lincoln High School on Oct. 25. Samson had six goals in the win. Photo by Ken Lotich

“The girls stepped it up today,” said Coach Katy Furth, who has been subbing in for longtime Head Coach Gordy Smith who has been out for personal reasons. “The seniors were extremely motivated today and brought out their best performances.”

Furth, the junior varsity girls’ water polo coach, said Smith should be back at the helm for CCS playoffs.

The seniors playing their final game for the Mustangs included Becky Pies, April Ham, Rebecca Wallworth, Megan Sheridan, Katie Lopiccolo, Whitney Feezor and Elizabeth Hartland.

“The seniors are inspirational for everyone and have set a good example for their teammates,” Furth said.

In a previous bout against Lincoln, Pioneer won 17-5. Furth said she was proud of her team for having two strong showings, but she also recognized the efforts of the opposition.

“Lincoln is a young, good team who is working their way up,” Furth said. “They brought a good game today.”
With 22 points on the game for Pioneer, the scores came from a variety of players.

Wallworth and sophomore Elyssa Samson led the Mustangs with six goals apiece. Junior Taylor Feezor had three goals.

“It was really fun to see everyone sharing the ball,” Furth said.

The Lions hung in with the Mustangs in the first period. Lincoln closed the gap at 5-4 with 54 seconds left in the first, until Samson slammed a ball in the net, bringing the Mustangs up to 6-4 to end the period.

After that, Pioneer took control and never looked back.

Lopiccolo netted a goal with 6:10 left in the second period, followed by a Feezor score. Lincoln would snag another point at 3:49, putting the score at 8-5.

Thirteen unanswered goals later, the Mustangs would take the victory to close their season at .500 in Blossom Valley Athletic League play.

Sports Briefs

Venom Boys U9 Class 3 soccer team looking 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.

Almaden United girls’ U12 class 1 soccer tryouts Nov. 13
The Almaden United, a Girls Under 12 Class 1 soccer team and defending District 2 champion, will hold tryouts on Sunday, Nov. 13. Girls need to have been born after July 31, 1993 and should e-mail Frank at dflaca@att.net if interested.

High School Sports Schedule

Leland High School
Friday – Varsity boys’ water polo BVAL Championships at Independence, time TBA
Friday – Varsity girls’ water polo BVAL Championships at Independence, time TBA

Saturday – Varsity boys’ water polo BVAL Championships at Independence, time TBA
Saturday – Varsity girls’ water polo BVAL Championships at Independence, time TBA
Saturday – Varsity football vs. Oak Grove, 1:15 p.m.
Saturday – Frosh/soph football vs. Oak Grove, 10:30 a.m.

Tuesday – Varsity boys’ water polo CCS playoffs begin, time and place TBA
Tuesday – Varsity girls’ water polo CCS playoffs begin, time and place TBA
Tuesday – Girls’ tennis CCS team play, time and place TBA

Wednesday – Varsity girls’ volleyball CCS playoffs, time and place TBA
Wednesday – Varsity girls’ volleyball CCS playoffs begin, time and place TBA

Thursday – Frosh/soph football at Piedmont Hills, 5 p.m.
Thursday – Varsity football at Piedmont Hills, 7 p.m.
Thursday – Varsity field hockey CCS playoffs begin, time and place TBA

Pioneer High School
Friday – Varsity girls’ volleyball at James Lick, 5 p.m.
Friday – JV girls’ volleyball at James Lick, 3 p.m.
Friday – Varsity boys’ water polo BVAL Championships at Independence, time TBA
Friday – Varsity girls’ water polo BVAL Championships at Independence, time TBA

Saturday – Varsity boys’ water polo BVAL Championships at Independence, time TBA
Saturday – Varsity girls’ water polo BVAL Championships at Independence, time TBA
Saturday – Varsity football vs. Piedmont Hills, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday – Frosh/soph football vs. Piedmont Hills, 11 a.m.

Tuesday – Girls’ tennis CCS team play, time and place TBA
Tuesday – Varsity boys’ water polo CCS playoffs begin, time and place TBA
Tuesday – Varsity girls’ water polo CCS playoffs begin, time and place TBA

Wednesday – Varsity girls’ volleyball CCS playoffs begin, time and place TBA

Thursday – Varsity football at Leigh, 7 p.m.
Thursday – Frosh/soph football at Leigh, 4:30 p.m.

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. 25
Leland boys’ water polo 21-10 win vs. Pioneer
Leland field hockey 1-0 win vs. Live Oak
Leland girls’ volleyball 25-13, 25-9, 25-17 win vs. Piedmont Hills

Oct. 26
Pioneer girls’ tennis 6-1 loss vs. Leigh in BVAL team play

Oct. 27
Leland girls’ volleyball 25-17, 25-10, 25-17 win at Branham

Pioneer boys’ water polo 17-9 win vs. Santa Teresa

Oct. 28
Pioneer boys’ water polo 14-4 win vs. San Mateo at Monta Vista Tournament
Pioneer boys’ water polo 13-9 win vs. Santa Clara at Monta Vista Tournament

Oct. 29
Pioneer boys’ water polo 10-5 loss vs. Cupertino at Monta Vista Tournament

What a difference a minute makes

With a tired team, a rookie goalie, and only 22 seconds left in the game, the San Jose Sharks managed to slip in the tying goal by Brad Stuart and bring fans to their feet during a sudden-death shootout that gave the Sharks a 3-2 win over the Calgary Flames on Oct. 29. In an effort to prevent game-ending ties, the shootout, one of many new rules adopted by the National Hockey League, is quickly becoming a fan favorite.

Photo by Kymberli Brady.

Chargers take 20-13 homecoming win over Raiders

Win snaps three-game losing spell for Leland;
Charger offense compiles 212 yards rushing

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

Homecoming proved to be the lucky charm for the Leland football team, which snapped a three-game losing streak with a 20-13 win over Silver Creek on Oct. 28.

Leland quarterback Garret Avilla gets ready to unleash a pass during the Chargers’ 20-13 homecoming win over Silver Creek on Oct. 28. Avilla completed seven of eight passes for 51 yards and a touchdown in the win. Photo by Kevin Jones at www.johub.com

The win improved the Chargers’ record to 3-5 overall and 2-3 in the Mt. Hamilton Division. Silver Creek remained winless at 0-8 overall and 0-5 in league play.

“The kids played hard,” said Leland Head Coach Jason Tenner. “I challenged them ... they didn’t play well last week; that wasn’t them. They played hard tonight, they kept control of the ball and played disciplined football on both sides of the ball.”

The Leland offensive was led by running backs Lance Gemette and Adam Ondi. Gemette did the bulk of the work on the ground, rushing 19 times for 104 yards and a touchdown, while Ondi carried 11 times for 48 yards and a touchdown. As a team, the Chargers ran for a total of 212 yards.

The game also featured a change at quarterback, with junior Garret Avilla taking the snaps under center over senior Kyle Walker. Avilla made the most of his opportunity, completing seven of eight passes for 51 yards and a touchdown.

“Garret did a good job tonight,” Tenner said. “He’s really pretty raw and he doesn’t have a whole lot of experience, but I thought he earned the opportunity to get some snaps.”

The Chargers got the game-winning scoring drive late in the third quarter, getting a 9-yard run from Ondi with 1:04 left to take a 20-13 lead.

From that point on, the Leland defense held the Raiders in check, allowing the Silver Creek offense to move no farther than the Leland 40 for the remainder of the game.

From the start of the contest it seemed as if the Chargers were once again plagued by bad luck, as a high snap sailed over punter Kevin Battipede’s head during the first offensive series of the game saw the Raiders recover on the Leland 11. Two plays later, the Raiders were on the board, getting a 3-yard touchdown run from D.J. Martinez with 9:29 left for a 7-0 lead.

But the Chargers recovered quickly, taking their next offensive series 59 yards downfield on eight plays, highlighted by a 14-yard touchdown run from Gemette with 5:13 left, tying the game 7-7.

“Lance is a special player,” Tenner said of Gemette. “He’s a great kid. He comes to practice every day and works hard. He’ll do anything you ask him to do. He played his heart out tonight … this is a small glimpse of what he’s capable of doing.”

At the start of the second quarter, the Raiders were on the move again, going 43 yards on 10 plays before Silver Creek kicker Abraham Castillo nailed a 37-yard field goal with 5:35 left in the first half, giving the Raiders a 10-7 lead.

Once again, the Chargers responded on their following offensive series, driving the ball 75 yards and getting a 7-yard touchdown pass from Avilla to wide receiver Billy Oesterreich on second-and-goal as time expired in the first half for a 13-10 lead. Avilla did his best work of the night on the scoring drive, completing all of his five passes for 48 yards, including a 25-yard pass to Oesterreich to move the Chargers inside the Raiders’ 20.

The Raiders once again put up points on their first offensive series of the second half, driving 21 yards on six plays before settling for a 41-yard field goal from Castillo with 8:03 to go in the third quarter.

This time, the Chargers didn’t answer back until their final offensive series of the third quarter, driving 57 yards on four plays, aided by a personal foul call against the Raiders on the first play of the series. Ondi then took his only carry of the series into the end zone for a 9-yard run to break the 13-13 tie.

Next up for the Chargers is Oak Grove, which is currently in a three-way tie for first place in the Mt. Hamilton Division. The Chargers will host the Eagles at 1:15 p.m. on Nov. 5.

Leland girls’ water polo ends regular season
with close 11-10 win over Rams

Chargers finish at 8-0 in Mt. Hamilton Division,
await league tournament on Nov. 4 and 5

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

The Leland girls’ water polo team finished off the regular season in dramatic fashion, posting a close 11-10 win over Willow Glen on Oct. 27.

Leland’s Elena SantaMaria (7) looks for an open teammate while being guarded by Willow Glen’s Kelly Greene. Leland won the regular season finale 11-10 over the Rams on Oct. 27. Photo by Diego Abeloos

The win assured the Chargers of an undefeated regular season in the Mt. Hamilton Division at 8-0, good for first place and three games ahead of the second place Rams at 5-3, heading into the league tournament on Nov. 4 and 5.

“A win is a win,” said Leland Head Coach Eric Rise. “They (the Rams) put a lot of pressure on us. They were making some shots from the outside. Our girls, they stepped up when they needed to in the end.”

With the score tied 8-8, the Chargers jumped ahead quickly at the start of the fourth quarter, getting three consecutive goals from Christy Stibbe, Courtney Monsees and Elena SantaMaria to go up 11-8.

Stibbe, Monsees and SantaMaria provided much of the offensive firepower for the Chargers throughout the game, combining for seven goals. SantaMaria led the team with three goals. Rise attributed the Chargers’ offensive punch and defensive abilities in the fourth quarter to good conditioning.

“They worked their butts off,” Rise said. “We do double days and just swim and swim. With Elena, she has very good anticipation. She realizes when a play is about to be turned over and she’s usually a second or two ahead of everyone in reflexes.”

After establishing the three-point lead in the fourth, the Chargers turned to their defense to do the rest, albeit with some nail-biting moments.

Following a Willow Glen timeout with 1:51 left, the Rams’ Laura Vonstockhausen made it a two-point game, nailing a 10-meter goal to make it 11-9. Just 43 seconds later, Vonstockhausen again came up with another goal, her fifth of the game, to cut Leland’s lead to one.

Finally, with 16 seconds left, Vonstockhausen found herself with the ball in her hands again with a chance to tie the game. Vonstockhausen attempted a shot from about 10 meters out again, but was rebuffed by a block from Monsees. With the ball back on offense, Leland let the clock run out to seal the win.

“We put enough distance on them with a few counters and our defense clamped up,” Rise said. “With Monsees’ block there at the end. I mean, that’s a huge pressure defensive play. They clamped up when they needed to.”

Leland worked quickly and efficiently on offense from the start of the contest, getting three straight goals from Tina Revels, Rebecca Pele and Monsees. SantaMaria also contributed a goal in the first quarter, as the Chargers jumped out to an early 4-2 lead.

The Charger offense remained relatively quiet in the second quarter before Stibbe nailed her first goal of the game, a backhanded shot, with 31 seconds left in the first half.

“I was proud of her because she was having a tough game, probably one of her tougher games,” Rise said of Stibbe. “She didn’t give up and she came back when she needed to.”

Still, the Rams countered with two goals from Kelly Greene in the second quarter, cutting Leland’s lead to 5-4.

The third quarter saw Leland get two goals from Heather Sheridan and another goal from SantaMaria. Not to be outdone, the Rams countered with three goals of their own during that span, getting two from Greene and one from Vonstockhausen to once again cut the lead to one. With three seconds left in the third, the Rams broke through once more, getting a goal from Greene, her fifth of the game, to tie the game 8-8.

Cycling reverses ‘Death March’ to find new horizons

Personal records ringing up at age 65

By Karl Laucher
Special to the Times

I called it “The March of Death,” having reached age 60 with athletic skills and physical fitness eroding precipitously.

I felt the weight of my excesses, the gravity of my consternation, the fear of my impending demise. Despite the obvious pitfalls of a presumed lifespan, I selfishly believe a gurgling death rattle now would be too soon. Way too soon.

For Almaden Cycle Touring Club member Karl Laucher (standing center in “flag” jersey), this club outing in mid October was ride No. 99 for the year. While pleased with also completing more than 2,500 miles on club rides in 2005, the effort still pales with the numbers recorded by many others including club leader John Mazzella (second from left), who was already over the 5,000-mile mark. Others in the photo are, from left, Mark Williams, Tina Shaner, Bill Gallagher, Andy Leach, George Ford and Rick Nowack. Photo by Gary Baum.

So, hail to the opportunity to recycle via the bicycle.

Most of my adult life has been spent as a recreational rugby player pursuing hapless ball carriers for the pleasure of a cataclysmic event. But, sometime in the last decade, I became the victim instead of the perpetrator in the world’s greatest game.

I had to go. One foot, attached to a gimpy knee, was in the grave.

The good news is that I followed up on the hunch that I might be able to keep up with some similarly retired ancient warriors in the Almaden Cycle Touring Club (ACTC). I was prepared to summon up any left over intestinal fortitude that served me well not only as a recreational athlete, but also as a journalist for 40 years, and, of course, as a family man.

It might be too soon for a tribute of trumpets, nevertheless, thanks to the ACTC, I am declaring victory over well being as a lost cause.

I say this because now, at age 65, I am setting new personal records every time I get on my bicycle. I joined the ACTC, which boasts a membership of more than 900, at the beginning of 2003 and struggled to keep up with the slowest of our daily tour outings.

Now, almost three years later, I have ridden nearly 5,000 miles on some 200 club outings. After taking pride in surpassing 1,000 miles in each of my first two years with the club, this year I passed the 2,500-mile mark in mid-October and I am on target to complete 3,000 miles before the year ends.

Forgive me if this sounds like bragging because in the big picture I am but a sardine in a shiny school of like critters swimming in a big sea where many truly superior specimens gambol about. The ACTC is a touring club, not a racing club, but our most challenging rides attract hard-core racers for training outings. We have many mighty men and women who lust for speed and a natural high as registered on their altimeters.

At this point, I have ventured to ride nothing but the “Grizzly Bear” portion of the club’s daily diet of rides. These are outings of some 15 to 40 miles at slow to moderate speeds (10 to 16 mph) and under 1,000 feet of climbing.

The “Billy Goats” usually cruise at 16-18 mph and climb the valley walls from all angles on a daily basis.

Now that I have completed a personal record of more than 100 Grizzly Bear outings this year (compared to 42 in 2003 and 41 in 2004), I will move on to tackle some adventures in the Billy Goat division with some gusto in the coming weeks. I hope the Billy Goats know how to schmooze as well as the Grizzly Bears.

I have lost some 15 pounds since joining the ACTC, and I can feel the energy surging in my circulatory system as in days of yore. In the future, I see more grandiose outings, a cross-state tour perhaps. I plan to tour parts of Europe via bicycle in 2007 when I will attend the games of Rugby World Cup in France.

As granddad of two and with another grandchild on the way, I feel good, very good about my resurrection.

For more information on the ACTC, see www.actc.org.

Karl Laucher lives in Willow Glen and is the former executive editor of the Almaden Times.

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