November 6, 2008

SPORTS

Coaches Corner

Leland scores homecoming win versus Live Oak

By Mike Carrozzo
Special to the Times

In a game with high expectations and massive playoff implications, your Leland Chargers scored a critical 21-7 win against the L’ive Oak Acorns. This game locks Leland into the playoffs with two games left in the regular season, including our big cross-town rivalry game against the Pioneer Mustangs at Tillman Stadium on Friday night.

Jr. Jon Ruel pounds away at Live Oak's defense for first down yardage. Photos by Kevin Jones

The game started off like a prizefight with both teams patiently sizing each other up to figure out the best plan of attack. The first four drives of the game netted few yards by either team. The defenses were playing well.

Then from their own 35-yard line a Live Oak running back busted out with a 55-yard run that looked to be a sure score. Junior Vinnie Gemette sprinted down the field, tracked him down and tackled him on the 10-yard line. It was a great effort. After three plays for a total of minus 1 yard (helped by a sack by DE Ben Delamore), Live Oak squared up to kick a 28-yard field goal. From the right side of the defensive line senior Zach Hill sprinted just as the ball was snapped, dove into the air with his hands together and swatted the attempt away for a fantastic block to keep the game scoreless.

The next time the Acorns took over, they completed a pass on third and 15 and LB Mike Santini stripped the ball away and it was promptly pounced on by FS Tom Felt (for the sixth time this season). Leland took over at their own 40-yard line and put in high gear. After a few solid runs and a few face masking penalties by the Acorns, Matt Machado took the ball, followed his blocks and burst into the end zone from 15 yards out for the game’s first score. Leland leads 7-0.

Alex Rorie protects Will Boring as he looks to throw downfield.

Live Oak’s next drive lasted only one play. On an option play the quarterback met some serious resistance and made an errant pitch that bounced around quite a bit. There was a massive scramble for the ball. Fortunately for us it was a scramble by five Chargers, ultimately recovered by Santini.

A few drives later the Chargers took over on their own 30-yard line. On the second play of the drive Machado broke through with a 53-yard run to the Acorn 15-yard line. A few plays later Santini punched it in from three yards out to bring the total to 14-0 nearing halftime.

Live Oak took over with about two minutes left in the half and threw a few incomplete passes due to excellent cornerback play by seniors Yuta Kai and Hill. After the punt, the Chargers took over at the 42-yard line with 38 seconds left in the half. On the first down play quarterback Will Boring throws a strike to WR Ryan Smith for 28 yards on a screen pass. On the second down and with only a few seconds left, Boring again throws a pass deep down the middle of the field. Ryan Smith jumps high and plucks the ball out of the air landing just barely in the end zone for the final Charger score of the game.

We led 21-0 going into the half. Live Oak scored on a TD run in the third quarter. That ended the scoring. The final Leland 21 Live Oak 7. The Chargers are in the playoffs.

“This was a great win for us. Offense, defense and special teams all played exceptionally well that night,” said OL/DT Amir Tadros.

Machado added, “It was tough knowing that both teams were competing for the last playoff spot.”
And RB/DB Evan Vuckovic said, “I’m excited to go to the playoffs, but we still have work to do. It was a complete team game.”

OL/DL Sean Dalton agrees, “Both sides of the ball played their best this game.” Gemette also adds,” Our defense played tough and both of our lines did a great job.”

Now for some statistics. Machado highlighted rushing with 10 carries for 104 yards and a touchdown. Others include Gemette with 10 carries for 22 yards, Santini with four carries for 14 yards and a touchdown. Boring ran six times for 22 yards and completed five passes in 16 attempts for 85 yards and one touchdown pass. Together the Chargers had 259 yards of total offense.

Some of the most outstanding efforts in this game were defensive. Live Oak has a powerful running game but the Chargers were up to the task led by Tadros with nine tackles and a sack in the game. Other leading tacklers were Santini with eight tackles, a caused fumble and fumble recovery, Junior LB Tony Russell and DT Mike Economy had seven tackles, Alex Oberman and Tom Felt had six and Felt also had a fumble recovery, DE Ben Delamore had five and a sack, NG Alex Nunes, DT Alex Rorie and CB Zach Hill all had four tackles.

Some of the most impressive play was by cornerbacks Kai and Hill who constantly harassed the Acorn receivers holding them to six completions in 19 attempts for a total of 46 yards.

The JV Chargers scored a solid win versus Live Oak by a score of 26-12. They came out in the second half of their game with an enthusiasm and focus and played a great game against a tough opponent.

The Pioneer Mustangs are coming to town looking for revenge from last year’s loss. I am certain they will be fired up as will your Leland Chargers. The Mustangs are having an excellent year and it will be an outstanding challenge for us. The atmosphere should be electric in this intense rivalry game Friday night at Tillman Stadium. See you there!

Almaden Quicksilver wins U9 Championship

The Almaden Quicksilver girls’ competitive soccer team won the U9 championship at the 10th Annual Diablo FC Kick or Treat soccer tournament Oct. 25–26.

The Almaden Quicksilver U9 team consists of Savannah Chastang, Aveena Cline, Dilynn Di Leonardo, Kaylee Earnshaw, Emma Edelman, Alli McCale, Karly Much, Amanda O’Neal, Alyssa Redondo, Amanda Rice, Kendall Roberts, Kyra Sur and Juliana Webb. It is coached by Ryan Edwards and assisted by Dave O’Neal.

Teams from all over the Bay Area competed in the annual tournament in Concord, Calif. Quicksilver got off to a great start with a 3-0 victory against the Clipper Tigers. The first half began with a soccer run down the field by Juliana Webb, which ended in Quicksilver’s first goal of the game.

Right before halftime, Amanda Rice got to a loose ball, took a dribble and put the ball into the net for a 2-0 lead. The victory was sealed after Kendall Roberts scored at the beginning of the second half dribbling the ball up from midfield and shooting in the right corner of the net. The tough defensive play by Dilynn DiLeonardo organizing the field from center defense, and Alyssa Redondo’s speed and assertiveness lead the team for the victory.

Next, Quicksilver kicked off against the Lightning. Kendall Roberts scored the only goal in the game against an aggressive Lightning defense right before the end of the first half. Quicksilver held on to defeat the Lightning 1-0, thanks to Kyra Sur’s and Karly Much’s strong midfield passing helping to support Emma Edelman’s attacks on goal.

On Sunday, Quicksilver faced off against the Burlingame Strikers at 8 a.m. The entire team played hard offense and defense for all 50 minutes against a great team. Strong goal keeping skills and defensive toughness from Alli McCale resulted in a 0-0 tie. Since Quicksilver won both games the day prior, they advanced to the championship game.

In that game, Quicksilver squared off against Los Gatos Pride, a division rival in the Delgado League. The first half ended in a 0-0 tie. Quicksilver was out shot and pressured throughout the half, strong play by goalkeeper Kaylee Earnshaw was key.

The second half started with a cross from Juliana Webb to right forward Amanda Rice, who with a defender on her hip and goalie advancing shot the ball in the corner of the net to score Quicksilver’s first goal.

The Pride came back immediately and scored two goals to take the lead with only 10 minutes in the game. In the last three minutes of the game, Amanda O’Neal broke out from the midfield position down the field and shot from 15 yards out to score the second goal of the game. After 50 minutes of hard fought play, the game ended in a 2-2 tie.

The first of two 5-minute overtimes began with Los Gatos Pride kicking off the ball. Quicksilver battled and fought the Pride in 88-degree heat in both overtime games with neither team scoring during the overtime period, despite shots on both sides.

The championship was to be decided by a sudden death shoot-out between the two clubs. Quicksilver’s Amanda O’Neal shot first successfully against the Pride’s goalkeeper, followed by victorious kicks by Amanda Rice and Karly Much. The Quicksilver players huddled together with arms interlocked as they cheered on their teammates.

Quicksilver’s goalkeeper Earnshaw performed exceptionally, deflecting the fourth shot from the Pride player. The fifth shot by Quicksilver’s Kendall Roberts successfully went into the goal, while the fifth shot from the Pride’s player hit the goal post to break the tie, and Almaden Quicksilver team emerged victorious in a 3-2 win for the championship.

An excited Quicksilver team ran on the field screaming and celebrating over a hard-fought game against a great opponent. A special ceremony followed the thrilling win with each of the girls receiving a championship gold medal for their efforts.

Local gymnast receives 9.95 on balance beam

Gabrielle De Leon, 9, a Level 5 gymnast who trains at Airborne Gymnastics in Santa Clara who recently completed her 2008 Level 5 compulsory season with a record, scoring an impressive 9.950 on the balance beam at the Hollywood Invitational hosted by North Bay Athletic Association in Vallejo.

Coached by Melanie Ruggiero, Stephanie McCarthy and John Yip, her performance left everyone waiting in anticipation for score results. When “9.950” flashed on the scoreboard, there was an audible gasp among the crowd, followed by a roar of applause and shouts of appreciation for a nearly flawless beam routine.

Gabrielle De Leon does the splits on the balance beam during when achieving her 9.95 score.

A perfect “10” on the balance beam is elusive for gymnasts because the gymnast must combine gymnastics and dance movements on an apparatus that is only 4 inches wide and 4 feet off the ground. It requires balance, grace, strength, flexibility and a lot of hard work, focus and determination as well as years of training, conditioning and long hours practicing in the gym. Scoring a 9.950 is as close as you can get to a perfect “10.”

De Leon is the first gymnast at Airborne Gymnastics, established in 1994, to have scored a 9.950. According to NorCal State (the governing body that officially administers the rules and regulations of USA Gymnastics in Northern California), De Leon is the first gymnast to have achieved a score of 9.950 in NorCal, which extends from San Luis Obispo to the Oregon border.

De Leon resides in San Jose and is a fourth-grade honors student at Valley Christian School. She has been training at Airborne Gymnastics since she was 18 months old. Besides gymnastics, she’s danced ballet and jazz at South Bay Dance Center for eight years and played the violin for three years.

She and her teammates are currently training for the 2008 Zone 7 Championships set for Sunday in San Bruno. The meet is the qualifier to the 2008 Level 5 State Championships that will be held on Nov. 22-23.

Sporting Girls support goals for a cure, win Clovis Challenge Cup

The Sporting U11 select girls’ soccer team participated in the “Goals for a Cure” fundraising activity for all of October, which was Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The Sporting Girls pose for a photo. In the first row, from the left are Lauren Plesse, Erica Nakano*, Regan Heslop*, Sierra Painter*, Shaelan Murison and Ashley Lawrence*. The second row consists of Cece Hinz*, Megan Wheelock, Stephanie Magellan, Maddie Cavanna*, Lauren Craft *, Fiona Sequeira and Hanna Gratny*. And in the third row are Assistant Coach Jamie Berg*, Reese Gonzalez, Michelle Stack, Erin McCoy*, Danielle Hadfield*, Head Coach Jim Lawrence*. (* denotes Almaden resident).

The team raised a total of $1,500, which goes directly to help support women who need financial assistance to get breast screen exams. The team wore pink jerseys all month long to raise awareness for the cause.

In addition to supporting the cause, the team captured the Clovis Challenge Cup tournament in their pink jerseys during the weekend of Oct. 25-26 by winning four straight games.

The Sporting Girls advanced in their bracket by winning three games. The final was played against their cross-town rival, the Los Gatos Elite. The Elite are ranked seventh in northern California while the Sporting are ranked second. Although the game was intense and a defensive struggle, the Sporting Girls emerged victorious with a 2-0 win.

Jim Lawrence, the Sporting Girls’ coach, said he was proud of the girls and their efforts. “Our team has been directly affected by cancer and our girls represented their pink jerseys proudly this weekend.”

The next tournament for the Sporting Girls will be the District II Cup, which is always one of the most competitive tournaments in northern California. It will be held over the weekend of Nov. 22-23.

High School Sports Schedule, Nov. 7 - Nov. 13

Leland
Friday—Football vs. Pioneer; JV at 4:30; Varsity at 7 p.m.
Friday—Field hockey vs. Los Gatos at Los Gatos at 2:45 p.m.
Friday—Girl’s volleyball vs. Mt. Pleasant at Mt. Pleasant; JV at 5 and Varsity at 6 p.m.
Friday—Boys water polo vs. game 8 winner at 2:45
Friday—Girl’s water polo vs. Game 5 winner at 4 p.m.

Saturday—Girl’s #9 water polo game loser vs. girls # 11 game loser at 10 a.m.
Saturday—Girl’s #9 water polo game winner vs. girl’s #11 game winner
Saturday—Boys #10 water polo game loser vs. boys #12 game loser at 1 p.m.
Saturday—Boys water polo #10 game winner vs. #12 game winner at 2:30 p.m.

Tuesday—Girl’s tennis CCS team play begins
Tuesday—CCS Field Hockey begins

Wednesday—CCS girl’s volleyball begins

Pioneer
Friday—Football vs. Leland at Leland; JV at 4:30 p.m. and Varsity at 7 p.m.
Friday—Boys water polo vs. game 8 winner at 2:45
Friday—Girl’s water polo vs. Game 5 winner at 4 p.m.

Saturday—Girl’s #9 water polo game loser vs. girls # 11 game loser at 10 a.m.
Saturday—Girl’s #9 water polo game winner vs. girl’s #11 game winner
Saturday—Boys #10 water polo game loser vs. boys #12 game loser at 1 p.m.

Tuesday—Girl’s tennis CCS team play begins
Tuesday—Girls volleyball CCS play begins

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.

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