Leland, Day crowned as kings,
host ‘strong’ Lincoln as
CCS playoff preparation

By Karl Laucher
Sports Editor

With the two-year journey from the frazzle to dazzle all but complete, Leland High School, newly crowned Blossom Valley Athletic League Santa Teresa Division football champions, is preparing to augment its new status with some ostentatious momentous. Some poignant Central Coast Section experiences would be just the ticket.

But first, the Chargers will complete the regular season by hosting an aspiring Lincoln High School on Saturday, 1:15 p.m. The Lincoln Lions have shown some sizable fangs this season, most recently bringing down a stubborn Westmont High School squad, 13-10 last week.

Leland meanwhile, reminded its homecoming audience of the glory days in the 1990s when it was a CCS kingpin by demoting Prospect High School 36-7 as Charger quarterback Joe Hurley passed for three touchdowns and ran for another.
As the Chargers improved their record to 8-1 (5-0 in league) and clinched the title with their eighth straight victory, it is appropriate to reflect back on the smoldering wreck of a 2001 season when, under new head coach Kelly Edwards, Leland went winless in 10 games. “It was the hardest season I ever went through as a coach,” said Edwards, who had moved in after several years as assistant coach at Foothill College. “We had to build a foundation a little lower that what we wanted.”

Hurley was one of six seniors who were sophomores on that bleak 2001 team. He now is the number-one passer in the BVAL Santa Teresa with 1,394 yards. Other seniors who suffered through 2001 were wide receiver Sean Connners, the most productive pass catcher in the conference who opened the game against Prospect with a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown; wide receiver/defensive back Kyle McDaniel, who intercepted his 10th pass of the season against Prospect, offensive guard Alex Baumeister, tackle Larry Fleischel and linebacker Jeremiah Harvey.

Baumeister, a 6-foot, 250-pounder, said the Chargers “had a rough couple of years (they were 5-5 in 2002), but we’ve come together and we’ve dominated.”

Among the keys to the success is runningback Michael day, who improved his BVAL-leading scoring total to 124 points (best in the county) with a TD against Prospect. Day has had better days on the field, but homecoming king and a BVAL champion on the same day had to be a penultimate occasion. Baumeister was a candidate for the homecoming king crown, but graciously offered to “forgive” Day for the coup.

The CCS playoffs are on the horizon, so championships are subordinated to greater callings. No wonder Coach Edwards is pleased that Lincoln High (3-2 in league, 6-2 overall) is not likely to roll over and play dead on Saturday. “They finished the season strong,” he said. “It will give us a challenge, and the ability to have a good practice and get ready for the playoffs by playing a good opponent.”

Pioneer seeks higher echelon,
visits Silver Creek

By Karl Laucher
Sports Editor

The chips were down and Pioneer High School didn't flinch in a showdown with Independence High school for upper-echelon status in the Blossom Valley Athletic League Mount Hamilton Division as the Mustangs muscled out a 21-14 win in the final home game.

Good job. Now, Pioneer must do it again in the final regular season encounter when the Mustangs battle Silver Creek High School for the second rung on the BVAL Mt. Ham ladder at the Raiders' field, on Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
Silver Creek (7-1-1 overall and 4-1-1 in league) currently holds the brides maid's bouquet in the Mount Hamilton, the strongest of the BVAL's three divisions, by earning a 22-22 tie with league champ Oak Grove High School last week. But the Mustangs (7-2, 4-2 in league) seek to leapfrog the Raiders for the right to ride behind the Oak Grove High School's highly decorated train into the post-season Central Coast Section playoffs.

Based on its student population of about 1,400 strong, Pioneer will head for the CCS Division IV playoffs, while Oak Grove and Silver Creek, at about 2400 students each, are on track for Division I or II.

Large student bodies do not necessarily compute out to football powers as San Jose State University and Independence High school can attest. "It was a good hard-fought game like our league has been all year, very close," said Independence Coach Joe Cattolico after Pioneer running back Andrew Schulz scored second- and third-quarter touchdowns to clinch a Mustang victory. "They played well, and they deserve to win," Cattolico added.
Schulz pointed out that Pioneer had to play its A game in the trenches. "They played physical and we had to be physical with them and play smash mouth football,," he said. "Silver Creek is similar to Independence but Silver Creek does posses a bit more speed and athleticism."

The Raiders offer a talented running back in Carlos Delatorre, who ranks No. 3 in the conference with 725 yards gained. Also among the league leaders is Silver Creek receiver Kraig Kitong with 385 yards gained. Pioneer's Jeremy Landucci tops the league in scoring with 92 points.

Pioneer coach Mark Krail confirmed that "we have our work cut out for us" against a "very physical" Silver Creek team..

"We seemed to have righted the ship," Krail added. "Now it's important to continue to play well, so the team's momentum continues on into the play-offs."

LELAND SPORTS ROUNDUP
Complied by Athletic director Chris Hansen

Our girls’ volleyball, boys’ water polo and girls’ tennis teams went undefeated to win the Mount Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League. This is the top division and we are very proud of their accomplishments.

VOLLEYBALL : The girls’ volleyball team finished their regular season last week with wins over third place Piedmont Hills and second place Branham. This is the second undefeated league title in a row for the chargers. The girls beat Piedmont Hills 26-24, 25-15, 23-25, 25-20 with middle hitters Briana Scala and Marissa Brehmer leading the offense with 20 and 11 kills, respectively.
The chargers beat Branham 21-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-18. Middles Bri Scala and Marissa Brehmer again dominated with 25 and 15 kills. Defensively, Senior Alaina Walker had 12 digs and Freshmen Joyce Chang and Grace Chang added 13 and 11 digs to help keep the team alive.
Congratulations on your second league title! The girls will start CCS competition this Saturday, Nov. 15 at Leland at 7 p.m. They will face the winner of the Carlmont/Santa Clara match.
Our team goal in Volleyball was to win League and to get 20 wins this season. We exceeded our goals by going undefeated in league and getting 25 wins this season. This team has shown a great deal of perseverance this season getting wins over teams that were seemingly more talented. Trish and I are very proud of them.

BOYS WATER POLO: The boys’ water polo team continued its winning ways this weekend defeating Mt. Pleasant in the finals of the BVAL league championship. This is their second undefeated league title in a row. The boys will begin CCS competition this Saturday, Nov. 15 at 8 a.m. at Independence High School. Good Luck guys!

GIRLS WATER POLO: The girls’ water polo team finished second in league, losing a close championship game to Lincoln on Saturday. The girls will continue their season with CCS competition this week.

BOYS JV FOOTBALL: After a hard fought loss to league leaders Westmont, the Leland JVs extended their record to 6-3 on the season by defeating Prospect 31-0 in the Chargers’ homecoming game. Defense was the key to the team's victory. The Charger defense did not allow the Prospect Panthers to see the end zone all day. The Panthers crossed the 50-yard line only once. Key players on the Charger defense were lineman Eric
Hailes, who led the team in tackles, and free safety Steven Dudley, who continued his streak of nine straight games without missing a tackle. Other standouts were Travis Delamore, Richard Wellington, Nick Mortensen and Collin Khoshabian. The Chargers were challenged, but a key pass defense by Borna Haghighi stopped Prospect’s only long pass play of the game. Defensive backs, Negdad Zaky, George "G- man" Mikhail and
Suleymahn Ersahn, made sure that any hopes of a Prospect aerial attack stayed on the ground. Defensive tackle Jon Erickson showed up big for his first start and opened the game with the team's first tackle for a four-yard loss against the Panthers.

On offense, the Chargers passing attack was held in check for most of the game, but Kyle Walker running a flea flicker with runningback Lance Gemette hit

Navdeep Rai for a 40-yard strike. The team then rallied behind the legs of
Adam Ondi, Lance Gemette, Mike Higashioka and fullback AJ Deimling, who pounded the ball in the second half to put the Chargers on the board.

On special teams, Gemette put the game away with a 60-yard plus punt return for a touchdown. Team work was the key to the play, as two major blocks by Borna Haghighi and Travis Delamore sprung Gemette for the score. The player of the game was safety Brandon Denault, playing only his second start of the season, had a pass defense, blocked a punt, recovered a fumble, and was the team's second leading tackler.
The JV Leland Chargers intend to finish the season strong against the

Lincoln Lions to end their season with a 7-3 record—the best record by the Leland JV in over four years. To the upcoming Lincoln Lions, "There is a Charger Storm blowing and if you can’t stand the weather, stay indoors. Go Chargers!

THE WEEK AHEAD

Sat. 11/15
CCS Volleyball at Leland, 7 p.m.
CCS boys water polo at Independence, 8 a.m.
Football, Lincoln at Leland, Frosh/soph 10:30 a.m.; varsity 1:15 p.m.
CCS cross country at Crystal springs, Belmont, 10 a.m.

Pioneer sports roundup

JV football wins struggle

By Coach Greg Savage

The Pioneer JV football team came away with a hard fought 8-7 win over the
Independence Sixers on Nov. 6. The game was a struggle from the beginning. Both offenses moved the ball, but could not get into the end zone in the first half. The second half proved to be the same defensive struggle. Independence got on the board first with a long touchdown run in the third quarter. The Mustangs did not quit, however.

In the fourth quarter, the Mustangs drove down the field and scored a touchdown on a quarterback sneak by Chris Foley. On the extra point, the Mustangs ran a fake and Foley completed a pass to Pierre Woods for two points, which proved to be the winning points in the game.

On offense, good games were had by Sean Dreher, Nick D'Antonio, Scott Lowry and Clark Worthington. The offensive line also did well led by Tim Chang.

On defense, the Mustangs were bent, but not broken and good efforts were given by CJ Miller, Lenny LaRussa, Mike Makris, and Ken Dorsett. Nick D'Antonio also had an interception. The Mustangs will play their final game of the season on Saturday, Nov. 15 at Silver Creek. We look to finish on a winning note and also finishing with a winning season. The Mustangs are currently 5-4 overall and 3-3 in league.

The week ahead:

Saturday, 11/15
Boys cross country at Crystal Springs CCS competition, 10 a.m.
F/S football season finale at Silver Creek, 11 a.m.
Varsity football at Silver Creek, 1:30 p.m.

Tuesday, 11/18
Girls basketball scrimmage vs. Leland varsity, 6 p.m.

Thursday, 11/20
Boys’ basketball scrimmage at Cupertino, F/S, 6 p.m.; varsity, 3:30 p.m.

Friday 11/ 21-22
CCS football round I, TBA

11/Nov. 21
Girls’ basketball vs. Santa Teresa, JV, 5:30; varsity, 7 p.m.

Almaden Jr. Pee Wees tripped up in playoffs

Under overcast skies on Santa Clara’s Townsend Field, the luster of the Almaden Junior Pee Wee football team was muted as the Chargers’ improbable playoff run came to an end.
Almaden lost the Peninsula Pop Warner semi-final game to Oakland’s East Bay East Junior Pee Wees 24-0. The Junior Pee Wees are made up of players ages 9 to 11.
Although the scoring margin was wide, it was not indicative of the action on the field. Almaden played them tough and even up for most of the game. Giving up the untimely “big” play and committing four costly turnovers ultimately doomed the Chargers.
At the team’s post-game gathering, head coach Kevin Jones told the team to “keep your heads high. Since training camp began in late July, all of the hard work and dedication paid off big time. Making it into the playoffs in Division 1 far exceeded anyone’s expectations for this team. You should all be very proud of yourselves. We as coaches couldn’t be more proud of you.”

Soccer dad’s cup runneth over

By Karl Laucher
Sports Writer

Almaden’s David Crosbie, standing center with sons Aidan, age 10, and Dean, age 14, pose with Aidan’s Almaden Metro teammates during a recent game at Leland High School. David, an electronics engineer/manager, immigrated with his family in 1995 to the United States from Scotland, where he was a triple-threat athlete, participating in soccer, rugby and rowing. In the U.S., however, he’s soccer, soccer and soccer, coaching both the Metro Boys under-12 team as well as Dean’s team, the Almaden Fire Boys under-14s. Both teams won their division championship in the Delgado League. The Metros still have one more game to play, on Saturday, in Santa Cruz versus the Hammerheads. While the Fire Boys have closed the season, they will continue on in the California Youth Soccer Association’s Association Cup, a statewide competition. When not coaching two boys’ teams, Crosbie is player-coach with the Billy Boots men’s team in the South Bay, and also plays indoor soccer Wednesday nights at Off The Wall in Sunnyvale. “I love the game, and I want my sons to love the game,” Crosbie said. “I want them to learn good fundamentals. I want my kids to keep going.” Aidan is a sixth grader at Bret Harte, while Dean is a freshman at Leland High School, where he is on both the frosh-soph cross country team and the soccer team.

Almaden’s Aly Wagner honored by S.J. Hall of Fame, looks to 2004 Olympics

By Karl Laucher
Sports Editor

Almaden Valley product Aly Wagner is seeing the world as a member of the U.S. National Women’s Soccer Team, but she was home this week as an honored guest at the annual San Jose Hall of Fame festivities hosted by the San Jose Sports Authority at the HP Pavilion.

Wagner, age 23, is a former national player of the year both at the high school (Presentation) and collegiate (Santa Clara University) levels, and was named San Jose’s Amateur Athlete of the Year along with San Jose State University football standout Charles Pauley.

Wagner was a member of the U.S. women’s team, which placed a disappointing third behind Germany in the recent Women’s Soccer World Cup, but she said the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece “definitely is my goal.”
Hopefully, that won’t be all Wagner has to look forward to in 2004. Following the late summer collapse of the Women’s United Soccer League, women’s soccer players were left without a major professional conference to showcase their skills. There is talk of professional women’s soccer coming back in 2004 with a smaller lineup of teams. “I think it is huge (in importance) for women’s sports in general, and women’s soccer specifically” Wagner said. “There definitely is a market for women’s sports. It creates role models for girls and boys.”

The 5-foot-5, 130-pound Wagner was drafted out of SCU by the San Diego Spirit and traded to the Boston Breakers, but she didn’t get to play in Boston before the league folded. “Definitely some mismanagement of funds,” she grumbled.

Wagner was coached, as a junior player, by her parents, with her mother, Vicki, co-coach of her national junior championship team. Aly contends, however, that even though her mother coached her and introduced her to various sports including swimming classes at Almaden Swim and Racquet Club and the Almaden Golf and Country Club, she was self-motivated to succeed in sports, particularly soccer. “I practiced every day for several hours,” Aly said. “It is something I did from a very young age. I had focus and determination. It wasn’t that I wanted the awards and accolades. I just loved the game. I had a strong passion for it early on. I worked day in and day out on soccer. It wasn’t work for me.”

Nevertheless, she said she is proud to be honored as a home girl at the San Jose Hall of Fame.
Besides creating the skills that made her the assist leader on the U.S. National team over the last year, Wagner has loved the game so much that she fought her way back from knee surgeries four times.

Wagner and the rest of the U.S. squad have a two-month hiatus before training begins in earnest in January for the 2004 soccer schedule. Aly plans to do some snowboarding, tennis and some surfing. She returned just this week from a holiday in Hawaii.

She may be on cruise control now, but when push comes to shove on the soccer field, Wagner is known for having the ultimate work ethic and the vision. A special delivery from Aly Wagner is worth the price of admission.

Former Charger Tony Zimmer soars at Linfield

By Karl Laucher
Sports Writer

Tony Zimmer, Leland class of 1998, was a proud member of the Chargers 1996 Central Coast Section Division II championship football team. He’s now feeling another surge of pride as a member of the undefeated Linfield Wildcats in McMinnville, Ore. Zimmer, who played football at DeAnza College before moving on to Linfield, recently was named Northwest Conference Player of the Week for leading his team to a 55-0 win over Lewis & Clark during which he carried a fumble recovery into the end zone for a touchdown, intercepted a pass in the end zone and made eight tackles from his strong safety position.. Linfield faces another undefeated team, Willamette University in Salem, Ore. this week for the conference title and a berth in the Division III post-season playoffs. “I don’t think I could have picked a better place for me,” said Zimmer, a business major who played for his father, Randy, when at Leland. Randy, now an Oak Grove High School assistant coach, was the head coach and offensive coordinator at various times at Leland from 1984 to 2000. “He is the person most responsible for my work ethic and the success I’ve had,” said Tony. “He’s the best as far as I’m concerned.”

Leland gridders, Gemoll, Glicksberg, earn scholarships

By Karl Laucher
Staff Writer

He’s a force on both offense and defense for Leland High School’s championship football team, but it is his baseball and academic skills that earned Darren Gemoll a scholarship to Stanford.
Scott Glicksberg, the Chargers’ powerful interior lineman, also is a two-sport athlete, playing rugby in the spring for College Park, the club team from Bellarmine College Prep, from where he transferred to Leland this year. Scott has been offered a football scholarship by UCLA, but he has not yet accepted due to plans to visit other universities.

Gemoll missed the last two weeks of football due to a concussion, but is looking forward to playing on Saturday against Lincoln High School, and in the post season. “This is the last chance I’ll ever get to play football in my life,” he said. He was an all-BVAL Santa Teresa, baseball selection in the spring as well as a second team All-Central Coast Section and all-state undergrad baseball player last spring. He hit a Leland record .605 and stole a school record 29 bases. He’s a first baseman/outfielder who can hit from either side of the plate. Darren’s two older bothers, Justin, age 26, and Brandon, 23, are professional baseball players in the Kansas City Royals’ and Milwaukee Brewers’ systems, respectively.