November 22, 2007

SPORTS

Pioneer win puts Mustangs into CCS semifinals

By Gary van den Heuvel
Sports Writer

Instead of tanking after losing to Oak Grove by one point for first place in the Mount Hamilton Division, the Pioneer football team used the emotion from that loss to fuel its 45-6 trouncing of the North Monterey County Condors in a first-round playoff game on Saturday.

Pioneer linebacker Daniel Montasano tackles North Monterey County’s runningback Juan Hernandez for a lost during Central Coast Section playoff game at home in San Jose. Pioneer won the game 45-6 and earned the right to take on Riordan at Football College on Saturday. Photos by Kevin Jones

The fourth-seeded Mustangs advanced to the CCS Medium School division semifinals where they will face top-seeded Archbishop Riordan this Saturday at Foothill Junior College. Kickoff is 3 p.m. Riordan beat Terra Nova in their quarterfinal 44-16.

“Last week’s 20-19 loss to Oak Grove was our best performance,” said Pioneer head coach Mark Krail. “Today it panned out the way I thought. To match the level we played last week would have been tough, and I don’t think we quite got there, but we played good enough to take care of business.”

Indeed they did. North Monterey County’s day turned sour early on, when on fourth down and short from the Mustangs’ 38, Pioneer linebacker David Figueroa abruptly ended their first drive by throwing Condor running back Todd Hirt for a 5-yard loss.

On the Mustangs’ second drive, Marquee Heffner put Pioneer on the scoreboard with a 46-yard touchdown run. The Mustangs needed seven plays on their next offensive possession. The drive, all runs by Heffner, Shane Murray who rushed eight times for 56 yards, Mike Cobb and quarterback Joe Alise to reach the Condor 1-yard line. On the eighth play, Alise scored the touchdown on a quarterback sneak.

Pioneer runningback Shane Murray makes a catch over North Monterey County’s safety Miquel Ramirez during their Central Coast Section playoff game.

North Monterey held the ball for more than five minutes on its next possession, and despite keeping the ball for 10 plays, only moved it 20 yards--their possession was extended when Pioneer was flagged for roughing the punter--against the harassing defense led by Figueroa and linebacker Daniel Montesano. Four plays after a Condor punt, Pioneer was in the end zone again – on a 10-yard sweep by Heffner, who led all runners with 88 yards on six carries along with two touchdowns, set up by the previous play, an Alise swing pass to the fleet-footed Murray that turned into a 71-yard gain.

A 19-yard Victor Aguirre field goal sent the Mustangs into halftime with a 24-0 cushion.

Condor fans became more vocal, trying to rouse their team to a second-half rally. Within one minute of the third quarter they went silent, following two rapid Mustang touchdowns. The first came on the kickoff to start the third quarter, a 78-yard Chad Dreher runback.

Pioneer runningback Shane Murray runs the ball round the corner during their Central Coast Section playoff game.

Mike Pavicich recovered a fumbled kick return deep in Condor territory on the next play. After a 14-yard run from Murray, Cobb carried it in from the 8-yard line. With nearly an entire half to play, Pioneer led 38-0, and Krail began removing some of his starters.

Pioneer continued moving the ball efficiently with the second team–backup quarterback Nick Sarabia and running backs Cody Otsuji, Justin Souza and Eric Ayala. Souza ran for a 6-yard touchdown to put Pioneer ahead 45-0 early in the fourth quarter.

The Mustang defense continued to stymie North Monterey threats, highlighted by interceptions from Don Medlinger and Logan Howard. The Condors finally broke through in the fourth quarter on an 8-yard touchdown run from Brandon Palacios.

Krail was satisfied with his team’s response to last week’s disappointment. “Their hearts were broken for a little while and they came back on Monday ready to go. We had a good week of practice. I was pleased, and I would hope that we do the same next week.”

Chargers open basketball season with a win over Gunderson

By Daniel Miranda
Sports Coordinator

The Leland High School basketball team opened its season with a win over cross-town Gunderson High School 62-44 last Friday at home.

Leland's Cody Tyson drives to the basket for two of his seven points during their game against the Grizzlies on Friday night at home in San Jose. Photos by Jeff La plante

The Chargers’ Greg Hipwell was the high scorer for the game with 18 points--making six baskets and going six for seven from the free-throw line. Hipwell also had three of the Chargers’ five block shots.

The Chargers outscored the Grizzlies 15-9 in the first quarter, adding 15 more points in the second quarter when the Grizzlies added another nine points. The Chargers went into halftime with a 30-18 lead.

Adam Mackey was the second leading scorer for Leland, coming off the bench to score 15 points. Leland’s Drew Marino also poured in 10 points of his own.

“I was happy with our effort. We beat a team that is going to be pretty good, ” said Charger head coach Steve Seandel. The Chargers went 11 for 15 from the free-throw line as a team and had 10 offensive rebounds and 24 defensive rebounds.

Marino had three of the six Charger steals while his brother Trevor had three of the nine assists.

“There are still things we need to work on,” said Seandel. The Chargers made only one three-pointer and had only 10 offensive rebounds. Those are a few of the improvements the Chargers need to make if they want to contend in the Mt. Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League.

The Grizzlies’ Christian Silva, with 15 points, and teammate Moses Kinnah with 13 points, were the leading scorers for Gunderson. The Grizzlies also went 14 for 24 from the free-throw line with nine points from outside shooting.

“It is good to get one under your belt and to beat a good team,” said Seandel.

The Chargers’ next opportunity will be Tuesday at the Westmont tournament in Campbell.

Leland finishes second in CCS girls’ water polo

By Gary van den Heuvel
Sports Writer

The Leland High School girls’ water polo team saw its season come to a bittersweet end in the CCS Division I final at Independence High School.

After advancing to the finals with a 6-5 win over Los Altos, the Chargers’ best-ever season ended with a 10-5 loss to the Menlo-Atherton Bears on Saturday.

Despite the loss, Charger coach Eric Rise is encouraged by the overall youth of his team. “We lost five all-leaguers and two all-CCS players last year,” said Rise. “[This year] our entire starting lineup is made up of freshmen, sophomores and juniors.”

Leland’s semifinal game against Los Altos, which took place at Bellarmine College Prep, was a tense nail biter with excellent defense by both teams. Leland outscored Los Altos 3-2 in the final quarter for the 6-5 victory. Charger Kelsey Nolan scored three goals. She scored a total of 11 in the CCS playoffs to lead the Chargers. Courtenay Gold scored two and Brianna Sherrin also scored for Leland.

Going into the final against Menlo-Atherton, Leland was up against a strong opponent featuring Menlo Bay division first-team Rebecca Dorst and two second-team players, Rita Bullwinkel and Hannah Breen.

Kylie Sarpa picked up the slack for the Chargers, who had to overcome three ejections to the aggressive Nolan. Sarpa scored three of the Chargers’ five goals while playing stalwart defense against Menlo’s top player Dorst. Unfortunately, Menlo’s 7-2 first half lead was too much to overcome. The Chargers played the Bears evenly for the second half but lost by a score of 10-5.

Tam Nguyen scored the other two Leland goals and goalie Amy Georgiou made 11 saves in the effort. Other key contributors over the course of the playoffs were Sherrin, Morgan Gahagan, Melinda McKenzie, Racheal Hartman and Stacey Koolpe.

Rise expects the youth on his team, which finished 19-11 on the season, to continue to improve in the future.

“My goal’s the same [for next season],” said Rise. “Win league, get a spot in CCS and go from there.”

Pioneer basketball preview

By Gary van den Heuvel
Sports Writer

Pioneer High School’s basketball team looked sharp in a pre-season scrimmage with Cupertino High Nov. 15 at Pioneer, playing six 10-minute periods and winning five of the intervals and outscoring Cupertino by a total of 82-51.

“I thought we looked pretty good,” said Pioneer coach Joe Berticevich. “Our goals were to outwork the other team and set the tempo. We didn’t execute very well but that’s playing the first time against someone else, so it happens.”

The Mustangs are coming off a 2006-07 season in which they were 21-8 overall and 11-3 in league play, their season ending on a close 58-54 playoff loss to Hillsdale.

Berticevich is accustomed to remaking his roster – last year he had to replace the entire starting lineup and this year he is dealing with the loss of eight graduating seniors.

One of this year’s seniors is forward Andrew Springer, who Berticevich believes is capable of being one of the league’s top players. He calls him the “go-to guy. He’s our biggest guy and our strongest guy at the post.”
Another senior forward to watch is the offense-minded Mike Beltramo, a good shooter. “If you leave him open, he’s going to knock it down,” says Berticevich.

Senior guard Nick Maggipinto should see a lot of time in the backcourt along with junior point guard Shawn Bundlie, while junior Nick Sarabia and sophomore Jason Berticevich will be counted on to contribute their share of minutes. Six-foot-6-inch Will Houston will provide an imposing figure in the low post. Christian Caesar is another Mustang senior this year.

Pioneer’s pre-season tournament schedule begins in Aptos next Wednesday for the Aptos Seascape Tournament. Until then, it’s more fine-tuning for Berticevich and the Mustang squad. “In preseason we concentrate more on what we need to do to get ready for the season,” he said.

Based on the scrimmage with Cupertino, Berticevich says things are coming along well. “I think we did a good job, and Cupertino’s going to be a pretty good team. I liked our tempo and I liked our effort. Hopefully we’ll just keep on getting better.”

Almaden Storm blows through fall season

The U12 Almaden Storm Class 1 soccer team concluded its fall season by capturing the District 2 District Cup championship. The Storm went 3-0-1 to win the s cup by beating a very tough Palo Alto team 2-1 in the final, with Emanuel Gonzales scoring the game-winning goal with less than 30 seconds left to play.

The U12 Almaden Storm Class 1 soccer team consists of Omar Arzante, Albert Bierly, Gaberiel Cordova, Francisco Gomez, Emanuel Gonzales, Jesus Gonzales, Sergio Jimenez, David Livitsky, Tyler Nall, Tomo Nishizaki, Steven Nickolas, Bryan Pureco, Aaron Rameriez, Alex Soriano and David Soriano along with coaches Jack Hamner and Carlos Granados and Oleg Levitsky, team manager.

“The kids never, never gave up; they gave 100 percent, and they would not be denied what they thought was theirs,” said coach Jack Hamner.

This was not the first tournament the Storm has championed. During the season, the team won the Livermore Halloween Classic, Fremont Soccer Tournament and the Silicon Valley Cup. They placed in the quarterfinals of the Santa Clara Soccer tournament as well, winning five tournaments and four championships.

Besides the tournament record that saw the Storm go 14-1-1, the team also completed the fall season with a record of 9-0-1. Taking first place in the always-tough CYSA District 2, Class 1 division. The team’s overall record was 23-1-2.

“These kids played great all year. Every kid contributed, every player pulled for one another and the team soared,” said coach Carlos Granados.

Omar Arzante, Albert Bierly, Gaberiel Cordova, Francisco Gomez, Emanuel Gonzales, Jesus Gonzales, Sergio Jimenez, David Livitsky, Tyler Nall, Tomo Nishizaki, Steven Nickolas, Bryan Pureco, Aaron Rameriez, Alex Soriano and David Soriano make up the team that will now begin to prepare for State Cup in January.

“It will be a tough task, but one we are up for,” said team manager Oleg Levitsky.

High School Sports Schedule Nov. 23 – Nov. 29

Leland

Monday – Girls’ varsity soccer vs. Palo Alto at Mayfield North, 2 p.m.

Tuesday – Boys’ varsity basketball at Westmont tournament, TBA
Tuesday – Girls’ basketball vs. Milpitas, 5:30 p.m. JV and 7 p.m. varsity
Tuesday – Girls’ varsity soccer vs. Gunn at Mayfield North, 4 p.m.

Wednesday – Boys’ varsity basketball at Westmont tournament, TBA
Wednesday – Girls’ soccer vs. Castilleja at Mayfield North, 4 p.m.

Thursday – Boys’ varsity basketball at Westmont tournament, TBA
Thursday – Girls’ varsity basketball Tournament at Leland, 5:30 p.m.

Pioneer

Friday – Girls’ varsity soccer vs. Woodside Prep at Burlingame, 5 p.m.

Saturday – Varsity football CCS semi-finals vs. Riordan at Foothill College, 3 p.m.
Saturday - Boys’ varsity soccer vs. Fremont (X-Mas Cup) at Yerba Buena, 10:45 a.m.

Tuesday - Boys’ varsity soccer at Oak Grove (X-Mas Cup), 7 p.m.
Tuesday – Girls’ soccer vs. Presentation, JV and Varsity 3:15 p.m.

Wednesday - Boys’ frosh/soph basketball vs. Los Gatos at Leigh tournament, 4 p.m.
Wednesday – Boys’ varsity basketball at Aptos Seascape tournament, TBA

Thursday - Boys’ varsity soccer vs. Leigh, JV and varsity 3:15 p.m.

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

Almaden Valley Girls’ Softball League holds Sign-ups

The Almaden Valley Girls’ Softball League is holding sign-ups. Our league is a Santa Clara County-wide League and available to all Santa Clara County girls which means we are not restricted by territory. The age range is 5 to 16 years.  We welcome all applicable ages and every skill level.  We will be holding sign-ups on the following dates at Greystone Elementary School, 6982 Shearwater Drive in San Jose.:

Saturday, Dec. 8, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m,.

Wednesday, Dec.12, from 6 to 9 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 9, from 6 to 9 p.m.

For more information, please visit our website at www.avgsl.org.

Third Annual Silicon Valley E-Race Racism Run
Benefiting Youth Leadership Programs of the Local NAACP

The 3rd Annual Silicon Valley E-Race Racism 5K & 10K Run and 1-Mile Walk, will take place on Saturday, Dec. 1, at Lake Cunningham Park, in San Jose. This event will benefit youth leadership programs provided by the NAACP chapter of San Jose / Silicon Valley and promote healthy lifestyles and exercise.

All registrants will receive a commemorative T-shirt, refreshments, and more. Awards will be given in the 5K and 10K events, three-deep to the finishers in each male and female age category in 10-year increments. Special trophies will go to overall male and female finishers and male and female Masters (over 40-years old) winners. The 1-Mile walk is not timed, it’s designed to enjoy.

Entry fees for all three events with the E-Race Racism Run are $25 pre-registered, $30 race-day registration, and $20 pre-registered for participants under 17, or senior citizens (65-years and older), $25 day of registration. Families of four are $75 plus $15 for each additional member ($100 / $20 day of).

For more E-Race Racism 5K Run & Walk information and/or an application, visit their Web site at www.onyourmarkevents.com. For information about the NAACP Chapter of San Jose / Silicon Valley, visit www.sanjosenaacp.org.

San Jose Strikkers 18u – 2008 Summer Tryouts
The San Jose Strikkers 18u will be holding their 2008 summer tryouts on the dates listed below.  Just in case you have not heard we have already qualified for the 2008 ASA Nationals in Moline, Ill.!  Our main objective is to develop softball excellence and to assist each young lady in the achieving their goals on the softball field and assist them with their dreams of obtaining college scholarships.  Come and be part of our exciting team!  To learn more about our team philosophy and goals please visit our website. http://eteamz.active.com/sanjosestrikkers18u

Dates;  Sundays, 11/18, 12/2, 12/16, and (if needed) 1/6/08

Place:  Oak Grove High School

Times:  9 a.m. Pitchers & Catchers / 10:30 a.m. Position Players

If you have any questions, please contact Richard Fangonilo (408) 439-7383 or Frank King (408) 406-8191.

E-mail:  Richard Fangonilo rfangonilo@sjm.com  or Frank King fgking25@aol.com


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