November 23, 2006

SPORTS

Comeback kids

Leland football team earns 47-41 overtime win after trailing Alisal 34-7 in
the third quarter; Chargers advance to CCS quarterfinals with win

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

Leland running back Lance Gemette ran for just 37 yards on 11 carries in his team’s CCS opening round playoff game on Nov. 18. Of those 37 yards, the last 10 proved to be the most pivotal for his squad.

Leland quarterback Ricky Battipede completed 9 of 16 passes for 75 yards and three touchdowns in a 47-41 comeback win over the Alisal Trojans in the opening round of the CCS Playoffs on Nov. 18. Photo by Ben DeKoven

Trailing 34-7 in the third quarter, the Leland football team stunned the Alisal Trojans with a second-half comeback, capped by Gemette’s 10-yard touchdown run in overtime, giving the Chargers a 47-41 win and advancing the team to the CCS quarterfinals in the Large School Division Playoffs. The playoff victory ended a winless playoff drought dating back to 1999 for the Chargers.

“I told the kids before the game that I believed in them,” Leland head coach Jason Tenner said. “At halftime, I told them nothing had changed, but they had a decision to make. They could either lay down and allow another team to end our season horribly, or they could actually start playing Leland football. In the first half, I don’t know what it was out there, but that wasn’t us. We don’t turn the ball over and we don’t miss tackles, and that’s what happened in the first half. …The second half, we came out with fire, intensity and emotion.”

After a second half comeback that saw the Chargers tie the game 34-34 with just 6.3 seconds left on a four-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ricky Battipede to running back Adam Ondi, the Chargers started the overtime period by taking their first lead of the game at 41-34 when Battipede connected with wide receiver Chris Powell on a 5-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal.

“He’s the player of the game right there,” Tenner said of Powell. “He was lights out today. …That kid is one of the best athletes in our program. He hasn’t played a lot of football but he showed up big time today.”

The Trojans countered with a scoring play of their own however, getting a 6-yard touchdown run just moments later to tie the game at 41-41. Soon after, the Trojans attempted to take the lead with a 37-yard field goal, only to see the kick sail wide right, preserving the 41-41 tie.

The Leland offense then received the ball back on the Trojan 10—as per league overtime rules—and on the first play, made it count, as Gemette received the handoff from Battipede on a right side sweep and ran toward the right side of the end zone, leaping and extending the ball to knock over the pile-on, while being tackled, scoring the game-winning touchdown for the Chargers.

Leland wide receiver Chris Powell (20) led his team with four catches for 82 yards in a 47-41 comeback win on Nov. 18. Photo by Pat Killen

“I’m so proud of my guys,” said Tenner. “They came back and proved that we belong. …That (play) was actually the kids’ call. The kids all said they wanted to go to ‘blast’ at the end there and score that touchdown, and that’s kind of what we’ve been doing all year long. It’s empowering these guys and saying, ‘hey, you tell us what works. What do you believe in?’”

Gemette said the rush of scoring the game-winning touchdown was something he’ll never forget.

“There’s no better feeling than winning like that,” Gemette said. “I just can’t believe it. Our offensive line was just unbelievable. I mean, we put up 47 points. You can’t really argue with that. …Coach (Tenner) made us believe at halftime that championship teams do come back. We are a championship team and we wanted to prove that to them.”

And while a wild celebration ensued following Gemette’s touchdown run, there was little for the Chargers to feel good about earlier in the game.

Leland went into halftime trailing the Trojans 28-7, and saw the deficit grow even more at the start of the third quarter when Alisal completed a 68-yard scoring drive with 7:08 left to make it 34-7.

From that point on however, Leland began to take charge of the game, countering Alisal’s scoring drive with a 76-yard scoring drive that ended when Battipede found tight end Tyler Beigibing for a 6-yard touchdown pass with 3:27 left in the third, cutting the lead to 34-14.

The Leland defense then held the Trojans to a three-and-out offensive series, and promptly managed to partially block Alisal’s punt attempt, with Leland’s Powell picking up the ball and returning it 24 yards to the Trojan 15.

That set up a short three-play drive highlighted by a 6-yard touchdown run from Ondi with 19 seconds left in the third quarter, further cutting the lead to 34-21. Ondi finished the game with a team-high 150 yards rushing and two touchdowns.

“Adam runs hard,” said Tenner, who also credited the blocking by the offensive line and Gemette throughout the game. “Those two (Ondi and Gemette), they feed off each other.”

Alisal then turned the ball over on offense five seconds later on a fumble, with Leland’s Brighton Scala recovering the ball on the play, allowing the Leland offense to get back on the field and capitalize on its newfound momentum.

Leland defensive back Kevin Krail attempts to break up a pass play during a 47-41 win over Alisal in the opening round of the CCS Playoffs on Nov. 18. Photo by Jeff La Plante

The offense began on the Alisal 44 and promptly turned it into its third straight score, as Gemette ended the eight-play drive with a 3-yard touchdown run with 10:22 left in the fourth quarter, cutting Alisal’s lead to 34-27.

Alisal’s offense then came back and nearly put the game out of reach for the Chargers, chewing up nearly seven minutes of time on the clock and driving the ball down to the Leland 20 before settling for a 37-yard field goal attempt that fell short, giving Leland’s offense one more chance at tying the game with 3:29 left.

And that’s exactly what Leland did, as the offense drove the ball 80 yards on 17 plays to tie the game 34-34 on Battipede’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Ondi with 6.3 seconds left. The drive included a crucial conversion on fourth-and-11 at Alisal’s 21, as Battipede found Powell for an 18-yard completion, just one play after taking a 12-yard loss on a sack. Battipede finished the game completing 9 of 16 passes for 75 yards and three touchdowns, while Powell caught four passes for a personal season-high of 82 yards.

The win, said Tenner, left no doubt that Leland means business on the football field.

“My team doesn’t quit,” Tenner said. “They have my personality, and I’m a little fiery. I think I lost about 10 years off my life on the sideline, just firing them up, but it was worth every second of it.”

Season-ending loss takes back seat to Pioneer player’s injury

Linebacker Jordan Barnes suffers spinal cord injury after hit on final
play of game in 19-0 loss to Los Gatos in CCS playoffs

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

The sting of a season-ending 19-0 CCS playoff loss felt by the Pioneer football team was subdued by only one thing—a serious injury to a teammate.

Pioneer senior linebacker Jordan Barnes (47), shown here in a photo taken earlier this season, was injured on the final play of the game and lay motionless for several minutes on the field. Barnes was taken by ambulance to the intensive care unit at Valley Medical Center where he was treated for a swollen spinal cord. Photo by Ric Medlinger at www.medlinger.net

On what ended up being the final play of the season for the Mustangs—a 54-yard touchdown run by Los Gatos running back Nick Kalpin with just 1:08 left—Pioneer linebacker Jordan Barnes, a senior, fell to the ground and lay motionless for several minutes as medical staffs from both schools attended to him during play in the opening round of the CCS Medium School Division Playoffs on Nov. 17. As the clock ran down to zero, ending the Mustangs’ season, all eyes were on Barnes, who took a jarring hit during the run play and was briefly knocked unconscious.

Barnes, who began to move his arms shortly after regaining consciousness and eventually raised his index finger in an effort to acknowledge the crowd on hand, was taken away by ambulance and was held overnight in the intensive care unit at Valley Medical Center. Barnes was released from the hospital the following afternoon after being treated for a swollen spinal cord and returned to school on Monday, said his mother, Gayle Barnes. Still, Barnes will not be able to take part in any contact sports or weightlifting for the foreseeable future, she added.

“It’s pretty scary,” said Gayle Barnes, who was down on the field with her husband Jeff, as paramedics attended to the couple’s son. “But we know what can happen (in football). …His dad and I, our first reaction wasn’t to freak out. By the time I got down there, he was moving.”

“He was pretty non-responsive,” added Pioneer head coach Mark Krail. “He couldn’t feel, couldn’t squeeze (his hands closed), so that’s just as frightening as can be. And then, as it started to come back, there was a little sense of cautious optimism that he was going to be OK. Certainly, on Saturday, when we got word that it was a close call, but that he was going to be OK, that was just a great relief for all of us, a joyful feeling.”

The sight of Barnes injured shook up the Pioneer team, with teammates looking on in disbelief. Many in the stands looked on in stunned silence as the tense situation played out before the crowd.

Members of the Pioneer football team pray for teammate Jordan Barnes, who was injured on the final play of the game in a 19-0 loss at Los Gatos. Barnes was treated at Valley Medical Center for a swollen spinal cord injury and returned home the next day. Photo by Ric Medlinger at www.medlinger.net

“Anytime you have a player who’s not responsive, it’s a scary situation,” said Krail, who let the remaining game time on the clock run out to tend to Barnes. “There’s no lesson in coaching 101 on how to deal with that. You kind of follow your gut and follow your heart, in terms of what to do with the boys and how you treat the whole situation, with the parents involved and the other school involved. …It was pretty emotional.”

Krail said that the sight of his player hurt on the field put the final score, and the game of football, into perspective, pointing to the fact that Los Gatos quietly held a toned-down celebration of the win away from the field in the team locker room before quickly heading back out onto the field to see to Barnes.

“I think both teams experienced that,” Krail said. “Yeah, we lost a tough game, certainly. But when something that serious happens, it is a reality check and puts things in perspective right away. It’s no fun to lose, obviously, and we’re very disappointed about the way the game turned out. But with respect to Jordan, it (losing) was minor.”

As for the game itself, the Mustangs stuck close to the Wildcats for the majority of the game, trailing 7-0, before two late fourth-quarter touchdowns put the game out of reach.

Pioneer offensive lineman Russell Marrone (58) helps block for quarterback Chris Foley during a 19-0 loss to Los Gatos in the opening round of the CCS Playoffs. Photo by Dena Noble

Los Gatos scored on its opening drive of the game, completing a 79-yard, 11-play drive when running back Will Kapp scored on a 6-yard touchdown run with 6:23 left in the first quarter, giving the Wildcats an early 7-0 edge.

Pioneer’s defense then held Los Gatos scoreless for the majority of the game, forcing a pair of turnovers and allowing the Wildcats’ offense to reach the red zone only once in nearly 30 minutes of play, when Los Gatos drove to the Pioneer 9 with 32 seconds in the third quarter, only to miss a 26-yard field goal attempt.

“I thought the defense played extremely well,” Krail said. “It could be the best effort that we had all year. We gave up some yards and they turned over the ball a couple of times, which helped us to stop drives. But they are a team that’s averaging over 40 points a game and it was 7-0 with three minutes to go. So from that standpoint, I thought the defensive effort was just phenomenal.”

The Wildcats eventually managed to increase their lead to 13-0 with 3:22 left in the fourth quarter when Kalpin intercepted a Chris Foley pass and returned it 43 yards for a touchdown. That was followed by Kalpin’s 54-yard touchdown run with 1:08 left, which occurred less than two minutes after a second Pioneer turnover.

Pioneer linebacker Jessie Herrera drags down a Los Gatos running back during a 19-0 season-ending loss to Los Gatos on Nov. 17. Photo by Ben DeKoven

Offensively however, the Mustangs struggled, as the team’s running backs were limited to just 75 total yards rushing. Foley was also sacked three times for 23 negative yards. Krail said his offense’s struggles were, in part, the result of a well-prepared Los Gatos defense.

“Obviously, we didn’t function at a level that we’d like to,” Krail said of the offense. “…The effort was great, but I thought the Los Gatos defense was incredibly well-prepared and they executed incredibly well. It seemed that, while at times we had guys open, they had guys in every gap, and they had guys in every zone of a pass drop. They played extremely good team defense.”

With the season-ending loss, Krail lamented the fact that he had to say goodbye to several seniors, including Barnes, who have been in his program for four years.

“It’s the worst thing about coaching, saying goodbye to the guys that you’ve gotten so close to and shared so much sweat, anger, frustration and joy, all the emotions that come along with the game,” Krail said. “Especially in the playoffs, when you don’t know if it’s going to be done or not, there’s an unknown there. …It’s always hard because it’s kind of a shock, like ‘wow, it’s done.’”

Sports Briefs

South San Jose Hotshotsseek experienced girls soccer players
The South San Jose Hotshots, a girls U11 competitive soccer team, is looking for experienced players for its 2007 indoor and outdoor seasons.  The Hotshots play in the Delgado competitive league and finished as one of the top U10 girls’ teams in the 2006 fall season. The team has a positive coaching environment, with a focus on teamwork and player development.  Interested players should contact head coach Mike Bunge at awalt80@yahoo.com.

NorCal Heat tryouts set for December
NorCal Heat 12A and 14A tryouts will be held Sunday, Dec. 3 and Saturday, Dec. 9 for spring/summer tournament team. Pitchers and catchers at 10 a.m., position players at 10:30 a.m. Tryouts are at Santa Clara High School, 3000 Benton St., Santa Clara, 95051. Call Chuck Caldera at (408) 568-6582, Joe Chaulklin at (408) 644-1930, David Quevedo at (408) 655-2641, or e-mail heatfastpitch@yahoo.com for more information.

NorCal Heat 16A tryouts will be held Sunday, Dec. 10 for the summer tournament team. Pitchers and catchers at 10 a.m., position players at 10:30 a.m. Tryouts are at Santa Clara High School, 3000 Benton St., Santa Clara, 95051. Call Chuck Caldera at (408) 568-6582 or e-mail heatfastpitch@yahoo.com.

NorCal Heat 18 Gold tryouts will be held Saturday, Dec. 2, and Saturday, Dec. 9 for summer tournament team. Pitchers and catchers at 9:30 a.m., position players at 11:30 a.m. Tryouts will be held at Leland High School, 6677 Camden Ave., San Jose. Call Joe Gron at (408) 640-8020, Joe Chaulklin at (408) 644-1930, or e-mail heatfastpitch@yahoo.com.

REACH Youth Scholarship nomination forms available online from San Jose Sports Authority
Nomination forms for the San Jose Sports Authority’s 2006 REACH Youth Scholarship Program, sponsored by Bridge Bank, which has provided college funds to 50 high school students over the past 10 years, are now available for downloading from the Sports Authority’s Web site at www.sjsa.org.

Last year, 31 Santa Clara County high school seniors were nominated, and six who overcame adversity through participation in sports were awarded scholarships through the REACH program, an acronym for Recognizing Excellence, Adversity, Courage and Hard Work. Scholarships are awarded based on an essay competition in which nominees explain how sports helped them overcome adversity.

The nominees and scholarship winners for 2006 will be honored at the REACH Awards Breakfast, chaired by former San Francisco 49er Ronnie Lott, on Thursday, May 3, 2007.

Only Santa Clara County high schools may nominate students for the award, with a maximum of five nominees per school. Nominees must then complete an essay and student information form.

Nominees must:

Be high school seniors,

Maintain a 2.5 GPA,

Participate in at least one sanctioned high school athletic activity,

Demonstrate community involvement,

Show the ability to overcome adversity or obstacles to reach his or her goals.

Each nominee is required to write an essay of one to three pages based on his or her experiences. The essay should focus on the obstacles they have overcome and how sports have helped them achieve their goals. Essays will be judged on content.

Nominations must be postmarked by Friday, March 31.

Visit the San Jose Sports Authority Web site at www.sjsa.org for more information.

NFL FLAG Football signups
NFL FLAG Football will be offered by the South Bay Football League at De Anza Park on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., starting Dec. 10. For kids 5-17, this non-contact 5-on-5 game has seven age brackets, and everyone plays! The League is convenient for parents too, with just a one day per week commitment. The cost is $75 per child, which includes 10 games, jamboree and championship series as well as an NFL LOGO Jersey and flag belt that each player keeps at the end of the season. Go to www.southbayfootball.com to register online or for more information.

High School Sports Schedule

Leland High School
Saturday – Varsity football vs. Piedmont Hills in quarterfinal round of CCS Large School Division Playoffs at Foothill College, 7 p.m.

Monday – Varsity girls’ soccer vs. Los Altos at Palo Alto, 2 p.m.

Wednesday - Varsity girls’ soccer at Palo Alto, 3:30 p.m.

Thursday - Varsity girls’ soccer vs. Salinas at Palo Alto, 2 p.m.

Pioneer High School
Friday - Varsity girls’ soccer vs. Monte Vista at Branham High School, 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday – Frosh/soph boys’ basketball at Leigh Tournament, time TBA
Wednesday - Varsity girls’ basketball at Pioneer Classic, time TBA
Wednesday – JV girls’ soccer at Presentation, 3:15 p.m.
Wednesday – Varsity girls’ soccer vs. Presentation, 3:15 p.m.

Thursday – Frosh/soph boys’ basketball at Leigh Tournament, time TBA
Thursday – Varsity boys’ basketball at Aptos Tournament, time TBA
Thursday - Varsity girls’ basketball at Pioneer Classic, time 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/

Almaden Valley Gymnastics Club to close Nov. 30

Developer to build five new homes

By Lorraine Gabbert
Staff Writer

To the sadness of many in the community, after 32 years, Almaden Valley Gymnastics Club (AVGC) will close its doors on Nov. 30 to be replaced by five new homes. But, for those who worked and played there, the memories will remain.

Director Margret Krisjandottir, pictured with Level 5 girls, loved working with the children. Photo by Lorraine Gabbert

Almaden native Mayumi Elardo is frustrated by the growth in the community. “All the things that gave our community character are slowly being leveled for new homes,” she says. “Yet another Almaden landmark will be gone forever.”

Elardo competed at the gym from 1974, when it first opened, until she graduated from high school in 1985. With AVGC owner Barbara Beard’s assistance, she also received a gymnastics scholarship to San Jose State University. Just as Elardo and her husband, Thomas, were gymnasts, their two girls have followed in their footsteps, competing in state competitions. As their older daughter’s competition season starts at the end of December, she will have to relocate, which Elardo says is heart wrenching for her.

“Gymnastics has been a huge part of my life, personally and through my kids,” she says. “AVGC is a second home for these girls and the coaches are like their second parents. The hardest part is that we won’t be together anymore.”

The leaky roof
When Beard was faced recently with the expense of having to do major physical repairs to the facility, it was more than she could manage. “The decision was based on the fact that financially, I could not afford to continue the operation of the club,” she says. “The building needed a new roof and possibly some retrofitting. It would have been extremely expensive and I couldn’t finance it.”

“The leaky roof was the beginning of the end,” echoes Elardo. “It would leak everywhere on expensive equipment.” Although the building was sound, it was old and may have required retrofitting as well, which would cost more than $100,000.

Beard planned to close the gym on Aug. 1, but reconsidered after parents asked her to wait until the end of the competition season in November. In August, she informed patrons by letter that the AVGC would be closing. “This is a very, very difficult decision on my part,” she wrote, “and I understand that it could affect your family. The members of the gymnastics community have been my number-one concern.”

When Beard went to a realtor friend for advice, he asked her how much monthly income she took from the club. “Nothing,” she replied. “I give money.”

“That is not a good investment,” he replied.

They put the 1.03-acre property on the market and within three hours, received an offer of $2,599,000 for the site, which was listed on the city of San Jose General Plan as suited for subdivision into a maximum of eight lots.

Parents attempt to save the AVGC
A group of four families—including Elardo, her husband and her parents—tried to save the gym by purchasing the property from Beard. They offered $1.9 million for the acre of land. To sweeten the deal, they also proposed creating an annual scholarship and dedicating the gym in her name.

Gymnasts practice their sport. Photo by Lorraine Gabbert

“The gym was my second home, just as it has been for my daughters,” says Elardo, “which is the main reason why my family and I felt so strongly about trying to save it.”

Meanwhile, the developer learned that the current city plan only allowed for five homes to be built on the site and dropped his offer to $2,045,000. Beard contacted the families, opening the door for a counteroffer as a way to save the AVGC. The developer, feeling her waiver, gave her until 5 p.m. last Friday to accept his offer. Up to 4:30 p.m., Thursday, she continued discussions with the families.

“If you do this,” she told them, “the gym club is yours. I’ll wait until tomorrow for your agent to submit it in writing.” As time ran out on Friday, fearing she would lose everything, Beard closed the deal with the developer.

According to Elardo, Beard said that for $1.95 million, she would have gone with the families’ offer, but they just couldn’t afford to go any higher. Their offer of $1.9 million was their limit, as they knew they would also have to pay for replacing the roof.

“I really wanted to sell it to the gymnastics people,” says Beard. “We tried very hard to work it out, but unfortunately we couldn’t come to an agreement. It wasn’t easy. I care about the kids.”

We are the champions
Ironically, the close of the gym comes on the heels of the fifth and sixth level competition teams winning state championships. (See last week’s issue for an article on the level 6 winners.) “This year’s compulsory was our best,” says coach Liviu Mazilu. “We took 24 first-place gold medals at the California State Championship.”

The Almaden Valley Gymnastics Club's Level 5 compulsory team was the defending champion, taking team first place in 2005, when they hosted the NorCal Level 5 State Championships at Pioneer High School. After being undefeated as a team all season, the girls expected a victory, and at the recent 2006 championships at Diablo Valley College, they weren’t disappointed, successfully capturing the title once again.

In addition to a team victory, three individual girls were named to the State Team, placing in the top four of 336 girls. Taking first place overall was Tatiana Koval, in third place was Chloe Borgese, and in fourth place was Mariah Ross. In addition to being named to the state team, these girls placed in their own age divisions in the all-around. Tatiana Koval placed first, scoring 37.9750 in the 11C division, Chloe Borgese placed first, scoring 37.4500 in the 8B division, and Mariah Ross placed second, scoring 37.3500 in the 10D division.

Level 5 state champions. Photo courtesy of AVGC

“We’re so proud of our teams,” says Elardo. “Both of our compulsory levels won the team State Championships, which is an extremely rare occurrence. The winning combination of these talented athletes with an extraordinarily gifted coaching staff, developed a team who have now left their mark in NorCal gymnastics history.” 

However, this victory was bittersweet due to the club’s closure. “We’re so proud of our girls for doing so well under these circumstances,” says Elardo. “It was hard for them to focus.”

Gymnast Erica Matos’ mother, Toni Matos, was touched when Mazilu consoled her daughter following the competition. “He hugged her and then he hugged me,” says Matos, “and it just got to me. We were all crying.”

Finding a new home
For those who celebrated birthday parties and took recreational classes at AVGC, it’s like having to say goodbye to an old friend. For those who competed on teams, it’s heartbreaking to leave their second home and the close ties that were forged there.

“It’s very hard,” says Elardo. “More than 250 gymnasts are left to seek other gyms to train in. The staff is so highly qualified and we’ll never find that again. We are champions without a home.”

The coaches have found positions at various gyms around the Bay Area. Some students will follow them and others have yet to find a home. Coaches Mazilu and Rodica Apateanu will relocate to Pacific West in Union City. Coach Donna Craig is with Champions Academy USA in Morgan Hill, and coach Judy Sun will be joining West Valley Gymnastics.

“Everyone’s scattering,” says Matos. “It’s sad. I have no idea where my daughter’s going. She wants to stay here until the very end.”

“The parents and the girls made such good friendships,” says parent Christina Ross. “This is like a divorce. It’s not going to be the same wherever we go. There will never be another place where every coach can take us to first at every meet and state championship.”

Beard also appreciates her staff. “We’ve had a wonderful staff,” she says. “They are quality instructors and people committed to an educational program for children. Any club would be lucky to have them.”

In the beginning
Beard and trampoline champion Jim Turpin began the gymnastics program in the late 1960s at Leland High School. After three years, Title 9 came into play, and Beard as Leland’s athletics director knew she would have to find a new location for the class. She bid on a property that had been vacant for 10 years, only to find that another group was also bidding on the land. That site became the Almaden Valley Athletic Club, and her competition turned out to be teachers at Pioneer High School. Neither knew they were bidding against each other.

Beard eventually found an agricultural piece of land, the AVGC current site, which was rezoned with a special use permit. The only trick was raising the $150,000 to build the gym. She started out with $50,000 and was able to raise the rest in loans from families involved in the gymnastics program and from Northern California Savings and Loan. “That first lease had a lot of names on it,” laughs Beard. “I’m happy to say I was able to pay everyone back.”

What lies ahead?
On Dec. 1, the equipment will be packed away, leaving an empty shell. No longer will anyone walk the balance beam, flip over the uneven bars, tumble across the mats or leap into the foam pit. Rather than shrieks of laughter or encouraging shouts from the coaches, all will be silent.

The girls say they’ll miss it a lot. “It makes me really sad,” says gymnast Tara Elardo. “I’ve made a lot of friends here and don’t want to leave them.”

Gymnast Micaela Wandrocke agrees. “Whenever I was feeling sad, Liviu would always ask me why I had a frown on my face,” she says, “and then he’d make me laugh.”

“I’m very sad it’s closing,” says gymnast Erica Matos. “I cried when I found out.”

The coaches sympathize. “The girls are like my children,” says Apateanu. “I’m very connected with them. It’s very sad for us and hard to say goodbye.”

“I tried to help them to believe they can be first,” says Mazilu. “We did it together. We are sad because our gym is closing. I’ll miss it a lot.” Mazilu He enjoyed working with the other coaches and helping each girl achieve her personal best. “We were like a family,” he says.

Program Director Margret Kristjandottir found working for 25 years at AVGC a wonderful experience. “I have an enormous love for children and enjoyed working with them,” she says who is weighing her options of where she will work next.

Beard will remain the commissioner of Blossom Valley Athletic League, but is retired from teaching. “We’ve had thousands and thousands of kids go through this gym over time,” she says. “They gained confidence and became stronger people through gymnastics. We believe in the educational practice of teaching and that athletics is a vehicle to teach the basic core values of life: responsibility, confidence and commitment.”

“I think we made a good contribution to Almaden over the years and did a lot for kids. It’s very sad that we can’t continue, but the costs are very expensive in gymnastics.”

AVGC Level 5 compulsory team wins state championship

AVGC’s Level 5 compulsory team, pictured with coaches Judy Sun, Liviu Mazilu, and Rodica Apateanu, are NorCal Level 5 state champions. Photo courtesy of AVGC

The Almaden Valley Gymnastics Club’s Level 5 girls captured the 2006 NorCal Level 5 state championships, hosted by Diablo Gymnastics at the Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill. These girls, ages eight-12 overall in the team competition, successfully captured the title once again this year. Almaden scored an impressive 113.7250, outscoring the second place team, San Mateo Gymnastics (111.5750), the third place team, Diablo Gymnastics (111.2250), and the fourth place team, Airborne Gymnastics (110.7250).

In addition to a team victory, three individual girls placed in the top four of 336 girls who competed in the 2006 NorCal Level 5 state championships. The top six girls were named to the NorCal Level 5 state team. Taking first place overall was Tatiana Koval, in third place was Chloe Borgese, and in fourth place was Mariah Ross. In addition to being named to the state team, these girls placed in their own age divisions in the all-around. Tatiana Koval placed first scoring 37.9750 in the 11C division, Chloe Borgese placed first, scoring 37.4500 in the 8B division, and Mariah Ross placed second scoring 37.3500 in the 10D division. 

Their teammates also finished their season impressively. Van Nguyen placed first with a score of 36.9750 in the 11B division, Thi Nguyen placed second with 36.5500 in the 7&8A division, Maya Washington placed second with 36.1750 in the 8B division, Tara Elardo placed fourth with 35.7750 in the 9B division, Aleksandra Vojvodic placed seventh with 35.6500 in the 9A division, Shannon Reed placed 10th with 34.800 in the 9A division, Samantha Ettinger placed eighth with 34.5250 in the 12A division, and Kelsea Steele placed 17th, with 33.300 in the 7 and 8A division.

—By Lorraine Gabbert

Leland tennis enjoys upward swing from start to finish

Leland’s Roxy Pourmirzaie defeated by Mitty’s Taylor Davis in CCS individual quarterfinals

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

The future appears bright on the Leland girls’ tennis courts. Four Chargers represented Coach Pam Headley and the school at the Central Coast Section Individual finals Nov. 20. Just one of those was an upperclassman.

Leland’s Roxy Pourmirzaie lost in the quarterfinals of the CCS individual championship to Almaden native Taylor Davis of Archbishop Mitty in straight sets 6-0, 6-0. Photo by Diego Abeloos

“The year was fantastic,” said Headley. “We have a lot of youngsters coming back. We’re going to be a force to be reckoned with here for a couple of years. There is always talent here down the pipeline. The more experience they get, then more talented and the more we have to look forward to in the future.”

Senior Roxy Pourmirzaie led sophomore Lydia Chow, the Chargers’ No. 1 singles player this season, along with the No. 1 doubles tandem that featured freshman Nikita Gettu and another sophomore, Youngeun Na.

Following a convincing romp through the top-rung Mount Hamilton Division, where the Chargers (18-2, 4-0) took the team title with a second straight undefeated league season, Leland advanced to the team quarterfinals, enjoying a dominant 7-0 victory over Santa Cruz, before falling to just short of Saint Francis, 4-3.

The individuals followed a week later, and while the Chargers stood strong, just one player advanced past the first round.

“It went down about as expected,” Headley said.

In her solo appearance, senior Pourmirzaie advanced to the quarterfinal round on Monday. However, Mitty’s eventual champion and Almaden native, Taylor Davis, ended her run there in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0.

Pourmirzaie faced a familiar foe in the first round, versus Santa Cruz standout Keiko Kurita. She stuck to her game and won 6-2, 6-2, said Headley.

The effort was an impressive finish to Pourmirzaie’s season. Upon returning as the Chargers’ reigning No. 1 player in her senior season this fall, Pourmirzaie missed the middle four weeks of the season, out sick with mono. In her absence, Chow stepped into the limelight, excelling as the Leland’s new No. 1.

However, Pourmirzaie returned with several weeks remaining, and qualified again for CCS at the Blossom Valley Athletic League finals. Headley said that the good thing about tennis is that Pourmirzaie worked hard to return.
“It took her four or five days to get her game back,” she said. “She was just getting there to full speed in the past two weeks.”

Headley said that tennis players have trouble maintaining their stroke, so it was impressive for Pourmirzaie to recover quickly, and return to such a high caliber of play.

“Roxy made it a round further than she did last year, so she was pretty pleased. Both Lydia and her ended season playing up higher than they had played all season,” said Headley.

Meanwhile, Chow endured a seesaw match versus Katie Le of Milpitas.

“Lydia drew an extremely tough first round,” said Headley. “We thought Roxy may have a better chance to advance.”

In the first set, Le initiated an offensive, winning 6-4. However, Chow caught a five-game swing in the second set, and took it 6-2.

“That’s what we have said about Lydia all season long,” said Headley. “She is just really mentally tough. She doesn’t carry errors from point to point. She gets past them pretty well.”

However, Le regrouped in the third set, ultimately winning the set and match 6-1.

In doubles action, Gettu and Na faced the No. 7 seed from Notre dame of San Jose, Gina Nguyen and Samantha Chen, and lost 6-2, 6-2. Headley said it was another tough draw.

“They were nervous,” she said. “This was the biggest match they had ever played in. A lot of times when you are nervous, it is difficult to find your stroke.”

But Headley called Gettu and Na resilient kids and speculated that the duo will find good in the situation and learn, to be much more prepared next year.

Headley also called two tough 4-3 matches, in which the Chargers lost versus Saint Francis highlights during the year. She said leadership was key, especially after losing No. 1 singles player Pourmirzaie unexpectedly.

In her absence, it was seniors, such as Maynamai Nakayama, who stepped up in an off-court role that made the season, Headley said.

“Coming out of the gate and losing last year’s No. 1 had a lot of people playing in different positions than they were expected to,” said Headley.

Friday night lights in Almaden?

San Jose Unified School District to conduct studies on feasibility of installing
permanent stadium lights at Leland and Pioneer football fields

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

The San Jose Unified School District announced plans to conduct environmental impact studies this month and December at several of its high schools, including Leland and Pioneer, about the possibility of installing permanent stadium lights at the schools’ football fields.

The district will conduct the study, in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act, to see how permanent lights will affect the surrounding communities, with a formal analysis and report to be generated shortly thereafter.

The district will hold two community meetings for each school site from December through February to get community input and mitigate any concerns surrounding the possible installation of lights. In addition, the district will hold a public hearing during a regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting to hear community concerns. All meeting times and dates are yet to be determined.

Leland Principal Bob Setterlund said adding permanent lights to the Pat Tillman Stadium would be beneficial to the school, citing increased attendance at the school’s two night games this season. Both games were lighted with temporary lights set up around the school’s track, which surrounds the football field.

Setterlund said he believes stadium lights would also help generate more school spirit at the school and would make the school a focal point on Friday nights for the entire surrounding community. Currently, schools without permanent lights are restricted to two football night games per season.

“We’ve seen a difference from a Saturday afternoon game, with 200 or 300 people in attendance, to a Friday night game, with as many as one time, we had 3,000 in attendance,” Setterlund said. “We filled up both sides (of the stadium). It generates a great deal of excitement for the school and student body spirit. It’s certainly more enjoyable for the players. The players really look forward to a night game. …It’s certainly more exciting for them to play in front of that many fans from the community.

It’s an advantage for the school to create that kind of enthusiasm and that kind of spirit and to become a focal center for the community, one night per week during the football season.”

Pioneer Athletic Director and head football coach Mark Krail echoed those sentiments. Pioneer started hosting two night games per season last year, and, according to Krail, the move increased attendance as well as an increase in school spirit.

“The advantages are huge,” Krail said. “You’ve got a place where kids can go on a Friday night, be associated with their school and do some things that are healthy. The gates (attendance) are greater, and you have more parent availability than you would have on a Friday afternoon or even a Saturday, where that’s generally a family day. …Our experience has been 100 percent, every time we’ve had a night game, the attendance has been up, the concessions have been up, and the atmosphere has been really charged with energy.”

Still, Setterlund and Krail both said they understand the surrounding community’s concerns about the possible stadium lights. Common concerns, Setterlund said, center on the intrusiveness of lights on surrounding homes, as well as traffic and parking impacts created by arriving crowds for the games. Litter is also a common concern. Additionally, Setterlund said another concern by the community the number of times the lights will be used.

“The concern is that the school will take advantage of this and try to make money by renting the field out to other organizations on a for-profit basis,” Setterlund said. “Leland High School is not interested in any way in renting that facility out with the lights, for any other organization other than Leland High School. We want it for our football events and maybe one soccer event—that’s all. We’d certainly enter into an agreement to make that the case.”

Likewise, Krail said concerns by the surrounding community are valid, but said the school has been able to handle concerns, such as parking, without negatively impacting surrounding homes and streets.

“Certainly, there’s going to be an impact on some neighbors,” Krail said. “The beauty of Pioneer in particular is all of our parking comes off Blossom Hill Road and will be parked onsite here. The impact on neighborhood streets won’t be nearly as great as it is at other schools.”

Krail also said there are other benefits to permanent lights, citing the noise levels of temporary lights run on diesel generators as a negative. In addition, he said, temporary lights are lower and tend to flood areas outside the football stadium with light, while permanent lights are specifically designed to focus light directly on the field of play.

“The permanent lights are better from a noise standpoint, and from a setting standpoint in that they are less intrusive than the portable lights are,” Krail said. “We’ve done four night games now and to my knowledge, have had no complaints from neighbors at all. In fact, its kind of fun to watch because along the balconies of the apartments behind our field, there are people up there on their decks watching the high school football games. So I think it’s a positive thing in our community here.”

Should the district move forward with plans to install permanent lights, installation would be completed in August of 2007.

Almaden Wildcats crowned 2006 district cup champions

The Almaden Wildcats. Photo by Doug Speidel

The Almaden Wildcats, a girls’ U11 competitive soccer team, capped off its fall season by going 4-0 last weekend to win their District Cup tournament in San Mateo.

Known for stingy defense, the Wildcats allowed only one goal while posting three shutouts along the way. In the final, the Wildcats scored with two minutes left in the second overtime to claim the championship with a thrilling 1-0 victory. Their opponent, from the Juventus Soccer Club of Redwood City, was undefeated in fall league play (9-0) and had a goal differential of 33 goals scored and one goal allowed going into the District Cup tournament.
Almaden Wildcat team members are, front row from left: Sophia Mangin, Alyssa Johnson, Jackie Speidel, Kelsey Parker, Claire Crinion, and Emma Sydir; second row from left: Zeyneb Majid, Andrea Kattan, Jessica Azevedo, Mina Blume, Katrina Preble, Katie Gerdt, Caren McCarthy, Keri Richardson, and Megan Pulling. Coaches Ron Richardson and Patrick Crinion. Not pictured is Kelsey Borello.

Almaden Fury takes home silver, wins second place in Norcal State Cup

The Almaden Fury continued its winning ways last weekend as the team competed at the Norcal State Cup for the girls U9 division, held in Rohnert Park on Nov. 18 and 19.

The team took second place in the tournament, losing only one game all weekend to the Danville Xplosion in the final game by a score of 1-0.

The Almaden Fury: Front row: Sierra Painter, Danielle Hadfield, Megan Wheelock, and Hanna Gratny; second row: Ashley Lawrence, Erin McCoy, Shaelan Murison-Brown, Cece Hinz, and Maddie Cavanna; third row: Dahlia Maldonado, Regan Heslop, Erica Nakano, and Julia Houk; and back row: head coach Jim Lawrence and assistant coach Jamie Berg.

A total of 14 teams from all over Northern California participated in the tournament. These 14 teams were selected from hundreds of teams and thousands of players throughout Northern California. The Fury played six games in total during the weekend and won four, tied one and lost one lone game in the finals. The team has played the Xplosion three times this year, winning the first match and losing the last two games, both by close margins.

“We had been able to beat the Xplosion in the past, and I felt that our girls could beat them on any given day,” said head coach Jim Lawrence. “They played their best all weekend and placed second in the Norcal State Cup. They are champions in my eyes.”

Saturday’s games were played as a seeding round in preparation for the single elimination round held on Sunday. The Fury came out as the third seed in the field of 14 and only eight teams made it to the gold medal round. The first game in the gold medal round was won by a score of 3-1 against the Union City Devils. The team won the second game by a score of 5-3 against the Danville Outlaws (the second seed), which brought the Fury into the final match for the State Cup. Although the third and final game was a 1-0 loss, the Fury played tough throughout the whole game and never gave up until the final whistle.

“This successful season was made possible by two very dedicated coaches and a group of girls who love the game and their coaches, said Gary Gratny, parent of Fury player Hanna Gratny. “This unique environment of positive achievement and confidence building is rare for a sports team and we were lucky to be a part of it.”

Bobcats U12 soccer team takes first place in District Cup

The Bobcats U12 soccer team

The Bobcats U12 soccer team took first place in the District Cup for the District II division at the Santa Clara Soccer Complex this past weekend. The Bobcats shut out the opposing team in the first two games, lost the second 2-1 and came back to win the Championship Game 3-0.

The Bobcats are led by head coach Dave Kurze, assistant coach Jim Wolk and manager Brent Wakefield. Bobcats players include Kenton Assadi, Nick Bachmeier, Chris Chaboya, Tommy Druhan, Anthony Dutcher, Brian Grace, Orlando Jasso, Harry Kendall, Connor Kurze, Sam NyBlom, Joe O'Brien, Noah Pederson, Heath Rose, Andrew Wakefield, Cedric Wolk and Brandon Zaya.

SJ Rush soccer team wins District II Cup

The South San Jose Rush, a U13 boys’ competitive soccer team, traveled to Burlingame last weekend and came home with a first-place win in the District II Soccer Cup.

The team started out strong with Jason Habash scoring the first goal in game one against the Redwood City Blizzards that ended in a win with a final score of 6-0. The Rush went on to win against the SASC Strikers with a 3-0 final score.

The South San Jose Rush. From left, back row: coach Nick Moezidis, coach Martin Borrego, coach Nate Habash; middle row: Adil Majid, Alec Taylor, Jason Habash, Matthew Platten, Dillon Borrego, Michael Gallo, Alex Eckles; front row: Jordan Moezidis, Tommy Short, Peter Vassallo, Raul Ray, Justin Cortez, Raees Dean and Justin Bruce.

On Sunday, the Rush conquered the Burlingame Blackhawks in a tough battle that was ultimately won by the Rush in a shootout. The Rush continued its winning streak, scoring 18 goals total by Jason Habash, Dillon Borrego, Matthew Platten, Justin Bruce, Justin Cortez, Michael Gallo, and Alex Eckles during the four games played. The Rush defense went through the entire tournament without giving up a single goal on solid defensive efforts of Adil Majid, Raees Dean, Tommy Short, Peter Vassallo and Raul Ray.

The midfield also played strong and kept the ball under control and at the opposing team’s side of the field in part to the efforts of Alec Taylor, Jordan Moezidis, Dillon Borrego, Matthew Platten, Alex Eckles, and Michael Gallo

The Rush ended strong in the championship game against the SASC Earthquakes with a score of 6-0. The Rush was formed this year with players from the Almaden Blast and the South San Jose Screaming Eagles. Under the coaching leadership of Nate Habash (Almaden Blast), Nick Moezides and Martin Borrego (SSJ Screaming Eagles), the Rush has established itself as a combination of players who have bonded as friends and have come together as a great team.

Almaden Flames named Fall 2006 division champions

For the second fall season in a row, the Almaden Flames are the fall division champions of the Delgado league. The Flames' latest feat was placing third out of eight teams in the top Red Division at the District Cup tournament the weekend of Nov. 18-19. The Red Division is the best of the best, with the top eight out of 27 total teams in the team’s age group.

Pictured are Eleni Fkiaras, Jacqueline Gill, Maddi Hyde, Katy La Plante, Teri Lawrence, Faith Longtin, Stephanie Maniglia, Kristine Mijatovich, Caitlyn O'Malley, Tamara Qutmiera, Adrianah Ramirez, Larissa Rinauro , Kayla Souza, Sarika Vora, Marisa Cavanna, and Alexa Wise. Not pictured are Brianna Slater and Chantel Dariano. The Flames’ coaches are Ron Ramirez, Sara Mijatovich and Mike Maniglia.

The Flames lost their first game to Palo Alto Power 1-0, won the second against the SASC Radicals 2-1, and won the third game against Santa Clara Sporting, 1-0. Being tied for total points with Palo Alto Power put the Flames into the consolation game against the MP Strikers, winning 1-0. Palo Alto went on to win the championship game 3-0 against the other bracket leader, the Peninsula Shock.

The Flames used hard work, teamwork, and commitment to get through. The team consists of a great group of girls that have the passion to learn the game of soccer, while having a little fun in learning new technical and tactical skills from the coaching staff.

The Flames’ theme for the weekend was to bring their "A" game if they made it to the consolation or the championship game. The girls did just that.

Next up for the Almaden Flames is the Association State Cup Tournament in January, where they hope to have a good showing for Almaden Valley.

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