SPORTS

Leland girls’ hoops look to answer questions with return to playoffs

Chargers will look to senior center Jackie George for offense and leadership

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

MISS GEORGE TAKES THE STAGE. Leland senior center Jackie George (30) will be asked to not only step up her game offensively this year, but will also be asked to help fill the void in leadership. Photo courtesy www.mikejanes.com.

After finishing last season with a 20-6 overall record, the Leland girls’ basketball team is looking for one thing—leadership—this upcoming season.

Having lost a team leader in forward Liz Widgren, who graduated after last season, Leland Head Coach Wade Nakamura is looking to players like senior center Jackie George to fill the void.

Not only did the Chargers lose leadership when Widgren graduated, they also lost an average of 18 points per game and 10 rebounds per game.

“I think the numbers we can replace,” Nakamura said of his Charger team, which finished last season in first place in the Mount Hamilton Division (11-1). “But her leadership we’ll miss the most.”

To that end, Nakamura is hoping George, who average 15 points per game last season, can step her game and presence on the team up to another level.

“She’s one of the people who have stepped up, I think, and try to take a leadership role,” Nakamura said. “She’s not used to leading vocally. So, I just told her she needs to lead by example. She needs to come and work hard every single day and bring it.”

George, who recently signed a letter of intent with Chico State University, realizes her role on the team has changed since the end of last season.

“I’m really trying to push the team and play hard myself so that the girls see by example that I’m trying to push them to get better every day,” George said.

However, Nakamura realizes that George alone can’t make up all the points and fill the leadership vacuum. A host of other players on this year’s squad, such as point guards Kristen Yoshioka (first-team all-league and freshman of the year last season, scoring 10 points per game) and junior Mika Yanai, will have to fill in the rest of the way.

“We have a lot of people that can come off the bench and score and handle the ball,” Yanai said of the need to step up on offense. “So I think we can do a pretty good job this year.”

Part of the changes on this year’s team will include a slightly different philosophy offensively. With Widgren and George playing together last season, the offense was geared toward a post-oriented game plan. This year, Nakamura will look for his guards to take their offensive skills up a notch in order to succeed. Nakamura also expects George to be double-teamed often in the low post, making a solid perimeter game even more important to the success of the 2004-05 Chargers.

“Our perimeter people are going to have to step up and hit shots this year, more so than last year,” Nakamura said. “Last year, we fed it inside the majority of the time. That was our goal and focus. This year, we need to mix it up more.”

In replacing Widgren, Nakamura has chosen to go with junior forward Hillary Barnes, who has impressed the coach with her work ethic in practice. Nakamura commented that Barnes has carved out a spot in the lineup in part because of her skills as a defender and rebounder.

“She works as hard as Liz (Widgren) worked,” Nakamura said. “She just doesn’t have the experience and skill level that Liz had at this point … She was our first post player off the bench last year and she’s improved tremendously.”

Other players who will get significant playing time, either from the bench or in the lineup, are senior forward/guard Kelly Ricco and senior guard Christine Chang. As seniors, Nakamura will lean on their experience at the varsity level as the season progresses, hoping that both players can bring some depth to the team.

“I’m planning on playing almost everyone,” Nakamura said. “It’s the one thing we have—we’re fairly deep. We don’t have a really strong, set starting five. There’s not a huge drop-off between (starters) and people coming off the bench.”

Regardless of the questions surrounding this year’s squad, Nakamura has set the bar for this season in the same way he does every year—getting a trip to the playoffs.

“We basically have three seasons,” Nakamura said. “Preseason, regular season and postseason. Our goal is to learn something and get something out of every season so that we are peaking by the postseason … Hopefully we can do good things this year.”

High School Sports Schedule Dec. 3-Dec. 9

Leland High School
Friday – JV girls’ basketball at Leland JV Tournament
Friday – Frosh/soph boys’ basketball at Leigh Tournament
Friday – Varsity boys’ basketball at Westmont Tournament

Saturday – JV girls’ basketball at Leland JV Tournament
Saturday – Varsity boys’ soccer vs. Aptos at Lincoln High, 3:30 p.m.
Saturday – Varsity girls’ soccer at Palo Alto Tournament
Saturday – Frosh/soph wrestling tournament at Harbor

Tuesday – Frosh/soph boys’ basketball at Mt. Pleasant Tournament

Wednesday – Frosh/soph boys’ basketball at Mt. Pleasant Tournament
Wednesday – Varsity boys’ basketball at Independence Tournament
Wednesday – JV girls’ basketball vs. Fremont, 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday – Varsity girls’ basketball vs. Fremont, 7 p.m.
Wednesday – Varsity girls’ soccer vs. Valley Christian, time TBD

Thursday - Frosh/soph boys’ basketball at Mt. Pleasant Tournament
Thursday – Varsity boys’ basketball at Independence Tournament
Thursday – Frosh/soph boys’ soccer at Oak Grove, 3:15 p.m.
Thursday – Varsity boys’ soccer at Oak Grove, 3:15 p.m.

Pioneer High School
Friday – Frosh/soph boys’ basketball at Leigh Tournament
Friday – Varsity girls’ basketball at Pioneer Classic Tournament

Saturday – Varsity boys’ soccer vs. Los Gatos, 8:30 a.m.
Saturday – Varsity girls’ soccer at Santa Clara, 1 p.m.

Tuesday – Frosh/soph boys’ basketball at Pacific Grove, 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday – Varsity boys’ basketball at Pacific Grove, 7 p.m.
Tuesday – JV girls’ basketball vs. Independence, 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday – Varsity girls’ basketball vs. Independence, 7 p.m.

Wednesday – Frosh/soph boys’ basketball vs. Los Gatos at Fremont Tournament, 6:30 p.m.

Thursday – Varsity girls’ basketball at Monta Vista Invitational
Thursday – Frosh/soph boys’ basketball at Fremont Tournament, opponent TBD
Thursday – Varsity boys’ basketball at Los Gatos Tournament, opponent TBD

New faces, similar expectations for Leland girls’ soccer

Nearly one-third of Chargers’ roster filled with new
players this year

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

Despite losing eight seniors from last year’s Leland girls’ soccer CCS co-championship team, Charger Head Coach John Vasquez is optimistic about the upcoming season.

“We’re getting better and better,” Vasquez said of his 2004-05 team, which he expects to finish in the top three in the Mount Hamilton Division. “We lost some key seniors from last year on defense. So that’s our one big concern—the defense this year.”

Having to revamp just over one-third of the roster is no easy task for Vasquez, which required taking on four freshmen on this year’s squad, including goalkeeper Tiffany McCordy, who will be a starter when the opening bell rings for the start of Mount Hamilton Division play on Dec. 10.

Vasquez said his decision to start a freshman at goalkeeper is based partially on need, because the team had no true goalkeeper starting last season, and on McCordy’s willingness to play the position.

“She wants to play it and she is a goalie,” said Vasquez of McCordy. “Last year I had a field player that played goalie … She’s (McCordy) is a defender and she needs the goal. We’re giving her a lot of chances and we’re giving her a lot more experience.”

The rest of the lineup, albeit with some changes, will mostly see familiar names on it for Vasquez. One such name is Valerie Huffman, a senior and one of three captains on this year’s squad, who scored a game-winning goal against Aptos in CCS playoffs last season. Vasquez said he is looking for Huffman to provide leadership on the field this year, as well as her usual stellar play as a forward and outside midfielder.

“Last year, she was one of our top people in scoring,” said Vasquez. “Just her overall presence out in the field will help us out a lot.”

Huffman, widely regarded as one of the fastest players on this year’s squad, will be one of the players Vasquez will look to in advancing the offense downfield. However, Vasquez believes Huffman will bring more than just her natural athletic talents to the field this year.

“Not only does she have the speed and the moves, but her knowledge of the game is way out there,” Vasquez said. “She’s starting to see it more … her vision of the game is pretty good.”

For her part, Huffman said she is just looking to adjust to the fact she has eight new teammates and give the rest of the team a player they can look to as a field general.

“This year, as a captain, I just want to make sure everyone pushes themselves as well as myself,” Huffman said.

“Just keep up our reputation. We finally got the championship that we wanted after a few years of working so hard.”

Another captain on this year’s squad that Vasquez will look to for big things is Stephanie Kato, a junior who will play the center-mid position on this year’s squad.

“Personally, I’m just hoping, as a captain, to be a leader on this team,” Kato said. “Even as a junior, I hope everyone will listen to me and I can be a good example for them.”

Like Huffman, Kato nailed a game-winning goal in CCS playoffs last season. For Vasquez, Kato’s experience and talent as a varsity player last season will come in handy when the season kicks off.

“On the field, she’s one of the smallest players on the team,” said Vasquez of Kato. “But her skills and he way she can deliver a ball on runs will help us out so much.”

Despite her relatively small stature, Vasquez points to Kato’s ball-handling ability as a key component of her game. Those skills will certainly be necessary when it comes to Leland’s offensive style, which stresses possession.

“Basically, we’re going to attack, but we also want to counterattack and use our defense to help us out on offense also,” said Vasquez about his offensive philosophy.

Defensively, the Chargers will play a three-flat-back defensive set, which emphasizes the use of a zone defense for three defenders.

“They have different zones (on defense),” explains Vasquez. “If the ball is in one of the girls’ zones, she steps (up on defense) while the other two drop back to support her.”

For Vasquez, coaching a young team this season will be a challenge, but will also be a lot of fun too.

“It makes is more fun, because it’s more coaching than anything,” said Vasquez. “The 15 that were here before are used to the style and the way that we play. It’s just bringing up the new eight (players) and making sure they’re on the same page as the other girls.”

Almaden United girls score with sweet validation

In Class 1 Select Soccer, there is not much time to relax before the next challenges come calling. Just one week after clinching the regular season championship, the Almaden United met and beat familiar foes in winning the District Cup championships held at the soccer complex in Morgan Hill.

On a cold Nov. 13 morning, the Almaden United’s under-11 girls’ soccer team defeated the Los Gatos Cobras to end their regular season. They earned a total of 26 points this year—good enough for first place. The United employed a suffocating defense, winning the tough final game 1-0. The United gave up just two goals for the entire season while scoring 21 for themselves, leading to an 8-0-2 record. Goalie Emily Griffith posted a league-leading eight shutouts with help from defenders Alyssa White, Megan McKinley, Hayley Wilson and Katie Foreman.

A jubilant Almaden United squad had to quickly gather itself just one week later Nov. 20 and 21 as all the District II teams—from Burlingame to Hollister to the Peninsula and South Bay and everyone in between—met for District Cup championships.

Things got off to a rough start on Nov. 20 as the Almaden girls struggled in a 0-0 tie with Palo Alto. From there, the offense kicked into high gear with a 4-0 victory over Redwood City and, in one of the best efforts of the season, a 4-1 victory over a tough Sunnyvale club. It was on to the championship game to face the Central Valley Spirit.

As the autumn winds cut across the open field, the outlook appeared bleak. Trailing 2-1 with four minutes to play, the Almaden United needed a hero. They found one in forward Kendall Jung, who drew a foul in front of the Central Valley goal and converted on her penalty kick to tie the game. In the 10-minute overtime period, Kendall Jung broke loose again and drilled home a goal for the lead. Not giving the Spirit a chance with the ball in the final minutes, the Almaden United worked their passing game well, finally playing the ball from Courtney Lisowski, to Aly Murakami, to Joycelyn Martinez, who blasted home her second tally of the day, making the final score 4-2.

The Almaden United validated their regular season title by winning the District Cup championship. Teamwork and balanced scoring has been the United’s staple all season long. This was true once again in District Cup as they capitalized upon multiple goals from Murakami, Martinez, Megan Caviglia and Lauren Kuechle, while Lisowski, Ashleigh Brendlen and Kristen Chin were principal playmakers. Likewise, the United received solid contributions from Maddison Hyde and Jennah George, who were both recovering from injuries, but gave spirited contributions on the field. Once the holidays are over, it will be back to work as the Almaden United begins preparing for State Cup competition in late January. The next challenge is always right around the corner.

Winning tradition

Pioneer basketball crafts legacy leaping into A-league
competition for boys and girls

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

It’s a tale of two fates for Pioneer High School basketball teams. The 2003-2004 CCS, Division III semi-finalist boys plan to pick up where they left off, while the STAL reigning champion girls are primed for redevelopment.

Boys
The boys return six seniors, five of the top seven players from last year’s Blossom Valley Athletic League, Mount Hamilton Division, second place finishers.

Cracking the starting line-up for the first time are guard Joe Montolongo and utility man Robbie Nelson. The duo, who accounted for the majority of ninth-year Coach Joe Berticevich’s support off the bench in ’03-’04, must replace a chasm left by the graduation of Mustang pillar—a three-year starter—and CCS player of the year Ceylon Elgin-Taylor, Jr.

“Last year it was nice to have Junior (Elgin-Taylor) in there during pressure situations,” said Berticevich. “When the game was up for grabs, he would take it by himself. This year it’s going to have to be more of a group effort. Every game is going to be tight. We just have to be mentally tough and ready to bounce back.”

As much as the Mustangs lose with the departure of Elgin-Taylor, they will gain through experience and team camaraderie. Amongst five starting seniors, Pioneer returns two Blossom Valley Athletic League, Mount Hamilton Division, All-Leaguers in guard Mark Bundlie and forward Mike Kaufman. In addition, three-year starter Brent Osborne is joined by Montolongo and Nelson, stepping into the limelight. Berticevich vows, “We’ll compete with any one physically.”

“It’s a good group,” continued Berticevich. “Each year our goal in the preseason is to get ready for league and then compete for a league title. We aren’t going to change that this year. Hopefully the senior leadership will carry us through the tough times in league and we’ll compete for the top spot.”

To do so, the Pioneer boys must face down perennial contenders Oak Grove, Piedmont Hills and Leigh High Schools, in addition to up and comers, Westmont, Branham and Santa Teresa High Schools. “Every single game in league will be tough,” said Berticevich. “We just have to focus, remember our strengths and see how far that’ll get us.”

Currently, the mustangs remain 1-0 following a Nov, 22 victory over Soquel High school at home. Behind a team high 19 points from forward Kaufman, Pioneer routed the Knights 71-38 in the opener at home.

“We were very balanced versus Soquel,” asserted Berticevich. “We saw some good things out of Kaufman and Bundlie for sure. And Montolongo had about 11 points as well. We’re looking forward to him being one of our more athletic players this season. It’s always nice to have some one who can get the shot off under pressure.”

Joining the senior-laden Mustangs from Pioneer’s league-champion frosh-soph team are guard Nolan Maggipinto and forward Ryan LaCorte. Berticevich hopes the newcomers will detonate immediate impact off the bench. “I feel that we’re deeper off the bench this year than last,” finished Berticevich. “We lost a very good player with Elgin-Taylor leaving, but we’ll be competitive.”

Next up for Pioneer is a game at Pacific Grove High School on Tuesday, Dec. 7, followed by the Los Gatos Shootout Dec. 8-11 at Los Gatos High school.

Girls
While the Pioneer girls dominated Blossom Valley Athletic League, Santa Teresa Division play going undefeated in 2003-2004, a horrible blow was levied to the basketball program—the Mustangs matured.

Three of five Mustang starters were lost to graduation—each moving on to the college ranks—leaving senior and first-team all-league guard Camille Brown alone with sophomore point guard Samantha Tsukiji atop a sheer, steep cliff. And after reasoning through her personal future, Brown, a standout in three sports, made a
critical decision leaving basketball behind, focusing attention solely on tennis and track and field.

Now, Tsukiji is left alone, tiptoeing about the increasingly diminishing surface space of Blossom Valley Athletic League, Mount Hamilton Division, bearing the weight of a growing Mustang tradition on her shoulders. The MHAL is a step up from the STAL for Pioneer, who may have been better suited last season.

But help is on the way. The ’03-’04 Mustang frosh-soph team boasted 12 freshman and just two sophomores. Five of those sophomores have moved up to varsity this season, rounding out a roster that includes six sophomores, one junior and three seniors.

The Mustangs’s starting lineup includes sophomore Emily Mather, a 5-foot-10-inch center, Renee Cum-mings, who saw significant action off the bench last season, and guards Jessica Curry and Michele Rebozzi, in addition to Tsukiji.

“Camille definitely gave us more quickness and speed,” commented

Head Coach Blaine Hashimoto, of his departed star. “But we’re not going to let her leaving ruin our season. I’d say our biggest strength is team chemistry. The team has a wonderful attitude toward things as a group. The girls all share the same goals and will stick together to achieve them.”

Sans experience, Hashimoto admits that the major goal this season is staying positive. “Right now a .500 season is reasonable,” said Hashimoto. “If we can get through this season and keep a positive attitude, the future looks very bright.”

Indeed, considering the Mustangs program—frosh-soph and varsity—is currently dominated by sophomores. “They don’t have as much experience, but they all have good attitudes,” said Hashimoto. “You can’t force that as a coach. Hopefully when things get tough, that shines through more than any pain in a loss.”

And after two games, the Mustangs’ real time performances have far overshadowed their standings in the press guide. The girls are currently 2-0 having beaten Lincoln and Wallenburgh High School in preseason action.

Versus Lincoln, senior Anjelica Woods shone, accounting for 15 points off the bench.

“Our motto is ‘play hard, smart and together,” explained Hashimoto. “So far we’ve achieved that much.”

As for predictions in league, the fledgling Mustangs will learn more about themselves this week in the 22nd annual Glenn Ventura Classic girls’ basketball tournament. Hosted by Pioneer, the Glenn Ventura Classic is held in honor of legendary Mustang sage Glenn Ventura and lists perennial MHAL contenders Oak Grove, Leigh, Westmont and Piedmont Hills High Schools in its filed this year.

Ironically, the tournament’s namesake has come out of retirement to assist Hashimoto and the lady Mustangs in 2004-2005. “He’s absolutely invaluable to the program,” said Hashimoto of Ventura. “A lot of the things we are about to go through, he has seen time and time again.”

For more information regarding the Pioneer High School Glenn Ventura Classic, contact Pioneer High School at (408) 535-6310.

Sports Briefs


Motion Volleyball tryouts on Dec. 5

The Motion Volleyball Club will hold tryouts for all fifth through eighth graders (12s and 14s) on Sunday, Dec. 5, at the Leland High School gym from 10 a.m. to noon. A parent meeting will also take place during tryouts at 10:15 a.m.

For more information, log on to www.lelandgirlsvolleyball.com.

Almaden Valley Girls Softball League holds registration for spring season

The Almaden Valley Girls Softball League will hold registration for its spring 2005 season. Signups take place at Graystone Elementary School on Saturday, Jan. 10 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 14 from 6–9 p.m., and on Saturday, Jan. 17 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. New players must bring a copy of their birth certificate. Discounts for multiple children are available.

The Almaden Valley Girls Softball League (AVGSL) ensures that the players are in a fun, positive environment while learning and expanding their softball skills. AVGSL promotes a sense of belonging for everyone. We emphasize teamwork and the sense of individual success that contribute to team sports.

For more information, visit www.avgsl.org, or call the league hotline at (408) 808-1405.

Fastpitch softball tryouts at Twin Creeks complex Dec 11 and 12

18 Gold-Mize Fastpitch Diamonds will hold summer tryouts Dec. 11 and 12 at Twin Creeks Complex. Tryouts for pitchers and catchers will begin at 1 pm, while position player tryouts will start at 2 pm. Showcase Schedule. The tryout fee is $15. For more information contact Lisa Mize at (650) 961-8842 or (408) 595-6621, or call Paula Martinez at (408) 209-9710. You can also e-mail mizefpitch@aol.com.

Send sports briefs to sports writer Diego Abeloos at diego@timesmediainc.com.

Former, current Chargers reunite at annual alumni basketball game

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

Before Leland basketball hits the court against league competitors, both the girls and boys teams took on some familiar faces Nov. 26—former Leland basketball alumni.

For players (former and current) and coaches alike, it was a chance to reunite one more time for a game of hoops.

“It is awesome,” said Leland Athletic Director Chris Hansen of seeing former Leland basketball players at the game. “That’s the thing about alumni games. It’s right before Thanksgiving and everybody’s home for Thanksgiving … it is awesome to see the kids that went here.”

On the girls’ side, the Leland alumni game seemed to be a contest based solely on having fun, at least for the alumni. Returning to her old stomping grounds was Liz Widgren, a 2004 graduate currently playing basketball at Holy Names University in Oakland. However, Widgren decided not to play in the contest, preferring instead to keep score and enjoy her time back at Leland.

“It’s kind of nostalgic,” said Widgren, who last season earned the Blossom Valley Athletic League MVP award as a forward for the Chargers. “I have a lot of memories, since I played for Wade (Nakamura) for three years on varsity.”

In fact, the girls’ alumni team was so woefully short of players that Hansen and Leland girls’ volleyball Co-Head Coach Trisha Moore had to suit up and play in the game.

“I’m not a Leland alumnus, but I just filled in because we didn’t have enough alumni tonight,” Hansen quipped.
The game itself was an easy contest for current Leland girls’ basketball players, taking a lopsided 35-10 lead at halftime before closing out the contest with a 56-30 win.

For Leland girls’ head basketball Coach Wade Nakamura, it was good to see former players like Widgren come back to their former school.

“It definitely feels good to see some of the girls come back and support our program,” Nakamura said.
But even in a good-natured game like the girls’ alumni game, Nakamura and his current squad found the time to work out some kinks before the regular season kicks off.

“We try to get something out of these games,” Nakamura said. “It is supposed to be fun and it doesn’t count against our record, but we have to use it as a scrimmage for us.”

In sharp contrast, the boys’ contest, which took place immediately following the girls’ alumni game, was a close and heated competition. Both alumni and current players took to the contest in a serious manner, and the score reflected as much. At halftime, the alumni team had a slight 25-22 edge, before the current Leland boys’ team took over and stepped up their collective game in the second half for a 57-49 win over the alumni.

Leland alumnus Aaron Langone, who last played for the Chargers during the 2002-03 season, made no bones about his desire to get a win for his alumni team.

“It was fun coming back and playing the young guys,” said Langone, who currently plays point guard for De Anza College. “The team has a lot of potential this season, but we should’ve won this year.”

For boys’ Head Coach Dave Frandsen, seeing former players was a welcome sight, but it was also a chance for his current group of players to get things right before the season begins.

“We wanted to make sure that we kept a real rhythm of a game going,” Frandsen said. “The only way to do that is to stress that it’s a real game. You want to execute and do things correctly in order to capitalize on what we do best.”

Frandsen added that the alumni game had other benefits for his current group of basketball players as well.

“They’ve watched these (alumni) guys since they were little guys,” Frandsen said. “They watched them when they were in sixth, seventh and eighth grade over at Bret Harte, maybe even before that. Now they’re out there on the floor playing against these guys and these guys are now men … I want my guys to come back five years from now to play, if I’m coaching still or whoever else is the coach, and have a good time doing it.”

Pee Wee Chargers’ first loss of the season nixes trip to Florida Super Bowl

Going where no other Almaden team had gone before, the Pee Wee Chargers saw their trip to the Pop Warner Football Super Bowl in Florida snowed under in Reno on Nov. 27. The Chargers lost to Douglass County of Nevada 20-0 in one of the worst snowstorms Reno had seen in several years.

When the Chargers took the field, there was snow seven inches deep. In addition, snow was blowing sideways and the temperature was below freezing. Yard lines on the field could not be seen. 

“We knew it would be cold and we were prepared for that,” said Charger Coach Kevin Jones. “However, we never expected the conditions to be like they were.

“Our guys just couldn’t get acclimated to the field conditions. We were losing our footing on virtually every play. Somehow, the Douglass team was better equipped to run in the snow. But I couldn’t be more proud of this team and all the players. They played to the best of their abilities considering the odds of the altitude change, cold and snow. We don’t have conditions like this all year when we play. It is a frustrating way to end the season. It seems like we didn’t have the chance to compete. But this loss in no way diminishes all that the team accomplished this year. I have a feeling we’ll be back.”

In losing this game, the Chargers were denied a trip to Orlando, Fla. with an impressive 12-1-1 record but are now the reigning Peninsula Pop Warner Champions and runners up for the Pacific Northwest Championship.

Next season most of the members of the team will move up a level to the Jr. Midget division where the quest will begin anew.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the community for their well wishes and support of our team,” concluded Jones.

Almaden ruggers lead Seahawks into Silicon Valley tourney

Almaden will be well presented by scrumhalf Matt Ward and lock-forward Gabe Calebotta in starting positions for the San Jose Seahawks Rugby Club when the Silicon Valley Rugby Classic is presented by the Seahawks on Saturday at Watson Bowl, 23rd and Taylor streets.

A primary focus outside of rugby for Ward is his career as a cabinetmaker while Calebotta is working on a master’s degree in engineering at San Jose State University. Ward’s father, Barry, is a rugby referee.

The tournament will include six men’s clubs, led by 2004 national Super League finalist San Francisco/Golden Gate and the Riverside Rugby Club, which finished among the top eight in the nation last year in Division I.

Pool play action begins at 8:30 a.m. with the Seahawks facing the San Francisco Olympic Club. The nine-game tourney ends with the championship match at 3:50 p.m. A special exhibition game between San Jose State University women and their San Francisco/Golden Gate counterparts is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

There is no charge for admission. For more information, go on line at www.sjrugby.org or call 267-7117.

—By Karl Laucher

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