December 11, 2003

Pioneer falls in CCS semis to ground-hogging P.G. as Landucci exits early
By Karl Laucher
Sports Editor

For the grizzled combatants in the Final Four of Central Coast Section football, the promotion to the Final Two so often comes down to who is hot and who is not. The distinction of being at the top of the game at crunch time in a Division IV semifinal belonged to Pacific Grove High School in the hot yellow and red helmets as indicated by the Breakers’ 35-26 victory over Pioneer High School in the CCS Division IV semi-finals Friday at PAL Stadium.

Pacific Grove will face Valley Christian High School for the CCS Division IV title Saturday at San Jose City College.
Despite bowing to a more engaged opponent, a foe that stamped its authority by battering its way to victory through the center of the Pioneer defense while amassing 256 yards on the ground, Pioneer had much to celebrate after the season’s final whistle

Not the least of the credits is a second-place finish in the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s top division, Mt. Hamilton, and a 9-3-season record.Pioneer Coach Mark Krail called it “a great season,” reflecting, no doubt, on the fact that his Mustangs had win streaks of five and four games and maybe were just a few plays from winning it all.

One of the highlights, painfully enough, occurred when senior runningback Jeremy Landucci was able to leave the field under his own power after absorbing a mighty blow late in the first half against Pacific Grove. Landucci, after catching a short pass, was leveled by Pacific Grove linebacker Sean Kaslin on a hit that could be heard all around the mist-shrouded stadium. Both players fell in a heap. Landucci’s feet twitched and then went still as coaches and medics worked to keep him conscious. After a ghastly silence of several minutes, Landucci rose and walked to the sidelines to the relief and applause of spectators and participants. Kaslin, like Landucci, left the field in a daze and did not return.

The preliminary diagnosis on Landucci: some broken teeth and a concussion. “That was really, really frightening,” said Pacific Grove Coach Buck Roggemann. “It was a great, clean hit, but it was one of those unfortunate moments in football. They lost the star of their offense and we lost the star of our defense.” Landucci led the BVAL in scoring this season with 116 points.

Roggemann said Pioneer “deserves a ton of credit” for operating “one of the best wing T attacks I’ve ever seen. They’re tough to defense, but I’m proud of our guys.”

Krail noted that the injury to Landucci “threw everyone for a loop, myself included. We tried to regroup at halftime and gave a great effort in the second half. Pacific Grove is a
very well-coached team, and even with our best effort, it would have been tough to beat them.”

Touchdown runs of 16 and 73 yards in the first half by Pioneer quarterback Jarod Koblis, and a six-yard TD burst by Andrew Schulz in the third quarter had the Mustangs hanging just three points down, 21-18, going into the final period. “P.G.,” however, had them on their heels with both quarterback Dave Anderson and runningback Josh Granstrom pounding the middle.

An Anderson score from 14 yards out with 9:10 left in the game followed by a 99-yard interception return for a TD by Bryan Gage three minutes later was all the scoring the Breakers would need. A Pioneer touchdown with 1:22 remaining in the season on a five-yard pass from Koblis to Shaun Souza was evidence only that the Mustangs didn’t hang their heads and quit.

“We battled tough,” said Pioneer linebacker Collin McCarthy. “They are a great team, but our coaches asked us to battle hard, and that’s what we did.”

“Success isn't always measured by wins and losses, and we had our share and grew in maturity and leadership. We faced some adversity in the middle of the season, both on and off the field, but we held it together, and put together a great run to end the season. I said early in the season, and I'll say it again, that I've never been more proud of a team than I was of this one,” said Krail.

Pioneer had 17 seniors on its 53-player roster, 10 of which were starters, leaving a large contingent of experienced juniors and sophomores to prepare for 2004.

The Central Coast Section championship schedule:
Division I
Palma (10-2) vs. St. Francis (11-1), at San Jose City College, Saturday, 7 p.m.
Division II
Aptos (10-1) vs. San Benito (9-2-1), at San Jose City College, Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Division III
San Mateo (10-2) vs. Palo Alto, Friday, at Burlingame High, Friday, 7 p.m.
Division IV
Valley Christian (10-2) vs. Pacific Grove (9-2), at San Jose City College, Saturday, 3 p.m.

Pioneer Sports Week Ahead

Thursday/Friday 12/4-5
Girls varsity basketball tournament "Glenn Ventura
Classic” at Pioneer.

Friday 12/ 5:
Boys varsity basketball @ Carmel, 7 p.m.

Monday, 12/8
Boys F/S basketball @ Santa Clara, 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday 12/9
Girls basketball home vs. Wallenberg, JV 6 p.m., varsity 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday 12/10
Boys varsity basketball @ Los Gatos Shootout Tournament
Boys F/S basketball @ Mitty, 3:30 p.m.
Boys soccer @ Los Altos, varsity and F/S, 3:30 p.m.

Thursday 12/11
Girls varsity basketball, three-day tournament at Monta Vista High School
Boys F/S basketball, home vs. Live Oak, 7 p.m.

Leland’s Alex Ramon earns top-half status at state cross country meet

Alex Ramon finished in the top half of his class, a stripe of a true warrior when you are competing in the State Cross Country Championships. The 18-year-old senior placed 93rd in a field of more than 200 in the Division II portion of the competition, held on a 3.1-mile course in Fresno’s Woodward Park last weekend.
In retrospect, Ramon might have saved more for the final portion of the race having run the first mile in 4 minutes, 57 seconds en route to a 16:15 finish.

Asked if he was pleased with Ramon’s effort, Charger cross country coach Jerry Rose said “absolutely.” Rose noted that Ramon “saved” a Leland tradition by qualifying for the state meet. The Chargers are one of only four Central Coast schools to qualify at least one runner for the state championships since the event was instituted a decade ago. The other schools are Mitty, Los Gatos and Gunn.

Allison Stiller represented Leland in the state meet last year, and in 2001 it was Stiller and Steffan McMurrin. In 1996, Leland’s Daniel Sikiric won the Division II championship with a time that bested all divisions.
Ramon earned his place in this year’s state championships by placing fourth in the Blossom Valley Athletic League championships, followed by a 12th-place finish at the Central Coast Section competition, both held on the 2.9-mile Crystal Springs Course in Belmont.

--By Karl Laucher

An all-around super kid

Mishayla Kubota of the Almaden Gymnastics Club checks in at about 50 pounds with a bundle of energy that has been honed into a Northern California State champion for girls ages 7-8 at Level 5. She won the title last month in Sacramento, where she took top honors on bars, balance beam and floor exercise, with a second place in vault en route the all-around title. Mishayla, 8, is pictured (location) with her sister, Ariana, 5, and one of eight all-around gold medals she won in tournaments this year. Mishayla is a third grader at Valley Christian Elementary School. She works out 12 hours a week at the gymnastics club under coach Judy Sun, who describes her as “very quiet and hard working, and a good listener.” Her mother, Lisa, points out that Mishayla has the ability to focus on the task at hand, but when she’s not in the gym, “she doesn’t think about it that much. She’s just a normal 8-year-old.” Ariana is a member of the club’s “Fireball” team. Other Almaden club members to earn titles at the state championships were Holly Nolan in the Girls 10 Level 5 floor exercise and Emma Craig, in Girls Age 9 Level 6 vault. For more information on the Almaden club, call 268-1272 or visit www.avgc.org.

--By Karl Laucher

Soft turf ripens rugby challenge in Silicon Valley Classic

Rain-softened turf sets an enticing stage for the annual Silicon Valley Rugby Classic, featuring collegiate and second division club teams, on Saturday at Watson Bowl and Watson Park, 23rd and Jackson and Taylor streets in San Jose. Action begins at 9 a.m.; finals are set for 3 p.m.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the defending champion in the collegiate division, will be challenged by San Jose State University, Chico State, Santa Rosa Junior College and Sacramento State. The club action is headed by the B side of the host San Jose Seahawks, with competition from the Aptos, San Fernando Valley and San Francisco/Golden Gate rugby clubs. There is no charge for admission.

For more information, visit www.sjrugby.org or call 408 236-2091.

Basketball Ladies of Leland, Pioneer, look forward to promising seasons
By Justin Petersen

Both Leland High School and Pioneer High School opened up their girls’ basketball seasons with victories over formidable opponents at home.

The Lady Chargers played on Saturday afternoon versus a deep squad from Fremont High school of Sunnyvale. Winning soundly 58-35, the Chargers were impressive offensively in the low posts and defensively, creating turnovers and running the court in transition.

Leland looks prepared to improve on a successful 2002-2003, which landed a relatively young group of girls into the second round of the C.C.S. playoffs.

“We’re still young,” says head coach, Wade Nakamura. However, this year Leland has some valuable experience returning two first-team all-leaguers in Jackie George and Liz Widgren.

Much of the Chargers’ success will hinge on the leadership of George and Widgren with the 2003-2004 Chargers’ roster including three freshmen and two sophomores.

“We’re searching for leaders on the perimeter,” admits Nakamura. “But I saw a lot of good things today.”

Nakamura has reason for a smile. On Saturday, his Chargers led early and always, beating the Firebirds of Fremont High in every aspect of the game. As planned, Leland’s young “guards by committee” pushed the ball up the floor and dropped it inside to post-players George and Widgren. Widgren, a senior, led by example, dutifully scoring 24 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and snatching up three steals. Mount Hamilton Athletic League sophomore of the year in 2002-2003, Jackie George also chipped in, scoring 11 points, muscling down seven rebounds, and making two steals, while Kaleen Ugai, kept the ball moving on the outside leading the team with eight assists.

Leland’s next game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9 at Gunn High.

Pioneer plunged into its own 2003-2004 season, squaring off with Del Mar on Monday night. The Mustangs came back after trailing at halftime to win 43-35, regaining the form that sent them to the CCS playoffs last year.

“We’ve still got a long way to go,” says fourth year coach Blaine Hashimoto. “This has to be the year though.”

The Lady Mustangs return six starters from last year’s playoff team.

“Last year we surprised a lot of schools,” continues Hashimoto. “This year we won’t be taken lightly.”

The Mustangs return the Santa Teresa Athletic League’s junior of the year Gina Biviano, S.T.A.L. junior of the year Camille Brown, 2nd team all-league and Gunderson transfer Benae Perkins, and four-year varsity veteran Shawn Caillin. The group boasts talent along with experience, a combination predicting clouds for the other teams in the S.T.A.L.

Pioneer’s talent will be tested Thursday, Dec. 4, when they host the Pioneer-Glenn Ventura Classic. Tournament contenders include Scotts Valley High School, Leigh High School, Oak Grove High School, Westmont High School, Soquel High School, Piedmont Hills High School, and Monta Vista High School.

“This season we’d like to win ourselves out of the S.T.A.L.,” notes Coach Hashimoto. Pioneer will have a chance to test itself against A-league competition this weekend at home, in its very own tournament.

Leland soccer team begins quest for third straight Christmas Cup crown

Two wins and two ties in the first four games may be a blush below the usual Leland High School soccer dominance, but the Chargers can be expected to turn up the pace as they open the Homestead Christmas Cup. The two-time defending champion of the nation’s largest high school tournament features seven brackets of four teams.
Leland, also the two-time defending Blossom Valley Athletic League champion, will start with a match against Saratoga High School at Evergreen Valley College, Saturday, Dec. 6 at 5:15 p.m. Round two for the Chargers is scheduled against Lincoln High School, also at Evergreen Valley, Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 3:15 p.m. The Chargers will be led onto the field by senior captain Sean Connors, who recently finished a season as a productive wide receiver/place kicker for Leland’s BVAL Santa Teresa champion football team.
“We lost some of our best players from last year,” says Leland Coach Dave Gold. “We’re going to depend on youth more than we would like, but this is going to be a very exciting team.”

--By Karl Laucher