SPORTS

Guard play helps Chargers to 60-51 win at Milpitas

Leland loses center Jackie George for at least two weeks,
but gets points from Yoshioka twins and others

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

THREE-BALL! Leland’s Kristen Yoshioka hoists up a three-pointer with four seconds to go against Fremont on Dec. 8 to send her team to victory, 43-40. Center Jackie George, forced to leave the game with a high ankle sprain, looks on from the bench. Photo courtesy www.mikejanes.com.

Led by the Yoshioka twins’ combined 36 points, the Leland girls’ basketball team took a convincing 60-51 win over Milpitas on Dec. 10.

The twins, Kristen and Meggie, had their outside shots on target for most of the contest, as the sophomore guards combined to nail six three-pointers. Kristen Yoshioka’s 21 points led the team, followed by 15 points from Meggie, with senior forward Kelly Ricco adding 10 more points.

“We’ve been working on it all year long, on others stepping up and being confident offensively,” said Leland Head Coach Wade Nakamura. “Meggie really hasn’t been as offensive as I would like her to be, but tonight she really stepped up and gave us some huge shots from the perimeter.”

The Chargers (2-0) came into the contest without their best low-post player, center Jackie George, after the 6-foot, 1-inch senior suffered a high ankle sprain in a 43-40 win over Fremont two days earlier.

Without George, who is expected to miss at least two weeks, the Chargers shifted forward Hillary Barnes to the center position, moving Ricco into the starting lineup at forward. The new strategy also called for better shooting from the outside, something the Yoshioka twins were able to accomplish against the Trojans.

“I think a lot of the girls stepped up because one of our players was hurt,” said Kristen Yoshioka. “We definitely missed (George) because she’s a major factor on our team, but I think a lot of the girls stepped up big today.”

With a 50 -37 Charger lead early in the fourth quarter, the Trojans made a run at the Leland defense, going on a 12-2 run to close the gap at 52-49. But with both teams over the limit of team fouls, the Chargers were able to reclaim a sizeable lead by going to the free-throw line toward the end of the quarter, sinking six of eight shots from the line to build their lead back up to 58-49 with 29 seconds left.

“I told the girls at halftime that they were going to make a run at us at some point in the second half,” said Nakamura. “… I told them to be ready for that and I thought that we handled it well.”

Earlier in the contest, the Chargers turned a 13-9 first-quarter lead into a double-digit advantage by halftime on a 9-4 run, with Meggie Yoshioka chipping in six points during that stretch. By halftime, the Yoshioka twins had scored 21 of Leland’s 31-20 advantage.

While the third quarter saw both teams trade shot-for-shot for most of the eight-minute period, the Yoshioka twins kept up their torrid scoring pace, combining for nine of Leland’s 15 points in the quarter.

“It was really important to hit shots because most of the time, they were guarding the post,” said Charger guard Mika Yanai, who had nine points and seven assists. “So it was important for the guards to step it up tonight.”

The fourth quarter, however, belonged to Ricco. Having scored only four points through the first three quarters of play, Ricco led her squad with six points in the fourth quarter, with Kristen Yoshioka adding five more points with a five-for-six performance from the free-throw line down the stretch.

“Free throws were big,” said Kristen Yoshioka. “We did miss some in the first half but we stepped it up in the second half.”

Earlier in the week, the Chargers won their first game of the season, a 43-40 win over Fremont on Dec. 8. Despite losing George with two minutes left in the third quarter, the Chargers were able to hang on, holding a 33-30 lead at the end of three quarters and matching Fremont point-for-point in the fourth quarter.

Leading the Chargers on offense was Kristen Yoshioka, who scored 12 points on the day, including a three-pointer with four seconds remaining in the game, sending the Chargers home with a victory. George, despite missing the last 10 minutes of the game with her ankle injured, chipped in 10 points and 11 rebounds, while Mika Yanai dropped in eight points and five assists in the win.

High School Sports Schedule Dec. 17 - Dec. 23

Leland High School
Friday – Varsity girls’ basketball at Rob Vares Jr. Memorial Tournament, time TBD
Friday – JV girls’ soccer vs. Santa Teresa, 3:15 p.m.
Friday – Varsity girls’ soccer at Santa Teresa, 3:15 p.m.

Saturday – Varsity girls’ basketball at Rob Vares Jr. Memorial Tournament, time TBD
Saturday – Varsity boys’ soccer at Homestead Christmas Cup quarterfinals, time TBD
Saturday – Varsity wrestling at James Lick Team Tournament, all day long
Saturday – Frosh/soph wrestling at James Lick Team Tournament, all day long

Monday – Varsity boys’ soccer at Homestead Christmas Cup Semifinals (if necessary), time TBD

Tuesday – Varsity boys’ basketball vs. Soquel, 4 p.m.
Tuesday – Frosh/soph boys’ basketball vs. Soquel, 2:30 p.m.
Tuesday – JV girls’ basketball vs. Los Gatos, 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday – Varsity girls’ basketball vs. Los Gatos, 7 p.m.
Tuesday – Varsity wrestling at Galt Varsity Tournament, all day long
Tuesday - Varsity boys’ soccer at Homestead Christmas Cup Final (if necessary), time TBD
Thursday – Varsity girls’ basketball at Mills, 7 p.m.
Thursday – Varsity girls’ soccer alumni game at Leland, time TBD


Pioneer High School
Friday – JV girls’ basketball vs. Willow Glen. 4 p.m.
Friday– Varsity boys’ basketball at Maui Classic
Friday – Varsity girls’ soccer vs. Prospect, 3:15 p.m.

Saturday – Varsity boys’ basketball at Maui Classic

Monday –Varsity boys’ basketball at Maui Classic

Tuesday – JV girls’ basketball vs. Salinas, 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday – Varsity girls’ basketball vs. Salinas, 7 p.m.
Tuesday – Varsity boys’ basketball at Maui Classic

Thursday – JV girls’ basketball vs. San Benito, 5 p.m.

High School Sports Roundup

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

Leland High School

Boys’ hoops drops two at Independence tourney
The boys’ basketball squad went 1-2 at the Independence Fukushima Invitational last week, dropping the Chargers’ overall record to 1-3.

Things got started on Dec. 8 with a 65-60 loss to Santa Teresa in the first round of the invitational. The Chargers were led on offense by Danny Hamouie, who dropped in 20 points and snagged eight rebounds in the loss. Also chipping in on offense were David Farsai, who scored 11 points, and Nav Deep Rai, who ended the game in double figures with 10 points.

The following day, the Chargers got their first win of the year, taking a close 69-68 win over North Monterey. On the final day of the tournament, the Chargers dropped a 73-44 loss to the San Benito Balers, despite 11 points and four rebounds from Farsai, who was named to the all-tournament team.

“He obviously became a little more aggressive and smarter with the ball,” said Leland Head Coach Dave Frandsen of Farsai’s performance in the tournament. “His shot selection was better, and it’s all going to go down. A good shooter’s got to hit outside shots and inside shots, and he did both of those this week.”

Girls’ soccer begins league play with 2-0 loss to Leigh
The girls’ soccer team started Mount Hamilton Division play last week with a 2-0 loss to neighborhood rival Leigh.

The loss set the Chargers’ record at 1-1-2 overall, 0-1 in league play.

Leland Head Coach John Vasquez said the game came down to which team made the least amount of mistakes, be it mental or physical, on the field.

“We made a couple of mistakes that caused goals,” said Vasquez. “…Other than that, we played pretty well.”

Despite the shutout loss, Vasquez credited sophomore Denelle Spencer and team captain Val Huffman for keeping the Chargers close.

“We had a couple of chances (on offense), but we just didn’t finish,” Vasquez concluded. “We just ended up making more mistakes than Leigh.”

Pioneer High School

Girls’ basketball wins one, loses two at Monta Vista tournament
The girls’ basketball team started the week off well, getting a 58-33 win over Independence, before dropping two straight in the Monta Vista Tournament.

Against the Independence 76ers on Dec. 7, the Mustangs were able to get solid offensive contributions from sophomore forward Michele Rebozzi, who led all Mustangs with 19 points, while sophomore guard Steffi Mattern chipped in 12 points in the loss.

The Mustangs then went on and dropped an opening-round 74-30 loss to Burlingame High on Dec. 9, before ending their week with a close 58-49 loss to Live Oak on Dec. 10.

Against Live Oak, Rebozzi again led the offense in scoring, dropping in 16 points, with junior forward Renee Cummings adding 12 points in the loss.

“This week, we started off great with the Independence game, but we just fell off a bit after that,” said Pioneer Head Coach Blaine Hashimoto, whose team is now 4-3 overall. “We just didn’t play like we could have.”

Boys’ soccer gets victory at Santa Teresa, loss at Homestead Christmas Cup
The boys’ soccer team started the week off in winning fashion, getting a 2-1 victory over Santa Teresa in Mount Hamilton Division play before dropping a 4-0 loss to Homestead High in the Homestead Christmas Cup.

The Mustangs notched their first Mount Hamilton Division win against Santa Teresa on Dec. 9, getting goals from junior Brian Velez (penalty kick) and sophomore Ross Kennedy (with junior Flavio Huato assisting on the play).

“That was beautiful,” Pioneer Head Coach Pedro Fuentez said of the win against Santa Teresa. “Our guys knew they had to start on the right foot … they played like Pioneer should.”

However, the Mustangs couldn’t get past Homestead, getting shut out on Dec. 11, as Fuentez had to make do with four regulars out of the lineup (Kennedy, Huato, Tyler Winslow, and Josh Lichtenstein).

Girls’ soccer squad wins three straight, improves to 4-2
The girls’ soccer team had a solid week, getting three wins in non-league play to improve the Mustangs’ record to 4-2 overall.

Pioneer got things going with a 4-1 win over San Benito on Dec. 7, as Bianca Springer lead the offense with two goals (one unassisted, the other with an assist from Lauren West). Also scoring goals were West and Alicia Ramirez in the win.

The Mustangs then took a 3-0 win over Santa Clara on Dec. 9, as West, Sammie Vega (with an assist from West) and Caitlynn Steinberg (on an assist from Stephanie Righetti) each scored goals in the victory.

The following day, the Mustangs notched their third win of the week by shutting out the Milpitas Trojans 4-0. The Mustangs received goals from Ramirez, Righetti, and Giana Flores to lead the charge.

“They had a good soccer week,” said Pioneer Head Coach Randy Worthington of his team. “They played really organized … the defense really stepped up and everyone played together. It was fun for them.”

LELAND’S FEMALE BVAL HONOREES
Among the selections were Christy Stibbe, Christy Gillick and Chaulet Scala. Stibbe was named MVP for Mt. Hamilton girls’ water polo, while Gillick and Scala were named senior of the year and sophomore of the year in volleyball, respectively. First-team selections include Scala for volleyball, Armstrong, Monsees and SantaMaria for water polo, and Quane for field hockey. Second-team selections were Sheridan and Pele for water polo, Chang for volleyball, as well as Adams and Li for field hockey.

Sports Briefs

10U, 12U and 14U Strikkers Fastpitch Club needs players
10U, 12U, & 14U Strikkers Fastpitch Club Travel team is looking to pickup one or two players for next summer. Contact Ernie Garcia for more information at (408) 281-7855 or www.strikkers.org.

Leland girls’ soccer seeks former players for Dec. 23 alumni game
The Leland varsity girls’ soccer team is looking for former Leland girls’ soccer players to participate in its first annual alumni game. The game will be held at Leland High on Dec. 23. No game time has been set yet.

If you are interested in participating, please call Leland Head Coach John Vasquez at (408) 438-1068.

18U Strikkers softball tryouts at Oak Grove High Dec. 19 and Jan. 9
18U Strikkers will hold tryouts for the 2005 summer travel team at Oak Grove High School, 285 Blossom Hill Road, San Jose, Calif., 95123. Dec. 19: Pitchers and catchers at 9 a.m. and position players at 10:30 a.m.; Jan. 9: Pitchers and catchers at 9 a.m. and position players at 10:30 a.m. at Oak Grove High School.

Please contact Frank King (408) 227-8191 or Richard Fangonilo (408) 274-9301.

Two missed free throws give Pioneer 61-60 win over Pacific Grove

Brent Osborn hits jumper with 1.8 seconds left, foul call thereafter nearly ruins Mustangs’ day

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

With 1.8 seconds left on the clock, Pacific Grove center A.J. Walker missed two free throws, sending Pioneer home with an all-too-close 61-60 win on Dec. 7.

“It’s good to see us win a close game,” said Pioneer Head Coach Joe Berticevich. “These are the types of games we’re going to see in league, so to win a close game like this shows that we can win close games and that our mental toughness is getting there.”

Prior to Walker’s two missed shots, the Mustangs were struggling to keep a grip on a game that seemed to be going their way. After coming into the fourth quarter with a solid 53-40 lead, the Pacific Grove Breakers quickly made a game of it, going on runs of 7-0 and 6-0.

Finally, with Pacific Grove leading 60-59, Mustang forward Brent Osborn took the ball to the right baseline and drilled a 15-foot jumper with 1.8 seconds left, giving Pioneer a 61-60 advantage.

“I wasn’t really thinking about it,” said Osborn, who finished the night with seven points. “I just grabbed it and shot it. I didn’t even know how much time was left or anything, I didn’t think about it.”

Just when things seemed to be in the bag for the Mustangs, the Breakers threw an inbound pass to mid-court, only to have Mustang Robbie Nelson whistled for a foul on Walker, as both players attempted to receive the errant pass.

The result of the play: two free shots on the free-throw line for Walker, who prior to the play was a perfect eight-for-eight from the line.

“That’s something you have to deal with,” said Berticevich of the call that sent Walker to the free-throw line. “We just handled it and justice was served.”

For a while, it seemed as if Pioneer had a blowout on its’ hands. With a halftime lead of 34-32 for Pioneer, the third quarter started with the Mustangs going on a 14-2 run, lead by forward Mike Kaufmann and point guard Mark Bundlie, combining for 11 points during the run. After a modest 6-2 run cut Pioneer’s lead to 50-40, Mustang guard Joe Montelongo ended the third quarter by sinking a three-pointer.

“Coach just fired us up at halftime,” said Kaufmann, who ended the night with 17 points. “He sort of put a little shock into us and we came out fired up and we started out of the gate 8-0 or 10-0, something like that.”

However, the Breakers started the fourth quarter by going on an 11-3 run to make it a five-point lead for the Mustangs, as Pioneer players began to settle for outside shots instead of driving the ball to the basket.

The Breakers then went on a 9-3 run to take a 60-59 lead with 1:11 left in the game, getting seven points from free throws during that stretch.

“Coming into the game, we knew they were going to be good,” Kaufmann said of the Breakers. “As soon as we got up 13, you kind of knew they were going to come back, just because of their high-powered offense. We didn’t really step up right away, but when the time came, we hit our shots and played defense.”

The Mustangs followed the road win at Pacific Grove with a 44-39 victory over Live Oak in the opening round of the Los Gatos Lions’ Club Wildcat Shootout on Dec. 9, before dropping their next two games. In the win against Live Oak, the Mustangs were led on offense by Nelson, who scored 15 points, while Kaufmann added 12 points and Osborn reached double figures with 10 points.

In the second round of the tournament, the Mustangs lost a 51-49 decision to Armijo on Dec.10 before ending the week with a 73-66 loss to Saratoga the following day, setting the Mustangs’ record at 4-2 overall.

Chargers fall to OG in soccer action

Vow success after staggering Saratoga

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

Despite falling to Oak Grove High School 3-2 Thursday, Leland High boys Coach Dave Gold assured skeptics that his 2004-2005 Chargers will perpetuate the winning tradition that has lifted the program from Camden Avenue into soccer circles nationally.

“We’re a very talented and exciting team,” said Gold of his 5-2, 0-1 players. Gold has instilled a philosophy of aggressive offense that demands running and scoring skills from each player, defensive specialists included.

“We attack from all over the field,” he continued. “They’re all given the license to move forward because we’re certain that the best defense is a good offense.”

The philosophy, always exciting, according to Gold and Charger faithful, has proven stifling to Blossom Valley Athletic, Mount Hamilton Division competition. Each year it seems the Chargers are medaling in the MHAL, having won more than a dozen titles since Gold’s tenure began in 1985.

But four CCS Division I Championship trophies set in the foyer of Leland’s gym indicate their prominence on the national level.

Beginning in ’87, a youthful Coach Gold directed the Chargers through a national record 65-game undefeated win streak. The span—still standing today as the national record—included two CCS championships.

The others came in ’85 and ’98.

“Players have to buy into the system,” said Gold of the program’s long-standing success. “A team is only as strong as its weakest player, so the work comes in teaching them to play within the framework of our system—not to overcomplicate things.”

This year, Gold’s talent includes senior and U.S. National Team member Ryan Villalpando, who has reportedly committed to U.C. Berkeley where he’ll play next season.

Villalpando is joined by standouts Steven Beitashour and Roheet Sen, encompassing a senior-laden midfield.
At sweeper, junior captain Peter Rodriguez has earned Gold’s confidence, playing hard and smart.

“I have a lot of faith in my sweeper and midfielders. The players know that when somebody goes forward, somebody else has got to drop back,” explained Gold.

Versus Oak Grove (5-1, 1-0) Thursday, Leland lost on three set plays, two corners and a free kick.

“We knew they would be big and strong,” said Gold. “It’s going to come down to Oak Grove and Leland, possibly a couple of other teams for the MHAL championship. We just need to play our game.”

Following the loss, Leland reasserted itself dominating Saratoga High School 1-0 Sat, Dec. 11, in a holiday tournament hosted by Homestead High School.

“We played very well,” summed Gold. “Everybody got to play.”

Next on the Charger agenda is a matchup with Overfelt High School Thursday, Dec. 16. The game is slated to begin at 3:15 on Leland turf. Over the weekend, the Chargers will face Oak Grove, Homestead or Mountain View high schools dependent on pending results, in the next round of the Homestead tournament.

“The secret is consistence and discipline,” remarked Gold late Sunday. “We play an indirect style of soccer. We keep the ball on the ground, at times passing backwards more than forwards. With an attacking minded system, everybody’s got to be on the same page. It’s my way or the highway.”

Through seven games Villalpando and fellow senior Grant Robson lead the Chargers in scoring with four goals and one assist apiece, while junior Mike Dally and Danny Jones have nailed two goals each. Beitashour has posted one goal and three assists, junior Alberto Monarrez one goal, freshman Adonis Levine one goal, two assists, Sen three assists and junior Stevie Munoz two assists.

Worthington has high expectations for Pioneer girls soccer

Randy Worthington takes over as coach this season while former coach awaits birth of baby

By Carl Ponzio
Intern

Captain Amy Cousick of the Pioneer girls’ soccer team feels that losing Head Coach Lisa Smith will not prevent the team from having a remarkable season.

“Regardless if Lisa is here or not we will do great,” explained 17-year-old Cousick. “The team is working hard and playing hard.”

With an 8-2-2 record in league play in the Mt. Hamilton division at the end of last season, the Mustangs are only looking to become stronger this year. However, with a baby on the way, Head Coach Lisa Smith will not be on the sidelines this season blowing the whistle and calling for drills.

Now the team is looking to last year’s assistant coach, Randy Worthington, to lead them to victory.

Coach Worthington has set the bar downright high for the Mustangs this season. He has plans of competing for league and playing in CCS. And with the arrival of two promising freshmen, Sammie Vega and Bianca Springer, Worthington knows that all the girls will be on their toes this season.

“The girls will be playing hard to keep their starting position,” said Worthington.

Recognizing the team’s strengths from last year, Worthington realizes that change can be good on the field. He doesn’t want to tamper with the team’s notable defense, but feels that a little bit of change can light up the scoreboard.

“Mentally, we are trying to be more offensive,” said Worthington. “Last year we had many low-scoring games. This year, the fullbacks are attacking more.”

Emboldening Worthington this season is the veteran Cousick, who was named to the starting lineup for her fourth straight season and is returning as a captain for her third. She was voted on and awarded by her coach for her strength and leadership in her freshman, sophomore and junior year. Worthington boasts that all the other girls on the team look to Amy to lead them into games.

Having an outstanding captain at his side, Worthington is comfortable in his situation. Having a team full of girls that play all year long doesn’t hurt either. Most of the Mustangs play on club teams after the high school season ends and a select number of those girls play on a premiere level.

The void of coach has been filled with Worthington and it seems as if the Mustangs have no reason to fret about the season that lies ahead of them.

“We are pretty much the same team,” said Cousick. “I am excited to see what this season will bring us.”

Almaden Comets claim second place in District Cup

By Brad Bosomworth and Jeff Pine
Special to the Times

After five hard months of practice, training, and sweat, it all came down to this: a hard-fought contest by the Almaden Comets (Boys Class 3, U12) for the District Cup championship.

The Comets got to the championship game with three very solidly played victories during the weekend of Nov. 20 and 21. Over the weekend, the boys put together a great display of both offense and stingy defense. Game one started with a 4-1 thrashing of the Stanford Fire. Right wing Neil Purohit had a phenomenal game, recording the season’s first and only hat trick.

The second game was equally impressive with the final scoreboard showing a 1-0 victory over the De Anza Force. Evan Quint, who scored in all three of the qualifying games, posted the only score on a beautiful header off a perfectly placed corner kick by Justin Berding. In game 3 against the SMSC Storm, Quint posted an early goal, and Haico Kaashoek got the game winner on a beautiful touch goal from the top of the goal box, giving the Comets a 2-1 victory.

Then came the championship game against the perennial powerhouse Hollister Pumas. Andrew Bosomworth got the Comets on the board with a laser-like goal in the second minute of the game. Throughout the middle minutes of the game, the Comet midfielders took over, keeping the ball from deeply penetrating the Comet half of the field. Led by Berding, Eddie Cho, Bosomworth, Austin MacPhee and Mo Oza, the Aztecs couldn’t bring the ball up the field without a significant challenge.

Now playing out of desperation, the Aztecs began launching a series of attacks. The Comets played superb and punishing defense, led by the hard work of defenders Andrew Todd, Cory Koehne, Brett Kennedy, Tony Montini and Jordan Pine.

The defenders did an excellent job denying scoring chances by the offense-rich Aztecs. The few shots that did get through were repeatedly denied by goalies Sam Talbert and MacPhee.

Unfortunately, with less than three minutes left to play, a foul just outside the goal box gave the Pumas a direct kick, which they perfectly placed in the top corner of the goal, leading to regulation time ending with the score tied at one.

During the two five-minute overtime periods, the Pumas furiously attacked the goal, and with just a few minutes left to play, found the back of the net. They were then able to hold on for a 2-1 victory.

The Comets, for the third consecutive year, were led by coaches Brad Bosomworth and Dan Kennedy.

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