January 13, 2006

Evergreen Sports

Wrestling demons

Emanuel, Borceguin capture Santa Clara County
Middle School Wrestling Championships

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

Evergreen scrappers Luis Emanuel and Pablo Borceguin twisted up opponents at Santa Clara County’s wrestling finals for area middle schools December 8 at Andrew Hill High School, then walked out champions.

Leyva coach Terry Advonik offers support from the sideline at the Santa Clara County middle school championships in December. He will be missed next year—Advonik will retire in June.Photo courtesy of Leyva Middle School

The boys toted the east side’s lone Gold Medals, despite representing different schools—LeyVa and Quimby Oak, respectively—at the finals. The meet spanned two grueling days, featuring a qualifying round Tuesday and the championship on Thursday, while schools vied for respect, as well as the attention of prominent area high school programs—fruit up for grabs between 36 middle schools competing county wide.

Quimby Oak
For 80-pound Borceguin, the win capped a perfect undefeated season. The eighth-grader represented what Coach Sam Spengler considers the hardest working squad that he’s mentored at Quimby Oak, since relocating from Montana to take over the program from current LeyVa coach Terry Advonik.

“We came a very long way this year,” said Spengler. “I wouldn’t say this is the best team I’ve had, even despite the number of kids we placed in county (finals). But this team went beyond what was expected of them with fairly limited experience.”

Quimby effort showed when Borceguin’s belt was on the line.

“Both of us had the same amount of experience,” Borceguin said of the championship match which pit the tenacious, yet slight in build 14-year-old, versus a larger opponent, Alex Kriedler of Fisher Middle School. “Both of us had the same skills and experience. I couldn’t over power him. I had to outsmart him.”

Quimby’s pride won by points after three periods.

According to Borceguin, decision-making is exactly why he enjoys wrestling over other team sports, such as football and basketball. Wrestlers must consider strategy to compete, out-planning opponents, rather than relying on natural ability.

Cuyler Bond, a stocky 120-pounder, and 100-pound Allen Dauhenhauer were each commendable second place finishers at county finals, narrowly outscored in their championship matches.

“The finals were brutal,” said Bond. “When you get that far, your opponent knows all the moves you do. In those situations you have to think fast on your feet and pull through.”

Borceguin will wrestle at Evergreen Valley next season, while Bond has applied to Bellarmine.

“Friends from the team last year told me, ‘the harder you train, the tougher you become,’” said Borceguin. “I plan on training until I win state in high school. Some people think it’s all about muscle, but to me it’s all about out planning your opponents and designing strategy in what you are going to do next. I want to take it all the way.”

LeyVa
Terry Adovnik knew he’d earned his coaching check and self respect when 13 of 18 LeyVa wrestlers qualified for the sectional competition preceding the finals. Four years back, Adovnik began nurturing the program which had been marked for landfill, thanks to circumstance in the district office.

“The coach quit and the school was ready to drop the program,” said Adovnik. “So I transferred over from Quimby because I didn’t want to see another middle school wrestling program dropped.”

Honing talent with limited experience on the mat, the coach instilled a broad arsenal of grappling techniques in his kids, mostly known as B-moves. They are standard procedure, but often overlooked by contemporary coaches, hoping to intimidate other programs without earning it on the mat.

“It’s about counters,” said Adovnik. “If one kid pulls an A-move, most wrestlers won’t counter with an A-move, so it‘s wasted. I teach them nine moves real well and nine times out of 10, you are going to win the match if you can master them.”

Leyva’s Francisco Perez folds up his opponent in a tournament early this year. Photo courtesy of Leyva Middle School

Adovnik’s boisterous presence on the sideline initially intimidated some of the kids; however, years later, the enthusiasm was welcomed.

“Coach is good,” said champion Emanuel. “The first time I wrestled, I was lagging and he called me out. He said, ‘you’re going to be county champ.’ I didn’t believe him, but he kept pushing me and I did it. He said I just needed to put my mind to it.”

Adam Cane, a 125-pound eighth grader, and 135-pound Francisco Perez, also flourished under the tutelage of Adovnik. Cane finished second in the county, while Perez landed third.

“Coach told us these guys were going to be harder,” said Cane. “He said not to focus on pinning them, just worry about scoring points. I think if you do what he asks you to do, you’ll have a great season. He just seems mean because he’s loud.”

Despite a promising core of returning wrestlers such as Robby Beckwell, James Dupree and Emanuel, Adovnik will retire at the end of this school year.

New Year’s storm leaves Silver Creek High gym damaged

High winds tear holes in gym’s roof; hardwood
basketball floor flooded with rain

By Diego Abeloos
Editor

A New Year’s weekend storm left Silver Creek High School’s gymnasium severely damaged and in need of costly repairs after part of its roof was torn off by high winds.

Silver Creek’s gym floor was covered with water after a New Year’s storm tore sections of the roof off, allowing rain to spill into the facility. Cleanup crews covered the hardwood floor with tarps and began vacuuming up the water the day before school started on Jan. 2. Photos by Diego Abeloos

The gym, which Silver Creek girls’ athletic director Margaret Nunes said is 37 year old, had its hardwood floor flooded with nearly one inch of rain as a result of several large holes torn in the roof by winds that at times reached 50 miles per hour. In addition to the damage at the gym, eight mature trees on the campus were uprooted by the storm’s strong winds.

Silver Creek Vice Principal Chris Schroeder said that aside from fallen trees and the damage sustained on the inside and the outside of the gym, everything else on campus checked out just fine.

“Outside of a few minor leaks [in classrooms], we’re in business 100 percent,” he said. “We’re doing real well. We didn’t lose any of our teaching capacity at all, outside of the teaching capacity for P.E.”

According to Schroeder, Silver Creek and East Side Union High School District officials became aware of a potential problem on New Year’s Day, when the gym’s alarm went dead.

The gym’s roof is constructed by a layer of Styrofoam insulation paneling, with a fiberboard layer over it. Those two layers are then topped by a thin layer of tar and gravel. ESUHSD Assistant Superintendent of Operations Alan Garofalo said this is common roofing construction for high school gymnasiums.

Schroeder said school and district officials acted quickly to squash the problem, getting contractors and school maintenance crews to come out on Monday, Jan. 2, to vacuum up water left on the hardwood floor in the gymnasium, as well as a private tree removal company to take care of the uprooted trees. All eight trees knocked over by the storm were removed prior to the start of school on Jan. 3, but crews were still busy cleaning up the mess Mother Nature left inside the gym, getting water off the hardwood floor and working to temporarily seal holes in the roof.

“We’re doing everything possible to mitigate any additional expense,” said Garofalo of the cleanup at Silver Creek.
Still, despite the damage at Silver Creek, Garofalo said he feels fortunate that most of the storm’s damage was relatively minimal and relegated to one site.

“It was such an intense storm, you’re bound to have issues with over three million square feet of school buildings within the district,” he said.

As a result, the physical education classes, which Schroeder said have more than 200 students enrolled, were moved to the school’s library, as well as the weight room and a classroom used specifically for physical education-related activities.

“We formed a plan of attack, and we were able to accommodate all the kids,” Schroeder said. “Our concern is, on a cold or rainy day, you can’t say to the kids that there’s no class or ‘go stand outside.’ So we had to find housing for them and we did.”

In addition, Nunes said winter sports activities, specifically boys’ and girls’ basketball, as well as wrestling, are being moved to various sites around Evergreen. Nunes said the school was in the process of negotiating with Evergreen Valley College for the use of the school’s facilities for practices. Schroeder added that both Overfelt and Mount Pleasant High Schools also offered the use of their facilities on Jan. 3.

As of now, Nunes said all games were being moved to opponents’ home sites, although those plans are subject to change on a case-by-case basis, she added.

“It’ll be a matter of changing schedules and seeing where there’s a free gym,” Schroeder said. “…Hopefully, those games that were supposed to be [at Silver Creek] can be held at opposing schools.”

Garofalo said the cost of repairing the roof would be high, estimating the damage at $150,000 to $200,000. With insurance covering the bulk of the cost, ESUHSD would be responsible only for the deductible, which is about $25,000, Garofalo added.

Another potential problem lies with the gym’s hardwood floor. Because of the amount of water that covered the floor, Silver Creek and ESUHSD officials are waiting to see if the wood will eventually warp and buckle. The floor is also unsafe for use until at least that time as well, if not beyond.

“In the best-case scenario, we’ve put enough varnish on the floor over the years that it held the water out,” Schroeder said. “…The problem is, we won’t know if or when it will truly buckle. It could start buckling within five days; it could take two months before buckling and warping starts to show because the moisture is captured under [the floor].”

Garofalo said if the floor needed to be replaced, the cost will figure to be an additional $400,000. The cost of a new floor would also be covered mostly by insurance and will not be a major financial setback for ESUHSD, Garofalo added.

Cougars win league opener 47-38 at Leland

Guards Tinh Nguyen and Gurchet Sanghera
lead Evergreen with 13 points each

By Diego Abeloos
Editor

The Evergreen Valley boys’ basketball team opened up Santa Teresa Division play on a winning note, taking a 47-38 decision at Leland on Jan. 3.

Evergreen’s Gurchet Sanghera goes up for a jumper during a 47-38 win for the Cougars over Leland on Jan. 3. Sanghera, along with teammate Tinh Nguyen, led the Cougars with 13 points. Photo by Diego Abeloos

For Evergreen, the win was a positive start to the league portion of the schedule. The Cougars, 7-5 overall on the season, notched their second straight victory with the win at Leland.

“First of all, despite Leland’s record, they were supposed to win this league,” said Cougars head coach Dennis Fernandez. “So we expected a pretty tough game and we’re going to find out who else is tough in this, but we needed to get by this one. This was crucial for us.”

The loss dropped Leland to 2-9 overall on the season and extended the team’s losing streak to five games.

“We have to find some offensive consistency, and until we do, we’re going to struggle like this,” said Leland head coach Dave Frandsen. “We have to have other people step up and make correct decisions and make shots when they’re there. …You can only practice so much with what they’re doing, and I guess we’re going to have to practice some more.”

Inconsistency on the offensive end didn’t bother Leland’s David Farsai, who led the team with 17 points. Frandsen said with other players on the squad struggling on offense, opponents have focused more on Farsai throughout the game.

“That’s one of the problems, that nobody else seems to be stepping up to help relieve the pressure off of him,” Frandsen said of Farsai. “So they [defenses] can just jump on him and he has to make good decisions, once he gets the ball.”

Leland held a slight 14-11 lead at the half before the Cougars took the game over in the third quarter. With Leland up 16-13 with just over five minutes left to play in the third, the Cougars embarked on an 8-3 run, getting a pair of layups from Gurchet Sanghera during that span to take a 21-19 lead with 4:39 left.

With only seconds left on the clock in the third, after Leland regained the lead at 26-25, Evergreen point guard Tinh Nguyen put his team ahead once more, nailing a 3-pointer from the top of the arc with four seconds left to take a 28-26 lead. Nguyen and Sanghera led the Cougars with 13 points each.

Nguyen opened up the fourth quarter in similar fashion, nailing a 3-pointer at 7:08, extending the Cougars’ lead to 31-26. That started a modest 6-2 scoring stretch for the Cougars, who also received a layup from Rishi Shah and a free throw from center Derek Pauli during that span.

Evergreen assistant coach Shawn Fernandez talks things over with guard Rishi Shah during a 47-38 win at Leland on Jan. 3. Photo by Diego Abeloos

“Offensively, he hit some excellent shots at key moments,” Fernandez said of Nguyen. “But I’m more impressed with what he did toward the end of the game, because he was guarding Farsai. …Tinh just did a great job denying him the ball and working his butt off on defense.”

Later in the fourth, after Leland cut the lead to 34-32 on a jumper from Philip Petro at 5:20 and a pair of free throws from Farsai at 4:09, the Cougars jumped ahead with another scoring stretch, a 10-3 stretch that saw Nguyen hit his third 3-pointer of the second half as part of the scoring.

Meanwhile, Leland was held for more than two minutes between scoring any points, getting a free throw from Farsai at 1:55 to break that spell before Nav Deep Rai sank a pair of shots from the line less than a minute later. Still, those efforts were not enough to stop the Cougars, who held a 44-35 lead at the end of their 10-3 scoring stretch with only 23 seconds remaining on the game clock.

Leland was plagued by turnovers, posting 24 throughout the game, including 14 in the first half.

“We didn’t finish a lot of our shots and we didn’t pressure them the way we should’ve,” said Petro of Leland’s woes in the second half. “We started to get out of control when we needed to stay under control.”

Rai hit a 3-pointer with just 16 seconds left to cut the lead to six, but the Cougars finished the game with a free throw and a buzzer-beating layup from Sanghera in the final seconds of play.

Sign-up for the 2006 baseball season today

Evergreen Little League celebrates it 45th season in 2006, and the league is now accepting registrations for both co-ed baseball and girls softball programs.

Online registration
For the first time ever, ELL offers online registration. Parents may register their children online from the comfort of their home or office and pay by credit card. E-mail confirmations will be sent immediately to ensure your reserved spot for our 2006 season. Visit http://ell-baseball.com to register.

Age determination date changes
ELL has also changed the age determination date to 4/30/2006 for baseball and 12/31/2005 for softball. That means your child’s Little League age for the 2006 season is his or her age on 4/30/2006 for baseball and 12/31/2005 for softball.

Room for new players
ELL has room for players in all divisions: T-Ball ages 5-6, Pee-Wee ages 7-8, Farm ages 7-9, Minors ages 9-12, Majors ages 10-12, Juniors ages 13-14, Seniors ages 15-16, and Challenger all ages.

Plans to expand softball program
ELL also has girl’s fast pitch softball ages 7-18. The league would like to expand its softball program this year and is looking for coaches and players. Contact softball@ell-baseball.com with questions or president@ell-baseball.com to volunteer to help out.

Fees
Fees for players registered before Jan. 15, 2006 are $100 for ages 5-6, $110 for ages 7-12 and $120 for age 13-16. All fees go up $20 after Jan. 15, 2006.

Tryouts
All players age 8 and older are requested to tryout. Tryouts for Minor and Major divisions (ages 10-12) will be held at Chaboya Middle School on Jan. 21 and 22 (ages 9-12) and on Jan. 28 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Tryouts for Farm Division (ages 8-9) will be held at Chaboya Middle School on Jan. 29 and Feb. 5 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Try-outs for Junior and Senior divisions (ages 13–16) will be held at Quimby Oak Middle School on March 4 and 5.

Tryouts are not necessary for T-Ball (ages 5-6), and Pee Wee (ages 7-8) divisions.

Check the ELL Web site, http://ell-baseball.com, for updates.

ELL is also looking for volunteer umpires. If you are interested, please contact Evergreen Little League at (408) 534-1727 or playeragent@ell-baseball.com. ELL offers hands-on training as well as classroom training if you want to learn how to umpire or just want to brush up on your skills and the knowledge of the rules.

Anyone interested in sponsoring a team this year can contact our sponsorship representative sponsor@ell-baseball.com.

Visit http://ell-baseball.com for updates.

Preseason clinics Clinics are intended to prepare players for tryouts and to assist them if they are moving up a level. The focus is on fundamentals, fun and facts about Little League Baseball. Preseason clinics will be held as follows: Saturday, Jan. 7 & 14, 9 a.m. – noon, Ages 8-12 at Chaboya Saturday, Jan. 14, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m., Ages 13-16 at Quimby Saturday, Feb. 11 & 18, 9 a.m. – noon, Ages 13-16 at Quimby

EVERGREEN SPORTS SCHEDULES
Jan. 16 to Jan. 27

Evergreen Valley High sports schedule
1/17 – Girls basketball at Del Mar, JV 5:30 p.m. and varsity 7 p.m.
1/17 – Boys basketball vs. Prospect, F/S 5:30 p.m. and varsity 7 p.m.
1/17 – Girls soccer at Oak Grove, varsity 3:15 p.m.

1/18 – Boys soccer vs. Westmont, F/S and varsity 3:15 p.m.

1/19 – Wrestling vs. Independence, 6:30 p.m.
1/19 – Girls soccer vs. Del Mar, JV and varsity 3:15 p.m.
1/19 – Girls basketball at Willow Glen, JV 5:30 p.m. and varsity 7 p.m.

1/20 – Boys basketball vs. Willow Glen, F/S 6 pm and varsity 7:30 p.m.
1/20 - Boys soccer at Andrew Hill, F/S and varsity 3:15 p.m.

1/24 – Boys basketball at Silver Creek, F/S 5:30 p.m. and varsity 7 p.m.*
1/24 – Girls basketball vs. Silver Creek, JV 5:30 p.m. and varsity 7 p.m.
1/24 – Girls soccer vs. Westmont, JV and varsity 3:15 p.m.

1/26 – Girls basketball at Independence, JV 5:30 p.m. and varsity 7 p.m.
1/26 – Girls soccer at Independence, varsity 3:15 p.m.

1/27 - Boys basketball vs. Leland, F/S 6 pm and varsity 7:30 p.m.
1/27 – Boys soccer at San Jose, F/S and varsity 3:15 p.m.

Mt. Pleasant High sports schedule
1/17 – Girls basketball at Independence, JV 5:30 p.m. and varsity 7 p.m.
1/17 – Boys basketball at Yerba Buena, F/S 5:30 p.m. and varsity 7 p.m.
1/17 – Girls soccer at Gunderson, varsity 3:15 p.m.
1/17 – Wrestling vs. Leigh, 6:30 p.m.

1/18 – Boys soccer vs. Leland, F/S and varsity 3:15 p.m.

1/19 – Girls basketball vs. Branham, JV 5:30 p.m. and varsity 7 p.m.
1/19 – Girls soccer vs. Silver Creek, varsity 3:15 p.m.

1/20 – Boys soccer vs. Overfelt, F/S and varsity 3:15 p.m.
1/20 – Boys basketball vs. Del Mar, F/S 6 p.m. and varsity 7:30 p.m.

1/24 – Girls soccer vs. San Jose, varsity 3:15 p.m.
1/24 – Girls basketball at Del Mar, JV 5:30 p.m. and varsity 7 p.m.
1/24 – Boys basketball vs. Independence, F/S 5:30 p.m. and varsity 7 p.m.

1/25 – Boys soccer at Yerba Buena, F/S and varsity 3:15 p.m.

1/26 – Wrestling at Santa Teresa, 6:30 p.m.
1/26 – Girls basketball vs. Silver Creek, JV 5:30 p.m. and varsity 7 p.m.
1/26 – Girls soccer at James Lick, varsity 3:15 p.m.

1/27 – Boys basketball at Lincoln, F/S 6 p.m. and varsity 7:30 p.m.
1/27 – Boys soccer vs. Pioneer, F/S and varsity 3:15 p.m.

Silver Creek High sports schedule
1/17 – Girls basketball at Branham, JV 5:30 p.m. and varsity 7 p.m.
1/17 – Boys basketball vs. Andrew Hill, F/S 5:30 p.m. and varsity 7 p.m.*
1/17 – Girls soccer vs. Yerba Buena, varsity 3:15 p.m.

1/18 – Wrestling vs. Westmont, 6:30 p.m.*
1/18 – Boys soccer at Branham, F/S and varsity 3:15 p.m.

1/19 – Girls basketball at Del Mar, JV 5:30 p.m. and varsity 7 p.m.
1/19 – Girls soccer at Mt. Pleasant, varsity 3:15 p.m.

1/20 – Boys soccer vs. Del Mar, F/S and varsity 3:15 p.m.
1/20 – Boys basketball at Prospect, F/S 6 p.m. and varsity 7:30 p.m.

1/24 – Girls basketball at Evergreen, JV 5:30 p.m. and varsity 7 p.m.
1/24 – Boys basketball vs. Evergreen, F/S 5:30 p.m. and varsity 7 p.m.*
1/24 – Girls soccer vs. Willow Glen, varsity 3:15 p.m.

1/25 – Boys soccer at Westmont, F/S and varsity 3:15 p.m.

1/26 – Wrestling at James Lick, 6:30 p.m.
1/26 – Girls basketball at Mt. Pleasant, JV 5:30 p.m. and varsity 7 p.m.
1/26 – Girls soccer vs. Gunderson, varsity 3:15 p.m.

1/27 – Boys basketball vs. Overfelt, F/S 6 p.m. and varsity 7:30 p.m.*
1/27 – Boys soccer vs. Andrew Hill, F/S and varsity 3:15 p.m.

*Editor’s Note: Because of damage sustained to Silver Creek’s basketball gymnasium, scheduled home games will be moved to other sites and may be held at different times. For more current information on Silver Creek home games for boys and girls basketball, as well as wrestling, please contact the Silver Creek High School athletic department at (408) 347-5628 or log on to the BVAL Web site at http://www.bval.org/