January 14, 2005

Evergreen Sports

Oak Grove Youth Football places nationally in football and cheer

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

[Evergreen residents in bold.] 2004 National Champion Oak Grove Red Devils include: Myshawn Cummings, Alex Teel, Dominique Hudspeth, Allen Chapman, Jason Marengo, Chris Albright, Sean Gray, Joshua Venegas, John Sare, Thomas Reynolds, Daniel Salazar, R.J .Silvey, Scott Farnsworth, Steven Valdez, Carlos Mendez, Thomas Vaca, Timi Niweigha, Jorge Pacheco, Alex Powell, Billy Brownridge, Cameron Marshall, Steven Canoy, Brandon Martinez, Paul Schwenke, Philips Ossai, Steven Nevarez, Daniel Rodriquez, Mark Borland, Mark Ortega and Steven Knight. Red Devil Staff: Team Mom Jessica Borland, Team Mom Gina Knight, Business Manager Christena Powell, Assistant Coach Steve Nevarez, Assistant Coach Bill Brownridge, Assistant Coach Bill Tyson, Assistant Coach Chris Hudspeth, Assistant Coach Chris Ortega, Assistant Coach Derrick Hancock, Assistant Coach Luis Marengo, Assistant Coach Mike Cummings, Assistant Coach Randy Sessler, Assistant Coach Robert Crum, Assistant Coach Shawn Haney and Head Coach Dave Haney.

The Oak Grove Youth Football Organization (OGYF) placed two football teams and three cheer squads nationally at the Pop Warner Super Bowl and National Cheer & Dance Championships in December.

Super Bowl 2004, held in Orlando, Fla., for eight years counting, pits together hungry competitors, ages 7 to 15, hailing from the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii and Guam. The goal: To experience a football-centered atmosphere while developing a loyalty toward Pop Warner codes of chivalry.

Such values include good sportsmanship and scholastic achievement. According to league by-laws, Pop Warner participants must maintain a 2.0 or better G.P.A. throughout the season.

“Programs like these keep the kids occupied with constructive activity and social development. Kids are learning life skills,” said OGYF president and head cheer coach Kathy Robinson. “Competing on the field teaches them about different ethnic backgrounds and personality types. Plus, it felt great going out and showing the East Coast how the West Coast can compete.”

What drove approximately 500 youths to fill the halls of Oak Grove High School in March 2004 at sign-ups was realized in a National Championship for the Junior Midget Division Red Devils. In addition, the Midget Rough Riders finished in fifth place—consolation champions.

And for the first time in club history, the Roughrider Cheer Team took a step up the podium, placing fifth. OGYF’s Red Devil and Rattler Cheer also competed at nationals.

Red Devil football: national champions
Veteran coach David Haney and the Junior Midget Red Devils embraced a media-assigned underdog role, willing the championship trophy from the grasp of the Liberty City Warriors on Dec. 11.

The Devils won in heroic fashion by a score of 20-14 against a team favored by the press because their head coach Luther Campbell, a former member of the legendary and notorious rap ensemble 2 Live Crew.

“All week long I was telling the boys, ‘don’t become their highlight’,” said Haney, who won his fourth National Championship in 10 years as head coach. “Everybody thinks they’re going to win. It’s our responsibility to prepare.”

According to Haney, a lucky draw in the first round allowed the Devils to scout the Warriors, which means the Devils got to watch and film their opponents’ first game. Hours spent dissecting the captured film paid dividends.

In the Super Bowl, scales tipped toward the Devils. With the game tied at 14 and just seven minutes remaining in regulation, Alan “Bubba” Chapman picked off an errant Warrior pass, returning it for a touchdown and securing the victory.

Chapman, Farnsworth stand out
Defensive back Chapman, who finished with four interceptions in Nationals, assumed a starring role alongside running back/linebacker Scott Farnsworth. Farnsworth, an Evergreen resident, carried the load on offense and defense rushing for 249 yards and four touchdowns in the east. He also made 19 solo stops on defense.

“It’s probably not the strongest team I have ever coached in terms of talent and depth,” said Haney, “but these kids came out and played as a team. They showed a lot of courage and heart this season. I’m very proud of them.”

The road to Orlando was no easy pass. Midway through the season, the Devils faced adversity when two of the best players on the team fell with injuries.

“When our best running back Cameron Marshall and wide receiver Chris Albright went down, I told them, we have lots of players and they’re just two,” said Haney. “We have got to keep on going.

“The turning point came against Oakland,” he continued. “We went out and beat them 14-6 without our two big guns. That gave us the confidence we needed.”

It was relatively smooth sailing following the Peninsula Championship versus Oakland. Oak Grove cruised past local competition and into regional, where they faced down a team from Alaska—at night, in the snow—before heading to Florida.

In Florida, a Parkridge, Ill., team proved an unworthy adversary, falling 20—0 before the showdown with Liberty City.
Asked what he felt was the team’s strongest point, Haney alluded to his line. “They opened up great big holes. They’re all standouts. They’re just really dedicated—solid,” he explained.

The Red Devil line included Mark Borland, Paul Schwenke, Jason Marengo, Steve Nevarez, Alex Powell and Mark Ortega.

“It was a physical game,” commented right guard Jason Marengo on the battle with Liberty City.

“I had a fun experience,” added center Steve Nevarez. “It’s fun, exciting, and a lot of hard work. I like football because it keeps you going. You stay focused.”

Another standout included quarterback R. J. Silvey, who started both ways for the Devils, doubling at outside linebacker on defense. “We got a lot of scouting on the Liberty City team and we looked at all of the films, and we did it,” said Silvey. “It was a close game, but we held them.”

Holiday cheer
For Kathy Robinson and the Oak Grove cheer squads, the holiday season of 2004 brought good tidings as well.

“We finished fifth but it feels like first,” said Robinson, who has coached at Oak Grove since 1996. “All year long our team cheer was, ‘A different team, but the same dream.’ We’ve been dreaming of winning nationals, but every year you have to start over again.”

Given the revolving age of willing participants, Robinson deals with 15-20 new recruits each year. On a team of 30, the fact levies a hefty blow to the group’s judged skill.

This year, however, Oak Grove cheer took another step toward Robinson’s ultimate dream of winning a national championship—the Midget Roughriders finished fifth.

“It took us eight years to get into the top five and I am pretty happy,” said Jada Dongong, a cheerleader for all eight of those years.

“It’s hard to win over there on the East Coast,” said Robinson. “There are kids that eat, sleep and drink cheerleading and football. Here, there is a wide array of activities for kids to participate in. It’s a testament to how hard kids and parents are working in this area to compete at the level we did this season.”

Driving force
While OGYF expounds on a sound winning tradition around the gridiron, the question arises: why? More than any Pop Warner program in the area, Oak Grove turns out consistent winners in athletics and in society.

Those involved offer similar rationale: it’s who is involved.

“Kathy Robinson and Cathy Wilson do a tremendous job,” said Haney. “They donate time and energy and it really pays off. They find ways to fund the team’s traveling expenses. They pay for kids who can’t afford to play.”

Specifically, OGYF leases out a building that hosts bingo games on Tuesdays and Fridays. The site is on Alma Avenue and all revenues benefit Oak Grove Youth Football, with Wilson serving as one of the coordinators.

“She’s down there every week of the year,” said Haney. “She doesn’t stand up or say anything about what she does, but she makes it possible. She brings in enough money so we can afford to go to Florida or Reno.”

Robinson, in turn, suggests that Haney’s winning reputation brings in talented kids and supportive parents.

“All the kids want to go where you are winning,” said Robinson. “Coach Haney can take a kid who doesn’t even know what a football is and make him into a football player. He’s great with kids. I think it’s a combination of personal drive for perfection and a desire to keep kids off of the street.”

Given recent success, Robinson and Haney predict a large turnout for sign-ups at Oak Grove High School on March 8 and 12.

“I don’t think it’s going to be hard to get kids out,” said Robinson. “But we want to build an entire program like this—the first of its kind.”

Silver Creek places sixth in section wrestling competition

20th Annual Cupertino Memorial Tournament

By Val Esquivel
Special to the Times

Typically the Silver Creek wrestling team travels great lengths to wrestle the best competition, competing at the Zinkin Classic in Clovis and the Reno Tournament of Champions in Reno, Nev. early in the season.

Hot off the heels of a 50-24 victory over division rival James Lick, the Silver Creek Raiders got their first chance to expose themselves to section competition at the 20th Annual Cupertino Memorial Tournament.

Compiling a point total of 124.5 points. Silver Creek was led by tournament finalists junior Michael Rico (135) and senior Raymond Romero (HWT). The Silver Creek wrestling team placed sixth in a competitive field that included Sac-Joaquin Section powerhouse Del Oro High School (first with 224 .5 points), Foothill of Bakersfield and highly ranked Los Gatos and Fremont High Schools of the Central Coast Section.

Placing above higher ranked number four St. Francis, number five San Benito and number nine Monterey (www.thecaliforniawrestler.com/wowbb), Silver Creek proved that they would be in the hunt at the CCS tournament in February.

Once again sophomore Tina Linhsamount (103) proved that she can hang with the boys. Wrestling Friday and pinning her way to the finals, she earned Outstanding Wrestler honors at the second-man tournament. Showing no signs of letting up, she pulled double-duty, competing at the varsity tournament on Saturday and placing sixth.

Silver Creek junior Robert DeGuzman (112) placed third, battling back from a loss in the semi-finals to 2004 State placer Filip Novachkov of Fremont. His third place finish came after beating Del Oro’s Denny Berry twice and knocking off CCS fifth ranked wrestler Grant Kadokura of Monta Vista.

Silver Creek junior Michael Rico (135) upset number two seed Stephen Thalin of The King’s Academy in the semi-finals in a close 7-6 bout. Thalin is currently ranked number three in the section while Rico is ranked seventh. In the finals number one seed Ryan DeMartini of Del Oro was the victim of Rico’s “power-half.” Rico walked away with the championship after a 9-1 thrashing of DeMartini in the finals.

After his victory Rico stated, “I knew that I could beat him [DeMartini] going take down for take down and did not want to let up on him. If I controlled the pace of the match, there was no way that he would beat me.”

At 152 lbs.., Silver Creek senior Eric Carlos pinned Mike Wysuph, the section’s number two ranked wrestler early in the tournament. Wrestling for fifth and sixth place and unable to score after two beautifully executed textbook double-legs, Carlos lost a tough match to Wysuph in the consolation medal rounds and settled for sixth place.

In what was touted as the premier match of the tournament, Independence High School’s Tommy James defeated Silver Creek’s heavyweight Raymond Romero. The two are surely to meet again at the Mid-Cal tournament, the Silver Creek Independence dual, Blossom Valley finals and the CCS championships.

Other Silver Creek wrestlers that wrestled for consolation championships and were victorious include Omar Armenta at 140 lbs., Brandon Hernandez at 145 lbs. and David Semedo at 215 lbs..

Head Coach Eddie Luna was pleased with the team’s performance but also sees that improvement will be needed as the season progresses.

“I was happy with our performance, but there were many things that we need to clean up, work on and improve on,” said Luna. “The kids wrestled tough and are heading in the right direction.

“We had some breakout performances from our guys [and girl], and that was what this team needed,” he continued.

“It was good to see our kids place, they have invested many hours of hard work and it is beginning to pay off.  If we continue improving and working hard, we will have a successful season.”

Silver Creek, Overfelt, Evergreen Valley and Mt. Pleasant High Schools will compete in the 40th Annual Overfelt Classic on Saturday, Jan. 22, and the 25th Annual JV Wrestling Tournament on Friday, Jan. 21. Watch the Evergreen Times for coverage of this event.

Evergreen Valley High School Boys Varsity Basketball Schedule

Home games are in bold.

Silver Creek Grad celebrates New Year’s Day fiesta

By Mike McFerran
Staff Writer

Like many of us, Silver Creek alumnus David Dirkmaat spent New Year’s Day watching the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Yet his perspective stretched far from a television screen in a cozy family room—he experienced the game firsthand from the inside.

Starting at guard for the undefeated, fifth-ranked, University of Utah Utes, Dirkmaat played a big part in their 35-7 victory over the University of Pittsburgh’s Pitt Panthers. Dirkmaat says the game, played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz., was a “first class” experience.

A crowd of more than 70,000 witnessed the game, and according to Dirkmaat, “It seemed almost like a home game for us.”

The short distance from Salt Lake City to Tempe made it easier for Utah fans to travel to the game, and they came in numbers that overwhelmed the fans from Pittsburgh. The contest was dominated by Utah, and Dirkmaat admits that it probably was not the most exciting game to watch.

Yet for him, it was an experience not soon to be forgotten.

Football career begins at Silver Creek
Although Dirkmaat’s family camped, snow-skied and water-skied, he never played any other organized sports as a kid. He attended middle school in Campbell, and when he started at Silver Creek High School in Evergreen, he was asked to join the football team. He agreed because he “just wanted to try it out.”

“Once David got into football, he was very competitive and very driven,” said proud mom, Gloria Dirkmaat. “He was truly one of those classic kids where one of the big motivators in high school was sports.”

A 2001 graduate of Silver Creek High School, Dirkmaat was an all-league selection for three years and was named the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s Most Valuable Lineman (West Valley Division) for the 2000 season. That season, Silver Creek went undefeated in regular season play while winning 10 games and a conference championship.

Dirkmaat was a two-way starter that Silver Creek Head Coach, Eric Luescher, remembers as tall and skinny, “always trying to gain weight.” Luescher says that Dirkmaat and his classmates were a “special group that really meant a lot to the Silver Creek football program.”

The coach’s sentiment is echoed by Dirkmaat, who says of those years at Silver Creek, “I remember my teammates the most.” He recalls that the 2000 championship season was “a great way to go out.”

“I am so thankful for Coach Luescher. He kept him [David] focused with a goal,” added Gloria.

College football career
On the way to Utah, Dirkmaat was named All-Central Valley Conference for Fresno City College. Dirkmaat says that when Utah recruited him out of Fresno City College, they insisted he add about 70 pounds to his 6-foot-7-inch frame.

From his playing weight of 230 pounds at Fresno, he bulked up to 310 pounds for this season at Utah. How did he do it? “I ate a lot. I ate everything,” Dirkmaat admits.

As a result of his appetite for food and football, he became part of the first undefeated, untied team at Utah since 1930. Next season, as a senior, he will be a leader on a team in transition.

Head Coach Urban Meyer will be at the University of Florida and junior quarterback, Alex Smith, a Heisman Trophy finalist, has entered the NFL draft. Optimistically, Dirkmaat looks forward to the challenge of learning a new offense and playing for new coaches. He also hopes to return to his natural position at right tackle.

Working on a dual-major in sociology and economics, Dirkmaat isn’t sure what he will be doing after he graduates next year. He does say that, if the opportunity arises, he would love to play in the National Football League.

Dirkmaat is not the only accomplished athlete in his family. His sister Megan won a silver medal in the 2004 Olympics as a member of the Women’s Eight rowing crew.

Gloria recalls that her children settled on their respective sports relatively late in their childhoods and without a lot of parental pushing, but then excelled with full familial support.

Mt. Hamilton Voltage finishes second in Delgado Class 3 league

Division 1 team to join Santa Clara Sporting Soccer Club in 2005

The Mt. Hamilton Voltage, a U12 Delgado Class 3 girls’ soccer team based in Evergreen, finished their 2004 season with a record of 25 wins, 3 ties and 4 losses, earning a second place spot in Division 1 of that league.

The team also finished first at the Almaden Halloween Classic, second at the Magic Cup III and fourth at the District Cup Tournament.

They will join the Santa Clara Sporting soccer club in early 2005 as a U13 Class 1 team, holding open tryouts Jan. 29 – 30, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Chaboya Middle School.

A successful season
Head Coach Ruby Carino, assistant coach Dan Silva and team manager Gabe Foo led the hard-working Voltage through the successful 2004 season, playing against other Class 3 teams from San Jose, Mountain View, Salinas, Santa Cruz, Redwood City and Pleasanton.

The team scored 99 goals and only let in 20 during the entire spring and fall season. That’s an average of three goals scored for the Voltage and only half a goal scored against the opposing team per game.

Success—it takes a “soccer village”
“The Voltage are a young team with big accomplishments, but it did not happen overnight,” said Foo. “Success was achieved from a year of hard work from dedicated players and parents, plus a little luck.”

The team was formed before the Fall 2003 season and finished near the bottom of the Delgado Class 3 U11 Division 1 group. In January 2004, they set off to rebuild the team and were introduced to Ruby Carino by Elida Sikora, the vice president of the Mt. Hamilton Youth Soccer League.

Carino returned to Evergreen to teach at Chaboya Middle School. She was looking for a girl’s team to coach after completing her teaching degree at the University of Santa Clara, where she also played as a center midfielder for Jerry Smith’s Broncos team.

With Carino’s depth of soccer experience and Silva’s knowledge of building strong soccer teams, the team had two key ingredients for success. Silva’s boy’s soccer team won the U.S. National Championships in 2004.

Other major factors contributing to their success included the recruitment of some new players and the acquisition of sponsorship support from team parents. Without the financial support from team sponsors Wells Fargo, Cypress, American Youth Soccer Academy, WorkZone Apparel, NetLogic Micro, West Valley Carpet Services, FlexGoal and Rudolph Sletten Engineering Contractors, the team would not have had the resources to achieve its goals.

More hard work ahead
The team is preparing for its next challenge to compete in the Abronzino Class 1 division next year. They are looking for a handful of strong players with three to four years of soccer experience.

Interested players should be under 13 years of age by July 31, 2005, and can find out more information at the team’s Web site located at www.voltageteam.org.

E-mail Gabe Foo at gabe@voltageteam.org or call him at (408) 910-3547 if you’re interested in the tryouts, Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 29 – 30.

Class 3 U12 Girls

San Jose Velocity picks up speed to place second in league

By Bea Baechle
Editor

An elated—and somewhat stunned—San Jose Velocity U12 Girls soccer team nailed second place in Division 2 of Mt. Hamilton’s 2004 Delgado Class 3 fall league in December. First place went to the SBYSL Cyberrays 92, a team from Hollister that played the entire season undefeated.

Rough start in Class 3
Velocity’s surprise stems from the fact that in their first shot at competitive Class 3 soccer in the spring 2004 season, the young team lost every game playing in the U12 age bracket. They basically had three major hurdles to cross that first season, according to Team Manager Mike van der Zweep.

“We were playing against experienced, competitive Class 3 teams; we were playing together for the first time; plus, we were playing up a league,” explained van der Zweep. He added that just a few of the girls had played together in Mt. Hamilton’s recreational league, and almost the entire team could have competed in the U11 age bracket last spring.

Turn-around trend
The opening game of the season on Sept. 11 seemed like it might be a repeat of the spring. Although they lost 2 – 7 against the SBYSL Cyberrays 92, what the team didn’t realize at the time was that this Hollister team would be their toughest competition all season. Velocity turned the tide by either winning or tying their next four games.

In the 10 games they played from September through December, Velocity won five games, tied two and lost three, with 17 goals for and 18 goals against. They played on home fields at Matsumoto and J.F. Smith Elementary Schools and traveled to their competitor’s fields in Hollister, Santa Cruz, Morgan Hill, Almaden Valley and Sunnyvale.

“We did better than last season, when we lost every game,” said Vivian Thorbecke, one of the team’s top scorers with five goals throughout the season.

“The team played really well, and all across the board, every player improved significantly,” said Team Coach Rik Thorbecke of the fall 2004 season. “I’m looking forward to developing the team.”

“I liked it a lot, and I think we’ve improved a lot. We’re passing better and our season was better,” added Michelle Angelillis, another of the team’s top scorers, also with five goals. Allie Sikora, who joined the team in the fall, also scored a point for the team.

“We really came together as a team to win second place,” noted Christina Koral.

Team sponsor provides incentive
As an added incentive for the fall season, one of the team’s dads, Jose Jaquez, owner of American Dream Financial (www.americandreamfin.com), sponsored the team and bought each soccer player a red and white soccer bag to match their uniforms, complete with their corresponding team number emblazoned on it.

“Velocity was the best team I’ve ever been on,” said his daughter Tori Jaquez. “I really enjoyed myself this season,” added Melissa “Missy” Horton.

Jenna Godsil, who shared the important goalie position with Kaitlyn van der Zweep throughout the season, chimed in, “Our [team] name speaks for us.”

“We’re proud to represent San Jose,” concluded Samantha “Sam” Munoz, who provided strong midfielder and central defense for Velocity.

“I want to thank the coaches for letting me play on their team and teaching me more,” said Abigail Villarreal. “It was also a great experience, since my team won second place.”

Rewards for fundraiser participation
To end the season on the best note possible, the Mt. Hamilton Youth Soccer League awarded them with a DVD of game highlights filmed by Lisa Davidson. It was the league’s way of thanking the Velocity team for being one of the top two contributors in the fundraiser that enabled it to replace all it’s heavy steel goals with safer, lightweight goals.

At the season’s closing pizza party in December, Coach Thorbecke thanked the parents for all their support and encouraged the girls to “give their parents extra hugs for all the rides they gave.”

Parent Elida Sikora commented, “It takes patience and dedication to build up a team. They can only get better.” Parent Adienna Rivas agrees, “It’s a commitment to practice their skills.”

San Jose Velocity is looking for a few more good players as the gear up for a short winter season starting in February. If you’re interested in joining the team, contact Coach Rik Thorbecke at (408) 858-5663.

Confident Cougars U11 girls soccer team crowned champions

By Coach Javier De La Torre
Special to the Times

With six wins, no losses and four ties, the Cougars started out with a bang in Mt. Hamilton’s Class 3 Delgado league and showed excellent skill and perseverance throughout their fall 2004 season.

Their eagerness to play was evident; everyone wanted the ball. The hard training paid off as we out-scored our first opponents 15 to 4. It was a show of individual skills. The girls were confident; the parents in awe.

Team work
The second half of the season was tougher. Injuries and illness took a toll on our already thin roster of 13. That’s when teamwork kicked in. All 13 girls fought like true Cougars for each other. When one girl wasn’t 100 percent, the girl behind or next to her gave 110 percent. It was like that the remainder of the season.

When the forwards couldn’t score, the midfielders controlled the ball and made things happen. When the defense was overwhelmed, the goalie would stop the advance and clear the ball. When the goalie was beat, a defender would appear out of nowhere to save the day. Parents and coaches suffered through each nail-biting game.

The season came down to the last game. With our sister team, the Mount Hamilton “Big Red,” nipping at our heels in points, we needed to win our last game against the Big Shots. I reminded the girls that winning is not the most important thing in a game, that playing for each other and to the best of their ability is more important.

Somehow I don’t think they listened to me that day. They wanted to win!

Big challenge
The challenge was on. Thirteen little girls showed up that day, 13 little girls left everything on the field and 13 teammates came out of there as champions. It was our highest scoring game to date, 6-0, and six different girls scored. That’s teamwork.

The Cougars were on a mission and no one would deny them. They finished the season undefeated and crowned themselves champions of 2004. Mission accomplished.

Our season was a success not only because of the hard work of our girls, but also because of the support of our cool parents. The Cougars would also like to thank the Mount Hamilton Youth Soccer League for providing a stage and a safe environment for us to play the game we love.

Lastly, we want to thank each and every one of our opponents for playing with us and challenging us. You are the future of soccer in the United States; keep playing and play with passion.

Big Red U11 girls soccer team takes second

In their first year playing together on a competitive team, the Big Red U11 girl’s soccer team rose to second place in Mt. Hamilton’s Class 3 Delgado League with a record of five wins, one loss and four ties. They scored 25 goals and only allowed five goals against them.

“Our slogan, ‘Finish Strong’ was evident by our last eight games, going 7-0-1,” said Coach Manny Cuevas. “We played at a very high level with serious intensity worthy of a Class I team. I truly believe that we did not have the individual talent at the start of the season, and by the end, we could play with anyone at our age group.”

Although a few of the girls on Big Red played together in the past in Mount Hamilton’s recreational league, they needed lots of new players to form a solid team.

“I really enjoyed meeting new girls on Big Red,” said Molly Cuevas, a forward for Big Red. “This was our first year of Select soccer and we had a lot of new girls. That was the best, meeting new teammates.”

Jaymi Werner, an 11-year-old left midfielder for Big Red, enjoyed the leap from a recreational to a competitive league. “Playing with Big Red in this competitive league was awesome! Our team was really cool. We learned a lot about soccer—which made us even better players—and even better friends...it was just a great season...Big Red Rocks!”

Her 9-year-old sister Sydney Werner, the youngest player on the team who played right defender for Big Red, added, “This was a challenging, but really rewarding season for me. I can honestly say this experience increased my love for the game of soccer!”