March 11, 2005

Evergreen Sports

Cardinals look to next season after 76-46 first-round CCS loss to Live Oak

In his last game as a Cardinal, Dull scores 20 to lead team

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

Mt. Pleasant forward Mitch Tavares shoots around prior to the Cardinals’ 76 – 46 loss to the Live Oak Acorns in the first round of CCS playoffs on Feb. 22. Photo by Diego Abeloos

The Mt. Pleasant Cardinals boys’ basketball team is headed home, for now.

After dropping a 76-46 loss to Live Oak in the opening round of the Central Coast Section Division I Playoffs, the Cardinals sounded like a team hungry for another shot at a CCS title next year.

“Compared to last year when we only won three games, this year we won 10 (overall), which is a big improvement,” said Craig Dull, senior Cardinals guard. “I think further down the line, we’ll improve more.”

Coming into the Feb. 22 contest, the Cardinals, seeded 17th, appeared as a long shot against the 8th-seeded Acorns despite vastly different records throughout the regular season. The Cardinals posted a 7 – 5 West Valley Division record and the Acorns held a 3 – 7 Tri-County League posting.

The game proved the CCS seeding committee right, as the Cardinals found themselves down by a 35 – 20 score at halftime. Throughout the contest, Cardinal defenders had trouble stopping the Acorns’ shooting touch from the outside, which saw Live Oak sink seven 3-pointers, including five in the second half.

“They really shot the ball well tonight,” said Cardinals Head Coach Anthony Elias of the Live Oak offense. “[Matt Van Keulen] started off really well, and that’s the guy that we were really worried about from the outside. We weren’t as concerned about their other shooters, so he gave their team a big lift.”

Down 15 at the start of the second half, the Cardinals’ struggles continued as the Acorns opened up with an 11 – 2 run in the first two minutes of play. On the run, Live Oak guard Doug Porras nailed two 3-pointers for six of his game-total 16 points.

The Cardinals, down 24, responded with a modest run of their own, piecing together a 6 – 2 scoring advantage to cut the lead back down to 20, with points coming from Johnny Sandate, Chris Chan and Carlos Torres.

“We’re a small team and we pretty much just got killed on the boards,” said Cardinals forward Mitch Tavares. “They kind of ran up the score and weren’t missing any shots, so it kind of fell their way.”

However, the run was not enough to build any momentum for the Cardinals, who soon found themselves down 53 – 30 on a modest 5 – 2 run by the Acorns.

The fourth quarter saw much of the same on both offense and defense for the Cardinals. Down 57 – 37 with 6:22 left in the last frame, the Cardinal defense had trouble stopping Live Oak again as the Acorns put together an 11-3 scoring advantage in just over three minutes.

For the Cardinals, the only points scored during Live Oak’s run was a 3-pointer from Dull, who finished the night and his high school basketball career with a team-high 20 points.

After 4 points from the Cardinals brought the score back to a 68 – 44 Live Oak edge, the Acorns ended the game by going on an 8 – 2 run for a final score of 76 – 46.

“I just think it was a real good experience for our guys,” said Elias. “It’s the first time in four years we’ve been to CCS … they came in and got a little taste of it. That was one of our goals coming into the season, so I’m glad we accomplished that goal.”

Despite banner year for basketball programs, Evergreen Valley falls shy of championship

Both boys’ and girls’ squads see early exits from CCS playoff competition

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

For Evergreen Valley High, the basketball season has come to a premature end.

Despite highly successful seasons from both the boys’ and girls’ teams, highlighted by Central Coast Section Playoff berths for both squads, the Cougars found themselves going home without a championship.

The boys’ squad enjoyed a banner year in the Santa Teresa Division with a 19-8 overall record and an 11-3 record in league—good enough for second place in league standings. The Cougars’ winning season gave the team a playoff berth in the CCS Division II playoffs as a No. 9 seed with a first round playoff match-up on the road against South San Francisco.

First round win
The Feb. 23 first-round game saw the Cougars take a narrow 66-63 come-from-behind win over South San Francisco. Down 56 – 45 after three quarters, the Cougar offense caught fire and outscored the Warriors 21 – 7 in the fourth quarter for the victory.

Senior Cougar guard Edward Lapitan, who was named Santa Teresa Division Senior of the Year and received first-team all-league honors, was an offensive force in the game, leading Evergreen with 25 points, including five 3-pointers, to go along with six rebounds and four steals.

“I was very comfortable with the draw,” said Evergreen Valley Head Coach Dennis Fernandez of the seeding arrangement in Division II. “We didn’t anticipate South San Francisco being as good as they were … they were just really hard to stop, but we just kept chipping away at it.”

The second-round contest, pitting the Cougars against the No. 1 ranked Palo Alto Vikings, saw a vastly different outcome.

The Cougars found themselves down 35-20 at the half, and things didn’t get much better after that. The Cougars were outscored in the third quarter 18-11, giving Palo Alto a 22-point lead heading into the final quarter of play. The fourth quarter saw the Cougars’ season come to an end, as Palo Alto matched Evergreen point-for-point, culminating in a 64-44 loss on Feb. 26.

“It seems like we’re always close, but no cigar,” Fernandez said. “Our goal for the post season was to get to the quarterfinals in the section, which no other [EVHS boys’ basketball] team has ever done.”

Despite the exit from playoff competition, the Cougars received some individual honors for their play in the regular season. In addition to Lapitan’s kudos, Morgan Blakely received first team all-league honors, while Steve Brass was honored with a second-team all-league selection.

Cougars Cody Coppernoll and Gurchet Sanghera also received honorable mentions for their efforts this season.

Lady Cougars exit first CCS round
Equally impressive throughout the regular season was the Evergreen girls’ basketball team. With a 18 – 8 overall record, the Lady Cougars steamrolled through their West Valley Division foes, racking up a perfect 12 – 0 record to claim the first-ever girls’ basketball division championship for Evergreen Valley High School.

With a perfect record on the line, the Lady Cougars found themselves in the CCS playoffs, a 14th seed in the Division II bracket.

But what began as a perfect season quickly faded in the first round of the playoffs for the Lady Cougars. Facing third-ranked Westmoor on the road, the Lady Cougars saw their season end with a 78 – 53 loss on Feb. 24.

“The girls played hard and they didn’t quit,” said Coach Leo Olmscheid. “Westmore in Daly City was very athletic, very fast. At one point we were down by about 34 points, but we kept on fighting. Other teams might have gone belly-up, but our girls kept on going, which is a testament to their character.”

Olmscheid anticipates another great season with 8 of his 10 existing players returning to compete one league up in the Santa Teresa Division against neighboring schools like Silver Creek and Mount Pleasant.

West Coast Aquatics Mile Challenge raises $14,000

Swimming always in season for these kids

It doesn’t have to be summer to find the swimmers affiliated with West Coast Aquatics in the pools at Silver Creek High School and Independence High School.

Most evenings, Monday through Friday, you can see the year-round team practicing in the pool at Silver Creek from 5:30 to 7 p.m., without fail. Swing by on Saturdays and you’ll probably spot them there bright and early at 8 a.m.

These hearty young souls recently participated in a one and a half hour Mile Challenge, swimming as many laps as they possibly could between 5:30 and 7 p.m. to raise $14,000 for their programs. Swimmers sought pledges per lap or per flat rate from family and friends to support the fundraiser.

About 10 percent of West Coast Aquatics’ budget goes to scholarships. “We never turn anyone away,” said Veronica Hernandez, West Coast Aquatics co-director of the Silver Creek site with Jancy Thompson. “We’d rather keep them in the water.”

Anyone swimming at least one mile received a medal. Jucia Huang raised the most money, and Evergreen’s Shannon Simmonds clocked the fastest time in the mile for the girls at 18:20.

Approximately 45 Evergreen-area students use the Silver Creek facility for West Coast Aquatics. Nola Wojcik’s daughter Ally is one of those kids. “She loves it. We’ve only been in it since last April, but I’ve seen a lot of improvement,” said Wojcik.

About West Coast Aquatics
West Coast Aquatics, a nonprofit organization, was established at the Frank Fiscalini International Swim Center at Independence High School in 1980 to fulfill the demand for high-level competitive swimming in East San Jose.

Today with sites at Silver Creek High School and Independence, WEST serves neighborhoods from Milpitas to Evergreen/Silver Creek and beyond with an award winning National Program. WEST offers renowned venues for national level swimming and water polo, while focusing on the development of local athletes.

During the past few years, West has offered programs for more than 2,200 learn-to-swim participants, over 350 swimmers and over 100 water polo players. For more information about swimming lessons and programs, call (408) 259-4522 or visit the Web site http://www.westcoastaquatics.org.

Silver Creek boys hoops reach CCS

By Ricky Flores
Times Intern

Win or go home is the name of the game. That’s what the playoffs are all about. The West Valley Division Champion Silver Creek Raiders traveled to Serra High School to face the No. 2 seed Padres in a CCS playoff basketball game on Thursday, Feb. 24.

The Raiders played hard on the road, but the playoffs are all or nothing and playing at Serra in San Mateo gave the Padres the advantage. Yet a strong showing by fans and families of the Raiders gave it all they had and hoped for an upset.

A sense of anxiety prevailed on the part of the Raiders, with little emotion written on any of the player’s faces. Youth and inexperience in playoff games is often an underestimated disadvantage.

First-year Coach Cliff Warren called his boys into a huddle before sending them onto the court for the start of the game.

At the tip off, Serra came out with the initial possession, but the Raiders were the first to put points on the board. That would be the only time the Raiders would lead the game.

With 3:24 left in the first period, and the score 16 – 7 in favor of the Padres, Coach Warren called a timeout to see if he could slow down the Padres’ run.

It was plain to see that the Padres had the height advantage, thus they out-rebounded the Raiders both offensively and defensively.

In one of the highlights of the game, number 3 Raider Tom Phung blocked a shot by one of the Padres, setting off a chant of “Ooooooo” echoing throughout the Raider sideline.

Another highlight came when number 32 Raider Alex Senegal set a screen just past half court and sent number 10 on the Padres to the floor, BOOM. More Ooooooo’s roared on the Raider sideline, and without a foul call, the cheers grow increasingly louder.

You could start to see the Raiders put some emotion into their game, but the second they gathered some momentum, the Padres just scored more points.

With 5:22 to go in the second quarter, the score was 27 – 12 in favor of the Padres.

Coach Warren called his second timeout with 4:17 to play in the first half, and by then, the score was 32 – 14 favoring the Padres.

Halftime arrived with the score 40 – 21.

Tough Padres defense
One of the problems that the Raiders encountered was the tough Padres defense. They had difficulty penetrating through the middle, but the Padre’s Ruben Loya made a name for himself by living in the paint, and by halftime, he had scored 10 of their 21 points.

At halftime, Coach Warren told his guys to go out there and play without fear. Lack of execution along with shots not falling and the fear factor were some issues he addressed.

The Raiders made their way back onto the court with the same faces they had before the game. Maybe they were trying to remain focused without letting their emotions get the best of them, maybe not.

At the end of the third quarter the score was 61 – 35 Padres, and the Raiders just couldn’t find a way to stop the Padre scoring onslaught.

A substitution was made for the Raiders and Ahmad Senegal came into the game. This kid played some defense.
On the initial Padre throw in, Senegal played some tenacious defense and the Raider crowd got behind him. Senegal would not let his man pass the ball to his teammates and he just pressed him with some incredible tenacity and heart.

This gave the Raider fans something to cheer for, which they badly needed.

When the final whistle blew, the Padres took home the win with the final score of 80 – 41. A tough loss for the young Raiders, but they gave all they had and fought valiantly.

For a first year coach to take his team to the playoffs speaks volumes about the job Coach Warren has done with Silver Creek’s basketball program. They lose eight seniors next year, but Warren is optimistic with the solid foundation that he has.

“We have a young team,” he said. “It’s good for them to get playoff experience.”

Only two of the players had ever been in a playoff game before. Now that they know what it’s like, they can look forward to putting themselves there again.

Valley Christian, Chaboya face-off in mayor’s youth basketball championship game

Chaboya, LeyVa students receive all-tournament team honors

The Valley Christian Warriors emerged as tournament champions at the San Jose 12th annual Mayor’s Youth Basketball Tournament in February, winning the championship game 59 – 51 against Evergreen’s Chaboya Colts.

“I think more than anything, it was definitely just an honor to have the (Warriors) team represent our school with the sportsmanship they displayed throughout every game,” said Valley Christian Junior High Athletic Director Adam Gill, whose player Tim Harris received tournament MVP honors.

This year’s tournament brought together more than 200 student athletes representing 16 Bay area public and private middle schools. The schools included the Aptos Sea Dragons, August Boeger Bobcats, Bret Harte Broncos, Brownell Bruins, Burlingame Trojans, Campbell Bulldogs, Chaboya Colts, Davis Raiders, Harker Eagles, Holy Family Bears, Hoover Hawks, Ley Va Bulldogs, Queen of Apostles Eagles, Steinbeck Stallions, St. Patrick Shamrocks and Valley Christian Warriors.

San Jose’s Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services Department hosted more than 30 championship and consolation round games at the Camden Community Center from Feb. 1 – 6.

Evergreen schools take second, fifth place
Chaboya Middle School, coached by Joe Parisi at the tournament, took home the second place trophy.

Colts team members include Shawn Grant, Jordan Gallagher, Shriraj Shah, Michael Banuelos, Joseph Gallegos, Ryan Miller, Ryan Thomas, Patrick Ngo, Michael Lopez, Richard Ly, Huan Nguyen, A.J. Landis, Herman Grewall, Marc Milioto, Robert Bates, Nick Cioffi and Rashad French represented Evergreen well.

LeyVa Middle School coached by Brian Conrad, squeaked by Brownell, 57 – 56, in the consolation championship game, earning the fifth place trophy. Ley Va also won games against August Boeger and Hoover, losing only one game to
Bret Harte in the opening round.

Bulldogs team members include Enrique Alcoser, Jay Belena, Stephen Casem, Jose Cuevas, Justin Dauz, Creighton Goodwin, Mehakpal Grewal, Daniel Johnson, Jeremiah Knight, Daniel Legget, James Lopez, Andy Mol and Alex Teel.

They made Evergreen proud.

Grant and Gallagher of Chaboya and Casem of Ley Va were named to the 2005 Mayor’s All-Tournament team, joining seven other student athletes in the 10-member team. Chaboya was the only school to produce two all-tournament players.

Chaboya’s Grant, Gallagher
National Junior Basketball (NJB) teammates Grant and Gallagher, nicknamed Peanut Butter and Jelly, have been playing together since third grade, including six years on the Evergreen All-Net team. They also played together on an AAU team called the San Jose Scholars.

At Chaboya, their team record was 16 – 3 last year and 16 – 1 this year. They were voted co-most valuable players of the Chaboya team as seventh and eighth graders. As seventh graders, they were instrumental in helping the eighth grade team at Chaboya also finish second at the San Jose 11th annual Mayor’s Youth Basketball Tournament.

Both players scored more than 275 points this year, and probably would have scored even more points had they not sat out the fourth quarter of most games. If their games had been closer, they would have played more of the game, but Chaboya often clinched a strong lead by end of the third quarter.

Gallagher was the top scorer on the team, and Grant was second. Grant was the top rebounder on the team, and Gallagher was second. They were very close to each other in both categories.

“Chaboya has had many student athletes go on and have very successful high school and college careers,” said Chaboya Basketball Coach John Franza. “If Shawn and Jordan continue to work hard in the classroom and on the court, they can enjoy the same or more success.”

Jordan was also named MVP of the Evergreen Shootout, and Shawn made the All- Tournament team for the Shootout. Both players plan to attend Evergreen Valley High School.

LeyVa’s Stephen Casem
Casem averaged 13.6 points for the Mayor’s Tournament and had 22 clutch points in the championship game to beat Brownell by 1 point. His performance earned all-tournament honors.

Casem has been playing basketball since fourth grade and has played on many teams. He currently plays for the AAU Hilltoppers and the Evergreen NJB.

“He is a versatile player who can play every position and has an excellent outside shot,” said his coach, Brian Conrad.

“Not only is he a great basketball player, but he also maintains a 3.67 grade point average.”

Casem plans to play basketball for Silver Creek High School next year and dreams of continuing his basketball career in college.

Join Evergreen’s Cougar Wrestling Club

Elementary to high school age

Elementary, middle school and high school-age girls and boys are invited to learn freestyle/Greco Roman wrestling in a safe, clean and supervised facility.

The Cougar Wrestling Club meets Tuesday and Thursday nights from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at Evergreen Valley High School’s West Gym, 3300 Quimby Road, San Jose.

Coaching the club wrestling team are Sam Spengler—the wrestling coach at Quimby Oak Middle School who ranked third in state while in high school in Montana in 1995—and Ricardo Garcia—the wrestling coach for Evergreen Valley High School, who ranked second in state at the junior college level while at West Valley in 1993 and qualified for the 1994 NCAA wrestling championships.

Freestyle/Greco wrestling tournaments begin March 12 at Santa Teresa High School, 6150 Snell Ave. and continue most Saturdays at Gilroy High School on March 19, Silver Creek High School on March 26, James Lick High School on April 2 and San Benito High School (Hollister) on April 23.

The Freestyle State Championships will be held May 6 to 8, at the San Jose Convention Center, 150 W. San Carlos St. in downtown San Jose. The Santa Clara Valley Wrestling Association Freestyle and Greco-Roman Championships will be held Saturday, May 21, at Oak Grove High School.

A $55 club fee includes instruction and club attire. For more information, contact Sam Spengler at (408) 348-2169, spengler@eesd.org, or Ricardo Garcia at (408) 910-5835, garciari@esuhsd.org.