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The Community Newspaper of Evergreen Valley / Silvercreek Valley since 1982 |
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April 7, 2006 Evergreen SportsBVAL All-League honorees for winter Girls’ basketball Boys’ soccer Girls’ soccer Mt. Pleasant Boys’ basketball Girls’ basketball Boys’ soccer Girls’ soccer Silver Creek Boys’ basketball Girls’ basketball Boys’ soccer Girls’ soccer
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| Freshman dig it out during a frosh-soph hgh hurlde heat. |
The teams entered undefeated in both fields, heading into the final leg of the MHAL dual meet schedule; however, the reigning CCS Champion Cardinal girls’ (5-1) won 89-47, while the Cougar boys’ (5-1) succeeded 76-45, solidifying what Evergreen Coach Frank Slaton had guessed.
“Mount Pleasant’s girls are the best team in the CCS,” said Slaton. “They really came after us. They have a good number of stars and they can do so many events. I was really proud of our girls. There was really not a whole lot that we could do. (Cardinals head coach) Steve Nelson does a great job over there.”
Mount Pleasant’s girls regularly clock in as one of the top track programs in the section. The Cardinals have earned six CCS titles in Coach Steve Nelson’s tenure, including four since 2000.
Nelson said he fielded five Division I prospects on the girls’ side, and they are all underclassmen. Jeneba Tarmoh, Vasthi Thomas, Stella Dugall, Marshay Brown, and Deidra Pedegroo all expect to compete for individual championships at CCS this year, with Thomas and Tarmoh potential candidates to take state.
“I think the reason we have been successful is because we have had so many athletes who really wanted to do the work and bought into our system,” Nelson said. “The philosophy is development, and our strength developmentally is spending a lot of time in the weight room. You don’t look at trying to jump past reality.”
Mount Pleasant took firsts in all but four events. They missed the 1600, which Evergreen junior Jessica Gonzalez captured with a time of 5:38.00, the 300-meter low hurdles and high jump, won by sophomore Golde Ibia, 0:50.5 and 5-feet-3-inches, and the mile relay.
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| Mount PLeasant junior Jeneba Tarmoh kicks in the final 100-meters of her first place finish in the quarter-mile. She clocked at 00:60.00. |
Otherwise, the Cardinal girls were remarkable.
Thomas especially impressed, clocking a blistering 0:13.9 mark in the 100-meter high hurdles. She also stuck a 17-feet-5-inch long jump.
Tarmoh secured the most individual firsts, however, finishing the quarter-mile in 0:60.00, the 100-meters in 0:11.5, and the 200, with a mark of 0:25.0.
“Evergreen has some good, young kids,” said Nelson. “I knew it was not a meet that we could just overlook. I stressed that fact, and we were motivated. All of our kids knew who the Evergreen kids were, and what their marks were.”
On the boys’ side, Evergreen dominated. The Cougars nailed all but three events.
“The boys’ team is very, very young,” said Nelson. “We have 12 sophomores on varsity. I am happy with them. I didn’t expect a championship season, but I expect that quite a few guys from this team will do well in the future.”
Seniors Josh Hernandez and Johnathan Gragert and junior Nathan Goodrich stabilized the Evergreen effort, each good for two individual firsts, except Goodrich, who took one on the track and two in the field.
Gragert won the mile in 4:36.00 and the 3200 in 10:03.
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| Evergreen senior Josh Hernandez pulls out ahead of the pack in the boys’ varsity quarter-mile race. He finished first, covering 400 meters in 00:52.00. |
Hernandez owned the 400, 0:52.0, and 800, 2:06.0.
Goodrich, meanwhile, won the 200, covering the distance in 0:22.7, the long jump—20-feet-3-inches—and the triple jump—43-feet-3-inches.
“The biggest thing is to get as many kids out as that want to participate,” said Slaton. “Some will end up being league champs, some CCS champs, and others are out there to be part of the team, learning about life itself.”
Slaton said he was pleased with Evergreen’s performance this season, just one year out the B-League Santa Teresa Division.
“We thought we would be competitive,” he said. “We didn’t necessarily think we would be in a position to win everything.”
Casimere captures NorCal Level-8 championship
Silver Creek freshman tops amongst state gymnastics competition
By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer
Fourteen-year-old Silver Creek freshman Camisha Casimere earned NorCal level-8 state titles as the top performer in floor, beam, bars and all around categories March 18-19 in Sacramento.
Casimere, who hopes to compete at UCLA after high school, turned in the meet’s top scores in those events, logging a 9.5000, 9.7250, 9.4750, respectively, and 37.9500 overall.
Casimere said she improved her floor routine from last season, when she also competed as a level-8.
“I was really shocked that I got first place and that I did as well as I did,” said Casimere. “I think that my best event became the floor. It has gone up since last year.”
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| Camisha Casimere soars during the level-8 NorCal event in sacramento March 18-19. The Silver Creek freshman took first place overall at the event. |
Casimere said her performance benefited from additional tumbling classes, which she enrolled in at Airborne Gymnastics, the private training facility and gymnasium she works out at.
“Camisha is extremely gifted on beam and floor exercises,” said Airborne owner/coach Leah Parker. “She is extremely confident on the beam and on floor she is a very powerful tumbler. She also loves to perform.”
To win, Casimere compiled the highest score amongst 300 competitors, the majority of whom have seriously pursued competitive gymnastics for nearly a decade.
“Gymnastics really takes a long time to learn,” said Parker. “It is a very structured, difficult sport. Most kids will compete for an entire year prior to the level 8, and they have done that for each level they’ve gained.”
Amateur gymnasts strive for level 10, before they may be considered for ‘elite’ status, which Olympians carry.
“Nearly all Division I gymnasts at universities are level 10 competitors,” said Parker. “Camisha will be going level 9 for the next season, in the spring.”
Parker said that most Airborne students do not compete in high school programs because the competition is not as strong and the likelihood of being recruited to advance into college ranks is not as great. Also, with the rising costs of insurance and gym sites, many public schools have abandoned gymnastics’ programs in recent years.
“Gymnastics has taught our kids great time management skills and organization. It makes them really well-rounded kids, and, physically, they are probably in better shape than most kids out there in high school,” said Parker.
Casimere said she enjoys interacting with friends at practice as much as any part of the action. However, Coach Parker cites Casimere’s beam routine as the most fun.
“Camisha’s beam routine is the most impressive thing,” said Parker. “She tumbles and dances on the beam for a minute and a half. The event combines both tumbling and dance on a 4-inch-wide balance beam. Most normal people won’t be able to do that.”
Parker said it can take 8-10 years to learn a routine of that caliber, depending on when a kid begins taking gymnastics.
“I was more scared when I competed, last year,” said Casimere. “I did not feel as confident as I did this year. I did a second year of level 8 and that helped me feel more confident. I got more skills.”
Three-run sixth by Pioneer sinks Cardinals
Mt. Pleasant drops 5-3 loss as Pioneer’s Caitlynn Steinberg
knocks in game-winning runs with two-out single
By Diego Abeloos
Editor
Caitlynn Steinberg’s two-run single with the bases loaded completed a three-run Pioneer comeback in the bottom of the sixth inning as Mt. Pleasant lost 5-3 in softball action on March 30.
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| Cardinals starting pitcher Sarah Dagnino (7) ended up taking the tough luck loss in a 5-3 decision at Pioneer on March 30. |
The come-from-behind win bumped Pioneer’s record above the .500 mark at 4-3 overall and 1-1 in Mt. Hamilton Division play. Mt. Pleasant, meanwhile, dropped to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in league play.
“I feel really good,” Pioneer head coach Ernie Garcia said of the win, “especially given the fact that we didn’t practice for four days or even pick up a bat.”
For Pioneer, the game proved to be a continual back-and-forth effort, coming back twice in the game from one-run deficits.
“I knew they were going to give us a battle,” Mt. Pleasant head coach Manuel Resendez said. “We did a lot of good, positive things. Those girls (Pioneer) put the bat on the ball and got the hits when they needed them. That’s a very good sign of a very good ball club over there.”
For Resendez, the loss was evidence of a young team learning to play together and growing as players. The Cardinals are fielding a team with only two seniors on the squad, while the rest of the team is made up of mostly juniors, as well as a pair of sophomores and freshmen.
“We have a lot of freshmen who are starting and they need experience, especially at this level,” Resendez said. “…The inexperience has cost us, but it’s a learning process.”
Down 1-0 after Mt. Pleasant plated a run on a single from Athena Salinas, Pioneer stormed back in the bottom of the inning with two runs. With runners on second and third with two outs, Brittany Pentacoff laced a single off the foot of Cardinals’ pitcher Sarah Dagnino, with the ball redirected toward the middle infield, allowing both Amber Medlock and Vanessa Silva to score for a 2-1 lead.
The lead held up until the top of the sixth, when the Cardinals put together a two-run effort off Pioneer starting pitcher Alyssa Walker to take a 3-2 lead.
The Cardinals got the inning started with a booming triple to right field by Christina Botkins, before Marissa Trujillo singled to center field, scoring Botkins and tying the game at 2-2.
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| Mt. Pleasant shortstop (43) Christina Botkins makes a throw on the run to first base during a 5-3 loss at Pioneer on March 30. Photos by Jeff Frazee |
After a single from Dagnino put runners at the corners, Alisha Trujillo hit a 4-3 double play grounder, allowing pinch runner Erika Freqoso – in for Marissa Trujillo – to score and allowing the Cardinals to take a 3-2 lead.
The lead didn’t hold for long however, as the Mustangs stormed back with a three-run, game-winning bottom of the sixth.
Katie Town led off the inning with a triple to right field, before a one-out squeeze bunt single from Danielle Clough brought Town home for a 3-3 tie. After a two-out double from Nicki Rebhan put runners on second and third, Medlock drew a walk to load the bases. Steinberg then stepped up and lined a single to center field, scoring both Clough and Rebhan for the game-winning runs.
“That was huge too, to get that rally going,” Garcia said, referring to Medlock’s walk to load the bases. “I’m proud of all the girls and how they did. They did a very good job.”
Walker, a sophomore, picked up the win for the Mustangs, pitching a complete game. Garcia said Walker is just beginning to scratch the surface of her potential, not just athletically, but mentally as well.
“She made the adjustments in the beginning,” Garcia said of Walker. “She was getting behind on some pitches, but she adjusted everything and she came back and finished strong. All of her pitches started working toward the end.”
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