May 2, 2008

Evergreen Sports

Close only counts in horseshoes

The Cougars suffered their ninth one-run loss of the season Wednesday to Willow Glen High School 6-5.

The first four innings were scoreless with strong pitching from Evergreen Valley’s Michael Reyes.

The Rams drew first blood in the top of the fifth inning when Willow Glen’s Dane Gurley walked with one out.

Gurley then stole second and advanced to third base on a wild pitch.

Sophomore Kyle Ray then singled him in to take the late 1-0 lead.

Evergreen Valley Coach Tim Lugo made a pitching change, substituting Reyes with senior Andrew Dennis.

Dennis then managed to get out of the inning after walking the bases loaded.

The Rams went right back to work in the top half of the sixth inning when they were able to capitalize on a walk, two singles and a Evergreen Valley throwing error as Willow Glen put three more runs on the board.

The Cougars finally got on the scoreboard in its half of the sixth inning when Sophomore with singles from Sophomore Chris Kasinski and Junior Jose Gonzalez.

Senior Andrew Knowles followed with triple and Junior Will Medina pitched in the scoring drive with a double that put Evergreen Valley behind 4-3 heading into the seventh inning.

The Rams added two more runs in their half of the inning as they went back out onto the filed with a comfortable 6-3 lead.

The Cougars weren’t ready to quit as they hit back-to-back singles to start off the inning.

Dennis hit a triple off the outfield wall that scored both base runners and put the gametieing run on third base with no outs.

The next Evergreen Valley batter hit a line drive that bounced in front of the left fielder Nate Kadlececk, who picked up the ball and threw Dennis out at the plate and ended the Cougars chance of coming back.

Despite the efforts, Lugo said that Wednesday’s game summed up his team’s season story.

“This game has been the story of our season,” Lugo said. “We’ve lost nine one-run games, we get close but just can’t find a way.”

Both teams finished with eight hits apiece while Lugo said that he made some late-game pep talks to stir some chemistry among his young players.

“I told them to go back and do our thing,” Lugo said. “I told some of them to make some batting adjustments and they worked late in the game.”

Wednesday’s loss puts Evergreen Valley’s league record in the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s Santa Teresa division at 5-13 with a 7-19 overall record.

—By Jeremy Barousse

Lady Cougars win big

The Evergreen Valley High School softball team snapped a two-game losing streak with a dominating 9-3 victory over Westmont High School Wednesday afternoon.

The lady Cougars were able to compile nine hits, three of which resulted in doubles.

The Warriors were leading 2-1 in what seemed to be a slow-paced game until the bottom of the fifth inning when Evergreen Valley opened up its offense, scoring seven runs in the inning.

They didn’t have to look back from there.

Juniors Bianka Molina and Janel Salanoa each had a double and three runs-batted-in on the afternoon while Junior Elyse Little pitched in with a double.

Molina also pitched well on the mound, holding Westmont to only five hits and had a pair of strikeouts while she was backed up on defense, holding the Warriors to only three runs.

Evergreen Valley Coach Rick Flores said that his team stayed aggressive on offense, which eventually became the game’s deciding factor.

“The girls came out swinging in the fifth,” Flores said. “Our bats came alive and we got to score some critical runs. They really came through. We were really aggressive at the plate and we got some good pitches.”

Wednesday’s victory now puts the lady Cougars in second place all by themselves in the Mt. Hamilton division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League, as both teams went into the contest tied.

Evergreen Valley is now 7-4 in league and 15-7 overall, with three league games remaining in the season. —By Jeremy Barousse

EVHS boys tennis meets Leland for championship

By Helen Hong
Special to the Times

For the nine graduating seniors on Evergreen Valley’s boys tennis team, the final match of the season took place Thursday, Apr. 17 against Leland. This match was not only their last in their high school careers, but it also determined who would become the champions of the A league in the Blossom Valley Athletic League.

Though the Cougars had already defeated Leland once before, some eligibility ruled resulted in a forfeit to Westmont, leaving Evergreen and Leland tied for the championship title. Coach Wolverton, who came in as a new coach, introduced many beneficial changes, such as creative drills and strategies to prepare the boys for the deciding game. One of the most memorable matches took place with senior Daniel Chu, number one singles, playing against an opponent ranked number 14 in California with an undefeated record for two years.

Although the final match ended with a loss, the Cougars ended the season with a record of 10 to 2. Senior Khanh Ngo, number one doubles, remarked, “All in all, this was the best season of tennis I have ever played at Evergreen; our boys tennis team is completely united and we had many breathtaking matches.” For next year, the returning players hope to uphold Evergreen’s reputation achieved through hard work, endurance and unity.

EVERGREEN SPORTS SCHEDULES 5/3 - 5/16

Evergreen Valley High
5-06 – Badminton v. Oakgrove

5-07 – Baseball v. Oak Grove
5-07 – Softball at Leland

5-08 – Badminton at Silver Creek

5-09 – Baseball at Mt. Pleasant
5-09 – Softball v. Live Oak
5-09 – Boys’ tennis singles/doubles tournament at Mt. Pleasant 4 p.m.

5-12 – Badminton league finals at Independence 4 p.m.
5-12 – Boys’ tennis singles/doubles tournament at Mt. Pleasant 4 p.m.

5-14 – Baseball CCS begins
5-14 – Softball CCS begins

5-16 – Swimming CCS begins

Mt. Pleasant High
5-06 – Badminton at James Lick

5-07 – Baseball at Willow Glen
5-07 – Softball at Silver Creek

5-08 – Badminton v. Mitty

5-09 – Baseball v. Evergreen
5-09 – Boys’ tennis singles/doubles tournament at Mt. Pleasant 4 p.m.
5-09 – Softball v. Independence

5-12 – Badminton league finals at Leigh 4 p.m.
5-12 – Boys’ tennis singles/doubles tournament at Mt. Pleasant 4 p.m.

5-14 – Baseball CCS begins
5-14 – Softball CCS begins

5-16 – Swimming CCS begins

Silver Creek High
5-06 – Badminton at Santa Teresa
5-06 – Baseball at Gunderson

5-07 – Softball v. Mt. Pleasant

5-08 – Badminton v. Evergreen
5-08 – Baseball v. Overfelt

5-09 – Boys’ tennis singles/doubles tournament at Mt. Pleasant 4 p.m.
5-09 – Softball at Sobrato

5-12 – Badminton league finals at Independence 4 p.m.
5-12 – Boys’ tennis singles/doubles tournament at Mt. Pleasant 4 p.m.

5-14 – Baseball CCS begins
5-14 – Softball CCS begins

5-16 – Swimming CCS begins

For more information on local games, log on to the BVAL web site at www.bval.org.

—Helen Hong

TimesSports Briefs

Tennis Fiesta at Evergreen Valley College May 17

Evergreen Valley College will host a tennis fiesta at EVC upper courts from noon to 6 p.m. This is annual event is for all residents of the Evergreen community and will include free tennis clinics, speed serve contest, junior tournament, a raffle, games and refreshments.

The free clinics will be conducted by former WTA pro and India no.1 Nirupama Vaidyanathan and High Performance coach KV, in addition to other certified coaches.

Adult program: 3-6 pm:
3-4 pm Adult and Junior clinics (ages 6and up)
4-5 Fastest serve contest
5-6 Prizes giveaway and snack time.

Junior Tourney: 12 pm to 3 p.m.
12 and Under Boys and Girls,
15 and Under Boys,
15 and Under Girls

Junior tournament registration is required, and is open to anyone interested in playing. Entry fee is $7/player, with a May 12 deadline. For more information and enrollment, email Coach Niru at nirupama_v@yahoo.com. For questions, call 202-7061.

5th Annual Girls on the Run 5k Fun Run at Vasona Lake County Park
Come join James F. Smith and Silver Oak Elementary Schools Chapters of Girls on the Run on May 17 at the 5th Annual Girls on the Run 5k run/walk event! Registration is at 7 a.m. and the race starts at 8 a.m.

Girls on the Run of Silicon Valley is a non-profit organization dedicated to the well-being of girls ages 8-14.  Our mission is to educate and prepare girls for a lifetime of self respect and healthy living.  The program comes together to run with family, friends and their community.  In 2007 the Fun Run attracted almost 1,000 runners along with 1,500 spectators to cheer them on.  Check it out at www.girlsontherun-sv.org.

Registration forms: www.girlsontherun-sv.org/5kregform2008public.pdf.

Presentation High School’s 23rd Annual Golf Tournament
This annual fundraising event is scheduled for May 9 at the Cinnabar Hills Golf Club. Lunch is set for 11:30 a.m. followed by a 12:30 p.m. Tee Off. The $225 cost includes golf fee, tee prize, lunch, course refreshments and the awards dinner. All proceeds benefit academic programs at Presentation High School. For additional information, contact Jane Jeziorski at 264-5110 x2428 or jjeziorski@pres-net.com.

Free city wide Youth Track Meet
The City of San Jose and San Jose Police Amateur Athletic Foundation are sponsoring the City Wide Youth Track Meet for boys and girls born between 1994-1999 (ages 9-14), on May 18, 2008 at Evergreen Valley High School, 3300 Quimby Road, San Jose. The event is free for all participants. For more information or to pre-register, please call Steve Ryan at 871-3825 or via email steve.ryan@sanjoseca.gov or Meet Director: Judi Baxter via email at judibax@sonic.net.

Evergreen Valley Soccer summer camps
EVS will be offering two soccer camps this summer. Sessions begin June 22 -26, with the All Girls Academy. The Academy is designed to help players develop all aspect of their game and topics will include:

Ball mastery
Beginning and intermediate technical skills
Small-sided games
Offensive/defensive team tactics
Training for speed/agility/quickness

Eligible girls are ages 8 – 17 and the fee is $145 per person (team discounts are available). Academy hours are 4 – 7 p.m.

The “Little Hawks” Academy is designed for players age 5 – 8 and focuses on having fun while learning new soccer skills. Coached by members of the EVC Men’s and Women’s Soccer Team, campers will participate in a variety of soccer games and activities. Session one is Aug. 4, 6 & 7 and Session two is Aug. 11, 13 &14. The fees are $90 fro one session, $140 for both. Hours are 9 – 11 a.m.

For additional information or to register, call Felicia Perez at 274-7900 x6910 or email Felicia.Perez@evc.edu.

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