October 5, 2007

Evergreen Sports

Silver Creek rallies for a 21-17 win over Chargers

Raiders score 15 points in final four minutes, stunning Tillman Stadium crowd

By Gary Van Den Heuvel
Staff Writer

The Leland Chargers opened their regular season with a 21-17 loss to the Silver Creek Raiders, who waged a furious rally to score 15 points in the last four minutes, stunning the home team on Friday, Sept. 28, at Leland's Pat Tillman Stadium.

Silver Creek's celebrates their victory over Leland while member's of Leland's football team hang their head low in the lost. The win propelled Silver Creek to 1-0 in league play. Photo by Dan Miranda

"It was a heartfelt game," said a weary Leland head coach Mike Carrozzo afterwards. "We were pretty good at making the perfect mistake at the wrong time."

Leland played practically mistake-free football in the first half. On the game's opening drive the Chargers moved the ball efficiently down the field. On a third down and eleven from their own 34-yard line, running back Kevin Krail took a short pass from Ricky Battipede all the way to the Silver Creek 37. Five yards were tacked onto the big gain due to a Raiders facemask flag. Three plays later the Chargers converted a fourth and nine with a 10-yard reception by Nate Jones. After two more plays, Battipede and Jones connected again on a 22-yard touchdown pass. The Will Boring extra point gave Leland the early 7-0 lead.

The Chargers got a shortened field to work with on their next possession; after a Raiders punt, Leland began on the Silver Creek 39-yard line. It took just three plays for Leland to score their second touchdown, this one a ten-yard sweep by Krail. The short drive was highlighted by a first down connection between the rolling out Battipede and Jones, who gained 22 yards on the catch-and-run to the Raider 17.

Coach Carrozzo had high praise for his mobile, elusive quarterback. "Ricky Battipede is a very good leader," he said. "He's a phenomenal young man, an absolute joy to coach. I would take a Ricky Battipede as my quarterback any time."

The offenses ground to a halt in the second quarter, but as Silver Creek coach Eric Luescher observed after the game, "It's nice getting the ball first in the second half. It's really nice when you start off on the first play with a touchdown."
Silver Creek's Danny Oak scooped the ball off the ground at the 15-yard line and was able to weave through defenders and behind blockers for an 85-yard touchdown return. The Raider’s action roused visiting Silver Creek fans, who hadn't had much to cheer about yet. The missed extra point left the score at 14-6.

Leland responded with a lengthy drive punctuated by a 26-yard run by Battipede on a quarterback keeper to the Raider 27. Boring kicked a 32-yard field goal to put Leland ahead by the seemingly comfortable score of 17-6.

Silver Creek continued to struggle offensively, and the end looked near in the fourth quarter when a fumbled punt snap and tackle of Raider punter Rafael Cisneros by Leland's R.J. Singer gave the Chargers possession at the Silver Creek nine. But the Raider defense awoke at the right time, on a sack by Victor Trao and an interception by Darren Sumida. Sumida returned the ball to the Raider 32 with just over seven and a half minutes left.

Silver Creek's defense stopped Leland's Kevin Krail in the second half during their game on Sept. 28 at Leland High School in San Jose. Photo by Dan Miranda

For the first time all game, the Raiders offense showed signs of life. Quarterback Joseph Chua mixed some sharp passing with his own foot speed, and on the tenth play of the drive he scored the touchdown on a play-action quarterback draw from the 8-yard line. He took it in on the next play for the 2-point conversion. With 3:34 left, the Raiders were creeping closer, down 17-14.

Needing the ball back one more time, Silver Creek's defense stuffed the Leland run and forced an incomplete pass, taking over after a Charger punt on their own 34-yard line.

Shockingly, two plays later Silver Creek had the lead. Chua found daylight and exploded through the middle of the field for a 28-yard gainer into Leland territory. The next play, Chua connected with the wide-open Sumida for a 38-yard score, and the Raiders led 21-17. The home Leland fans, who just moments before had been chanting "Bor-ring" at their rivals, were now stunned into silence as the Silver Creek supporters were joyous.

But the fireworks weren't over yet. After a squib kick and return to midfield, three straight runs by Krail (who finished with over 100 rushing yards) moved the ball to the 22-yard line. A Jones catch moved the ball inside the ten-yard line; an apparent Battipede touchdown was called back due to a holding penalty.

With less than thirty seconds left, Leland went to Krail three straight times, but on fourth down and goal with twelve seconds left, the Raiders stuffed Krail at the three yard line, cementing a dramatic comeback win.

"Our defense played extraordinarily well for three and a half quarters," said coach Carrozzo. "I don't think complacency ever came into play. We're learning. We're getting better every day."

Leland's won-loss record fell to 2-2 overall, 0-1 in league. Silver Creek's win was their first of the season (1-3, 1-0 in league).

Saints trounce Evergreen’s Cougars in first of league play

Santa Teresa 20, Evergreen Valley 12

By Gary van den Heuvel
Staff Writer

A big day from senior Alonzo Parks carried the Santa Teresa Saints to a commanding 20-12 win over the Evergreen Valley Cougars on Saturday, Sept. 25 at Santa Teresa High School. It was the first league game for both teams, the Saints continuing an undefeated season (4 wins and 0 losses) while the Cougars (0-4 overall, 0-1 in the league).

Evergreen's quarterback Derek Pauli looks to throw the ball during their game against Santa Teresa on Sept. 29 in San Jose. Evergreen lost the game. Photo by Dan Miranda

"He's a good back," said Evergreen coach Leo Olmshied about Parks, who amassed 101 yards on 22 carries and had a touchdown reception. "He runs hard, has good speed. We don't have speed. We just had to try to contain him. We blew coverage against him."

The Saints went to Parks early and often. On the first drive of the game Parks carried the ball four times for 41 yards, including a 29-yard dash. A fourth down offside penalty on the Cougars kept the drive alive for the Saints, who drew first blood on a 29-yard Andrew Amezquita field goal for a 3-0 lead.

Evergreen Valley looked sharp on their first offensive sequence. Quarterback Derek Pauli completed passes to Andre Ceja, Gabriel Rodriguez and Abrian Alfarez while the running attack, led by Ruben Soriano, Ryan Portillo and Luis Aranda moved the ball up field with efficiency. Aranda had the final three carries of the drive, the last being a one-yard touchdown dive. After a missed field goal, Evergreen Valley owned a 6-3 lead.

Santa Teresa coach Nick Alfano resorted to some trickery to reclaim the momentum and keep the Saints offense on the field. On 4th and three from their own 33 early in the second quarter, the Saints lined up in punt formation, but pulled a fast one when the ball was snapped directly to blocking back Josh Valdivia, who took it around the left corner and ran down the sideline, finally getting caught at the Cougar 14-yard line for a 53-yard gain and a first down.

Alfano acknowledged that the fake punt is a staple of his playbook: "The game is split up into offense, defense and special teams. We have a dozen different fake punts that we practice daily."

Evergreen's defense stiffened up in the red zone and the Saints had to settle for another Amezquita field goal to tie the game 6-6.

The Cougars threatened to retake the lead on their next possession, advancing to the Saints' 27-yard line, but on fourth and ten, the Saints' Kenny Dirubio broke up a pass play to give the ball back to Santa Teresa.

Following a sack of Saints quarterback Mitch Bowman by blitzing Jose Gonzalez, Santa Teresa went right back to the pass on the next play. With the charging Gonzalez again right in his face, Bowman threw into the left flat, into an area unoccupied by anyone except Parks, who turned up field and sprinted down the sideline for the 85-yard touchdown. After the PAT, Santa Teresa led 13-6.

"Evergreen was tough. They surprised us. They had our number for a while," said Alfaro. But it was at this point in the game where Santa Teresa began setting a dominant tone. After two offensive series that ended with punts, Saints defensive back Valdivia timed his pass coverage perfectly and raced untouched into the end zone with a 23-yard interception return. Moments later it was halftime and Santa Teresa led Evergreen 20-6.

Early in the third quarter Coach Olmshied raised some eyebrows when he replaced quarterback Pauli with Rudy Zapien.

"I wanted to change it up, try to get something else going, see if we can't get our offense moving," he said about the switch.

Alfano admitted, "I was shocked that they switched quarterbacks."

The switch brought encouraging results in the third quarter. Zapien completed three passes and after a fifteen yard facemask penalty spotted the ball on the Saints' 22, Zapien's fourth completion of the drive connected with receiver Derion Taylor, who caught the looping pass in coverage as he fell into the end zone. An attempt at a two-point conversion was unsuccessful.

Unfortunately for Evergreen that was their last threat of the day. Parks proved too much for Evergreen, carrying the load as the Saints worked the clock effectively in the fourth quarter. A Santa Teresa touchdown reception by Mark Gallegos was nullified because of an illegal man downfield flag, and moments later the Cougars blocked a Saints field goal attempt, but Evergreen couldn't capitalize on these opportunities, losing by a final of 20-12.

Alfano acknowledged some disappointment with Santa Teresa's performance, but he said, “A win’s a win. We made a lot of mistakes we normally don't make."

Coach Olmshied blamed mental mistakes for his team's defeat. "We had way too many breakdowns on special teams, offense, defense, and they capitalized. We played defensively pretty well. We shut them down in the second half. We've got a lot of work to do," he said.

EVERGREEN SPORTS SCHEDULES 10-6 to 10-19

Evergreen Valley High sports schedule
10-9 – Girls’ tennis vs. Overfelt, 3:15 p.m.
10-9 – Girls’ volleyball vs. Branham, 5 p.m. JV and 6 p.m. varsity

10-10 - Girls’ water polo vs. Piedmont at Willow Glen, 4 p.m. varsity
10-10 – Boys’ water polo at Live Oak, 6 p.m. varsity and 7 p.m. JV

10-11 – Cross Country at Montgomery Hill, 3:30 p.m.
10-11 – Girls’ tennis at Piedmont, 3:15 p.m.
10-11 – Girls’ volleyball at Mt. Pleasant, 5 p.m. JV and 6 p.m. varsity

10-12 - Frosh/Soph football vs. Silver Creek, 4:30 p.m.
10-12 – Varsity football vs. Silver Creek, 5 p.m. JV and 7 p.m. Varsity

10-16 – Girls’ water polo at Sobrato, 5 p.m. varsity
10-16 – Boys’ water polo vs. Pioneer, 3 p.m. JV and 4 p.m. varsity
10-16 – Girls’ tennis at Oak Grove, 3:15 p.m.

10-18 – Girls’ water polo vs. Silver Creek at Sobrato, 5 p.m. varsity
10-18 – Cross Country at Montgomery Hill, 3:30 p.m.
10-18 – Girls’ tennis vs. Silver Creek, 3:15 p.m.
10-18 – Girls’ volleyball vs. Leigh, 5 p.m. JV and 6 p.m. varsity

10-19 – Varsity football at Westmont, 7 p.m.

Mt. Pleasant High sports schedule
10-9 – Girls’ tennis vs. Westmont, 3:15 p.m.
10-9 – Girls’ volleyball vs. Live Oak, 5 p.m. JV and 6 p.m. varsity

10-10 – Boys’ water polo vs. Silver Creek at Independence, 5 p.m. JV and 6 p.m. varsity
10-10 – Girls’ water polo vs. Silver Creek at Independence, 6 p.m. varsity

10-11 – Girls’ tennis vs. Live Oak, 3:15 p.m.
10-11 – Girls’ volleyball vs.Evergreen, 5 p.m. JV and 6 p.m. varsity

10-12 - Frosh/Soph football at Gunderson, 4:30 p.m.
10-12 – Varsity football at Gunderson, 7 p.m.

10-16 – Girls’ tennis at Independence, 3:15 p.m.
10-16 – Boys’ water polo at Independence, 3 p.m. JV and 4 p.m. varsity
10-16 – Girls’ water polo vs. Willow Glen at Live Oak, 5 p.m. varsity

10-18 – Girls’ Tennis at Yerba Buena, 3:15 p.m.
10-18 – Boys’ water polo at Sobrato, 7 p.m. varsity and 8 p.m. JV
10-18 – Girls’ water polo at Sobrato*, 4 p.m. varsity
10-18 – Girls volleyball vs. Westmont, 5 p.m. JV and 6 p.m. varsity

10-19 – Varsity football vs. Del Mar, 7:30 p.m.

Silver Creek High sports schedule
10-9 – Girls’ volleyball vs. Independence, 5 p.m. JV and 6 p.m. varsity
10-9 – Girls’ tennis at Leland, 3:15 p.m.

10-10 – Boys’ water polo vs. Silver Creek at Independence, 5 p.m. JV and 6 p.m. varsity

10-11 – Girls’ volleyball at Andrew Hill, 5 p.m. JV and 6 p.m. varsity
10-11 – Cross Country at Montgomery Hill, 3:30 p.m.
10-11 – Girls’ tennis vs. Santa Teresa, 3:15 p.m.

10-12 - Frosh/Soph football at Evergreen, 4:30 p.m.
10-12 - Varsity football at Evergreen, 7 p.m.

10-16 – Girls’ volleyball vs., Willow Glen, 5 p.m. JV and 6 p.m. varsity
10-16 – Girls’ water polo vs. Piedmont Hills at Evergreen, 6 p.m. varsity
10-16 – Girls’ tennis vs. Overfelt, 3:15 p.m.

10-18 – Girls’ volleyball vs. Prospect, 5 p.m. JV and 6 p.m. varsity
10-18 – Boys’ water polo vs. Santa Teresa at Sobrato 6 p.m. varsity
10-18 – Girls’ tennis at Evergreen, 3:15 p.m.
10-18 – Cross Country at Montgomery Hill, 3:30 p.m.

For more information on local games, log on to the BVAL Web site at http://www.bval.org/.

SPORTS BRIEFS

Sharks announce time change for Oct. 7 game at Colorado
The San Jose Sharks have announced a time change to their away game schedule. The Oct. 7 match against the Colorado Avalanche has been changed from 5 p.m. PST to the new time of 4 p.m. PST. The game will be broadcast on FSN Bay Area and 98.5 KFOX and the Sharks Radio Network.


Coyote Creek National Junior Basketball Sign-ups
NJB (National Junior Basketball) is a nonprofit organization with local chapters in 6 states.  The Coyote Creek chapter services the greater South San Jose area in and around Blossom Valley and South Evergreen.  

This year, we are offering a co-ed clinic for 2nd graders focusing on basketball fundamentals, divisional play for 3rd/4th, 5th/6th, and 7th/8th grade boys, and the same for girls. We also offer an "All-Net" division for a higher level of competition with four girls’ and four boys’ teams (one each) from 5th to 8th grade. Our newest, very popular addition is a boys’ (and possibly girls') JV High School division for 9th/10th grade (maybe also a Varsity team for 11th/12th grade).

Practices start in October, first games are December 2nd. Fees are $100 (clinic), $235 (all other divisions), and discounts for multiple siblings.  Fees include shorts, jersey, weekly practices, and a minimum of 10 games.

Our fun-packed all-day season-opening Jamboree will be on Saturday, December 1st at Oak Grove High School with pictures, games, and lots of prizes.

For more information and online registration please visit www.coyotecreeknjb.com  or call Merv Reyes at (408) 674-2098 or Talaya Anderson at (408) 313-2169


World Class Tennis Instruction
Nirus Tennis Academy is offering specialized tennis coaching in another location in the Silver Creek/Evergreen area. They offer top level tennis coaching to all ages and experience levels starting with peewee tennis to Super Senior Social tennis.

Nirus Tennis Academy is proud to be associated with Evergreen Valley College for tennis instruction and to build community spirit through tennis. They offer group lessons, private lessons, round robin match play, ladder programs, Cardio Tennis, peewee programs, competitive match training, career counseling through tennis and much more.

Whether your goal is to play for your high school team, NORCAL level USTA tournaments, or even professional or college tennis, Nirus Tennis Academy coaches have the experience to make it happen. Coach Niru and KV, Directors of the Academy, have played ATP and WTA World level tennis. Coach Niru was a No. 1 ranked female Indian player for 10 years and has played Wimbledon, both the Australian and US Open tournaments and was a participant in the 2000 Olympics at Sydney, Australia. Coach KV is a top-level high performance USTA athlete and has produced top-ranked players. They are assisted by other certified coaches. Please visit www.nirustennis.com or call Coach Niru at 202 7061 for details and scheduling.
 

San Jose Aces 18U Travel Baseball Team Seeks Players
The San Jose Aces 18U competitive travel team seeks 16-17-18 YO players (no older than 18 years on April 30, 2008 ) for the fall/winter season.  All positions are welcome but especially seeking experienced high school-level pitchers.  Current team consists of players from Branham, Leigh, Bellarmine, Santa Teresa and other local schools.   

This team will compete at local and some regional 18U wood bat tournaments.  Players should have prior travel/tournament and/or high school baseball experience. 

Contact Coach Warren Nagatani at warren@sanjoseaces.com or 449-7229 for tryout, practice and fee information.  You may also visit www.sanjoseaces.com for more information.


Point Break Volleyball Club Clinics and Tryouts
We will be holding volleyball skills clinics on October 21 and 28 from 5-7 p.m. at Santa Clara High School. The cost is $20 per session. Players are encouraged to come out and meet the Point Break coaches, players, and families, and get a taste of the club’s “Live Aloha” style. Players of all ages who wish to brush up on their skills before the tryout season begins are welcome to participate, whether they plan to tryout for a Point Break team or not. Tryouts for Power and Area teams will be held on November 3 at Lynbrook High School for $25. Power team tryouts for all ages will be from 2:30-5:30 p.m. Area team tryouts for all ages will be from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Be sure to come at least 45 minutes early to check in. If you cannot make it on that date, there will be make-up tryouts on November 11 from 4-6 p.m. at Santa Clara High School for all ages, for both Power and Area teams. The cost is $25. For more information, please visit our website, www.pointbreakvbc.com.

Sports Briefs: Sports Briefs listings are subject to the following fee structure: $25 per month, per publication for the Evergreen and Almaden Times; $10 per month, per publication for the monthly newspapers. Indicate publication placement at the time the listing/payment is submitted. Sports Briefs accepts checks – payable to Times Media, Inc – VISA or MC. To charge your payments call Sonia Pineda at 494-7000 x205. Be sure to reference your team/organization with your payment. Listings appear once payments are received. TMI sponsored events and full-proceed charity fundraisers exempted. Email, fax or mail listing text to: candy@timesmediainc.com 1310 Tully Road, Suite 107, San Jose, CA 95122. 408-494-7078 (fax) Limit 200 words. Questions? Call 494-7000 x225.