October 7, 2005

Evergreen Sports

Mt. Pleasant boys’ water polo drops 19-10 loss to Leland

Floersch brothers combine for eight goals as Cardinals drop to 1-1 in league play

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

For the first time in more than two years, the Mt. Pleasant boys’ water polo team lost to the Leland Chargers, a 19-10 decision, at Lincoln High on Sept. 28.

Ryan Floersch (4) of the Mt. Pleasant Cardinals looks for a scoring opportunity in a 19-10 loss to Leland on Sept. 28. Ryan Floersch led the Cardinals with six goals scored overall. Photo by Diego Abeloos

The loss dropped the Cardinals to 7-3 overall and 1-1 in Mt. Hamilton Division play, while the Chargers improved to 8-4 overall with a 3-0 record in league play.

“This year we knew they were stronger and we have a lot of unknowns,” said Cardinals head coach Andy McKay. “It’s just with the numbers, it’s real hard. We only had one sub and some of our kids got real tired in the second half.”

Last season, the Cardinals swept the Chargers in three match-ups throughout the season en route to the 2004 Mt. Hamilton Division title. Chargers’ head coach Mike Monsees said his team worked diligently throughout the off-season for the 2005 season with one single goal in mind—to beat the Cardinals.

“I’m really excited for the boys,” Monsees said. “They worked hard all year with really one main target—to come out on top against the team that beat them last year, and we were able to do that. It was exciting for the boys.”

With a 3-3 tie in the second quarter, the Cardinals took an early 5-3 lead on goals from brothers Ryan and John Floersch. The Chargers bounced back quickly however, going on a 4-0 scoring run, including a goal from Shane Keno, who led Leland with six goals overall.

The second quarter then finished with the Chargers going on a slight 3-2 edge in scoring, getting two more goals from Keno and one from Jon Foote for a 10-7 lead. Mt. Pleasant received two goals during that same stretch from Ryan Floersch, who led the Cardinals with six goals overall in the game, while John Floersch chipped in two goals.

“Those guys are incredible,” McKay said of the Floersch brothers. “There was several times out there where I thought Ryan was going to lose the ball, only to still have it. At least two times today he came up and made a tough shot.
Both those guys, major colleges are looking at them and they both have good grades. They have a lot of different options.”

Monsees said the Floersch brothers posed the biggest threat to the Chargers throughout the contest.

“They’ve got two premier players who I hope will play college ball in the Floersch boys,” Monsees said. “They are great athletes. If they had more support, we would really be in trouble, but we were able to capitalize.”

The third quarter saw the Cardinals cut the lead to two with a 2-1 scoring advantage on goals from Ryan and John Floersch, countered by a goal from Leland’s Jacob Lubianker for an 11-9 Leland lead. But the Chargers finished the third quarter on a 2-0 scoring run, getting another goal from Lubianker and another from Foote to extend Leland’s lead to 13-9.

“When they moved up to try and give their team more offense, it left us those fast breaks, and that’s where we started breaking away in the second half,” Monsees said.

The fourth quarter saw the Chargers take control of the game, outscoring the Cardinals 6-1 to take the game. Ryan Floersch scored the Cardinals’ lone goal in the quarter with 3:38 left in the contest, which at the time cut Leland’s lead to 15-10.

From that point on, the Chargers finished out the game on a 4-0 scoring run, getting two more goals from Keno, both within a minute of play, to complete the win.

“We held with them for about the first half, and then they kind of wore us down,” McKay said.

Evergreen Valley football shuts out Willow Glen 27-0 in league opener

Cougars defensive back Larry Lacotti returns interception 103 yards
for a TD; Joe Duran rushes for 121 yards and 2 TDs

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

The Evergreen Valley Cougars took a convincing 27-0 win at home against the Willow Glen Rams in the team’s Santa Teresa Division opener on Sept. 30.

The Cougars, who moved to the Santa Teresa Division after spending last season in the West Valley Division, improved to 3-1 overall with the win.

“I thought our kids did a good job of sticking with it,” said Cougars head coach Dee Quinet. “It’s tough when you’re blocking 10 or nine guys, but they stuck it out and we played great defense.”

Cougars quarterback Mike Davis pitches the ball to Joe Duran during a 27-0 win against Willow Glen on Sept. 30. Duran led the offense with 121 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Photo by Diego Abeloos

The Cougars’ offense moved swiftly and efficiently, particularly in the first half, scoring twice within the first 14 minutes of the game. However, the defense—specifically cornerback Larry Lacotti—did its part as well in contributing to the scoring.

With Evergreen leading 15-0 just before the end of the first half, Lacotti made the play of the game when he intercepted a Juan Baron pass three yards deep in the end zone and returned it 103 yards for a touchdown with 16 seconds left in the second quarter for a 21-0 Evergreen lead. Lacotti also led the Cougars in receiving, catching five passes for 39 yards.

“He’s just a great kid,” Quinet said of Lacotti. “He’s a hardworking kid and he comes from great stock. He’s one of those kinds of guys that you can count on in situations. He’s going to do what it takes to win.”

Overall, the defense registered three interceptions and two sacks while holding Willow Glen scoreless throughout the game.

Willow Glen’s best chance to score came during their last drive of the game when the Rams drove the ball from their own 45 before getting stopped at the goal line by the Cougar defense. The Rams had a 1st-and-goal situation at the Evergreen 3 yard-line and made it to the Evergreen 1 yard-line on 4th-and-goal when Rams’ backup quarterback Stephen Alanis tried to sneak past the goal line, only to be stopped one inch short of a touchdown with 5 seconds left in the game.

“All of those kids over there have been put together pretty well,” Willow Glen head coach Andy Penwarden said of Evergreen. “You can tell they’ve been working pretty hard in the off-season, and that’s a credit to coach Dee.”

Meanwhile, the Cougar offense operated smoothly in the game, scoring a touchdown on the opening drive of the contest.

The Cougars put together a 10-play, 80-yard drive that saw Cougar running back Joe Duran gain 65 yards on nine carries, including a 1-yard touchdown run with 6:51 left in the first quarter to give Evergreen a 7-0 lead.

The Cougars got their second scoring opportunity when linebacker Jay Archie intercepted a pass at the Willow Glen 39 and returned it 33 yards, setting up the offense six yards away from the goal line.

The Cougars res-ponded on their first play on offense, as Duran ran the ball in for a 6-yard touchdown with 9:50 left, giving the Cougars a 15-0 lead following a two-point conversion. Duran led the offense throughout the night, registering 121 yards rushing on 22 carries overall.

“Joe is just a punishing runner,” Quinet said of Duran. “We put him in on goal line and if you need two or three yards, Joe’s going to get it.”

After a scoreless third quarter, the Cougars found themselves on the scoreboard again as the offense put together a 10-play 53-yard drive ending with a 3-yard touchdown run from running back Quentin Scott with 11:55 left, giving the Cougars a 27-0 lead.

Scott saw plenty of action during the drive, carrying the ball four times for 19 yards. Scott finished the game with 34 yards rushing overall.

“Q is the best running back we have. He’s a pure runner,” Quinet said of Scott. “He slashes and sees holes and when they’re not there, he can cut on a dime.”

The Cougars will face 2004 Santa Teresa Division co-champion Westmont on the road Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m. before squaring off against Mt. Pleasant on the road on Oct. 14 at 7 p.m.

Learn the secrets of college athletics and recruiting

All Evergreen families welcome

Michael Nodal, a nationally acclaimed speaker, is coming to the Evergreen Valley High School theater to set the record straight about college athletics and the recruiting process on Tuesday, Oct. 18, at 7:30 p.m.

All students who participate in the Blossom Valley Athletic League are encouraged to grab their parents and attend this powerful educational program.

Improve your chances of being recruited, learn how to “market” yourself to college coaches, learn all about the recruiting process and when to start and learn training secrets that best prepare you for college.
EVHS is located at 3300 Quimby Road at the corner of Ruby Avenue.

For more information, please contact EVHS Coach Herb Lee, leeh@esuhsd.org, or Coach Lisa Baker, bakerl@esuhsd.org.

California Sports Center opens new location in South San Jose

After months of preparation, California Sports Center has opened the doors to its newest and largest gymnastics facility adjacent to Evergreen.

Children and their parents came out to enjoy face painting, balloon animals, food and drink at the grand opening celebration.

This state-of-the-art training center is located at 100 Great Oaks Blvd., Suite 150, just off of Highway 85, near 101. The new location offers gymnastics and cheerleading programs for girls and boys of all ages.

Both Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez and San Jose Councilmember Chuck Reed attended the grand opening celebration held Saturday, Sept. 24, to say a few words and take part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

CSC’s boys’ and girls’ team, along with CSC’s cheerleading team, performed exhibitions while a packed house looked on. Afterward, attendees perused the preschool and recreational facilities.

Children and their parents came out to enjoy face painting, balloon animals, food and drink, and of course, gymnastics. Preschool and recreational classes at Great Oaks are being taught now.

For more information, contact manager Liliana Petronelli at (408) 360-9400, or owner/director Dave Peterson at (408) 210-3561.

Fencing for the fun of it

The Fencing Center in San Jose welcomes
aspiring, competitive athletes

By Ken Lotich
Staff Writer

Harry Issacs is known for playing with sharp objects. In fact, his mom Paula encourages it.

A 12-year-old who lives in Evergreen, Harry is just one of many students who enjoy the style and sophistication of the sport of fencing. They feed that urge by practicing at The Fencing Center in downtown San Jose, which has spawned many successful fencing athletes.

Harry Isaacs is a 12-year-old Evergreen resident who took up fencing a year ago. He’s training to go to nationals in Atlanta in the summer of 2006.

Harry, who has been fencing since January, said he loves the versatility of fencing—a sport that requires athletic ability as well as smarts.

“My friends didn’t believe me when I told them I was fencing,” Harry said, who attends St. Lawrence Middle School, a private school in Santa Clara.

“After I showed them my swords they said, ‘Aw man, I thought you were just joking.’”

Paula said Harry first became interested in fencing after participating in it recreationally one summer. He used to swim, like both of his older sisters who swim competitively in high school and college, but he said he didn’t like it—so he took up fencing.

Paula said many people refer to fencing as “the chess of sports,” because of its strategic disposition.

Now, nearly a year into the sport, Harry can be found at the center four times a week, conditioning and practicing for competitions. The first big competition he participated in was the national competition in Sacramento this past summer.

Paula even helped create a T-shirt the students wore to the summer national championships, bearing the slogan, “I run with sharp objects.”

He is training to go to nationals in Atlanta in the summer of 2006.

The Fencing Center history
The Fencing Center is a nonprofit, member-based foundation created to further the development of the art and sport of fencing at the local, regional, national and international levels. It has been located at 110 Stockton Ave., near the HP Pavilion, for nearly 10 years. Prior to that, it was located on North First Street.

When it was founded in 1981, the Fencing Center was the only non-institutionally based fencing organization in the Central California Division. Today, The Central California Division has seven United States Fencing Association clubs.

Connie Yu is the owner of The Fencing Center, which has been in existence since 1981.

Connie Yu owns The Fencing Center, which currently has three coaches on staff, who offer lessons for kids 7 years old on up to adults. Lessons, classes and summer camps are offered at the center.

Yu, who started fencing recreationally, has three children, all who’ve had successful fencing careers.

One of her daughters, Jessica, is an alumna of Yale University, who was an avid fencer and a member of the world championship team. She even won an Oscar in 1997 for best documentary, short subjects for “Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O’ Brien.”

Yu’s other daughter, Jennifer, an alumna of Stanford University, was the 1990 national foil champion and world championship team member. Her son, Marty, a Yale alumnus, was a multiple world championship team member.
Yu said she enjoys teaching the sport of fencing, and hopes more young people can grow up to love the sport.

“We really strive for the development of young people here,” Yu said. “They can build a great career in fencing here.”

Yu also pointed out that many fencers get into Ivy League schools, which have fencing teams. Matt Burriesci and Dan Tucker of the Stanford fencing team are former students of Yu.

Getting involved
On Oct. 28, “The Legend of Zorro,” the sequel to the 1998 hit-film, “The Mask of Zorro” will arrive at theaters.

Typically in the past, whenever a motion picture in this genre debuts, people become more interested in fencing, which pleases Yu.

Yu said getting people to come in is the most difficult step. But once they’re in, most enjoy the sport and stick around.

“We welcome anyone to come and visit us,” Yu said.

For more information on The Fencing Center, visit the Web site at www.fencing.com or call (408) 298-8230.