November 19, 2005

Evergreen Sports

Valley Christian cross country runner Jennifer Bergman
takes first place at CCS Championships

Freshman records top time for girls, sets
fifth-best mark ever at Crystal Springs

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

Valley Christian’s Jennifer Bergman cemented her place as one of the top cross country runners in CCS by taking first place in the CCS Division IV Championships at Crystal Springs on Nov. 12.

Valley Christian freshman Jennifer Bergman, 14, became a CCS champion after taking the top time among female cross country runners at the CCS Cross Country Championships on Nov. 12. Bergman clocked in with a time of 17 minutes and 53 seconds. Photos courtesy of the Bergman family

Bergman’s time of 17 minutes and 53 seconds not only bested the competition in Division IV, but also set the high mark for all five of the female CCS divisions at the championships. All told, Bergman’s time ranked fifth best all-time for a female freshman at the course. As a team, Valley Christian finished fifth out of 14 teams at the championships.

For this Evergreen resident, winning CCS has come with some new attention from classmates at school.

“They tell me ‘good job,’ and people just call me Speedy now in the halls, even though I don’t know them,” said Bergman, who will move on to compete at the CIF state meet at Woodward Park in Fresno during Thanksgiving weekend with Valley Christian teammate Poppy Lawman.

Valley Christian head coach Jonathan Lee, who has coached at the school for 11 years, said Bergman’s athletic talent alone isn’t what sets her apart from other runners in CCS. Instead, Lee said it’s Bergman’s competitive nature and bulldog desire to win that puts her over the top.

“The thing I think that makes Jennifer so tough is that she’s as feisty as can be,” Lee said. “She never backs down from a challenge. She doesn’t want to lose.”

Lee took quick notice of Bergman, and her determination on the cross country course, during the very first day of cross country practice this year.

“The very first day of practice, she came out and we ran a real easy three-mile run with boys and girls all together, and from the first mile, she wanted to be up front,” he added. “She raced with the senior boys the very first day of practice. I mean, she just doesn’t like losing, and I think that’s what makes her so good.”

For Bergman, success on the 2.95-mile course at Crystal Springs was also a triumph within a triumph. Throughout the regular season, Bergman found herself close, yet still trailing behind St. Ignatius runner Katy Daly, finishing at times just seconds off the pace for first place in meets.

But at the West Catholic Athletic League Finals, held Nov. 2 at Crystal Springs, Bergman had her chance to take the top spot after Daly took a wrong turn during the running of the course, allowing Bergman to finish first, while her main competitor was forced to retrace three quarters of a mile.

Still, Lee said Bergman wasn’t satisfied with the win, wanting instead to beat Daly without any mishaps such as taking wrong turns on the course.

Bergman got her chance at the CCS Championships, watching Daly finish first in the Division III Championships with a time of 17:57. Bergman then went out and topped that mark by four seconds, putting herself in the record books at Crystal Springs with the fifth-best time ever for a freshman girl. In turn, being crowned a CCS champion in cross country rewarded Bergman’s efforts.

“I was thrilled,” Lee said. “All year, she has been one of the top two girls in WCAL, and she’s been behind Katy Daly, who has been one of the best runners in CCS all year. Her goal in the last three races has been to beat Katy.”

The joy of the win was shared not only by Lee, but of course by Bergman as well.

“She used to beat me by a lot, sometimes by over a minute,” Bergman said of Daly. “I’ve just worked hard. I’ve always wanted to keep up with her. I guess I finally did.”

Over the past year, Lee has learned never to count Bergman out, no matter how big the race or who the competition is.

“It’s amazing, but it’s not surprising,” Lee said of Bergman’s run at the championships. “That’s just how Jennifer is. She’s so tough, so competitive. I didn’t doubt that she would do it when she said she wanted to go under 18 (minutes)… She was the No. 1 girl overall in CCS.”

Lee also believes Bergman can accomplish much more before her high school career is over.

“There’s no girl who’s ever won all four years in CCS. I totally believe Jennifer can do it,” said Lee. “What matters is staying healthy and staying focused. If she does that, and I don’t see any reason she wouldn’t, I don’t see why she can’t, by the end of next year, be the state champion for division IV.”

ELL BASEBALL/SOFTBALL

Sign-up for the 2006 baseball season today

Evergreen Little League celebrates it 45th season in 2006, and the league is now accepting registrations for both co-ed baseball and girls softball programs.

Online registration
For the first time ever, ELL offers online registration. Parents may register their children online from the comfort of their home or office and pay by credit card. E-mail confirmations will be sent immediately to ensure your reserved spot for our 2006 season. Visit http://ell-baseball.com to register.

Age determination date changes
ELL has also changed the age determination date to 4/30/2006 for baseball and 12/31/2005 for softball. That means your child’s Little League age for the 2006 season is his or her age on 4/30/2006 for baseball and 12/31/2005 for softball.

Room for new players
ELL has room for players in all divisions: T-Ball ages 5-6, Pee-Wee ages 7-8, Farm ages 7-9, Minors ages 9-12, Majors ages 10-12, Juniors ages 13-14, Seniors ages 15-16, and Challenger all ages.

Plans to expand softball program
ELL also has girl’s fast pitch softball ages 7-18. The league would like to expand its softball program this year and is looking for coaches and players. Contact softball@ell-baseball.com with questions or president@ell-baseball.com to volunteer to help out.

Fees
Fees for players registered before Jan. 15, 2006 are $100 for ages 5-6, $110 for ages 7-12 and $120 for age 13-16. All fees go up $20 after Jan. 15, 2006.

Tryouts
All players age 8 and older are requested to tryout. Tryouts for Minor and Major divisions (ages 10-12) will be held at Chaboya Middle School on Jan. 21 and 22 (ages 9-12) and on Jan. 28 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Tryouts for Farm Division (ages 8-9) will be held at Chaboya Middle School on Jan. 29 and Feb. 5 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Try-outs for Junior and Senior divisions (ages 13–16) will be held at Quimby Oak Middle School on March 4 and 5.

Tryouts are not necessary for T-Ball (ages 5-6), and Pee Wee (ages 7-8) divisions.

Check the ELL Web site, http://ell-baseball.com, for updates.

ELL is also looking for volunteer umpires. If you are interested, please contact Evergreen Little League at (408) 534-1727 or playeragent@ell-baseball.com. ELL offers hands-on training as well as classroom training if you want to learn how to umpire or just want to brush up on your skills and the knowledge of the rules.

Anyone interested in sponsoring a team this year can contact our sponsorship representative sponsor@ellbaseball.com.

Visit http://ell-baseball.com for updates.

Preseason clinics

Clinics are intended to prepare players for tryouts and to assist them if they are moving up a level. The focus is on fundamentals, fun and facts about Little League Baseball. Preseason clinics will be held as follows:

Saturday, Jan. 7 & 14, 9 a.m. – noon, Ages 8-12 at Chaboya

Saturday, Jan. 14, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m., Ages 13-16 at Quimby

Saturday, Feb. 11 & 18, 9 a.m. – noon, Ages 13-16 at Quimby

Evergreen girls’ basketball teams victorious in Colt Classic

Submitted by E.A.S.Y. Hoops Basketball
Special to the Times

Evergreen School District girls reigned during the third annual “Colt Classic” two-day basketball tournament recently held at Chaboya Middle School.

The LeyVa Bulldogs won the championship in the eighth-grade division of the Colt Classic by beating Bernal and Chaboya middle schools.

The tournament featured four seventh- and eighth-grade girls’ teams from LeyVa, Bret Harte, Bernal and Chaboya middle schools.

In the eighth-grade division, the Leyva Bulldogs were victorious by first beating Bernal 39-28. In the championship game, after trailing Chaboya for 26 out of 28 minutes of play, Leyva won with a score of 46-41. Leading the Bulldogs to victory in the championship game were Harlene Grewal with 26 points and Tina Dang, who chipped in with 15 points.

The second-place eighth-grade Colts were led by Jennifer Le and Diane Tran, who each scored 12 points, and Samantha Grant, who got 7 points.

In the seventh-grade division, Chaboya earned the championship by first defeating Bret Harte 30-6 and then bringing down rival Leyva 45-24 in the championship game.

The Chaboya Colts won the championship in the seventh-grade division of the Colt Classic and went on to win another championship in the Gilroy Parks and Recreation tournament.

Outstanding players for the champion Colts included Desirae Sanchez, who led all scores with 30 points, Ashley Watson who chipped in with 18 points, and Racquel Orosa, who scored 16 points during the two-day tournament.

Also helping the Colts gallop to victory with their outstanding defensive play were Courtney Wood, Brianni Lyons, Nadya Brown and Desiree Escalante.

The seventh-grade Lady Colts followed their tournament championship with another championship in the Gilroy Parks and Recreation tournament. The Colts first took on Brownell with a winning score of 28-11, and 10 minutes later, ran by Bret Harte 28-11.

The following day the Lady Colts faced off with the Murphy Mustangs for the championship. The Colts did not give up a single point until the third quarter and went on to be victorious with a final score of 28-11.

Leading the Colts in the tournament with outstanding defensive rebounding, steals and superior offensive skills were Ashley Watson, Raquel Orosa and Desirae Sanchez. Raquel Orosa was named offensive player of the tournament and Ashley Watson and Raquel Orosa were named to the all-tournament team.

Cougars volleyball season ends with 3-0 loss to Salinas in CCS Playoffs

No. 7 Cougars end year with 26-11 record

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

The Evergreen Valley High School girls’ volleyball team saw its season come to an abrupt end with a 3-0 loss to Salinas in the quarterfinal round of the CCS Division I Playoffs on Nov. 12.

From left, Evergreen’s Krista Frausto and Jennifer Ames (behind the net) go up for a block against a Salinas kill attempt during a 3-0 loss on Nov. 12. The Cougars finished the season with a 26-11 record and a share of the Santa Teresa Division Championship with Willow Glen. Photo by Diego Abeloos

The loss marked the end of an otherwise successful season for the Cougars. They finished the regular season with a 26-11 overall record, winning a co-championship with Willow Glen in the Santa Teresa Division and earning the team a No. 7 ranking in the coveted Division I Playoffs.

It was the second time in the volleyball program’s four-year existence that the Cougars made the CCS Playoffs. Despite the strides taken by the program in those four years, the loss was a tough reminder of the competitiveness within the CCS Division I bracket.

“It’s tough when you have these girls and you know their potential,” said Cougars head coach Dio Aguinaldo. “You’ve seen how they play; unfortunately, we couldn’t put everything together today, and we weren’t ready to compete with the other team. But that’s part of the game and that’s the beauty of playing sports. It challenges you, and I hope the younger girls learn from it and get ready to play next year.”

Down 1-0 after a 25-13 loss in game one, the Cougars gave Salinas a run for its money in game two, taking the lead three separate times in the early going and building up a two-point lead at 17-15. After Salinas countered with a small 3-0 run to take a one-point lead, the Cougars bounced back with two straight points, including a kill from Lilea Eshoo, to retake the lead at 19-18.

But Salinas kept coming back for more, retaking the lead at 21-19 before the Cougars tied things up at 22-22. Salinas then managed to take game two by going on a modest 3-0 run to close things out 25-22 and take a 2-0 lead.

“Game one, I expected them to be a little nervous because they don’t get that kind of environment; to play in front of a whole bunch of people in CCS and against another team they’ve never seen before,” Aguinaldo said. “The second game, that’s the team that should’ve been out there in the first place. I think with the seniors out there, they led them in the second game, and unfortunately we couldn’t finish it.”

Game three proved to be more trying for the Cougars than the previous two, as Salinas jumped out to an early 9-3 lead before EVHS bounced back with a small 4-0 run, getting kills from Krista Frausto and Jennifer Ames to close in on the lead within two.

But following the Cougars’ run, Salinas took control of the game quickly, putting together a commanding 9-0 run to take an 18-7 lead.

Shortly thereafter, with the score at 21-10, Salinas closed out game three with a 4-2 run, taking game three—and the match—to move on in the CCS Division I Playoffs.

“It’s a tough loss to take,” Aguinaldo said. “I think a lot of the girls, especially seniors, are upset that it’s their last game.”