November 30, 2007

Evergreen Sports

Cougars come up short in pre-season game

By Daniel Miranda
Sports Coordinator

The Evergreen Valley High School Cougars basketball team opened its pre-season on Nov. 27 with a loss to the Los Gatos Wildcats 58-69.

The Cougars came out fast scoring the first eight points. They were able to crash the boards and out rebound the Wildcats on both offense and defense.

But it wasn’t just out-rebounding and an efficient press offense that helped the Cougars to an early lead. The Wildcats had a helping hand in it as well, turning the ball over with insufficient passing and mental mistakes.

“It was our first game and basically in the first half we played like it was our first game,” said Los Gatos head coach Sean Cummings, noting his team’s hyper-intensity and plague of traveling violations.

Khoi Nguyen was a team asset, causing turnovers and running the offense for the Cougars. He finished the game with 17-points and went five for nine from the free-throw line.

Derek Pauli, who returned to the basketball following his stint on the gridiron, scored eight points and going one for one from the line before fouling out of the game late in the fourth quarter.

Another contributor to the Cougar offense was Jordan Adkins, hitting six baskets for 12-points and going three for six from the free-throw line. Larry Melton added 10 points had the Cougar’s only 3-pointer in the third quarter.

Coming off the bench in the second quarter to help the Wildcats were Michael Hodgman, Chris Nielson and Nate Aguirre who combined to score seven points that helped Los Gatos double its output of the first quarter.

With the increased scoring, the Wildcats were able to cut into the Cougars lead but the Cougars still led 30-27 at halftime.

In the third quarter, The Wildcats made the necessary adjustments that helped them overcome their first half miscues. They were able to hold the Cougars without a basket until the six minutes mark of the third quarter when Adkins hit a lay-up.

Los Gatos applied a full-court press that seemed to baffle Evergreen as they threw the ball away and allowed the Wildcats to score 23 points to Evergreen’s 14, and increase their lead to 50-44.

In the second half, Wildcat Evan Vanderberg came out on fire scoring 17 of his 22-points. He also had two of the Wildcats six 3-pointers and went four for five from the free-throw line.

The Cougars were unable to break Los Gatos’ full-court press and missed the outside shots, resulting in an ineffective offense.

“I feel disappointed in our performance tonight; we couldn’t run anything out there,” said Cougars head coach Dennis Fernandez, “I felt that we were the best team out there at least in the first half.”

The Cougars will head back to practice and correct the things that went wrong in the second half of the game.

PAC United U12 Girls take District II Cup

(Front Row L-R: Kassandra DeLeon, Michaela Giordano, Sara Van Wagoner, Jennifer Corona, Monique Romanowsky, Miranda Lopez, Xochit Hunter, Missy Sanchez. Back Row L-R: Coach Robert Campoy, Vanessa Valencia, Cynthia Sanchez, Adriana Diaz, Fatmata Kamara, Jenelle Herrera, Lauren Campoy, Ariana Brandao, Jasmine Fernandez, Jessica Salazar, Coach Victor DeLeon.)

The PAC United U12 Girls’ Soccer team from the Mt. Hamilton Youth Soccer League took the District II Class 1 Gold Division 2007 Cup on the weekend of Nov. 17 - 18, 2007 at the Santa Clara Youth Soccer Park. The girls played stout defense all weekend not allowing one goal to be scored against them while scoring six goals themselves in their four games. Game one was 3-0 over MVLA Thunder, game two was 1-0 over NV San Jose Thunder, game three was 1-0 over Los Gatos Wild and the championship game was 1-0 over the defending USYSA State Cup Champions MVLA Lightning.

What made winning the championship an even sweeter victory for the PAC United team, coach Robert Campoy and coach Victor DeLeon was that during the game they were one team member short for the final 20 minutes of the match and were still victorious against the number one ranked MVLA Lightning. This was a total team effort that saw every player on the team contribute and dig down deep to secure the victory and championship. Next up, the PAC United girls will compete in the prestigious Nomads Thanksgiving Day Tournament, Norcal Premier Cup and the CYSA State Cup. Good luck girls!

Girls’ soccer teams start season with matching wins

By Sabrina Mercado
Silver Creek High School

In their first pre-season game of the year, both the varsity and junior varsity girls’ soccer teams got off to a great start with matching wins against the San Jose High School Bulldogs on Nov. 27. At the end of the game, the final score for varsity was 12-1, and JV 13-0.

Last year’s first place finish in the Mt. Hamilton division bumped up the girls into the Santa Teresa Division for this year, competing against higher ranked schools, including Prospect, Live Oak, Lincoln, and Willow Glen, among others.

Despite their resounding victory, the Lady Raiders know the rest of the season won’t be so easy.

“We played well, but we still need to work hard,” said co-captain Jazmin Quiroz, ’08. “We can’t get too cocky or overly confident.”

Varsity head coach Claudio Alvarez agrees. “The score doesn’t always show everything. There are still a lot of things we need to work on,” he said. “However, as a whole I am very proud of them.”

Junior Bernadette Bettencourt led the varsity score with five goals, followed by seniors Alexa Lopez with three, and Preet Kaur with two. Outstanding defense was played by co-captains Liz Solorio, ’08, and Jazmin Quiroz, ’08.

The junior varsity girls also played a great game with a shut-out against the Bulldogs. Leading their game was junior Brianna Mercado with four goals, and freshman Amanda Schmitt with three.

Because five of the girls on the team didn’t make grades, three girls on the varsity team were demoted to JV. “The three varsity players really helped us out,” said JV coach and Silver Creek alumnus Jasmin Heredia. “We wouldn’t have done as well without them.”

Regardless, the JV, like the varsity, is on their way to a very promising season. “I had high expectations for them, and they really went past what I expected,” said Heredia.

The Lady Raiders continue with hard workouts to get ready for their first league game on Dec. 6, against Lincoln High School.

Wheelchair athlete inspires others to achievement

Sometimes, when Lee Williamson is getting his wheelchair out of the van, a passerby will stop to ask if he needs help. “Yeah,” Lee will say, “With my free throw!” For the last 10 years, Williamson has played for the Golden State Warriors Wheelchair Basketball Team, and he has no time for self-pity.

EVC student Lee Williamson plays for the #3 nationally ranked Golden State Warriors Basketball Team.

Williamson recently spoke at Evergreen Valley College on behalf of a program which provides support services and instructional programs for students with disabilities, including attention deficit disorder, dyslexia, speech impairments, and physical impairments like Williamson’s.

Before the 1991 motorcycle accident that left him a paraplegic, Williamson was aimless, stuck in a job with no future. Now Williamson is earning general education credits at Evergreen Valley College to transfer to a four-year institution. He says the one-on-one and small group tutoring in subjects ranging from basic math to English, have really helped him enjoy the process of learning.

Williamson also works for the city of San Jose in The Office of Therapeutic Services as a Recreational Leader and helps run their Adaptive Programs in wheelchair tennis, wheelchair basketball, adaptive golf, adaptive bowling and adaptive fitness. He coaches their junior wheelchair program, Wheels on Fire. In the summer, he helps run a junior sports camp at San Jose State University.

He says people ask him whether he wishes he could walk again. “I’d prefer that my father were still alive,” he replies. Williamson’s father died one year before his motorcycle accident. “He would have been my best coach.”

Lee muses that becoming paraplegic has made him stronger; he has also found tremendous support from mentors and instructors. Now he mentors others. “One of the biggest worries of a paraplegic is how to get to the bathroom on time. I tell those new to the chair how to deal with it and how to get on with life.” Williamson is certainly getting on with his.

Mt. Hamilton Soccer League, Boys’ U8 Rec Team, Blue Dragons

The Blue Dragons finished the fall season with a 9 win and 1 loss season and went on to win the Mt. Hamilton Rec Tournament on Sat. Nov. 17, with an overtime goal scored by Luis Flores #9 for the win!

It was a great way to end the season to say the least!  Coach Ron Cordon made great progress.

Evergreen boys soccer team wins District II Cup 2007

By Zia Karim
Special to the Evergreen Times

Bulldogs Team: Michael, Fahim, Taylor, Tausif, Victor, Anthony, Luis, Ricardo, Karamjeet, Juhair, Nicholas, Alex, Javier, Antonio, Vincent and Esam. Coach: Sergio Arevalo, Asst Coach: Farhad Ahmed. Manager: Mary Redigan

Another team from Evergreen Area excelled in soccer. The Bulldogs, a team of U12 boys, was brought together by Coach Sergio Arevalo only a few months ago. Pumped up by just finishing second in Mount Hamilton League of U-12 Class C, these boys of red and white jersey took part in the District II Cup tournament held in Morgan Hill Soccer Complex on November 17 and 18. With over 550 teams taking part in different categories, District II Cup Soccer Tournament was a big dream for this team. Only in their first season, the Bulldogs won the championship by defeating Menlo Park Strikers by 1-0 in the Final.

Mount Hamilton Bulldogs were grouped with 9 teams from different areas from Santa Cruz to Orchard Valley to Palo Alto in U-12 Boys C3 Bronze division. In the group league, although Bulldogs defeated Santa Clara Strikers by a wide margin of 7-0 in their first game, they unfortunately lost to Salinas Leon by 1-0 after playing a dominating game. However, they faced the same Salinas team in the semifinal after they qualified as best Runner-up team. This time, they were determined and won the semifinal against Salinas Leon by 3-0. In the Final, the Bulldogs dominated the Menlo Park Strikers. In the second half, striker Nicolas Tran scored the winning goal for the Bulldogs after carrying the ball over 40 yards (1-0). The boys danced around the soccer field after winning their first championship.

Coached by Sergio Arevalo and Farhad Ahmed, goalkeeper Michael, central defender Fahim and midfielder Ricardo played excellent soccer for the Bulldogs in the whole tournament.

Mount Pleasant defeats Overfelt 57-41

By Gary van den Heuvel
Sports writer

The Mount Pleasant High School girls’ basketball team evened their won-loss record at 1-1 with a 57-41 victory over the Overfelt Royals in Overfelt’s gymnasium, also known as “The Dungeon.”

The Cardinals had to overcome injuries to two of their team members but were able to take control of the game in the second half after going into halftime tied 21-21.

Mount Pleasant coach Paul Schuler’s squad started slowly, not only losing Patrina Aaron on the game’s first play to an apparent leg injury, but trailing 12-8 midway through the first quarter. By the end of the first quarter the Cardinals had claimed a 14-13 lead after baskets by the Cardinals’ three top offensive performers – Mariah Ramos (who scored 13 points), Kendra Landry (14 points) and Emily “Hard Charging” Salgado (14 points). Salgado’s nickname comes from assistant coach Martin Aycott for her aggressive offensive play and pesky, ball-stealing prowess on defense.

The game remained close until the third quarter when Mount Pleasant began wearing down the Royals with the low post play of Landry and Aziah Douglas, the passing and shooting of Ramos and Theresa Torres and the relentless play all over the court of Salgado. Overfelt had offensive weapons of their own in Celeste Jessica (12 points) and Alicia Yanez (9 points) but the Cardinals’ 20-point quarter was the beginning of the end for Overfelt.

The Cardinals maintained their dominance in the fourth quarter but lost Torres to an injury with less than four minutes left.

Discussing the injuries to Aaron and Torres, Aycott said “We didn’t see exactly how Patrina [Aaron] fell, I don’t know if it was a knee or rolled ankle. We’re hoping both players can bounce back.”

Schuler, who is in his first year as Mount Pleasant’s coach, was a very animated sideline presence who late in the game was called for a technical foul when he protested what he believed was the overly physical play of Overfelt.

Afterwards cooler heads prevailed, and Schuler was pleased with the win while being optimistic about the team’s prospects.

“We’re a very young team,” Schuler said. “I think we’re going to surprise some people.”

EVERGREEN SPORTS SCHEDULES 12/03 - 12/14

Evergreen Valley High
12-03 - Girls’ soccer v. Valley Christian, 3:15 p.m.

12-04 – Girls’ soccer at Monte Vista, 3:15 p.m.
12-04 – Girls’ basketball at Presentation, 5:30 p.m. JV and 7 p.m. varsity
12-04 – Boys’ soccer v. Los Gatos, TBA

12-06 – Girls’ soccer at Piedmont Hills, 3:15 p.m. varsity only
12-06 – Girls’ basketball at Monte Vista tournament, TBA
12-06 – Boys’ basketball Cougar Invitational, TBA

12-07 – Girls’ basketball at Monte Vista tournament, TBA
12-07 - Boys’ basketball Cougar Invitational, TBA
12-07 - Boys’ soccer at Piedmont Hills, 5 p.m.

12-08 – Girls’ basketball at Monte Vista tournament, TBA
12-08 - Boys’ basketball Cougar Invitational, TBA

12-10 – Boys’ Frosh/soph basketball at San Jose HS, 5 p.m.

12-11 – Girls soccer v. Santa Teresa, 3:15 varsity/JV away
12-11 – Girls’ basketball at Milpitas, 5:30 p.m. JV and 7 p.m. varsity

12-12 – Boys’ varsity basketball at San Jose Bulldog Tournament, TBA
12-12 – Boys’ soccer v. Andrew Hill, 5 p.m.
12-12 - Boys’ wrestling at Overfelt, 6:30 p.m.

12-13 – Girls’ soccer at Branham, 3:15 p.m.
12-13 – Boys’ varsity basketball at San Jose Bulldog Tournament, TBA

12-14 – Girls’ basketball at Los Gatos, 5:30 p.m. JV and 7 p.m. varsity
12-14 – Boys’ varsity basketball at San Jose Bulldog Tournament, TBA
12-14 – Boys’ soccer at James Lick, 3:15 p.m.

Mt. Pleasant High
12-04 – Girls’ basketball v. James Lick, 5:30 p.m. JV and 7 p.m. varsity

12-06 – Girls’ basketball at Los Gatos tournament, TBA
12-06 – Girls’ soccer v. Oak Grove, TBA

12-07 – Girls’ basketball at Los Gatos tournament, TBA
12-07 – Boys’ soccer v. Leigh, 3:15 p.m.

12-08 – Girls’ basketball at Los Gatos tournament, TBA

12-11 – Girls’ soccer at San Jose, 3:15 p.m.

12-12 – Boys’ wrestling v. Santa Teresa, 6:30 p.m.
12-12 – Boys’ soccer at Leland, 3:15 p.m.

12-13 – Boys’ soccer v. James Lick, 3:15 p.m.

12-14 – Boys’ basketball v. Silver Creek, 7 p.m.
12-14 – Boys’ soccer at Overfelt, 3:15 p.m.

Silver Creek High
12-06 – Boys’ basketball at Stevenson in Pebble Beach, 5 p.m. varsity
12-06 – Girls’ basketball at Del Mar, 6:30 p.m. varsity
12-06 – Girls’ soccer v. Lincoln, 3:15 p.m.

12-07 – Boys’ soccer at Independence, 3:15 p.m.

12-11 – Boys’ wrestling v. Westmont, 6:30 p.m.
12-11 – Girls’ basketball at Andrew Hill, 5:30 p.m. JV and 7 p.m. varsity
12-11 – Girls’ soccer at Live Oak, 3:15 p.m.

12-12 – Boys’ basketball at Branham, 5:30 p.m. JV and 7 p.m. varsity
12-12 – Boys’ soccer at Del Mar, 3:15 p.m.

12-13 – Girls’ soccer at Willow Glen, 3:15 p.m.

12-14 – Boys’ basketball at Mt Pleasant, 5:30 p.m. JV and 7 p.m. varsity
12-14 – Boys’ soccer v. Santa Teresa, 3:15 p.m.

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

TimesSports Briefs

U10 Girls’ Select Soccer Tryouts
Santa Clara Sporting is looking for girls who love to play soccer in a competitive and fun environment. We focus on individual player development in a team setting. Your daughter will be coached and trained by experienced coaches who have special training and licenses for coaching young players. Neither team charges any coaching or training fees of any kind. We have two teams playing Class 1 select and both are expanding their rosters. Your daughter must be born on or after August 1, 1997. We’re looking for 4 – 5 girls for each team. Both teams have a track record of success including 2nd place at last year and this year’s Norcal State Cup. If you are ready to have your daughter step up to a challenging and FUN soccer environment, please contact either Jim Lawrence at 408-204-7020, sjlaw@aol.com or Dave Ballard at 408-600-4531, dballard12@sbcglobal.net. Tryouts are Dec. 11 and 12 from 5 -7 p.m. Location: Central Park in Santa Clara at the grass field adjacent to the International Swim Center at 2625 Patricia Dr., Santa Clara 95051 (behind the Santa Clara City Library). For more information, visit www.scsc97.com.

San Jose Strikkers 18u – 2008 Summer Tryouts
The San Jose Strikkers 18u will be holding their 2008 summer tryouts on the dates listed below.  Just in case you have not heard we have already qualified for the 2008 ASA Nationals in Moline, Ill.!  Our main objective is to develop softball excellence and to assist each young lady in the achieving their goals on the softball field and assist them with their dreams of obtaining college scholarships.  Come and be part of our exciting team!  To learn more about our team philosophy and goals please visit our website. http://eteamz.active.com/sanjosestrikkers18u/.

Dates;  Sundays, 11/18, 12/2, 12/16, and (if needed) 1/6/08

Place:  Oak Grove High School

Times:  9 a.m. Pitchers & Catchers / 10:30 a.m. Position Players

If you have any questions, please contact Richard Fangonilo (408) 439-7383 or Frank King (408) 406-8191.
E-mail:  Richard Fangonilo rfangonilo@sjm.com  or Frank King fgking25@aol.com.

Pride of Morgan Hill hosts A Ball tryouts for 14U Girls’ fastpitch team 
Pride of Morgan Hill will field a 14U ASA – A team for the Spring 2008 season.  Former Pride, Live Oak High School, and collegiate (Eastern Kentucky University) player, Suzie Schaefer, has been named as Head Coach for the 14U team.  Pride will be hosting December tryouts at Community Park for girls who are 14U as of Jan. 1, 2008.  Try out times are:
 
December 1st:  Pitcher/Catcher 9 -10 a.m., Positions 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
 December 9th: Pitcher/Catcher 11 a.m.-12 p.m., Positions 12 -2 p.m.

To speed up registration, download and complete a registration form off of the Pride website and bring it to tryouts. Girls are encouraged to come to both tryouts for the maximum exposure. For more detailed information about Pride please visit our website @ www.prideofmorganhill.com.

Almaden Valley Girls’ Softball League holds Sign-ups
The Almaden Valley Girls’ Softball League is holding sign-ups. Our league is a Santa Clara County-wide League and available to all Santa Clara County girls which means we are not restricted by territory. The age range is 5 to 16 years.  We welcome all applicable ages and every skill level.  We will be holding sign-ups on the following dates at Greystone Elementary School, 6982 Shearwater Drive in San Jose.:

Saturday, Dec. 8, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 12, from 6 to 9 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 9, from 6 to 9 p.m.

For more information, please visit our website at www.avgsl.org.


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 charity fundraisers exempted. Email, fax or mail listing text to: candy@timesmediainc.com 1310 Tully Road, Suite 112, San Jose, CA 95122. 408-494-7078 (fax) Limit 200 words. Questions? Call 494-7000 x225.