December 12, 2008

EVHS REPORT

EVHS runners finish strong

The Evergreen Valley Varsity Boys Team, led by Captains Kevin Liao and Ryan Thomas, finished the season with a 6-1 record. Their only loss was against a very powerful State-ranked team from Willow Glen High School. The team advanced to CCS where they finished 5th in Division 1. Senior Standout Kevin Liao ran a very strong race and finished a very respectable 5th place that qualified him to advance to the CIF State Championships. The Boys Frosh Sophomore Team completed their season with an identical 6-1 record with their only loss being to Willow Glen High School.

The Evergreen Valley Varsity Girls Team, led by Captains Melissa Davidson and Riyana Straetker, finished their season with a 6-1 record with their only loss to the heavily-favored Le-land Chargers. They avenged this loss by beating the highly-ranked Leland team at the league finals to capture their second BVAL League Championship. The team advanced to CCS where they finished 4th in Division 1. Freshman sensation Samantha Garcia ran an extremely competitive race placing 9th which advanced her to the CIF State Championships. Samantha posted the second-fastest CCS time amongst all freshman girls. The JV Girls Team completed their season with an identical 6 -1 record with their only loss being to Leland High School.

Evergreen Valley Girls Tennis Season Wrap up

The girls varsity tennis team finished in third place in the highly competitive Mt. Hamilton Division of the BVAL, compiling an 8-6 record in league play. Once in the playoffs, Evergreen defeated Overfelt, 4-3 and Burlingame, 5-2 to make the third round of the CCS playoffs, a feat no other BVAL team accomplished. Leading the Cougars were team captain Jamie Lee, Junior #1 singles player Tiffany Raczynski, and sophomores Emily Trinh and Monique Ngo. Raczynski and Ngo also qualified for CCS play in the doubles competition after reaching the finals of the BVAL tourney. The team returns all but one player and should contend for the BVAL team championship next season.

Volleyball team finishes year with league title

The Evergreen Varsity Girls Volleyball team finished the 2008 season atop the BVAL-Mt. Hamilton Division with an impressive 12-2 league and 22-9 overall record and clinched their third league title in five years. Seeded third in Division 1 CCS playoffs, the Lady Cougars lost in the semi-final match versus eventual CCS Champions, Homestead High School.

Quarterbacking the offense is 5’2” junior setter and team captain, Samantha Feril who led the team in assists and aces, while 5’5” junior outside hitters Inanna Eshoo (Team Captain) and 5’7” Lanyssa Fiaui led the team in kills per game. Eshoo and Fiaui’s smart shot-selection combined with great passing and defense frustrated opposing teams. Feril, Fiaui and Eshoo were awarded 1st Team All League honors while Eshoo was also named the MHAL Co-MVP by the league coaches. The middle attacking combo of Senior Victoria Nguyen and Junior Sarah Dittbenner bring a well-balanced attack with their finesse and blocking defense. What the team lacked in height, the team made up with great ball-control, passing, scrappy play, tenacious defense and cool-under-pressure attitude.

Returning nine players from this year’s squad along with a strong JV team (10-4 league record) that consisted of eight freshmen and four sophomores, the Evergreen Cougars hope to be one of the top volleyball programs in the league for years to come.

Girls’ water polo has best season in decade

By Bernadette Bettencourt
Special to the Evergreen Times

As their season comes to a close, our Lady Raiders water polo team can proudly say that they had a memorable year. They suffered some tough losses but celebrated many triumphs, one being their win in the sixth league game against Sobrato. After losing in the final seconds to the Bulldogs on Sept. 16, the Raiders came back with a winning attitude to face Sobrato again. This time, girls’ water polo proved they were the better team. They defeated Sobrato with a final score of 6-2.

In the following week, they added two wins to their record against Evergreen and Piedmont Hills. However, the next game proved more crucial. Our ladies faced the Willow Glen Rams and were met with new obstacles.

Back row: Coach Michael Abrigo, Leilani Dunton, Sabrina Mercado, Teresa Powell, Leslie Quan, Jamie Shelley, Coach Adam Weckesser. Second row: Leanna Richards, Jacqueline Lien, Vyvyence Doan, Brianna Mercado, Jamie McMillin. Front row: Karlie Caruso, Zoe Ramirez, Christina Dao, Katy Nomura, Victoria Trang

Both teams improved a great deal throughout the season, which promised fans a close and intense battle. The Rams established an early 2-0 lead over the Raiders, but the girls’ water polo team didn’t hesitate. In a remarkable turnaround, they came back to tie and later win against the Rams with a final score of 5-2.

“Essentially the loss to Mt. Pleasant was the turning point of the season because we followed it with a five game winning streak. However, the win against Willow Glen was crucial to get to playoffs,” said head coach Mike Abrigo. “This is probably the best season we’ve had in a decade. The biggest source of success was that the girls knew they could depend on each other which made coaching them easier.”

The water polo team owes a great deal of their success this season to their new assistant coach, Adam Weckesser. Throughout the season, he conditioned them at practices and pushed them to improve. Coach Weckesser plans to continue with the team and lend his expertise to the Silver Creek swim team in the spring.

“Coach Weck really motivated us and encouraged us to have fun,” said senior co-captain Vyvyence Doan. “Abrigo and Weck worked well together as a team which helped to further motivate us. Their coaching styles complemented each other.”

With an all-around effort from the coaches and team, girls’ water polo finished second place in the Santa Teresa Division and made it to playoffs in dramatic form. They faced off against Mt. Pleasant in their final league game on Oct. 30. Their first game against the Cardinals resulted in the Raiders’ second loss of the season, so our Raiders were determined to win this time around. After an intense battle, the score was tied 6-6.

The game went into double overtime, but it still remained a draw. It all came down to sudden death. Tension was running high and the ladies knew this was their last chance at playoffs. Senior Brianna Mercado scored the winning goal for the Raiders in sudden death, making the win official with a final score of 10-9 and sealing their second place finish in league.

“I was in shock. I honestly didn’t realize what I had just done. Then I heard everyone cheering, and I realized it was over,” said senior Brianna Mercado.

Our Lady Raiders traveled to Willow Glen for the first round of playoffs against Lincoln on Nov. 4. They battled hard and fought till the end but unfortunately came out with a loss. Although they didn’t make it to CCS, the girls’ water polo team remains confident and fulfilled. With a league record of 8-2, it is clear that they had a successful season.

“If I could go back and do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing,” said senior co-captain Sabrina Mercado. “We were all really close, and even though we didn’t get first place, we felt like we were the best team. You can’t ask for anything better than what we had.”

Seniors Vyvyence Doan, Brianna Mercado, and Sabrina Mercado, all made first team all league in the Santa Teresa Division, while Teresa Powell ’10 and Katy Nomura ’09 made second team all league. Sabrina was also named BVAL Senior of the Year.

Girls’ tennis finds key to success

By Silvia Lu
Times Staff Writer

If the famous tennis grunt and the sound of the ball hitting off the racket makes tennis seem like a difficult sport, that’s because it is. With a season record of 4-10, Silver Creek’s Lady Raiders Tennis Team competed in a rough season, but never gave up their dedication, skill and love for the game.

Back row: Manager Eric Nishimatsu, Johanna Hoang, Stephanie Truong, Jennifer Luu, Chenie Locke, Coach Roy Seta 3rd row: Karen Nguyen, Michelle Raganit, Nassim Tabrizi, Laura Nguyen, Thy Chung, Karen Truong 2nd row: Carolyn Dao, Stephanie Le, Mai Nguyen, Kathy Huynh, Hong Nguyen, Kelly Nguyen, Mary Dao Front row: Clarissa Balallo, Bonnie Liang

This year started off with a lot of summer practices under the scorching sun. With Coach Roy Seta’s new drills and workouts, all the players got very toned. “He’s very obsessed with tennis” said Karen Troung ’09, “we all couldn’t fit into our pants anymore during summer practices because we got so muscular. That’s how intense it was this year.”

A number of the key players had to miss some important games during the season due to classes at EVC. Despite this, the remaining players still had the support from their teammates and held on to their dedication to the sport. During one of their away games, with three varsity girls out of lineup, the girls were able to pull out a win. “It was nice to see them give them their all,” said Coach Roy.

This is Coach Roy’s second year coaching girls’ tennis at Silver Creek, an “A division,” was determined to work the Lady Raiders a little harder this year to get them to achieve their ultimate goal.

Team captain Jennifer Luu said, “Coach Roy was very pushy, but in a good way. He made sure we met our potential and pushed us to be the best we could.”

Because tennis is an individual and partner sport, it is very important for the team to be close knit to foster togetherness. “I’m proud of the way they’ve treated the team and their teammates as family, regardless of ranking or age. It makes it that much harder to see all the seniors leave, but at the same time I’m eager to start again with everyone else next season.” said Coach Roy.

With nine seniors graduating this year, the team will lose almost half of its current players. The underclassmen need to step up for next season. “It takes a lot of practice to reach the next level, but I’m definitely coming back next year,” said Hong Nguyen ’11.

Football finishes third after a devastating loss

By James Dupree
Special to the Evergreen Times

This season, our Raiders football team has dominated the other teams despite a few heartbreaking losses. Having a decent season with an overall record of 5-5, Silver Creek improved last year’s record of 2-8, by winning three more games.

After two losses in the end of the season, our Raiders managed to break even and finish third in the West Valley division (5-2). “We felt that we had a great season this year. We achieved our main goals such as turning our football program around, and us players and coaches feel like we had a successful season. No matter what the scoreboard said, win or lose, as long as we gave it our all, we were successful,” said assistant coach Christopher Bolding.

On Halloween, our Raiders went up against Yerba Buena High School. On the opening kick-off, Alex Teel returned a 95 yard kick-off return in the first quarter making it 7-0 (PAT good). In the second quarter, quarterback Trevor Luscher goosed the ball in for a 2-yard run, making the score 14-0 (PAT good). In addition, Jose De La Rosa returned an interception for 63 yards making it 20-0 (PAT no good).

In the second half, Alex Teel started off returning a punt for 32 yards, leading the warriors 27-0 (PAT no good). Toward the end of the game, Gerry Yim delivered the final blow with a 3-yard touchdown run, defeating Yerba Buena 40-0 (PAT no good). “After the game I felt good. All we did was execute, and the score showed it,” said varsity player Gerry Yim ‘11.

In week nine, SC faced up against the undefeated Andrew Hill Falcons for the West Valley division title and a spot in the CCS playoffs. In the last few years, Andrew Hill has dominated the division. In the first half there really was no action from our Raiders, but yet they seemed to keep the game close. It wasn’t until the second half when Tyler Hernandez had a touchdown pass to Daniel Contreras (PAT no good). Also Alex Teel had a touchdown run (PAT no good). Though the referees called a run back by Trevor Luscher, SC was unable to put any more points on the board. In the end, Silver Creek was defeated 13-20, ruining their chances to a CCS playoff spot.

“I felt like everything I had worked for had been stolen from me after the Andrew Hill Game. I couldn’t stop thinking about that game for days and still can’t forget about it. I have never shed tears for a loss, but this was different because we had our chance at being league champions. It was all taken away from us,” said varsity player Junior Miranda ’10.

In week ten, it was the battle for second place against the Willow Glen Rams. Omaha Nuia and quarterback Trevor Luscher each had touchdown runs (both PAT good). Yet again, our Raiders were not able to put enough points up, and lost a close game 14-21. “I thought that we could have done better,” said varsity player Tyler Hernandez ‘10.

Silver Creek High School’s 3rd Annual Turkey Trot race was held on Nov. 25, 2008.

The Turkey Trot – It’s for the birds

Silver Creek High School’s 3rd Annual Turkey Trot race was held on Nov. 25, 2008. Approximately 1,500 Silver Creek students and staff took part in this event, which is used to promote good health and enthusiasm for fitness, and also is an opportunity for some campus-wide school spirit before the Thanksgiving holiday break! Every year the number of participants finishing this two-mile course within the allotted time is increasing. This year many of the staff participated in the run as well, even Silver Creek’s Principal, Thelma Boac. Students are very excited about the opportunity to win one of the prized race t-shirts and also possible bragging rights for being the fastest runner of their class.

Prizes were donated by local community businesses including Costco (donated 14 turkeys), Baker’s Square, Safeway, McDonald’s and Round Table Pizza.