Never let it be said that the Islander Girls Varsity Basketball Team eases their way into a season. Through the second week of the season they have already compiled a fine 5-1 record, including winning their own Thanksgiving Holiday Shootout tournament on the strength of a 59-46 victory over highly regarded Valley Center High School.

In contrast, the Boys Varsity Basketball squad, which perennially relies on an infusion of talent from the football team, doesn’t begin play until this week.

Islander Girls Basketball Head Coach Toler Goodwin could barely contain his enthusiasm for how well his club played against the Jaguars Saturday evening. "We played an outstanding game. The kids were focused, they were intense and they made good decisions. Everybody played well and did what they had to do to help us win. We really played as a complete unit. Overall it was maybe the best a team has played since I’ve been at Coronado."

Well, on the other hand, maybe he didn’t contain his enthusiasm at all.

The Islanders were led by senior forward Alexis Castro, who scored 24 points and snared 27 rebounds. Included in those impressive totals were 12 offensive rebounds, which is often a reflection of a player’s effort in a contest.

Castro didn’t win the game by herself. Freshman Brooke Becky contributed seven points, all in the second quarter; Anne-Marie Strohbeck added 11 points and eight rebounds; Janelle Kuhlow contributed 12 points and five rebounds.

"There was about only a minute of bad defense and time when we didn’t play well," Goodwin added. "The two biggest shots of the game were at the start to the middle of the fourth quarter. Vanessa Gosenheim hit a jumper out of the corner and Anne-Marie hit a three-pointer, which got our lead back to double figures."

Castro put up big numbers in the game earlier in the week against Westview. In that 41-23 victory, Castro had 22 points and 21 rebounds. A one-point Islander lead at halftime turned into a comfortable victory on the strength of the Islander defense, which allowed a scant six points in the second half.

For their efforts in the Thanksgiving Shootout, Castro and Strohbeck were both named to the All-Tournament Team.

An early week game against Mar Vista is the only contest this week. Next week the Islanders swing into action against LaJolla Wednesday, play at Francis Parker Thursday and then host Orange Glen High School Saturday.

How good is the Coronado Girls Varsity Soccer Team this season, you ask? The team, under the direction of Head Coach Miles Ramirez, defeated Steele Canyon 5-0 without four of his projected starters, who missed the game for a variety of reasons.

Fortunately for Ramirez, Dayna Queisser was available, as the senior who is headed to Cal next year, scored four of the Islanders five goals. Ashley Copp added the other tally on an unassisted goal. Jade Hughes assisted on two goals, with Kelly Walsh and Marissa Nagler assisting on one goal each. Cristan Alley earned the shutout in goal.

"Dayna was unstoppable," Ramirez said. "It’s going to be a very good team this year. They are very quick and very skilled, and all of the players get along well. Most importantly, we have senior leadership, which is the biggest key in all of the sports. We have seniors who work just as hard as they did when they were freshmen."

The Islanders will have tri-captains this year in Queisser, Copp and Rhett Chase.

Another thing the Islanders have this year is two sets of sisters on the varsity squad. Junior Alex Vido is joined by her sophomore sister Natasha Vido, while junior Ashley Walsh is joined by her freshman sibling Kelly Walsh.

According to Ramirez, the Islanders who compiled an 18-4-3 record last year, are among three teams that should compete for the Western League title, along with USDHS and University City. "There are now seven teams in the league now that Christian joined. The other teams are Scripps Ranch, La Jolla and Our Lady of Peace. You look at the league up and down and the teams are very even. USDHS still has quality players and is the team to beat. They graduated a lot of players down the middle (of the field). They are still a very good team."

Other Islander players who will make an impact on the squad this season include goalie Jaime Klages, and defenders Maureen Mulvey and Rachel Poe.

The fall sports post-season banquet season is in full swing, as the Varsity Football Team held their annual rite of December at the Coronado Marriott Hotel. The sport, which began play at CHS in 1913 and is celebrating their 90^th anniversary, finished with a fine 9-2 record this season.

Normally with a good season, comes beaucoup post season awards, and this year was no exception. The All-Harbor League First Team award winners were: Kicker Kyle Hammel, quarterback Cote Perkins, lineman Joey Naple, and linebackers Trevor Serfass and Geoff Thorne. Second Team recognition went to Chris Leary, Bryce Blumenthal, Dan Simmons, Ryan Cummins, and Jon Maskevich.

Honorable Mention status was awarded to Nick Shepherd, Jack Scott, Jed Considine, and Wesley Bowman.

Tailback J.T. Rogan, who completed his fine season with a school-record 1,723 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns, was named Harbor League Player of the Year.

Team awards included: Scholar-Athlete –Naple with a 4.5 grade point average; The Heart of an Islander Award – Naple; Most Improved – Maskevich; Co-Captains – Naple, Thorne and Rogan; Most Valuable Lineman –Thorne; Most Valuable Back – Perkins; Most Valuable Player – Rogan.

Head Coach Bud Mayfield, who was confined to a non-speaking role in the ceremonies due to a severe bout of laryngitis, was awarded a Miami University letterman-style jacket by the coaching staff. Mayfield plans to travel to Mobile, Ala. to watch his beloved (and mine) 12-1 Redhawks play in the GMAC Bowl.

The Boys and Girls Cross Country squads converged on the Mandarin Café Sunday for their post-season awards. Their awards as announced by Head Coach Mel Bechtel included: Boys MVP Jake Ruzevick and the Girls MVP was Katherine Wingert; Most Dedicated Boys – Alton Smith and Blake Gorey; Most Dedicated Girl – Caitlin Bigham.

The Coach’s Awards went to: Jack Harms and Karolin Ivarsson; Most Improved – Brad Munns and Caitlin Alley; Boys Co-Captains – Ryan Haig and Jake Ruzevick; Girls Co-Captains –Beth Wittry and Wingert. Bigham was also given a sportsmanship award by the CIF San Diego section for the Division III competition.

Next week in Nado Natterings, the 2003-04 debut of Boys Basketball, Girls Water Polo and Boys Soccer, plus more fall season awards results.