Honorable mention goes to senior Geoff Thorne, who like Naple played both ways in football, and continued to play while injured for most of the season. Not a monster himself at 5 feet 11 and 191 pounds, Thorne recuperated during the winter and helped lead the Islander baseball team to the semi-finals in Division III, while catching and pitching with a sore arm. Kudos to both athletes for their efforts.

The ‘All-Smarts’Team – The Team Captain of the All-Smarts Team is senior Will Nygard, who lettered in basketball and baseball, scored a 1550 on his SAT exam, and will matriculate (Ivy League word for the Ivy Leaguer) to Harvard in the fall.

Head Basketball Coach Sandy Dillon told me that during a break in a basketball tournament that the Islanders were playing in this year, the team was eating at a fast food restaurant. Nygard was surrounded by teammates and kids from other schools, conducting an advanced math tutorial. Dillon hated to break up the session, but the team was close to being late to the next game.

Other members of the ‘All-Smarts Team’ include Glenn Goebels, Dayna Queisser and Scott Syverson, who will attend Penn, U.C. Berkeley and Princeton respectively this fall and will continue their athletic pursuits. In an extremely gifted senior class, they are among the best and the brightest.

Comeback Awards – Unfortunately injuries are a part of athletics, but two members of this year’s senior class personified the will to recover from significant knee injuries and return to competition. Teal Jensen, who played volleyball and soccer at CHS, endured multiple knee procedures and returned to have fine seasons in both sports. Her perseverance helped her earn a CIF title in Soccer.

Janelle Kuhlow suffered a knee injury during the Basketball season a year ago and returned to play Volleyball and Basketball in 2003-04. Despite the injury, she was probably the best on-the-ball defender on a very good Girls Basketball squad. Both girls showed character and perseverance.

Best Foreign Import – Freshman Anni Korhonen hails from Finland and her father is in the Finnish Navy on assignment in Coronado. She was a major contributor to the success of the Girls Soccer Team, while simultaneously teaching her teammates Finnish ‘slang,’ which no doubt will come in handy for them in the future.

Beauty and Athletic Talent Combined – Nikki-Marie Hayden was the starting center in basketball and earned the title of Miss Coronado. Briana Acuna was a tennis letter winner and the CHS Homecoming Queen. Acuna also was the official scorer for the Boys Varsity Basketball Team.

Name Game Part I– Despite having a beautiful name and being a talented track athlete, I think I have misspelled Nila Heurtelou’s first and last names in every possible combination. My only excuse is that most people don’t have five vowels in their last name, but after 4 years, you would think I could catch on.

Name Game Part II – Softball player Sunshine D’Amico. How can your day go wrong with a name that positive and uplifting?

Boys Coach of the Year – As mentioned a couple of weeks ago, this award goes to Boys Volleyball Coach Phil Trotter. Two years ago, under another coach, the team won only one game and that was by forfeit. This year the Boys Volleyball Team won the Harbor League title and was 9-10 on the season, competing against an upgraded schedule. For good measure, Trotter also won the Harbor League title as coach of the Girls Volleyball Team.

The runner-up is Head Baseball Coach Sam Ceci, who took his team to the CIF semi-finals and finished 6-6 in the very tough Western League. Honorable Mention goes to Head Football Coach Bud Mayfield, who guided his team to a 9-2 record and a playoff berth.

Girls Coach of the Year – Miles Ramirez, head coach of the Girls Soccer Team gets the nod. The team peaked at the right time, and defeated USDHS, which had been ranked No. 1 in San Diego County for much of the season, in the CIF Division III finals.

The runner-up is Toler Goodwin for his coaching job with the Girls Basketball Team, which won the Harbor League championship again. Goodwin consistently gets the most out of his players and the results show on the court.

Girls Freshman Athlete– The nominees are Brooke Becky in Basketball, Anni Korhonen in Soccer, Sarah Player in Track and Field, and Kelly Walsh in soccer. All four athletes contributed at the varsity level as freshmen, but the nod goes to Becky, who earned a lot of floor time on a veteran team. Look for Becky to have a fine 4-year basketball career at CHS.

Boys Freshman Athlete – The Boys Lacrosse Team was one of the best in the state of California and freshman Geoff Worley received a considerable amount of playing time on a deep and talented team.

Girls Sophomore Athlete – This is a tough choice among several fine two-sport athletes, so we’ll announce co-winners in this category. Sandra Fernandez was a force on the Girls Water Polo Team and was the Co-Captain of the Girls Swimming Team, a rare honor for a sophomore. Angela Naple played soccer and earned All Conference First Team honors in Girls Lacrosse and was a stand-out defender on that squad. Honorable mentions go to Farrell Pompa (Basketball and softball), and Jessica Davis-Ricci (Basketball and Softball).

Boys Sophomore Athlete – Kevin Couture had a fine baseball season, highlighted by striking out Matt Bush, the first selection in Major League Baseball’s amateur draft, three times in one game. When he wasn’t pitching, he either played shortstop or third base. Couture also played JV and Varsity Basketball, splitting time between the squads.

Girls Junior Athlete – CHS Head Track Coach George Green told me in the middle of her freshman year that Jamie Klages was talented enough to win a Division I college scholarship in track and field. Klages was named to the Harbor League First Team in Volleyball, was Second Team All CIF as a soccer goalie and finished fifth in the state of California in the high jump this year. She will play goalie for the University of Nebraska’s soccer team in another year. She has also competed as a position player in Soccer and participated at the varsity level in Girls Basketball as a freshman.

Runners-up include Elizabeth Hopkins in Tennis, Water Polo and Swimming and Megan Mushovic in Volleyball and Track.

Boys Junior Athlete - Reid McLean is the winner in a particularly strong field. McLean came into his own this year in track and field, and was the All-Section CIF champion in the 300-meter hurdles. He has the unique combination of athletic abilities to perhaps become a decathlete at the Division I level in track. In addition, he played varsity basketball and ran cross country.

Runners-up include Jake Ruzevick, who was the Harbor League champion in the 800, 1600 and 3200-meter runs; Ryan Cummins in football, lacrosse, and soccer; Stuart Gallant in soccer and golf; and Jed Considine in football and volleyball. Considine, who plays the offensive and defensive line in football, may be the only 6-3, 240 pound setter in prep volleyball.

Girls Senior Athlete – This is a truly remarkable group, which will also have co-winners this year. Alexis Castro actually lettered in four sports this year, which included tennis, basketball, lacrosse and track and field. If it can be thrown, caught or hit, she can play it. Ironically, Castro’s best sport may be softball, which she did not play during her 2-year tenure at Coronado High School. Castro has earned a scholarship to play basketball at the University of Vermont.

The other winner is Dayna Queisser, who lettered in Cross Country, Soccer and Lacrosse. A gifted athlete and an outstanding student, Queisser will attend Cal Berkeley on a soccer scholarship next year. Queisser scored 22 goals and had 11 assists in soccer this year, and her tally in overtime won the Islanders the CIF title.

She follows older sister Kelley to Cal, where Kelley has had an outstanding lacrosse career. Younger brother Patrick is a sophomore at CHS and an up-and-coming swimmer and water polo goalie.

The Honorable Mentions for the Senior Girls include: Katherine Wingert, the 800, 1600 and 3200-meter Harbor League champion in track for all four of her years in high school; Beth Wittry (Cross Country and Track); Janelle Kuhlow (Volleyball and Basketball); Rhett Chase (Cross Country, Soccer, Track and Field) who will play Division I soccer at Air Force; Anne Marie Strohbeck (Volleyball and Basketball), and Katherine Burt (Water Polo, Swimming and Cheerleading).

Boys Senior Athlete – Yet another strong cast, with the winner being Tommy Corcoran, the CIF Division II Water Polo Player of the Year, a starter on the Boys Basketball Team and a swimmer. Corcoran will play Water Polo at USC next year and joins a long line of Water Polo grads from CHS to play at the Division I level. Corcoran was a force on the basketball floor, who was not afraid to be aggressive on either end of the floor, or the pool for that matter.

Runners-up include J.T. Rogan, who broke the CHS single season rushing mark in Football and was Co-MVP of the Baseball Team; Geoff Thorne (Football and Baseball); Gene Pontes (Football, Basketball and Lacrosse); Cote Perkins (Football, Basketball, Lacrosse); Trevor Serfass (Football and Lacrosse); Zach Todaro (Football and Lacrosse); and Nick Ivarsson (Soccer and Tennis).

Some final Islander sports news to report. The Boys Lacrosse Team held their banquet last week and the winners as announced by Head Coach Alex Cade included: Co-Offensive MVPs – Steve Torkington and Cote Perkins; Defensive MVP – Jeremy Redding; Islander Sports Foundation Awards for Integrity, Sportsmanship and Friendship – Gene Pontes and Cody Morris; Overall MVP – Glenn Goebels.

Congratulations to all of the coaches, players, and parents who participated in sports this year.