Girls Volleyball teams representing Coronado High School have gone a long time without winning a CIF playoff game, with estimates that 25 years have passed since that feat was last accomplished. With their 25-15, 25-22, 22-25, 25-11 victory over Horizon Christian, the Islanders have a playoff victory under their collective belts and a date in the CIF Division IV Playoff semi-finals.

Junior middle blocker Jacy Norton took over the game when it counted Friday night on her home floor, with a team-leading 31 kills. In the fourth and final game, Norton was credited with kills on 11 of the final 16 points to seal the Islander victory. As dominating as the 6-foot, 4-inch Norton was at the net, she had considerable help in leading the Islanders to victory.

"Jacy definitely was a difference maker," said Head Coach Phil Trotter. "What was nice I think was that she elevated the play of the rest of the girls. The real hero of the game was Ashley Copp, with the way she and the rest of the back row played. That’s why Emily Howe and Ashley are back there when Jacy is in the front. They control the ball so we can set the middle. Most people don’t recognize the defense. I don’t know that we win that match without Ashley."

In addition to their defensive contributions, seniors Copp and Howe came up big offensively, with Copp serving for 10 consecutive points in the middle of the concluding game and Howe for six straight late in the contest.

Horizon Christian started slowly, gained momentum in the middle two games and were dominated in the final set, but Trotter knew his team had been challenged. "It was nice for us to get a good match. I was glad they (the Panthers) showed up and played well. It will make us more prepared for Parker. I was real pleased with all of our girls and it has been a great year for us. We have improved as a team, as individuals and we have shown a lot of character. We’ve won a lot of close matches. The girls have a lot to be proud of. These girls have laid the foundation for future (Coronado) teams to compete at the county level."

Trotter pointed out the contributions of Megan Mushovic, Kelly Phelps, Jamie Klages, Deidre Kelly and Caitlin Kennedy, saying of the latter, "Caitlin is probably our most improved player."

No. 4 seed Coronado (25-5) travels to No. 1 seed Francis Parker (23-2) for the Division IV semi-finals Tuesday evening. Parker also has the distinction of being ranked No. 8 in San Diego County in the final Union-Tribune writers’ poll. "We play better away from home," said Trotter of his team. "We have the offense to give them a good match."

Last week in this space we noted that both the Coronado Boys and Girls Cross Country Teams earned Harbor League championship titles. This past week the Harbor League individual honors were determined. CHS Head Track Coach George Green provides the details. "Jake Ruzevick made it four Harbor League championships is a row by winning the individual race Monday Nov. 8. He finished the 3-mile Morley Field loop in 16:04, a minute in front of the runner-up from Crawford.

Freshman Ben Enowitz also made the All-Harbor League Team, which consists of the Top 10 finishers. He finished in third place in 17:11. Normally Brad Munns would have made this select group, but he sat out of the race due to a pinched nerve. Hopefully he will return for the CIF finals. Michael Davies finished in 13^th place in 18:53 followed by Jose Tijerina (16^th), Josh Fink (17^th), Alton Smith (20^th), Drew Lewis (21^st), and Tim Bowman (25^th).

The Girls placed four runners in the Top 10, led by Ashley Walsh who finished second in 21:24, followed by Karolin Ivarsson (5^th in 22:30), Hope Alexander (7^th in 23:41), and Katie Gomrick (10^th in 23:41). Anneke Nelson was 14^th and Sarah Player 16^th. Walsh, Ivarsson, Alexander and Gomrick each earned All-Harbor League recognition.

The state qualifying meet will be held this Saturday at Morley Field. The Division IV boys run at 10:40 am and the Girls will compete at 12:15 pm."

After earning the No. 2 seed in the CIF Division II playoffs, the CHS Boys Water Polo Team drew No. 15 seed Mar Vista in the first round and dispatched the Mariners 16-4. John Landon scored four goals, with two of the tallies coming on power play opportunities. Other contributors to the victory included Jackson Crow-Mickle who scored a goal in his first varsity game; Steven Sullivan who had a goal and two assists; and Daniel Pedrotty who scored two goals.

Patrick Queisser played the first three quarters in goal and was credited with five saves and a steal. Freshman goalie Kyle Pokorny completed the game and had two saves without allowing a goal.

The quarter-finals found the Islanders taking on Valley Center and Coronado emerged with a 17-5 victory. Leading scorers were Jesse Farquhar with four goals, Sean Castillo with three tallies, while Daniel Pedrotty, Preston Lujan, and Dallas Chase all scored twice. Jacob Smith, Eric Clapper, Scott Simeral and Sullivan scored single goals. Simeral’s score was his first varsity goal, while Sullivan’s goal was a bomb from seven meters out. Dylan Carr and Queisser split time in goal, with each credited with seven saves.

Now it gets serious.

Tuesday evening Coronado (19-9) plays La Jolla (22-7) at the latter’s pool for the third time this season, with the Islanders prevailing by scores of 13-6 and 8-5 in the first two meetings. "I feel confident about Tuesday’s game," said Head Coach Randy Burgess. "If we play our game, we’re going to be tough to beat. The practices and the team’s attitude have been great. We have a really neat group of guys. My expectations were pretty high (coming into the season) and now it’s a question of experience. Can we put four quarters together? I know we can do it, but I don’t know if we will. It’s been a great season. I hate to see it end."

Should Coronado defeat La Jolla, they would advance to the Division II finals against the winner of the Bishop’s vs. Valhalla game. The finals will be played Sat. Nov. 20 at 5 pm at La Jolla High School’s Coggan Pool.

Coronado lost to Madison 17-6 to complete the regular season for both teams Friday evening, in a contest described by Head Coach Bud Mayfield as a ‘rugby game.’ Coronado finished the season with a 4-6 record and is headed to the Division IV playoffs, while Madison which finished 7-3, didn’t earn an invitation to the Division III post season dance.

"They couldn’t throw the ball at all, so it was a rugby game," Mayfield explained. "There was a pile play after play. Unfortunately they had a couple of big tackles (on their line). Their defense is ranked in the Top 10 in the county and it was hard for us to generate any offense. It was a defensive game and they finally broke out. It was 3-0 (Madison leading) midway through the third quarter. They are pretty big up front and they pushed on us a little bit, but we battled. Their defense was pretty tough to crack."

On the last offensive series of the game, junior quarterback David Loving helped engineer a 60-yard scoring drive, which he topped off with a 9-yard touchdown run. Mayfield acknowledged Loving’s contribution by saying, "on the last series, Loving carried us with his throwing and running out of the pocket."

Saturday morning was the coaches’ seeding meeting, which found Coronado inexplicably seeded fifth behind Santa Fe Christian, Palo Verde, Francis Parker and Imperial. Coronado’s seeded position came despite playing the Eastern League champion (USDHS), the Western League champion (Point Loma), and the Tri-champions of the Harbor League (Crawford, Madison, and Clairemont) and dominating Francis Parker 33-0. Coronado was seeded two slots behind Parker, costing the Islanders an opportunity to host a home playoff game.

As an in-person witness to the Coronado vs. Parker game played Sept. 10^th, it can objectively be said that Parker was never in the game.

Mayfield, who was the Harbor League rep in both the Division III and Division IV seeding meetings and a veteran of many other such sessions, noticed a surprising trend. "Strength of schedule and the head-to-head record didn’t matter. They (the other coaches) voted in blocks by leagues or used some other criteria. There were some shenanigans going on there somewhere. Let’s just go settle it on the field. We were hoping for the third seed, but we’ll be playing at Imperial. We’ll just have to take the bus trip. This is the second season (playoffs) now."

Since only eight teams qualify for the Division IV playoffs, the first game will be played Friday, Nov. 26 at 7:30 pm. "We’ll have some time off and some light practices," Mayfield added. "We won’t hit much and we’ll rest. We’ll do a lot of recognition and mental preparation. We’re starting again fresh on Monday. I hope we have enough gas left in the tank. When you give like we give, it takes a toll."

On a related note, both the CHS JV and Freshmen teams won their respective Harbor League titles.

Three members of the Islanders Girls Golf Team fared well in the CIF individual competition as Monica Ascolani, Lorena Ascolani and Alexci Sanchez made the cut and played both days in the season-ending tourney. The first day of competition was held at Warner Springs, while the second was played at Singing Hills.

Monica, a senior, shot a 93-86=179, followed by sophomore Sanchez with a 90-94=184 and freshmen Lorena Ascolani’s 83-103=186. Obviously this looks promising for Head Coach Kari Weidner’s team for next year, with two of the team’s three best players returning.

In another bit of good news, the team was ranked 10^th entering the CIF play, but finished in eighth position. "I was impressed with the kids moving up two slots," said Weidner.

CHS Girls Basketball Head Coach Toler Goodwin has announced the pairings for the annual Coronado Thanksgiving Shootout for 2004. The 10-team event will be held Friday and Saturday, Nov. 26-27.

Coronado’s half of the draw includes San Dieguito, Chula Vista, Imperial and University City. The other tournament bracket includes Serra, Southwest, Brawley, OLP and Christian. Two games are underway at nearly all times, with tournament play starting at 11 am and the last game will tip-off at 5:40 pm.

Coronado plays at 12:40 pm and 4 pm both days. Specifically their schedule is: Friday 12:40 pm – Imperial; Friday 4 pm – San Dieguito; Saturday 12:40 pm – University City; Saturday 4 pm – Chula Vista.

This year’s squad will be lead by returnees sophomore Brooke Becky, and seniors Ashley Depfer and Amanda Marks. The annual tournament is a major source of income for the girls basketball program.

The Coronado Boys Lacrosse clinic will be held Saturday mornings at the CHS and CMS fields from 9-11 am from Jan. 8 to Feb. 12, 2005 for boys in third through eighth grades. The clinic coaching staff includes: CMS Division I Coaches Dan Meehan and Jon Chrismer; CMS Division III Coaches Parker Anger and Emory Chenoweth; CHS JV Coach Scott Orosz; CHS Varsity Coach Head Coach Alex Cade; and several former NCAA players.

For new players the clinics present an excellent opportunity to learn skills and the strategy of the game. There will be four or five players per coach. The cost for the clinic is $90 per player, with checks made payable to Coronado Schools Lacrosse.

Included in the fee is a U.S. Lacrosse Association membership, a Coronado lacrosse sticker and a player mouth guard. Players provide a stick, cleats and shoulder pads. Helmets, gloves and arm pads are available to be loaned, although a deposit is required.

Clinic registration dates are Dec. 11 and 18 from 9-11 am and Jan. 8 from 8-9:30 am. Registration will be held at the sixth street entrance to the CHS football field. Questions may be directed to Dan Little at dlittle8@san.rr.com.