Friday afternoon Coronado High School’s Varsity Football team traveled to Clairemont and defeated the Chieftains on several fronts. From a fashion perspective, the Islanders’ matching white uniform tops and pants, with green numbers and trim easily outdistanced Clairemont’s bright orange ensemble, replete with blue trim and white numbers.

Coronado won the net turnover battle on the field of play by a 5-1 margin and most importantly they owned the scoreboard, earning a critical Central League victory by the score of 45-24. Along the way they came back from an early 10-point deficit and played their best football of the season in the process.

The Islanders are now 5-2 overall and 2-0 in the Central League. Coronado currently shares the league lead with Madison, followed by Clairemont and University City one game behind at 1-1, and Crawford and Kearny each at 0-2.

Played under brilliantly sunny skies, the game started well for Coronado. Clairemont received the kickoff and on the second play from scrimmage, senior Co-Captain Ben Thorne stripped the Chieftain’s ball carrier of the ball and recovered the fumble himself. At first glance, that last sentence doesn’t sound like a big deal, but Thorne’s play exhibited a combination of strength and athleticism.

Three plays later quarterback Stephen Conrad found Cameron Feallock on the receiving end of a 23-yard scoring pass and the Islanders held an early 7-0 lead.

Then Coronado entered a portion of the game when they couldn’t do much right. Their next three offensive possessions went punt, punt, lost fumble and the Chieftains by virtue of a couple of big plays on offense, had forged a 17-7 lead midway through the second quarter.

But the Islanders cranked up their intensity and execution. Tailback Ricardo Oberwager, who was held to negative yardage on two of his first three carries, started to hit the holes that his offensive line was creating for him. The ‘O’ line, which consists of tight end J.J. Pontes, right tackle Charlie Moore, Thorne at right guard, Greg Reed at center, Scott Shepherd at left guard and Tim Leary at left tackle, played a huge role in the victory. With 2:09 remaining in the half, Oberwager scored on a seven-yard run and Coronado was within striking distance. The touchdown performed the dual functions of getting the Islanders back into the game and helped reverse the game’s momentum.

On Clairemont’s third play from scrimmage, and with less than a minute to play in the half, lightening struck for a second time. Thorne again stripped the ball from a Clairemont back and recovered the fumble he created. After a short pass from Conrad to Oberwager and a 15-yard run by Oberwager, and with the clock winding down, Head Coach Bud Mayfield opted for a 20-yard field goal from Geovanni Saldana. The senior promptly and calmly converted on the attempt, knotting the game at 17-17 at halftime.

Coronado took the opening kickoff and put together a strong 10-play, 5-minute drive, which Ray San Giovanni finished off on a one-yard touchdown plunge. Clairemont answered three plays later to tie the score at 24-all.

Then the Islander line started dominating their Chieftain counterparts. "That comes from our Hell Week and our conditioning program," said Mayfield. "We were in better condition. That’s a great tribute to the kids. They were tired at the end, because they gave everything they had."

With the game tied, Oberwager and the ‘O’ line took over and put the game out of reach. In a 15-play, seven-minute drive that started at their own 4-yard line, Oberwager touched the ball on 13 of the 15 plays via either the run or a pass. The 5-foot, 10-inch, 165-pound junior tailback completed the drive on a three-yard touchdown run. Oberwager finished the game with 209 yards rushing on 27 carries. Conrad was 8-14 passing for 65 yards and a touchdown.

"A lot of people think we run the same play all the time," said Mayfield of the scoring drive and Oberwager’s role in the same. "He’s carrying the ball on many different kinds of plays. If something is working, you stay with it. If they can’t stop you, there is no reason to try other kinds of plays. We exploited a weakness we found. Toward the end of the game, they (Clairemont) were exhausted and putting up a marginal defense. We broke their will, with is another advantage of a ground attack. That demoralizes a team."

For good measure Oberwager, who like many of his teammates plays both offense and defense, intercepted a Chieftain pass three plays later. The resulting Islander 33-yard drive was capped off by a Kyle Brown 5-yard jaunt and Coronado was in control 38-24.

After Alex Carnathan caused a fumble that was recovered by Ian Petersen, Coronado scored on an Eddie Gomez touchdown run from one-yard out, to complete the scoring. Kyle Brown intercepted a pass on the next Chieftain possession and Coronado ran the clock to the out and earned the 45-24 victory.

Mayfield credited the Islander placement team of long snapper Pontes, holder Curtis Perkins and kicker Saldana with an important role in the victory. "Saldana kept us in the game psychologically and his squib kicks were effective also." Playing from behind for much of the game, converting the much-needed extra points and the field goal at the conclusion of the first half were crucial to the Islanders, when the game was on the line.

Thorne and Oberwager earned Black Shirt recognition from the coaching staff, making them the "Players of the Week." There is also beaucoup praise and awards to be spread out among the team members in acknowledgement of the come-from-behind victory.

The Islanders return home Friday night to host Crawford at 7:30 pm. Mayfield is wary of the Colts, who seem to challenge Coronado annually. "They don’t win much, but they are very close in every game. The lost to Clairemont in the last minute and it was the same thing the other night against University City. They have terrific speed, they play hard and they are still trying. They scare me. We need to beat Crawford to win the Central League. The league title will come right down to the wire."

One of the key people behind the scenes of the Islander Football Program is Kyle Montague, who keeps a myriad of game statistics for the Coronado coaching staff. Last week at the Clairemont game he was accompanied by daughter Madison Montague and son Wyatt Montague.

Kyle, who was a baseball and football star at Coronado High School, has both of his kids heavily involved in sports. Madison is a soccer player of considerable skill, having played on several championship teams at the advanced age of 10. Wyatt, 7, is a two-way lineman in the Coronado Youth Football program.

Kyle displayed advanced parenting skills on the sidelines, watching his kids, while still keeping close tabs on the game.

Describing his team as "like a MASH unit out there," Coronado Boys Water Polo Head Coach Randy Burgess was still able to guide his club to two victories last week.

The first was a mid-week 13-5 victory over Scripps Ranch, followed by a 16-6 win over Long Beach Wilson Saturday evening. Both games were played at the Coronado Aquatics Center.

Burgess described perennial water polo power Long Beach Wilson as "a very well-coached and a very young group." Jacob Smith and Eric Clapper were multiple-goal scorers in the LB Wilson contest. "More importantly, six different guys scored," said Burgess. "It was also the first varsity start for freshman Tommy Schofer. He had a nice goal and an assist. It was a real nice first start for him."

Others scoring goals included Prince Sefa-Boakye, who found the back of the net in the fourth quarter, while Sam Working contributed a couple of assists to the Islander attack. Jake Hunzeker also contributed a goal.

A familiar face is in a new position for the Islanders, as senior Jackson Crow-Mickle has taken over for Kyle Pokorny in goal, as the latter recovers from mononucleosis. "He’s dabbled with playing in goal in the past," said Burgess. "We’ve used him as a goalie in the off season. He did a nice job last week. He had eight saves against Long Beach Wilson and seven against Scripps Ranch."

Overall the team has an impressive overall record of 13-4. "Things are going well," Burgess said. "To get that many kids into the game with playing time is a good thing. The kids have done a good job. We’re looking at a lot of different combinations of kids playing. It’s very interesting with all of the holes we have to fill. They are doing fine."

This week the Islanders play University City at the La Jolla Jewish Community Center Wednesday. They then head northward and play Soquel of Santa Cruz Thursday and begin play in the Nor Cal Invitational Friday against Clovis West.

High School sports are comprised of a series of peaks and valleys. One match one week followed by a flood of activity the next.

Last week the Islander Girls Golf Team knocked off Point Loma 255-293 at Coronado Municipal in their lone outing. Point Loma’s Christy Fogerty out dueled Coronado’s Alexcie Sanchez 41-43 for medalist honors, but the rest of the result was all Islanders. Sanchez maintained her team scoring lead over Giovanna Ascolani by almost 2.5 strokes per round, followed in order by Mackenzie Coutts, Lexi Donovan and Brooke Bower.

In scheduling ‘peak’ mode this week, Coronado plays La Jolla at Torrey Pines Monday, and then travels to The Vineyard Tuesday to face San Pasqual.

Wednesday Head Coach Hanna Cohan reaches deep into her motivational bag, when she will have LPGA Professional Jill McGill address the team. At the same practice, Lt. Laura Maasdam, a Navy helicopter pilot will talk to the squad. "I wanted the girls to hear from accomplished women as we head into the playoffs," said Cohan.

The Islander’s regular season concludes Thursday when Coronado hosts Scripps Ranch. The CIF Playoffs begin the next week at the Balboa Golf Course.

Cross Country Head Coach George Green brings us the details of last week’s events. "According to ‘Runner’s World Magazine,’ the Mt. SAC Invitational is the largest cross country meet in the world. It’s held over two weekends; with more than 24,000 registered runners from elementary, middle school, high school, and community college programs participating in the event.

Last weekend, nearly 14,000 high school runners trekked to Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, CA for the 59^th running of this classic event. JV and Varsity races are graded by year in school, CIF division, and gender. The events start about every 8 minutes over the same 3.1-mile course. We entered Varsity and JV Boys races and a Varsity Girls race. As usual, the conditions were hot (85 degrees), smoggy and windy.

Ben Enowitz placed 15^th in our Varsity Boys race in 17:12, followed by David Grimes (41^st in 18:04), Michael Davies (61^st in 18:32); Jose Tijerina (19:33), Ben Green, Cotter Stacy, and Kevin Siefert.

Jordan Vance, Alton Smith, Frankie Harrison, Kramer De Laurentis, and Cory Couture finished in that order in the JV race.

Sallie Privett led her girls varsity race most of the way, before the heat got to her on the last hill. She finished second with a time of 19:32. Adrianna Davies placed 22^nd in 21:25, followed by Coco O’Brien (23:42), and Selina Schmek (24:47)."

Due to a re-scheduled date with Our Lady of Peace, the Islanders had three matches in Eastern League play last week. Their first engagement was against OLP and resulted in a 25-17, 25-22, 25-16 loss to the league-leading Pilots.

"The score doesn’t show it, but we played three very good games," said Islander Head Coach Christina Lahr. "OLP has much more experience in tight game situations. The errors I saw us making were errors that reflected a lack of experience. We didn’t make many errors, but the ones we made, they knew how to capitalize on. At the end of the match, my girls thought they had played well. They are a very good team. It was an interesting experience for me, having come from OLP. A couple of them came under the net and gave me a hug after the match. It was an emotional game in many respects."

Lahr served as the Frosh/Soph coach at OLP and was later a varsity assistant coach. Coronado is eagerly awaiting their rematch at OLP on Halloween.

Next on the schedule came San Diego High School, which prevailed over Coronado in five sets 14-25, 25-22, 12-25, 27-25, and 16-14. "It was the second most exciting game of the season," said Lahr. "Neither of the teams wanted to give up a loss and we both fought all the way. Afterwards Christy Mebust said, ‘that was a really good match.’ They didn’t beat themselves and left everything on the court."

The sub-text to Thursday’s contest between Patrick Henry and Coronado was that Henry had split their two games with Eastern League Co-leader OLP and were tied for the league lead. "Our kids had no interest in losing that match," Lahr said of the Henry vs. Coronado re-match. "I don’t know if it was the fact that Henry was the only team in the first half of the league season we had lost to in three games. I’m not quite sure what sparked the fire."

Coronado went up 25-22 and 25-23 before the Patriots returned fire 25-20 and 25-18. Coronado prevailed in the fifth game and in the match, winning 16-14. "It was another nail biter all the way to the end," Lahr said. "The fifth game was pretty incredible. Neither team scored more than three points in a row before the other team got a side out. It went back and forth. Karli Massie set an awesome game. She was very consistent and supportive for her hitters. She was making something out of every pass. Christy Mebust and Madison Boomer also had great games. Christy had 18 kills. Madison didn’t have as many kills, but she was aggressively putting the ball into the court."

With the game on the line, freshman Kori Fitzgerald stepped to the service line. With Coronado trailing 14-13, the Islanders won Fitzgerald’s first service point on a rally. We’ll let Lahr continue the commentary. "At 14-14 Kori got a two-touch ace. Then she serves again and aces the same girl. I was shocked and so happy for them. Christy ran over to Kori and picked her up and the girls went crazy. It was good to see them work together and play well. I don’t think I could have scripted it any better."

Tuesday of this week, Coronado travels to Morse for a 3 pm game. Thursday the Islanders host Mission Bay. The JV and Frosh/Soph teams will play at 3:30 pm, with the varsity game set for approximately 4:30 pm. "I’d like to see a good turnout Thursday," said Lahr of the Mission Bay match. "It will be the seniors’ last home game. We made the match later so more people could come."

CHS Girls Tennis Coach Robbin Adair provides us with a re-cap of his team’s week in competition. "Tuesday we traveled to La Jolla and lost 15-3, an improvement over our 17-1 setback in the first round of Western League play. Spencer Berman and Allie Gordon each won a set in singles, as did the doubles team of Jen Carney/Hannah Schneider. Five other sets were very close. Spencer lost to their No. 1 4-6, as did Allie 3-6, scores which included several deuce games.

The doubles team of Grace Lancaster/Ashley Mendham lost to the No. 2 team 5-7 and to the No. 1 team 4-6. And finally, Natalie Brooks/Simmi Deo lost to the No. 2 team 4-6. Rounding out play was Loren Metzger, who played singles for the first time in her high school career. Though she played well, she got swept.

Thursday we hosted Cathedral Catholic and got beat 15-1 in a truncated match. They were really fired up, having lost a very close match to La Jolla, in which they tied 9-9 and lost 78-76 in game count. The first two rounds of play were over in less than an hour, and it wasn’t until the third set that we were able to break through.

Jen Carney got our only win, beating their No. 3 6-3. Spencer Berman lost two sets 4-6, 5-7 before we stopped the match. The doubles teams of Allie Gordon/Hannah Schneider, Grace Lancaster/Ashley Mendham and Tatiana Chahine/Angelina Grumann were all swept. Allie and Hannah had our one really close set in doubles, losing to the No. 2 team 4-6.

This week we finish regular season play with a match vs. OLP at Morley Field. Thursday night of next week, we seed the CIF San Diego Section Team Championship. We will see where we are seeded and where we play the following Tuesday, when that tournament begins play."