Nado Natterings
A weekly column by David Axelson

Nado Natterings
by David Axelson, Chief Executive Officer
The Islander Sports Foundation

24 Jan 2007 Issue #3

As comedian Mel Brooks said in his 1981 film ‘History of the World Part I,’ “It’s good to be the king.” Presumably being part of the CHS Boys Soccer program these days is pretty satisfying as well.

Last week the Islanders bested Crawford Tuesday 2-0, with both goals coming via the talented foot of Nick Hamilton. Thursday Coronado defeated Christian 2-0, this time with Matt Ganyard and Hamilton accounting for the two tallies. Goalie Jeffery Bucklew was credited with shutouts in both games.

The net result of all of that activity is that the Islanders are now 17-2-1 overall and 4-0 in the Central League. They currently have a one point lead over second place Clairemont, who tied with Hoover last week. As you might have guessed, this week Coronado travels to Clairemont Tuesday for a 3 pm game and then they host Hoover Thursday at 5 pm. It’s a scheduling tandem that has Head Coach Brian Hiatt-Aleu’s attention, as his team faces the second and third best teams in the Central League over a three-day span.

“Our defense is playing pretty well,” Hiatt-Aleu said of last week’s games. “We’re staying behind the ball and we don’t get beat. We have more numbers back than they have up and when we have the lead, we don’t have to take risks. We haven’t given up many sloppy goals this season. Our midfield gets back on defense and helps out as well.”

Hiatt-Aleu employed a 4-4-2 formation for most of last week’s play, a concept he discussed in some detail. “We have four defenders back and one pushes up (on offense), but we always keep three defenders back. If we lose the ball, we can box them in a little bit more. It also helps us with putting numbers into the attack, especially the two outside midfielders Christian Bond and Christian Herrera.” Hiatt-Aleu continued to say that Herrera played well Thursday and “Is starting to perform to expectations.” The defenders who normally camp themselves in front of Bucklew and the goal are three from the quartet of Charlie Wood, Austen Speer, Pat Ahern or Connor Marcone.

As well as they are playing Hiatt-Aleu knows that his team needs to ramp up their play a notch in anticipation of the CIF Division III Playoffs, which loom about three weeks from now. A total of 12 teams will make the playoffs and Hiatt-Aleu sees Cathedral Catholic, Valhalla, St. Augustine and Coronado as the contenders for the Top 4 seeds. If current form holds, Coronado may be in a position to host two playoff games.

“We have to start improving a little more on ball possession,” Hiatt-Aleu said. “We really need to start improving our all-around game. We have hit a complacency patch, where we hold a lead instead of improving on it. We’re not playing well enough to win the CIF’s right now. We really need to improve, starting this week. If we’re not ready at Clairemont, it will be a long day.”

CHS Girls Water Polo Has Productive Week

The Islander Girls Water Polo Team had an interesting week. First off they dominated Cathedral Catholic 15-1. Lauren Corcoran and Lenea Smith each scored a goal for the Islanders. Corcoran also had six steals and Smith contributed a steal and two assists to the winning cause.

With the exception of their perennial rivals from the Bishop’s School, competition is a little scarce in the San Diego area for the Islanders. However, finding a quality opponent was not difficult at the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions. CHS Head Coach Dave Throop called the 16-team tournament field, which is comprised exclusively of sectional winners and runners-up, “the best it has ever been. In the whole tournament, every team was within one or two goals of everybody else.”

Coronado edged by Santa Margarita 6-4 in their first encounter, with Hannah Sebenaler and Ashley Young scoring two goals each. That evening the Islanders, who were seeded in the No. 5 slot, faced No. 4 seed Corona Del Mar and lost by the score of 3-2. Typically the final scores of prep water polo games are in the teens, but the low score reflected some great defensive play by both Coronado and CDM.

“Corona Del Mar is a very fast, physical team,” said Throop. “I have never seen this group (Coronado) play that well defensively. We were helping, switching and recovering. Morgan Ronimus probably played as close to a perfect game for a goalie as you can. In the first quarter she stopped a point blank shot and a penalty shot. It was the best game she has ever played. She had eight saves in the game and was the catalyst who fed her teammates.” Molly Patrick and Sabrina Anonas scored for the Islanders.

Next on the schedule was Agoura High School, which Throop described as “Our third quality game of the tournament. We came out flat defensively and lost 9-7. Sebenaler and Carly Hoshko each scored twice for the Islanders.

Next was Long Beach Wilson, a game that Coronado won 5-3. “It was an ugly game,” said Throop. “We are not used to playing at that high a level, that often. We challenged the team (Coronado) to come out and play their best game. Katie Estrada had three goals and Hannah added two. Morgan and Alex Adamson split time in goal. Morgan had eight saves and Alex was credited with 10.

We told the group that we are much improved from where we were. We have another month to refine things before we focus on the playoffs. We’re very, very pleased (with the team). Katie Estrada was named to the All-Tournament team. They play a very, very physical style up there and they had to adjust their defenses to her. That freed up people to do other things. Right now we’re 10-3 on the season, which is pretty impressive for the schedule we are playing.”

This week The Bishop’s School travels to Coronado with a 3 pm Western League game Wednesday. Starting Friday, Coronado hosts the America’s Finest City Tournament, which is another 16-team affair. Throop considers Coronado, Mira Costa, La Jolla and Bishop’s to be the strongest teams in the AFC field. Other entrants include Torrey Pines, Vista, El Segundo, Irvine, Mt. Carmel and Scripps Ranch.

Coronado will start play in the tournament with a 2 pm game with Helix at the Coronado Aquatics Center.

CHS Girls Basketball Ups Central League Mark to 2-0

The Central League scheduling gurus ‘blessed’ the CHS Girls Basketball Team with a light schedule last week, due to the fact that most of the conference members had semester finals last week. While that may have been a positive move for the rest of the league, the Islanders hold their finals this week and have two games scheduled.

The lesson to be learned from this maneuver is that if you give CHS Head Girls Basketball Coach Toler Goodwin a full week to prepare for one team, in this case the War Hawks from Madison High School, the opponent is in trouble. On the road Friday night, the Islanders won all four quarters of play and won the game handily 51-32.

Goodwin was pleased with his team’s collective effort. “We got solid contributions from almost everybody. They were focused, they did their job and that kept us going. We took advantage of some of the mistakes they made. We were good at attacking their mistakes. We played together and played with energy throughout the game.”

Coronado closed the second quarter with a 13-0 run and never looked back. Bria Phillips led the Islander attack with 19 points and six rebounds. Arrielle Luna contributed 11 points and six rebounds to the victory, while Emily Bell reversed Luna’s totals with six points and 11 rebounds. The balance of the scoring included five points from Natalie Brooks, four from Tiffany Depfer and two points each from Hallie Todaro, Kelsey Branch and Angela Strohbeck.

This week Clairemont is at Coronado Tuesday with the JV game scheduled for 3:30 pm and the Varsity contest at 5 pm. Friday Crawford will play a Girls/Boys doubleheader at Coronado, with the games slated for 6 and 7:30 pm. The following Monday (Jan. 29) the Girls are on the road at Hoover.

“The Crawford game will give us a pretty clear picture of where the league stands,” said Goodwin. “They are far and away the team to beat in the league.”

Boys Basketball Slips By Madison 55-54

Coaching basketball isn’t for the faint of heart. Every coach has a theory on how to win and how to approach the game in a manner which best suits their talent. The Madison approach isn’t dissimilar from the way they play football – clutch, grab and be physical.

Or as CHS Head Coach Sandy Dillon put it, “Madison does everything they can to get it (the game) down to streetball.”

Dillon continued to discuss the game and praised the efforts of his team. “Our kids hung in there and pulled out a win. It was very satisfying. It’s hard to get kids to play at a high level like that. We weren’t going to get beaten by the hacking and fouling. We just didn’t get beat by it. Matt Oakley had the game of his life with 25 points, seven rebounds and he played great defense. We had three or four really good plays when Matt went back door. I was really pleased with him the other night.”

Chas Marks contributed 15 point and eight rebounds, while Geoff Worley had six assists, four steals and “Handled the ball really, really well,” according to Dillon. “He got fouled four or five times and they (the referees) didn’t call it. He played great. Benson Lorden played very well and didn’t make mistakes.”

The Madison game, which was played on the road at Madison, was unique from another perspective according to Dillon. “We had more fans in the stands than Madison did. We probably had 100 kids there making a lot of noise.”

The next three Central League games will present challenges to the Islanders as a variety of talented basketball players will face Coronado. At 4:30 pm Tuesday at Clairemont the Islanders will have to contend with Moala Tatuaa, a 6-foot-6-inch, 235-pound center who will be a force in the middle for the Chieftains. Friday night at home, Coronado hosts Crawford (7:30 pm tip-off) and their formidable big man Tyrone Shelley, who is averaging 37.1 points per game and is headed to Pepperdine for his collegiate career. With few exceptions, Shelley shoots the ball every time he touches it.

Monday the Islanders travel to Hoover (a 5:15 pm tip) and play versatile Cardinal point guard Jay Dee Luster, who will matriculate to New Mexico State in the fall. Hoover is athletic and extremely quick at every position on the floor.

Girls Soccer Wins Lone Game vs. Scripps Ranch

Coronado’s Girls Varsity Soccer Team had only one game last week and it proved to be a 2-1 victory over Scripps Ranch. Islander forward Leah Hatheway scored both goals for Coronado.

“I thought the girls came out and in the first 15 to 20 minutes, we played the best we have played all year,” said Head Coach Kiko Medina. “After that we got kind of complacent. But it was a good win for us. We needed it because we were in a little slump. Hopefully that can get us back on track and get us going.”

Medina acknowledged the efforts of his goalie Lauren Shuffett. “Lauren had another good game for us. She made a great save in the last minute of the game. She came up big for us and kept us in the game. Defender Rosie Harris continues to play well for us.”

Medina thinks the Islanders are currently in the middle of the tough Western League standings. “We’re probably fourth or fifth in the league. Ideally we should be around No. 3.

This week Coronado travels to La Jolla Wednesday for a 5:15 pm game. Friday the Islanders travel to Christian for a 3 pm contest.

Lacrosse Clinics Coming Up

The Coronado Boys Lacrosse Clinic will be held on five consecutive Saturday mornings at the CHS and CMS fields from Jan. 27 to Feb. 24. Clinic times are from 9-11 am.

The clinics are designed for boys in third through eighth grades. For new players, the clinics present an excellent opportunity to learn skills and game strategy. The fee is $100 per player, with checks made payable to Coronado Schools Lacrosse.

The final clinic registration date is Jan. 27 from 8-9 am and it will be held at the Sixth Street entrance to the CHS football field. Questions may be directed to Megan Stanley at 435-1649 or megandyno@sbcglobal.net or to Sue Runyon at 435-7364 and suerunyon@sbcglobal.net.

Coronado Middle School Spring Sports Registration on the Horizon

Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 6:30 pm, registration for the CMS spring sports season will be held at Granzier Hall. Spring sports offerings include Co-ed Track, Boys Lacrosse, Co-ed Tennis, Girls Basketball, plus Boys and Girls Water Polo. The registration fee is $90 per child, per sport. All pertinent ISF/CMS athletic forms may be downloaded from www.IslanderSportsFoundation.com. If you have questions, please call 435-1343 for additional information.

Home Run Derby Event Benefits CHS Baseball Program

A reminder that the CHS Islander Baseball Team is hosting the Greater San Diego Home Run Derby Sunday, Feb. 11 at Islander Field at Bayside Park (immediately behind Silver Strand Elementary School). The event will run from 10 am to 3 pm.

The event offers food, music, prizes and raffles aplenty. All proceeds will benefit the Islander Baseball program. Entry fees are $15 for high school-aged athletes, with all other age categories $25 each. High school teams are $25 each. Baseball shoes and helmets are required for participants.

For more information, please contact event organizer Bruce Johnson at 619-851-1600. To pre-register, contact Bruce at CoronadoIslanders@gmail.com.