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Nado Natterings |
A weekly column by David Axelson |
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Nado Natterings
by David Axelson, Chief Executive Officer
The Islander Sports Foundation
10 Oct 2007 Issue #39
Most weeks, constructing the layout of this column frankly
isn’t all that difficult, as one team rises to the top of the pecking order by
virtue of a major victory, an outstanding week or a top flight individual
performance. Virtually all of the
CHS Boys Water Polo
touched out the other five contending fall squads this week by winning the S&R
Sports Water Polo Cup over the weekend, which was played in both
The victorious 2007 edition of the Islanders were paced by senior Jacob Smith, who led Coronado in scoring in each of their four games, scoring a total of 16 goals. But according to Islander Head Coach Randy Burgess, Smith’s pool prowess doesn’t stop there. “He had a typical tournament for him. I don’t believe there is a better player in high school, in the country, than Jacob. Very few players are playing at his level in high school right now.”
The tournament started Friday when the Islanders topped the host school Irvine, by the score of 16-4. “Andy Clapper, Brendan Farrell and Tommy Schofer all had key steals early in the game to set the tempo,” said Burgess. “Paul Pedrotty finished with a goal and an assist and junior goalie Justin Parsons had 10 saves and allowed only four goals.” A total of nine different Islander athletes scored goals in the one-sided contest.
Coronado advanced to play Foothill of Tustin in their Friday afternoon winner’s bracket contest and won that game 9-7. The goals were roughly evenly divided among Smith, Norbi Karoly, Sean Cook and Rex Butler, with Kyle Pokorny playing the entire game and recording 10 saves in goal.
Saturday morning Coronado played Miramonte High School from Orinda, which according to Burgess, is the premier team in the Bay Area. The contest marked the first of two games on the day that Burgess would call, “The best games back-to-back we have played since 2000 and 2001. The Miramonte game was very well-played and very entertaining. Coronado led 3-1at halftime and both teams scored two goals each in the third and fourth quarters.” Smith led the way with four goals, followed by Alex Johnson, Karoly and Cook with one each.
The championship final pretty much was a grudge match of sorts for Newport Harbor who came out of the other side of the bracket. Heading into the game, the lone blemish on the Sailors’ season was a 9-8 loss in their home pool to Coronado in a contest played Sept. 15th. The rematch set up pretty well for Newport as they were again in their home pool for the finale.
“We were up 6-3 at half time and we scored one goal in the third quarter and were outscored 3-1 in the fourth,” Burgess recounted. “We didn’t play flawlessly, but both Miramonte and Newport were very high-level games and very physical. But both teams played under control. It was fun. I really enjoyed Saturday a lot. It was a high level tournament in my opinion. Two of our role players stepped up big. Butler had a key goal and Johnson made a really nice shot out of the center position. He scored our last goal of the game, which turned out to be the game winner, on a man-up with an assist from Butler.”Cook and Karoly added one goal each.
Due to the fact that the finale of the S&R Cup was Coronado’s sixth game in four days, Burgess started goalie 1A Parsons in the first half. “I decided to go with the kid with the most rest.” Parsons responded well with five saves and three goals allowed in the first half. Pokorny played the second half in goal and was credited with seven saves, including a couple from point-blank range.
As golfer Lee Trevino once said of Jack Nicklaus, “The big dog walks late,” and Smith was the key performer for Coronado in the title tilt. “It was a typical game for Jacob,” Burges said. “He had three goals on four shot attempts, three steals and three field blocks. All of them (the field blocks) were absolutely key blocks.”
Combined with last Wednesday’s 14-10 victory over Cathedral Catholic and Thursday’s 10-8 win over La Jolla, the Islanders now have a 12-1 record, with their lone loss coming to Mater Dei of Los Angeles. “What we are seeing is a pattern of coming together as a team,” said Burgess of the Islanders. “People are beginning to understand their roles. I am very happy and proud of them. Quite honestly, we were fortunate in a couple of those games.”
This week Coronado returns to Western League play, as they
host University City Thursday and La Jolla Saturday. Both contests will be
played at the
Girls Volleyball Aces the Competition
Although Your Natterer had the good sense not to ask which one it was, CHS Girls Volleyball Head Coach Christina Lahr celebrated her ‘birthday week’ in style. “I half-jokingly told the team that my birthday was Wednesday and we couldn’t lose all week,” Lahr said. “I’ve been on Cloud 9 ever since.”
The week began as Coronado hosted their first home match of the season, due to the extensive repair work undertaken in the gym after the fire of last summer. Playing in the auxiliary court, the Islanders defeated San Diego 25-22, 23-25, 25-14 and 25-15. Christy Mebust had 16 kills, Melissa Humphrey contributed 16 assists and Briana Baszak added 16 digs. It was a spirited match and the crowd in attendance was enjoying every game.
Lahr probably progressed from Clouds 2-8 when the Islanders defeated Patrick Henry in a memorable road match Thursday afternoon. The contest, which went five games, started at 4:20 pm and concluded well after 7 pm. “It was the most incredible match of volleyball I have seen in a long time,” said Lahr of the important Eastern League matchup. “They won game one, we won games two and three, they won the fourth game and we won game five.”
Since the advent of rally scoring in volleyball, where there is a point awarded on every serve, as opposed to the old side-out scoring system, the fifth game is played to 15 points. However, you must win the final game by two points. The score of the fifth frame of the Islanders vs. Patriots game was 23-21 and featured numerous match points for both sides.
Lahr described her thoughts as the match progressed. “I was worried. I knew we could do it, but I didn’t know if we could see it through. After the fourth game, we were tired. I told them get it to 15 (points) and we’ll be done. You can go home. When it finally ended at 23, Maddie Boomer said, ‘I thought you said 15 points. I’m not listening to you anymore.’ The team celebrated afterwards like they had won the CIF title. They all played amazingly well. Everyone gave 110 percent, because they wanted it so badly. It was just amazing to see them. Now they know what kind of team they can be.”
But the week wasn’t over. Coming off of this emotional high, Coronado headed Friday into the eight-team Monte Vista Invitational. They played twice Friday, first defeating Coachella Valley (located near Indio in the California desert) and then emerging victorious over the host school Monte Vista. Saturday morning they completed their 3-0 run through pool play by defeating Chula Vista in two games.
Their first bracket game was the quarterfinals against Eastern League rival Morse and Coronado dispatched them easily 25-9 and 25-15. (Tournament matches are normally best of three sets, as opposed to prep play at the varsity level, which is best of five.) In the semi-finals the Islanders again bested Coachella Valley, this time 25-19 and 25-12. The Islanders defeated Eastlake 25-20 and 25-19 in the championship final.
Now we have finally arrived at Cloud 9.
“The first Eastlake game was a little more even,” Lahr said. “In the second game, we went on a couple of serving runs. The points that were played out were tough rallies. Our team was just playing very well. Everybody got to play in the final match against Eastlake. It was a week of highlights and a week I won’t ever forget. The week wasn’t without its heart-stopping moments.”
This week Coronado hosts Morse Tuesday and Mission Bay Thursday. Both games start at 3:30 pm. But the biggie is the following Tuesday when Our Lady of Peace comes to Coronado, with the Islander seeking revenge for their loss at OLP in the first round of conference play.
Islander Football Lays a 40-0 Shutout on El Centro Southwest
Last season, Coronado traveled to El Centro Southwest and emerged on the short side of a 27-6 loss. Coronado Head Coach Bud Mayfield said of the game at the time, “We wore out the grass between the goal lines, but we couldn’t find our way into the end zone. There was no way this should have happened.”
The theory was also expressed by Coronado parents in attendance that the officiating was somewhat south of impartial. All of this gave the coaching staff and players who made last year’s trek to the desert motivation to dominate El Centro.
Perhaps the critical call of the game was made by the El Centro captains during the coin toss. Winning the flip, they elected to defer and receive the second half kickoff. Coronado wanted the ball and with good reason. At 7:30 pm, the opening kickoff hit the air and several seconds later Coronado’s Ricardo Oberwager had scored on a 90-yard kickoff return. Oberwager’s dash to pay dirt would prove to be the only score of the first quarter, but momentum was firmly perched on the Coronado side of the field.
In addition, Oberwager would go on to rush for 93 yards on 11 carries, scoring twice from the line of scrimmage on jaunts of four and 29 yards. He returned four punts for a total of 111 yards, (27.75 yards per return) and one touchdown. “That total return yardage (kickoffs and punts) has to be some kind of Coronado record,” said Mayfield of Oberwager’s effort. “At least a modern-day record.”
Oberwager also played linebacker on defense and handled the holding chores on extra point conversions for the injured Curtis Perkins. Rumors swirled last weekend that the senior co-captain sold souvenir programs before the game and swept up afterwards, but they could not be independently substantiated.
Backfield mate Kyle Brown didn’t exactly take the night off either, toting the ball 13 times for 101 yards and receiving one pass for an additional eight yards. His game highlight was a 32-yard, open-field touchdown run, where he shifted direction twice at high speed to elude El Centro tacklers. Oh, and he played safety on defense.
According to Mayfield, the Islander senior tailbacks had plenty of assistance in the winning effort. “Lineman Tim Leary has been so steady for us this season on both sides of the ball. He is our offensive line black shirt this week. Keith Englehart returned the pass interception for a touchdown and has been kicking great. We’ll have four black shirts (Leary and Englehart along with Brown and Oberwager) this week, which are deserved when you win 40-0.”
Black shirts are worn during football practice by the MVPs
from the previous week’s game.
The El Centro game marked the return of offensive center Greg Reed to the Islander lineup. “I think we’re glad to have Greg
back at center,” Mayfield said. “That allows John Mikesell, who had been doing a good job, to play defense only.
We have two guys going one way (playing offense or defense, but not both)
instead of having to double up. We’re missing Charlie Moore and Perkins. I’m still waiting to get everybody out
on the field at the same time. Hopefully it will be this week.”
Speaking of which, the Islanders begin Central League play Saturday at 1pm at University City, as the Centurions will be holding their Homecoming celebration. They are coming off of a 56-22 loss to Scripps Ranch last week.
Mayfield knows what to expect from their conference rival. “U.C. is another one of the spread offense teams. They will throw the ball a lot, like El Capitan. They have some skilled athletes and the quarterback can throw. But, I think we’re more of a team. Both U.C. and Madison (next week’s Islander home opponent) have aspirations of winning the league.”
Add Football
A quick congratulatory note to CHS Alumnus J.T. Rogan (CHS ’03), who as the junior tailback for the University of San Diego Toreros football team rushed for 127 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-27 victory over Valparaiso last week. The four touchdowns tied a USD team record. Rogan also caught three passes for another 33 yards in the victory.
CHS Cross Country Squad Conquers
CHS Head Cross Country Coach George Green provides the info on his teams’ efforts last week. “The cross country team had their first dual meet of the season last Tuesday with newly re-opened Lincoln High School. It was more of a workout than a meet, however, as the Hornets defaulted both the boy’s and the girl’s races because they couldn't field the requisite 5 runners for either team.
A positive note for the Islanders was the return of Michael Davies, one of our Top 3 runners from last season and a two-time All-Central League performer. Michael was back in the line-up after being unable to train for several months due to health-related issues.
Saturday several Islanders ran in the Central Park Invitational in Huntington Beach. Coco O'Brien and Selina Schmeck finished 24th and 38th respectively out of 215 finishers in the Division II Frosh/Soph race. Sallie Privett finished ninth overall, and the second sophomore to complete the race, in the Girls Division II Varsity race.”
CHS Girls Golf Team Swings Their Way to a 5-1 Record
The youngsters on the CHS Girls Golf Team are starting to get a handle on this ‘victory’ thing, as last Monday they defeated Point Loma 292-298 on the Torrey Pines North Course. Wednesday they continued the trend by besting La Jolla 247-288 at Coronado Municipal.
Co-Head Coach Randy Coutts provides the rundown. “Against Point Loma, we were down a couple of girls and competed with only six players. Two of the girls, Ashley Mendham and Hilary Gibbs, hadn’t played in a match before. We were behind until the last group finished and we won by six strokes.”
Apparently the city of San Diego is devoting their financial resources to renovating the Torrey Pines South course, the home of the 2008 U.S. Open, while leaving the North course to fend for itself. “We played Torrey North,” said Coutts. “Point Loma had the medalist and she only shot a 45. It was tough. The course is beat up and they’re not taking care of it like the South course.”
Perhaps San Diego City Attorney Mike Aguirre can sue someone to correct the course problem, but I digress.
On to Wednesday’s match with La Jolla, which found Coronado posting the 247 score on their home course, which represents a 12 stroke drop from their previous best round at Coronado Muni. “They all played well this round,” said Coutts of the team. “Mackenzie Coutts (Randy’s daughter) shot a 42 and is rounding into shape. Allie Icenhower and Andrea Davis shot their best rounds of the year. It was a very, very satisfying week. We’re going in the right direction.”
This week the competition level cranks up as Coronado returns to Torrey Pines to face Scripps Ranch Tuesday. Wednesday they travel to Riverwalk Country Club to play Cathedral Catholic, the only school they have lost to en route to their current 5-1 record.
Girls Tennis
The Western League membership varies according to sport, as does the level of play. Unfortunately for some of the Islander sports teams including Girls Soccer, Girls Tennis and Baseball, the quality of the venerable Western League is among the best in San Diego County.
So the fact that Coronado lost to University City 18-0 and then to Scripps Ranch 12-6 isn’t exactly shocking, but according to Islander Head Coach Rob LeBuhn, the team collectively soldiers on. “We’re in the heart of Western League play. Our team continues to do well, but it’s tough for them. They’re pretty good about keeping their spirits up. They have become a very close-knit group.”
In the Scripps Ranch match, No. 1 singles player Spencer Berman won all three of her matches, while No. 2 Jennifer Carney won twice and No. 3 Natalie Brooks won one set.
LeBuhn commended the strong performance of his No. 2 doubles team Katlyn McCue and Macarena McCadden this past week. Another contributor has been Andrea Sassenrath, another doubles player. “Andrea continues to get better and better. I have nothing but kudos for her. She is working her tail off and she is beginning to understand the concept of doubles.”
This week the schedule ramps up yet again, as the Islanders
complete their first round of Western League competition with a home match
Tuesday against OLP at
ISF –
Wednesday, Nov. 7, will be the registration date for the Coronado Middle School winter sports season. The meeting will be held at CMS Granzier Hall from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. Attendance by interested parents and student-athletes is strongly encouraged. Information regarding teams, schedules and coaches will be disseminated at the meeting.
The winter sports offered include Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer, Boys Basketball, Girls Softball and Co-ed Golf. The fee is $110 per sport, per child.
There will be a similar spring sports registration meeting held Feb. 6, 2008 for the sports of Boys Lacrosse, Co-ed Track and Field, Girls Basketball, Co-ed Water Polo and Co-ed Tennis.
If you are new to the ISF-CMS Sports program, you may download all of the applicable forms at www.IslanderSportsFoundation.com. Your child must have a current athletic physical and have all of the forms completed and filed before they can practice or participate in an ISF-CMS sponsored sport. Under no circumstances will any applications or payments be accepted after the close of business Wednesday, Nov. 21.
For questions, please contact either Suzette Valle at avalle@san.rr.com or Cassandra Stroud at cmstroud@pacbell.com.