Nado Natterings
A weekly column by David Axelson

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

17 Oct 2007 Issue #40

Entering Saturday afternoon’s game at University City, the Coronado High School Football Team knew the Central League opener for both teams was of critical importance. “We were very tentative and very anxious in the beginning,” said Head Coach Bud Mayfield. “We have a lot of juniors on this team and everyone knew this one really counted. It might have held us back a little bit.”

Before skipping along to the second half action, it should be noted University City held a 3-0 lead at halftime. Coronado had a costly turnover deep in the Centurion’s red zone and a couple of dropped passes that would have resulted in easy scores. The first half was largely forgettable.

On the plus side, the Islander defense stiffened in time to hold U.C. to a field goal in the Centurions’ 15-play opening drive which consumed 7 minutes and 40 seconds of game time. Neither club could dent the scoreboard in the second quarter.

After a seemingly interminable Homecoming half time ceremony, the Centurions were hit with a delay of game penalty, which was immediately followed by an offside penalty or encroachment if you prefer. Undeterred by any of those happenings, Islander tailback Kyle Brown took the handoff on the first play from scrimmage for a 75-yard touchdown. Simply stated, once Brown gets into the enemy’s defensive secondary, the scoreboard will flash.

To their credit, the Centurions answered with an 11-play touchdown drive, which spanned the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth, to take a 10-7 lead. Then the Islanders assumed control of the contest shortly thereafter.

Ricardo Oberwager received the ensuing kickoff and 43 yards later Coronado was in business on the U.C. 37-yard line. Islander quarterback Mason Mills handed the ball to Brown who slashed through the Centurion line for his second touchdown of the afternoon. It’s a pretty simple offensive formula really - big return plus big run equals touchdown. Brown would go on to amass 137 yards on eight rushes, for an eye-popping 17.1 yards per-carry average.

Brown, like Oberwager, plays both offense and defense and neither were through for the day. On the third play of the next Centurion possession, Brown intercepted a pass and returned the ball to the U.C. 35-yard line. Oberwager ran for 18 yards, followed by a Coronado illegal procedure call. That only padded Mills’ passing stats for the game (9-14 passing, 107 yards, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions) as he found sophomore Kodie Englehart for a 22-yard TD toss.

Then it was Oberwager’s turn to intercept a Centurion pass, toting the errant lob 34 yards to the U.C. one-yard line before he was run out of bounds. No problem, Oberwager took the next handoff from Mills into the end zone.

Coronado scored three quick touchdowns while only 3:20 had ticked off the game clock. U.C. didn’t threaten again and the Islanders earned a hard-fought 26-10 victory.

Mills was outstanding in the all-important quarterback role for the Islanders, a performance Mayfield deemed to be “his finest game.” Three of his incomplete passes hit teammates in the numbers or the junior two-sport athlete (football and baseball) would have had a truly memorable game.

“He scrambled well and checked off once and threw for a first down,” said Mayfield of Mills. “He’s just throwing better and he was on target with almost every throw, which was impressive. Mason is getting more air under the ball. He’s throwing a football now, not a baseball. That was the hardest thing for him to learn was the touch. His judgment is improved and he knows when to throw the ball.”

Mayfield also noted the contributions of left guard Erik Blackwood and John Mikesell to the victory. “Erik had a good game and John is really a stalwart for us at linebacker. When he hits you, the doors slam. He does a great job back there.”

Saturday’s action serves as a prelude to Friday night’s home tilt against Madison. For the past several years, the team that has emerged victorious from this tussle has won the Central League title. Madison enters the game with a 4-2 record, and is coming off of a 38-8 victory over Crawford.

“They are a very similar team to past years’ teams,” Mayfield noted. “They have a small, very quick running back, who scores on a lot of long touchdown runs. They throw the bomb (long touchdown passes) and run for long touchdowns. They are a little bigger and stronger than us. We’ll have to outlast them”

This isn’t a typical Coronado team (4-2, 1-0) according to Mayfield. “This has turned out to be a team that makes big plays. We usually peak around our seventh game, which is good timing since this is such an important game. We need to execute a little better in a few areas of the game, but we’re ready to make a run now. We’ll find out against Madison.”

CHS Cross Country Teams Have a Big Week

CHS Head Cross Country Coach George Green details the good news from the Boys and Girls Cross Country Team’s dual meet victories last week. “After the St. Augustine Invitational two weeks ago I made the comment that the boys cross country team would ‘probably be no match for Clairemont.’ Well boil me up a pot of crow because Coronado came-up winners at our dual meet with the Chiefs last Tuesday by the score of 24 - 33.

The victory elevates our chances of winning a fourth straight Central League championship, from long shot to chalk, with Christian the only possible spoiler in our last dual meet of the season October 30^th. The Patriots also had a close meet with Clairemont, losing by only 5 points.

This year, the other three teams in the league, Madison, Crawford, and, Lincoln are out of the hunt for the top spot.

The race up-front was just as exciting as the team's win with Islander Ben Enowitz going head-to-head with the Chief's top two, Eamonn McCarey and Nick Pradel. After two miles, the quick pace took its toll and Ben opened a gap that grew to a margin of 35 seconds at the finish and a personal record for Ben of 16:01 over the City Conference’s three-mile course.

Coronado’s David Grimes (17:36), Sean O'Brien (17:46), and Kevin Siefert (17:55) took the next three places followed by Turner Stanley (eighth in 18:09), Ben Green (10^th in 18:25), and Andy Centeno (11^th in 18:39) to round-out the varsity finishers. Michael Davies, on the comeback trail, finished 12^th in 18:44 followed by Cotter Stacy (18:56), Kramer De Laurentis (19:16), Gabe Salvatierra (19:26) and Jordan Vance (19:35) in under 20 minutes.

As expected the girls’ race was no contest, so Clairemont didn't push the pace with Islanders Sallie Privett, Adie Davies, Annie Lovering, Cassie Callahan, and Sadie Gimber taking the first five places. Coco O'Brien and Selina Schmeck, still a bit leg-weary from the Central Park Invite 3 days prior, finished eighth and ninth respectively, to win by the score of 15 - 46.

Like the boys, the girls’ route to the league title is through Christian. Last year the Islanders won league with a one-point victory, while the year before the Patriots took it by one point. This year's rubber match favors the Islanders but you can bet Christian, both boys and girls, will show up ready to run.

All six Central League schools run their dual meets on Tuesday and during last week's boys’ race with Clairemont, our biggest cheering section was the Christian boys team. They knew if we could pull it off they'd have a shot at part of the league title on Oct. 30th. If you're an Islander cross country fan, this will be the meet to watch.

Islander Girls Volleyball Team Making a Move in Eastern League Standings

Last week the Islanders Girls Volleyball Team defeated Morse for the third time in 2007, this one by the scores of 25-16, 25-9 and 25-21. The first two victories came in the first Eastern League meeting between the two clubs, with the second Islander victory coming in the Monte Vista Tournament two weeks ago.

Coronado was paced by the strong service game of senior Christy Mebust, who accounted for nine points in Game 1 and five points each in games two and three. “That was a good start to the game, when you get on a consistent roll serving,” said Head Coach Christina Lahr. “We wanted to make sure that we didn’t take the game for granted because we had already beaten them twice. We worked on playing our game, no matter who we are playing. We did a much better job of limiting our mistakes, so we weren’t handing them points.”

Lahr continued on to feature some of her team’s highlights. “Briana Baszak, playing the libero position and played a solid game. Kelsey Fitzgerald had 13 assists for the match, while Kori Fitzgerald and Mebust were the top two in kills. We were down five points in the middle of the game and we realized that the team’s energy level was draining a little bit. We got pumped up and finished the game.”

Then it was Mission Bay who paid a visit to Coronado, with the home-standing Islanders looking forward to avenging a first round loss to the Buccaneers. “This was a team we really wanted to beat,” said Lahr of Mission Bay. “They have proven to be a team that has caused us some angst in the past.”Surely Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard would be proud of the ‘angst’ reference.

Coronado prevailed 25-16, 17-25, 25-19, and 25-14 and Lahr re-capped the progression of the match. “The first game was solid and it was our gym, our court and we were dictating the pace of the game. In the second game, we fell behind 18-6 and it is almost impossible to come back from that deficit.”

Lahr made a lineup change, leaving Melissa Humphrey, who is normally a back row specialist, in for full rotation along with Annie Wilson. “Melissa is our sparkplug,” said Lahr of the junior three-sport athlete. “She is always cheering and into the game, both her and Annie. The two girls are very energetic, and very positive in their feedback to teammates. The energy level did a back flip. Melissa got a kill and a block and she was ecstatic to play all the way around.”

Baszak played games three and four at libero, which allowed Mebust who had opened the match in that role, to play outside hitter. “I watched Briana and Christy fight over a ball and that is the best thing ever,” Lahr said of the defensive aggressiveness shown by the Islander pair. “Briana was controlling the back row, stepping in and passing incredibly well. Maddie Boomer had seven serves in a row in the third game and she served well the whole match. She had 11total serves for points in the fourth game.”

Tuesday the ‘Beasts from the East’ in the form of the volleyball squad from Our Lady of Peace (literary license is a wonderful concept) invade Coronado Tuesday. OLP, which has won the Eastern League for two consecutive years and according to Lahr, the Islanders will be ready for the challenge. “Our girls have no intention of giving up a game, much less the match. We are going to give them a run for their money. OLP will have to take the match from us to beat us and it will be a tough match.”

Coronado has an Eastern League scheduling bye Thursday and they will compete in the Granite Hills Invitational Tournament Friday and Saturday. The event’s field contains several CIF Division III and IV teams and may well have an impact on playoff seeding later in the season. “I anticipate us doing very well,” Lahr concluded.

Boys Water Polo Splits Two Western League Contests

Due in large part to their victory 10 days ago in the prestigious SoCal Invitational, the CHS Boys Water Polo Team earned the No. 1 ranking in the state from noted water polo authority Dan Albano of “The Orange County Register.” Thursday evening the Islanders lived up to their lofty ranking, defeating University City 12-3.

“The game was closer than the score indicated,” said Head Coach Randy Burgess of the Western League matchup. “They came out tough and did a pretty good job in that game. I thought it was a five or six goal game.”

Saturday evening the Islanders hosted La Jolla and although this rivalry may never equal the historic Bishops vs. Coronado matchups, the play in the pool was spirited and aggressive. La Jolla held a 3-2 lead at the conclusion of the first quarter, with Islander goals scored by Rex Butler and Sean Cook. Norbi Karoly added a goal in the second quarter to offset a Viking tally and the score was 4-3 at halftime. La Jolla pulled ahead 5-3 at the end of three quarters.

Then things got interesting as Burgess had his players press defensively all over the pool from the beginning of the fourth quarter until the game’s conclusion. Cook scored on a Butler assist, a score which was answered less than a minute later by La Jolla. Karoly scored on a pass from goalie Kyle Pokorny and Jacob Smith scored at the 1:44 mark on another Butler assist to tie the score at 6-6.

With the momentum on their side, it looked like Coronado could pull out the victory. After changing possessions and a big field block from Adam Ratcliffe, the probability of overtime loomed large. However, with 25 seconds remaining in the game, one of the game officials called a phantom foul in the 2-meter area on a Coronado defender, which resulted in a La Jolla man-up opportunity. La Jolla scored the game-winning goal with 2 seconds remaining on the game clock.

None of the usual physical punishment normally found in the 2-meter area was present on the exclusion call. It was unfortunate that the game came to a premature conclusion on a poor call.

Burgess took a more philosophical approach to the loss. “We didn’t play that bad, but we certainly will and can play better. The game was a preview of what is to come here in the next month. My hat is off to La Jolla. We had a target on our back and they came in ready to play us. Credit them all the way. We had our chances. I can’t take anything away from La Jolla.”

Coronado’s schedule this week is a tough one, with an away match at The Bishop’s School Tuesday at 4 pm, followed by a home match Thursday at 3 pm with Cathedral Catholic. The week’s festivities conclude with a 3 pm home match Saturday against perennial water polo power Long Beach Wilson.

Girls Golf Faces Scripps Ranch and Cathedral Catholic

Last week we noted that the CHS Girls Golf Team had to slog through the Torrey Pines North course during their match against Point Loma, as most of the Torrey Pines staff time and attention is being paid to the Torrey Pines South course, home of the 2008 U.S. Open.

This week the Islanders got their collective wish and played the South Course, which now features a rough consisting of five inches of thin rye grass. “The course was tough,” said Co-Head Coach Randy Coutts. “It played much harder than the time before. The greens are getting quicker. The South Course is coming into its own.”

The result of which was a 247-272 loss to Scripps Ranch. “Our bright spot was a 43 by Jackie Davis,” Coutts said. “She competed and shot a very good score.”

The following day Coronado traveled to Riverwalk Country Club to face Cathedral Catholic, where the Islanders lost 240-290. “The match was played on a cold, wet afternoon,” Coutts said. “The Cathedral girls play is very methodical and very slow. The last two groups came in when it was dark. Thursday we told the girls to get back to playing golf and having fun. Friday we had a family day outing at the Coronado Municipal Golf Course. The girls shot some good scores and did some good things. We play Christian Monday and I think we will do well. I think we can compete with Scripps Ranch when we get them at our course in two weeks. We’ll play them a little better.”

Girls Tennis Loses to OLP and La Jolla

Last week the Islander Girls Tennis Team opened at home against Our Lady of Peace and lost 12-6. Coronado’s No. 1 and 2 singles players Spencer Berman and Jennifer Carney accounted for all six points. “Katlyn McCue did very well at third singles,” said Head Coach Rob LeBuhn. “She had three very close sets.”

La Jolla was the opponent Thursday and handed Coronado a 17-1 loss. Despite the setbacks, LeBuhn sees improvement from his players. “Our No. 1 doubles team of Andrea Sassenrath and Natalie Brooks continue to make strides and improve. Our No. 2 doubles team of Marian McCadden and Grace Lancaster, plus the No. 3 team of Macarena McCadden and Simmi Deo, all played competitive matches and are close to making breakthroughs in their doubles play. I’m very pleased with their progress.”

This week’s schedule is only marginally easier, if at all, as Coronado travels to Cathedral Catholic Tuesday and is at University City Thursday. Both matches begin at 3 pm.

Busy Week for CHS Sailing Team and Alumni

Coronado High School Sailing Team members past and present were in competition across the nation last weekend. Starting with the current CHS Varsity, the team competed in the Sea Otter Regatta in Monterrey, the first of six regattas which comprise the season. Competing for Coronado in the Varsity ‘A’ boat were skipper Ryan Sullivan and crew Cragen Smith. The ‘B’ boat contained Alex Wood and Hayley Eyer. The two boats combined to finish in 14^th place.

At roughly the same time, current CHS sailor Pike Harris combined with Danny Cayard to finish in ninth place in the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 49er class. The Harris/Cayard duo touched out the team of CHS Alumnus Diego Gomez-Hall and current CHS team member Hans Henken, who finished in 10^th place.

“Hans was the youngest sailor in any of the seven Olympic Trials events this past week,” said CHSST Head Coach Jon Rogers. “Hans got the warmest reception at the trophy presentation, because he was in a high performance boat and he is only 15 years old. They did 24 races over 7 days. Hans and Diego have started their campaign for the 2012 Olympics in London.”

CHS Alumnus Zach Maxam finished in second place in the 49er class. Another CHS Alumnus David Houser also competed in this category, finishing in 13^th place.

Mikee Anderson-Mitterling competed in the 470 class races and finished in second place. “He was an alternate in the Athens games as well,” said Rogers. “He was the favorite in that class going into the trials.”A total of six CHS alums participated in the Olympic trials.

CHS Surf Team Upsets Mission Bay

Since Your Natterer grew up in the Midwest, primarily in a suburb of Kansas City, the surf/sailing things are a bit foreign to me. So, we’ll let Surf Team Coach Lorton Mitchell bring us up to date on the big Coronado win over Mission Bay last week.

“The CHS Surf Team pulled off an upset against Division II powerhouse Mission Bay, by the score of 48-29. The team vs. team event was held Oct. 13 at Avalanche Beach. Veteran CHS surfers including senior Jack Christiansen, juniors Taylor Mitchell and Sean McDonald surfed in two divisions each to lead Coronado to their first win of the season.

Freshmen Tyler Smith and junior Gabe Alari took second in the boys’ short board heats. Making a big difference in the final result were veteran junior Emily Bell who took second in the young ladies’ long board, freshman Mallory Mitchell and Michaela Guerro took first and second respectively in the young ladies’ short board.

Sophomore Sean MacKenzie took first in his short board heat, while sophomore John Hogan and juniors Jackson Cusick and Dylan Marston each scored in their heats to earn valuable points. Retired coach John Gillem now surfing in Costa Rica, couldn’t be reached for confirmation, but it is safe to say this was the first win against Mission Bay in recent memory. The team returns to competition Nov. 10^th in Carlsbad.”

ISF – Coronado Middle School Sports Registration Date Set

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.net.

Senior Lifeguard Classes Begin Nov. 1, 2007

Lifeguard training classes will be starting soon, under the direction of Nick Naiman, pool manager of the Bent Memorial Aquatics Complex. The cost for the classes, with all course materials included is $150, with the deadline for payment and enrollment Oct. 26.

For additional information, please visit www.IslanderSportsFoundation.com and follow the appropriate link. The class will cover several sessions and is a total of 31 hours in class and in-pool instruction. Successful candidates will be considered for lifeguarding positions at the BMAC facility, which is projected to open December 1, 2007.

Please contact Naiman at nnaiman@coronado.k12.ca.us for additional information.