Nado Natterings
A weekly column by David Axelson

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

21 Nov 2007 Issue #45

Coronado High School’s Boys Water Polo Team ended a five-year title drought Saturday night by defeating The Bishop’s School 11-10 in overtime, to claim the 2007 CIF San Diego Section Division II title. The game-winning goal scoring combination was an all-sophomore class affair as Rex Butler scored the goal on an assist from Alex Johnson with 9.98 seconds remaining in overtime.

Like most great sports rivalries, regular season results in the Coronado vs. Bishop’s series mean little when both squads reach the championship finals. The teams face each other in tournaments throughout the summer and normally at least three times each season. In many cases members of the two teams have been playing against each other since they were of middle school age.

For the record, the Islanders won both of the prior meetings this season by a single goal. Coronado won 5-4 Sept. 27 at home and the Islanders emerged with a 10-9 victory at Bishop’s on Oct. 16. But the previous meetings seemed to have no discernable impact on Saturday night’s championship finals.

The game started as though Coronado would win handily, as the Islanders scored the first three goals of the contest. Senior Jacob Smith got the scoring going with a solo effort just one minute into the game. However, just 47 seconds later, senior Sean Cook picked up the second of two quick exclusions and one of the mainstays of the Islanders offense and probably their best inside defender was sidelined for a large portion of the first half.

The good news was that Cook’s back-up all season long, Sam Working, rose to the occasion and scored two quick goals at the 3:39 and 3:13 marks of the first quarter of play to give Coronado a 3-0 lead. But Bishop’s scored two unanswered goals shortly thereafter to stay within reach and to make the score 3-2 at the end of the first quarter.

Smith scored his second goal on a rebound at the midway point of the second quarter. Bishop’s scored twice to even the score at 4-4. Smith then scored again on an assist from Tommy Schofer to give Coronado a 5-4 lead at intermission.

Lost in the concern over Cook’s foul trouble was the fact that Smith picked up his second exclusion with 2:38 remaining in the first half. Although best known for leading the Islanders in scoring, Smith is also a dominant defensive force for Coronado and was credited with three steals and two rebounds in the game. Smith played the rest of the section final without earning his game-ending third exclusion.

Bishop’s evened the score at 5-5 one minute into the third quarter. The teams raced up and down the pool for the next 4 minutes and 34 seconds before Cook scored on an assist from Adam Ratcliffe to re-establish the Islanders one goal lead. The teams would alternate goals the rest of the way during regulation, with Cook scoring his second goal at 5:31 of the fourth, followed by a Ratcliffe tally on an assist from Norbi Karoly with 1:11 left in regulation to tie the game 8-8.

Regulation time ended in a flurry of activity as Coronado goalie Kyle O’Brien Pokorny made a point blank save on a Bishop’s shot attempt with 12 seconds remaining. A follow shot by the Knights hit the upright on the goal and bounced harmlessly away. Smith had a scoring opportunity directly in front of Bishop’s net minder Zealan Hoover, which was blocked by the Knights senior with 1 second remaining.

In water polo, the overtime format calls for a 5-minute break between the end of regulation and the start of overtime, followed by two three-minute periods. Again the Islanders ran out to a quick two-goal lead, this time on a score from Alex Johnson on a Butler assist. With 42 seconds remaining in the first three-minute OT period, a Bishop’s player was called for an exclusion and then a major foul, which resulted in a penalty shot for the Islanders. Jacob Smith calmly converted the penalty attempt. With 8.6 seconds Bishop’s scored to make the score 10-9.

In what would prove to be the final three-minute period, Cook, who is Coronado’s primary 2-meter defender, received his third exclusion and was gone from the game, a little more than a minute into the second overtime frame. Bishop’s scored on the resulting man-up opportunity.

What followed was frenetic up and down the pool action in the final 90 seconds of play, proving the fact that both teams were in incredible physical condition and further that they both felt the game was theirs to win.

Pokorny made a save on a Bishop’s shot on goal with 27 seconds remaining and Islander Head Coach Randy Burgess called time out. The play called in the huddle resulted in the Butler goal from the Johnson pass with 9.98 seconds remaining.

Virtually everyone watching the game at the La Jolla Coggan Family Pool knew Bishop’s would have a shot on goal before the game ended, but Pokorny handled it easily and the Islanders emerged victorious. For the game Pokorny earned 10 saves and earned CIF recognition as Coroando’s sportsmanship winner.

“We groomed Sam Working for last night,” said Burgess of the senior center forward who scored twice and played capably when Cook got in early foul trouble. “It just happened to be in the championship game. He scored on his first two shots and did a great job defensively. He did exactly what he had to do. He feels real good about himself and he should.”

Cook, despite the foul problems, had a big impact on the game. “Sean had a huge goal during the 6-on-5 later in the game,” Burgess added. “Sean did a great job with those two fouls, including a field block in the first overtime period.”

Karoly, the exchange student from Cegled, Hungary, who is greatly admired by every virtually every girl at Coronado High School, played a major role in the victory, despite not scoring. Burgess commented on his contributions. “The guy who was totally under the radar was Norbi, who had two really nice steals and drew three exclusions. He really created a lot of opportunities for us, although we were only 2-5 in our man-up situations.”

Burgess then addressed the bigger picture, the period between the CIF titles for the Islanders. “With Sean, Jacob and Norbi we have three very, very strong players. Kyle is a great athlete and he stepped it up at the end. My heart totally goes out to the seniors. It was a long dry spell for them and they haven’t experienced a CIF championship. The team was excited, but they weren’t nervous going into the finals. It was a very interesting group.”

Coronado concluded the season with a record of 22-2, a mark which included the championship of the prestigious SoCal Invitational Tournament. But the one they really wanted, against the team they wanted to play in the finals, was the CIF title the Islanders earned Saturday night.

Islander Cross Country Program Advances Boys Team and Three Girls to State

CHS Head Cross Country Coach George Green provides the next chapter in his teams’ successful story from the 2007 season. “Ben Enowitz finally realized a four-year dream to win the CIF Division IV Cross Country Championship at the CIF Finals at Morley Field last Saturday. He took the lead at the opening gun and built a 19 second lead over La Jolla Country Day's Alex Poyhonen by the time he crossed the finish line in 16:46 over the tough San Diego Section 3.04-mile boys' course. Joining Ben as one of the division's All-CIF runners (Top 10 finishers) was David Grimes who set a personal best mark with a time of 17:55 for 10^th place.

The team race for one of the top two spots that advances to the state meet in Fresno this Saturday was very close with La Jolla Country Day taking top honors with 62 points followed by Coronado with 77 and Mountain Empire with 85. Fifteen full teams and 112 runners finished the race. Sean O'Brien was the third Islander finisher in 19^th place with a time of 18:45 followed by Kevin Siefert (22^nd in 19:00), Andy Centeno (25^th in 19:12), Ben Green (32^nd in 19:44) and Turner Stanley (36^th in 19:49).

Two Islander girls made the All-CIF team with freshmen Annie Lovering placing fourth over the 2.75-mile girls course with a time of 18:32, followed by Cassie Callahan in 10^th with a time of 19:04. Sophomore Adie Davies placed 12^th with a time of 19:09 to grab the last individual state qualifying spot. This makes the second time in as many years she's qualified for state.

The other Islander finishers were Sadie Gimber (34^th), Selina Schmeck (45^th), and Coco O'Brien (58^th). Coronado placed third as a team with 92 points. Sallie Privett, who was the odds-on pre-race favorite, had to drop out of the race due to breathing issues, possibly adjusting to new exercise-induced asthma medication.”

Thanksgiving and Girls Basketball Around the Corner

Honesty compels me to admit that Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday, although occasionally I can still milk a meaningful birthday pretty well also. One of the many reasons Thanksgiving is fun is the plethora of sports offerings available to watch, both in person and on television. Since the days when Natter Daughter Kristen Axelson played basketball at CHS, the annual Coronado Thanksgiving Tournament has been meaningful in our household.

This year the Islanders, under the direction of Head Coach Toler Goodwin, face a talented eight-team tournament field in the tourney. In the Islanders four-team pool are Valley Center, San Dieguito and Chula Vista. Pool B will consist of Ramona, Our Lady of Peace, Christian and Oceanside.

The format of the tournament is two games are slated to start at each of the following times: 12 noon, 1:40 pm, 3:20 pm and 5:00 pm. For their part, on Friday Coronado plays San Dieguito at 1:40 pm and OLP at 5 pm. Saturday Coronado plays at noon and at 3:20 pm against Chula Vista and Valley Center respectively.

The good news if you are Coach Goodwin is that six of the Top 7 players from the 2006-07 Central League Co-Championship team return this year. The squad will be led by three seniors who include Bria Phillips and Tiffany Depfer, who were named to the All-Central League First Team last season and Arrielle Luna, who earned All-League Second Team recognition. The other returners, who will all have large roles on this year’s team are Melissa Humphrey, Emily Bell and Angela Strohbeck. Mix in sophomores Maggie Harris and Samantha Saunders and you have the 2007-08 varsity team. In short, the Islanders are long on experience and will feature a short bench this season.

“We are relatively small, numbers-wise,” said Goodwin. “We will really have to watch our health and fitness. We also will need some productivity from Harris and Saunders who are coming up from the JV last year. We have some flexibility because any one of the first six players can start. Last year we played with a four guard set. We should be able to do a lot of things, but we will have to pick our spots due to our numbers. We have to play good, solid position defense and not give up silly fouls. We’ll have days when we take the air out of the ball and days when we push it. We’ll probably play four or five different styles, depending on the day, the situation and the opponent.”

Last season Coronado tied for the league title with Crawford and Goodwin sees a similar race forming atop the Central League again this year. “I look at the race in that vein again. Crawford lost one of their kids (Tucker) who went to Otay Ranch and that will change the complexion of their team. She did a nice job of running their show. We should be co-favorites just because of who we have coming back.”

Goodwin has put together a tough non-conference schedule for his team to compete against in the early going, including the Thanksgiving Shootout opponents, and other foes are La Jolla, Torrey Pines, University City, Francis Parker and Mar Vista. “We’ll also likely see Ramona or Oceanside in the finals of our tournament, which will be played Saturday, December 1^st,” Goodwin said.

In addition to being a good source of prep basketball viewing, the annual Coronado Thanksgiving Shootout also serves as the major fundraiser for the Girls Basketball program each year. Admission is charged, which goes directly to the program, as do the net proceeds of the snack bar run by volunteers during the event. Arrive early, stay late and bring an appetite. A seat cushion might be a good idea, as there will be a lot of good prep basketball to watch.

Coronadoans Hinkle and Adair Honored at San Diego Hall of Champions Induction Dinner

The ninth annual San Diego Hall of Champions Legends Induction Dinner was held Nov. 14 at the Scottish Rite Center in San Diego and the event had a distinct Coronado flair to it. A total of 615 people were present for the event.

Bev Hinkle, who was one of the pioneers for organized athletics for girls in San Diego and who introduced co-educational physical education classes at Coronado High School, was one of five sports contributors honored with a Meritorious Achievement Award. All told, Hinkle, who was present and spoke briefly to the gathering, spent 34 years as a coach and educator, a run that included a CIF San Diego Section Championship in swimming.

Hinkle continues to be recognized at Coronado High School, as the annual trophy for the school’s top female athlete is named after her.

Robbin Adair, who served for 40 seasons as head boys tennis coach and another 33 seasons as girls head tennis coach, had a career record of 1,122 and 435 at the school. He also coached three CIF singles champions, and three CIF doubles championship teams over the years. In addition, Adair served as the school’s athletic director for 18 years.

Attending the event were a combination of CHS coaches, administrators, friends and fans totaling roughly 30 in number. Whenever either Adair of Hinkle were introduced or recognized, the Coronado faithful applauded. It was a fitting tribute to two educators who positively influenced a large number of Coronado kids.

CHS Alumni News

Stu Gallant, a red-shirt junior at Sonoma State, participated in the NCAA Soccer Division II quarter-finals this past weekend in Texas. The Sea Wolves were the Far West Regional champions in Division II, defeating rival CSU Dominguez Hills en route to the Nationals.

Gallant is the Sonoma starting left defensive fullback and takes all of the squad’s left corner kicks. He is also one of the team’s best penalty shot kickers. Gallant learned soccer in Coronado and played for four years at CHS. He has two years of eligibility remaining at Sonoma State.

Congratulations also to Claudia and Dan Gallant for Stu’s success.

Chargers Conundrum Continues

After Sunday’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, it didn’t take long for the finger-pointing among the Chargers’ player roster to start. Questioning a fellow player’s lack of commitment to practice and to the team is about as bad as it gets in sports. Let the name calling begin.

The truth of the matter is that the Chargers at 5-5 are an average team with above average talent. Or said another way, the sum of the parts as currently constituted is not good enough to win week in and week out in the NFL. A couple of weeks ago Your Natterer gazed into my crystal ball and predicted a 10-6 Charger record and a playoff appearance. That record mathematically can still be achieved with a 5-1 conclusion to the season, but from a practical perspective, that’s a stretch for the 2007 Bolts.

The full truth is they shouldn’t have beaten Indianapolis last week, although Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri sprayed four straight field goals, two against the Chargers, and two more against the Chiefs this week, before banging home the game winner in Indy with six seconds remaining.

The playoffs are still a strong possibility for San Diego, due to the fact that the AFC West is terrible and the Chargers should still hold on to win the division title. But this year when the Chargers go one and out of the playoffs, it will be because they are only average achievers, not because they were upset by a weaker team in the opening round.