Nado Natterings
A weekly column by David Axelson

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

26 Dec 2007 Year in Review (2007) part 1 - Issue #50

While researching the contents of this column, it became clear early in the process that 2007 was a very good year for Coronado sports teams. There were a number of team titles, and many outstanding individual performances. This week we’ll cover January through June of 2007, with a couple of coming event reminders at the conclusion of the column.

Next week we’ll complete the Year in Review and mix in some Boys and Girls Basketball results, as both programs are competing in Holiday Tournaments again this year.

In mid-January, CHS Head Boys Basketball Coach Sandy Dillon notched his 300^th prep coaching victory with a win over Sweetwater High School. Dillon retired as a coach and a teacher at the conclusion of the 2006-07 school year and amassed a won-loss record at CHS of 231-121.

The 2007 highlight for Coronado High School sports teams was the Boys Soccer program winning the CIF Division III title. In addition, they won their own Coronado Invitational Tournament against a very competitive field, and they emerged with the Central League crown by virtue of their 8-1-1 record.

On their way to the CIF title, the Islanders defeated St. Augustine 1-0 in the semi-finals and Cathedral Catholic in the finals by the identical scores of 1-0. Nick Hamilton was named CIF Player of the Year and was also named Team MVP.

The Coronado Girls Water Polo Team had an outstanding season, finishing with a 25-7 overall record, but fell short in a thrilling CIF Finals contest to Bishop’s by the score of 6-5. Morgan Ronimus was named Team MVP.

At the middle school level, the CMS Boys Soccer and Girls Softball teams won the South Coast Middle School League titles in their respective sports.

The Islander Girls Basketball Team shared the Central League title with Crawford and went on to defeat Canyon Crest Academy in the first round of the Division IV playoffs. Unfortunately they ran into the No. 1 seeds from La Jolla Country Day in the next round and weren’t able to advance. Tiffany Depfer and Bria Phillips were named Team Co-MVPs.

Despite numerous player injuries, the Coronado Boys Basketball scratched and clawed their way to a 13-12 record, losing to Santa Fe Christian 69-63 in the first round of the CIF Division IV playoffs. Chas Marks and Matt Oakley were named Co-MVPs.

Girls Soccer had a good showing in 2007, finishing with a 10-10-3 record and a berth in the Division III CIF playoffs. The Islanders defeated Santana in the first round before losing to Our Lady of Peace 1-0 in the quarter-final round. Leah Hatheway earned Team MVP honors.

Several titles were won by the Islander Varsity Cheerleading Team in 2007. Their most prestigious title was their first place finish in the American Showcase National Championships in Anaheim.

Track and Field phenom Sarah Player had an outstanding senior season and completed her career at CHS with school records in the 100 and 200-meter dash events as well as the 100 and 300-meter hurdles. Player, who now attends Cal Berkeley, competed in the long jump and the 300-meter hurdles at the California State CIF meet. For her efforts Player was named San Diego Section CIF Division II Girl Track Athlete of the Year and Central League Girl Track Athlete of the Year. Player also earned Team MVP honors.

Kyle Brown, who set school records in the 100-meter dash and the triple jump and came within an inch of setting the decades-old school record in the long jump, was named Boys Track MVP.

Robbin Adair completed a distinguished 40-year coaching career at Coronado High School in the spring of 2007. He coached boys tennis for 40 seasons and girls tennis for 33 and compiled a remarkable won-loss record of 1,122-435 over that period. In the fall of 2007 Adair was inducted into the CIF Coaches Hall of Fame.

Islander golfer Dillon Hakes recorded a strong finish to his season as he finished second in the City Conference match play tournament. Hakes was also named Team MVP.

The Coronado Girls Lacrosse Team spent much of the spring rated as the No. 2 team in San Diego County by Laxpower.com. They wound up sharing the City Conference title with rival La Jolla High School. The team lost 13-8 to La Costa Canyon in the CIF semi-finals. Greer Goebels and Bria Phillips were named Lacrosse First Team All-Americans.

In one of the most dominating individual performances turned in by a Coronado athlete in 2007, Islander Geoff Worley led Coronado to a 15-2 CIF lacrosse playoff victory over Grossmont High School. Worley scored seven goals in the game, all in the first half. The team went on to reach the CIF semi-finals where they lost to La Costa Canyon 7-6. Worley, who now attends the University of Vermont, was also named Team MVP.

Both CHS Swim Teams finished in third place in the City Conference meet. Molly Patrick and Lee Sebring were named Girls and Boys Team MVPs.

The CHS Softball Team had a strong season, qualifying for the CIF playoffs, where they defeated Holtville 11-2 in the first round. Leading the Islanders to victory were Co-MVPs Rosie Harris and Sandra Cepin, who each collected three hits against Holtville. Coronado’s playoff drive ended in the next game as they fell 3-2 to Imperial.

Islander Baseball posted another great season, going 20-9 in the regular season and earning the Division IV No. 1 seed. Coronado lost to Santa Fe Christian in the semi-finals series.

From an individual perspective, one of the most talked about plays of the season was a 440-foot shot hit by Islander Tim Leary in a home playoff game against La Jolla Country Day. The homer cleared the left centerfield wall at Strand Park and hit the roof of a home across the street from the field. Due to the fact that he was the team’s best hitter, in addition to his contributions to the pitching staff, Leary was named Team MVP.

Krishna Samperio was named Boys Tennis MVP and he also earned First Team All-Western League recognition for his efforts.

The Seniors defeated the Juniors 21-14 in overtime in the annual Powder Puff Football Game. Senior quarterback Kelsey Branch ran for two touchdowns and threw for a third in the annual renewal of the rivalry.

The Top 15 CHS Senior Class Athletes were honored by the Rotary Club of Coronado at a luncheon in June. The athletes recognized for outstanding contributions to their sports were: Kelsey Branch (basketball and lacrosse); Eric Clapper (water polo and swimming, including All American status in water polo); Jackson Crow-Mickle (water polo and swimming); Danielle Eckert (cheer plus track and field); Katie Estrada (water polo and swimming); Matt Ganyard (soccer); Nick Hamilton (soccer and lacrosse) and Chas Marks (basketball and baseball).

Additional honorees included: Molly Patrick (water polo and swimming); Sarah Player (track and cross country); JJ Pontes (football, basketball and lacrosse); Morgan Ronimus (water polo and swimming); Lee Sebring (swimming); Ben Thorne (football and baseball); and Geoff Worley (basketball and lacrosse).

In my “Eighth Annual Axey Awards Column,” Your Natterer announced the following totally subjective awards: Male Coach of the Year – Boys Soccer’s Brian Hiatt-Aleu; Female Coach of the Year – Jessica Battle of Girls Lacrosse.

Freshmen Athletes of the Year were Sallie Privett and Peter Zeller; Sophomore Athletes were Melissa Humphrey and Mason Mills; the Junior Class mentions went to Bria Phillips and Kyle Brown, with the Top Seniors Being Sarah Player and Geoff Worley.

Islander Boys Basketball Holiday Tournament Reminder

The Islander Holiday Tournament, which serves as a fundraiser for the Boys Basketball program, will provide fans with four opportunities to see Coronado play Dec. 27-29. On Dec. 27^th, the Coronado varsity plays San Ysidro at 1:30 pm and then plays the feature game that evening at 7:30 pm against Lutheran. Dec. 28^th, Coronado plays Sweetwater at 7:30 pm and Dec. 29^th, Julian provides the opposition for Coronado at 8 pm.

Ticket prices to the Islander Holiday Tournament are: Tournament passes for all games, for all three days are $15; Adult single admission tickets are $6 per day, Students with school IDs are $4 per day; CHS students with ASB passes and children under the age of 6 are free.

Baseball Alumni Game to be Played Dec. 31^st

CHS Baseball’s Alumni Game will be held New Year’s Eve Day, Dec. 31^st at Strand Field. Batting practice will begin at 9 am and the game will be played at 11 am.

Expected to participate are several recent CHS graduates who have gone on to success in their baseball playing careers. Pitcher Joe Woerman was recently added to the 40-man roster of the MLB Seattle Mariners and is scheduled to attend. Morgan Cummins, who had a good year with the Florida Marlins in their New York-Penn League, will be on hand as will USC Trojan Kyle Couture. David West, an outfielder playing for Biola University in the Los Angeles area will be on hand as well. 

For questions regarding the event, please contact Coach Ceci at 435-0851.

U.S. Olympic Water Polo Team Fundraiser

Four Coronado High School graduates are currently on the U.S. Olympic Water Polo training team and they will have a sense of déjà vu at the end of the month. Layne Beaubien, Thomas Hopkins, Genai Kerr and Jesse Smith, who are all in contention for slots on the squad that will play compete in the Beijing Olympics in 2008, will be training at the new aquatics facility at Coronado High School. 

A training scrimmage will be held Dec. 29^th at 3:30 pm. The team will train in Coronado and at the U.S. Olympic ARCO Training facility in Chula Vista from Dec. 26-31. The other team practices are not open to the public.

To honor the Coronado grads and to raise much-needed funds for the U.S. Olympic Water Polo Team, there will be a fundraising dinner event Dec. 29^th at 5 pm at the Hansen Mansion located at 711 A Avenue. Admission is $50 per person, with the proceeds benefitting Team USA. Additional donations on top of the admission price will be gladly accepted. Checks should be made payable to USA WP – Men’s Team.

Reservations are required, with a deadline of Dec. 27^th. Please make your reservations by E-mail at go-usa@san.rr.com, or you may also call Janie Hansen at 435-7387 for additional information.