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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
4 June 2008 Issue No. 22
The Coronado High School
Baseball Team defeated Christian High School 5-1 Saturday at SDSU’s Tony
Gwynn Stadium to win their second CIF Division IV title in the past three
years. The Islanders were paced by a simultaneously dominating and gutty
pitching performance from junior right-hander Bryan Crabb, nicely
complimented by timely hitting from both Justin Parsons and Alex
Rowan.
Crabb cruised through the
Christian lineup into the fifth inning, yielding only a double and having just
struck out two consecutive Patriots, when he was hit on the inside of his left
knee by a sharp line drive. Crabb, whose last playoff outing had been a
no-hitter against Horizon High School the previous week, actually had better
stuff and pacing in his delivery in the Christian game than in his prior
outing. Both CHS Head Coach Sam Ceci and Pitching Coach Chris Blanton
confirmed that concept after the game.
After recovering from the line
drive, Crabb displayed the ‘gutty’ portion of the outing. The next three
Christian hitters reached base on a single, a double and an intentional walk to
load the bases. Crabb reached back for a little extra against the next Patriot
hitter and struck him out to end the scoring threat.
To Christian’s credit, they
didn’t go quietly. In the seventh inning, three singles and a walk earned the
Patriots their only run of the championship final, and they had the bases
loaded with their cleanup hitter at the plate representing the game-tying run
with two outs. Crabb found a little extra ‘giddy-up’ on his fastball and struck
out the final hitter of the game, setting off a jubilant on-field Coronado
player celebration.
“I was thrilled to see Crabb suck
it up and go for it,” said Ceci. “He was a trooper. He did it and did it in
great fashion. Our defense played extremely well (Coronado played an errorless
ballgame) and made all the plays. It was very much a team effort. The players
were enthusiastic in the dugout. We put the ball in play pretty well. I thought
it was a great effort all around.”
As important as pitching is in
baseball, timely hitting is either as important or at the very least a close
second. Coronado would only have seven hits in the game, but were efficient
with their scoring opportunities. With one out in the third inning, Keith
Englehart singled and advanced to second one out later on a Mason Mills
single. Tim Leary reached first on a Christian error and the Islanders
had the bases loaded for their cleanup hitter Justin Parsons. The junior
three-sport athlete (water polo, basketball and baseball) rapped a sharp single
to drive in two runs and give the Islanders the lead they would never
relinquish.
“The Parsons hit was huge,”
Ceci said. “There was no score in the game and it was a pressure spot for him.
Justin got it done several times for us. He’s not intimidated by a pressure
situation. He relies on grit and instincts. He’s on task for whatever the
situation is.”
In the bottom half of the
fifth, Coronado struck again. Kyle O’Brien Pokorny started the rally
with a one-out single, followed by another Mills single. Leary hit into a
fielder’s choice, forcing Pokorny at third. Parsons then drew a walk to load
the bases. Senior centerfielder Alex Rowan, who would complete his
senior season hitting a robust .396, strode to the plate and drove the ball to
the wall of spacious Gwynn Stadium, driving in Mills, pinch runner Stephan
Massie, and Parsons. Rowan was credited with a double, when he was thrown
out at third base, a call that while close, was clearly missed by the third
base umpire.
Crabb correctly should receive
credit for his fine pitching performance, but senior catcher Jake McMahon
deserves a mention for his play. Like most pitchers with exceptional stuff,
Crabb often throws breaking balls into the dirt when ahead in the count,
particularly against the opposition’s better hitters. That was the case again
Saturday and McMahon stopped everything thrown his way.
Saturday’s Islander starting
lineup had the distinction of having eight of the nine players hitting .300 or
higher. Leary finished the season with a batting average of .420 and Mills used
a 2-3 outing in the CIF Finals to push his final batting average for the season
to .402. Parsons finished at .348, Pokorny at .318, rightfielder Blake
Malkemus hit .306, while Crabb was at .318 and McMahon hit .304. Englehart,
the lone hitter under .300 for the season (.238) was third on the team in runs
scored (20) and was a perfect 15-15 in stolen base attempts.
Coronado had the additional
distinction of playing the final three innings in front of stadium namesake Tony
Gwynn. The Padre Hall of Famer and SDSU head baseball coach was seated in
the press box behind the plate.
To reach the Division IV
Finals, Coronado had to come from behind and scored two runs in the bottom of
the sixth to defeat La Jolla Country Day 7-6 in the semi-finals. Senior pitcher
Steve Conrad came in to pitch and extinguished a LJCD rally in the
sixth, followed by a 1-2-3 seventh to earn the victory.
Offensively Rowan paced
Coronado against LJCD with a double and two singles in three trips to the plate
and drove in two runs. Crabb, playing right field in the semi-finals, drove in
two runs with a single in the Islander’s three-run seventh inning. Malkemus had
a single and a double in three trips to the plate, scored once and drove in one
run. Englehart, who drove in Malkemus with a single to tie the game in the
sixth, scored the game-winning run on a Mills sacrifice fly.
The 2008 CHS Baseball season
was outstanding in many respects. The team finished with an overall record of
26-8, which represents the most wins ever posted by an Islander squad. In
addition, Coronado was the Co-Champion of the Western League, with a 9-3 mark.
In head-to-head play, the Islanders defeated Co-Champs Mission Bay in both
league contests.
The case can be made that the
Western League title is more impressive than the CIF Division IV crown. “The
Western League is a tougher battle,” said Ceci. “It’s a grind to do it over 12
games and every game is a tough one. To accomplish them both is incredible.
It’s the best school record ever. Combine that with the fact that all of the
seniors are going somewhere to play (college baseball) next year and it was a
great season.”
CHS
Championship Tally Impressive
The Baseball title earned last
week was the fifth CIF title won by Coronado High School in the 2007-08 season.
Boys and Girls Soccer, as well as Boys and Girls Water Polo all won titles,
with Boys and Girls Lacrosse reaching the championship final of their sport.
For a school the size of Coronado, with just over 1,000 students, that is a
remarkable single-season achievement.
Robin Nixon
New CHS Athletic Director
Robin Nixon has been
named CHS athletic director. She succeeds Sandy Ferguson, who is
retiring as a teacher and administrator from the Coronado Unified School
District.
Nixon, the daughter of
long-time Coronado teacher and Coach Ron Nixon, is a CHS grad and a
graduate of U.C. Davis. She will begin her new duties in mid-June.
Honors and
Awards
The spring post-season banquet
season is in full force and we have the post season awards for two of the
sports to report.
Last Wednesday, the Girls
Lacrosse Team held their banquet at the Coronado Municipal Golf Course. The
Varsity Awards, as announced by Head Coach Jessica Battle included: the
Islander Sports Foundation Award for Integrity, Sportsmanship and Friendship – Alyssa
Littin; Most Improved Player – Coco O’Brien; Unsung Hero Award – Kirsten
Krock; and Coach’s Award – Greer Goebels. The Varsity Captains are Hannah
Sebenaler and Bria Phillips. In her 12th season as head
coach, Battle guided Coronado to a 23-2 mark.
The JV Awards presented by
Head Coaches Joanie Huck and Mike Fisher were: Most Improved
Upper Classman – Christy Mebust, with an honorable mention to Arrielle
Luna; Most Improved Freshmen – Katie Harrison and Brianne
Clifford; Offensive Player of the Year – Lauren Cary; Defensive
Player of the Year – Leslie Orell; Coaches’ Award – Andrea Sassenrath;
Team Captains – Orell and Sassenrath.
Thursday, the CHS Track and
Field Team honored several team members at their post season gala. The
awards as announced by Head Coach George Green included: Team MVPs - Kyle
Brown and Sallie Privett; ISF Award – Ben Enowitz; Rookie
Awards (All Freshmen) – Annie Lovering (distance runs), Will Bartsch
(pole vault), Maddie Danielson (300 meter hurdles), Danielle Swanson
(pole vault, hurdles, shot put), and Cassie Callahan (high jump, long jump,
triple jump); Coaches Awards – Turner Stanley and Neisha Scales;
Coach’s Achievement Awards – Enowitz and Michael Davies.
In addition to their track
awards, Enowitz and Davies are the CHS Class of ’08 Valedictorian and
Salutatorian respectively.
Seniors Win
Annual Powder Puff Football Game
Honesty compels me to report
that in the roughly dozen years I have been writing Nado Natterings, the annual
Powder Puff Football Game between the Senior Girl Athletes and their
Junior Class counterparts, has mystified me. Is it a sporting event or merely
an extended pep rally? When Natter Daughter Kristen Axelson (CHS ’99)
was a senior, the game was played during the winter sports season and as a
basketball player she was (rightfully) not allowed to play while in season.
A year ago due to a late
change in the scheduled date of the game, Your Natterer whiffed on the
Powder Puff game entirely. A couple of after the fact interviews provided
sufficient coverage for our clamoring reading public.
Last year’s Powder Puff senior
quarterback Kelsey Branch, a multi-sport Islander athlete called the
game, “One of the best memories I will have of high school. It was probably my
favorite thing I have done this year.” Branch, who was a fine student, seemed
sane while she was relating this aspect of the game.
Determined (sort of) to get
ahead of the story this year, your reporter ventured onto the field prior to
the start of the game, looking for a familiar face among the Senior Class
coaching staff, and found Head Coach Steve Conrad. An amiable sort,
Conrad played football and baseball for CHS and played both well. Attempting to
gauge the level of commitment of the players and coaching staff, I
semi-seriously asked Conrad how many practices he had held. “We had 25
practices,” he replied. “But they weren’t that long, just 45 minutes or an
hour.”
Imagine my surprise at that
response.
Gaining the early sartorial
advantage in the game were the senior class roster of 40 players, their support
staff of 23 senior male cheerleaders and nearly 10 coaches, were attired in
black tank tops and matching shorts with Columbia blue lettering, which said
‘Can’t Touch This.’ The junior class countered with white tank tops and black
shorts with ‘09’ on the back of their shirts. The 17-member male cheer squad
apparently opted for a competing designer, and wore white tops and pinks
shorts, which lost something in the transition from the fashion runway to the
football field.
The Junior Class coaches did
sport a Weeb Eubank (former New York Jets head coach) black sport coat
look, which classed up the joint a touch. Perhaps a pocket handkerchief would
have added a splash of color to their ensembles.
Conrad’s pre-game plan was
simple and direct, “Our mission is to score first and keep the lead. Last year
we were leading the whole game and lost in overtime.”
Although the seniors’ plan was
well conceived, the game didn’t go quite proceed that way. The junior class
scored first, a mere 10 minutes into the game. Paced by quarterback Andrea
Davis, the juniors scored on a 16-yard run, followed by a quarterback
keeper from Davis for a two-point conversion. Clearly Junior Class Head Coach Mason
Mills was going for the early knockout.
The seniors countered by
scoring on their first possession, which was set up by a 30-yard run by
quarterback Rosie Harris, followed by a 26-yard sprint, appropriately
turned in by track sprinter Neisha Scales. A two-point conversion failed
and the juniors lead 8-6 at halftime.
The senior cheer squad put on
a great half-time show, which lasted in the 4-5 minute range. Seemingly
professionally choreographed, the guys were in constant motion doing some
complex moves, both on the ground and in the air, in nearly-perfect
synchronization.
From the press box (I came late
to the concept, but I had fully bought into the philosophy of complete game
coverage at this point), the twin highlights of the halftime show were a leap
into a full split by Donny Gersonde. From above the field, Gersonde
looks to be in the 6-3, 200 pound range and the move brought appreciative
cheers from the nearly full home-side stands.
Tim Leary, baseball’s
starting first baseman, provided the second significant highlight, with two
male cheerleaders in leg locks around his neck, twirling them rapidly,
approximating a human merry go ‘round for 15-20 seconds. When I attempted to
describe Leary’s gymnastic move to Head Baseball Coach Sam Ceci 48 hours after
the fact, and 32 hours after the conclusion of CIF Championship Baseball game,
Ceci laughed, sort of. But not really. It was more of a sigh to be honest.
But now, back to the game. The
second half was marked by defensive stands from both teams and a series of
turnovers. The decisive play of the game turned out to be a 33-yard run from
senior Callie Caldwell to make the final score 12-8. Clearly Coach
Conrad needs to work on his extra point conversion efficiency. That kind of
execution will get the alumni on your back.
Among the players, literally
too many to mention, who contributed to the action were senior running back Courtney
Ryan, who formed a full-house (football term) backfield with Harris and
Scales; and wide receivers Christy Mebust and Tiffany Depfer.
Junior contributors included
defensive safety Melissa Humphrey, running back Sandy Shepherd
and Davis at quarterback. A year ago Branch described the game as “60 percent
tackle football and 40 percent touch,” which proved to be an accurate
description of this year’s contest as well. The CHS football coaching staff
refereed the game and threw numerous flags for aggressive play, which seemingly
had no impact whatsoever. In the end, a good time was had by all, with plenty
of bruises, scrapes and stories to share in the future.
A Personal
Note
My father Joe Axelson
passed away last weekend at the age of 80. He had an accomplished career in
college and professional sports, including over 500 wins as the general manager
of the Cincinnati Royals, Kansas City Kings and Sacramento Kings. He was the
first winner of the NBA Executive of the Year Award in 1973 and was later the
vice president of basketball operations for the NBA office in New York City, a
position that was created for him.
While with the NBA, he was a
major contributor to the invention of the break-away basketball rim. It was a
concept needed when several backboards were shattered during games in the
Darryl Dawkins era, causing expensive game delays and replacement of the
backboards. The breakaway rim is now in almost universal use at all levels of
basketball. Joe was also a member of the NBA Competition and Rules Committee
for more than 20 years.
Aside from that, he was the
patriarch of the family that included my brother Mark Axelson of McKinney,
Texas and my sister Linda Axelson of Greenville, South Carolina. Joe had six
grandchildren including my wife Sharon’s and my two children Kristen and
Michael.
A condo in Coronado for nearly
30 years, he was preceded in death by my mother Rae Smith Axelson. She
purchased their local residence after attending an NBA annual convention with
my Dad, held at the Hotel Del Coronado.
Joe was a frequent fan at
Coronado sporting events, both in support of his grandchildren and just to see
the Islander teams perform and succeed. He is already greatly missed.