Nado Natterings Back to Islandersports
A weekly column by David Axelson

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

22 Oct 2008 Issue No. 40

Rest has been in short supply for the Islander Boys Water Polo Team of late. One month ago the team won their own America’s Finest City Tournament and they followed that effort with three games the following week. Two weeks ago they finished fourth in the prestigious SoCal S&R Invitational Tournament and built on that strong showing with three more games last week.

Coronado’s most recent three-game set had the makings of being a ‘trap week,’ the new sports catch phrase that describes the game or games you might overlook when a rival is on your upcoming schedule. Improving Western League teams University City and Cathedral Catholic were on tap, followed by Santa margarita Catholic, which paid a visit to Coronado Saturday.

The Islanders opened with University City and junior center forward Alex Johnson had his way with the Centurions, scoring six goals to lead Coronado to a 12-4 victory. Adam Ratcliffe scored three times, with Rex Butler and David Rodriguez adding a goal each.

The most complete stats line against UC was turned in by junior Tommy Schofer, who scored once, while contributing four assists and two steals. Goalie Justin Parsons added five saves and two steals in the first three quarters of play. Joe Clarkson completed the game in goal for Coronado.

Johnson continued his fine week into the Cathedral Catholic game at home Friday evening, scoring four times. But that effort didn’t earn him game high-scoring honors. That distinction went to Paul Pedrotty who scored five goals. Butler, Ratcliffe and Schofer scored once each on Coronado’s collective path to a 12-8 victory. Parsons contributed 11 saves and a steal.

“That was an important game for us to play well,” said Head Coach Randy Burgess. “We played real well in the second half of the game. Cathedral Catholic is a much stronger team than they have ever been.”

Saturday Coronado hosted Santa Margarita Catholic and cruised to a 12-6 victory, according to Burgess. “We had quite a few contributors and lots of kids had a chance to play. We jumped out to a 3-0 lead and it was 9-2 at the end of three quarters. Parsons had 10 saves and three assists in three quarters and our transition game was on in that one.”

Schofer had three goals and two assists, while Butler and Ratcliffe added two goals and two assists each. Jackson Hummeldorf scored twice, while Andrew Ireland, Pedrotty and Eitan Peled scored one goal each.

Continuing their busy schedule into this week, Coronado travels to Bishop’s for an important Western League tilt on Wednesday, and then hosts La Jolla at the Brian Bent Memorial Aquatics Center at 6 pm Friday. This latter contest sets up an interesting doubleheader for Islander sports fans. Come for the varsity water polo contest at 6 pm and stay for the varsity football game against Crawford at 7:30 pm.

 Saturday at 4 pm Long Beach Wilson, which lost to Coronado 11-10 in the first round of the aforementioned SoCal Invitational two weeks ago, comes to the BBMAC looking to avenge their loss from earlier in the season. While playing some of the toughest competition in the state, Coronado currently has an overall record of 13-4.

Islander Football Falls to Santa Fe Christian 30-20

Prep football’s version of “Alice in Wonderland” was played out Friday night at Coronado’s Niedermeyer Field. Santa Fe Christian, under the direction of SDSU alumnus and former NFL quarterback Brian Sipe employed a punishing rushing attack to beat Coronado 30-20. Veteran Islander Head Coach Bud Mayfield, in most years a proponent of a strong ground game, had his team attempt 17 passes and score all of their points via a sophisticated aerial attack. The result was an entertaining game which was closer than the final spread would seem to indicate.

“They (Santa Fe Christian) are a little bit too strong up front and they knocked us back,” said Mayfield of the non-conference game, which left both teams with a 4-2 record at the conclusion of the contest. “We did play hard and we played to the end. The game was back and forth most of the way. We never thought we were out of it.”

The Eagles received the opening kickoff and proceeded to reel off a 17-play scoring drive that ate more than 10 minutes off of the game clock. Both defenses held for a series against the opposing offenses before Coronado covered 67 yards on two pass plays to tie the score at seven all. (A lesser writer would have said the score was ‘7-Up.’) Islander quarterback Mason Mills found tight end Blake Malkemus for a 39-yard gain, threw an incomplete pass, and followed that misfire immediately with a 28-yard scoring strike to Malkemus.

Apparently Islander opponents aren’t studying their game film too closely, as the Mills to Malkemus connection has been a sight to behold all season long. Friday night Malkemus, or ‘Magic’ (no points for originality, but a very apt description) as his teammates and the coaching staff call him, accounted for seven receptions, good for 147 yards and two touchdowns.

Senior Kodie Englehart caught three balls for a total of 119 yards and one touchdown. His scoring play was a 77-yard catch and run effort, where Englehart threaded his way through the Eagles linebacker corps and then through their defensive secondary.

Mills finished the game with 10-17 passing for 266 yards and the three touchdowns

Mayfield said the coaching staff named four Black Shirt award winners (game MVP honors) including Billy Garigen, Brad Hughes, Malkemus and Englehart. “Garigen played with the flu and a high temperature and was still outstanding. Hughes played his best game ever at defensive tackle.”

The game came down to SFC’s ability to control the clock with their ground game. Eagles’ fullback Brice Heers rushed 29 times for 169 yards and tailback Sam Hoekstra had 12 carries for 153 yards. All told, the Eagles amassed 427 yards on the ground on 64 carries.

“We really couldn’t withstand their surge,” said Mayfield of SFC’s ground attack. “Their fullback was tough. We met him head-on several times and he kept grinding ahead. He weighs about 205 pounds and we have a couple of linebackers together who aren’t that heavy.”

The four SFC touchdowns came on the ground and the three Coronado TDs came via the air, but it wasn’t until the Eagles kicked a 32-yard field goal with 1:3l remaining in the game that the issue was decided.

The importance of the non-conference game may not be felt until the CIF Division IV Playoff seeds are released in November. “Their (SFC’s) big game is next week with Christian,” Mayfield said. “If they win their league and finish out, they will get a big seed. We’re slipping in the division race. Kearney and Clairemont have their best teams in years, so we have a long way to go.”

This week Coronado returns to Central League play, with a home game against the Crawford Colts. According to Mayfield, predicting the Colts approach to the game is a challenge. “They have athletes, but its chaos. They are so unpredictable, we don’t know what we’re going to get. We’ll see how well we cope with unpredictability.” Kickoff is slated for 7:30 pm.

Slow Week for Islander Cross Country

CHS Head Cross Country Coach George Green provides an update on his squad’s activities from last week. “There's not too much to report on this week in the world of Islander Cross Country. Sallie Privett and Adie Davies braved an early morning wake up call to trek up to Guajome Park where they competed in the Southern California Invitational.

Privett placed 10^th overall out of all the races that were run, a total of 10 events for girls alone. Davies placed eighth in her race which pitted the third varsity runner from each team against the third varsity runner from all the other teams entered.  This week the boys will face a key meet against Christian and some of the Islanders will run in the Jaguar Invitational Friday.”

Coronado Girls Tennis Splits Two Western League Matches

Islander Head Girls Tennis Coach Rob LeBuhn described his squad’s 11-7 Western League victory over University City last week as, “another exciting league win and a big confidence booster for the team.”

Breaking down the Coronado victory, Spencer Berman playing No. 1 singles won her three matches, while No. 2 singles Mary Mulvey and No. 3 singles Jennifer Carney won one set each.

On the doubles front, the No. 1 team of Natalie Brooks and Kirsten Krock won two sets; Alex Rawlings and Andrea Sassenrath playing at No. 2 won one set; and Kaitlyn McCue and Jordan Vaughn celebrated the latter’s birthday by sweeping all three sets.

LeBuhn, who believes that the tandem of Carney and Berman have a better post season future ahead of them by teaming in doubles, as opposed to continuing to play in singles, paired the two seniors together in the Islanders match Thursday against Scripps Ranch. The concept worked, with Berman/Carney winning all three of their matches in the 12-6 loss to Scripps Ranch. At No. 2 doubles, Krock/ Brooks won two sets, while Sassenrath/Vaughn won one set to account for the Islanders six set victories in the 18-set format.

LeBuhn is pleased with his team’s progress this season. “We are getting more competitive and there is a great atmosphere. I think Jennifer and Spencer may win some (post season) doubles matches this year.”

This week is a tough one for the Islanders as they host the Academy of Our Lady of Peace Tuesday and then travel to perennially tough La Jolla Thursday.

CHS Alumni Baseball Game on Tap

Despite the fact that my Chicago Cubs were summarily dismissed from the National League Playoffs, it’s never too early for a little baseball news. Islander Head Coach Sam Ceci recently announced that the CHS Alumni Baseball Game will be held Saturday, December 27^th at 11 am. The event, which in the past has been held closer to New Years Day, was moved back to accommodate more of the current college alumni before they head back to school.

“It’s an opportunity for us to show off the improvements we have made to the field and our new scoreboard,” said Ceci. “In the past we have had as many as 30 players and as few as 12, but the more the merrier. If we have enough players, we’ll have two alumni teams play each other.”

The event format, which is pretty loose and designed for fun, starts with batting practice at 10 am. In theory the alumni play the current CHS varsity roster, although that can change without warning. “It’s really casual and we have a good time,” Ceci added. Afterwards hot dogs and hamburgers are served to the participants.

Truth be told, you don’t have to be an Islander alumnus to participate. If you love baseball, seeing Islander Field (located behind Silver Strand Elementary School) alone is worth the short drive down the Strand. By the way, the aforementioned scoreboard formerly was perched over Dedeaux Field on the USC campus. Ceci, a proud Trojan and a member of three NCAA championship teams at USC, had the inside track on the scoreboard after a recent stadium remodeling effort was undertaken at his alma mater.

To join in the fun, please contact Sam Ceci at 435-0854. Donations to the program are of course gratefully accepted.

CHS Surf Team Report

As the comedy troupe Monty Python used to say, “And now for something a little different.” In this case that would be the CHS Surf Team report, which was supplied by Carolyn Mitchell.

“The CHS Surf Team competed in the first Interscholastic Surfing Federation (ISF) contest of the year Oct. 19. Coronado went head-to-head with Oceanside High at the Oceanside Jetty.

Although Coronado was missing four of their starters, they held their own in a 58-48 loss against the always formidable Oceanside squad. Joe McMahon and Dylan Marston surfed well in the short board heats, placing third and fourth respectively. Coronado sophomore girls Michaela Guerrera and Mallory Mitchell dominated their division with two first place finishes and one second in their heats. Sophomore Curtis Nixon and freshman Reis Stanley surfed in two divisions to gain valuable points for the Islander team. 

After the team competition, an individual contest is held that includes all the best high school surfers in San Diego County. Coronado’s No. 1 long boarder Taylor Mitchell advanced through three rounds to get to the finals and came home with a first place victory.

The team is looking forward to their next competition, which takes place November 8^th at Avalanche in Ocean Beach. The goal is to bring home a win with a full roster of surfers.”

Chargers Effort in Buffalo is Tragicomic

Your Natterer has long thought of sporting events in terms of a theatrical play, where there is a clearly defined beginning, middle and a conclusion. The final act may not be to your liking, but to judge the game, you have to see the contest unfold and develop.

Due to extraneous Mylar balloons and an apparently fragile power grid in and around Buffalo, New York, roughly half of the Chargers vs. Bills game Sunday was televised. For the collective sanity of Charger fans, the intermittent blackout may have actually been beneficial. Without being able to see the whole game, and thereby not having a handle on the ebb and flow of the complete contest, I’ll instead attempt to summarize what was aired.

In Gertrude Stein’s book, “Everybody’s Autobiography,” she penned a phrase to describe the home of her youth in Oakland, which had later been torn down by saying, ‘there is no there, there.”It seems to your scribe that Ms. Stein’s famous quotation is a pretty accurate description of the 2008 San Diego Chargers.

Football, unlike chess, is not played out on paper and especially no on an intellectual level. Smarts help, but at some point someone has to gain the extra yards for a conversion on third down or make a play on defense that forces a punt, or just hit someone in the other color jersey hard. Just once. Please.

Wherever former Charger Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer currently spends his Sundays, he must be laughing his (head) off. Marty Ball resulted in exactly zero playoff wins during its stage run in Mission Valley, but at least it was a physical, no-nonsense, few mistakes game that the San Diegans played back in the day. ‘Physical’ has turned into ‘finesse’ these days and the losses are quickly mounting. Allegedly the Chargers trash talk a mean game, but most media outlets don’t carry a separate column for trash talk victories.

Sunday’s loss to Buffalo essentially means the Chargers (3-4) now have to win their division outright as they are unlikely to earn a wild card slot for non-division winners with good won-loss records. The one ray of sunshine is that the 2008 Denver Broncos, the current AFC West leaders, cannot be confused with the 1985 Chicago Bears for their defensive prowess. Denver, like San Diego, has to outscore the opponent, and generally speaking, they can’t stop even slightly above average opposing offenses. If Denver has the decency to collapse, San Diego could step into their playoff slot, but it will be one and out for the Chargers in any event.

So, take it from ‘ol Gertrude or the ‘ol Natterer, that there is no Charger there, there for 2008. So, hold on to your celebratory Mylar balloons San Diego fans. Like a heat-seeking missile, they would probably just make a beeline to a power line near you anyway.