Nado Natterings Back to Islandersports
A weekly column by David Axelson

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

10 Dec 2008 Issue No. 47

Instant replay to overturn missed officiating calls in football has produced a generation of fans who can make practiced and nearly instant judgments on controversial plays as they happen. Unfortunately the same could not be said of the seven-man officiating crew that worked the otherwise competitive and well-played CIF Division IV Semi-Finals between Coronado and Valley Center, won by the host Jaguars 28-26 Friday night.

Trailing by eight points with 4:17 remaining in the game, the Islanders received the kickoff after a Jaguar scoring drive, and Kodie Englehart returned the kick 17 yards to the Valley Center 22 yard line. On the next play from scrimmage, quarterback Mason Mills scrambled, and found Kodie deep on the home team sidelines in full stride and delivered a long, perfect pass that Englehart caught and 78 yards later, delivered to the end zone.

Trailing by a scant two points, Coronado Head Coach Bud Mayfield correctly opted to go for the two-point conversion to tie the game. Mills took the snap, dropped back and fired the ball to senior Keith Englehart (Kodie’s older brother by one year) racing across the back of the end zone. Except Keith never got to the ball as he was tackled by a Valley Center defender, well before the ball arrived.

Although the entire seven-man officiating crew missed the glaringly obvious call, not one fan, player, parent, coach, staff member, reporter or stats man on the Coronado sideline missed the non-call. The goal of an official in any sport is to not be the person who makes or misses a call that directly decides the outcome of a game. Unfortunately the losers were the Coronado kids who had worked and played hard all season long.

Assuming a tie score and with four minutes remaining in the contest, it is very possible that Valley Center could have regained their momentum and scored to win the game. The Jaguars did take the ensuing kick-off and work their way down to the Coronado 11-yard line with 90 seconds remaining in the game. With the Islanders out of timeouts and the game in hand, the Jaguars quarterback took a knee on three straight snaps to run out the clock. By earning the victory, Valley Center worked their way into the Division IV Finals against Madison High School, who defeated Mission Bay in the other Division IV Semi-Final.

The poor officiating had the effect of essentially negating a fine performance by the Islanders, who entered the CIF Division IV Playoffs as the No. 5 seed and were facing the No. 1 seed on the road in Valley Center. The Jaguars are ranked No. 7 in San Diego County by the most recent “North County Times” Sportswriters and Sportscasters Poll.

Coronado won the opening toss and elected to defer their option to the second half. Valley Center took the opening kickoff and promptly embarked on a 12-play scoring drive to take the early 7-0 lead.

The Islanders took the return kick-off and aided by a 25-yard return by Keith (the Elder) Englehart, scored on an 11-play drive of their own. Junior tailback Chris Page took the ball in from the one-yard line and Christian Herrera converted on the extra point attempt.

The Jaguars marched down to the Coronado 10-yard line before Brad Hughes intercepted an errant Valley Center pass attempt. The Islanders didn’t get much accomplished on their next two offensive possessions, but neither could the Jaguars penetrate the Coronado defense.

With 1:16 remaining in the half, Kodie (The Younger) Englehart intercepted a Jaguar pass attempt on the Coronado 48. An 11-yard sack of Mills was followed by short pass completion to Kodie Englehart, a play which in turn was followed by an 18-yard completion to Page. With 30 seconds remaining in the half, all seven officials then merrily missed repeated attempts from quarterback Mills and Coach Mayfield to call timeout and stop the game clock. The clock wound down to 13.4 seconds, thereby limiting the Islander offensive options. An incomplete pass was followed by a 38-yard field goal from Christian Herrera, giving Coronado the 10-7 halftime lead.

The Islanders fumbled away the ball on their first possession of the second half and Valley Center capitalized on a four play, 32-yard drive to re-take the lead 14-10. That would be the only scoring play in the third quarter.

But things revved up in the fourth quarter, with the Islanders finishing off an 11-play scoring drive begun in the third quarter, with a six-yard touchdown pass from Mills to Keith Englehart. Big plays in the drive included three passes from Mills to Blake Malkemus totaling 49 yards and yes, a pass interference penalty called against Valley Center, which advanced the ball to the Jaguar six-yard line.

With the score now 17-14 Coronado, things were really looking good when senior lineman Tyler Suggett recovered a Jaguar fumble on the Valley Center 32. With a fourth and six situation facing them from the Jaguar 24-yard line, Mayfield unleashed Herrera for a 41-yard field goal attempt, which was perfect. With a 20-14 lead, Coronado kicked off, but could not contain Valley Center’s offense, which scored eight plays later on an eight-yard run.

A Coronado fumble on the first play from scrimmage gave Valley Center the ball on the Coronado 26-yard line and the Jaguars punched in what would prove to be the winning touchdown four plays later on a 17-yard run.

The Islanders rallied for the scoring strike described above, which was followed in short order by the pass interference non-call.

Mills had a fine outing for the Islanders, completing 18 of his 22 pass attempts, for 290 yards and two touchdowns. For the 11-game season (though 9-3 on the year, one of the victories was a forfeit win over Crawford who opted not to field a team against Coronado) Mills had a passer rating of 140.09 and threw for 2,951 yards, with 37 touchdown passes and only seven interceptions. The total yards and touchdown passes are single season Islander records.

Malkemus caught seven passes for a total of 89 yards against Valley Center, pushing his numbers to 73 catches for the season and a total of 1,051 yards. Both of these single season receiving marks have never been equaled in the 81-year history of Islander football.

Defensively, the Islanders were led by senior Todd Kelleher, who was credited with eight tackles and eight assists against the Jaguars. The Brothers Englehart had a total of 15 tackles between them, Suggett and John Mikesell contributed 11 tackles each, while Stefan Massie was in on nine tackles.

All-in-all the Islanders had a fine season, playing their best football of the season in the playoffs when it counted. But the thought of ‘what could have been’ will linger.

Football Honors and Awards

The Islander varsity football season ended Friday night and the post season banquet was Sunday evening at the Coronado Marriott Hotel. Announced at a separate function earlier in the week were the Freshman Team Awards, presented by Freshman Head Coach Tony Isabella. Most Improved – Bernardo Bustamante and Paul Rodriguez; Team Captains – Antonio Ramirez and Austin Denson; Team MVP – Hunter Corpus. This marked the fifth straight season that the Islander Freshmen won their league title, this year taking Central League honors with an 8-1 mark.

Back to the Marriott and JV Head Coach Ed Shanholtz announced his team’s award winners. Most Improved – Robbie Bell; Team Captains – Andrew Toomey and Jack Mikesell; and Patrick Toomey was named Team MVP and presented the James Forsythe Award by Liz Forsythe-Lovell. The JV squad finished 6-1 this season.

The Varsity Awards as announced by Head Coach Bud Mayfield and Coaches Mike Pompa, Keith Sippy and Shanholtz included: Team Captains – John Mikesell and Mason Mills; Scout Team MVP – Matthew Villalobos; Most Improved – Brad Hughes; Scholar-Athlete with largest cumulative GPA – Mason Mills; Most Valuable Lineman – John Mikesell; Most Valuable Back – Keith Englehart; the Adrian Taufaasau Heart of an Islander Award presented by Ivy Taufaasau and Family – Billy Garigen; Most Valuable Players – Mason Mills and Blake Malkemus.

Cross Country Honors and Awards

Convening at the Coronado Yacht Club last week, the CHS Cross Country program met to celebrate the Girls Cross Country Division IV title, as well as the fine year from the Boys Cross Country Team.

Starting with the Girls squad first, Coaches George Green and Bill Davies presented the following awards: Co-Captains – Sallie Privett and Adie Davies; Girls Rookie of the Year – Nicole Davies; Coaches Award – Adie Davies; and Team MVP – Sallie Privett. Additional honors went to Privett, who won the CIF Division IV individual title and thus earned All-CIF recognition, as did Adie Davies. For winning Division IV, the top seven runners qualified to run in the state meet, where they finished in ninth place.

On the Boys side the awards were presented to: Rookie of the Year – Will Funk; Co-Captains – David Grimes and Sean O’Brien; Coach’s Award – Sean O’Brien; Team MVP – David Grimes. By virtue of his fourth place finish in the CIF Division IV race, Grimes earned All-CIF recognition and was a state qualifier.

Boys Water Polo Honors and Awards

The Islander Boys Water Polo program held their awards banquet recently, coming off of a fine season and a second place finish in CIF Division II. Frosh/Soph Team awards were presented to: Team Captain – Christian Dudley; Coaches’ Award – Josh Williams; Most Improved Player – Alex Kuznetsov; Team MVPs – Joe Rodgers and Garrett Eyer.

The JV Awards were earned by: Team Captain – Tyler Brownell; Coaches Awards – Vandon Burgess and Eitan Peled; Most Improved Player – Garrett Sabesky; and Team MVPs – Patrick Geer and Dylan Peterson.

Varsity Awards went to: Team Captains – Brendan Farrell, Adam Ratcliffe and Alex Johnson; the “For the Love of the Game Award honoring the memory of Steve Schofer – Brendan Farrell; Golden Tassel Award for highest team GPA – Jackson Hummeldorf; Coaches Awards – Tommy Schofer and Jackson Hummeldorf; Most Improved – Rex Butler; and Most Valuable Players – Alex Johnson and Justin Parsons.

All Western League honors went to Butler, Johnson and Parsons, with Parsons also named Player of the Year. Second Team recognition went to Schofer and Honorable Mention was given to Ratcliffe and Paul Pedrotty.

All CIF Division II First Team honors went to Parsons and Johnson, with Butler and Schofer named to the Division II Second Team. Parsons was named CIF Division II Player of the Year.

Girls Water Polo Squad Off to 2-0 Start

Under the direction of Head Coach Dave Throop, the CHS Girls Water Polo Team is off to a strong 2-0 start this season. Much like their male counterparts this season, the team is talented, but having graduated a number of seniors each of the last two seasons, the team is lacking in overall experience.

Throop elaborates on his team. “We are in the capable hands of our three seniors, Co-Captain Alex Adamson, Co-Captain Kathryn Bailey and Michelle Carroll, as well as a talented group of juniors in Hillary Estrada, Ashley Young, Kelly Ronimus, Maddie Murphy, Sidney Hoshko and back-up goalkeepers Colleen Moore and sophomore goalie Brooke Bernardy.

The team is joined by varsity newcomers from the junior class including Natalie Stringer and Kaylee Ginnane and sophomores Shelby Couture and Hannah Green. Other juniors on the team include first year varsity workout members Bronte Benesh, Megan Meloche, Hayley Eyer, and Katie Shepherd, as well as sophomores Lauren Carroll, Kendall Martin, Allie McRae and Alexa Tyer.

Our strengths include goalkeeping and that the remaining parts are interchangeable. We have multiple players who can play multiple positions, so offensively we can exploit matchups, while our defensive flexibility adds a dynamic element to that side of our game.”

The Islanders began their season last Wednesday with a 19-1 victory over University City and the offensive stars were many in number. Young contributed four goals, four assists and three steals; Ronimus pitched in with four goals, five assists and eight steals; Murphy had two goals and two assists; Hillary Estrada had four goals and four steals; Michelle Carroll scored three goals; Sidney Hoshko added two scores and Kathryn Bailey dished out four assists. Goalie Alex Adamson was credited with three saves.

Saturday the Islanders hosted Newport Harbor, which is ranked No. 3 in the CIF Orange County section. Coronado trailed 4-3 at the half and 7-5 at the end of the third quarter, before pulling out the 9-7 victory. Throop picks up the narrative. “We played very aggressively defensively and out-paced Newport 4-0 in the final quarter. Adamson recorded nine saves, while the offense was paced by Hillary Estrada’s three goals and two assists. Ashley Young had two goals and three assists, while Maddie Murphy had two goals and an assist. Kelly Ronimus and Sidney Hoshko each contributed a goal in the win.”

Throop summarized the team’s outlook for the season. “I believe that we can be a very strong team defensively and that we will find ourselves very competitive throughout the season, which will hopefully find us with the opportunity to again post a challenge in the CIF Playoffs.”

Girls Basketball Team Splits a Pair of Games

The Islander Girls Varsity Basketball Team has an interesting scheduling pattern in the early weeks of the season. They opened with an explosion of four games over two days in their Thanksgiving Tournament. Last week they played twice and this week they are off. Since it’s not possible to play less than zero games, presumably a new pattern will emerge.

Last week Coronado found themselves at home for two games. The first was a 30-27 overtime victory over El Cajon Valley High School. Angela Strohbeck took game scoring honors with 16 points. Islander Head Coach Toler Goodwin talked about the game. “Thursday we had three or four opportunities to put the game away. We would have a careless turnover or we didn’t understand the defensive situation and rotate to their people. But, we’re getting there. We were able to hang on and even after El Cajon tied us in overtime, we had two good possessions to hold on and finish the game for the win.”

Coronado’s (now a total of 2-4 overall) next game was the fifth and final game associated with the Thanksgiving Tournament, which was a 34-32 loss to University City. Natalie Brooks led the Coronado attack with 10 points, followed by Strohbeck with nine points, Maggie Harris and Cory DeMarco scored five each and Melissa Humphrey added three points.

University City double-teamed Strohbeck in the post, a look which according to Goodwin, the Coronado center will see a lot this year. “Angela is going to get more straight double teams. She and we are going to have to understand how to get her the ball to avoid the double teams. Natalie Brooks did a nice job against U.C. She is a little hesitant to attack the basket, but she just needs to spend time on the court, getting her shot grooved. She is a good outside shooter. Having Melissa Humphrey in the lineup makes a big difference. She is a calming influence on the floor for us. When she gets her timing back, we’ll be better.”

Timing or lack thereof is a concern of Goodwin’s at this point in the season. “In practice, we are trying to get out timing down. We need to have people coming to the ball when we are ready to pass the ball to them. We’re making great cuts (to the basket) ahead of when we are ready to pass. Our timing is off on our screens. I can’t fault the team on the physical side of the game. On the mental side, we are young and just need time on the court.”

CHS Boys Basketball Splits Four Game Set

Last week the Islander Boys Basketball Team participated in the Eagle-Vaquero Tournament, playing a total of four games including three of the four games at home.

The week opened with a 60-57 home victory over Mount Miguel. A see-saw affair, Mt. Miguel led by seven points early in the second quarter, while the Islanders forged a 10-point lead near the end of the third frame.

Justin Parsons, the same athlete who earlier in the column was noted for being the CIF Division II Player of the Year in water polo, led Coronado with 22 points and eight rebounds. Brian Allen turned in a fine game with seven points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Danny Hebert scored all seven of his points in the second half and added five rebounds and five assists. Justin Hebner scored 13 points to go with five rebounds and three assists. Krishna Samperio contributed nine points, six rebounds and two blocked shots to the winning effort. It was a well-played, fast-paced game by both teams.

Next on the docket was a 50-42 road loss at El Capitan, with sophomore guard Justin Hebner leading the Islanders in scoring with 14 points.

Wednesday, playing their third tournament game in three nights, the Islanders hosted Valhalla and fell 49-47. Coronado trailed by seven points at half time, but outscored Valhalla by five points in the third quarter to trail 39-37 heading into the final quarter of play. With 55 seconds remaining in the game, Coronado tied the game at 47-47, but the Islanders couldn’t quite complete the comeback.

Parsons had another good effort with 12 points, nine rebounds and three steals. Hebner and Allen added 11 points each, with the latter also snaring six rebounds. Chris Maskevich had a good game with four points and five rebounds. Hebert added nine points and four rebounds.

Friday night at home, the Islanders (2-3 overall) defeated Olympian 55-43, outscoring the visitors by a dozen points in the fourth quarter to earn the victory. The usual suspects led the Islander scoring parade, including Allen (12 points), Parsons (nine), Josh McNeal added eight points and the law firm of Hebner, Hebert, Samperio and Maskevich all scored six points each.

This week Coronado plays five games in the annual Small Schools Tournament. They open at El Cajon Monday; the play against La Jolla Country Day on the road Wednesday (6 pm); against Heritage at LJCD Thursday at 4:30 pm; against Calvin Christian at LJCD Friday at 6 pm; and Saturday in a game with the time and opponent to be announced.

CHS Girls Soccer Opens Season Monday

Finally this week we discuss the CHS Girls Soccer Team, which is coming off of a stellar season during which they won the CIF Division IV title. Circumstances have changed somewhat, as the Islanders lost five starters due to graduation and the team will now compete in Division III as the division alignments, which are compiled according to school enrollment, were fine tuned by the CIF since last year.

The team, under the direction of Varsity Head Coach Kiko Medina, has an unusually strong sophomore class, with 22 members of the Class of 2011 in the program total and 11 of the underclassmen on the varsity.

But games at the prep level are usually dominated by seniors and five upperclassmen including sweeper Sandy Shepherd, goalie Andrea Davis, midfielder Mackenzie Coutts, defender Paige Berube and midfielder Brianna Baszak will all play important roles on this year’s club.

Medina, who will have his club operate out of a 3-5-2 alignment, will rely on a trio of sophomores as his primary offensive threat. “Up top we will have Kaitlyn Couture, Lauren Tobin and Mallory Mitchell who will be counted on a lot. Mitchell is an outside midfielder and she has the latitude to go up and attack with Couture and Tobin. We have a new player from Sacramento Olivia Auvil, who will be going back and forth between outside mid and forward.”

According to Medina, junior class members who will be called upon to contribute include midfielders Danielle Gillberg and Stefanie Pietkiewicz. Defenders include sophomores Avery Woodhouse and Maria Stacy along with freshman Ariel Ochoa. Another sophomore defensive midfelder Cassie Callahan will play an important role according to Medina. “Cassie will be relied on heavily to hold the midfield together and to direct the defense. If she can do that, it will make a big difference for us.”

The usual suspects will supply the opposition as the Islanders return to Western League play again this season. Medina says Cathedral lost several players from last year, but “they are always extremely talented. I’m expecting La Jolla to do really well this year. They made it to the CIF Finals last year and they only lost one or two players. They should return strong.”

The Division III outlook will look much like the Western League race described above, Medina said. “Last year, Cathedral Catholic and La Jolla didn’t have any problems in the Division III playoffs. University City will make the playoffs and make a run. OLP will do well again, possibly along with Valhalla and El Capitan.”

The islanders played El Capitan to a 0-0 draw in their first outing of the season in the Barons Tournament. Wednesday they play Mater Dei and Thursday they will be at home to play Francis Parker at 4 pm.