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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
24 Dec 2008 Issue #49
The
CHS Girls Water Polo Team clearly used their prior week of zero games
but heavy duty practice, to their advantage. The Islanders dominated all three
of their opponents last week, running their season record to a perfect 5-0.
The
week started with a Western League game against
Islander
Head Coach Dave Throop provides some details from the contest. “We
played the game at home Wednesday night in an ugly, freezing rain. In goal, Alex
Adamson had three saves in one half of play, while Colleen Moore had
two saves in the second half. Shelby Couture led all scorers with six
goals, while Hillary Estrada added five goals. Maddie Murphy
contributed five assists and Sidney Hoshko had three goals. Ashley
Young, Kelly Ronimus, Hannah Green and Kathryn Bailey all had two
goals each. Michelle Carroll and Hayley Eyer each scored a goal
as well.”
Yes,
Your Natterer did the math as well and that totals 24 goals. At some
point in the proceedings, it’s tough to keep track.
Friday
Coronado hit the road for a game against Long Beach Wilson which found the
Islanders mounting an 8-1 led at the end of three quarters. “At that point, we
started opening up playing time for everyone,” Throop noted. “Adamson had two
assists, two steals and five saves, while allowing one goal in three quarters
of play. Maddie Murphy had two goals to go with an assist and a steal, while
Ashley Young and Kelly Ronimus each had two goals, two steals and an assist.
Hillary Estrada and Kathryn Bailey each had a goal.”
Saturday’s
game against Santa Barbara provided the Islanders more competition than the
other two opponents, but in this one, Coronado pushed the margin to 8-2 in
their favor, before substitutions and a later Santa Barbara mini-surge made the
final score 8-6.
Throop
acknowledged Santa Barbara’s efforts in the early going. “They are another
young, inexperienced team that is very well prepared and Santa Barbara did a
nice job stifling our offense in the early going. We were up 1-0 at the end of
the first quarter and 3-1 at halftime. We went on a bit of a lucky scoring
streak to open the third quarter, outpacing the Dons 4-1. We scored early in
the fourth quarter to make it 8-2 before making wholesale roster substitutions.
Adamson
had nine saves and one assist, while Moore had four saves. It was an
opportunity for our younger group to experience some game situations in real
time.”
The
scoring summary included two goals each from Murphy, Ronimus and Estrada, while
Young and Bailey added a goal each. Natalie Stringer contributed a steal
and an assist.
Throop
appreciated Carroll’s defensive efforts. “Michelle did an outstanding job
defensively and with her positioning. That may not show up in the score book,
but is the type of play that to the educated water polo aficionado makes our
defense that much more effective and stifling.”
Although
now undefeated in the early going, Throop senses there is room for improvement.
“The girls are working hard and are starting to play together, as well as
learning to understand their roles. Murphy will be the key to the offense, as
she plays the quarterback/point guard position and is beginning to see the
whole pool. Due to the offensive flexibility of Young, Carroll, Estrada,
Ronimus and Bailey, our attack is very potent. I still think that we are a
long, long way from being the type of team we are capable of being, and that
isn’t coachese.
We
are missing a lot of scoring opportunities in the transition game, which is and
will be our overall strength, especially with our ability to defend and stop
the other team’s attack. While we are averaging just under 30 shots a game, we
need to improve our scoring percentage, which relies on fundamentals and
technique. Our next challenge is Monday, Dec. 29th against
powerhouse Dos Pueblos at Newport Harbor High School. Tuesday, Dec. 30th
we host highly-regarded Los Alamitos at 4 pm.”
Islander Boys Basketball Bests Montgomery
One
of Coronado’s South Bay neighbors came to town last week and the Islanders
defeated Montgomery 72-61. With the victory, Coronado closes to within one game
of .500 with a record of 5-6.
Center
Justin Parsons led the way for the Islanders with 21 points and 14
rebounds. Following closely were Brian Allen and Justin Hebner
with 14 points each, with Allen also contributing seven rebounds. Danny
Hebert scored seven points, Blake Malkemus added six points, Chris
Maskevich had six points and 13 rebounds, while Krishna Samperio
rounded out the scoring with four points.
“We
had them by 25 points,” said Islander Head Coach Ken Caesar. “Then we
started to go with different lineups. We played some of the younger guys and
they pressed us. We had some problems with the press, but that’s to be
expected. Overall we played well and we moved the ball extremely well. I wish
we had another game right now to see if that’s really who we are. Everybody got
to play in the game.”
With
roughly 40 percent of the season passed, at least from a total games played
perspective, the Islanders now head into their 2008 Coronado Holiday
Basketball Tournament, which begins Dec. 26th. Admission for the
tournament, which serves as the program’s major fundraiser each year, is $6 per
person or a total of $15 for all three days of the tournament for a tournament
pass. Students are $3, and kids under 10 years of age are free as are CHS
students with ASB cards.
In
their side of the bracket, Coronado will face Julian at 3:15 pm Friday,
followed by Samuel Robertson High School of Canada at 6:30 pm the same day.
Saturday, the Islanders face Lutheran at 4:45 pm and then play San Ysidro at
7:45 pm.
In
the other bracket of the eight-team tournament are Oceanside, Katella of
Anaheim, La Jolla Country Day school and the previously mentioned San Ysidro.
The tournament championship game is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 29 at 6:30 pm.
“La
Jolla Country Day won their own tournament and they are pretty good,” Caesar
said. “Physically they don’t beat up on you, but it’s obvious that they have
been playing together for a long time. They penetrate, go to the glass and
pitch. They can really shoot it. Oceanside beat El Cajon by 10 and El Cajon
beat us by 30. Also Katella was 25-2 last year and they are 6-1 right now. I
want the tournament to be like that. Hopefully we’ll get some wins and advance.
I want to see La Jolla Country Day again.”
For
the complete tournament schedule, go to IslanderSportsFoundation.com.
Girls Basketball Splits Two Games
It
was an up-and-down week for the Islander Girls Basketball program, as
they lost to La Jolla 46-28 Wednesday, but countered that with a 41-21 win over
Foothills Christian Friday evening. Both games were played at home.
“We
didn’t play well and we were out of synch Wednesday,” said Head Coach Toler
Goodwin. “We were scoreless in the first quarter and down 28-7 at halftime.
We had no rhythm or timing, and we just played poorly. The only thing of any
value that came out of the game was that Angela Strohbeck had 11 points
and 16 rebounds. Maggie Harris added 11 points. We came to the
understanding that we have to play harder and execute when it matters.”
Things
were better Friday night as Coronado won all four quarters of play on their way
to a 20-point victory. Freshman forward Peri Curtis scored 11 points,
while fellow freshman and point guard Cory DeMarco added 10 points and
snared eight steals. Strohbeck scored nine points, while adding 11 rebounds and
five steals. Rounding out the scoring were Harris with five points, and the
trio of CoCo Abrantes, Lindsay Kiernan and Vitorino Taufaasau
scored two points each.
“We
got scoring from everywhere,” said Goodwin. “Harris, Curtis and DeMarco scored
early and Strohbeck finished off the game. We suited one senior, one junior,
one sophomore and five freshmen and seven of the eight players scored.”
The
Islanders are off, at least from a scheduled game perspective, until Tuesday,
January 6th when they start their Central League schedule against
Madison High School with a home game at 5 pm. The following Friday Jan. 9 they
play Crawford at home in the first Girls/Boys doubleheader of the season. The
Girls play at 6 pm and the Boys tip-off is at 7:30 pm.
Emphasizing Defense, Islander Girls Soccer
Posts 2-0-2 Mark Last Week
The
award for the most games played during the past week goes to the CHS Girls
Soccer Team, as they hit the ground running, dodged the rain and played
four games, posting a 2-0-2 mark. Tie games seem to be the norm again this
season, as Coronado has an overall record of 3-0-4. Last year on their way to
winning the CIF Division IV title, the Islanders were 13-5-8, so maybe ties are
a good thing.
Tuesday
Coronado defeated Canyon Crest 3-0 on two goals from Kaitlyn Couture and
one from Alana Pokorny. Andrea Davis and Cory DeMarco (same
student-athlete from Girls Basketball story above) shared the shutout in goal.
Thursday
was a repeat of last year’s CIF Division IV Final, as the Islanders traveled to
Bishop’s and came away with a 0-0 tie. Head Coach Kiko Medina wasn’t at
all upset with the tie score. “We definitely played well. We came out strong
and had early chances. Both teams played well and it was good soccer. In the
second half, they took it to us a little bit. We had a sitter and unfortunately
missed. It was a good test for us early in the season and it will help us
prepare for the Western League.”
Then
the team started play in the Vaquero Classic, which despite a 3-1 Coronado
victory, ended an impressive defensive run by the Islanders, where they had
shut out their opponents in six consecutive games. Medina was rightfully
enthused about his club’s defensive backfield. “Defensively we have been
tremendous. Sandy Shepherd has been excellent in the back. Freshman Ariel
Ochoa, sophomores Avery Woodhouse and Mariah Stacy and senior
Paige Berube, those five are playing unbelievably well. They are very
organized. I am very impressed and pleased with the way we have been playing
defensively.”
The
final game of the week was a 1-1 tie with Valhalla. The Coronado goal was
scored by Cassie Callahan. “They scored off of a free kick,” said Medina
of the Norsemen. “We were a little lazy and it was the one time we weren’t
organized. They snuck one by us. We dominated the game, but couldn’t finish.
I’m hoping the girls don’t get complacent, keep working hard and don’t peak too
early. We’re playing too well for this early in the season. I hope we can build
off of that.”
There
are hopefully three more games on tap for the team this week. They play Granite
Hills Monday at Helix High School. If they advance in Gold Division pool play
in the Lady Vaquero Tournament, they will play in the Semi-Finals Tuesday at 11
am and the finals at 6 pm.
Boys Soccer Undefeated in Two Contests
The
Boys Soccer Team played twice last week, posting a 1-0 victory over Canyon
Crest, followed by a 1-1 tie with Southwest of El Centro. In the first contest,
Michael Gasparro scored for Coronado as a result of a free kick by Christian
Herrera. Goalie Sergio Duck was credited with the shutout. In the
Southwest game, Stuart Blair scored on a corner kick by Brian
Burdeaux. Going into the Christmas Break, Coronado is 5-1-2.
But
Head Coach Brian Hiatt-Aleu, who often uses the holiday break to
intensify his team’s training, is concerned about his team’s lack of scoring
punch. “We didn’t play that well last week. We’re not finishing at all and
we’re missing a lot of scoring opportunities. Defensively we’re okay, but we’re
pretty young at the back. We’re haven’t found the groove yet to go into league
play. Both Crawford and Hoover are loaded with seniors. It might be a difficult
league season this year. The two games we’ve tied have really hurt us and they
were against Division III opponents. Those teams aren’t doing well and that
will hurt our seeding chances. We have to finish the scoring opportunities we
get. Hopefully over Christmas break we will get some things straightened out.”
Hiatt-Aleu,
like Coach Medina above, is receiving some stellar play on the defensive end of
the field. “Peter Kittiyasawadi has played well at defensive midfieler. Sergio
Flores, a sophomore defender, has played really well as well. It’s his
first year on the varsity and he has started every game.”
Coronado
is idle, except for the aforementioned holiday training camp, until January 6th
when they play at Clairemont to begin Central League play.
CHS Alumni Baseball Game Dec. 27
A
final reminder that according to Islander Head Baseball Coach Sam Ceci,
the CHS Alumni Baseball Game will be held Saturday, December 27th
at 11 am. “It’s an opportunity for us to show off the improvements we have made
to the field and our new scoreboard,” said Ceci.
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.
To
participate, please contact Coach Ceci at 435-0854. Donations to the program
are of course gratefully accepted.
CHS Sophomore Hans Henken Sails Moths in
Australia
Coronado High School Sailing Team Head Coach Jon Rogers checks in
regarding the recent accomplishments of one of his sailors. “Hans Henken,
16, a CHS sophomore, just returned from the adventure of a lifetime. Hans
placed fourth in the Moth Class at the Sydney (Australia) International
Regatta. He traveled to the event with Coronadoan Charlie McKee, who
took first place in the 20-boat fleet.
The
highlight of the trip was training with World Moth champion Rohan Veal
and creating a YouTube video with Bora Guilari, who is the ‘benchmark’
for Moth sailors in the United States.
Last
year Hans added competition in the Moth Class to his busy schedule that
includes sailing in the 29er Class, competing with the CHS Sailing Team and
coaching Sabots and 29ers at the Coronado Yacht club. Henken’s travels this
year have made him an expert in the CHS Independent Study program.”
Honors and Awards
Congratulations
to four Coronado High School athletes who were recently honored by the San
Diego Hall of Champions as All-CIF team members in their sports. The teams
were selected by a panel of media members with input from coaches.
Senior
Justin Parsons (also in Boys Basketball story above) and junior Alex
Johnson were named to the All-CIF First Team in water polo. From the
Islander football program, senior Blake Malkemus (see also Boys
Basketball above) was named to the All-CIF Second Team as a tight end, while
fellow senior Keith Englehart was named to the All-CIF Second Team as a
defensive back. Congratulations to all four athletes for their achievements
this year.
San Diego Chargers May Pull Off Playoff Slot
In
the October 8, 2008 edition of “The Coronado Eagle & Journal,” Your Natterer
opined that “right now the Chargers have the look and approach of an 8-8 team.”
The column continued to say that “the Chargers are now realistically competing
against Baltimore, Indianapolis and New England for a single wild card playoff
spot.”Well I should get at least partial credit for prognostication excellence.
At the time the Chargers trailed the division leading Denver Broncos by two
full games.
With
Sunday’s turn of events, the Chargers, against all odds, control their playoff
destiny. A victory next week and the Chargers, as reigning division champions
will host a first round playoff game. That’s hard to fathom in light of how
poorly they have performed for much of the season.
But,
give the Chargers credit. Faced with elimination, on the road in
However,
the two plays that stand out to me were the one-handed pass reception by tight
end Antonio Gates for a sizeable gain and the 57-yard field goal
conversion from Nate Kaeding. Try standing 57 yards away from a goal
post on a football field some time. The space between uprights approximates the
size of a small dish towel. But as they say, big players make big plays.
The
Chargers finally brought intensity to their side of the football, an element
strangely missing for the first 14 games of the 2008 regular season. After
talking too much and playing too little, the Chargers seemingly have reversed
that equation to playing hard and letting their actions on the field speak for
themselves.
Personally,
the group I am happiest for are the Charger season ticket holders, who invested
a lot of time and money into a team that for the most part this season hasn’t
been worth the price of admission. Now they have tickets to a game with some
importance, when the Chargers host the Broncos with the playoffs truly on the
line.