Nado Natterings
A weekly column by David Axelson

14 October 2009 Issue #39

Going into Friday night’s Central League game, both Coronado and San Diego High Schools had records of 1-3, so the game figured to be competitive. The Islanders prevailed by the final score of 28-26 in a game that was not decided until the last 90 seconds of play.
The Cavers, playing at home in Balboa Stadium on a new artificial turf field, won the coin toss and deferred, meaning they wanted the ball to begin the second half. The Islanders represented by Tri-Captains Chris Page, Kodie Englehart and Brian Beverly eagerly opted to accept the kick-off and the game was on.
Coronado’s Charles Westbrook returned the opening kickoff 25 yards, Page ran twice for a total of 28 yards, Englehart added a six-yard run, which was followed immediately by a 22-yard touchdown scamper from the senior quarterback. A brisk 1:45 into the game and the Islanders had a lead they would never relinquish.
Coronado’s defensive unit stopped the Cavers on San Diego’s next possession in a rather unique fashion, as Chris Bona stripped the ball from a San Diego runner and sprinted 45 yards for a defensive touchdown. An important element to the game followed as Islander place kicker Andrew Toomey was good on the second of his four extra point conversions on the night. Conversely, San Diego scored four touchdowns in the game, but due to a missed conversion early in the game, tried three times to convert on a two-point attempt and succeeded only once.
Both defenses held on their opponent’s next possession and the quarter ended with Coronado ahead 14-0, but with the Cavers driving. San Diego scored on an eight-play drive, capped off with a 20-yard touchdown pass.
The first half ended with Coronado driving to score, a series that included a beautiful throw and catch from Englehart to Westbrook that covered 39 yards. The Cavers intercepted an Islander pass with 28 seconds remaining in the half to quell the scoring attempt.
The Coronado defense forced a three and out situation for San Diego to begin the second half and Coronado then scored on a seven-play 48-yard drive, when Page made an acrobatic diving, twisting assault on the end zone. Coronado held the lead 21-12.
San Diego mounted a drive that eventually stalled at the 50-yard line and Coronado scored with seven seconds remaining in the third quarter on a nifty 70-yard dash by Englehart for a touchdown. San Diego countered with a 99-yard kick-off return and their only extra point conversion of the night to get the game to 28-20.
The Islanders put together a nine-play, 50-yard drive that got them to the Caver nine-yard line. A Coronado field goal attempt was blocked and the score stood at 28-20. Both teams traded possessions, with the Islanders and Cavers going nowhere to speak of on either drive.
Then, with the Cavers on their own 10-yard line, the Islanders were assessed a phantom 15-yard face mask penalty and then they were hit with a 71-yard pass play for a Caver touchdown. The two-point Caver conversion attempt was stuffed by sophomore linebacker Bobby Brandenburg and junior linebacker Toomey, who funneled the Caver running back into the arms of Islander junior interior lineman Jose Sanchez, who finished the runner off.
Leading 28-26, the Islanders played ball control, with Westbrook making good on runs of 4, 10 and 5 yards to give Coronado a first down, which allowed the Islanders to run out the clock.
Statistically Englehart ran 18 times for 161 net yards, while Page added 12 carries and 60 yards. Westbrook, used primarily in the second half, ran 10 times for 58 total yards. Englehart passed enough to keep the Cavers honest, completing five passes on 10 attempts for 62 yards. In total the Islanders had 341 yards of total offense from the line of scrimmage. On the defensive front, Toomey and Austin Denson both had eight tackles, only to be topped by Austin Copp and Englehart who had nine tackles each.
“The game was so close that it could have gone either way,” said Islander Head Coach Bud Mayfield. “We made the plays, which is something we haven’t been doing. There was a lot of growth. We hadn’t played a full four quarters all year. There was an enormous positive change this week. Copp and Englehart are our Headhunters (Game MVPs). Copp is also one of our most dependable offensive linemen. He almost never leaves the field.”
The Cavers had success against Coronado in the first half, primarily with their passing game. So when San Diego went to a standard I formation, which features a power running game, the Islander coaching staff was pleasantly surprised. Or as Mayfield said succinctly, “We stood up to them.”
Mayfield also discussed his personnel strategy. “Chris Page plays both ways (running back and defensive back). We saved Westbrook for the second half because he had fresh legs and provided a change of pace. We’ve been doing that since we had J.T. Rogan years ago. Charles was fresh and he just went by people. It worked out well and he has a great future.”
“Our goal for the kids was to finish every play, every block, every tackle and to finish the game,” Mayfield added. “If they hadn’t accomplished that, we would have lost the game. I hope the win teaches the kids something and helps build character as a team. Besides that, it was fun. It’s always fun to win those.”
A scheduling twist comes this week, when the Islanders deviate from their normal Friday night battles, and play instead on Saturday afternoon at Santa Fe Christian, a game with a 1 pm kickoff. Mayfield provided an overview of the game. “Santa Fe Christian is doing very well. They are 5-0 and we have a great rivalry with them. They are about our size and they try to run a similar program to ours, which teaches discipline and effort. It’s always a great matchup. I’m glad our guys are getting the hang of it.”
Islander Girls Volleyball Has 2-0 Week in Eastern League
Last Wednesday the CHS Girls Volleyball Team, which now sports a nifty 13-5 won-loss record on the season, traveled to Mira Mesa and defeated the Marauders in three straight games in an Eastern League match. This success came despite the fact that practice had to be cancelled Monday because only six of the team’s 16 members were healthy enough to participate.
Friday the team’s health prognosis was marginally better when the Islanders hosted the San Diego High Cavers. Coronado won this match in three straight as well by the scores of 25-14, 25-22 and 25-22. Although the scores of the final two games were close, watching the game you didn’t get the impression that the Islanders were ever in danger of losing the match.
In the first game, Coronado trailed 8-6 before senior Lainey Mebust went on a successful serving streak, winning seven consecutive points. After Annie Wilson (Wilson The Elder) had a kill to earn a sideout, junior setter Mariah Stacy served for six consecutive points to run the score to 19-10. The teams traded points for a while until sophomore Ally Wilson (Wilson The Younger) served a winner and then an ace to ice the first game.
In the second game, the Islanders weren’t able to construct the longer scoring runs they manufactured in the first game, but midway through Kori Fitzgerald had a kill for a side out and libero Krista Baszak served for three straight points and Coronado was up 17-15. Trailing 22-21, a return by Baszak found an open spot on the floor and Mebust ran off three serving points, topped off by an Annie Wilson kill to win the second game.
Game three was a back and forth affair, with the Islanders trailing 17-14, when a Morgan Bower kill shot was followed by eight straight points won on the serve of Alanna Pompa and the Islanders took a 23-17 lead. After a short Caver scoring run, Heather Rowan had a kill for a sideout, Rowan served for a point and Fitzgerald ended the proceedings with a kill and the resulting Coronado victory.
Fitzgerald, a senior, is listed as an outside hitter on the Islander roster, but is really more than that according to Head Coach Leilani Au Hoon. “Kori is our best everything, both offensively and defensively. We set her as much as possible and 80 per cent of the time she has a kill. When all three of our setters were sick earlier in the week, we had her play that position in practice just in case and she did that well.”
When it was suggested that Annie Wilson (The Elder) had a good match, Au Hoon said, “Annie is a huge leader on our team. Normally she plays the right side, but I threw her in the middle this year. She is doing really well for not normally playing the position.”
Stacy, a junior who has successfully battled a knee injury this season and the mistaken insistence by Your Natterer in print that she is a senior, helped jump start the Islander offense against San Diego with some fine work from her setter position. Stacy assisted with some nifty passes, earning several kills for the Coronado front line, a fact not lost on Au Hoon. “Mariah is definitely getting better. The last two games she has really stepped up for us.”
The Islanders just completed their first run through the Eastern League, losing only to OLP and Patrick Henry. This week the Islanders host Morse Wednesday (4:30 pm), before traveling Friday to Serra (3 pm). 
Free Girls Volleyball Clinic for Middle Schoolers
Leilani Au Hoon is offering two free volleyball clinics for middle-school aged girls who are interested in playing club volleyball. The clinics will be held Oct. 17 and 24, both dates are Saturdays, from 9-11 am. Interested players should arrive promptly 10 minutes before the scheduled clinic start to sign a liability waiver and a registration form.
These days, or any day, it’s hard to beat free, especially when quality instruction is involved. For more information on the volleyball clinics, please contact Coach Au Hoon at hulaomanini@hotmail.com.
CHS Boys Water Polo Takes Fourth in SoCal Invitational
Sixteen of the better prep water polo programs in California assembled over the weekend in Irvine to compete in the SoCal Invitational. The format in the first round is Northern California vs. Southern California and Coronado entered as the No. 4 Southern Cal seed.
In their first game, the Islander Boys Water Polo Team defeated Jesuit of Sacramento by the score of 11-7 and later that evening defeated Sacred Heart Prep of Palo Alto 12-11 on a buzzer beater by David Rodriguez. “The buzzer went off while the shot was going in the goal,” said Coronado Head Coach Randy Burgess. “The goal came on an assist from Tommy Schofer.”
Game No. 3 came Saturday morning, shortly after several seniors had taken ACT tests, both here and in Irvine. The problem was that Saturday morning’s game was against eventual SoCal Invitational champion Newport Harbor. Coronado trailed Newport 3-0 and later 5-1 and would up losing 10-6. Next on tap was the third place game against Corona Del Mar, which CDM won by the score of 8-7.
“Overall we played well and we’re seeing a lot of continuity in the efforts of our players,” Burgess said. “Andrew Ireland played well offensively, but played very, very well defensively throughout the tournament. In the Sacred Heart game he had seven steals and four more against Newport. He is starting to anticipate a lot better on defense. He also had a key goal in the Sacred Heart game.”
“Patrick Geer was probably the newcomer in terms of playing well,” Burgess said of the junior driver. “He doesn’t have as much experience, but he led the team with four goals against Sacred Heart. Our left-handed duo of Schofer and Rex Butler were consistent in all four games with their goals and assists. Alex Johnson is playing as well as he ever has. The Newport game was incredibly physical and he played a solid game to keep us in it.” In goal Braydon Hummeldorf and Garrett Sabesky split the playing time between them.
The Islanders first game last week was a Thursday affair where they defeated La Jolla in their Western League season opener by the score of 7-5. Butler scored six goals for Coronado.
This week the Islanders have a tough schedule as they take on the cream of the Western League. Tuesday at 5 pm they host Cathedral Catholic at 5 pm at the Brian Bent Memorial Aquatics Center. Thursday they host Bishop’s at the same time and place. Saturday at 7 pm they host Santa Margarita and Monday they travel to Long Beach Wilson for a 5 pm contest.
CHS Cross Country Report
CHS Head Cross Country Coach George Green checks in with his weekly report on the Islander harriers. “As expected the Islander Girls' Cross Country Team swept Christian by the score of 15-48 last Thursday in the season's first dual meet.
Adie Davies, Nicole Davies, Annie Lovering, Sallie Privett and Meg Sweeney finished in a five-way tie for first, while clocking 20:24 over the 3-mile City Conference cross country course at Morley Field. Ashley Engleman and Maddy Davies finished seventh and eighth with times of 21:20 and 21:24 followed by Mary Grace Braun (12th), Yvonne Wood (18th), Anna Coumes (19th), Melissa Wood (21st), Deming Tobin (22nd) and Sarah Alfano (23rd). 
This was just a moderate tempo workout for the five girls in front, in preparation for our dual meet this Thursday with Clairemont. The Chieftains’ dual meet last Thursday was with Madison, in which they placed their Top 10 girls in front of Madison's first finisher. 
Missing from our top lineup in the Christian meet was Sadie Gimber, who stayed home to recover from the bug that's hit all of the Islander sports teams this season. Hopefully, now that each of our top girls has been either sick or injured, we'll be healthy and ready for Clairemont.
The Boys Team lost a close one to the Patriots by the score of 27-29.  Ryan Keeney led the Islander effort by placing third with a time of 17:44 followed by Kevin Siefert (fifth in 18:19), Aryan Shay (sixth in 18:23), Will Funk (seventh in 18:29), Gabe Salvatierra (eighth in 19:12), Jason Vance (ninth), Chase Dalton, Nick Robles, Luke McCue, Lucas Hemp, Weston Breay, Grainger Lanneau, Nicholas Beall and Jack Nolan.” 
CHS Girls Tennis Battles Last Week
When asked for a quick summary of his CHS Girls Tennis Team over the weekend, Head Coach Rob LeBuhn said in a positive way, “We work hard every week.”
Last week the Islanders lost three matches, to OLP by the score of 15-3, to San Dieguito 13-5 and Scripps Ranch 14-4. But as is the case in most sporting events, there were some positive elements for Coronado. Against OLP, No. 2 singles player Heidi Johnson won one singles match and the No. 3 doubles duo of Alex Rawlings/Jordan Vaughan won two matches.
Brooke Gensler earned two singles victories against San Dieguito playing from the No. 2 singles slot, while Vaughan/Rawlings, this time at No. 1 doubles, won two matches. Katlyn McCue/Brittany Henderson won one of their doubles matches.
Against Scripps Ranch, Jackie Hites won once at No. 1 singles, while Vaughan/Gensler playing No. 1 doubles won two matches. Monica Holman/Mary Mulvey won once at No. 3 doubles.
This week the Islanders take to the road twice, playing at University City Tuesday and La Jolla on Thursday.
Islander Boys Basketball Happenings
The newly formed San Diego Islanders boys basketball team participated in their first club tournament over last weekend.  The Saturday games included teams from all over Southern California, as well as Arizona and Nevada.  
The San Diego Islanders team, which contains several candidates vying for slots on the CHS Boys Varsity Team, competed against All-Star caliber teams comprised of some of the best high school players in their respective areas.  The Islanders were up for the challenge, defeating a team from Ventura by five points.   In their second game, the Islanders took on an All-Star team from San Diego County and fell just short at the buzzer, losing 37-36. 
The final game Sunday was a close victory over the KOFA team from Yuma, Arizona.  Leading Islander scorers for the tournament were Justin Hebner and Danny Hebert.  Major defensive and rebounding contributors were Billy Schmitt, Hunter Ralph and Harley Ralph.  Josh McNeal and Peter Zeller also provided defensive spark and athleticism off the bench.               
Pop Warner Football Report
The Coronado Jr. Peewees had a nail biter at home against their rivals, the National City Diablos Saturday. The Islanders scored on their first possession when John Descisciolo followed some nice blocks by Charlie Duffy, Christian Hurrell, and Greg Gonzalez for a touchdown.  Led by some big hits on defense by Adam Weissenfels, Alec Legidakes, and Braden Seay, the Islanders held strong until falling behind 18-14 with four minutes to play.  After a long drive left the home team on the Diablos’ 20-yard line with 40 seconds to go, it was up to Descisciolo who ran for his third touchdown of the day, which was also the game winner. The final was 20-18 Coronado.  The Jr. Peewees run their record to 4-2 this season.