All five Coronado High School winter sports teams acquitted themselves well last week, but the most significant victory was the Islander Girls Soccer Team’s 2-1 win at La Costa Canyon Friday night. On the surface of it, a one-goal win doesn’t appear to be a big deal, but when you factor in that xksandiego.com, which is the local website of record for all things related to soccer, had the Mavericks ranked No. 1 in the San Diego Section and No. 19 in the nation, that ups the ante considerably.

Entering the game Coronado was ranked No. 5 in the county by the same website, so the Islanders didn’t exactly sneak up on anyone. In fact, while compiling their fine 8-1-2 record this season, Coronado has now played the four teams ranked ahead of them. That list includes in order, No. 1 La Costa Canyon, No. 2 Bishop’s, No. 3 Torrey Pines, and No. 4 Poway. Coronado’s only loss to that elite group was to Bishop’s.

Coronado’s week started inauspiciously, as their scheduled game with Grossmont High School didn’t happen due to a scheduling conflict. “The game wasn’t going to do anything for us,” said Head Coach Kiko Medina. “It’s no big deal.” The game will not be re-scheduled.

So Friday it was off to the North County and the campus of La Costa Canyon. “The girls were ready to play,” said Medina of his squad. “We came out and completely dominated. The key to the game was the play of our midfield, which includes Danielle Gillberg, Demi Waitley and Stephanie Hamilton. They won every battle at midfield and every loose ball. They allowed us to possess the ball and get numbers forward to go at them.”

The final result on the scoreboard of this domination was a 2-1 Coronado victory, with goals coming from Kaitlyn Couture and Ali Culora. But there was more to the scoring than that, according to Medina. “Kaitlyn’s goal came on an assist from Waitley. Kaitlyn collected the ball, turned on the defender and hit a bomb from 22 yards out. She had movement on the ball and it dipped in front of their keeper and she didn’t have a chance to get it.”

Culora’s goal came on a series of one-touch passes, according to Medina. “It was a pretty goal and something we have been working on in training for a while. Danielle played the ball over the top to Stephanie Pietkiewicz. Allie made the run and finished for the goal. It was a pretty goal, worthy of an ESPN Top 10 highlight. I definitely enjoyed that goal. They are very capable of that effort and they put it together against a team like La Costa Canyon.”

This week the Islanders embark on play within the Western League, opening up with Cathedral Catholic at home Tuesday evening at 6 pm. Friday evening at 7 pm Coronado hosts Canyon Crest in a non-league affair. The Cathedral game was moved up a week because both schools will be in finals when the game was originally scheduled next week.

Boys Basketball Opens Central League Play With Two Victories

One of the interesting elements of the Islander Holiday Basketball Tournament was that Central League rival Clairemont participated in the event, although they competed in the tournament bracket opposite Coronado. However, the tourney gave scouts and assorted hangers on, a chance to see a very competitive Chieftain club play several games.

As luck would have it, Coronado’s first Central League contest was at Clairemont, so there weren’t many surprises Tuesday afternoon when the teams competed against each other. The Islanders trailed by one point at the half, by single point again at the end of three quarters, but unleashed a 19-9 run in the final frame to emerge with a 58-49 victory.

“We switched to man-to-man defense with six minutes left in the game,” Head Coach J.D. Laaperi explained. “And that won the game for us. Clairemont had 20 offensive rebounds in the first half. We gave them 10 points alone on those offensive rebounds and on stick backs.”

One of the game elements basketball coaches hate most is being out-rebounded. There is some technique involved in rebounding, but for the most part success on the boards is a reflection of effort. “They sent five kids to the boards,” Laaperi said of Clairemont. “When we play zone, sometimes we lose weak side rebounding. In the fourth quarter, we did a nice job of boxing out.”

Justin Hebner led the way with six rebounds, followed closely by Billy Schmitt with five. Danny Hebert was the team’s leading scorer with 22 points, followed by Hebner with 20. “Peter Zeller hit a couple of big three-pointers, within three or four offensive possessions in the first quarter,” Laaperi added. “His success from there has been a surprise to me, but he shoots it with confidence and it’s going in. When he can add six or eight points for us, it takes some of the scoring load off of Danny and Justin.”

Friday evening the Islanders hosted Point Loma and came away with a 51-45 victory. Hebner’s accounted for 20 points, with 16 of those points coming in the second half.  Hebert added 15 more. Hunter Ralph was Coronado’s third leading scorer with six. This game featured some fine rebounding from centers Schmitt and Chris Maskevich, with Schmitt gathering seven offensive rebounds and three defensive rebounds for a total of 10 caroms Maskevich was close behind with eight total rebounds, with four coming on each end of the floor.

“I told the staff that the Point Loma game was the most fun I have had coaching a game in a long time,” Laaperi said. “We were worried about their size because they have four kids over 6-5. We spent two and a half practices working on our zone. We rebounded better and our defense was flying all over the court. After the game people were telling me how fast our guards were. They were talking about Danny, Justin and Peter. Our big guys took the challenge. I told them before the game to out rebound the guy across from you. Our guys weren’t going to let them out rebound us.”

Coronado put together a 15-5 third quarter that opened an 11-point lead going into the fourth quarter. Another key element of the victory was finishing the end of quarters more productively. “That worked well against Point Loma,” Laaperi added. “We scored a total of six points in the final few possessions of the second and third quarter.”

Armed with a 12-4 record, including 2-0 in the Central League, the Islanders travel to Madison Tuesday for a 4:45 pm game. Friday night they play at Crawford at 7:30 pm.

Boys Prep Basketball Poll

Your humble scribe is again voting in the “North County Times” Prep Basketball Poll. Here are the results of the first poll of the season. No. 1 Torrey Pines, No. 2 Hoover, No. 3 La Costa Canyon, No. 4 Foothills Christian, No. 5 Christian, No. 6 Poway, No. 7 Escondido, No. 8 Morse, No. 9 San Marcos and No. 10. Eastlake. Others receiving votes included: Vista, Santa Fe Christian, La Jolla, University City, San Diego, Maranatha Christian, El Camino and Lincoln.

Islander Girls Basketball Posts 2-0 Week

Tuesday the Islanders Girls Basketball Team kicked off their Central League season with a 57-29 victory over Clairemont. Coronado romped to a 19-4 first quarter lead and never looked back. Despite missing numerous layups in the first half, that would have made the game even more one-sided, the Islanders played hard.

“We played with really nice energy,” said Head Coach Toler Goodwin. “It helped that we had four people score in double digits and a fifth player with eight points. It’s good to have that many people in that range.”

Specifically, Nicolette Abrantes scored 14 points and was joined in the ‘Double Digit Points Club’ by Maggie Harris, Peri Curtis, and Alex Evans, who all scored 10 points. Point guard Cory De Marco added eight points and five steals.

The stat line of the night was turned in by sophomore forward Alex Evans. In addition to her 10 points, she also snared 12 rebounds, had three assists, seven steals and a blocked shot. Basically she had an entry in each of the positive statistics categories. Peri Curtis, who has the unique position of playing starting center and also serves as the Islanders backup point guard, contributed four blocked shots. Senior guard Katiana Lynch, who it is fair to say is one of the shorter players on the Coronado squad, had five offensive rebounds.

Friday the Islanders were home again, this time hosting Point Loma. De Marco, who doubles as the goalie on the Coronado varsity soccer team, was toiling in the nets at La Costa Canyon (see lead story) and was not available. Both Harris and Curtis had trouble finding their range from behind the three-point arc, however the Islanders were able to gut out a 27-21 victory. The win  evened their season record at 7-7, 2-0 in the Central League.

“Again, we had tremendous energy,” said Goodwin of his team. “The team had 15 offensive rebounds in that game. We helped ourselves with extra possessions from those offensive rebounds.”

Evans was again on top of her game. She shared point guard duties with Curtis, but also had nine steals and 12 rebounds. “Alex had a terrific week. She was the key factor, the difference in the game,” said Goodwin. “And we had contributions from everybody. The team has really responded after our San Francisco trip. We’re seeing it with the energy we are playing with, both in games and during practice. We have to play with energy. We can’t beat people with just pure talent. We need a tremendous amount of hustle from everybody and we’re working every day to get better.”

Goodwin provided a look at the Central League after the first week of play. “Kearney is the favorite. Then there is a tossup between Crawford and us. Crawford has size and not as much ball handling ability.” This week the Islanders host Madison at 5 pm Tuesday. Friday night they travel to Crawford and play the front end of a Girls/Boys doubleheader, with tip-off set for 6 pm.

Islander Boys Soccer Stands at 8-2

We last checked in with the CHS Boys Soccer Team just before the Christmas Break. December 21, the Islanders defeated a team from Uxbridge High School in Canada 2-0. Eddie Vita and Sean MacKenzie scored the Islander goals, with Patrick Toomey providing the shutout in goal, being credited with one save in the process.

Islander Head Coach Brian Hiatt-Aleu usually handles the Christmas Break as a well-intentioned hell week. “Our Christmas workouts went really well and the boys worked very hard. We did the things we needed to do to get ready for league play. We put in all the road work, lifted weights, installed our system of play and a lot of set plays. It went well.”

So, coming back last week to begin their Central League schedule would have seemed easier, and the first of their two games last week was just that. Wednesday Coronado hosted Madison for a 6 pm game and defeated the War Hawks 2-0. Jacob Lujan and Vita supplied the goals and Toomey again provided the shutout on three saves.

“Eddie scored off of a corner kick and the other goal was scored on another set play, this one by Jacob,” Hiatt-Aleu said.  “We passed the ball really well and we were in control of the game the whole time. We had most of the possessions and our fitness really paid off. Madison was worn out for the last 15 or 20 minutes. Everybody played really, really well. It would be unfair to single anybody out. From the defenders to the forwards, it was a complete game.”

Friday afternoon at Hoover however, was another story. “Hoover is a tough place to play,” said Hiatt-Aleu. “But, we did not show up to play. I was very disappointed and it did not go well. Each of our forwards had a chance to score in the game, but couldn’t. One goal would have changed the game and given us some momentum. It was a bizarre game. We’ll go back to work. Wednesday we play Lincoln at home at 6 pm. Friday we play at Clairemont at 3 pm. It is important for us to get the first goal of the game so that we can gain confidence.”

Girls Water Polo Splits Last Two Games

The CHS Girls Water Polo Team has played twice since we last visited with them. Their first of those two contests was an 8-7 loss to Los Alamitos at home Dec. 29th, which saw the Islanders spot Los Alamitos a 5-2 lead at the conclusion of the first quarter.

Islander Head Coach Dave Throop describes the rest of the game. “We played better as the game progressed. We had a few mental errors on our 6 on 5 (man advantage) situations. That is something we need to improve upon. We haven’t been as specific in our training as we should be, but we have been working in the right direction for the past few weeks. Our mental lapses are being addressed as we move forward.”

Ashley Young led Coronado with four goals, followed by one goal each from Maddie Murphy, Hillary Estrada, and Sidney Hoshko. Goalie Colleen Moore was credited with six saves. The Islanders converted two of their seven man advantage opportunities and allowed two goals to Los Alamitos on four man-up situations.

Last Saturday Coronado continued their march through the best teams in the Orange County area, when they hosted San Clemente and came out on the right side of the scoreboard with a 10-4 victory. Young had quite an outing, scoring five goals, dishing out an assist to go with three steals and two field blocks. Murphy had one goal, three assists, one steal, and one field block, while also drawing two ejections. Islander scoring single goals included Ronimus, Shelby Couture, Estrada, Hannah Green, Kaylee Ginnane and Kendall Martin. Moore had three saves in goal and shared time with Brooke Bernardy who was credited with two saves.

“It was a combined team effort and victory,” Throop said. “Every varsity member was contributing and playing well. We’ve been spending time addressing our mental approach, our discipline in practice and games, and specifically addressing our team defense. It was great to see the entire team play the way they are capable of playing and seeing the dividends returned for the last couple of weeks of training.”

Throop continued to assess the season to date, during which the Islanders compiled a record of 3-4. “December was as tough a schedule as we’ve ever had and while our record is not indicative of the type of team we believe we can become, we are motivated by the work we’ve put in. Looking forward, we host Cathedral Catholic Wednesday in a Western League match (5 pm game time). Then we travel to Santa Barbara on Friday for the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions. We play Foothill in the first round and there is a possibility of a rematch with Dos Pueblos. We are excited to play four great games and see what we have accomplished.”

Boys and Girls Lacrosse Clinic Announced

The Coronado Boys and Girls Lacrosse Clinic will be held on five consecutive Saturdays at the CMS Field, from Jan. 23rd to Feb. 20th. The clinic times are from 2-3 pm. The clinic fee is $110 per player, with checks made payable to Coronado Schools Lacrosse..

The instruction is designed for boys and girls, from first through eighth grades. For players new to the sport, the clinics represent an excellent opportunity to learn the skills and strategy of the game. For experienced players, it’s a great chance to sharpen skills before the spring season.

Each session is coached by the Coronado Varsity and JV coaches, as well as current CHS and NCAA-level players.

Included in the clinic fee are a U.S. Lacrosse Association membership, a Coronado Lacrosse decal, and a reversible jersey. Players are required to provide their own stick and boys should bring their own shoulder pads. For boys, helmets, gloves, and arm pads are available to be loaned on a first come, first served basis. A deposit is required.

Clinic registration dates are Jan. 10 from 8-9 am, Jan. 16 from 8-10 am, and Jan. 23 from 2-2:45 pm. Registration will be conducted at the Sixth Street entrance to the CHS football field. Proceeds generated by the clinic benefit the Coronado Middle School Lacrosse programs. Questions may be directed to Megan Stanley at 435-1649 or Brian Dozier at 435-8670. For E-mail contact, Stanley may be reached at megandyno@sbcglobal.net. Dozier is available at bdozier@sbcglobal.net.

Year in Review – Part II

Here is the second installment of the ‘Year in Review’ for calendar year 2009, which provides an opportunity to check in with some of your favorite athletes and sports teams.

·         The CHS Boys Swim Team finished No. 2 in CIF Division II. The team MVP was Rex Butler. The Girls Swim Team Co-MVPs are Ashley Young and Kelly Ronimus. Andrew Ireland is named to the All-CIF First Team by virtue of his victory in the 200 freestyle.  

·         The Top 16 CHS senior athletes as determined by the CHS coaching staff are honored by the Rotary Club of Coronado. The list for the Class of ’09 included: Alexandra Adamson (water polo and swimming), Kathryn Bailey (water polo and swimming), Bryan Crabb (football and baseball), Mackenzie Coutts (golf and soccer), Jackson Cusick (soccer and lacrosse), Andrea Davis (soccer and lacrosse), Keith Englehart (football and baseball), and Christian Herrera (futbol and football).

Other seniors recognized include: Jackson Hummeldorf (water polo and swimming), Melissa Humphrey (volleyball, basketball and lacrosse), Peter Kittiyasawadi (soccer), Blake Malkemus (football, basketball and baseball), Mason Mills (football and baseball), Sean O’Brien (basketball and lacrosse), Jonathan Poe (lacrosse) and Sandra Shepherd (soccer and lacrosse).

• The CHS Softball Team qualifies for Division IV playoffs and in their first round game, the Islanders defeated Holtville 3-0 on no-hitter from Brianna Feist. The team loses to Christian in the quarter-finals and is relegated to the play-in bracket in the double elimination format. The Islanders defeat Palo Verde and are then eliminated by Mater Dei by the score of 4-3. Feist earns Team MVP honors.

·         The Islander Baseball Team finishes second in Western League and earns the No. 1 seed in Division IV. Unfortunately, the team is disqualified from playoffs after inadvertently using an ineligible freshman player in 19-0 blowout win over Mountain Empire. Kyle Couture is named Team MVP.

·         The Annual Powder Puff Football Game, which pits the Senior Girls against the Junior Girls ends with the unlikely score of 2-0 in favor of the seniors. The game has become a rite of spring.

·         David Grimes is named Boys Track MVP and Sallie Privett earns the honor of being named Girls Track MVP. In show of team depth, a total of 12 CHS track athletes qualify for CIF competition.

·         Mason Mills, CHS football quarterback and baseball shortstop is named “The San Diego Union-Tribune’s” Male Athlete of the Year for San Diego County.

·         The CHS Girls Cross Country Team wins the Division IV section of the prestigious Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) Relays. The Relays includes 20,000 runners in a variety of categories and has been held for 62 years. The team continues their great season by winning the Central League, their second consecutive CIF San Diego Section Division IV title and completes their remarkable season by finishing fourth in the state. Annie Lovering is named Girls MVP and Ryan Keeney is Boys MVP.

·         Islander Boys Water Polo posts an 18-9 regular season record and earns the No. 2 seed in the CIF Division II Playoffs. Including post season play, the Coronado defeats The Bishop’s School three times.  Coronado loses 6-5 to Cathedral Catholic in the finals and finishes the season with a record of 22-9. Alex Johnson is named team MVP.

·         The Girls Volleyball Team finishes 11-7 on the season, which includes a CIF Division IV first round playoff victory over Calipatria. The Islanders lost to Francis Parker in the quarter-finals. Kori Fitzgerald is named team MVP.

·         The Islander Football Team, after a sluggish start, the team comes on strong to earn a CIF Division IV playoff slot. They defeat the Escondido Charter School 56-14, before losing to eventual champion Mission Bay 56-17. Aided considerably by his statistics of running for 1,556 yards and throwing for 1,004 yards and nine touchdowns, CHS quarterback Kodie Englehart wins team MVP honors.

·         The San Diego Chargers conclude their regular season by winning 11 straight games and posting a regular season record of 13-3, earning the No. 2 seed in the AFC Playoffs and a first round bye. The Bolts host the New York Jets (J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets) this Sunday afternoon.