Welcome to the 11th Annual Axey Awards column, where the better athletic achievements from Coronado High School during the 2009-10 school year are acknowledged. Research for the column involved reviewing the most recent 50 ‘Nado Natterings’ columns, a task that thankfully is over until next year at this time.

As always there are two disclaimers to our readers at the outset of the awards column. First, the awards that follow are totally subjective. Second, the ‘Best Athletes by Class’ honorees are intentionally biased toward honoring multi-sport athletes.

CHS Male Team of the Year - Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the Islander Baseball Team turned a rebuilding year into an unlikely championship season, emerging with the CIF Division IV title. Coronado entered the post season with a 9-19 record and still earned the No. 7 seed due to their strength of schedule. The Islanders went on a five-game winning streak and defeated the No. 1 seed Madison in the final after falling behind 6-1.

Honorable mention goes to the Boys Swimming 200 freestyle relay team which set a San Diego Section record in the event of 1:25.97. Participants included Rex Butler, Andrew Ireland, Brennan Casey and Tommy Schofer. It broke the all-division record held since 1993 by Mt. Carmel High School.

CHS Female Team of the Year – A tougher selection as there were three Islander girls’ teams which won the CIF title in their sport. The Girls Cross Country Team, the Girls Soccer Team and the Girls Water Polo Team are therefore named tri-winners of this category.

The Harriers won the Division IV title in San Diego and then went on to take fourth place in the state meet. Had the team not been decimated by the flu for the final several weeks of the season, their impressive result might have been even better.  

The Girls Soccer Team ended the regular season generally acclaimed as the best team in San Diego County and won the CIF Division III title. Their 22-2-3 overall record included a win in Division II of the state tournament, before they lost in the semi-finals.

Girls Water Polo won the CIF Division II title for the third consecutive year, defeating The Bishop’s School 10-7 in the finals. They also defeated 2010 Division I titlist Vista twice during the regular season and can thereby lay claim to being the best team in San Diego County on their way to a 24-8 record.

CHS Co-Ed Team of the Year – The CHS Sailing Team under the direction of Head Coach Jon Rogers finished sixth in the nation in prep sailing this year. Also for the second time in their history and for the first time since 2002, CHS won the Pacific Coast Championships and as a result the Islanders are the California State Champions. The skipper of the ‘A’ boat in the PCC’s was Hans Henken and his crew consisted of Kaitlin Dunphey and Karisa Chapa. The ‘B’ boat captain was Esteban Forrer and his crew was Alexa Cavalieri and Philip Lozier.

Male Team Coach of the Year – Success in the post season is often an indicator of coaching ability and therefore Head Baseball Coach Sam Ceci earns the nod. Honorable Mention goes to Boys Basketball Coach J.D. Laaperi, who in his rookie season at the helm of the program was 22-7 and guided the team into the Division IV semi-finals.

Female Team Coach of the Year – Girls Soccer Head Coach Kiko Medina and Girls Water Polo Head Coach Dave Throop earned county-wide ‘Coach of the Year’ honors from the San Diego Hall of Champions. George Green and Bill Davies have a tandem coaching system that works really well for Girls Cross Country and deserves recognition. All four coaches share this award. Honorable mention goes to softball Coach Tony Isabella for a Central League title and an overall record of 16-4. Girls Basketball Head Coach Toler Goodwin guided his team into the Division IV playoffs with a starting lineup that included four sophomores and a freshman at the conclusion of the season.

Individual Play of the Year – Although I didn’t see the effort in person, which is the usual criteria for the Axey Awards, but saw the video on the internet, Will Bartsch’s 14-foot pole vault effort which set the CHS school record is the winner. Hanging upside-down on a long piece of bending fiberglass, with your feet 16 feet or more in the air, requires a unique mindset, to say the least. As a rising senior, Bartsch has another year to further improve on his record.

Foot Race I’d Pay to See – Girls Lacrosse standouts Michaela Guerrera and Brianna Clifford both play positions in their sport that allow them to cover 50-60 yards on a dead sprint and are fun to watch glide down the field. Clifford has the advantage of being taller, which may be the deciding difference, but it’s a race that would be over in a hurry regardless who wins.

Best Spectator Game of the Year – The nominees include the Girls Lacrosse CIF Finals, which Coronado lost 9-8, mounting several comebacks during the contest before tying the game with 4:06 remaining. The second nominee is the CHS Football game at San Diego High School won by Coronado 28-26, which required a great defensive stand at the end for the Islanders to earn the victory. The winner is the Boys Baseball Division IV title game, where Coronado trailed 6-1 and eventually won 7-6. It was a great win by Coronado in the final game of the season.

Ben Casey Comeback of the Year Award – An obscure reference to a small screen medical drama from the 1960’s is the title for this award, which has three winners. Girls Division - Junior volleyball player Mariah Stacy played through an injury to her left knee and wearing a large brace, returned to the team midway through the season to help the Islanders make a strong run at the Eastern League title and later in the CIF playoffs. Boys Division – Jake Nicholson broke a bone in his foot and missed almost the entire regular baseball season. Four days before the CIF Division IV title game, Nicholson was cleared for full participation. In the championship game, Nicholson batting third, scored one run and drove in three in the Islanders victory. Alumni Division – Bryan Crabb (CHS ’09) was struck by a line drive in the side of his head while pitching for San Diego State in a game played at Brigham Young, toward the end of the Aztecs season. Crabb is recovering well and was able to attend the Islanders final CIF playoff game in person.

Spirit of the Game Award – Senior basketball player Maggie Harris played with a gimpy knee for most of the season, before suffering a torn ACL in her right knee. During Senior Night at home against Borrego Springs High School, Harris went out for the opening tip of the game, with the theory being that she would stay away from the action and come out of the game after a couple of plays, with appreciative applause from the crowd in her last home game. Instead Coronado won the tip-off, a quick pass was made to Harris who hit a lay-up. Then she received the crowd’s applause and had a well-earned ‘feel-good’ moment.

Athletic Achievements Beyond Their Years - Sophomore hurler Jake Meloche was knocked around pretty hard in the CIF Baseball Finals for the first two innings, yielding eight hits and falling behind 6-1. For the last five plus innings, Meloche did not allow a hit and his team rallied to win 7-6.

In the CIF Basketball Playoffs, sophomore Danny Hebert scored 25 points, dished out 10 assists and had four rebounds against Mater Dei High School in the opening round. To prove that effort wasn’t a fluke, Hebert had 26 points, six rebounds and four steals in the semi-finals on the road against La Jolla Country Day. Hebert was also team MVP.  

We’re Dominating You and the Game Hasn’t Started Yet Award - CHS Girls Water Polo. The 2010 CIF title game was played in cold, blustery and wet conditions at the La Jolla High School Coggan Family Pool. The entire Coronado team decided to go through the five-minute pre-game ceremony, which included the playing of the National Anthem and introductions of both teams, attired in only their wet bathing suits and swim caps. Conversely, the Bishop’s team members were bundled up in long parkas. Intentionally or not, the Islanders were sending a message to the Knights even before the first whistle blew and Coronado went on to win 10-7.

Best Athlete You May Not Have Seen Compete Award – Volleyball player Kori Fitzgerald is the winner. Fitzgerald was almost never off the court in any game as Head Coach Leilani Au Hoon played her in all game situations. Simply stated,  the senior didn’t have any weaknesses on the volleyball court. Girls’ volleyball doesn’t usually play in front of large crowds at home, which is too bad because Fitzgerald was worth watching.

Good Teammate Award – The winners are Boys Water Polo goalies Garrett Sabesky and Braydon Hummeldorf. Both players entered the season on equal footing, but Sabesky earned the bulk of the playing time as the season progressed, including a fine outing in the CIF Finals when he made saves on two point blank shots. Head Coach Randy Burgess mentioned the unusual relationship that binds goalies together in water polo. “Braydon Hummeldorf was one of the reasons why Sabesky has developed. They worked hard together and you see it all the time with goalies. That’s a great example of what team sports are about.”

Freshman Girl of the Year Award – As is normally the case, a few freshmen make an immediate impact at the varsity level each year. Mollie Privett was a starter on defense for the girls’ lacrosse team and was a member of the junior varsity cross country and soccer squads. The winner is Samantha Kirk who played major minutes on the girls’ basketball team. Kirk was also a sprinter on the varsity track team and has a fine future in that sport as well.

Freshman Boy of the Year Award – The winner is Riley Peterson who was a major factor on both the soccer and golf teams. Kyle Koshland who contributed in soccer and tennis is the runner-up. Jordan Oval, who was named to the All-Central League First Team in golf and Jake Shepherd a rugged defender in lacrosse, both earn recognition for their freshman seasons as well. Greg Lyon played No. 1 singles for the Islander Boys Tennis Team and earns a mention.

Sophomore Girl of the Year Award – As long as Cory De Marco continues to play four varsity-level sports per year, she is a lock to win this award. De Marco is the starting soccer goalie and starting point guard in basketball simultaneously during the winter season and competes in volleyball in the fall and lacrosse in the spring. Other sophomore multi-sport athletes include Kendall Hoshko (golf, water polo and swimming), Katie Centeno (soccer and track), Alex Evans (basketball and track) and Meganne Weissenfels (basketball and lacrosse).

Sophomore Boy of the Year Award – Austin Denson, who was a starter in both football and baseball, gets the nod. He is followed closely by Ryan Keeney (cross country, soccer and baseball), Will Funk (cross country and lacrosse), and Van Burgess (water polo and swimming). Single sport standouts of note include Danny Hebert (basketball), Jake Meloche (baseball), Brian Turley (golf), and Charles Westbrook (football)

Junior Girl of the Year Award – Cassie Callahan wins this division by virtue of her being named the CIF Player of the Year in soccer (all divisions) and a fine track season. Close behind is three-sport athlete Alex Reidy who competed in cross country, basketball and lacrosse, as well as Kaitlyn Couture who starred in soccer and lacrosse. Sadie Gimber (track and cross country), Annie Lovering (track and cross country), Alanna Pompa (volleyball and softball), Kayla Englehart (golf and softball), and Brianna Clifford (soccer and lacrosse) all had great multi-sport years. Mallory Mitchell, who was named to the All-CIF First Team in soccer, had a superb season as did Michaela Guerrera in lacrosse.

Junior Boy of the Year Award – We have our first tie in this division, with Andrew Toomey (football and baseball) sharing the award with Kyle Runyon who earned All-American honors in Lacrosse. Runyon was hurt and not able to play soccer this year as he has in the past. Toomey was a standout on the football team and was the team’s place kicker. He also contributed to the success of the baseball squad. Others of note include Alex Bookout (football and lacrosse), Sergio Flores (soccer and lacrosse), Curtis Nixon (soccer and lacrosse), Aryan Shay (cross country and track) and Billy Schmitt (basketball and lacrosse). Austin Copp’s standout season in football deserves a nod.

Senior Girl of the Year Award – The Class of 2010 is particularly strong athletically and we have another tie in this category. Sallie Privett (cross country and track) and Ashley Young (water polo and swimming) have been at the top of this class for four years and both deserve the nod for career achievement. Young was Division II Player of the Year in water polo. Other top athletes include Adriana Davies (cross country and track), Hillary Estrada (water polo and swimming), Stephanie Pietkiewicz (cross country and soccer), Kelly Ronimus (water polo and swimming), Coco O’Brien (cross country and lacrosse), Lainey Mebust (volleyball and lacrosse), and Brianna Giorgione (volleyball and track). Bree Feist deserves a mention for an outstanding four-year softball career.

Senior Boy of the Year Award – There is another tie atop the Class of 2010, this time on the boys’ side. Rex Butler (water polo and swimming) and Kodie Englehart share this award. Butler was a First Team All-CIF honoree in water polo and capped off his senior year with Division II swimming titles in the 50 and 100 yard free, as well as slots on the Islanders victorious 200 free and 400 free relay teams. Englehart played both ways on the Islander football team, as both quarterback and defensive back. He rushed for 1,556 yards and threw for 1,004 yards and nine touchdowns in his first season as the Coronado signal caller. Englehart is also a two-time lacrosse All-American.

David Rodriguez had one of the more unique senior years in recent memory. He won Most Improved honors in water polo and soccer and was the Most Valuable Player in Volleyball. Rodriguez was the focal point and dominant player on the best Islander volleyball team in years.

Andrew Ireland is in the mix at the top of this class, named to the All-CIF Second Team in water polo, the winner of two individual swimming events (200 free and 100 backstroke) in the CIF Finals and a member with Butler on both winning relays. Other outstanding seniors included Patrick Toomey (soccer and baseball), Chris Maskevich (basketball and volleyball), Hunter Ralph (basketball and baseball), Brian Beverly (football and basketball), Jake Schwartz (soccer and golf) and Peter Zeller (basketball and lacrosse). Alex Johnson earned All-CIF First Team honors in water polo.

Water Polo Alumni Games Set for Saturday, July 3rd

Two of the popular features of Independence Day Weekend are the Annual Water Polo Alumni Games, which feature past stars from the program playing against next year’s varsity. This year, the Men’s Alumni Game will be held at 12 noon, July 3, 2010. The three-time defending CIF Champion Girls Water Polo Team will play their game at 1 pm. All current and former CHS water polo players are invited to participate.

The event will be played at the Brian Bent Memorial Aquatics Complex. For additional information, please contact Coach Randy Burgess at rburgess@znet.com or Coach Dave Throop at throopster@hotmail.com.