Nado Natterings
A weekly column by David Axelson Back to Index

24 November 2010 Issue #47

Any drama that might have built up surrounding the CIF Division IV First Round Playoff game between Escondido Charter and the No. 5 seeded Islanders, was eliminated early Friday evening as Coronado scored the first four touchdowns of the game and cruised to a 47-14 home victory. The featured offensive performer of the game was senior tailback Jeff Bona who carried the ball 20 times for a total of 206 yards and two touchdowns.
From an Islander perspective, the contest didn’t have a lot of ruffles and flourishes, just straight ahead football. Head Coach Bud Mayfield, who earned his 131st victory as Islander head coach, spanning 23 seasons, reflected on the game. “I told the kids it was a journeyman effort. They brought their lunch pails and did their jobs. We had two or three big games in a row and that was a little warm-up for us. Escondido Charter runs almost the same offense as Santa Fe Christian, so that helps us somewhat. Escondido was overmatched, which I don’t get to say very often.”
The Santa Fe Christian reference is to the Islanders Quarter-Final opponent Friday evening. As the higher and No. 4 seed, the Eagles are the host team, but since their home field does not have lights, the game will be played at 7 pm at La Costa Canyon High School. The CIF has mandated for the past couple of years that all playoff football games must be played at night.
If Bona was the offensive star, defensive honors were probably shared by senior linebacker Austin Copp and senior lineman Jose Sanchez. Copp accounted for two solo tackles, seven assisted tackles and was credited with a sack. Sanchez had five solo tackles, four assisted tackles and three hurries. Jack Mikesell deserves some defensive publicity as well, as he accounted for one solo tackle and six assisted tackles.
Copp, who missed several games at his normal linebacker slot due to an injury, has been a force since his return to the defensive side of the ball, according to Mayfield. “I thought Copp was on fire. He hit people and knocked them down. He has been doing a really good job the past few weeks. Our four linebackers Copp, Andrew Toomey, Ryan Halvorson and Bobby Brandenburg are four of the best linebackers we have had as a unit, at the same time, in quite a while.”
Since Coronado has now played 11 games, the nicks and bruises are starting to accumulate. Or as Mayfield noted, “We’re shot full of holes, but we’re still standing.” Toomey suffered a shoulder sprain in the Escondido game, while quarterback Austin Denson has had an ongoing ankle injury for several games that limits his mobility and practice time. Defender Billy Ryan, who supplies much of the speed on the Islander defensive backfield, missed the game due to the flu. 
The injuries and illness caused Mayfield and the coaching staff to get creative. Sophomore Mason Coop, who had never played the free safety position, even in practice, stepped up and intercepted a pass Friday night. Copp also found himself in a more familiar role handling extra point conversions, after Toomey the starting kicker, had to leave the game.
The Islander scoring summary includes touchdown runs of 15 and three yards by Bona; scoring
jaunts of one, nine and one yard by Toomey; a nine-yard touchdown pass from Denson to Jordan Jacobs; and a 10-yard touchdown strike from Denson to Halvorson.
Mayfield has some thoughts on where he wants the ball to go Friday night against the Eagles. “We want to get the ball more to Jacobs. He is a force and has had a great year on both sides of the ball. He always makes the key catch. He can sky and has big hands. Then we have Halvorson on the other side to compliment Jacobs. The passing game will be the key to the game. If we can throw and connect like we did earlier in the season, it will be a big game. The two teams are evenly matched. Our philosophies are very much the same. They are a Wing T offensive team and they are all about precision.”
In the third game of the season, Santa Fe Christian (6-4) defeated Coronado 42-17. Since then, the Islanders have won eight consecutive games and were the undefeated Central League champions.
A ‘Breig’ Hello
All writers like to have readers who enjoy their work and it’s good to know that Your Natterer has at least one in Islander fan and long-time column follower Phyllis Breig. Phyllis is the mother of school district employee Rick Breig, who is one of the many people behind the scenes that makes the CHS Football program work. Phyllis thanks for reading and Rick, thanks for your efforts.
Islander Boys Water Polo Falls to Bishop’s in CIF Division III Finals
When last we met on these pages, the CHS Boys Water Polo Team was poised to play Cathedral Catholic in the CIF Division III Semi-Finals. In one of the more competitive and entertaining games of the season, the Islanders led by four goals from Patrick Geer, three scores from Garrett Smerdon and 11 saves from Garrett Sabesky, defeated The Dons 11-10 in overtime.
Other Coronado goal scorers included Tommy Grall with two and Eitan Peled along with Nick Wiley scored one goal each. Van Burgess dished out four assists.
Coronado trailed 9-7 at the end of three quarters and trailed again 10-9 in the first of the two mandated three-minute overtime periods. But Cathedral Catholic would score only one goal in the final 13 minutes of play. Wiley’s goal tied the game at the end of the first overtime session and Geer got the game-winner.
Coronado entered the playoffs as the No. 3 seed and Cathedral, the defending Division II champion was the No. 2 seed. The Islander victory set up the Finals matchup that everyone in Coronado wanted, which was against No. 1 Bishop’s. The Knights defeated No. 4 La Jolla 11-4 to reach the Finals.
The title game started with a brilliant quarter posted by the Islanders, as they played well in both ends of the pool. The quarter ended in a 0-0 tie, but Coronado had 12 seconds left on a man advantage situation as play expired. Smerdon scored shortly after the Bishop’s penalty had expired, but before the Knight’s player could re-join the play.
Bishop’s scored the next four goals. With just under 10 seconds remaining in the half, Peled drew a penalty shot, which Smerdon converted, to make the score 4-2 at the half.
Things looked promising when Burgess scored two minutes into the third quarter. The Knights answered with two goals of their own. A Geer goal with 2:38 remaining in the quarter made the score 6-4, but Bishops countered on a man-up situation to take a three-goal lead at the end of three quarters.
Bishop’s put the game away in the fourth quarter with three consecutive goals. Tyler Brownell found the back of the net with 35 seconds remaining in the contest to make the final 10-5 Bishop’s. Drew Hoffenberg of the Knights scored six goals in their winning effort.
Islander Head Coach Randy Burgess spoke regarding his team’s play. “I was disappointed for our team, not in them. Bishop’s, more than any other team in the county had the most experienced players coming back and at the end of the day, that’s probably what caught up to us. That was a tough game. The kids believed in themselves and they did everything we asked them to do. We’re very happy with the kids who contributed across the board.”
Trailing late in the game, Coronado took some strategic chances, which didn’t pay off. “We got into a time crunch at the end,” Burgess said. “We had to a few things. The fourth quarter was our Waterloo. I don’t think the 10-5 score was indicative of the game. I have to credit a well-coached and good team from Bishop’s. Now we look forward to and get ready for next year.”
Islander Girls Cross Country Squad Advances to State Meet
Islander Cross Country Head Coach George Green provides the results of the recent CIF San Diego Section Division IV meet from last weekend. “The Girls Cross Country Team has had its share of injuries this season including the loss of last year's CIF champion, Annie Lovering, to a soccer-related injury to her knee.
Even so, at the CIF Division IV Finals held at Morley Field last Saturday, the Islanders advanced to the state meet by finishing second to Del Norte by only two points, by the score of 42-44. The Bishop's School also qualified for the State meet in Fresno by finishing third with 51 points.
Three Islander girls and two Islander boys made the All-CIF team by placing among the Top 10 finishers in their respective races. In the Girls' race, Sadie Gimber, Nicole Davies and Meg Sweeney made the cut with fourth, sixth and eighth place finishes, followed by Mollie Privett in 12th, Elise Umansky in 14th, Sierra Smith in 26th, and Ashley Engelman in 27th.
In the Boys race, Aryan Shay placed fourth and Ryan Sweeney placed eighth to qualify for All-CIF honors followed by Will Funk in 15th, Nate Wilson in 23rd, Drew Findley in 33rd, Jason Vance in 48th and Casey Engelman in 53rd.”
CHS Girls Basketball Team Swings into Action Friday in Thanksgiving Tourney
Boom, you look up and it’s Islander Girls Basketball season again. That’s my attempt to put NFL Hall of Famer John Madden’s famous phraseology onto the printed page, which is not as good as Madden on television. But you get the idea.
Due to the fact that Coronado hosts their own Thanksgiving Tournament and has for more than 30 years, the calendar mandates an early start to their season. If, as was the case with the 2009-10 team, you are very young and inexperienced, by the end of play Saturday night you can be 0-4. But youthful freshmen grow up to become seasoned juniors and according to Islander Head Coach Toler Goodwin, the 2010-11 squad has gained some valuable experience. “We return seven of the nine varsity team members from last year and four of the five athletes who started the majority of the games. And since most of these girls have now had two full varsity campaigns, there should be a little more maturity in their play.”
Goodwin continued his team preview. “The key to the season will be the development of some of last year’s role players and the addition of new players to add depth and health. With both of those components, we have had much more competitive practices and we will be able to give quality minutes to eight or nine people. That will allow the starters to get effective rest during the games, so they can increase their effort and impact in the minutes they are on the floor.”
Then Goodwin discussed some of the names you will hear from throughout the season. “Peri Curtis was our leading scorer last year, averaging over 13 points per game. Nicollette Abrantes and Alex Evans both averaged around six points per game and will be looked to for more offensive production this year. Evans led us in rebounding with 8.5 per game and in steals with 2.5 per game. Cory Demarco led us in assists last year and returns to continue her dual winter sports efforts.”
Demarco is now in her third season of playing goalie on the CIF Champion Coronado Girls Soccer Team, as well as serving as the starting point guard on the basketball team. Just for grins she also plays volleyball in the fall and lacrosse in the spring.
Back to the Thanksgiving Tournament, which this year includes the high schools from San Marcos, Chula Vista, Grossmont, Crawford, Imperial, San Dieguito and Ramona. The format is the same both days as play begins at noon on both courts at Coronado High School’s Blumenthal Sports Complex. Games start at or near noon, 1:40 pm, 3:20 pm and 5 pm.
On Friday Nov. 26th, the Islanders play San Dieguito at 1:40 pm and then host Chula Vista in the 5 pm contest. Saturday, the Islanders play San Marcos at 1:40 pm and Grossmont at 5 pm.
This year Goodwin is joined in the program by Todd Volstedt, a new match teacher at CHS, who also has accumulated 20 years of coaching experience. “Todd should add a real understanding of the teaching component that is necessary for young and new players to learn, develop and enjoy the game,” Goodwin said.
The Thanksgiving Tournament is the Girls’ Basketball program’s largest fundraiser annually. Come by Friday and purchase a tournament ticket to support the team. Now with plenty of experience at dealing with an early start to the season, hopefully the Islanders will get out of the gate quickly.
Coronado’s Schmitt Earns Aloha Beach Volleyball Title
CHS Freshman Ivey Schmitt and her playing partner Hannah Mathiesen from Santa Fe Christian High School, won the 14 and Under Division of the Aloha Beach Volleyball Tournament, sponsored by the California Beach Volleyball Association (CBVA), one week ago. The event, which was the tour’s season finale, was played at Central Beach in Coronado.
The duo of Schmitt/Mathiesen had to work their way through four games in pool play, which they won by the scores of 21-8, 21-19, 21-10 and 21-16. They went on to win the championship finals 21-14. The Aloha Beach event was the third title the pair has won this year to go with one second place finish and a third place result. Schmitt and Mathiesen are also teammates on an indoor volleyball club team, the Encinitas Wave.
An additional element to the story is that according to CBVA Director Jim Tuyay, the tournament and the setting were so successful, the organization will seek dates for as many as 10-12 events in Coronado for the 2011 season. “Coronado was the best venue of all of the sites on the schedule,” said Tuyay. “The schedule normally begins in April and runs through November. We have boys and girls divisions in 12, 14, 16 and 18 and under age groups and we usually average between 90-100 teams (pairs) per event. This year we had teams from Manhattan Beach, Whittier, Redlands, and San Clemente, who all came down for the weekend. You can’t imagine how much the families loved Central Beach. They also loved the view of the Hotel Del.”
Tuyay, a San Diego area native, is interested in moving the events, formerly held amidst the, shall we say local color of Ocean Beach, to Coronado. Tuyay credited Coronado Parks and Recreation Director Dave Knopp and Coronado Lifeguard Captain Sean Carey for their assistance in making this year’s event run smoothly. This is no fly-by-night group as the CVBA has apparel makers Quiksilver Performance and Roxy Athletics as their primary sponsors.  
Honesty compels me to report that during our post-event phone interview, Tuyay was enjoying both the sunset and a beverage at McP’s. But it hasn’t taken the CBVA tournament director long to learn his way around Coronado. “I think breakfast from Clayton’s is the best in the county.”
Chargers Stomp Broncos After Bye Week Break
Now, a few thoughts about the San Diego Chargers and their 35-14 dismantling of the Denver Broncos Monday evening. The Broncos scored the first touchdown of the game, the Chargers scored the next five TDs and the Broncos had a face-saving scoring drive to conclude the game. The Chargers are now at the .500 mark for the third time this season. More importantly they are only one game behind the AFC West leading Kansas City Chiefs and tied with the Oakland Raiders for second place.
To me the really good news from the game was the Chargers defense was flying to the ball and putting constant pressure on the Denver offense throughout the game. If Bronco quarterback Kyle Orton is afforded the time to get his feet set, and sort out the routes of his receivers, he can pick a defense apart. When it mattered, the Chargers kept both Orton and his receivers off balance with their physical play.
Charger signal caller Philip Rivers had another fine game, tossing four touchdown passes, while accumulating a total of 253 net yards passing. The offense played well despite tailback Ryan Mathews, tight end Antonio Gates and wide receivers Legedu Naanee and Vincent Jackson missing the game due injury or in Jackson’s case, the after affects of a salary dispute.
Now here’s the bad news. The win was against the 2010 Denver Broncos. That’s the 3-7 Denver Broncos. Not the John Elway-led team from the Mile High City, but instead the squad that has now lost 15 of their last 20 games. So San Diego fans, let’s not make those flight reservations to Dallas for the Super Bowl just yet.
The success or failure of the Chargers season may well hinge on the results of their next three games. They include contests at Indianapolis, followed by home games with divisional opponents the Raiders and the Chiefs. The last three games of the year against San Francisco, Cincinnati and a rematch with Denver, which feature teams that can boast of a combined record of 8-22.
One can only hope that Colts quarterback Peyton Manning forgets which side of the field Charger cornerback Quentin Jammer covers (bet that he doesn’t) and that Bolts running back Mike Tolbert has another 100-yard rushing effort in him. Basically, the Chargers season starts next week.