Nado Natterings
A weekly column by David Axelson Back to Index

22 December 2010 Issue #51

Prep sports scheduling around the holidays is always an interesting phenomenon to observe and each of the five Coronado High School winter sports teams has their own approach. Girls Soccer will take their talents to Santa Ana for a post-Christmas tourney. Girls Water Polo will invite guests to their home as they play Irvine Wednesday and Los Alamitos Dec. 28th at the Brian Bent Memorial Aquatics Center on the CHS campus.
The Islander Girls Basketball Team will play in a tournament leading up to Christmas. The Boys Basketball Team ups the ante by playing in a tournament before Christmas and then hosting their tournament after Christmas, which runs from Dec. 27-29. CHS Boys Soccer doesn’t have any games scheduled until after the first of the New Year. Instead they hold their version of Hell Week and train through the holidays. Which is sort of the sporting equivalent of coal in your stocking, but it seems to works for them.
However, to know where the teams are going, you need to understand where they have been, so now we’ll recap last week’s action.
Islander Boys Basketball Tops Mar Vista
Friday evening Coronado hosted Mar Vista and despite the fact that the Mariners (1-6) have only a victory over Del Norte under their belts this season, they battled the Islanders throughout the contest before falling 67-52.Coronado held a 22-21 lead at the half, before Head Coach J.D. Laaperi encouraged his club to get a little more serious about their shot selection.
“We shot 16 three-pointers in the first half, which is too many,” said Laaperi. “I told the team we have to stop settling for threes. I would rather we shoot from 10-15 feet than take a 19-footer. In the third quarter, Harley Ralph got to the middle of the key and Danny Hebert and Luke Gillingham did the same thing.”
Seemingly the game turned around in favor of Coronado when Ralph started going hard to the glass from the outset of the second half. The junior forward wound up with 17 points and nine rebounds. Hebert led the Islanders in scoring with 24 points, including 12-13 from the free throw line. Justin Hebner contributed 12 points and three assists. Brice Robell contributed six points and seven rebounds. Jordan Jacobs, coming off of his MVP season on the football field, is rounding into basketball shape and contributed four points and eight rebounds. He took over the team rebounding chores after Gillingham was whistled for his second foul in the first 26 seconds of the game.
“Jordan had a trial by fire,” said Laaperi of the senior forward’s game against the Mariners. “He’s getting closer and closer each week. I thought Luke had a great game with eight rebounds. I would love to get Luke more scoring opportunities. He’s found a role as our energy guy.”
Energy may be in short supply for Coronado after the coming week. Monday they start play in the Sweetwater Tournament and will play four games in four days. The first three games are against Patrick Henry, Fraser Valley from Canada and San Diego Southwest, on three consecutive nights, with the tip-off at 8:30 pm for all three games. The fourth game and opponent will be determined by the results of the first three games.
An added note, the Coronado Holiday Tournament runs from Dec. 27-29 this year. Monday at 3:15 pm Coronado will play Guajome Park Academy; at 6:30 pm they will play High Tech High. Tuesday at 4:45 pm the Islanders will play Temecula and 7:45 pm Coronado will play Preuss Academy. The championship game will be held Wed., Dec. 29th at 6:30 pm.
CHS Girls Basketball Splits Home Pair Last Week
At halftime of last Tuesday’s home game against Orange Glen, things were really looking good for the Islander Girls Basketball Team. They held a 27-20 lead, but more importantly they had played well defensively and offensively were passing well and executing their plays.
Unfortunately Coronado returned from the intermission and didn’t score in the first seven minutes of the third quarter. They were 2-17 from the field in the fourth quarter, scored eight points in the half and still almost pulled it out before losing 38-35.
“We were very inefficient in the second half offensively,” said Head Coach Toler Goodwin. “We didn’t make the shots we had and we didn’t take care of the basketball. Those things happen, but it was disappointing to lose the game. We played so well in the second quarter and we didn’t put them away when we had the chance.”
Despite the loss, three Islanders in particular had outstanding games. Peri Curtis had 12 points, 11 rebounds, and four steals. Alex Evans had only two points, but snared 18 rebounds to go with three steals and three assists. Nicollette Abrantes added 11 points and two boards.
The thing about basketball is that there is always another game just around the corner and two nights later Hilltop paid a visit to Coronado. This time the Islanders prevailed 45-40. Curtis continued to do her thing, which is filling in most of the positive statistical categories with large numbers. Against Hilltop she scored 20 points and contributed six steals, three assists and eight rebounds. Abrantes chipped in 14 points and Evans added four points, eight rebounds and two assists. Samantha Kirk added three points and three assists, with Meganne Weissenfels and Camille Wilson adding two each. Point guard Cory DeMarco advanced the cause with five assists and three steals.
“We did a pretty good job the entire night,” which is high praise from Goodwin. “We were very active defensively and did a tremendous job pressuring the ball. Our forwards did an excellent job in transition. Abrantes got a lot of her points getting up the floor, catching the ball and finishing. Our goal is to continue to grow and put together four full quarters.”
“We have a good group of kids,” Goodwin said of his team. “They are starting to believe in playing together and are committing to the team aspect. We have to have that for overall success. They understand what you want, which is good to see.”
The team will celebrate their run up to Christmas in a tournament played at Crawford High School. Monday they play twice, including games against Otay Ranch in the morning and Hilltop in the afternoon. That will mark the second game between the Lancers and the Islanders in four days. Tuesday Coronado plays Eastlake at 6 pm and Wednesday the Islanders face Lincoln High School at 10 am. Thursday’s game time and opponent will depend on the results of the first three games.
Girls Water Polo Falls to Mater Dei of Santa Ana
One of the annual challenges facing Randy Burgess and Dave Throop, who respectively are the boys and girls water polo head coaches at Coronado High School, is assembling a top-flight schedule. There are only a handful of teams in the San Diego area who can compete with Coronado, and most of those clubs are found in their own Western League. Therefore you can scratch them off of the non-conference game list.
So to improve by facing better competition, Coronado often schedules teams from Orange County, both at home and on the road. Last week Mater Dei of Santa Ana came to Coronado and left with a 16-9 victory. The Monarchs were paced by Mackenzie Barr, who scored 10 goals in the contest. Let’s say that Throop wasn’t enthralled with the Islanders’ defensive measures employed against Barr.
“Even though we doubled down on her in front of the goal, with multiple defenders, she was able to get shots off and score goals. That cannot happen for our defense to be successful and that will be a point of emphasis moving forward. I don’t recall a time when one player scored double digits against a Coronado team.” Throop, who assists Burgess with the boys’ squad and vice versa, has seen a few hundred water polo games during his Islander tenure. It would be fair to say that Barr’s efforts were remarkable.
 On the plus side, Coronado showed some flashes on offense, including a four-goal effort from Shelby Couture, who also added two assists. Hannah Green and Kendall Martin scored two goals each and Kendall Hoshko added one tally. Goalie Brooke Bernardy was credited with nine saves.
Also on the plus side of the ledger, if the experience of the Islander Boys Water Polo Team this season can be used as a harbinger of things to come, the Girls squad will be a far better team when the CIF Playoffs roll around in mid-February.
“I feel we're building a good foundation for what we'd like to accomplish this season,” Throop said.  “Our focus is to learn from our mistakes, work on correcting them and improving our weaknesses into strengths and learning to play within the system.  We will get better.  We will be more aggressive moving forward, even for a young team. 
As I mentioned to the ladies, we can't do anything to change the past but learn from it and move on.  I also told them that we have to develop a little chip on our shoulder moving forward and make our practices more intense and game-like, so that the actual game speed will seem to be slower than the pace of practice.  It's not what we do, but how we do it that will prepare us to be successful.”
CHS Surf Team Posts Winning Result
The Coronado High School Surf Team beat rival Oceanside recently, by the score of 42-24. The team surfing competition was held at the Army-Navy Academy Beach in Carlsbad. The contestants were treated to 80-degree weather two weeks ago and a nice two to three foot swell.
Sven Karlsson and Jack Alldredge were standouts in the competition, surfing both long board and short board for Coronado. “These two young me worked really well together in the water,” said Head Coach Lorton Mitchell. “Twice they teamed up to box out the Oceanside surfer. They have the confidence to be relaxed in the heat of competition and that shows in their style and grace on the waves.”
Jake Willis, Luke Hoffmann and Michaela Branscomb all advanced to the individual rounds of the contest. Newcomers Jason Miller and Henry Green surfed in their first surf contest and scored valuable team points. The CHS Surf Team is sponsored by the Coronado Surfing Association.
CHS Boys Soccer Runs Record to 8-0
The CHS Boys Soccer Team has put together a nice run to start the season, and last week added two more games to their win total. Last Tuesday they traveled to the Army-Navy Academy and came away with a 7-0 victory. Kyle Runyon scored three goals, Drew Maracle added two scores and single goals came from Ruben Perez-Burton and Kyle Koshland. Ricardo Diaz and Jake Nicholson shared credit for the shutout in goal.
“They are a Division IV opponent who wanted to play and that is why we took the game,” said Head Coach Brian Hiatt-Aleu. “They’re usually a little better.” Hiatt-Aleu noted the contributions of Tommy Hart and Sergio Flores to the winning effort, in addition to the goal scorers noted above.
Friday evening at home, the Islanders stepped up in class and hosted Mt. Miguel on a dark and stormy night. Coronado emerged with a 2-0 win, with the goals coming late in the contest. “Friday night was much tougher,” Hiatt-Aleu said of the victory over the Division III opponent. “We didn’t score until 20 minutes were left in the game. Kyle Runyon scored first and Kyle Koshland had the second goal.” Koshland has the singular distinction of scoring at least one goal in each of the eight games the Islanders have played and won this season.
Hiatt-Aleu continued discussing the game. “Diaz made a big save when the score was still 0-0. Hart and Flores were solid and they held the center of the back. Ryan Keeney also had a really good game. I think Mt. Miguel got a little tired at the end. We were pressing and they had to push numbers up and we scored. Both Kyles stepped it up and gave us good goals.” Hiatt-Aleu laughed when congratulated on his team’s great start to the season. “It’s kind of scary. It’ll go downhill from here.”
Over the past several years, Hiatt-Aleu has used the Christmas break to train his team, get them in top shape and coach the finer points of the game. Coronado plays their next game at home against San Ysidro Thursday, Jan. 6th. Central League play starts shortly thereafter.
Girls Soccer Falls to Westview
Struggling out of the gate, though playing against top-notch competition, has been the fate of the CHS Girls Soccer Team so far this season. They currently have a record of 0-2-3 after their 2-1 home loss to Division II Westview last week.
In the first half, Coronado looked a little unsettled for the first 10 minutes of the game, but eventually dictated the pace of the game and had the better of the play. After a scoreless first half, Westview scored with 29:38 remaining in the game. Coronado came back and with 7:05 remaining, freshman left mid-fielder Abigail Callahan hit a nice crossing shot to the far post, where Mallory Mitchell capitalized on the opportunity. Less than a minute later, Westview scored on a counter-attack and the game ended 2-1.
“Abigail did a good job not giving up and fighting in the corner,” said Coronado Head Coach Kiko Medina. “She got the cross in and Mallory positioned herself well and was able to have an easy finish. We wanted to get quickly back into the game because we’re hungry and we’re still playing well. It was disappointing not to get the result.”
“Both of the goals they scored were kind of fluke goals,” Medina added. “They were able to create from mistakes we made. The girls are putting a little too much pressure on themselves. We’re working on them staying positive, knowing it’s going to come. They need to focus on playing and not to have so much pressure about our record.”
There was mixed news on the team’s injury front. Senior forward Lauren Tobin, a major factor at forward last season before she sustained a knee injury, has been lost for the season. She joins another major contributor from last year, Annie Lovering, as players who will not be able to compete this season. On the flip side, Ariel Ochoa received good news on her recent MRI and has been cleared to play. Also, midfielder Demi Waitley has begun to practice with the team. “Demi has started working out and I think she might be able to get a little game time in during the tournament and definitely be ready in January,” Medina said enthusiastically.
Next week the Islanders travel to Santa Ana to compete in a highly competitive tournament. Their first game is against Los Osos High School from the Los Angeles area. “Every team there is a sectional semi-finalist or a finalist,” Medina said of the 32-team event. “It’s going to be tough. It’s what I want for the girls and that is to have competitive games throughout December so when we get to the Western League, we are prepared and ready to go.”
Registration Dates Set for Boys and Girls Lacrosse Clinic
The Coronado Boys and Girls Lacrosse Clinic will be held on five consecutive Saturdays at the CMS field, from Jan. 15th to Feb. 12th, 2011. Clinic times will be from 3-5 pm. The clinics are designed for boys and girls in first through eighth grades. For new players the clinic presents an excellent opportunity to learn skills and the strategy of the game.  For experienced players, it’s a great chance to sharpen skills before the spring season. The clinic fee is $110 per player, with checks made payable to Coronado Schools Lacrosse.
Each session is coached by the Coronado Varsity and JV coaches, as well as current CHS and NCAA experienced players.  Included in the fee is a U.S. Lacrosse Association membership, a Coronado Lacrosse decal and a reversible jersey.  Players provide their own stick and shoulder pads are required for boys.   Boys’ helmets, gloves and arm pads are available to be loaned on a first come, first served basis. A deposit is required.  Girls should provide their own sticks and goggles. A limited number are available for loan.
Clinic registration dates are Jan. 7th from 4-6 pm, Jan. 8th from 8-10 am, and Jan. 15th from 2-2:45 pm.  Registration will be held at the Sixth Street entrance to the CHS football field. Proceeds benefit the Coronado Middle School and Coronado High School lacrosse programs. Questions may be directed to Megan Stanley at megandyno@sbcglobal.net, or Sue Runyon at suerunyon@sbcglobal.net.
CHS Baseball Alumni Game Set for Dec. 26th
A reminder that the CHS Baseball Program will hold their Alumni Game Sunday, Dec. 26th, according to Islander Head Coach Sam Ceci. Batting practice will be held at 10 am and the game itself will start at noon.
Although the number of participants tends to favor the more recent Islander grads, Ceci is making a push to get the older alumni to participate. “We just want all of the former players to come and be part of it.”
The baseball program is requesting a $10 donation for the players’ lunch which follows the game. The game format is loosely based on the current high school players competing against the alumni. For more information regarding the Alumni Game, contact Coach Ceci at 435-0854.
CMS Golf Team Competes in Tourney
If an eighth-grader by the name of Brett Dupree approaches you on the golf course and tries to make you give him strokes, grab your wallet and run in the other direction. Last week the CMS Golf Team, under the direction of Coach Randy Coutts, held an informal gathering at the Sail-Ho Golf Course, which is a par 27, nine-hole course in Point Loma.
Dupree was the low scorer for the event, shooting a 32. Second place among the eighth grade boys went to Demetri Chaconas, who shot a 38.
Not far behind Dupree for overall scoring honors was seventh grader Jack Harris, who shot a 34. Dan Williams and Charlie Rowe both shot rounds of 38. Nathan McCure shot a 42, which was the best round by a sixth grade boy.
Proving she could hold her own with her male counterparts was Malia Barker, who shot a 35. Kenzie McBarron shot a 42 and Carson Kai-Ricks shot a round of 44.
Miscellaneous Natterings and Christmas Wishes
Jason Gay is a sports columnist for “The Wall Street Journal” and Monday he wrote a very funny column entitled ‘My Two Cents: Larry Says Goodbye.’ The column was written in honor of retiring CNN talk show host Larry King, who for many years wrote a short three-dot column for “USA Today.”
King’s column was a frenetic mixture of pop culture references which would couple Frank Sinatra or Angie Dickinson with say Anne Hathaway, making a 60-year leap to incredulity in the process. Gay’s piece is well worth a read. I’m sure if you Google Gay’s name, you will find the column.
Next up are the San Diego Chargers, who showed up on time and in good form at home against the lowly San Francisco 49ers Thursday night. The problem was that they didn’t get any help toward securing a playoff spot, as all of their chief rivals, including the Chiefs, won their games. The Chargers loss to the Oakland Raiders two weeks ago may prove to be the tipping point of the Bolts season.
If you are a sports fan, subscribe to HBO and aren’t afraid of occasional salty language, be sure to tune into the two installment of the 24/7 Series which features the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins. The two teams play in the Winter Classic on New Year’s Day and the HBO shows are a build-up to that event. The first installment was so good I watched it twice. Installment No. 2 debuts Dec. 22nd.
Finally, I hope all of the readers of this column and your families all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.