May 22, 2008

SPORTS

Pioneer fundraiser scores a hole in one

On Friday, May 9, the Pioneer High School Athletic Department hit a hole in one with its 15th Annual Mustang Stampede Golf Tournament at Santa Teresa Golf Club to benefit Pioneer sports.

Pioneer Principal and golfer Sandy Engel (second from left) won first place in the women’s long drive competition.

“We have people who come back and play in our tournament year after year, many of whom are Pioneer alumni, “says Athletic Booster Club President Jeff Steinberg. “I talked to many players during the tournament, throughout the evening and since the event, via e-mail and in person and they all gave thumbs-up rave reviews. The most common feedback was, ‘This is the most fun tournament I play in.’ Our objective of making the Stampede a FUNraiser has succeeded in making it a great FUNDraiser.”

Although final numbers aren’t in yet, the results look promising as the attendance this year was the highest it’s ever been. In addition to raising money for direct funding to all the teams at the school, the Athletic Booster Club also delivers on many “facility improvement” projects throughout the year. For the current 2007-08 school year this included a new athletic floor in the mini-gym, golf bags, a field tractor, field maintenance equipment for baseball and softball, refinished floors in the large gym, new lacrosse goals, lane lines for the pool and a barbeque for the Mustang Grill.

This year’s tournament fell on a spectacular sunny day with warm beautiful weather. It began with a barbeque lunch for the players and included a silent auction, raffle prizes, tee prizes and a hole-in-one contest giving all players a chance to win a GMC Acadia from Moore Buick, Pontiac & GMC in Los Gatos.

Players were treated to a pre-tournament demonstration by Long Drive Champion Bobby Wilson, who came all the way from Little Rock, Ark. and provided endless entertainment throughout the day with not only his golf skills, but his bright green and yellow argyle golf pants.

Not surprisingly, the tournament was won by Pioneer golf coach Jason Burkhardt and his group.

Pioneer Principal and golfer Sandy Engel won first place in the women’s long drive competition. Pioneer alum Nate Jackson, class of ’97, now a defensive end for the Denver Broncos, was back in town for the event and signed sports memorabilia for the silent auction. “I’ll definitely be back next year. This is a great event for a great cause,” said Jackson.

Head football coach and Athletic Director Mark Krail praised the alumni for their outstanding support of the Stampede over the years. “This tournament would not be the same without the continuous support our alumni gives to it. Events like today truly make Pioneer the special place that it is. We’re facing tough budget times and will thrive because of everyone’s hard work and sense of community. I would like to thank everyone involved for making this great event possible.”

“This tournament is great because it brings everyone together for a day of fun...parents, alumni, administrators and friends, all to benefit a great cause,” said Steinberg. Although not surprisingly, the tournament was won by Pioneer golf coach Jason Burkhardt and his group, Steinberg says, “the real winners of this tournament are the student athletes at Pioneer. And for me, there’s nothing like giving of yourself to a great cause like this one. There’s no other feeling like it. I can hardly wait until next year. It’ll be even better.”

Bret Harte boys finish basketball season undefeated

The Bret Harte sixth-grade boys basketball team finished their season undefeated. They played seven league games and three tournament games without any losses. Bret Harte played Castillero, John Muir, Willow Glen, Hoover, River Glen, Burnett and Joseph George in league play.

Bret Harte’s undefeated sixth-grade basketball team includes, back row from the left: Brandon Johnson, Connor Anderson, Amir Rezvani, Pierce Drummond, David Levitsky, and Matt McLaughlin; and front row: Ryan Nguyen, Josh Flores, Jake Pauer, Eric Beauchamp, Troy Burg and Connor Bloom.

Playoffs were held at San Jose State University on May 17. Bret Harte won the match-up against Burnett in the first round. In the second round, Bret Harte beat Hoover with a final score of 28-21. In the final game of the day, Bret Harte outplayed Castillero 59-38 for the tournament championship.

The entire team contributed to the success with hard work and a great team effort.

Pierce Drummond had 68 rebounds for the season with two high games of 11 rebounds. Amir Rezvani contributed 85 of the 428 points scored by the team for the season. Troy Burg stole the basketball 25 times and made 36 of the teams 81 assists.

The statistics do not show the incredible speed of David Levitsky and Connor Bloom during the game, and they do not show the great communication between the players, many of whom had to learn several different positions with different offensive and defensive responsibilities.

This will be a team to watch in the future.

Leland girls swim fantastic times at CCS

Emily Chortek, Melinda McKenzie, Kelsey Nolan, Cassandra Scott, Brianna Sherrin, and Ariel Young represented Leland High School at the CCS championships, swimming fantastic and being rewarded with lots of best times. The six swimmers achieved eight individual best times and three relay best times.

Emily Chortek broke the 2:20 mark in the 200 IM. She set a PR with a 2:19.81. Kelsey Nolan got 19th in the 100 free with a time of 54.54. She missed qualifying for the top 16 by only 0.17 seconds. Brianna Sherrin posted a season best in the 500 free. Cassandra Scott posted a personal best in the 100 back with a time of 1:02.15. That was good enough for 20th place, and she just missed qualifying top 16 by 0.35 of a second.

The girl’s medley relay of Scott, Chortek, Sherrin, and Nolan placed 14th posting a season best time of 1:54.56. Sherrin posted a best time in the fly leg with a time of 27.96. Our 200 free relay of Sherrin, McKenzie, Young, and Nolan placed 14th with a season best time of 1:42.77 (only 1.71 seconds off the school record).

Young posted a best 50 free time in the relay of 24.92, joining Nolan who when 24.95 as the only two swimmers to crack the 25 point for us this season. The girl’s 400 free relay team of Sherrin, McKenzie, Young, and Nolan placed 16th with a season best time of 3:45.57. Young went a personal best again with a time of 54.51, also joining Nolan who went 54.54 as the only two swimmers this season to crack the 55-point mark.

Sports Briefs

AVYSL U12 Boys Comp Soccer Team Tryouts
Tryouts for a new U12 Boys comp (Class 3) soccer team will be held June 1 and June 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Pioneer High School field #1.  This team will be an Almaden Valley Youth Soccer League (AVYSL) team (www.almadensoccer.org) and is being organized for the Fall season.  The U12 age bracket is for players with birthdays between Aug. 1,1996 and July 31, 1997.  If you have any questions, please contact Frank Torres at frank.home@sbcglobal.net or 927-9219.

Go 4 Gold Soccer School
Go 4 Gold Soccer School presents its 2008 Summer Soccer Camps program. We offer week long, coed soccer camps for players age 5 - 16 in both San Jose and Los Gatos, coached by our staff of highly trained, certified professionals. Go 4 Gold also offers year round GoalKeeping & Field Player Academies every Sunday from 5 – 7 p.m.

For a camp schedule, locations or additional information, please call 997-7775 or visit www.go4goldsoccer.com.

Leland Junior Spirit Camp sign-ups
The Leland High School Spirit Squad is hosting its annual Junior Spirit Camp June 16 - 20 from 9 am to noon each day. The early bird camp registration fee is $120, increasing to $140 on June 1. The camp will offer instruction in cheers and dances along with games, arts and crafts and snacks for children entering K-8 in the fall of 2008. All campers will be invited to perform at a Leland High School football game in the fall. For more information or an enrollment form please contact lelandjsc@gmail.com or Jeanne Sommer at 472-6112.

Almaden Force Boys U16 Soccer tryouts
Almaden Force is a U16 Select Boys Soccer Team that will be holding tryouts Mondays and Wednesdays from 5 – 7 p.m. through the end of May at San Jose State University, behind Spartan Stadium, off of 10th street. For additional information, contact Team Manager Angelo Gallo at 314-2732.

U11 Girls Class 1 Soccer Tryouts
Santa Clara Sporting 97G White, a girls U10 Class 1 soccer team that will be playing U11 in the Fall, will be holding an open tryout session on Saturday, May 17, 2008 from 2:00–3:30 p.m. at Jenny Strand Park in Santa Clara. For more information and to register, please contact coach Dave Ballard at daveballard12@sbcglobal.net or 408-799-1213.

AVAC hosts twelfth annual tennis tourney fundraiser
Almaden Valley Athletic Club invites community members to watch or participate in the 2008 AVAC NTRP Doubles Classic Tournament on May 23-26 at their facility, 5400 Camden Avenue in San Jose. Matches will begin at 5 p.m. on May 23; 8 a.m. May 24 and May 25; and at 9 a.m. on May 26.

This will be the 12th consecutive year that AVAC hosts the tournament, with 50 percent of the proceeds benefiting the National Tennis Championships (“NTC”). NTC is a non-profit corporation that organizes both the USTA Girls’ 18 National Championships in Berkeley and the After-School All-Stars offered through the San Jose Unified School District.

Named a ‘USTA NorCal Tournament of the Year’ for the tenth time, this event charges no admission to spectators and is open to the entire community. For more information about the tournament or competition eligibility, please visit, http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/tournamenthome/tournament.aspx?T=59583 or visit the Almaden Valley Athletic Club website at www.avac.us.

14th Annual 5K Run and Walk for Lupus
The Lupus Foundation of Northern California (LFNC) announces its 14th Annual 5K Run and Walk to be held June 1 at West Valley College, 14000 Fruitvale Avenue in Saratoga.

Race time is 9 a.m. Wheelchairs and strollers are permitted after the runners and walkers have started, however no other wheeled vehicles are permitted in the Plaza area or on the course. Leashed dogs are welcome. Participants are welcome to register as individuals or to form teams, which are strongly encouraged to bring in at least $100 in sponsorships each. Prizes will be awarded to the three largest teams and the three teams submitting the largest sponsorships. Team Leader Packets are available at www.balf.org.

Entry fees are $20 if registered by May 22 and $25 thereafter. To register, go to www.balf.org. Onsite, event-day registration and collection of donations begins at 8 a.m. All entrants will receive a free t-shirt, goody bag (with redeemable coupons and merchandise), strawberry shortcake, and Starbucks or Peets coffee. Proceeds will benefit the LFNC.

AVYSL Registration is now open
Registration for the Almaden Valley Youth Soccer League’s Recreation Program for fall 2008 is open from April 21 to May 31. Late registration will be from June 1 – 15, and will only be accepted if space is available. A non-refundable fee of $25 will be charged for each player registered during late registration, so please register on time.

See our website www.almadensoccer.org for registration instructions and some exciting changes to our fall program. We hope to see you on the soccer field this fall.

Evergreen Valley Soccer summer camps
EVS will be offering two soccer camps this summer. Sessions begin June 22 -26, with the All Girls Academy. The Academy is designed to help players develop all aspect of their game and topics will include: Ball mastery / Beginning and intermediate technical skills / Small-sided games / Offensive and defensive team tactics / Training for speed, agility, quickness.

Eligible girls are ages 8 – 17 and the fee is $145 per person (team discounts are available). Academy hours are 4 – 7 p.m.

The “Little Hawks” Academy is designed for players age 5 – 8 and focuses on having fun while learning new soccer skills. Coached by members of the EVC Men’s and Women’s Soccer Team, campers will participate in a variety of soccer games and activities. Session one is Aug. 4, 6 & 7 and Session two is Aug. 11, 13 &14. The fees are $90 fro one session, $140 for both. Hours are 9 – 11 a.m.

For additional information or to register, call Felicia Perez at 274-7900 x6910 or email Felicia.Perez@evc.edu.

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