Nado Natterings
A weekly column by David Axelson

Nado Natterings
by David Axelson, Chief Executive Officer
The Islander Sports Foundation

23 May 2007 Issue #20

Saturday was a great day to be an Islander sports fan, as three first round CIF playoff games were held on The Island. Taken in chronological order, they were Softball at 10 am, Girls lacrosse at 12:30 pm and Boys Lacrosse at 4 pm. Coronado emerged victorious in all three contests, each of which contained some outstanding individual athletic performances.

Softball

Islander hurler Briana Feist scattered seven Holtville hits and held the Vikings to two runs on the way to a complete game, 11-2 Coronado victory. Wearing their hitting shoes, the Islanders pounded out 16 hits, including three each from Rosie Harris and first baseman Sandra Cepin.

Harris, the Islander leadoff hitter and catcher, coaxed a walk to go with her three hits and scored four runs. She also had a stellar defensive outing, keeping the ball in play as Feist frequently threw low fastballs in the dirt for strikes. For her part, Cepin had a double and two singles and scored twice. She also drove in two runs with the double, a screaming shot down the third base line that carried to the wall and never rose above six feet in height.

Although not as gaudy in the statistical department, shortstop Christy Mebust, hitting in the second slot in the lineup, had a great day, with two hits and two well-executed sacrifice bunts. She also scored two runs. Other two-hit games were turned in by third baseman Nora Kaminski, and designated hitter Lizzie Nebo. Other offensive contributors included Lexi Wright with a hit and two runs scored; Shannon Julius with a single, a stolen base and an RBI; a pinch hit single from Lauren Zeleniak; plus a single, an RBI and a stolen base from Jessica Adair.

The unsung hero of the day was second baseman Kelly McCray. On the day she had seven assists and two putouts, including being on the starting end of a double play that helped snuff a Holtville rally in the sixth inning. With runners on first and second and no one out, the Viking hitter laced a hard line drive to McCray, who calmly caught the ball and threw to Cepin to double the runner off of first. The play developed so quickly that the Holtville runner on second didn’t have a chance to advance.

The Islanders escaped from a potentially dangerous situation, and did not allow the Vikings to score.McCray was involved in five of the game’s final six outs and played her position flawlessly.

The game also included an unusual play, in the second inning, a Holtville runner appeared to have scored, but was called out for not touching home plate. You can watch a lot of softball and not see that play happen again soon.

In their half of the same frame, Coronado scored four runs, fueled in part by three Islander stolen bases and two Holtville miscues. Mix in five hits and the Islanders scored more than enough runs to win the game.

Tuesday the Islanders travel to Imperial to face the Tigers in their next playoff game. Since Imperial won their first game via forfeit, the Imperial head coach was in attendance at the Coronado vs. Holtville game. Islander Head Coach Marti Bonelli will have to come up with some new tricks for her team to employ against the Tigers.

Girls Lacrosse Conquers Scripps Ranch 16-8

The ‘Most Unusual Game of the Day’ designation belonged to the Islander Girls Lacrosse Team, as they defeated the Falcons from Scripps Ranch 16-8. Carrying the mantle as the No. 3 seed entering the playoffs, Coronado was expected to win convincingly. Yes they won, but convincingly, not so much.

The Islanders started the day with a goal from Melissa Humphrey a little more than one minute into the game, so all seemed right with the world. However, the Falcons then ran off three consecutive goals to show they were not going to be dismissed easily by the higher seeded favorites.

Then the Coronado combo of Bria Phillips and Greer Goebels took over the game, providing the energy and athleticism that allowed the Islanders to score five consecutive goals and take a 6-4 lead at halftime. Phillips and Goebels either scored or assisted on all of the five straight Islander tallies.

“The team came out slow all together,” said Head Coach Jessica Battle. “Greer knew we needed to get the job done. She is one of my team captains, is an exceptional leader and a player who is invaluable to the team. No matter what, Greer gives 100 per cent all of the time.”

Battle had similar praise for Phillips, who has been playing the game since she was in second grade. “Bria is an extremely smart player and one of the team’s most aggressive players. She has been playing on the East Coast, which you can tell is where she started the game by the way she plays. There is a different factor in players from the East Coast in the way you move and dodge and they are more aggressive on checks. She is a huge asset to the program and we’re looking forward to having her back next year.”

The Islander team scoring results included four goals from Phillips; three from Goebels, two each from Humphrey, Hannah Sebenaler and Coco O’Brien; and single goals scored by Jena Harrison, Jillian Reidy and Erin Colvin.

“They somewhat redeemed themselves in the second half,” Battle said of her team. “But we will have to play a million times better in the next rounds. When you go into the playoffs, the underdog has nothing to lose and Scripps came out gunning. Some times we take it with a grain of salt that we will win, but that isn’t always the case.”

Tuesday evening at 5 pm, Coronado hosts Rancho Bernardo in the second round of the playoffs. Coronado will likely face La Costa Canyon Thursday evening on the road.

Boys Lacrosse Paced by Worley’s Seven Goals

Arguably the performance of the day, Coronado Home Field Division, was turned in by senior Geoff Worley, who led his CHS Boys Lacrosse Team past a game, but out-manned Grossmont squad 15-2. Another way to approach the scoring would be CHS 8, Worley 7, and Grossmont 2.

The game started with a goal by Erik Karlsson less than a minute into the contest. Nineteen seconds later the Foothillers answered and the game had the early earmarks of being a good one. Not so fast.

After a nice steal, a lengthy run and assist by sophomore midfielder Jackson Cusick, Bobby Braun found the back of the net to give the Islanders a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Under five minutes later, Worley scored a goal, followed by another from Braun on a Cory Couture assist. Couture then scored himself on an assist from Jacob Vita, and then Couture scored again.

Then it became the ‘Geoff Worley Show,’ as the University of Vermont-bound attack scored six goals in the next 5 minutes. Worley’s best scoring effort of the afternoon found him in a one-on-one situation with the Foothiller goalie. Worley, while running at full speed, faked high, faked low and drilled a shot past the Grossmont goalie for a goal. Your Natterer’s lacrosse knowledge doesn’t reach past a very fundamental level, but Worley had to practice this shot, or one similar to it, several hundred times to make it look so effortless.

The other candidate for ‘Goal of the Game’ ended Worley’s consecutive goal streak at five, and that was a wrap-around-the-neck shot for a goal by Karlsson. This was another shot that requires a high level of technique and ability.

Due to Worley’s seventh goal of the half, this one with one second remaining on the clock at halftime, the second half was played with a running clock due to a 12-goal scoring differential. In the entire second half, the game was halted only for timeouts. Karlsson scored his third and fourth goals of the game in the second half and Worley made only a token appearance in the final 24 minutes of play.

Head Coach Alex Cade played everyone on his bench, including Jake Benzian’s backup in goal, freshman Peter Zeller. Fellow freshmen Eddie Vita, Kevin Seifert and Kodie Englehart, all called up from the JV for the contest, found some playing time.

Worley’s goal scoring spree came after he spent most of the first quarter setting up his teammates with passes from his position behind the opposing goal. Worley stayed within the framework of the Islander offense throughout the game, continuing to pass the ball and looking for his teammates. Grossmont simply couldn’t find a defensive answer for Worley.

The victory pushed the No. 2 seeded Islanders into a Tuesday evening home game vs. Rancho Bernardo at 7 pm. This is not a typo, as both Coronado lacrosse teams host both Rancho Bernardo teams Tuesday evening.

Islanders Take to the Track Saturday

Competing with Worley for best Islander Saturday Sports Performance was CHS Track Star Sarah Player. Coronado Head Coach George Green elaborates on her day of competition in the CIF Track and Field preliminary meet. “At the CIF Prelims Saturday at Mt. Carmel, the Islander Track Team advanced six athletes into this weekend’s finals, also to be held at Mt. Carmel.

Leading the Islanders was Sarah Player, who won her heats in both the 100-meter dash and the 300-meter hurdles, to advance to the ‘A’ finals in both events. Her 100 meter time lowered the school record that she set earlier this year to 12.37 seconds. If that wasn’t enough, she made the ‘A’ heat in the high jump.

Eighteen athletes per event qualify out of the prelims into the finals, with the top nine marks placed in the ‘A’ heats and the balance of the contestants in the ‘B’ heat. Only the Top 3 finishers from the ‘A’ heats at the CIF finals, plus the athletes whose performance meets state-wide standards in the finals, will advance to the state meet. Athletes in the ‘B’ heats are contending for Division I and Division II (Coronado is in Division II for track and field) titles only.

Pole vaulter Danielle Eckert also advanced to the ‘A’ heat with a vault of 10 feet. For Danielle it was a very busy day and we weren’t sure she’d be able to compete at all. CIF rules specify an athlete must check-in no later than 5 minutes before their competition begins. Danielle however was also entered in the Miss Coronado competition and had an interview that prevented her from checking in on time. She also had pageant rehearsal that afternoon, which conflicted with the time slot for the pole vault. Anyway the meet director allowed me to check her in, she arrived late, cleared 10 feet to advance to the ‘A’ heat and was allowed to arrive late for the pageant rehearsal. That was a long day for her.

Freshman Sallie Privett, although not quite making the ‘A’ heat, came close in San Diego’s competitive group of distance specialists. After posting a personal best time in the 1,600 meters of 5:13.37, she ran the 3,200 meters in a respectable time of 11:47.17 to qualify for the ’B’ heat in both events. Putting this in perspective, she was the only freshman in the county to qualify for both the 1600 and 3200.

Kyle Brown’s marks in the jumps and sprints are among the county’s best, but nagging ankle and back injuries put him off his game at the prelims. Still, he qualified for the ‘B’ heat in the 100 with a time of 11.24, as well as for the long jump with a leap of 20 feet, 7.75 inches.

Ben Enowitz has been trying to break the 10-minute barrier in the 3200 all year. He finally succeeded with a time of 9:57.66 to qualify for the ‘B’ heat finals.

Also qualifying was Neisha Scales, who set a personal-best time in the 100 with a run of 13.02 seconds to advance to the ‘B’ heat finals. Not making it to the finals, but performing well just the same, were Kenny Twomey in the 300 hurdles with a time of 43.60; freshman Adie Davies, who set a personal record in the 800 in 2:31.26; and freshman Briana Giorgione in the pole vault with a vault of 7 feet, 6 inches.”

Islander Baseball Earns CIF Division IV No. 1 Seed

Last week the Islanders played their final regular season game, which resulted in a 4-2 loss to San Diego High School. Kyle Pokorny and Danny Cepin each had two hits and two stolen bases. However, Chas Marks was the only other Islander with a hit in the contest, all five of which were singles. Six pitchers went to the mound in the finale to tune up their arms.

Tim Leary finished the regular season as Coronado’s leading hitter with a batting average of .429 (33-77), with Tucker Johnson placing a strong second at .380 (19-50). Leary was the team RBI leader with 28, while Johnson led the team in pitching with a 2.48 earned run average. Cepin stole 23 bases, followed by Pokorny with 13 and Benson Lorden with 11. As a team, Coronado finished with an overall regular season record of 20-9, with a 6-6 record in the Western League.

Last weekend the playoff season began in earnest, starting with the all-important race for playoff seeding. In CIF Division IV, there are a total of 36 teams, so a total of 16 make the playoffs. The first game is in essence a play-in round, with the eight losing teams from the 16-team field sent home and the remaining eight teams advancing into a double-elimination tournament.

To give you an idea of the competitive strength of the seven-team Western League, the circuit sent four teams to the Division III playoffs, including No. 1 seed Mission Bay, No. 2 Cathedral Catholic, No. 4 La Jolla and No. 5 University City. Point Loma was the No. 7 seed in Division II and Coronado emerged as the No. 1 seed in Division IV. Only Clairemont with a respectable record of 14-15 didn’t qualify for post season play.

Coronado Head Coach Sam Ceci’s prediction of four losses being good enough to win the ultra competitive Western League came true, as Mission Bay and La Jolla both finished with the identical 8-4 records. However, Mission Bay held a 3-0 record against La Jolla in the three games they played over the course of the season.

Including tournament games and league play, Coronado was 8-6 against Western League teams, while Division IV foes Francis Parker was 2-4 and Christian was 0-1. Coronado literally didn’t face another Division IV team all season, playing their schedule against the much tougher competition normally supplied by larger schools.

As the No. 1 seed, Coronado hosts No. 16 seed Borrego Springs Tuesday at 3:30 pm for their first round contest. The other top seeds in Division IV include No. 2 Francis Parker, No. 3 Christian, No. 4 Santa Fe Christian, No. 5 La Jolla Country Day, No. 6 Horizon, No. 7 Marian Catholic, and No. 8 Imperial.

Should form hold and the Islanders get by Borrego Springs, they will face the winner of the No. 8 Imperial vs. No. 9 Mountain Empire series. Ceci expects to see Imperial in Coronado on Wednesday. “Imperial was 11-11 overall and they have beaten Mountain Empire. Imperial has one very good pitcher and I’m sure we will see him on Wednesday.”

With the Division’s top seed, the Islanders will play virtually every game at home until the division finals. In addition, next Saturday the Division IV loser bracket games will be played at Coronado, another nod to the fine playing field the Islanders call home.

“The kids have been more focused and they seem to be ready,” said Ceci of his team, who are the defending CIF Division IV champions. “Our pitching has been fine all along and we have been stinging the ball in practice. Let’s hope that translates well into the games.”

CHS Boys Tennis Season Concludes

Head Tennis Coach Robbin Adair brings us up to date on the Boys Tennis squad’s results from the Western League Individual Finals. “In Round I singles, Jeff Miller got beat by Bobby Trentacosta, the No. 5 seed from Cathedral Catholic 6-3, 6-0. Max Mero defeated Dan Barona of St. Augustine 6-3, 6-3 in Round 1 before losing to No. 4 seed Dane Thompson 6-0, 6-0 in Round II.

Krishna Samperio defeated John Sherwood of St. Augustine in Round I 6-0, 6-1, and then defeated Cathedral’s No. 2 player Christina Kourie 6-0, 6-1, before losing to the overall No. 3 seed Francesco D’Arcangel of Cathedral 7-6, 7-6 in the quarterfinals.

Over in doubles, Robbie Cattell/Mitch Moran lost in Round I to Malloy/Todd from Cathedral 6-1, 6-1. Patrick Holman/Jordan Vance lost in Round I to Petty/Chung of Scripps Ranch 6-1, 6-2. Collin Bowman/Andrew Stump also lost in Round I to the No. 6 seeds Wood/Huynh of Scripps Ranch 6-0 and 6-0.

In a match delayed due to a conflict with AP testing Monday afternoon, Chris Mitchell/Evan Wheeler defeated Alles/Rabanal of University City 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 before falling in the second round to the No. 4 seeds Barber/Paddison of Cathedral 6-3 and 6-3.

Finally, Daniel Grazian/Frankie Harrison defeated Mostowt/Snyder of Cathedral in Round 1 6-1 and 6-3 before falling to the Same No. 6 seed Wood/Huynh 6-1 and 7-5.

Save the Date – July 4 15K and 5K Race Coming

This being Coronado, you already have the date of July 4 saved for one or more parties and other activities. This marks the 32^nd year of the July 4^th 15K Run and 5K Run/Walk which once again starts in Tidelands Park. Event proceeds benefit the Islander Sports Foundation as well as Coronado High School and Coronado Middle School sports.

Fees to enter the race are $25 with the price increasing to $30 after Friday, June 22^nd. Day of event registration is $35. Entry fees include a colorful commemorative t-shirt for all participants.

Both races feature a flat and fast course. To register for the event, go to www.kathyloperevents.com or call 619-298-7400 for additional information.