April 5, 2005

Westmont drops to 2nd place after 3-0 loss to Leland
Three Warriors disciplined for missing practice

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

Guardians of the Net. Westmont’s Jon Ng-Parish and Michael Sheehan play some defense at the net, trying to stop a kill attempt from Leland’s Tommy Phan during a 3-0 loss to the Chargers on March 22. The win dropped Westmont into second place in the Mt. Hamilton Division, one game behind Leland. Photo courtesy www.mikejanes.com

A battle for first-place bragging rights in the Mt. Hamilton Division saw the Westmont boys’ volleyball team drop a 3-0 loss to Leland on March 22.

Coming into the contest, both teams sat atop the Mt. Hamilton Division standings with 4-0 records.

“It was great,” said Leland Head Coach Jason Hilbert of the win over Westmont.

“…Other teams in the league said they (Westmont) couldn’t be beat. We knew they were good. We knew there was a challenge and these guys rose to the challenge.”

Game one saw the Chargers (10-5, 5-0) take a convincing 25-12 win over the Warriors (7-1, 4-1). Westmont Head Coach Jeff Poppinga fielded a squad without three of his regulars—Connor Quinn, Matt Hosack and Kyle Adragna—for the first game as punishment for skipping practice earlier in the week.

The results of that decision were evident early on as Leland jumped out to a 16-8 lead midway through the first game, getting kills from Tommy Phan and Sam Lee while also taking advantage of a pair of Westmont passing errors during the early stretch.

Later in game one, with a 17-11 lead, Leland scored five straight points and eight out of the last nine points, getting a tip and a key block from Scott Lucas during the scoring run to take game one 25-12. The only point for the Warriors during that stretch came from senior Ryan Soden, who recorded a kill.

“They served tough against us,” Poppinga said. “We had difficulty passing the ball. We weren’t returning the favor … just tough serves and some defense.”

Game two proved to be Westmont’s most competitive of the night, as the Warriors came within two points during one point, before Leland pulled away with a 25-18 decision.

Down 13-8 midway through game two, the Warriors went on a 5-2 scoring stretch in which Jon Ng-Parish recorded two kills while Hosack contributed with a tip over the net for Westmont, cutting Leland’s lead to 15-13.

Leland responded by going on a 5-1 scoring stretch, taking advantage of errand passing on Westmont’s side for a 20-14 lead. From that point on, both teams traded points for a 23-18 score before the Chargers finished off game two on consecutive kills from Derrick Truong and Lucas for a 25-18 win.

“Weird rotation in game one,” Soden said of his team’s difficulties on the court. “Our second game was alright. We just sort of tanked out there.”

In taking the game-two win, the Chargers proved that stopping Quinn, arguably one of the hardest hitters in the league, was a key component in stopping the Warrior offense. Despite the off night, Hosack was confident that the next match-up would be a different story for not only Quinn, but for the entire squad.

“They have a bunch of people that can hit good,” Hosack said. “But I think Connor’s a better hitter. I’d be more worried about him.”

Game three saw Leland put the finishing touches on the 3-0 win, taking a 25-11 decision over the Warriors.

Westmont’s offense had trouble clicking on all cylinders as the Chargers jumped out to a 10-6 lead before going on a 10-1 run. During the scoring stretch, Westmont’s only point came from Soden once more, knocking over a kill for Westmont’s seventh point of the game.

“It started with one mistake and it just kept going from there,” said Quinn. “Things kept getting lower and lower. Everyone had their heads hanging down.”

After two straight points on kills from Westmont’s Adranga and Ng-Parish cut the Leland lead to 20-9, the Chargers rallied for five out of seven points scored for a 25-11 win, getting kills from Lucas and Kevin Kashanian.

Westmont’s two points during that span came on mistakes from Leland’s side, getting one point on a third pass that hit the net. The second point came after a Leland player inadvertently touched the net during play.

“I would say that in all three games, especially games two and three, Leland’s defense was unbelievable,” said Poppinga. “…One of the most frustrating things is when you crank one over and they stop it and get it back over [the net].”

Malawsky game-winner snaps seven-game skid for Stealth

Veteran forward scores with four seconds left for 15-14 win over Anaheim

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

Stealth forward Derek Malawsky scored on a shot over Anaheim goalie Matt King’s left shoulder with four seconds left, giving San Jose a 15-14 win on March 25 at the HP Pavilion.

Just 28 seconds before Malawsky’s game-winner, San Jose Stealth rookie Ryan Boyle tied the game with his second goal of the night, shooting the ball past King from 20 feet out. On the next possession, Stealth Head Coach Johnny Mour-adian pulled goalie Anthony Cosmo from the field to give the offense an extra attacker. Boyle re-ceived the ball and, seeing Malawsky run off the bench and toward the left side of Anaheim’s goal, fired a long pass to him, resulting in the game-winning shot.

“I turned around and started cutting down and luckily, Ryan (Boyle) got double-teamed and he saw me and made a great pass,” Malawsky said of the play. “…The first thing I thought is that I have no time to do anything with this. I just shot it right away and caught the goalie off guard.”

With the win, the San Jose Stealth snapped a seven-game losing streak that began Feb. 5 in Philadelphia. During that span, San Jose lost three of those games by one goal and another loss by two goals.

“I’m really proud of our guys because, out of our last five games, we’ve lost three by one goal and won one by one,” said Mouradian. “So, I know what it’s like in their (Anaheim’s) locker room right now.”

At the end of the third quarter, it seemed as if San Jose had the game under control with a 12-9 lead. But the Anaheim Storm quickly tied things up with three straight goals in less than four minutes to start the fourth quarter.

After a goal from Cam Sedgwick put San Jose up 13-12, Anaheim responded with two straight goals from Casey Powell and Richard Morgan for a 14-13 lead with 3:15 remaining.

“Very nervous,” Mouradian said of giving up the three-goal lead in the fourth quarter. “That’s the same situation we’ve been in a lot this year. We center, we try to relax, we try to visualize, and we have a focused plan.”

For San Jose, the offense featured a balanced attack that saw Sedgwick and Curt Malawsky notch hat tricks with three goals and three assists each. Boyle, Derek Malawsky and Luke Gilbert scored two goals apiece to help San Jose to its’ fourth win of the season.

“We shared the ball a lot tonight,” Mouradian said. “I thought we moved the ball well. We probably had more assists tonight than in any other game. It was very unselfish, and that’s what pays off.”

Part of San Jose’s success on offense came to an efficient attack on power-play opportunities, going 4-of-6 for the game, including three power-play goals in the first half.

“When an offense distributes the ball like that, even out all over the floor, you can’t defend it,” said Curt Malawsky.

The good feelings from the win didn’t last long for San Jose, as the Stealth took their home-and-home series back to Anaheim the following night and lost another one-point game by a score of 13-12. The loss dropped San Jose’s record to 4-10 in the West Division, right in front of last-place Anaheim, which holds a 3-9 record on the season.

San Jose Fit on fast track to crowning achievement

Runners prepare for Silicon Valley Marathon

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

Running support group San Jose Fit will hold signups at Los Gatos High School on April 16 and 26.

The group offers a marathon-training program, designed to enhance the efforts of walkers and runners who endeavor to complete the 26.2-mile Silicon Valley Marathon course on Oct. 3.

Everybody is welcome to participate, and coaches assure no experience is necessary.

“Most people can complete a marathon distance race with the proper training,” said Tom Kaisersaat, one of three head coaches, who have coordinated approximately 30 assistant coaches and between 300 to 400 participants each year since the group’s inception in 1998.

“We like to put the program out there and let the people decide for themselves to join and run a marathon, and then we support that with seminars.”

Coaches such as Kaisersaat bring a vast knowledge and experience to training sessions. At 60 plus years of age, Kaisersaat has earned more than 100 marathon finisher medals—and counting. He often competes at ultra-marathon races as well, running 30 miles or further, depending on the race.

“There’s a lot to learn,” said Kaisersaat. “I only strap on my shoes about three times a week during training, and between two to three miles you should never break a sweat; otherwise your heart is approaching anaerobic function, not the optimum capacity when jogging.”

Novice runners relish such tips, learning to manage running development on the San Jose Fit watch.

“Nothing should hurt,” continued Kaisersaat. “It’s going to be uncomfortable, but nothing should hurt.”

The program spans 28 weeks, with members congregating each Saturday at Los Gatos High. San Jose Fit coaches offer tips via seminar and one on one interaction, covering every nuance in the sport, including nutrition, hydration, proper running form, sports massage and which gear to use in a race.

“You don’t want to be running for 26 miles in cotton socks,” said Terry Ridgway, an eight-year veteran of San Jose Fit.

“I started in the very first year, never having run a marathon, and enjoyed it so much because of the camaraderie. You could go out and run 20 miles alone, but it’s not that fun; it’s nice to have somebody to talk to.”

“Sometimes it just takes a little bit of peer pressure, just to show up,” said Kaisersaat. “The hardest part is just getting to where you start the run. We tend to be social creatures and talking with the friends you make helps support your interest in running a marathon. Running is no different from any other aspect in life socially.”

Officials hope a historically impeccable completion rate will attract new members to the program this year. Last year, of approximately 400 participants, just four failed to complete the marathon—and those all were due to injury.

“For me, self-esteem was the greatest value I sought running a marathon,” said Kaisersaat. “I felt good being able to plan something six months in advance and having the patience to do everything necessary to be able to pull it off. As for coaching, the greatest thing is to see so many people accomplish this goal they set that they really can’t fathom in the beginning.”

San Jose Fit is a localized division of USA Fit, which sponsors 50 cities in accomplishing marathon races across the country. San Jose Fit boasts members from Palo Alto, Santa Cruz, Los Gatos, San Jose and beyond. The closest alternative is in either San Francisco or Danville.

“People participating at San Jose Fit are about the nicest people we have ever met,” said second-year returner Zoe Mount. “Unless you have a physical reason that you shouldn’t be running, it’s a great program.”

For more information, please visit www.sanjosefit.com.