The Gold Division of the Winter Soccer Classic is beginning to take shape, and it’s looking like we could wind up with a fun matchup in the championship on Friday. Amador Valley is in control in Group A. The only way the Dons won’t make it to the title game is if they slip up and lose on Wednesday against Berkeley, which has lost to Newark Memorial and California and has not scored a goal in its first two games. Richmond can secure a spot opposite Amador Valley in the championship if it takes care of business against James Logan on Wednesday. That’s no gimme, though. Logan just tied San Ramon Valley 0-0 tonight.

Richmond-AV would be a fantastic title game. But should Richmond fall to Logan, it would open the door for, well, Logan — or for SRV. The Wolves have a tough game themselves, though, as they take on a Deer Valley that impressed the heck out of me in an easy 4-2 win over Foothill tonight. The Wolverines looked very good, especially forward Chris Martinez, who scored three times in 22 minutes in the first half. I’m pegging SRV-DV as the game of the day for Wednesday, even though it might have no bearing on who plays in the championship.

It’s all DFAL all the time in the Silver Division, where the title game berths are anything but decided — in Group A, at least. Group B is Northgate’s to lose after the Broncos pulled out a 1-0 win over Piedmont. Acalanes is only two points behind Northgate, but Wednesday’s matchups don’t bode well for the Dons. Northgate faces Berean Christian, which has been outscored 13-0 in its first two games. Acalanes faces Piedmont, which proved to Northgate just how tough it can be. Campolindo has an outside shot, but like Acalanes, it would need Northgate to lose to Berean Christian. I just don’t see that happening. The Broncos are off to a great start this season.

Group A is wide open, with Las Lomas leading College Park by one point. The Knights face Liberty and College Park faces De Anza on Wednesday. Something tells me this will come down to a tiebreaker, and if it does, the edge for the moment would go to Las Lomas. This will all change based on Wednesday’s results, though. Concord is a distant third in Group A. And if you’re counting, that means there are DFAL teams in the top three spots of both groups in the Silver Division. There will be an all-DFAL title game and likely an all-DFAL consolation championship, which likely nobody is looking forward to except the fans. It should be fun to watch, even if it is a waste of a contact for the teams involved.

For complete results and schedules from the tournament, click here.

— James Leonard

Just got off the phone with CIF executive director Marie Ishida, who had told me yesterday that she wanted to wait until she could compile a complete list of high school players who participated in the Earthquakes tryouts before reinstating any of them.

Late last night, she changed her mind on that, and today the five players who had self-reported, plus a sixth who also came forward, have been reinstated. Earthquakes executive vice president David Alioto says a list of high school-age players who tried out was sent to Ishida this afternoon, the start of a process that could lead to more players being deemed at least temporarily ineligible.

The players reinstated today included two from Las Lomas and Concord and one from Acalanes. North Coast Section commissioner Tom Ehrhorn says a sixth — a junior varsity player from Clayton Valley — has also come forward and been reinstated.

The forfeiture of games still stands, despite the reinstatement. The players became ineligible once they participated in a tryout and remained ineligible until their reinstatement. Any games these players played in during that time must be forfeited. The formalities of the forfeitures haven’t been worked out yet, Ehrhorn said.

Regardless of whether you agree with the CIF rule or with Ishida’s interpretation of it, it appears Ishida made the right move by reinstating those players who have come forward, and by doing it now instead of waiting for the entire list to be compiled, a process that Ishida is hopeful will be completed by the end of this week.

Players who participated in the tryout, though, would be wise to step forward now. It seems inevitable that CIF will ultimately find everyone or nearly everyone who did participate, and if that happens, say, sometime next week, those players run the risk of causing significant damage to their team’s seasons because of forfeits. The teams with players who have already come forward will likely suffer only one or two forfeits; maybe three at the most. Anything more than that could be really damaging, though, especially with everyone now in league play.

Stay tuned.

— James Leonard

*UPDATE* Click here for my article in today’s Times regarding the tryout situation. The EBAL boys season gets fully under way tonight. Perhaps we’ll find out then whether any EBAL teams will be affected by this.

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The California Interscholastic Federation’s ruling that high school soccer players who competed in tryouts for the San Jose Earthquakes have been deemed ineligible could have fairly far-reaching consequences.

The players will be reinstated, CIF executive director Marie Ishida said, because of some gray area in the rule itself and what constitutes a “professional tryout” and how much the players knew about what they were getting into. But they will not be reinstated until CIF has what it feels is a complete list of the players involved.

To do that, Ishida and North Coast Section commissioner Tom Ehrhorn must comb through a list from the Earthquakes of every player who participated in the seven tryouts — all of which took place in Northern California and some of which took place in the East Bay — and figure out which of the players are on high school teams. Ishida hopes that process will be finished by the end of the week.

For now, the players who have already come forward — two each from Las Lomas and Concord and one from Acalanes — will have to sit, even knowing that they will eventually be eligible again. And there could be players who don’t yet know they’ve done anything wrong who are still playing. If and when they come forward, the games they’ve played since their tryout will be forfeited.

It’s hard to imagine the tryout participation among local high schoolers was limited to five kids from three schools in the same league, especially when tryouts were held not just in Walnut Creek, but in Oakland, Hayward and all over Northern California. Over the next few days we could very well find out about players at schools from throughout NCS, in every league, and many games could be forfeited. There could also be some double-forfeits.

Or it might just be these five players. Based on what I’ve heard and read, though — and what others are saying — I just don’t get the feeling that’s the case. Hopefully those players who competed in the tryout will come forward and sit out until the matter is resolved. It would be a shame if this transgression — deemed so minor that the players won’t even be punished as harshly as the rule dictates — has a major effect on some team’s playoff hopes.

— James Leonard

NCS 4A
No. 1 De La Salle 59, No. 8 Berkeley 0
No. 2 James Logan 31, No. 7 Foothill 7

NCS 3A East Bay
No. 1 San Ramon Valley 55, No. 8 American 7
No. 7 Washington 21, No. 2 Newark Memorial 7

NCS 2A East Bay
No. 1 Las Lomas 56, No. 8 Piedmont 21
No. 7 Campolindo 42, No. 2 Heritage 14

NCS Class A
No. 1 St. Patrick-St. Vincent 56, No. 8 Cloverdale 14

10:02 P.M.: Well, folks, that about does it for tonight’s NCS football action, which featured a pair of upsets and plenty of blowouts. We hope you enjoyed the coverage here on the East Bay Prep Sports blog. Look for full coverage of tonight’s games at ContraCostaTimes.com in the morning, and be sure to check back here tomorrow night, when Chace will be offering live updates on another full slate of games. Tonight’s finals are posted above. Here’s a look at tomorrow’s games:

NCS 4A
No. 4 Monte Vista (7-3) vs. No. 5 San Leandro (8-2), at Burrell Field, 7 p.m.
No. 3 California (9-1) at No. 6 Pittsburg (6-4), 7 p.m.

NCS 3A East Bay
No. 5 Alameda (7-3) at No. 4 College Park (8-2), 1 p.m.
No. 6 Arroyo (6-4) at No. 3 Pinole Valley (8-1-1), 7 p.m.

NCS 2A East Bay
No. 5 Ygnacio Valley (6-4) at No. 4 Bishop O’Dowd (8-2), 1 p.m.
No. 6 Acalanes (6-4) at No. 3 Encinal (8-2), 7 p.m.

NCS Class A
No. 5 The King’s Academy-Sunnyvale (7-2) at No. 4 Clear Lake (9-0-1), 7 p.m.
No. 6 Justin-Siena-Napa (6-4) at No. 3 Salesian (9-1), 1 p.m.
No. 7 Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton (8-2) at No. 2 Ferndale (9-1), 1 p.m.

Read the rest of this entry »

Girls golf teams across the East Bay wrapped up their regular seasons yesterday, and while a few still have some makeup matches to play, it’s time to look ahead to the postseason, which begins Monday with the league tournaments.

As far as team titles go, at least three leagues are essentially two-horse races: the EBAL (Monte Vista and Amador Valley), the BVAL (Deer Valley and Carondelet) and the DFAL (Acalanes and Miramonte). There stands to be plenty of competition for the individual prizes as well. Here’s a league-by-league breakdown of Monday’s tournaments.

EBAL

Location: Roddy Ranch GC, Antioch

Time: 10 a.m. (shotgun start)

Team to beat: Monte Vista

Top challenger: Amador Valley

Individual to beat: Joi Pentin (Amador Valley)

Challenger: Jane Lee (Monte Vista)

Dark horses: Kortnie Maxoutopoulis (Foothill), Camille Armas (Dougherty Valley), Emily Chiu (Amador Valley), Jordan Ontiveros (Monte Vista)

Skinny: The team title is Monte Vista’s to lose. Amador Valley can compete with the Mustangs, but they’re really a step below (and everyone else is at least two steps below). Pentin has the best scoring average this season, but Lee is not far behind. And in the EBAL, there are always plenty of golfers who could go low and surprise everyone.

BVAL

Location: Tilden Park GC, Berkeley

Time: 10 a.m.

Team to beat: Deer Valley

Top challenger: Carondelet

Individual to beat: Ashley Edwards (Deer Valley)

Challenger: Ellese Dias (Carondelet)

Dark horses: Victora Leon (Deer Valley), Kellyann Masterson (Freedom), Lauren Conder (Heritage), Taylor Vigil (Carondelet)

Skinny: It appears this year will finally mark the end of Carondelet’s incredible run of dominance in the BVAL. The Wolverines, led by the senior Edwards, beat the Cougars twice in league play (snapping a string of seven straight unbeaten seasons for Carondelet) and finished the regular season undefeated. Edwards is the clear favorite to be the medalist at Monday’s tournament, but if she struggles at all she could be challenged by the sophomore Dias.

DFAL

Location: Diablo Creek GC, Concord

Time: 8:30 a.m. (shotgun start)

Team to beat: Acalanes

Top challenger: Miramonte

Individual to beat: Melissa Woo (Las Lomas)

Challenger: Kristi Nacino (Dublin)

Dark horses: Jillian Lee (Northgate), Audra Kepler (College Park)

Skinny: This tournament features two strong teams and four strong inviduals. Oddly enough, none of the top individuals are members of the top two teams. Acalanes and Miramonte will battle it out for the team title, while Woo appears to be a step above the rest among the individuals. There’s not much separating the top four golfers, though.

BSAL

Location: Blue Rock Springs GC, Vallejo

Time: noon (shotgun start)

Team to beat: Albany

Top challengers: St. Mary’s, Piedmont, Hercules

Individual to beat: Joy Kim (Albany)

Challenger: none

Dark horses: Alex Killingsworth (St. Mary’s), Jennifer Yim (Hercules), Vivian Kwok (Piedmont), NaRa Pak (Albany)

Skinny: The team competition could be very close, as all four teams are capable of coming out on top. The individual competition should not be close. There’s Joy Kim, and then there’s everybody else. Kim likely won’t be challenged until the following Monday at the North Coast Section tournament, but keep an eye on the freshman Yim if you’re looking for a surprise challenger.

This would be a much more interesting tournament if Alameda was involved — correction, it would be a much more interesting individual competition, since the Hornets would have run away with the team title. But Grace Na, Emily Childs and company have already been invited to NCS, so they won’t compete in the BSAL tournament.

— James Leonard

Regardless of whom they played, there was something a little surreal about seeing both Monte Vista and Foothill at 0-1 after one week of high school football. This weekend’s results were a little more in line with what we’re used to.

Monte Vista raised all sorts of questions with its 37-21 loss to James Logan in Week 1, allowing three 100-yard rushers and just generally not playing up to expectations.

On Thursday, though, the Mustangs looked like the Mustangs again in dispatching Merrill West-Tracy. Does this mean Monte Vista is off the hook for not showing up the week before? Not a chance. West is in a major rebuilding year after graduating a pair of outstanding senior classes — but the Mustangs did exactly what they should do to an inferior opponent, and they looked good doing it.

Foothill, meanwhile, had its own questions to answer after its opening day loss to Novato — questions like “Who’s the quarterback?” That one was answered, sort of, on Friday. Senior Bryan Kruger returned from injury and started over sophomore (and coach John Mannion’s son) Sean Mannion in Foothill’s win over Berkeley. Mannion had started the opener and performed fairly well, while Kruger wasn’t asked to do much in Friday’s game.

Junior Cameron Coon was expected to be the starter, but he’s out with a back injury and doesn’t look like he’ll be back anytime soon. That leaves John Mannion with a decision — go with the undersized senior or the promising sophomore who happens to be his son. That could wind up being the first big decision of the first-year coach’s career, and it could play a big role in determining what Foothill can accomplish this season.

No one will play a bigger role, though, than Rob Andrews. The senior fullback/linebacker was the difference against the Yellow Jackets, who did a decent job of containing the Falcons early. As long as Andrews stays healthy and keeps falling forward for 4 yards on every run (and Austin Day keeps stretching defenses laterally), Foothill will remain a team to be reckoned with — regardless of who’s under center.

And speaking of Berkeley, it’s hard not to think that Alonzo Carter will turn the Yellow Jackets into winners eventually. His passion and presence on the sideline demands respect, and once he’s got a full roster of players buying in, he’ll be ready to take his team to great heights just like he did at McClymonds. Just don’t expect it to happen this year — as Carter said Friday, “We’re trying to undo some bad habits. It’s going to take a while.” Berkeley has speed and a fair amount of talent, but not enough to compete with the Foothills of the world.

— James Leonard

Rory Gentry has a special bond with Richie Zuniga. Yes, Gentry was Zuniga’s coach for four years on the Concord High School boys soccer team. Yes, Zuniga helped Gentry turn a moribund program into a playoff contender. Yes, Gentry helped Zuniga through years of waiting his turn in goal, then helped him shine when it was finally his time.
But this bond goes a little deeper.
In 1991, Gentry began having severe back pain. It was eventually discovered that he had a large tumor on his spine and a second one wrapped around it. The tumors caused permanent nerve damage to his spine, and even after they were removed he was told he had no better than a 25 percent chance of ever using his legs again.
Those odds are 25 percent better than the ones Zuniga has been given. Within a year, though, Gentry was walking with a cane. He also had gastric bypass surgery and lost 270 pounds, which helped alleviate stress on his back.
Now he’s turned into Zuniga’s biggest fan, cheering on his former player as he battles through the paralysis he suffered in a car accident last October. Gentry will soon need another surgery, this an unrelated procedure on his neck. If he doesn’t, he’s told he’ll never walk again. He’s heard that one before.
And when he has that second surgery, the two will reverse roles. Zuniga will be coaching Gentry, and he’ll be his biggest fan.
“He keeps reminding me that he’s worse off than I am,” Gentry joked. “I keep reminding him that I’m older and wiser.”

* * *

I’ve received three e-mails already this morning about how to make donations to help Richie Zuniga’s family modify their home to make it more wheelchair-accessible. I’m told there is a Washington Mutual account into which donations can be made. The account number is 3133503066 and the name on the account is Richard Zuniga Jr.

* * *

One fact that didn’t make it into the article was that soccer was not Richie’s only sport. He was a wide receiver and an all-league punter on Concord’s football team, and he played baseball for the Minutemen, too. His senior year, he was chosen as the school’s athlete of the year.
After his year at Contra Costa College, he was looking into attending Diablo Valley College and becoming the Vikings’ punter.

* * *

If there’s one thing I really hope came across in the article about Richie Zuniga, it’s the amazing attitude he carries despite his situation. Interviews for stories like these are always difficult, but with Richie it was incredibly easy.
I’ve only talked to Richie very briefly, so I’m certainly not qualified to make any judgments of his character. All I know is that if I were in his situation, I can guarantee you I wouldn’t be as upbeat or positive. I don’t think I’m that strong.
You hear stories all the time about people who were told they’d never walk again or something of the sort, then overcame the odds and did it. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least to read a story like that about Richie 10 years down the road. His family is already taking steps in that direction, and they’re hoping to enroll him in a training program at Project Walk in Southern California.
Of course, Richie really might never walk again. But he strikes me as a young man who’d be ready and willing to deal with that, too.
I asked Richie if he believed his doctors when they told him he’ll never walk again.
“That’s what they always say in the beginning, but I’m starting to get a little feeling here and there,” he said. “Before it was only in my thumbs. Now it’s all the way to my middle finger on my left hand. I’m slowly getting some back. My spine wasn’t severed, it was crushed. So I could still get feeling back here and there. It’s just up to nature how much I get back.”

The first night of the North Coast Section playoffs saw one major upset in each division, and it set up a number of intriguing matchups in Saturday’s quarterfinals. Among those matchups are rematches of both of last year’s championship games.
In 2A, No. 11 Miramonte beat No. 6 Kennedy at Richmond High School on Wednesday night. More surprising than the result was the score — the Matadors won 4-0 and probably could have scored more.
The only other real upset was in 3A, as No. 11 Castro Valley edged No. 6 San Ramon Valley 2-1 in double-overtime. That was the worst of a bad night for the East Bay Athletic League, which saw three of its five playoff teams go down on the first day. No. 10 Amador Valley lost 3-0 to No. 7 Antioch, while No. 8 Livermore lost 3-1 to No. 9 Richmond.
Miramonte’s win sets up a rematch of last year’s 2A final against Piedmont. The fifth-seeded Matadors won that one 3-0. And Richmond’s win will set up a fourth playoff game in five years against No. 1 Monte Vista. Richmond lost each of the previous three by one goal, including a 2-1 defeat in last year’s 3A title game.
Speaking of rematches, No. 2 De La Salle will face Bay Valley Athletic League foe Antioch for the third time this season in Saturday’s quarterfinals. The Spartans won 1-0 and 2-0 in their two regular-season meetings. And Castro Valley, which spoiled an all-EBAL quarterfinal match by beating San Ramon Valley, will play California.
There are plenty of interesting games in 2A, as well, including Las Lomas-Bishop O’Dowd and St. Mary’s-Acalanes.
My picks for the semifinals? I think the top four seeds will probably take care of business in 3A, but if I had to pick an upset, it would be Richmond over Monte Vista. The Oilers looked like world-beaters against Livermore last night, and they’re a real threat to beat anybody if the keep playing like that.
It’s highly possible the 2A semifinals could feature four Diablo Foothill Athletic League teams, though I think Miramonte upsetting Piedmont and St. Mary’s upsetting Acalanes are equally likely. Las Lomas-Bishop O’Dowd is a toss-up, but I’ll go with the DFAL and take Las Lomas. And I think No. 1 Concord is the team to beat, so the Minutemen should be able to handle No. 8 Tennyson.

Here’s a breakdown of the brackets so far:
3A
Wednesday’s first round
Richmond 3, No. 8 Livermore (14-8-1) 1
Washington 5, No. 12 Deer Valley (8-9-6) 1
Antioch 3, No. 10 Amador Valley (11-7-7) 0
Castro Valley 2, No. 6 San Ramon Valley (15-7-3) 1, 2 OT
Saturday’s quarterfinals
No. 9 Richmond (18-4-1) at No. 1 Monte Vista (16-0-7), 7 p.m.
No. 5 Washington (20-5-0) vs. No. 4 James Logan (16-6-2), at Tak Fudenna Stadium, Fremont, 7 p.m.
No. 7 Antioch (16-4-2) at No. 2 De La Salle (17-1-6), 7 p.m.
No. 11 Castro Valley (15-7-3) at No. 3 California (15-4-2), 7 p.m.
2A
Wednesday’s first round
Tennyson 1, No. 9 Campolindo (12-6-6) 0, shootout
Bishop O’Dowd 4, No. 12 Albany (12-9-2) 0
St. Mary’s 1, No. 10 Hercules (8-5-2) 0, 2 OT
No. 11 Miramonte (9-10-5) 4, No. 6 Kennedy-Richmond (16-2-4) 0
Saturday’s quarterfinals
No. 8 Tennyson (15-4-2) at No. 1 Concord (17-2-5), 7 p.m.
No. 4 Las Lomas (16-4-3) at No. 5 Bishop O’Dowd (17-2-4), noon
No. 7 St. Mary’s (16-3-3) vs. at No. 2 Acalanes (16-4-3), 7 p.m.
No. 11 Miramonte (10-10-5) at No. 3 Piedmont (19-1-3), 7 p.m.

Before tonight, it was a virtual toss-up to decide who should be the No. 1 seed in the North Coast Section 3A boys soccer playoffs, which begin Wednesday. Is it East Bay Athletic League champion Monte Vista or Bay Valley Athletic League champ De La Salle? Both teams have strong resumes and unbeaten league records. Monte Vista might have already had a bit of an edge because it plays in the tougher league, and now it has a win over San Ramon Valley to add to its resume.
Yes, the Wolves became the fifth-place team in the EBAL (Amador Valley moved up to fourth) tonight, but their place in the standings is irrelevant. They beat De La Salle 1-0 in the Spartans’ first game of the season. Monte Vista beat San Ramon Valley 2-0 tonight, giving them a 1-0-1 mark against the Wolves.
Regardless of which team gets the top seed at Sunday’s seeding meeting, there’s a strong possibility the Spartans and Mustangs could meet in the final … think of it as a preview of the EBAL, circa 2008.

In other news: Richmond finally locked up the Alameda Contra Costa Athletic League title with a 6-1 win over Hercules. The game had to be moved from Hercules to Richmond at the last minute when the Titans’ field was deemed unplayable.
Postponing the game until Saturday wasn’t an option. Berkeley’s tie against De Anza last week became a forfeit win because De Anza used an ineligible player, meaning the Yellow Jackets could have won the ACCAL with a Richmond loss tonight. Had Richmond tied Hercules, the Oilers and Yellow Jackets would have been tied atop the ACCAL, and word is a playoff game would have been played on Saturday.
Berkeley, which boasts a strong league record but a poor nonleague record, is in danger of missing the playoffs altogether. Winning the ACCAL would have solved that problem for the Yellow Jackets, but now they’ll have to make their case at Sunday’s seeding meeting.

When he first took over as the boys soccer coach at Pittsburg some 15 years ago, Mario Gonzalez had trouble just finding enough players to field a full team.

By the time he left the school last year, the Pirates had more than 80 players showing up for tryouts and were fielding varsity and junior varsity teams. They were also winners, having become annual playoff contenders after years of residing in the Bay Valley Athletic League cellar.

Paco Gonzalez, who started as an assistant under Mario in 1999 and took over for him as the Pirates’ head coach this season, plans to honor Mario before Pittsburg’s home game against Antioch on Jan. 23. Several former players are expected to show up to acknowledge their former coach.

"He gave (players) the confidence to have a lot of pride and play for their school," Paco Gonzalez said. "Little by little they gained a reputation, and each year they got stronger and stronger."

Check out the high school soccer notebook in today’s Times for more on boys and girls soccer.