Baseball: LJ falls, 2-1

Starter Luke Bucon in action against visiting

Mt. Carmel in the Bully's East Tournament.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

Junior righthander Luke Bucon spun five and a third innings of two-hit ball March 15, but the Vikings couldn't hold on in relief and went down 2-1 at the hands of visiting Mt. Carmel in the Bully's East Tournament.

Bucon, throwing shutout ball in his first varsity outing, faced only 19 batters, only three over the minimum, in striking out two and walking only two. His pitch count was 53, breaking down to just about 10 pitches for each of his five full innings.

The Sun Devils (1-2), on a day with a bit of fog on the coast keeping temperatures cool on a sunny day, weren't taking a lot of pitches, anyway. In the first inning, Tyler Miller, Nick Romano, and Samuel Cope, in the top three slots in the order, were first-pitch hitters. The bearded Bucon put down Mt. Carmel in order in the second and fourth.

La Jolla took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third when second baseman Sean Hofmann, hitting in the ninth slot, smacked a single to left and moved to third on Brett Volger's hit through the vacated right side of the infield. After Tim Holdgrafer flied out to right and Alex Eliopulos popped to Sun Devil shortstop Adam Schaffroth, rangy Noah Strohl hit a grounder that the shortstop flubbed. Hofmann scored, with Volger taking third. The rally died on a groundout to second by Thomas Zlatic.

Bucon protected that lead until LJHS coach Gary Frank watched him hit the first batter up in the top of the sixth, Schaffroth's replacement, Jacob Benson, hitting at the bottom of the order, then walk Miller on a full count. Frank had obviously seen enough, because he switched Bucon with James Whelan in left field. Whelan, rearing back, served up a double play ball on his first pitch to quell the threat.

Shortstop Brett Volger, hitting in the leadoff spot,

takes a healthy cut. (Photo by Ed Piper)

Things didn't go as well for La Jolla the next inning. Volger came in in relief of Whelan after he walked Cope, the leadoff batter. Volger gave up a single to DH Carter Couch, a sacrifice to Justin Valdez moving the runners to second and third, and a swinging bunt to pinch-hitter Jordan Jacobson that brought Cope in to tie the game, 1-1. The throw came to the plate, but it was too late.

Ahead of the next batter, Brody Prows, with a 1-2 count, Brett served up a curveball in the middle of the zone that the Mt. Carmel rightfielder drilled to left, bringing in Couch with the go-ahead run. The reliever retired Kory Fox on a fly to right and struck out Benson swinging to end the inning. But the damage was done.

The Vikings put two runners on base in the bottom of the seventh, both on walks by Mt Carmel reliever Jared Mallari. But Tim Holdgrafer took off running for second before Mallari threw the next pitch. Mallari turned, finding Holdgrafer in no-man's-land. The centerfielder got tagged out in the ensuing rundown. He nearly made it back to first under Jack Melton's tag. Then Eliopulos, getting aboard after the rundown, died at first when Strohl flied out to left.

La Jolla (2-1), with further games in the Bully's tourney March 18 at Santana and March 20 at home versus Mira Mesa, saw their bats quieted considerably from the first two games of the season. Besides Volger's and Hofmann's hits, Eliopulos had a single in the fifth off tiring Sun Devils starter Jack Melton. Whelan banged a hit a frame earlier. Weston Clark, playing in right field, greeted Mallari coming in in relief of Melton in the sixth with a single as the first batter up.

A little bit of a gruesome note is that James Whelan, sliding into first to try to beat shortstop Benson's throw on his groundball in the bottom of the sixth, dislocated the pinky finger on his glove hand. Assistant coach Jake Grosz popped it right back into place in the dugout. Whelan went back out to pitch again in the top of the seventh, before being removed by Frank after walking his first batter on five pitches.

Whelan said he had never had a dislocated finger before. He said it felt "weird", that it didn't hurt when Grosz popped it back into place because it was "numb". Grosz had him keep moving the finger to keep it loose, then he had him try on his glove to see how it felt. James told Jake it felt fine, so he took the mound after Sean Hofmann's at-bat ended the Vikings' half of the inning.

Copyright 2014 Ed Piper

Baseball: LJ 2-0 early on

Vikings' Alex Eliopulos makes the throw from

third in a game against Madison last year.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

The La Jolla Vikings baseball team has won its first two games, which is a nice way to feed the optimism of spring. One player's father told me a month ago that the 2014 edition of the team could go far. I'm sure Coach Gary Frank has his feet planted firmly on the ground, but with his thoughts bearing hope and optimism.

As the Cubs' Ernie Banks was noted for saying: "It's a great day for a ballgame. Let's play two."

Evident from the game stats is that senior third baseman Alex Eliopulos cracked a home run in the opening game against Monte Vista, a 7-2 win. The veteran, who began starting at third two years ago as a sophomore, added a double and two RBI's, not too bad for a day's work. Alex seems ready for the sunny start to this season right after Daylight Saving Time, considering his last name means "land of the sun". He's four for six in the young season, a .667 average.

Brett Volger, who really can't hit (I'm kidding--he hit .367 as a junior last year, with 21 RBI's), is swinging at a measly .500 clip, with three hits in six at bats. Brett developed another persona and career during the basketball season, coming out as one of the most vocal members of the student body cheering section at many home games.

The balanced person

I have a conflict about high school and youth sports: What is the proper balance between athletics and study, family, and all the other things a young person does?

In other words, what is the right place of sports in a young person's life?

Right out front, I will state that I am a public school teacher. So I view things through the lens of a teacher.

This is different from the view of a coach, a professional athlete, and other perspectives.

Here is where the conflict comes in: A student should be concentrating on her or his studies in class, to learn, to grow in skills as a young person, and to graduate from high school. The tail should not be wagging the dog--the student having a primary identity as an athlete while in school, in which practicing and playing for a team (or teams) dominate and the student fails to fulfill responsibilities in the classroom.

With professional sports prominent, and now in the age of ESPN sports coverage 24 hours a day, sports is big business. Putting together a highlight video for college recruiters is a big business. (Check listings online.) Having a personal trainer is big business.

I am not against these. The genie will not go back in the bottle. I know that "amateur" athletics will never be the same again, the way they may have been in the 1950's and 60's. I am for young people participating in sports--whether organized sports in teams or intramurals on campus, or informal over-the-line games like we used to play during the summer--because they enjoy them.

If a person doesn't enjoy playing basketball, or playing the clarinet, or doing ballet, they shouldn't be doing it. We can do it because our parent is living vicariously through us. This has happened since time immemorial. Not healthy. That didn't just start with the ESPN age. It's probably more of an issue now.

Sports can provide a healthy outlet for exercise. Sports can be a great place to learn and master skills requiring concentration, persistent practice, and striving for excellence.

I am for students participating in athletics in balance with their studies, family relationships, and personal life (hopefully including a spiritual component--a good grounding for anybody).

I am not for athletes who can help the team win Friday's game having their grades artificially raised to keep them eligible, being allowed to miss class because they're an athlete, and any other abuses of academics, the primary reason schools exist. I have seen kids in junior high receiving special treatment just because they were known as good athletes on campus. I have seen this in high schools. I have heard of this in elementary schools, where a student who was kind of unruly but who was known as a good athlete was not held to the behavior and academic standards other students were held to.

A discussion to be continued.


Copyright 2014 Ed Piper

LJ g BB: Stats that stand out

Madeleine Gates sticks her tongue out

in looking for an outlet for the ball

against Central in the CIF Finals

March 8. (Photo by Ed Piper)

Madeleine Gates blocked 113 shots this season, an average of 2.8 per game. She piled up 217 defensive rebounds and 125 offensive rebounds for a total of 342 rebounds, an average of 11 per game. Add this to her "elite" kill statistics in volleyball last fall, and you have some fun numbers to play with.

Sophie Sowers potted 215 three-point shots in four years of high school basketball. She plunked in her 80th three-pointer of the season with 2:43 left to tie the CIF Finals 46-46 against Central Union of Imperial Valley March 8. "She holds the La Jolla HS record for most 3's in a game (8), most 3's in a season (81) [last year] and most 3's in a career (215)," emailed her dad, Tom Sowers.

Long-braided Sophie Sowers (13) demonstrated a

new ability this season to drive to the basket. She

was forced to develop this when Coach Dave

Westhem handed her more of the ball-handling

duties. (Photo by Ed Piper)

Copyright 2014 Ed Piper

LJ BB: Looking back on the season

Madigan Sepulveda-Sanders (42) goes high

to win opening tipoff against Scripps

Ranch's Devante Robinson Feb. 21.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

Basketball is my number-one love, since I played it in high school and community college. My long lankiness counted against me as the years went on in baseball. But in basketball, it was an advantage.

Therefore, I have really linked emotionally with the La Jolla boys team, especially, over the past 10 years. (You've probably read the story--contained in an earlier blog--that I started taking photos at LJHS when my granddaughter Alexis, now 23, was a cheerleader in Vikingland.)

I kind of missed out on leisurely enjoying the latter part of the 2013-14 season, because two trainings I had to do for my job (I teach juvenile court students) started simultaneously in mid-January. Kapow! I kept going to games and taking photos, and covering sports events for the La Jolla Light. But I didn't have time to linger, to hang out, "in the manner in which I had become accustomed." (My mom used to use that phrase sometimes.)

So, here, March 10, the season all over for the boys and girls teams, I am sitting at my computer, composing--exhaling and relaxing a little bit. Finally. Time to think and write about the boys season.

Paul Baranowski, the Vikings' head coach the past two seasons, has given me full access to the team on the sidelines and after games. I really appreciate that. He is just a super guy. He jokes about his hard edge. He's a motivator of young men, and that is one of his tools. He has a dialogical style with his players, meaning he carries on a conversation with them. He does not come off as a top-down dictator, though he speaks forcefully and he knows what he wants to accomplish.

I think he has shown superior skill in supporting and mentoring Reed Farley, the Vikings' 15-year-old freshman guard and most consistent player. Reed wears his emotions on his sleeve. He talks a lot to the referees, and he has a habit of pleading his case after a foul he doesn't think he deserves with anyone who will listen. This means going to the sidelines during an opponent's free throw to talk.

Paul meets him, listens, redirects him. I would be interested to hear Reed's feeling about it, but I would guess he would say he feels heard by Coach Baranowski. Reed can jump out of the gym, so often he tries to block shots. Part of the time referees are going to call fouls on the block attempts, whether justified or not.

Senior Nic Skala was brilliant in the upset win at Cathedral Catholic, in which he scored eight points in crunch time in the fourth quarter. He had some other outstanding games, as well. Fellow guard Ladd Castellano, a newcomer to the varsity, developed through last summer and into the 2013-14 season. Really, the triumvirate guarddom of Reed, Nic, and Ladd was the source of a lot of the team's propulsion through many of the games.

Madigan Sepulveda-Sanders, the most gracious person, played beyond any expectations I would have had for him when I saw him play a year ago as a junior. Madigan worked hard, evidently, to develop perfect forward rotation on his shot. This made his shot effective on both free throws and the periodic jump shot. I told him several days after one league game (my memory at 59 is not what it was at 22) what great rebounding he did. He politely corrected me on which game, because in the one I mentioned, he didn't play well. But he grew leaps and bounds in his ability to go get the ball off the backboard--beyond what I thought he could do a year ago. Good for him.

Anyway, here's hoping I can relax more and enjoy next season. There shouldn't be any new training required for my job next winter. And I can look forward to summer. So-called "team camps" are a fun way to see the guys play at local venues three days in a row (Friday-Saturday-Sunday) and to hang out with other basketball types. I got to meet Steve Fisher, SDSU coach who Paul Baranowski and his son Jake, the freshman coach, know, last summer. Just a nice guy, and got a good photo of him with Jake, who requested it.


Copyright 2013 Ed Piper

LJ g BB: Aftermath

Dave Westhem, LJHS girls basketball

coach, has put a new stride into the

program in the last two years. (Sophie
is cracking up in the background--??)

(Photo by Ed Piper)

"Aftermath" was an early, great album by the Rolling Stones. It included the cuts "Under My Thumb", "Paint It Black", and others. Come to think of it, as I write these song titles, it was kind of a dark album.

Leading me to segue to the aftermath of the La Jolla girls basketball season. Nothing dark about that. A lot of light. What a fun season. I told Coach Dave Westhem today, "Thank you. It was fun watching the team this season." There is nothing like healthy, constructive teamwork. Dave, through long hours beginning two summers ago, the girls' first substantial summer league experience, began to build the program.

I have to be honest, when I first happened to see Sophia Sowers in taking photos of the boys team, I kind of dismissed her. She was lofting up the same long, high-arc shot that she still puts up today. The shots were from a long way out. I thought, There's no way a high percentage of those are going in. What are they thinking in letting her lob those shots up there?

Well, after she made 81 three-point shots her next season, as a sophomore in 2011-12, she was on her way to what has to be a school record of over 200 three-pointers in her career. Her dad, Tom, is a proud historian of her achievements, and rightly so.

Captain Sierra Westhem (right), a three-year

varsity starter for the Vikings, has been kind

of like a coaching assistant on the floor

for her dad this season. (Photo by Ed Piper)

Dave on the narrow 51-48 loss in the CIF Division III Finals March 8: "The turnovers killed us. We had 24. Central only had 15. Their number-21 (Nettie Williams) had zero."

That may be true, and I respect the coach, who knows a lot about basketball. I'm just an observer. But when the game was tied 46-46 with 2:43 left, either team could have won. Maddy Gates had 22 rebounds (as credited by the UT--her dad counted 20). Sophie had 20 points and put the dagger in repeatedly driving down the lane for teardrop layups. The Vikings played a fantastic game.

When time started to wind down and I realized it looked like LJHS wasn't going to win, I thought of crying. I checked the thought, but I could have. When you follow a team this much, and you get to not only take photos of them from a few feet away during the game, but also interview them (generally not after losses--they clam up!), you start to feel attached.

Dave said the team could have been picked to advance to the CIF Regionals this week. But Mount Miguel dropped down from the Open Division. Bishop's goes in as San Diego CIF's top representative after winning the Open Division title March 8. "We picked the wrong year. It kind of alternates years," he said. "But it has still been a great year. We made it to the title game. Next year we'll finish (the task)."

Dave, reviewing the core group returning next year: "Maddy's young. Helen Lee is going to handle the ball. Amanda (Polcyn) is coming back. Jenna (Harmeyer) will be there. It's a good group. We have some young girls coming in." Work starts this summer, when the girls can again group together and play in some summer league camps.

The UT cover story on Sophie's 1,000 points talked about the girls youth basketball league assistant coach Johnnie Horne is going to be involved in. That will give girls a chance to dribble the basketball, practice some of the basic skills and enjoy the game before they get to high school.

Guard Amanda Polcyn (3) drives

under the basket to try a reverse

layup in the first round CIF playoff

win over Oceanside Feb. 25.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

Giant Maddy Gates (33) made life

awfully unpleasant for Jalyn

McClain of Central and many

other opponents this year.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

Hustling Jenna Harmeyer (on the floor during CIF

Finals) will be back for more bball next season.

Right now, she's got sprints to attend to for the

Viking varsity women's track team.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

Copyright 2014 Ed Piper

Girls BB: Sister sends birthday wishes

Sierra Westhem (11), younger of two

basketball-playing sisters, casts

off in her patented set shot

against Central's Jalyn

McClain in the CIF title game

March 8. (Photo by Ed Piper)

Ashley Westhem, former LJHS basketball player, sister of present LJHS player Sierra Westhem and daughter of LJHS coach Dave Westhem, made the following comment via Facebook prior to their CIF Division III Finals game March 8:

"I'm very excited for the team today and win or lose, I hope they enjoy the moment of playing on a college court and achieving something that hasn't been done (at La Jolla) since the 80's [1987 to be exact]--something that I never even got close to achieving! And, of course, I'm proud of Coach Dad for turning the team around in only two years. Lots of hard work and dedication from everyone."

She also wished her younger sister happy 18th birthday earlier in the day: "So proud of u for making cif finals and no matter what just have fun out there."


Copyright 2014 Ed Piper

Girls BB: Vikings narrowly fall in CIF Finals, 51-48

2014 La Jolla Vikings girls basketball team

2nd in CIF Division III

(Photo by Ed Piper)

La Jolla's fabulous girls basketball team built a 10-point lead with minutes left in the third quarter, but couldn't hold on, dropping a well-played 51-48 decision to Central Union of Imperial Valley in the CIF Division III Finals March 8.

Senior Sophie Sowers led with 20 points, many of her points coming on attacks down the middle of the lane against defenders. She added five rebounds and two assists. She showed a fierceness unmatched before, sometimes persisting in her offensive drives against one or more closing defenders trying to clog the middle. She finishes her four-year varsity career with over 1,000 points--only the third Viking female to reach that standard--and over 200 three-pointers. She started all four years at La Jolla High.

Coach Dave Westhem said, "This was our plan" to make it to the title game. He scheduled games in the tough La Jolla Country Day Sweet Sixteen Invitational, a tournament that La Jolla had never played in before, and against Bishop's, the number one team in the county. The purpose was to give the girls a challenge, and build their skill level and expectations of where they could reach.

Sierra Westhem, like Sowers playing her final high school game, had eight points, three rebounds, and two assists. The two seniors' leadership, especially at halftime of the quarterfinal game at Fallbrook Feb. 28 in which La Jolla narrowly trailed, sparkled as the Vikings pushed further into the playoffs.

Sophomore Madeleine Gates avoided further foul trouble in the third quarter, after committing two personals in the first half, and again dominated the middle against the shorter Spartans. She pulled down 20 rebounds and blocked four shots to go with her 13 points. She also had two steals and two assists. She is the complete athletic package. She has a positive attitude, to boot.

Copyright 2014 Ed Piper

Abigail Webber, LJHS cheerleader

Abigail Webber

(Photo by Ed Piper)

Abigail Webber is a cheerleader at LJHS.

Age: 16

Year in school: Sophomore

(Abby or Abigail?) I really don't care. I like the name Abigail.

Favorite food: Steak. I love steak. (Who cooks it the best?) My dad. (His name?) Dean. (How do you like it cooked?) Medium. I like just piling on mashed potatoes. (Who makes the mashed potatoes?) My mom, and I help sometimes. (What's your mom's name?) Maureen Webber.

Music group: That's hard. I like a lot of different genres. Probably just pop. I like Christina Aguilera and Katy Perry.

Favorite class: I really enjoy American Sign Language (ASL). I'm pretty good. I can understand what the teacher is saying and I can have a conversation with someone. I'm not an expert yet, but it's a lot of fun. I didn't feel like taking Spanish, because everyone else was taking Spanish. I wanted to try something new. That counts as a foreign language.

College plans: I don't know what kind of college I want to go to yet, but I know I want to be a nurse. I don't know what kind of nursing I want to go into. I like taking care of people. I have a lot of patience.

Comment on the LJHS Cheer Squad: I like it, because we're all a pretty close group. And with the dance routines and the stunts we do, you really have to trust one another. It's a lot of fun. I really enjoy it. It's a team-building sport.

A cause or thing in the world you would like to see changed or made better: World peace. Like no wars. (What would be a way we could move toward that?) Maybe if everyone tried to be patient with one another and tried to listen instead of arguing back.

Lea O'Haire, LJHS cheerleader

Lea O'Haire (center) with fellow cheerleaders

Abigail Webber (L) and Lydia Trautmiller

at Lincoln basketball game.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

Lea O'Haire is a returning cheerleader at LJHS.

Age: 16

Year in school: Junior

Favorite food: I like Mexican food. Mexican food is really good. Burritos. Chicken or veggies. (Spicy?) Not really.

Music: I like any music genre, really. (Music to dance to, or music to listen to?) Well, both. It's nice to be able to dance it, but also nice to sing along.

Song: Jason Mraz, "I'm Yours". It's just been a favorite since sixth grade.

A favorite cause or issue you'd like to see change your generation change: I think what's going on with a lot of kids at school these days, getting bullied. I think we can all help one another out, create a bully-free environment. I think that would really help.
Educational plans: I'd like to go to college. Right now (with another year to go), I'm looking at SDSU. But I'm open to any (?).
Major: I'd like to go into finance. I'd like to be a financial planner. It's a good-paying job. You get to help people out. (You like math and finance, and you're linear, organized?) Yeah.
Comment on the LJHS Cheer Squad: At first, we were brand-new. We didn't know each other. It's like really amazing how we were able to connect with each other just through a few practices. We really got to bond. Now we're a cheer family. It's pretty nice. My third year on varsity.



Samantha Jimenez, LJHS cheerleader

Samantha Jimenez (front row, her head and arm next to

the light pole) cheers at Blast Off. (Photo by Ed Piper)

Samantha Jimenez is a cheerleader at LJHS.

Age: 16
Year in school: Junior

Favorite food: Pizza. (Topping?) Just pepperoni. (From where?) Pizza Hut.
Music groups: Maroon 5. Gym Class Heroes. Hip hop. Dance music.
Song: "Love Somebody" by Maroon 5. I like the beat to it.
College plans: To attend USD. I want to stay in San Diego, and I want to go to a private college.
Future field of study: I'm not sure yet, but something with math. (Are you good at it?) Yes.
Dream career: Probably accounting.
Comment on the LJHS Cheer Squad: I like my cheer squad. It's a good way to meet new friends, and we always have a great time together.

LJ g water polo wins CIF semis, 7-6

Scarlett Hallahan scored the winning goal with 19 seconds left, as La Jolla's girls water polo team came from behind to defeat Coronado, 7-6, in the CIF Division III semifinals Feb. 26.

Quotes:

Sarah Young, senior: "After we were down 4-2, I think the whole team realized what needed to happen in order to reach the goal we made at the beginning of the season, which was to win CIF.  The fact that 5 (actually four) different girls scored just shows how far along we have come as a team since the beginning of the season. Our practices leading up to semis were really focused on fine-tuning the little things that make up our offense and defense. Having that hard game on Wednesday has helped prepare us for what's to come in Saturday's game.  Before this season our team has never beaten Bishop's. In our minds, that is what makes this game so different than past years, now that we have that win."

Taylor Bertrand, senior: "Scarlett had an amazing game and she held our team together. Coronado was heavily pressing Sarah and I, and we came to realize that we just needed to attack on offense, but most importantly play great defense. Those goals Scarlett made was the game-changer for us. We were confident we were going to win, we just knew it was a 4-quarter game and had to pace ourselves. It's such a fast- moving game."

Lauren Silver, senior goalie: "Weird as it was, I felt extremely calm throughout the entire game. When we were losing by two, I definitely had to regroup and calm myself. But egotistical as it sounds, I couldn't see our team losing. I could see our spirits stutter slightly when we were down by a few goals, but all we needed to do was simply play our game. Coronado definitely has some amazing shooters, including my close friend Jaicey Tyler, whose shot from low at the 5 spot is DEADLY."

On defending against skip shots: "Throughout my eight years playing goalie, I've had more goals scored on me than I'd like to acknowledge. I've had to adapt and find what works for me. Skips are definitely tricky, but I find that if I keep my arms low, parallel to the water as long as possible, and then move my arms upwards to meet the ball, I have much more success in blocking. If I try and lunge up and then bring my arms down again to meet the ball, I sometimes over-correct,  slamming my arms too far into the water, missing the ball. I find that blocking skips, as well as lobs and one-on-nobody's, rely on  patience (something that I haven't mastered yet--ahah).

"Though we have had our ups and downs this season, I am confident in our team. It's our last chance at winning CIF. I want our legacy to live forever in our hearts and on a red and gold banner that hangs from the rafters in our gym. We have such an amazing opportunity, and I pray that we can pull through and win. YEEWWW LA JOLLA!¡"

Lexi Atwell: "We all knew that it was a 4-quarter game, so we needed to be patient and just play as a team and do the things we knew we were capable of. We all were playing for each other and working together as a team, and that's why so many different people got opportunities to score. It was definitely an exciting game!"