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2003
CCS CHAMPIONS
Never before

The baseball team won CCS Division III championship for the first time ever for a SC baseball team.

2003
FOOTBALL Practice games: Pacific Grove 30-22, Gilroy 13-33, Monterey 26-22, Greenfield 21-20. Practice record 3-1. League: SLV 8-31, Watsonville 21-28, Scotts Valley 26-10, Soquel 19-20, Aptos 7-14, Harbor 22-17. League record 2-4 tied for fourth place. Season record 5-5.

Yearbook. The Cards lost one league game by one point and two by a touchdown. The team was determined to be in every game and never would show fear to anyone.

The Hammer award is an honor that is given each game to the player who not only contributes to the team, but also got the team out of many tough situations. Listed by opponents and the honored athlete. Pacific Grove, Will Wetmore; Gilroy, Danny Conception; Monterey, Michael Frye; SLV, Michael Frye; Watsonville, Jason Paris; SV, Adam Cress; Greenfield, Michael Durland; Soquel, Jared Jenkins; Aptos, Jeff McCormick and Harbor, Brett Miller.

Awards voted on by the players, by the award an recipient.
Offensive player of the year, Jason Paris
Defensive player of the year, Nic Tom
Special teams player, Kyle Milburn
Most improved, Michael Figueroa
Defensive back of the year, Chad Allen
Offensive back, Danny Conception
Offensive lineman, Tim Morton
Defensive lineman of year, Evan Benevento
Line backer of the year, Michael Frye
Wide receiver, Keith Woessner
Offensive captain, Will Wetmore
Defensive captain, Jared Jenkins
Sophomore of the year, Will Wetmore
Assistant coach of the year, Willie Lenzer
Coaches award, Danny Concecpion
Golden Helmet, Michael Durland
Scholar Athlete, Chad Allen

Roster: Alex Eklof, Michael Figueroa, Paul Croghan, Michael Durland, Michael Frye, Robert Deyl, Jeff McCormick, Kaj, Kibak, Adam Cress, Billy Pederson, Martin Case, Jared Jenkins, Nic Tom, Eric Schofield, Tony Serna, Isaac Dwyer, Erick Erickson, Kenny Engelhaupt, Keith Woessner, Steven Perez, Evan Benevento, Daniel Gilbertson, John Scargill, Kyle Milburn Tim Morton, Phillip Ryder, Danny Concepcion, Matt Merrill Jason Paris, Marco Palermo, Will Wetmore, Christian Ramos, Eric Bernard, Joe Escobar, Brett Miller, Zachary Letner, Adam Spear, Wes Matthews, Dylan Windt and Chad Allen. Head coach Basil Faltas and assistants Windt, Thorny, Thornburg, Tiny, Willie Lenzner and Bull.

JV FOOTBALL Pacific Grove 7-14, Soquel 0-46, Harbor 25-20, Watsonville 12-37, Scotts Valley 0-46; SLV 0-46; Aptos 0-46, Gilroy 12-35, Monterey 0-44 and Greenfield 0-21.

Yearbook. Roater: Steve Hill, Adam Kunkel, Chris Marchisio, Kyle Martin, Lucas Iriguchi, Dustin Keller, Austin Bates, Jack Boston, Jarod Ottley, Larry Figueroa, Josh Pursley, Adam George, Kaz Buryn, Scott Millang, Adrian Saldana, German Gladov, Kerek Castro, Michael Norteye, Mike McNicholas, Chris Taku, Matt Edmonds, Brian George, Tai Williams, Chad Jessen, Jamie Welsh, Nick Bailey, Wes Mathews, Matt Greenburg, Collin Jenkins, Bard Foster Justin Tanimoto, Erhan Ethem, Alex Dunton, Danny Frentz, Vince Smithers, Sean Liechti, Michael Garcia, Alex Serna, Sergio Escobar, Travis Moody, Daniel Lopez and Emmanuel Perez. Head Coach Eric Redding and assistants Bythael Ratliff, Brad Hillier and Darryl Jessen.

CROSS COUNTRY BOYS
Yearbook. Roster: Jonah Stuart-Brundage, Michael Brown, Russell Bush, Cole Barthel, Austin Worth ane Sebastian Honnef. Coach Victor Dubin.

CROSS COUNTRY GIRLS
Yearbook. Had only two girls listed, Lauren Tashima and Christina Ando.

GIRLS TENNIS League matches: Soquel, two losses; Harbor, two losses; Watsonville, two losses; Scotts Valley, two wins; SLV, two wins and Aptos two losses. League record 4-8.

Yearbook. Roster: Captain Jessica Rose, Antonia Hogg, Shannon Smyth, Emiliano Aragon, Julia Uhl, Carly Lonhnberg, Danielle Braun, Marie Robinson, Claire LaBerge, Andrea O’Donnell, Kaylin Slakey, Arya Clayton, Anna Simmons, Heather Loosley, Talyeh Ghezel-Ayahg, Angela May, Stav Braun and Jenny Whiting. (some of these girls must be on the JV team)

GIRLS AND BOYS VARSITY SWIMMING AND DIVING Combined
Yearbook. Both had great seasons this year. They worked incredibly hard at their 6 am practices giving 100 percent rain or shine to improve their skills. Since there was no pool side showers, because of construction, they had to rinse off with an ice cold hosing down.

There was no team picture just some individual shots of Laisa Gouvea, Brianna Skanderup, Anna Davenport, Leslie Mathews, Roseann Scrivens, Rege McGuire and Marshall Sommers.

BOYS WATER POLO League matches: Harbor 8-9, SLV 7-10, Watsonville 11-2, Aptos 8-9, Soquel 1-18, Harbor 7-10, SLV 8-9, Aptos 9-7 and Soquel 3-23. Record 2-7.

Yearbook. Roster: (some of the following players played on the JV team) Randy Schwartz, Mike Belli, Andrew Lezin, David Hill, Chris Jacobson, Sasha Rosewood, Andreas Zappacosta, Johnny Orlando, Blaze Young, Marshall Somers, Donald Salter, Mark Adams, Cody Griggs, Lars Davenport, Aaron Park, Temo Peranda, Sterling Worth, David Putman-Pite and Braxton Alsip. Coach Jeff Meyers.

GIRLS WATER POLO finished in third place in league. They played a 35 game schedule.

Yearbook: positions in water polo are hole, wings, defenders and goalie. The team traveled as far as Davis to compete against the best teams in Northern California.

A poorly heated pool and lack of showers didn’t stop the girls from making 6 AM tough practices before school.

Captains were Caitlin DeWorken and Molly Miller. The other starters were Mary McCormick, Greta Carroll, Leonora Bittleston, Linnea Powell and new goalie Heather Rosenberg.

Rest of squad: Jessica Malley, Reje Maguire, Roseanne Scrivens, Sarah Skenazy, Sarah Kunkle, Perri Wells, Alisia Works Molly Miller and Ali Gill.

GIRLS JV WATER POLO
Yearbook The girls attitudes were excellent, even though they did not win a game. They always gave it 100 percent.

There were pictures of the following girls, Emma Price, Jessica DeSmet and Zoe Latta,
(no other names)

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL League matches: Scotts Valley, two wins; SLV, two wins; Soquel, two wins; Harbor, two losses; Aptos, two losses and Watsonville, two wins. League record 8-4 for third place.

Yearbook. After losing most of the starters from last years very successful team, Captains Jessica Wyant and Robin Terry realized that the team would have to work together in order to have a good season. This years team relied mostly on their middles Robin Terry and Andrea Woliczko and outside Kim Auer for their offensive attacks. The setter was Jessica Wyant and the right side was Anna Frazer. Their only loss were to Aptos and Harbor.

In their first match up in CCS playoffs against King City, the Cards came back from losing the first two games and won the last three for the win. In the semifinals they loast to Menlo in three games.

Rest of squad; Kelly Gleitsmann, Meaghan Barisone, Katie Merrill, Ashley Phillips, Jessica Cooper, Ariana Grova and Carolee McKay. Head coach Kim Cave and assistant Erik Nelson.

JV GIRLS VOLLEYBALL League matches: Scotts Valley, win/ loss; SLV, two wins; Soquel, win/ loss; Harbor, win/loss; Aptos, two losses; St. Francis, two wins and Watsonville, win/loss. League record 8-6.

Yearbook. With five new players and a lot of height, the girls were able to block, kill and smash their opponents down.

Roster: Jessica Graham, Alisha Baskett-Griffin, Katie Robinson, Lindsey Walls, Rachele Wyant, Alisa Elb, Hillary Herd, Tara Kelly, Amber Eklof, Logan Vanderpool, Noel Devine and Stacey Kerr. Coach Matt Paine.

GIRLS FRESHMAN VOLLEYBALL League matches: SLV, two wins; Soquel, two wins; Harbor, two wins; Aptos, two losses; St. Francis, one win and Watsonville, two losses. League record 7-4.

Yearbook. Roster: Annie Daly, Hannah Shull, Ashlie Lamere, Cassie Garner, Natalie Hall, Monica Rees, Meilani Kamahao, Katrina Jenkins, Katie Christopher, Lauren Welsh, Becca Coleman, Shantee Kingsland and Marrisa Alvarez.

GIRLS GOLF League matches: Soquel, two wins; Harbor, won/loss; Watsonville, two wins; Scotts Valley, two losses; SLV, two wins and Aptos two wins. League record 9-3 for second place.

Yearbook. For the first time, since SC started a girls golf team, the team have uniforms this year. That plus retiring coach Dennis Mullen throwing golf balls at them when they weren’t paying attention and his pending retirement gave the girls extra incentive this year.

Roster: Shelly Meze, Nichole Caiocca, Roseann Scrivens, Charlotte Sylvan, Anika Dunkell, Emma Huchinson and Monica May. Head Coach Dennis Mullen and assistant Marshall Sylvan.

BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL SCCAL Co-Champions.
From Mbayprep. Practice games: Valley Christian 58-53, Monte Vista Christian 36-52. San Luis Obispo tourney: Capistrano Valley of Mission Viejo 54-46, San Luis Obispo 37-52, San Marcus 48-68. Dads Club: Scotts Valley 63-34, Paso Roblles 44-41, Salinas 60-55 for championship. Palma Tourney: Seaside 52-55, St. Francis of Mt. View 53-41, Ygnaco Valley 31-36. Tim Cole tournament: American of Fremont 50-57, San Lorenzo 56-53, Foothill of Pleasanton 64-67. Soquel tourney: Westmont 48-47, MVC 33-42, Soquel 65-59. Practice record 9-8
League: Watsonville 47-38, 63-65; Aptos 55-52, 53-62; SLV 63-42, 57-, 34; Soquel 41-49, 44-50; Scotts Valley 71-34, 86-53; Harbor 46-53, 51-34. League record 7-5 for fourth place.
In the SCCAL championship tournament, SC won all three rounds, SLV 71-49; semifinal, Watsonville 48-47; finals, Soquel 63-57 for the tournament championship and co-championship of the league. 3-0.
CCS Division IV playoffs: first round, King City 83-47; quarterfinal, Valley Christian 57-45; semifinal, Monte Vista Christian 34-67. 2-1.
Overall record 21-14

Yearbook. Roster listed by name, year in school and height: Eric VanVleit 10, 6-8; Cliff Sammet, 10, 6-6; Cameron Rhodes, 11, 6-4; Maurice Stewart, 12. 6-3; Nick Miller, 11, 6-3; Kajhal Benes-Trapp, 12- 6-6; Travis Haussler, 10, 6-6; D.J Anthony, 11, 6-2; George Murphy, 12, 6-2; Chris Futch, 12, 6-0; Nic Tom, 11, 6-0; Russell Bush, 11, 6-2; Austin Swift, 10, 6-2; Michael Norteye, 10, 5-8; Matt Merrill, 11, 5-8; Kyle Milburn, 11, 5-9; Paul Dinkins 10, 5-9; Steve Hill, 10, 6-4. Coach Pete Newell and assistant Eric Manabe.

Sentinel preseason write up on November 27. Coach Pete Newell, twenty-eighth year. Last season: 23-9 overall, 10-2 in league for a three way tie for first with SLV and Soquel. SC won the SCCAL championship tournament. Key returners: All seniors: Chris Futch, point guard; Maurice Stewart, forward; George Murphy forward and Kajahl Benes, center. Key new comers: After losing all of its starters to graduation, all the remaining 13 new players on the SC team will be key.
Coach speak: The fact that we don’t really have a dominate player at one position makes it so we have a lot of competition. We’ll definitely have a deep bench. Outlook: If they want to uphold their reputation as one of the toughest teams in Northern California, the Cards will have to put in a lot of work. Lucky for SC, several other teams said Sayonara to their top players. So, if SC can get some experience in quick, the might have a chance to repeat.

Sentinel. Jan. 8. Wildcats Can’t Hold Off Cards. SC Wins Opener. SC got out rebounded, out scored and hurried through its offensive sets throughout the first half. But after halftime, the Cards came out more intense and ultimately defeated Watsonville 47-38 in the SCCAL opener. Watsonville took a 25-17 lead into halftime, but the Cards opened the second half with a 12-2 run in the first five minutes of the third quarter. SC slowed down its offense and worked the ball inside, often finding Cliff Sammet under the hoop for and easy layup.
“We had three challenging games at last weeks Soquel Winter Classic and we came out flat at the beginning, but I thought that was to be expected, But we were quick learners tonight,” said Coach Newell. Watsonville controlled the boards the first half, often limiting SC to just one attempt. And SC 9-8 returned the favor in the second half, thanks to the stepped up defense in the paint.
“Defensively, we wanted to play smarter in the second half. We wanted to not get beat off the dribble and to take away the things they wanted to do, namely work it inside out.” Newell said. And the stepped up defensive effort didn’t just allow the Cards to possess the ball more, it stalled Watsonville’s transition game, which had allowed the Catz to set the tempo in the first two quarters.

Feb. 15. Santa Cruz Defense Keeps Bucs In Check. Strong defense proved to be the key in the battle for third place in the SCCAL as SC shut down the Harbor offense and picked up a 51-34 victory. Although SC had lost their previous meeting to the Pirates, both teams came into the game with 6-5 league records. With the win SC finishes with a 7-5 league record and 16-13 overall.
Harbor started the game strong and jumped out to a 12-7 first quarter lead. The lead quickly dwindled away as SC contained the Pirates top scorer. Turnovers also plagued Harbor. SC held the top scorer to one shot in the second quarter and none in the second half. Harbor had 25 turnovers from the Cards pressure defense. Neither team was spectacular from the floor, as Harbor shot 28 percent and SC 32 percent. But coach Newell said a strong defensive attack was the Cards plan en route to the victory. “Our objective was to pressure the ball, get into passing lanes and disrupt the rhythm of their passing game without fouling. For the most part we were successful,” Newell said.
Kajahl Benes and Cameron Rhodes led SC with ten points apiece. For Benes, Maurice Stewart, Chris Futch and George Murphy it was their last regular season home game. “They’ve been tremendous role models for the younger players with their daily work ethic and positive support,” Newell said of his seniors. In the SCCAL tournament, SC plays SLV to open the playoffs. Newell says “the next game is the most important.”

Feb. 19. Cardinals On Course. Santa Cruz Tops SLV, Will Meet Catz. It was a long shot from the get go when number 6 seed SLV took the floor against number 3 seed SC in the first round of the SCCAL Tournament. The much larger Cards rolled over the Cougars 71-49. SC moves on to face Watsonville in the second round. Three times SC displayed its size and impressive plays from Eric Van Vliet and Cameron Rhodes. Van Vliet had two monster dunks, both coming in the first half. But perhaps the play of the night was a picture-perfect alley-oop pass from Austin Swift to Rhodes.
With the Cards already enjoying a 49-32 lead, the play ignited their bench as well as the spectators. Rhodes finished the game with a team high 12 points keyed by two three-pointers, to go with four rebounds. A win in the second round with Watsonville would probably put SC into the finals against undefeated Soquel. SC beat Watsonville in their first meeting, but lost a close one the second time around. The key to victory against the Catz will be on defense, said SC assistant coach Will Delgado. “We have enough fire power to get it to the right people,” Delgado said of his teams offensive. “Defensively is where its going to be won.”

Feb. 21. Santa Cruz Boys Pull Out Wild One, Ready For Soquel. It ended with a controversial
bang a sea of red and white jerseys flooded around the scorers table in confusion. It began as a seesaw game with eight different lead changes throughout its course. The nail bitter semifinals ended up with a 48-47 SC victory. Soquel squeaked past Aptos by one bucket to match up with SC in the finals. After a buzzer beating game winning, desperation lay-up by Chris Futch, SC players rushed the court to embrace their teammate.
Wildcat players and coaches rushed onto the court as well to contest the number of SC players, six, involved in the play. Eventually, the referees proclaimed SC the winners. “We had six players on the court, no doubt about it,” said coach Newell, adding that the referees didn’t notice the transgression and therefore decided they couldn’t overturn the play. But Newell said it took nothing away from the game-winner: “The fact is Futch made the play to win the game.” Just prior,
Watsonville sunk a short range follow to go ahead 47-46. SC called timeout with 5.3 seconds remaining. Futch, who nailed a three pointer just minutes before to put his team up by one, was given the ball on the inbound from the sideline. He drove hard to the basket, putting the ball up underneath three Watsonville defenders. It banked off the glass and fell in as time expired. “Basically coach said to go in and try to kick it out to anyone, but they were denying, Futch said, “I just threw it up and it went in.”
Immediately after the shot, Watsonville players began yelling that there were six Cardinals on the court during the play. There was a brief conference around the scorers table, but in the end the score stood. For the Catz, who won their last regular season meeting against SC on a buzzer shot of their own, it is the second year in a row they have lost in the SCCAL semifinals to the Cards.
For SC 18-13, the win marks the twelfth consecutive year it has made it to Cabrillo to play in the SCCAL finals. Now that they’re there once again, the Cards game plan is simple. “Our objective is to be competitive for 32 minutes and the outcome will take care of itself,,” Newell said.

Feb. 22. Santa Cruz Boys Earn Title Share. SC knows how deep the Soquel bench is, how many guys the Knights have to go to. But it was the Card bench that came up big, earning SC the 63-57 victory and a SCCAL co-championship. SC lost in the finals to Monte Vista last year. SC hadn’t defeated Soquel since an overtime win in the Soquel Classic.
After scoring just two points in the first quarter, SC couldn’t miss down the stretch. Soquel took a 54-53 lead with three minutes left in the game, but SC responded when Austin Swift and Maurice Stewart draining three pointers in the next minute and change, to pull the Cards in front by two points, at 58-57 with under two minutes to go.
Despite having six players carrying three or more fouls, the Cards level of physical play never dipped. They played aggressive in-your-face defense for the final minutes preventing Soquel’s top scorer from getting anything close to an open look. Eric Van Vliet rebounded both the Knights last second shots, showing no signs of the flu that kept him off the floor since Tuesday.
“The depth of our team helped tonight,” said Cliff Sammet, who finished with ten points. “We had to play through the fouls. We have a deep bench, so we didn’t need to worry about not having enough players. Everyone stepped up tonight.”

Feb. 27. Everyone’s A Hero In Boys First Round Win. There was a monster in-your-face block by Cameron Rhodes, a coast-to-coast slam dunk by Cliff Sammet, some more coast-to coast razzle dazzle from Chris Futch and a nice spin move by Austin Swift. But the one who punctuated the 83-47 first round of the CCS Division IV playoff win over King City was little used bench player Kyle Milburn.
The Cards best “Rudy” figure didn’t emerge from the bench until deep into garbage time, which officially began midway through the third quarter, but when he did, he made it count. Milburn calmly drained two three pointers and hit another baseline jumper, causing an otherwise ho-hum crowd to quadruple the decibel level in the SC gym. “Everyone loves Kyle,” said coach Newell, who explained his generously listed 5-9 junior. “He’s Michael J. of in “Back in the Future I, II, II. He’s a throwback to the ‘50’s in terms of personality and work ethic.” As Milburn himself explains it, “I’m just a friendly guy.”
The young bunch played with a sense of energy and urgency they’ll need to carry into the quarterfinal matchup with number six seed Valley Christian, if they plan to get back to the semifinals for the second straight year. “We’re play with a lot more confidence now,” said Newell of a group that upset previously undefeated Soquel in the SCCAL championship Tournament.
“This is the first appreciable CCS experience any of these kids have had,” said Newell. Though the jitters showed early, SC pulled out of a turnover laden first quarter funk, to put the pressure on the even less experience Mustangs and let its athleticism take over. The Cards turned on a full court press, helping create eight second quarter turnovers and parlayed that into easy transition baskets and a 38-23 halftime advantage.
After intermission, they didn’t let up. King City turned it over six more times and hit just three of 12 shots. Heading into the fourth, SC held a cushy 34 point lead. “Let put it this way, they’re third string is probably better than my first team. They should go along way in CCS, if they keep playing like this,” King City coach Mark Haddan (who led Alisal to three CCS finals and one championship in the old MB and was a starter at Fresno State) And if they do, it won’t just be the likes of Futch 14 points, Sammet 11, Nick Miller 8, Swift 7 and Rhodes 7 stealing the limelight.
There will also be room for some of the less heralded on the Card bench to get their standing ovations too. “I played maybe 20 minutes all season. Tonight I scored as many points as I have all year,” Miller said outside the SC locker room. “When we play a game I know I might get some playing time in, I make sure I have a lot of people in the stands.”

March 2. Cardinals take Advantage In The Paint. (Former San Francisco Forty-Niner tailback, Roger Craig’s son a well built, 6-4 center and major player for SC’s opponent Valley Christian in the quarterfinals left the court with four fouls midway in the third quarter. SC took advantage of his absence to crash the boards and open up an otherwise tooth and nail game, which SC won 57-45.
The victory means SC will have another opportunity to try and defeat Monte Vista, which beat the Cards in both their meetings this season. The second seeded Mustangs and the third seeded Cards 21-13 will meet in the CCS Division IV semifinals at Alvarez High. “We played with confidence today and we’re going to have to match that. I think we’re a much better team than the last time we played MVC,” Newell said. SC should even be better than they were against number six seeded Valley Christian, since they are hoping to have starting center Eric Van Vliet back in the lineup for at least limited minutes.
Though taller than the Warriors, SC could have used Van Vliet’s presence inside to block out Craig, who scored nine points off rebounds and often kept the Cards from getting offensive boards. Cliff Sammet and Cameron Rhodes both scored, when Craig went out, to tie the score 28-28. That spurred a 17-5 run that gave SC the ultimate lead. Kajahl Benes with 12 points, Rhodes 13 and Sammet 10 led the Cards in scoring. “It was just a matter of will and tonight our will won out in the second half,” Newell said.

March 5. RESURRECTIING A RIVALRY. Mustangs, Cardinals Lay It On The Line. The CCS Division IV semifinal game will be a big game in more ways than one as the winner advances to the Northern California Championships win or lose in the CCS finals. It will be the first such berth for SC since 1998 and may be the last for a while for MVC, who will be graduating its top three scores.
The game is also big, because it is the first time third seeded SC has treaded on the Division IV turf of second seeded MVC. Declining enrollment dropped the Cards 21-13, from Division III this season. That drop magnified the rivalry between two of the county’s best teams, both of which won or shared a league title this year. It only seems fitting that a game of this magnitude be decided by big men.
The semifinal will be won or lost in the key, match-up of the size, talent and experience of MVC’s 6-8 center and 6-7 forward versus the athleticism, diversity and spunk of SC’s three big 6-6 forwards: Kajahl Benes, Cliff Sammet and Cameron Rhodes, who do not have the scoring punch of the MVC duo, who are fifth and seven in the four league Monterey Bay area with scoring averages of 18.6 and 16.6 points. Benes is the top scorer for SC with a 7.73 point average.
MVC defeated SC 52-36 and 42-33 early in the season. Lucky for SC, season stats and past performances have no bearing on the outcome. While not the tallest team, SC has used quickness and foresight to overcome bigger teams all season. Plus, after the top two scorers, MVC’s scoring drops off quickly.
The Cards have depth and a whole fleet of players averaging between five and seven points a game. Among them point guard Austin Swift with a 7.08 average, Sammet 6.35 and George Murphy 5.14. “I feel more confident with the attitude going into this tournament than I did last year,” Newell said of his team’s unselfish play. “We just have to continue to play SC basketball.” Both teams play run and gun offense, in addition to clamp down defense, which means the team in the best shape or has the strongest bench will have an advantage.

From Mbayprep. Scoring leaders by name, games played, points scored and average points per game.
NAME G PT AV
Benes-Trapp 33 269 8.15
Sammet 28 223 7.96
Swift 33 245 7.42
Rhodes, Cameron 25 171 6.64
Murphy 27 177 6.56

SCCAL ALL LEAGUE selected by the league coaches: Cliff Sammet and Austin Swift were selected for the second team.

JV BOYS BASKETBALL
Yearbook. The JV team under head coach Charles Burks always seems to put their best foot forward. They work hard and play hard. They know how to work as a team and they know the fundamentals of basketball. They move rapidly up and down the court and quickly take instructions from their coach. The boys seem to love basketball and play their hearts out,

Roster: Steve Hill, Akim Anderson, Andy Kolassa, Chris Sharp, Jesse LoBou, Billy Pederson, Jarod Carlson, Kevin Grellmann, Kevin Konopelski, Jarod Ottley, Manuel Mendoza, C.B. Singh, Julius Freeman and Alex Dunton, Head coach Charles Burks and assistant Gary Grellmann.

FROSH BASKETBALL
Yearbook. The team learned how to concentrate, how to have fun and most importantly how to work as a team.

Roster: Dustin Keller, Drew Gagnier, Jesse Crowell, Robby Yurich, Justin Scott, Taylor Vaughan, Michael Morques, Brett Pearson, Joel Williams, Vince Smithers, Nick Bailey, Jesse Renteria, Sean Mullis, Sean Lynch, Gabriel Moreno and Alok Pandey. Head Coach Kristy Netto and assistant Phil Netto.

GIRLS VARSITY BASKETBALL
From Mbay.prep. Practice games: Gator Classic: Menlo 40-42, Eastside Prep of Palo Alto 47-44, El Camino of Sacrament 60-18. Alisal 67-27, North Salinas 58-41. Nike TOC at Phoenix AZ: Montclair College Prep of Van Nuys 43-46, Saguaro of Scottsdale AZ 48-39, San Leandro 63-28, Mitty Tournament: Mitty 38-75, Menlo Atherton 64-55, Harbor 45-40, Leland 59-40. Notre Dame 43-56, Oakland 53-55. Practice record 10-4.
League: Watsonville 55-41, 45-48; Aptos 53-35, 45-40; SLV 51-28, 76-27; Soquel 60-47, 55-57; SV 64-34, 76-27; Harbor 47-61, 55-51. League record 9-3.
SCCAL tournament: beat Harbor in semifinals and lost to Soquel 44-49 in finals.
CCS Division III defeated Monterey and lost to Mills 45-63. Overall record 21-9.

Scoring leaders by game, total points and points per game aveage.
NAME G PT PPG
Woliczko 23 356 15.48
Sorensen 23 252 9-65
Kluzniak 22 127 5.77
Gleitsman 21 118 5.62
Ornellas 9 46 5.11

Yearbook. Roster: Shelley Meze, Kelly Gleitsmann, Marissa Kluzniak, Lindsay Walls, Lauren Tashima, Zabia Bryan, Lindsay Wallfaff, Andrea Woliczko, Amanda Ornellas, Franie Sorenson and Anika Dunkell. Coach Pat Jones.

Sentinel. March 21. Cardinals Get To The Line, Make The Most Of Freebies. So they meet again in the SCCAL championship tournament, once again SC proved their dominance by defeating Harbor 55-41 in the semifinals. Andrea Woliczko was the key for SC scoring 12 points and snagging 11 rebounds. Junior Marissa Kluzniak had six rebounds. “We were a little shaky in the first quarter and Harbor did a great job on the boards,” said coach Pat Jones. (Rest of article cut off)

GIRLS JV BASKETBALL
Yearbook. Roster: Jessica Graham, Shannon Smythe, Tara Kelly, Alysa Gintert, Cori Ankele, Alisa Elb, Hannah Shull, Jenny Whiting, Claire LaBerge, Anastasia Fouse-Cabrerra and Romonica Stevens. Coach Monique Jones.

GIRLS FRESHMAN BASKETBALL
Yearbook. This is the first year at SC for a freshman girls team. The JV;s had eleven players and the Frosh had 12 players.

Roster: LaTanya Holt, Marie Conroe, Cassie Garner, Natalie Hall, Rebecca Fahrner, Katrina Jenkins, Monica Reese, Rachele Wyant, Stephanie Anderson, Sammie Handloff, Tiffany DeBollette and Kaylin Slakey. Coach Corinna Tom.

WRESTLING League scores: Harbor 37-36, SLV 36-33, Scotts Valley 61-17, Soquel 17-35, Watsonville 33-36 and Aptos 36-31. League dual match record 4-2 for second place in league and had strong finishes in all their tournaments.

Yearbook. During the summer the team went to France to train with others from all over Europe and the US and there really improved their skills. Even though they practiced in the cafeteria, they wrestled like they owned the world. The young team was led by four seniors, Danny Concepion, Jared Jenkins, Alex Scott and Dash Pomerantz as well as two juniors Kaj Kibak and Eric Erickson all of whom placed in the league tournament. Sophomore Drew Frampton, who dominated all year as well as a dozen more underclassmen showed promise during the season. Rest of squad: Sterling Worth, Colin Jenkins, John Richter, Jason Bargas, Cole Wilson, Danny Lopez, Jeff Rossini and Adam Long. Coach John Corona.

Jared Jenkins was a two time league champion. Other league champions were Dash Pomerantz and Drew Frampton. Second place finishers were Danny Concepcion, Kaj Kibak and Aaron Park. Jeff Rossini placed third. All qualified for CCS.

BOYS VARSITY SOCCER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS AND CCS CHAMPIONS DIVISON II
From Mbay.prep. Practice games: Alvarez 5-0, Bellarmine 0-1, Independence 3-0, NMC 8-1, Gilroy 3-0, Oak Grove 1-0. Practice record 5-1. League: Harbor 3-1, 4-0; SLV 3-0, 5-0; Aptos 1-0, 2-0; Watsonville 2-0, 2-3; Soquel 1-2, 4-0; Scotts Valley 7-0, 3-1. League record 10-2.
CCS play: first round, King City 5-0. Quarterfinals, Santa Clara 2-0 in overtime. Semifinals, Los Altos 3-0. Finals, Burlingame 2-1 in overtime, CCS Division II Champions.
Overall record 19-3.

Yearbook. The team was known for their intense, fast paced games. With 14 returning players and a dominant basketball player Sam Heft-Neal, the team whizzed through the SCCAL with skill, hope and a motivational coach Semi Sabankaya. “Our team should be second to none, since we’re returning all our starters and our once young team is now a group of veterans and experienced players. Our work, motivation and spirit should take us to the top,” said Captain and goalkeeper Michael Polhamus. Twelve players are seniors.

Roster: Mat Skenazy, Sam Heft-Neal, Ulysses Marquez, Alex Diego, Guillermo Sensente, Scott Anderson, Ryan Thacher, Ali Sabankaya, Michael Polhamus, Graham Gelwicks, David Esparza, Wes Seath, Walter Singaram, Victor Garcia, Eduardo Chavez and Luke Shaw.
Head coach Semi Saabankaya and assistant Diego.

Sentinel preseason write up. Coach: Semih Sabankaya, second year.
Last year: 9-1-2 in league for first place. 15-2-3 overall. CCS co-champions of Division II. Key returnees: Entire starting lineup.
Seniors: Michael Polhamus, SCCAL goalkeeper of the Year.
Scott Anderson, All SCCAL at midfield
Ryan Thacher, All SCCAL, defender
Juniors: Victor Garcia, All SCCAL, forward
Graham Gelwicks, All SCCAL defender
Alex Diego, All SCCAL, midfielder
Guillermo Sensente, All SCCAL, forward
Mathew Skenazy, All SCCAL, defender
Key newcomers: Juniors: Eduardo Chavez, forward; Ali Sabankaya, halfback and Peter Vansant, goalkeeper.
Coach speak: I always tell the kids that its easy to be champions the first time, but its hard to become the champion again. We are a very good team and we should do just fine.
Outlook: The reigning SCCAL champs didn’t lose a single starter from last years squad and with that kind of fire power returning, the Cards have a realistic chance of reaching their goal for this season, win the CCS title outright. With 18 seniors on the roster of 20 players, the Cards will have leadership and experience in their corner too.

Dec. 6. Defending Champs Off To Stingy Start. Santa Cruz Doen’t Let Gilroy Near The Net In 3-0 Whitewash. Coach Semih Sabankaya promises aggressive play for anyone watching his defending CCS Division II champions play. SC 4-1, lived up to their billing, by defeating Gilroy 4-0. The coach said, “ We don’t change our game plan for the team we are playing. We want teams to match what we do.” SC pressured Gilroy early an often as SC dictated the tempo and kept the ball away from their own goal for a majority of the game.
Forward Wes Seath got the scoring started for the Cards, netting their only goal in the first half. Seith scored in traffic on an assist form forward Guillermo Sensente. Sensente kept the Gilroy defenders on their toes all night, with good footwork, which almost got him a goal shortly after Seath’s. but the ball sailed just over the top of the goal.
SC’s first half control was amped up another notch as the Mustangs didn’t attempt a single shot on goal the second half. “I think we are a little fitter than Gilroy, Sabankaya said. “We like to play 80 minutes, not 79. That’s the way we train. We like to play high pressure offense.”
SC goalkeeper Michael Polhamus recorded five saves. “Its pretty cool because I don’t have to do much. I usually see about two or three shots a game.” Polhamus made the best of the action on his side of the field, when a Gilroy player broke free away from the Card defenders and had Polhamus one-on-one, but he dove and snagged the ball in the fashion of a sticky handed person would.
Later in the second half, defender Luke Shaw sent halfback Scott Anderson a high arching pass. Anderson shot once and the Gilroy goalie batted it, but couldn’t secure the ball, giving the ready Anderson another chance. Anderson finished off with a clear shot to the center of the net of a SC 2-0 lead.
SC kept Gilroy’s defense busy the rest of the game, scoring their third goal, when Ryan Thacher netted a direct shot to the left corner of the net. Sabankaya is encouraged by his teams early season play. “We are much better than we were last year at this time, We are much stronger and have a very strong bench. Last year we were young and had a light bench, but this year we have a good mix of seniors and juniors.”

Jan. 11. Cardinals Prove Their Dominance in a league win over Aptos 1-0.. During halftime Coach Semih Sabankaya urged his team to follow their shots. The players followed his advice, scoring the games only goal to beat Aptos 1-0.
Twelve minutes into the second half, several players from both teams created a traffic jam in front of the goal, with the ball being batted around between players. Guillermo Sensente was in the right place at the right time, as he took advantage of a loose ball and scored. “We were crossing the ball and it was bouncing around in there. I just saw the ball come off a red shirt and I put it in.
“It was one of the toughest games we’ve played all season,” Sensente said. SC 8-1-1 overall and 3-0 in league kept the pressure on throughout the game, finishing with 20 shots on goal, compared to just a handful by Aptos. Graham Gelwicks was the Card who most often stalled the Aptos attack. His height made it difficult for the smaller Mariners to pass over. “Gelwicks intercepted almost anything we did,” said the Aptos coach.

Jan. 16. Cardinals Make Their Statement beat Watsonville 2-0. Sensente Helps Santa Cruz Take Round 1 With Catz. It was a featherweight on the SC team, who delivered the knockout punch in round one of a game pitting the two SCCAL heavyweights. Guillermo Sensente, who stands 5-5 scored a goal in each half and unbeaten SC beat Watsonville to take sole possession of first place.
Last year the two teams split meetings and shared the SCCAL title. SC 9-1-1 overall and 4-0 in league has wins over the two closest teams in the SCCAL title race, beating Watsonville 9-2-2 overall, 3-1-0 in league and Aptos 8-2-1overall, 3-1-0. “We have to defend our CCS and league titles,” said Sensente.
The emotions ran high between the SCCAL’s two oldest schools. The Referee called a tight game, handing out eight yellow cards, including one to the Watsonville coach and a red card to the assistant. “If we had an inexperience referee, it could have been a mess. He used his card very well,” said Sabankaya. The referee awarded a total of 40 free kicks, including 22 favoring Watsonville and a penalty kick against the Wildcatz.
“We practice penalty kicks every day. I stay after practice at least every other day with our goalie Polhamus and that really helps,” said Sensente. After being tripped from behind in the penalty box, Sensente sent his penalty kick to the right of the goalie for the lead 27 minutes in. His second goal, at the six minute mark in the second half, was set up by a free kick from Lucas Shaw. Scott Anderson gathered the ball from Shaw and his shot on goal deflected off the face of a Watsonville defender straight to Sensente. ”It was just a perfect bounce. I saw everything in slow motion,” Sensente said.
Watsonville kept the pressure on, but defender Graham Gelwicks cleared several balls and goalie Polhamus made four saves to help SC record its seventh shutout.

Feb. 20. KICKING SOME TAIL. Five Of Six SCCAL Soccer Teams Stomp Opponents In First-Round Games. Cardinal Boys Kick Off By Thumping King City 5-0. The Spanish language radio broadcasts piped back to King City couldn’t have been gripping radio.
After a fairly close first half, which saw SC get out to a 2-0 lead, SC erupted for three more goals in the second half and goalkeeper Michael Polhamus made seven saves to preserve a 5-0 win to open the CCS Division II playoffs at Memorial Field against the Mission Trail Athletic League champions. SC advances to play seventh seeded Santa Clara.
“Always the first game is the hardest. After we scored our first goal, we settled down and took control of the game,” said coach Sabankaya. It could have gone differently, particularly early, if not for a spectacular save by Polhumus in the first five minutes of play, in a one-on one with a King City forward. The ball nicked Polhamus leg and he quickly turned and snared the would be goal with one hand to preserve what was then a scoreless tie. “I didn’t know my body could bend like that, but it did,” said Polhamus.
It was clear that SC was a far more skilled team, but King City made it a game early. But after the Cards first goal, which came about 18 minutes into the game, the momentum clearly belonged to SC. Eduardo Chavez scored the first goal on a header. Guillermo Sensente set up Graham Gelwicks for the second goal and a halftime lead of 2-0. Wes Seath made it 3-0 on a header after a flick pass from Chavez about 15 minutes into the second half.
The final two goals came late with Nat Curry and Sam Heft-Neal helping each other out so each could score. As for Polhamus’ heroics: “I always ask my keeper to make one good save a game. If he does that, we win,“ said coach Sabankaya.

Feb. 23. With Apologies, SC Boys Advance To Semis on a 2-0 overtime victory over Santa Clara. When Wes Seath first struck what would be the go ahead goal in overtime, his reaction was not joyous, but apologetic. “My bad,“ he started to say as his attempt at a crossing pass from right wing went awry. The ball lazily spun toward the near post, far from his teammates making a run at the penalty box and toward the gloves of the Santa Clara goalkeeper. But the goalkeeper lost concentration and the ball slipped through his hands and between his legs into the net. Seath drifted back toward his teammates with his arms aloft and his eyes open wide with surprise. His goal in the first of two mandatory 10 minute overtime periods broke a scoreless tie and enabled the Cards to crack it open a 2-0 CCS Division II quarterfinal victory. “I didn’t even think it was going in, “Seath said. “It was just a cross.” Number two seeded SC 17-4-1 advances to the semifinals at PAL Stadium in San Jose against number three seeded Los Altos 15-6-3. Eduardo Chavez sealed the victory by knocking in a rebound of Guillamo Sensente’s free kick in the nine-ninth minute, just before the end of the second overtime. The goalkeeper could not handle Sensente’s low hard shot from the right side and Chavez beat the goalkeeper to the loose ball. The lethal free kick capped an outstanding game by Sensente, who was versatile enough to move from midfield to forward, allowing SC to boost its offense as well as kept Santa Clara on its heels with different looks.
SC had the run of play with a series of scoring opportunities set up by pure hustle, by pressuring the ball on the offensive end, the soccer version of the full court press. But the Cards weren’t able to put it into the net until Seath’s accidental goal.

Feb. 27. Cards Reach Title Game.
Sam Heft-Neal, Scott Anderson and Guillermo Sensente scored goals as SC beat Los Altos 3-0 in the semifinals, for their third postseason shutout. “We’ve had a good season,” said Heft-Neal who scored on a pass from Ryan Thatcher to give SC a 1-0 lead at halftime. But we aren’t completely satisfied unless we take the title ourselves.” SC 18-4-1 takes on top seeded Burlingame 17-2-4 of the Peninsula Athletic League for the CCS Division II title at PAL Stadium.
“We’re as good as it gets. We should do just fine against Burlingame. We played a strong preseason and we are as good as the next team and then some,” Coach Sabankaya said. He looks to a defense that hasn’t allowed a postseason goal to continue its efforts. “If we score a goal, we will win the game.”
One goal was all the Cards needed. Ryan Thatcher sent Anderson’s throw in to Heft-Neal just inside the box and Heft-Neal sent the ball past the goalie for the lead in the twenty-fifth minute. Anderson’s score came on a deflected shot from Heft-Neal. Anderson was on the ground with the goalie, with both of them scrambling for the loose ball, when Anderson regrouped first, got up and gave the Cards a 2-0 lead in the sixth-fifth minute.
Sensente added the insurance goal five minutes later on a pass from Heft-Neal, who a year ago was playing basketball for the Cards. While Mathew Skenazy didn’t record a point, his up field pressure helped SC maintain possession for much of the second half. SC had some luck preserving the shutout.
SC fouled in the penalty box at the seventy-first minute mark, but Los Altos missed the penalty kick wide right with goalie Polhamus committing the other direction. Earlier, Polhamus made a save on a bending free kick to the far post. While the teams engaged in a midfield battle for much of the first half, the players were given liberties by the referee to mix it up while contesting for loose balls. The Los Altos coach said, “They came to play. They are a good team.”

March 1.
A TITLE ALL THEIR OWN. No Sharing Necessary For Santa Cruz Boys This Year as SC defeated Burlingame 2-1 in overtime.
Last year when the Cards tied Pioneer for the Division II title 1-1, the teams hoisted the trophy together and the after the photos together, neither team took the trophy home. “When we were holding the trophy last year, showing it to our fans, they were holding it too. They were in the team picture with us. It didn’t feel good. It didn’t feel like it was ours. We didn’t win anything,” said senior striker Guillermo Sensente.
Needless to say, when the final whistle sounded, the second seeded Cards didn’t hold back on their emotions. After all, they rallied on a goal from Sensente in overtime to down top seeded Burlingame 2-1 in the CCS Division II final. Just call them Santa Clutch, because the Cards 19-4-1 overall also scored two overtime goals against number seven Santa Clara to break a scoreless tie in the quarterfinals to continue their dream run.
This section title is the Cards third overall, but the first solo. SC also tied Gilroy in the 1991 Division II final. “This is a lot better than last year. Now we got it outright. It feels good to represent SC. Now we have a little respect,” senior forward Scott Anderson said. Burlingame 17-3-4 the PAL Bay Division champion, took a 1-0 lead in the fifty-first minute, despite SC dominating possessions in the first half. The Panther midfielder beat goalie Michael Polhamus for an unassisted goal. Less than a minute later, Anderson scored the equalizer, converting a header pass from junior halfback Mathew Skenazy. “Burlingame scored on a beautiful goal,” said second year coach Semith Sabankaya. “I told our kids not to lose composure. I think the better team won. We dominated. But they came once and scored. I thought our experience showed.”
Sabankaya reminded his kids to stay composed well after the game ended, too. It came during the team photo with the trophy, as several kids were goofing off. “This is going to stay with you forever, so you better pay attention to the photographer and look serious. This only happens once in a blue moon,” he said, turning and looking to the sky, then smiled to waiting members of the media. The fact is with a veteran team, SC expected to repeat. Sabankaya predicted victory after beating number three seed Los Altos. “What did I tell you?” Sabankaya said, who doesn’t plan on switching from coaching to fortune teller anytime soon. And we’ll have a good team next year. Our junior varsity was one of the better teams.”
SC finishes the season with 14 shutouts and outscored its opponents 69-10. SC had a tough time breaking through the Burlingame 6-5 goalie who was built like a freight train. Anderson had numerous 40 yard throw ins to the penalty box in the first half, but the aggressive goalie would pluck balls away from Cards in the box, who were waiting to head the ball. Anderson’s tally was a no-brainer, he said. “I got to beat one guy and sent the ball to the far post. After they score everything was so crazy, but we just got energized.” Sensente’s goal came off a scripted corner kick. After a teammate gathered the ball and took a shot that floored the goalie, Sensente gathered the loose ball and had his shot blocked by a defender. He raced to the ball and had the left side of the goal exposed entirely. He didn’t miss.
Sensente’s goal came eight minutes into the first of two mandatory 10 minute overtime periods. “There were three deflections before it went in,” said the goalie. “We were just unlucky. But that was just two good teams battling it out in the final. I thought we had that game won, though.”
In the second half, Sensente kicked the ball off the left post on a beautiful centered pass from Wes Seath. Four Cards were given yellow cards for dangerous play, Anderson, Ali Sabankaya, Eduardo Chavez and Ryan Thatcher. SC never lacked emotion or intensity. “This is what we prepared for all year and this is what we get,” Anderson said.

From Mbay.Prep. Stat leaders
Scoring: Skenazy 14, Chavez 11, Sensente 9, Heft-Neal 8, Seath 6
Assists: Sensente 9, Diego 5, Anderson 4, Seath and Skenazy 3 each
Goalie saves: Polhamus 37

ALL SCCAL Michael Polhamus, goalkeeper; Guillermo Sensente, forward; Ryan Thacher, midfielder; Victor Garcia, defender.

JV BOYS SOCCER
Yearbook. The team has trained extremely hard this year right from the beginning with endless stair exercises and sprints. It paid off during their tougher games near the end of the season. All of their shutouts this season have been due to their rock solid defense and their star quality keeper Marcel Cathrein. With twelve seniors on the varsity, these players will fill in well for the varsity next year.

Roster: Jermain Esparza, Juan Marquez, Rob Goodman, Marcel Cathrein, Max Ludwig, Lowell Hope, Tim Degrasse, Cabriel Salas, Ryan Ismail, Armando Anaya, Jeff Redman, Jerry Leon, Alan Diaz, Caesar Villa, Adolfo Gonzales, Jeff Levy, Julian Alvarez, Jose Senente, Alonso Ortega, Dustin Worth, Raf Ragnell, Austin Worth and Victor Moreno. Head Coach Jay Gomez.

GIRLS VARSITY SOCCER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS AND CCS CHAMPIONS DIVISON II
Practice games: Santa Catalina 6-0, Menlo Atherton 1-0, Live Oak 2-0, Campolindo 2-1. Practice record 4-0.
League scores: Harbor 3-0, 0-0; SLV 4-0, 4-0; Aptos 4-1, 0-3; Watsonville 5-0, 6-0; Scotts Valley 4-1, 0-1; Soquel 2-0, 1-0. League record 9-2-1 for league title.
CCS Division III playoffs: Quarterfinal, Menlo 1-0. Semifinals, Santa Catalina 3-0. Final, Harbor 1-0 for championship. Overall record 16-2-1.

Yearbook. The Cards beat Harbor in the finals of Division II of CCS, when star halfback Britsy Bruland scored in the final minutes of the game to win 1-0. This is one of the most successful season for girls soccer at SC. Many of the seniors will be going on to play at colleges around the US from Cornell, NY to Texas Christian to San Francisco State.

The team was on fire this season with a record number of goals scored and shutouts kept. The team is made up of virtually all seniors. On the team there are eleven seniors, two juniors, one sophomore and two freshmen. The bench strength is one of the strongest that SC has ever had and never fails to impress when they run on the field. The teams attitude and bond was incredible with every girl an equal part of the team on and off the field,

To challenge themselves against the best, the team traveled for nine hours to San Juan Capistrano for a five day tournament to get experience playing teams from places like Hawaii and Los Angeles.

Athletic Director Bob Kittle established an honorary recognition of “Athlete of the Week” this year. A greater part of the girls received the honor this year.

Roster: Gretchen Haussler, Britsy Bruland, Brittany Vidales, Ily Iglesias, Ali Hatcher, Nichole Caiocca, Jenny Putt, Min Pomper, Jessica Schindler, Katie Merrill, Tina Fuller, Sarah Fang, Laura Schwartz, Bianca Boegel, Candice Stein, Suzie Oliver, Jessica Shaffer and Beth Cato. Coach Jose Sierra and assistant Peter Putt,

Sentinel preseason write-up of Nov. 30. Coach: Jose Sierra for his eleventh season. Last seasons record was 8-2-2 for third place in league and 16-3-2 overall. Beat SLV 1-0 in four overtimes for the CCS Division III championship. Key returnees: the entire starting lineup. Key newcomers: Sierra did not want to single anyone out.
Coach speak: I’ve had most of the girls for four years and they’ve been the most successful group of girls here. We always look to improve every year and one of the things we need to do is try and win league. Outlook: With the entire lineup back, including the stifling defense, which recorded 17 shutouts last season, the team should contend for the SCCAL title and have the personnel to reach their goal of returning to the CCS finals for the fourth year in a row.

Sentinel. Jan. 8. Quicker Cardinals Buzz Past Cougars. Speed kills. Striker Gretchen Haussler came off the bench and proved that. Haussler, a defender, turned forward this season, produced her first career hat trick as SC beat SLV in the league opener 4-0 in a rematch of last seasons CCS Division III Championship match. SC is now 1-0 in league and 6-0 overall, while outscoring their opponents 13-1. The Cards lone preseason goal allowed, came in a 2-1 win over North Coast Section Division II champion Campolindo in the San Juan Capistrano Invitational.
“We were pumped up. It was great way to open the league season. Our seniors had never opened league with a win. It was either a loss or tie. So it was a great change,” said Haussler. After the game, all attention was on Haussler, a CCS qualifier in track. “I guess we should call her “Hat trick Haussler,” said senior goalie Brittney Vidales. If that nickname holds up, Vidales should be called “Blankmaster Brittney. Vidales recorded her fifth shutout of the season and the fiftieth of her four year varsity career.
Competing in one of the strongest leagues in the section, four SCCAL teams made the playoffs last season and three made it to the title game. Coach Sierra was not pleased with a 2-0 halftime lead. He called for more unity and less individualism in the second half and the Cards responded with two more goals.
Thanks to solid midfield play from Britsy Bruland and forward Ali Hatcher’s quality runs along the left touch line, Haussler was given solid scoring chances. She converted a pair of shots four minutes apart in the second half. Hausslers first goal came on well placed, 40 yard through pass from defender Jessica Schindler. Haussler gathered the ball in a full sprint and converted a one-on-one against the goalie for a 1-0 at the 21 minute mark. “Her touch has gotten a lot better. And most important, she has a good time up in front. She still has a lot to learn, but I don’t want to give her too much information. I want it to be natural for her. She has a lot of speed. We could send a through ball and she would be gone with it.
SC made it 2-0 in the first half, when Jessica Shaffer and Tina Fuller simultaneously kicked the ball past traffic at the 24 minute mark. Vidales with the help of a back row of Jessica Schindler, Min Pomper, Jenny Putt and Laura Schwartz, made four saves.

Sentinel. Jan. 10. Mariner Momentum Halted. Santa Cruz Turns Close Game Into Soggy Blowout. SC 4-1. A constant downpour didn’t prevent SC and Aptos from playing. The field was muddy and sloppy in the first half and much of the players control over their feet and the ball was lost as the rain poured down. It got worse in the second half.
Coming off a 2-0 upset victory over Harbor, Aptos controlled the ball and confidently kept it in SC’s half of the field for most of the first half. But just before intermission, SC finally broke through the Aptos defense and scored two goals before the whistled could blow. SC went on to win 4-1. “We spent 30 of the 40 minutes in the first half on their half of the field. We felt good with our effort, We knew that SC is a counter-attack team and it worked for them today. That first goal really hurt,” the Aptos Coach.
Gretchen Haussler got loose in the last few minutes of the first half by dodging a defender and headed straight for the goal. Haussler took a shot. The ball caught a puddle, settled right in front of the left goal post, which is when Sarah Fang swooped in and poked in the first SC goal of the night. The crowd huddled under umbrellas and inside cars, took a few moments to react, not really sure if the ball had gone in. But the cheers and honking of car horns soon erupted. Seconds later, Haussler broke free again, out sprinting the Mariner defenders for a clean shot at the goal.
Hausslers first of three goals put SC up 2-0 at halftime. “No one in league can keep up with her,” said Coach Sierra of Haussler, who finished with her second hat trick in as many games. Haussler scored the Cards final two goals, the last coming after a nicely place pass from Tina Fuller. Aptos scored in the final minute of the game and was only the second goal SC has given up this season. SC has outscored its opponents 21-2.

Jan. 14. Santa Cruz Blanks Harbor 3-0. It’s a rivalry that dates back at least 10 years and its nearly five since SC has defeated Harbor. The Cardinals threw the monkey from their backs in grand fashion, shutting out the defending SCCAL champion Pirates 3-0. Both teams are defending CCS champions. SC won the Division III and Pirates Division II. So these teams both knew what they’re doing on a soccer field, sloppy or not.
Senior forward Gretchen Haussler had the hot foot, finishing with two goals, one shy of her third straight hat trick. “It was a big game for us. We knew that beating them early on in the season would give us confidence we need to play strong the rest of the season,” Haussler said. With the win SC improves to 3-0 in league, 8-0 overall. Harbor drops to 1-2 in league and 3-5-3 overall.
Haussler said all three league wins have been big for the Cards coming against three tough teams in SLV, Aptos and Harbor. The last time SC defeated Harbor was during the 1999-200 season, also at home. Its been more than twice that long, nine years, since Harbor has relinquished the SCCAL championship.
“We’re proud to say, we’re the only team to beat Harbor, or even tie them at home,” said coach Sierra. SC’s first score came only minutes into the first half on a free kick along the right sideline by Jessica Shaffer. The second goal, Hausslers first, came toward the end of the first half, when Haussler beat two Pirate defenders up the left side and crossed a high kick over the goalkeeper in the right side of the net. Hausslers final goal came on a pass from forward Tina Fuller.

Jan. 17. Cardinals Win Battle Of The ‘D’s Against Knights 2-0. Defense was queen in the game. It was the SC wall at midfield that kept Soquel away from its goal for most of the game. The Soquel goalkeeper smothered all but two of SC’s shots at goal. The final score was 2-0 in favor of SC, but coach Sierra looked anything but ecstatic at the games end. “The goals were nice and we did some good things, but they just came out flat.”
Flat of not, SC pressured Soquel for much of the game, keeping the ball on the Knights half of the field. The first goal came in traffic, when Jessica Shaffer knocked in an assist from Tina Fuller midway through the first half. SC 5-0 in league and 10-0 overall scored again before halftime on a kick that Britsy Bruland powered in from 30 yards out. Nikira Hernandez was credited for the assist. SC dominated the style of play with long kicks. Haussler was shut out.

Jan. 29. Pirates Battle Cards To Scoreless Tie. If it weren’t for the crossbar and Harbors goalies hands of glue, SC might have added yet another league victory. Instead, Harbor held on and even threatened at times, on the way to a 0-0 tie. SC is still undefeated with a record of 6-0-1 and Harbor is 5-2-1. Twice during the game, SC sent high line drive kicks ricocheting off the upper crossbar of the goal, once early in the first half and again early in the second half. Both times the ball fell back in front of the goal into a sea of red and white jerseys and both times, it wound up in the hands of the Harbor keeper.
For most of the first half, it was senior forwards Gretchen Haussler and Tina Fuller applying pressure to the Harbor goal and taking most of the shots. Haussler had eight attempts on the night and Fuller five. The Harbor goalie had 16 saves. “The Cards don’t lose their composure. We got through a couple of times, but they were up to the challenge back there. I was hoping we’d get one in there, but that’s soccer sometime,” said the Harbor coach.

Feb. 12. Cardinals Zero In On SCCAL Crown win 1-0. After all the bumps, the slide tackles and the mid-air collisions, it was SC that was left standing, earning a 1-0 victory over Soquel. With just one league game remaining, SC is 9-1-1in league and 14-1-1 overall. Aptos is 9-2 and Harbor is 8-2-2.
Most of the 11 SC seniors have played all four years on the varsity and the Cards have won two CCS Division III championships in that time. But the Cards have yet to win a SCCAL championship. “Winning league is the one thing that the seniors haven’t accomplished. I think the team is more focused on CCS, but it’s possible for us to win both, SCCAL and CCS in the same year,” coach Jose Sierra.
Just one ball got past a goalie with Tina Fuller poking it in out of traffic in the box midway through the first half. SC continued to pressure throughout the second half, with Ali Hatcher and Gretchen Haussler attacking most of the time, but weren’t able to convert. Soquel played with a defender playing one-and-one on Haussler all the time. “We weren’t anticipating very well today. We’re not concentrating and keeping our composure when we have too,” coach Sierra.

Feb. 23. Freshman Delivers Spark To Cardinals. SC Girls Eye Another Final. There was a reason why freshman Suzie Oliver was brought up from junior varsity for the playoffs and it wasn’t to sit on the bench. Oliver scored the winning goal to lead SC to a 1-0 victory over Menlo School in the CCS quarterfinals at Santa Clara high. It also sent SC to within one victory of their fourth consecutive Division III final.
Coach Jose Sierra remembered an early season tournament in San Juan Capistrano, when Oliver entered the lineup and scored five minutes later. Though the tournament marked Oliver’s only varsity appearance of the season, it was enough to convince Sierra to add her to the playoff roster. Sierra wanted to give forward Tina Fuller some rest and thought that Oliver was an ideal replacement, because she positions herself well and therefore could provide an added threat. She proved him right.
In the thirty-ninth minute, defender Jessica Schindler sent in a ball from the back to forward Gretchen Haussler, drawing the goalkeeper off the line. Hausslers shot was blocked, but Oliver sent the deflection over the retreating defense and into the net. The goal lifted top seeded SC 15-2-1 into a semifinal match-up with number four seed Santa Catalina 20-0-1 at Wilcox High.
“That was a good sub for us. She took the shot that won the game,” Sierra said. SC is 11-1 in CCS play in the last four years and have outscored their opponents 19-1. SC out-shot Menlo 20-4. The SC defense of Schindler, Min Pomper, Ilysa Iglesias and sweeper Jenny Putt were so well organized that Menlo didn’t get its first shot until midway through the second half. “When the girls get into CCS, it seems they bring a different mentality. They’re just more focused. They get into very difficult games and the girls just know how to win,” Sierra.

Feb. 28. Top-Seeded Santa Cruz Cruises, 3-0. Another shutout. Another win. Another appearance in the CCS title game. Top seeded SC got unassisted goals form Min Pomper, Tina Fuller and Ali Hatcher. The top seeded and defending CCS champion Cards will play second seeded Harbor 12-6-4 overall its league rival and third place finisher in the SCCAL at Valley Christian high in San Jose. SC had beaten Santa Catalina 20-2-0 overall, 6-0 early in the preseason, but they are much improved.
SC led by four year starter Brittney Vidales in goal, didn’t bend or break. Vidales needed to make just two saves, including one in the final two minutes, to preserve the shutout, her fourteenth of the season and fifty-ninth overall. “I want 60,” she said smiling. “Our main goal tonight was not to come out overconfident. If we just played our game, things would take care of themselves.”
Vidales is one of six Cards with four years varsity experience. The others are Ilysa Iglesias, Britsy Bruland, Jessica Schindler, Jessica Shaffer and Jenny Putt. In four seasons of postseason, the Cards are 12-1 overall and have outscored the opponents 22-1.
Pomper, who joined the team last year, is primed for another title. “They started a trend and I joined it. They’re great and I’m really excited,” said Pomper. While silencing the Cougars standout scorer, SC out shot their opponent 14-2. Pomper’s goal came on a free kick just outside the box that scraped by a four player wall and past their freshman goalie into the far right corner of the goal with 16 minutes left in the first half. “I kicked it real straight. I was stoked that it went in,” Pomper.
Fuller’s goal 32 minutes in came on a loose ball after a corner kick and brought a 2-0 halftime lead. Hatcher’s unassisted tally came on a up field run five minutes into the second half.

March 2.
THE GOLDEN GOAL
Santa Cruz Gets Past Harbor, Adds Another Title. With 1-0 victory.
SC had been practicing for this very moment. SC did drills with one player at the top of the box and a crowd in front of the goal and they worked on taking that long shot. Twenty minutes into the second half, Bristy Bruland found herself in a very familiar position. Tina Fuller shot at the Pirates goal first, but the ball was deflected back to Bruland at the top of the box. “Coach told us that if you have any kind of opening to take it,” Bruland said. And she did, sending the ball into the left corner, just missing the hands of the goalkeeper, who was probably blinded by the players in front of the goal and it threw off her timing, to give SC a 1-0 victory in the CCS Division III final.
That goal was enough to get SC 16-2-1 overall its third CCS Division III in four years, with wins in 2000 and 2002. It was no small task this year, facing league rival Harbor, which had won nine straight SCCAL titles, before this season and earned the Division II crown last season. In league play this season, SC won the first 3-0 and the teams tied 0-0 in the second time around.
This game not only marks the end of the season, but the end of an era for SC, who will graduate 12 players from this years squad. In the last four years of CCS play, SC went 13-1 and out scored their opponents 23-1. “This is the end of something really special,” said senior Brittany Vidales, recorded 60 shutouts as the Card goalkeeper. Harbor made her work hard for the shutout, keeping her on her toes throughout the game. “Once we scored our goal, I knew that it would spark something in Harbor. I knew they would not give up. My legs were shaking for the last 12 minutes. When I saw the referee but his hands up, I was so glad,” Vidales said.
In the final minutes, Harbor was awarded a free kick at the 30 yard line. The player taking the kick has a full ride to Cal Berkeley, but the ball sailed up and over the goal. She had the same opportunity in the first half, but her shot just nicked the upper right corner of the goal and Vidales snatched it before anyone else could get to the ball.
Harbor and SC played an even first half with both teams getting a handful of chances in the box. Bu once the second half started, SC dominated possession. “We came in with more pressure on us, because it was our fourth CCS championship game in a row,” said Vidales. Most of our seniors were a little nervous, because it was Harbor and it played in our heads that we knew every person on the team. In the second half we settled down and started to play our game.”
The fact that SC’s goal was scored outside on a long shot took Harbor by surprise as the Cards like to chip the ball over defenders heads leading the speedy Gretchen Haussler, who tied for second in the CCS 100 meter hurdles competition last season. A Harbor comment, “I think it caught us off guard. Britsy was definitely in good position. They’re a very skilled team and it was a good goal.”

From Mbay.Prep. Stat leaders
Scoring: Haussler 15, Fuller 9, Burland, Hatcher and Shaffer 5 apiece
Assists: Hatcher 10, Caiocca 5, Fuller 4, Burland 3, Schindler 2
Goalie saves: Vidales 4.

ALL SCCAL Britsy Bruland and Ali Hatcher, midfielders; Tina Fuller and Gretchen Haussler, forwards; Ilysa Igleslas, Min Pomper, Jenny Putt, Jessica Schindler, defenders. Brittany Vidales, goalkeeper.

GIRLS JV SOCCER
Yearbook. Roster: Leah Noble, Emma Sanders, Marie Knox, Krista Mattson, Emma Price, Christine Garcia, Eleni Richey, Beth Osborn, Kori Farrell, Alez Gledhill, Ashley Green, Hila Mehr, Becca Coleman, Katie Martin, Zealand Reynolds and Whitney Ramos. Coaches Kathy and Lilla.

BASEBALL CCS CHAMPIONS OF DIVISION III. The baseball team won CCS Division III championship for the first time ever for a SC baseball team

League standings: Aptos 9-3, SC 8-4, Soquel 8-4, Harbor 6-6, SLV 5-7, SV 4-8, Watsonville 2-10. SC overall record 24-12.

From Mbayprep.com. The top 15 rankings by the San Jose Mercury by dates: 6/20, SC eighth; 5/9, SC fifteen; 4/8, SC fourteenth; 3/28, SC eighth; 3/21, SC tenth. On 5/16, SC was seeded second in CCS Division III playoffs.
SC players standings within the three leagues in the Monterey Bay area, kept by Mbayprep. Lauren Gagnier was third in the area for his 9-3 won loss record. James Vega was number one in games saved with four. Gagnier was third in three other categories: innings pitched, 56; strike outs 59 and complete games seven. James Vega was fifth in games with multiple hits with five and tenth in total hits with 27.

In the CCS playoffs, SC beat Sacred Heart Prep 9-4 and Carmel in the finals 13-2 for the Division III Title.

Yearbook. Not only do these athletes work hard during their season, it is a year around commitment. During the off season you can find them hard at work on the field or fund raising for new equipment. They even spend most of their lunches and time during fourth period in the weight room or in the batting cages perfecting their hitting.

There is no team picture. Individual shots show Keith Woessner, Alex Stuart, Dylan Windt, Jeff Weaver, Wes Matthews, Paul Dinkins, Michael Vega, D,J. Anthony, Simon Mandell, Kenneth Taylor, James Vega, Michael Brown, Trent Lindgren.

ALL SCCAL TEAM: senior pitcher, Lauren Gagnier, who was also on the Cal Hi Sports Medium Small Schools ALL STATE team. Senior pitcher Paul Croughan. Sophomore outfielder Will Wetmore.

JV BASEBALL
Team roster: Pete Furtado, Justin Allegri, Tyler Wood, Alex Dunton, Alex Meyers, Andy Kolasa, Austin Bates, Ben Rose, Brett Mori, Chris Marchisio, Derek Castro, Derek Talbott, Dylan Windt, Forrest Ohtake, Jeff Weaver, Kevin Grellmann, Mark Adams, Mike McNicholas, Phil Ryder and Wes Mathews.

FROSH BASEBALL
Yearbook. Players shown are Adam Kunkel, Rat Rangell, Joel Williams and Chris Tako.

GIRLS SOFTBALL
Yearbook. When the girls are not out on the field you can find them in the weight room toning their throwing arm or strengthening their legs for a faster run around the bases. The drills they do in practice have helped them with their coordination and their technique.

Roster: Skye Haney, Ashlie LaMere, Regina Verducci, Kaylin Slakey, Jamila Pemberton, Ashley Muhly, Lisa Owen, Shantee Kingsland, Julieanna Redell, Stephan Anderson, Kaitlyn O’Brien, Kendra Carmichael, Logan Vanderpool and Noel Devine. Head coach Kim Cave and assistants Brenna Mendez and Joe Escobar.

JV GIRLS SOFTBALL
Yearbook. No team information, only individual pictures of Jasmine Mola, Rene Penya, Jenna Escobar, Marisa Alvarez and Lauren Vargas,

TRACK BOYS and GIRLS
Yearbook. Track and field has always been a popular sport for athletes of other sports to keep in shape during their off seasons. ( there is no information on the season or picture of the team with athletes names. There are a few pictures of athletes: Monica May Michael Marquez, Robert Daniel, Hannah Shull, Carlos Rubio and Michael Frye.

LACROSSE VARSITY the team has established themselves as a Northern California powerhouse and was ranked in the top 10 teams in California.

Yearbook. A new sport at SC. It is one of the roughest sport one can play. Players run full speed straight toward each other and then attack the player with the ball and try to take it away. There is a half field line with the defense on one side and the offense on the other. It takes a lot of time practicing catching and throwing the ball with a net on the end of a stick.

Captains were Luke Shaw, Joe McGough and Dash Pomerantz awesome keep of the net. Just like a soccer goalie. Defense was anchored by seniors Case Mandel and Nick Ares and junior Matt Zenter.

Rest of squad: Robert Dayl, Graham Gelwicks, Jonathan Coleman, Dario Bortolin, Neil Foster, Lowell Hope, Matt Cherry, Chad Jessen, Clark Santee, Walter Singaram, Zack Lentu, Matt Zentner, James Cowley, Adam Spear and Jordon Cloar,
Head Coach Bob Shaw and assistant Tom Hagin.

LACROSSE JV
Yearbook. Some of the players choose to work with both the JV and varsity squad. JV captains Chad Jessen and Neil Foster were two who did it. The team played well and showed much improvement as the season progressed.

Roster: Matt Greenberg, Mitch Suits, Matt Edmonds, Michael Jed, Alex Curtin, Chad Jessen, James Shalvarjian, Neil Foster, Danny Frentz, Brian George, Michael Jed, Adam George, Bobby Ames, Adam Spear, Cole Wilson, Johnny Orlando, Brad Davies, Jordon Cloar, Jason Kaye and Andrew Woodhead. Coaches John Hagen and Pruitt.

BOYS TENNIS
Yearbook. The team had a great season this year. To play and practice, they had to go wherever they could find an open court. They were still able to get their work in. The SC courts were being rebuilt.

Roster: Ryan Iamail, Dan Seran, Jerry Chang, Ryan Beach, Jose Sonenfeld, Alok Pandey, Justin Tanimoto, John and Max Byer-Bass. Coach Jeff.

GOLF
Yearbook. Only pictures of individuals Santino Gularte, John Kelly, Creg Worthen, Mike Long, Bennet Bigere, Greg Worthen and Drew Bontadelli.