Armando Apolinar must have had somewhere to go last Thursday night, because he certainly seemed to be in a hurry to get off the wrestling mat when Pioneer played host to Leigh in a Blossom Valley Athletic League Santa Teresa Division match.

Apolinar made short work of his Leigh opponent, nailing a quick pin 47 seconds into his match at 275 pounds.

The fast fall was one of three for the Mustangs on the night, but Pioneer lost a 55-21 decision to the Longhorns to slip to 0-3 in division competition.

Pioneer sophomore Brian Watts pinned in just 1:05 at 112 pounds and junior Eric McCormick won by fall at 1:10 of the first round at 145 pounds.

But the only other victory the Mustangs could manage on the night was a 13-5 decision win by Jeff Terry at 215 pounds.

It was a similar story for Leland a night earlier at James Lick. The Chargers won just three matches in a 52-24 loss to the unbeaten Comets. Lick tops the division with a 3-0 record and Leland slipped to 1-2 in league action with the loss.

Greg Edwards had a quick pin for the Chargers, winning by fall in 1:02 of the first round at 171 pounds.

Mark Azarello pinned in 1:30 of the first at 125 pounds and Brandon Hong won by fall as the buzzer sounded ending the second round at 160 pounds.

Castillero wins big

Xavier De La Rocha Jr. and Andrew Springer pitched in 13 points apiece to lead the Castillero Middle School boys eighth grade basketball team to a lopsided 57-25 victory over Hoover last week.

The Cobras opened an early 18-3 lead and never looked back as they rolled to the 32-point win on their home floor.

"Our boys played extremely well for their first league game and we're proud of their effort," said Castillero head coach Xavier De La Rocha Sr.

Next up for the Cobras is John Muir on Jan. 15, 6:30 p.m., and Bret Harte on Jan. 22, 5 p.m.

Almaden softball

The Almaden Girl's Softball League will hold sign-ups for the spring 2004 season on Jan. 17, 9 a.m.­2 p.m., at Graystone Elementary School. The season runs from late February through May. First-time applicants must bring a copy of their birth certificate.

For more information, visit www.avgsl.org or call 408.808.1405.

Soccer tryouts

The Almaden Valley Strikers, a boys under-9 Class 3 soccer team in the Almaden Valley Youth Soccer League, will hold tryouts for the 2004 season on Jan. 24, 1­3 p.m., and Jan. 31, 2­4 p.m., at Castillero Middle School. Players must have been born between Aug. 1, 1995, and July 31, 1996. For more information, call Lela Huenergardt at 408.997.8089.

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