Gatos golfers win league title
Wildcats head to CCS volleyball playoffs
By Dick Sparrer
The golfers at Los Gatos High picked the best time for their best effort of the year.
The Wildcats recorded a team record 195 strokes in a 195-204 win over Saratoga at the LaRinconada Country Club to clinch the championship in the El Camino Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League.
The Cats entered the final week of the league season with a 9-1 league record, having suffered a surprise loss to Milpitas early in the year. The Falcons were alone in first place at 10-0.
But Gatos two-timed Saratoga, winning a tight 204-206 decision at the Saratoga Country Club and posting a record-low 195 in the win at LaRinconada a day later.
Sophomore Trevor Branon finished with a four-over par 38 to lead the Cats to the win at LaRinconada. Charlie Clark, Eric Hansen and Bobby James were each a stroke back at 39 and Michael Bayne and Chris McMorrow each finished with a solid 40.
The Cats, 14-2 for the year and 11-1 in the El Camino Division, had opened the week with the tight two-stroke win at Saratoga.
Branon, Clark and James each finished with 39s to lead the Wildcats. Hansen shot a 42 and McMorrow finished at 45.
Gatos coaches Jim Marino and Mike Costanzo, who had predicted back in the preseason that it would be the Cats and Falcons playing for the title, are optimistic for the future of the school's golf team. Branon, McMorrow and Clark are all just sophomores and Bayne, James and Hansen are juniors.
The title is the first for Los Gatos since the golf program was reinstituted in 1993. The team had been dropped from the after-school sports program in 1978.
In a recent non-league match, Hansen fired a four-over par 39 to lead Los Gatos to a tight 218-220 win over Fremont at the Sunnyvale Municipal Golf Course.
Mustangs top Cats
The Homestead and Los Gatos boys volleyball teams battled it out for first place last week, but in the end it was the Mustangs sweeping three games to remain in first place in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League.
The Wildcats took a 6-1 league record into the match. The Cats had beaten Fremont 15-3, 15-8, 11-15, 15-2 to open the week. Greg Blevins buried 10 kills and Kevin Krug added six to lead the Cats to the win. Jason Cardoso led the squad with six service aces.
Homestead was 7-0 going into the match against Los Gatos. A win for the Cats would have left the two clubs with matching 7-1 marks.
But Gatos lost 15-9, 15-8, 15-9 to slip to 6-2 in the division. The Cats remained in second place behind the Mustangs. The Wildcats nailed two wins each over Mountain View, Saratoga and Fremont, but lost twice to powerful Homestead.
Los Gatos advances to the Central Coast Section tournament this week. The Wildcats will visit Harbor (18-6) on May 11, 7 p.m.
Members of the CCS-bound Gatos squad include Cardoso, Blevins, Krug, Andrew Holcomb, Mike Walleen, Adam Stephenson, Nate Sweeters, Brian Staff, David Conkle, Robert Handy, Mason McKown, Michael Conry, Max Haueter, Neil Perry, Mike McDowell, Scott Stephenson, Derek Tam and Shaun Sullivan.
Cats lose three
The Los Gatos girls softball team lost three games last week to slip to 0-10 in the De Anza Division.
The Cats lost a tough 4-3 decision to Wilcox despite a solid effort by hurler Jessica Enright. Brooke Tufnell had two hits for the Wildcats and Monica Pugh singled and tripled.
Gatos jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first, but Los Altos rallied for six in the third and rolled to a 6-1 win over the Cats a few days later.
The Wildcats finished the week with a 5-0 loss to Mountain View. Nicole Palasky singled and doubled to account for both of the Gatos hits.
Los Gatos, California Since 1881
Los Gatos volleyball standout Greg Blevins (right) flies high for a spike in last week's battle with Homestead.
