Picard, Mahoney qualify for CCS golf tournament
By Dick Sparrer
Brent Picard of Westmont fired a four-over par 74 to tie for fourth place overall at the Blossom Valley Athletic League golf championships held last week at the Spring Valley Golf Course in Milpitas.
Picard, a junior, was the defending champion in the tournament, but finished seven strokes off the pace this spring. Still, he qualified for the Central Coast Section (CCS) tournament with a solid showing at the finals. The CCS tourney is set for May 7 at Rancho Cañada.
Picard and seniors Casey Cripe and Connor McDonald had each shot 40s a week earlier to lead the Warriors to a 205-218 upset win over Piedmont Hills in a Mt. Hamilton Division match at the tough Coyote Creek tournament course.
Juniors Elliot Danforth, 42, and Colin Davis, 43, also recorded strong rounds against the Pirates.
The win helped Westmont finish the league season with a 7-7 record. It marked the final year for head coach Dave Cripe, who will step down after eight seasons as the Warriors' boss.
"It's been an enjoyable experience coaching such fine young people over the years," said Cripe, who was also able to coach both his sons, Tyler and Casey.
Greg McDonald and Steve Hosack will take over the coaching reins for the Warriors next spring.
Senior Nathan Cook, juniors Michael Bottenberg and Chris Savage and sophomore Daniel Reese were other varsity players at Westmont this season. Playing for the junior varsity were Carrie Murray, Jessica Trainor, Evan Verdoia and Matt Hosack.
Over at the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League finals at the Ridgemont Golf Course, Ryan Mahoney of Saratoga carded a one-under 71 to finish third overall. Lynbrook's Andy Anido finished with a 76 to nail seventh, and Andrew Chow shot a 78 to tie for 11th. All three golfers have qualified for CCS.
Falcons fall
A.J. Kerin, Garrett Wyatt and Ashvin Soin each won twice in singles play, but the Saratoga tennis team could manage just a split at the Central Coast Section Division II team playoffs.
Kerin cruised to a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 1 singles to start the Falcons on their way to a 6-1 win over Harker Academy in the first round of the CCS tourney.
Wyatt rolled to a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 2 singles and Soin won 6-3, 6-1 at No. 3. Jeremy Lin won by default at No. 4 singles.
Po-Yuan Chen and Anil Narasimha teamed for a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 2 doubles, and Jonathon Ng and Tim Lee won 6-1, 6-1 at No. 3 doubles.
But Saratoga lost 4-3 to St. Francis a match later. Kerin won 6-3, 6-2 at No. 1 singles, Wyatt won 6-2, 6-2 at No. 2 and Soin won 6-4, 6-0 at No. 3 to account for the only wins for the Falcons.
Chen and Narasimha lost a 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 nod, and Ng and Lee fell 7-6 (7-5), 1-6, 7-5 in a couple of tough three-setters in doubles play.
Saratoga finished the year with a 15-6 record.
Softball wins
The Saratoga girls softball team won a pair of games last week to push its record to 12-9 for the year and to 7-4 in the El Camino Division of the SCVAL.
Randi Oakes tossed a one-hitter to lead the Falcons to a 6-1 win over Fremont to open the week.
Two days later, Ilana Sabes singled and homered to knock in a pair of runs in a 5-1 win over Homestead. Oakes singled and tripled to drive in two runs, and she was also the winning pitcher.
Tennis nationals
Three tennis players from the Los Gatos Swim & Racquet Club earned berths in the recent national tournament in Palm Springs.
Lejla Hodzic of Cupertino, Kareem Berdai of Los Gatos and Ashley Lipton of Saratoga, all among the top ranked 18-year-olds in Northern California, competed against the top players in the nation at the tourney.
Carlson wins award
Prospect's Rod Carlson has been selected as a Central Coast Section Spring Sports Honor Coach for boys volleyball.
Carlson started his career as a swimming coach at the now-defunct Camden High School in 1976 and moved to the old Blackford High as the aquatics coach in 1981. He joined the staff at Prospect in 1983 and has been there ever since.
Carlson coached girls volleyball at the school for 17 years and boys swimming for 10. He has been the boys volleyball coach for the past four years and led the Panthers to the league championship in 2001.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
