Prospect's Carolyn Okazaki dives to the floor in an effort to dig one out against Willow Glen. The Panthers ended up losing to the Rams in four games.




Photograph by Skye Dunlap







Hilbert leads Warriors to win

Lamore stars for Saratoga

By Dick Sparrer

Mike Hilbert had just about had enough.

So the Westmont junior running back seemed to take things into his own hands last week and led the Warriors to their first win of the 1999 football season.

The Warriors had opened the year with five straight losses, including two in the Santa Teresa Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League.

But Hilbert and the Warriors ended that losing string last Friday night with a thrilling 14-13 win over the 76ers.

Hilbert raced for 112 yards and two touchdowns to lead Westmont to the victory.

He gave the Warriors the early lead with a 40-yard touchdown run in the first period, but Independence came back to score in the second quarter and converted the extra point to lead 7-6 at intermission.

Westmont regained the lead for good in the third period. Hilbert went 25 yards for a touchdown, and junior quarterback Chris Snyder tossed to senior Adam Antolin for the two-point conversion to put the Warriors on top 14-7.

Independence made it close with a fourth-quarter touchdown, but the 76ers opted to go for the win instead of the tie. Independence attempted to pass for a go-ahead two-point conversion, but the toss fell incomplete and the Warriors went on to clinch the win.

Snyder completed six of 13 passes for 99 yards in the win, going to Antolin four times for 54 yards and Hilbert twice for 45.

Hilbert, who won all-league honors as a sophomore for Westmont, led the offense with his 157 total yards, and senior linebacker A.J. Oxley led the defensive effort with a pair of quarterback sacks.

Westmont will now try to make it two straight in the division when the Warriors visit Willow Glen on Oct. 23, 1:30 p.m. The Rams lost 28-12 to Del Mar last week to slip to 1-2 in the division and to 4-2 for the year.

Panthers lose

Prospect took a break from league play last week, but it was certainly no week off for the Panthers.

Prospect took on a tough Overfelt club from the Mt. Hamilton Division and played the Royals tough before falling 39-24.

The Panthers, 4-2 for the year and 1-1 in the division, jumped out to a quick lead with two first-period touchdowns.

Senior quarterback Jordan Williams, who had been knocked out of action in the fourth quarter a week earlier in a tough loss to Pioneer, returned to the field in impressive fashion, hitting Ryan Sainsbury and Andrew Heling with first-period TD tosses.

Williams hooked up with Sainsbury for 56 yards and a touchdown early in the game, and Donald Austin ran in for the two-point conversion.

Williams went to Heling later in the quarter for a 48-yard touchdown, and Heling flipped to Kelly Stevens for the two-pointer that gave the Panthers a 16-0 lead after a period.

But the methodical Overfelt offense went the work in the second quarter, rushing for four touchdowns to take a 26-16 lead by intermission.

The Royals ran for two more scores in the third period, to up that lead to 39-16 before Prospect scored again in the fourth.

Stevens took off on a 30-yard TD run in the final period and Curtis Wills ran for the two-point conversion. But that was all Prospect could manage.

Williams hooked up on 11 of 20 passes for 196 yards and the two touchdowns.

The Panthers will return to Santa Teresa Division play this week when they host Independence on Oct. 22, 7:30 p.m., at Westmont.

Falcons, Vikes fall

In other area football games last week, Palo Alto ripped Saratoga 41-8 in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League, and Mountain View edged Lynbrook 21-17 in the El Camino Division of the SCVAL.

Robert Lee and Matt Fratus each ran for touchdowns, and Gordon Hawley kicked a field goal and two extra points, but the Vikings lost the 21-17 heartbreaker to Mountain View.

Lee gave Lynbrook the early lead when he ran one in from the 11, and Hawley kicked the extra point.

The Spartans tied it in the second period, but Hawley broke the tie with a 37-yard field goal to give Lynbrook a 10-7 edge at the half.

Mountain View scored in the third to take the lead, but Lynbrook got it back in the fourth when Fratus ran in from the 9.

But Mountain View scored its final TD with just over a minute left to play to pull out the win.

Lynbrook, 0-3 in the division and 1-5 for the year, will host Los Altos on Oct. 22, 7:30 p.m., at Cupertino.

Saratoga will play host to Milpitas on Oct. 22, 7:30 p.m., at Los Gatos. The Trojans are 2-1 in the division and 4-2 for the year after losing an 18-13 heartbreaker to Los Gatos last Friday night. The Falcons are 0-2 in the division and 3-3 for the year following their loss to Paly.

Lamore a killer

Nicole Lamore was a killer for the unbeaten Saratoga girls volleyball team last week. Lamore recorded a team high nine kills to lead the Falcons to a 15-10, 15-9, 15-4 win over Homestead to help Saratoga improve to 8-0 in the El Camino Division and to 12-8 for the year.

In other local action, Alyssa Parson slammed 13 kills to lead Westmont to a 15-2, 11-15, 15-13, 15-5 win over Leigh. The Warriors are 3-5 in the Mt. Hamilton Division and 8-14 for the year.

Earlier in the week the Warriors had turned back Independence 15-7, 15-9, 15-8. Mahaffey had 10 kills in the win.

Prospect lost a 15-9, 8-15, 15-9, 15-13 decision to Willow Glen in Santa Teresa Division action.

Falcons, Warriors net wins

Saratoga and Westmont each won twice in girls tennis action last week.

The Falcons, who opened the week with a 5-2 nonleague loss to Leland, edged Gunn 4-3 and blanked Los Altos 7-0 to improve to 4-4 in the De Anza Division and to 11-5 for the year.

Amanda Wise, who won 6-0, 6-4 against Leland, posted a 6-1, 6-4 victory at No. 1 singles against the Titans and won 6-2, 6-0 at No. 1 against the Eagles to lead the Falcons to the two league wins.

Megan Clapp won twice at No. 1 singles to lead Westmont to back-to-back wins in the West Valley Division. The Warriors topped Lincoln 5-2 and Del Mar 5-2 to push their season record to 12-1.

Clapp, Anna Vudalic and Ramy Long were singles winners for Westmont in the win over the Lions. Rachael Osofsky and Kathryn Bamford teamed for a win at No. 1 doubles and Megan Gurney and Virginia Nguyen won at No. 2.

Singles wins by Clapp, Vudalic, Long and Bamford sparked the Warriors to the win over the Dons. Gurney and Nguyen won at No. 1 doubles.

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