Photograph by Skye Dunlap

Prospect's Young Pham (No. 3) battles for the ball in field hockey action against St. Francis. The Panthers pulled out a 1-0 win over the Lancers to move into the CCS title match.

Rain postpones field hockey final

Falcons win girls league polo title

By Dick Sparrer

There was no championship celebration after last Saturday morning's Central Coast Section title match between Los Gatos and Prospect. But the reason was simple ... there was no match.

Wet, sloppy conditions caused the postponement of the championship match that was to be played on Monday, weather permitting.

So the Wildcats and Panthers would have to be a little patient before determining a CCS field hockey champ. But after a couple of hard-earned wins earlier in the week, the two teams could no doubt use the extra time to relax.

Both the Cats and Panthers pulled out 1-0 wins in the CCS semifinals earlier in the week, and both teams had to score second-half goals to break scoreless ties.

Los Gatos snapped a 0-0 draw when Anita Reyes knocked in a goal in the second half that led the Wildcats to a 1-0 win over Mitty.

The win pushed the Wildcats, led by talented veteran coach Henry Reyes, into the CCS championship match. The Cats take an 11-1-2 record into the finals.

The only blemish on that otherwise solid record is an early season loss to Prospect. And the Panthers, directed by head coach Jean Campbell, hope to snatch another win from the Wildcats in the finals.

Prospect earned its place in the championship match with a tough 1-0 victory over St. Francis last week.

Cameron Katos tapped a pass from Amber Madsen home for the only goal Prospect needed to clinch the win over the Lancers.

Goalkeeper JoNina Cross made sure that the goal stood up for the Prospect win by making seven saves in the net for the Panthers.

The Panthers, who were 12-1-4 as they moved into the CCS finals against the Wildcats on Monday, opened CCS with a 3-0 win over Monta Vista.

Falcons fall to Rams

An exciting girls water polo season came to an abrupt finish last weekend when the Saratoga Falcons dropped a tough 8-2 decision to Willow Glen in the CCS quarter-finals.

Saratoga had earned a place in the CCS tournament by winning the championship in the El Camino Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League. The Falcons clinched that title with a 14-5 win over Los Altos.

The Falcons opened CCS with a hard-earned 6-5 overtime win over St. Ignatius, but lost a game later to the Rams.

Courtney Hopkins tossed in four goals and Kim Ashburn and Jacqui Gilbert added three goals apiece for the Falcons in the impressive win over the Eagles in the division championship game.

Hopkins came back with three goals and Gilbert added two more in the win over SI in the CCS opener for each school. Courtney Crase also scored in the win for the Falcons.

The Falcons were up 3-2 at halftime against the Wildcats, but were outscored 3-2 in the second half to finish regulation in a 5-5 tie with SI. Saratoga scored in the first overtime, though, and held the Wildcats scoreless throughout two extra periods to clinch the win.

Saratoga moved on to the CCS quarter-finals, but lost 8-2 to the Rams. Hopkins and Kimberly Ashburn each scored for the Falcons, but it wasn't enough.

Saratoga ended the year with a solid 21-8 record.

The Falcons had cruised to a lopsided 11-4 win over Mountain View before beating Los Altos in the division title game. Hopkins buried six goals to lead Saratoga, and Ashburn and Sarah Oberhauser added two goals apiece. Elizabeth Keezer also scored in the win.

Falcons run at state

Jacob Christopherson and Paula McNally of Saratoga will each be in the running at the state high school cross country championships at Woodward Park in Fresno on Nov. 27.

Christopherson and McNally earned their places in the state meet by placing high in the field in the CCS Division IV championships on Nov. 13 at Crystal Springs in Belmont.

McNally romped to a seventh-place finish at CCS, covering the 2.95-mile course in 20:19 to finish just a second behind Alisa Gammon of Half Moon Bay and two seconds ahead of Kerri King of Half Moon Bay.

Christopherson was eighth in the boys race in 16:54, only two seconds out of seventh and less than 10 seconds out of fourth.

Panthers, Don fall

The Prospect and Del Mar football teams tied for second place with Piedmont Hills in the Santa Teresa Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League with Piedmont Hills.

And all three teams joined division champ Pioneer in the Central Coast Section playoffs that began last weekend.

But as the teams of the CCS head into semi-final play this weekend, only two of the four Santa Teresa teams remain.

Pioneer opened with a lopsided 37-7 victory over King City in Division IV play, and Piedmont Hills upset Santa Clara 21-18 in Division II.

But both Prospect and Del Mar lost first-round games to area powers in Division III action last weekend.

Prospect fell 34-6 to unbeaten Los Gatos on Friday night, and Del Mar lost 45-8 to Mitty on Saturday.

The Panthers actually gave powerhouse Los Gatos a real battle for a half before losing to a solid second-half onslaught by the Wildcats.

The Cats went up 14-0 in the first quarter, but Prospect battled back in the second half when a run by junior back Saladin Washington helped set up a four-yard touchdown run by Donald Austin.

Prospect went in trailing just 14-6 at intermission, but the Cats scored twice in the third period and once more in the fourth to clinch the victory.

Austin, a senior running back, gained 65 yards for the Panthers.

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