Saratoga News Panthers gun for CCS repeat By Dick Sparrer Prospect won a Central Coast Section championship in boys' soccer last winter. And the Panthers liked the experience so much, they plan to do it again this year. The Panthers, led by returning starters Francisco Martinez and Brandon Delgado, plan to "return to the CCS finals," says Prospect coach Mike Karr. Delgado, a 6-foot, 170-pound senior goalkeeper, is back in the net for the Panthers this season, and Martinez, a speedy center midfielder, returns for his junior season. Helping the Panthers in the bid to achieve their lofty goal will be a talented crop of newcomers, including sophomore forwards Servando Morfin and Myles Forman; junior goalkeeper Josh Hawthorne; and freshman defender Matt Fischer. Prospect features a squad made up mostly of sophomores and juniors. Other than Delgado, the team's only senior, and Fischer, the freshman, all of the Panthers are either sophs or juniors. Prospect is off to a tough 1-3-2 start in the young season. The Panthers' only win thus far was a 5-2 decision over Woodside in the Homestead Christmas Cup tournament. Junior Russell Ortiz knocked in a pair of goals in the win, and junior Adam Cole had a goal and two assists. Forman and sophomore Santiago Ortega also scored goals for the Panthers against Woodside, and junior Larry Gould, Raul Pastrana and Martinez each added assists. The Panthers fought Palo Alto to a 2-2 tie in the Homestead tourney last weekend, but they lost 2-0 to St. Francis and 3-0 to Bellarmine in nonleague matches last week. In an earlier match in the Christmas Cup event, Forman scored off a Morfin assist, but the Panthers lost 2-1 to James Lick. Prospect will try to get back on the winning track this week. They will visit Oak Grove on Dec. 18, 3:15 p.m., in the first game of the year in the Mt. Hamilton Division of the Blosoom Valley Athletic League. [ Back to Contents Page | Saratoga News Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Saratoga News, December 16, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.