Homestead's Dominic Phillips hammers home a spike in last week's title-clinching win over Los Gatos. The Mustangs open CCS play this week.
Photograph by Jeff Kearns
Mustangs win volleyball title
Homestead moves on to CCS playoffs
By Dick Sparrer
It's one title down and another to go for the boys volleyball team at Homestead.
The Mustangs wrapped up the champiohship in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League by sweeping Los Gatos in three games last week.
Homestead finished the league season with an 8-0 record, but needed the win over the Wildcats to clinch sole ownership of the championship. Gatos entered the final match with a 6-1 mark, and could have forced a title tie with a win.
But Homestead would have none of that. The Mustangs dispatched the Cats in easy fashion 15-9, 15-8, 15-9 to wrap up a perfect league season.
The Mustangs will hope to win a second title as they move on to the Central Coast Section playoffs. Homestead, 34-2 for the year, is the No. 2 seed in the tournament behind Bellarmine (22-1). The Mustangs open the tourney on May 11, 7 p.m., at home against the Westmont (20-5)-Woodside Priory (21-1) first-round winner.
Homestead put the pressure on Los Gatos a 15-3, 15-3, 15-10 win over Mountain View to open play last week. Josh Cavin hammered home eight kills to lead the Mustangs to the easy victory and to help them secure no worse than a title tie.
But there would be no tie for the Mustangs. They made short work of Los Gatos behind a 12-kill performance by Kavon Hassani-Aza.
Members of the Homestead championship team include Cavin, Hassani-Aza, Aaron Mansfield, Bobby Walton, Dominic Phillips, James Gable, An-yen Hu, Nick Miluso, Joel Wood, Yale Park, Ernie Chen and Armen Ekmekji. The team is coached by Roger Edwards and Jason Mansfield.
In other local volleyball action last week, Kelen Sorauf knocked down 15 kills to lead Fremont to a 15-13, 15-8, 5-15, 15-13 win over Saratoga.
The Firebirds, 3-5 in league play and 14-20 for the year, had lost 15-3, 15-8, 11-15, 15-2 to Los Gatos earlier in the week.
The King's Academy finished the year 8-10 and ended up 6-4 in the Private Schools League with a 15-7, 8-15, 15-8, 15-9 win over Saint Lawrence Academy.
Mustangs win two
Homestead won twice last week in baseball action in the El Camino Division of the SCVAL.
The Mustangs knocked off Palo Alto 9-4 and came back with an 8-6 win over Los Altos to improve to 5-11 in El Camino play and to even their season record at 12-12.
Bryan Skitt was the winning pitcher and Israel Trujillo came on to get the save in Homestead's 8-6 win over Los Altos.
Brandon Dougherty, Matt Whiteman and Chris Kidd each homered in the game for the Mustangs. Kidd had two hits to knock in three runs, Dougherty had two hits and Adam Milliken drove in two runs.
Gary Mullins singled and homered to drive in three runs to lead Homestead to a 9-4 win over Palo Alto.
Brandon Schroder singled and doubled twice in the win for the Mustangs and Bryan Silverman had two hits to drive in three runs. Trujillo also had two hits.
David Attard was the winning pitcher, and also helped his own cause at the plate with a double.
Fremont, meanwhile, lost two De Anza Division decisions before beating Milpitas 9-4.
Troy Tulowitzki homered and was also the winning pitcher for the Firebirds against the Trojans. Tulowitzki finished the day with a couple of hits for Fremont.
Mark Ahrens and Brandon Klein each blasted two-run homers and Cory Bronnenberg doubled and singled twice. Chris Heng singled and doubled and Pete Hernandez had two hits.
Ahrens doubled and tripled to knock in three runs and Felix Tabarez had three hits, but Fremont lost 8-7 to Los Gatos in nine innings. Mark Burgess homered for the Firebirds.
Ron Cerda and Heng had two hits apiece and Tabarez and Burgess each doubled, but Fremont lost 16-5 to first-place Wilcox.
Anido third
David Anido of Lynbrook finished in the top 10 at the SCVAL golf tournament at the par 72 Santa Clara Golf and Tennis Center.
Anido finished with a two-round 153 to tie for third. Amir Hussein of Homestead shot a 157 to tie for 10th, and Monta Vista's Todd Bailey shot a 158 to finish 12th.
Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
