Photograph by George Sakkestad
Homestead's Mike Wolman finished in the top 20 to lead the Mustangs to a fifth-place finish in the team standings at the Central Park Invitational.
By DICK SPARRER
Both Monta Vista and Homestead have enjoyed their share of success in the early weeks of the 1996 football season.
The Matadors have come up winners in each of their first four games, and the Mustangs have won three of their first four.
And each club opened the season in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League with an impressive win last weekend.
But something's got to give this week--because the two De Anza Division powerhouses play each other.
Homestead and Monta Vista will battle it out in a key league game on Oct. 11, 7:30 p.m., at Cupertino.
Both are coming off solid victories last week. Monta Vista outscored Wilcox 21-12, and Homestead pulled out a 7-0 thriller against Saratoga.
Tony Elam's 12-yard touchdown run in the third period was the difference in the Homestead-Saratoga game. Elam rushed for 125 yards in the Homestead victory.
Firebirds win opener
Fremont didn't win many games in Ron DeMonner's first year as the school's head football coach.
Okay, they only won one.
But DeMonner's 1996 Firebirds have already topped the victory output of his 1995 Indians. Fremont opened league play with an impressive 36-13 win over Santa Clara last Friday night, and it marked the second win of the young season for the Firebirds.
The 'Birds are now 2-2 in the young season, and are off to a perfect 1-0 start in the El Camino Division of the SCVAL.
Jerrick Powell, a member of that one-win team of a year ago, made sure that the '96 Fremont squad would be no one-win wonder. Powell rambled for 284 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Firebirds to the convincing win over the Bruins.
Powell gave Fremont an early lead with a 49-yard touchdown run in the first period, but the Bruins came back with a TD and extra point before the end of the quarter to take a 7-6 lead.
Senior fullback Tony Brown blasted over the one for a second-period touchdown for the Firebirds. And after Jorge Novoa kicked the extra point, the 'Birds had a lead they would never give up.
Fremont took that 13-7 lead in at intermission, but came out in the third period to take control of the game.
Powell took off on a 52-yard touchdown run, and Lamar Harvey ran in for the two-point conversion. Harvey came back with a 34-yard touchdown pass to Gilbert Atondo, and the Firebirds were in control 27-7 heading into the fourth.
Powell added a little insurance when he shot over from the two in the fourth quarter, and Novoa kicked the extra point. Fremont got just a little more of a cushion when Tully Banta-Cain blocked a punt out of the end zone for a safety.
Fremont will now try to make it two straight to open the league season. The Firebirds will host Cupertino on Oct. 11, 7:30 p.m., at Diesner Field. The Pioneers are 1-3 for the year, but opened the league season with a solid 23-14 win over Los Altos last week.
Wolman leads Mustangs
Mike Wolman finished in the top 20 to lead the Homestead boys' cross-country team to a solid showing in the rugged Central Park Invitational held recently in Santa Clara.
The Mustangs finished fifth in a tough field of teams at Central Park. St. Francis ran up a low 22 points to win the team title, with Los Gatos second at 82, Gunn third at 104, Los Altos fourth at 105 and Homestead fifth at 151.
Fremont finished a low 17th in the team standings at the invitational.
Bui leads 'Birds
Nancy Bui nailed a 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 1 singles to lead the Fremont girls' tennis team to a 4-3 win over Milpitas in action in the El Camino Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League last week.
Lynn Caligueran supported with a 6-4, 6-4 victory at No. 2 singles, and Tarang Saini won 7-5, 6-4 at No. 4 singles.
Theresa Phan and Tri Minh Hoang pulled out an exciting three-set victory at No. 1 doubles to help the Firebirds clinch the team win. Phan and Hoang won 6-0, 6-7, 6-1.
Fremont lost a tough 7-0 decision to Palo Alto later in the week to slip to 2-4 in division play.
Homestead also split in a pair of matches last week in De Anza Division action.
Brie Ahern won 6-1, 6-0 at No. 1 singles to lead the Mustangs to a 6-1 win over Monta Vista. But despite a 6-4, 6-2 win by Ahern in the No. 1 spot, the Mustangs had lost 5-2 to Gunn to open the week.
Homestead is now 2-4 in division play and 3-5 for the year.
Girls' volleyball
Donna Tripiano and Melissa Coombes helped Homestead girls' volleyball team to a pair of wins in the El Camino Division of the SCVAL last week.
The Mustangs whipped Milpitas 15-11, 13-15, 15-13, 15-10 after beating Saratoga 15-12, 13-15, 15-1, 15-3.
The Mustangs, now 4-0 in the division, came back to reach the quarterfinals of the rugged Carmichael Invitational in Sacramento over the weekend. Homestead beat Tokay, Florin, Highlands and West Valley before losing to Lodi in the quarters.
In other local action, Fremont dropped two El Camino matches to slip to 0-4 in division play. The Firebirds lost 15-4, 15-6, 15-12 to Cupertino and 15-2, 15-3, 15-3 to Wilcox.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, October 9, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.