Willow Glen Resident
Sports
Rams, Panthers play for division crown
By Dick Sparrer
The Willow Glen football team needed a win. Now the Rams need one more.
Willow Glen crushed San Jose Academy 35-7 last week to push its season record to 8-1, but more importantly stretch its mark to 6-0 in the West Valley Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League with just one game left to play--and that's a big one.
The Rams will visit Prospect (6-3, 5-1) on Nov. 9, 2:45 p.m., in the game that will decide the division championship.
The only blemish on Willow Glen's season ledger was a 10-6 non-league loss to Monta Vista. Prospect also lost to the Matadors earlier this year in a shootout, 34-21. The Panthers, who lost to powerhouse Leigh in another non-league game, suffered a tough 27-24 loss to Overfelt for their only stumble in league play.
The Panthers could wipe out the memory of that defeat with a win on Thursday. A Prospect victory would create a title tie in the division with the Panthers and Rams sporting matching 6-1 records. Willow Glen could win the crown outright with a victory at Prospect.
Willow Glen remained alone atop the pack with the 35-7 win at San Jose last Friday night.
Marcos Garces continued to run wild through the division, racing for 151 yards and four touchdowns in the victory. Garces scored on runs of 8, 2, 26 and 5 yards. Quarterback Juan Baron also scored on a 1-yard run and Jose Cervantes booted five extra points.
The two clubs matched first-quarter touchdowns, and Willow Glen led by 14-7 at intermission. But the Rams pulled away with another score in the third and clinched the win with two TDs in the fourth.
Rams stick it to 'em
With a 4-0 victory over Berkeley and a tight 2-1 win over Del Mar, the Willow Glen field hockey clinched the West Valley Division championship and a berth in the Central Coast Section playoffs that begin on Nov. 9.
The Rams, 12-1-2 this season, finished up 12-0-1 in division play with the two wins last week.
Sophomore Danielle Yaconelli knocked in a goal and handed out a pair of assists to lead the Rams to the win over Berkeley. Ashley Haight, another soph, had a goal and an assist in the win, and junior Kalen Bigger and sophomore Taylor Lundquist also scored.
Second-half goals by Lundquist, off a Bigger assist, and senior Aracely Esquerra helped Willow Glen overcome a 1-0 first-half deficit in 2-1 win over Del Mar.
Rams fall in semifinals
After a 10-win run through the Santa Teresa Division, the Willow Glen boys water polo team lost 10-1 to powerhouse Leland in the semifinals of the BVAL tournament at Independence.
The Rams had held off Pioneer 7-5 in the tournament quarterfinals. Sam Brandt poured in five goals to lead Willow Glen to the victory. Josh Dombro and Charlie Kane also scored in the win.
The Rams were up 2-1 after a period and stretched that to 5-1 by the half. The squads matched goals in the third before the Mustangs outscored Willow Glen 3-1 in the fourth, only to come up two goals short.
Volleyball team falls
The Willow Glen girls volleyball team finished up the league season with a three-game loss to Santa Teresa. The Rams fell to the Saints 25-16, 25-22, 25-15 to wind up the Santa Teresa Division season with a 6-8 record.
