SanLuisObispo.com: Sports

Prep Football: Mission Prep moves on

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:35 PST

By Donovan Aird -- It was somewhat uncertain how the Mission Prep football team would match up with Bakersfield Christian on Friday night.

On one hand, the Royals, the No. 8 seed in the CIF-Central Section Division V playoffs, entered with four more wins than the ninth-seeded Eagles. But on the other, many of Bakersfield Christian�s losses came to small-school powers from the Division III and IV ranks, and the Eagles had 12 more players than Mission Prep � many of them bigger than their counterparts.

Ultimately, though, the first-round matchup turned out like most other Mission Prep games this year: the Royals� opportunistic defense collected turnovers, and Kevin Laird did just about anything he wanted offensively.

Prep Football: Atascadero, Arroyo Grande lose playoff openers on the road

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:30 PST

By Tribune staff report -- Sterling Bullard and Jesse Whitten had touchdown runs for the Atascadero High football team Friday night, but those were the Greyhounds� only touchdowns against Buena in their 41-14 CIF-Southern Section Northern Division playoff loss.

Atascadero (7-4) trailed 14-7 at halftime and the Greyhounds tried to come back with a touchdown from Whitten in the third quarter that tied it at 14-14.

�We played a real tight game the whole way, but it avalanched at the end,� Atascadero coach Vic Cooper said. �(Buena) had two defensive scores that really did us in. They�re a really good team, they didn�t drop anything and I think Buena was the better team tonight. I really feel that for first three quarters we were the better team. The wheels came off after the third quarter and we made some serious mistakes that really got us. Turnovers and penalty yards hurt us a lot.�

College Football: Mustangs look for season�s first road win in final game

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:28 PST

By Joshua D. Scroggin -- At the end of the Cal Poly football team�s last practice of the season Thursday, Mustangs head coach Tim Walsh had his regulars either watching or refereeing while the scout teams dueled at Alex G. Spanos Stadium.

One of the things Walsh wanted his starters to focus on was the youthful enthusiasm shown by the first- and second-year players when they finally got their chance to go full speed in the real-game venue.

The scrimmage resurrected a training camp feel � one where an 0-5 road record, a penchant for second-half swoons and a current three-game losing streak didn�t seem nearly as important as driving a teammate mercilessly into the ground in front of coaches.

College Football: Jespersen leads Bulldogs into playoffs

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:31 PST

By Joshua D. Scroggin -- SANTA MARIA � It�s been a couple of years since Gunnar Jespersen got in the face of Kris Dutra, saying he was coming to play for the Allan Hancock College football coach whether Dutra liked it or not.

The truth is that the Santa Maria junior college was a lot nearer to the former Atascadero High star�s hometown than it was to his heart, but because it was either this or the working world, Jespersen was putting his soul into it.

It�s not that Dutra was in a state of dislike, either.

College Roundup: Poly wrestlers beat No. 10 Missouri

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:16 PST

By Tribune staff report -- The Cal Poly wrestling team got pins from Filip Novachkov and Ryan DesRoches in a 22-15 win over No. 10 Missouri in a nonconference duel meet Friday at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo.

The No. 23 Mustangs split 10 matches against No. 10 Missouri (1-1) but claimed the only pins, and senior 157-pounder Chase Pami had the only major decision win.

Pami, who finished seventh at the NCAA Championships last year and is ranked third to start this season, outpointed Giorgio Gregoris 13-3.

Prep Girls Tennis: San Luis Obispo players fall in sectional individual tournament

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:15 PST

By Tribune staff report -- A day after advancing as a team to the CIF-Southern Section final, four San Luis Obispo High girls tennis team took part in the section�s individual finals Friday.

Two-time defending PAC 7 champion Abigail Will dropped a narrow 7-5, 4-6, 10-8 decision to Sonia Landeros of Rio Mesa High. Will�s teammate and PAC 7 runner-up Tori Troesch fell to Hart High�s Anne Susdorf 6-0, 6-2.

The PAC 7 champion doubles team of Alex Coffman and Lili Voisinet dropped a 6-4, 6-1 decision against Rio Mesa�s Claire Willey and Jenna Dubrin.

Baseball: Desme, Morel to square off on diamond

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:13 PST

By Tribune staff report -- Cal Poly alums Grant Desme and Brent Morel will square off against each other as the Phoenix Desert Dogs face the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League championship game today at Scottsdale Stadium.

Desme, an outfielder for the AFL East champion Desert Dogs (19-23), hit .315 and led the league with 11 home runs and 30 runs scored. Desme was second in the league with 27 RBI. Desme split his 2009 campaign between Class A Kane County (.274 with 11 home runs and 38 RBI in 69 games) and Class A Advanced Stockton (.304 with 20 home runs and 51 RBI).

Morel, an infielder for the AFL West champion Javelinas (18-14), finished the 32-game regular season with a .435 batting average (27 for 62). He also had 11 runs in 16 games for the Javelinas. Morel batted .281 with 16 home runs and 79 RBI in 128 games with Class A Winston-Salem last summer.

Prep Football: Titans� growth continues

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:22 PST

By Donovan Aird -- Russ Edwards had just gotten done coaching a basketball game at Judkins Middle School in Pismo Beach in 2005 when Jon Hitchen rerouted his coaching life.

Hitchen, Nipomo High�s inaugural football coach from 2002 through 2006, was looking to take on someone who could serve as a mutual caretaker for the program still in its infancy.

Edwards, a teacher at Judkins, in the Lucia Mar School District just as Nipomo is, was known for being San Luis Obispo�s co- offensive coordinator during the Tigers� 2001 CIF-Southern Section Division IV championship run. He served as a San Luis Obispo assistant for three more seasons before Hitchen presented him with the new opportunity.

Prep Football: PAC 7 teams hit the road for opening-round games

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:19 PST

By Donovan Aird -- For the first time this decade, all San Luis Obispo County high school football fans will have to hit the road to catch one of their teams� CIF-Southern Section first-round playoff games.

Over the past nine seasons, at least two county teams opened the section�s postseason at home every year. Twice, three teams did, and in 2001, four schools began the playoffs on their home fields. Not this time around.

In the Northern Division, at 7 tonight, Atascadero (7-3), the No. 2 seed from the PAC 7 league, will visit Buena of Ventura (8-2), the Channel League�s No. 2 representative, while the PAC 7�s No. 3, Arroyo Grande (7-3), will head to Camarillo (9-1), the Pacific View champion.

Prep Girls Tennis: Tigers win, advance to section final

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:15 PST

By Tribune staff report -- The San Luis Obispo girls tennis team advanced to the CIF-Southern Section Division III championship match after a 12-6 road win over South Pasadena on Thursday.

The Tigers (20-1) have won three of their four playoff matches on the road en route to Monday�s championship match at the Claremont Tennis Club.

�We feel like we�re definitely road warriors,� Tigers coach Gary Etheredge said. �This group of young ladies is a very special group to be able to go on the road three times and stay focused. It�s unbelievable the way this group has responded.�

College Basketball: Templeton grad leads Cuesta to win

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:13 PST

By Tribune staff report -- The Cuesta College men�s basketball team got 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists from former Templeton High standout Seth Koenig in a 70-62 win over College of the Siskiyous on Thursday in a quarterfinal game at the Mendocino Invitational.

The Cougars (4-0) jumped out to a 16-point lead in the first half but allowed COS back into the game.

�We reached a lull during a period between the end of the first half and the first 10 minutes of the second,� Cuesta head coach Rusty Blair said. �We weren�t boxing out and allowed them to have a lot of second chances.�

Prep Water Polo: It's a small waterworld

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:03 PST

By Donovan Aird -- On its face, it may have seemed like just another game between longtime rivals San Luis Obispo and Arroyo Grande.

But the two high schools� boys water polo match at Sinsheimer Pool on Oct. 8 featured something much more unusual � two native Serbians, guarding each other as respective members of the Tigers and Eagles.

Dragan Dincic played this season for San Luis Obispo, while Luka Vukomanovic played for Arroyo Grande. They were already friends as mutual members of the Partizan club in Belgrade, Serbia before becoming foreign-exchange students.

Local Roundup: Cal Poly announces signings of five wrestlers

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:58 PST

By Tribune staff report -- Three wrestlers from Gilroy high schools are among the five prep wrestlers who have signed National Letters of Intent to wrestle collegiately at Cal Poly.

Jesse Delgado and Dominic Kastl are the two Gilroy High wrestlers in the signing class.

Delgado was the California state champ last season at 112 pounds. He is expected to wrestle at 125 pounds at Cal Poly.

Fishing Report: Gong wins in late appearance in Patriot Sportfishing lingcod contest

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:55 PST

By Wayne Shaw -- The winner in Patriot Sportfishing�s fifth-annual lingcod contest nearly missed the whole show, although he�s been a twice-a-month customer for almost 20 years.

That is, he was until this year when bass fishing diverted his interest.

Craig Gong first tagged along with his grandfather when the Port San Luis business was known as Paradise Sportfishing.

Greinke has the right stuff for AL Cy Young

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:24 PST

By Associated Press -- NEW YORK � When the phone rang, Zack Greinke let it go � he didn�t recognize the number. Only after listening to the voice mail did he call back and find out he�d won the American League Cy Young Award.

The Kansas City Royals ace easily beat out Felix Hernandez for the honor Tuesday after a spectacular season short on wins but long on domination. Winning left the extremely shy Greinke with mixed emotions.

�Back in Orlando, I haven�t really got a whole lot of attention from people, which has been nice,� he said. �So I hope it doesn�t get that way, where everyone is like, �Oh, hey, Zack, hi.� �

College Roundup: Gatel will be the only Cal Poly runner at NCAA meet

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:20 PST

By Tribune staff report -- The Cal Poly men�s cross country team will not compete in the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Monday in Terre Haute, Ind. after failing to receive an at-large bid earlier this week.

The Mustangs had competed in three straight NCAA Championships as a team but had the streak broken following a fifth-place tie at the West Regional last weekend.

�(The team) is holding its head high,� Cal Poly head coach Mark Conover said. �They ran a great race at the regionals and did all they could do � which is to take care of their own effort.�

Prep Girls Tennis: Tigers win to move into the semifinals

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:18 PST

By Tribune staff, wire reports -- The San Luis Obispo High girls tennis team advanced to the CIF-Southern Section Division III semifinals with a narrow tiebreaker win over Valencia on Tuesday in Valencia.

The teams were tied in sets at nine, but the Tigers won the games tiebreaker 81-76.

�This is probably one of the biggest wins in program history,� Tigers coach Gary Etheredge said. �I can�t say enough about the girls� resiliency.�

Cal Poly's Johnson earns national honor for record-setting performance Saturday

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:34 PST

By Tribune staff report -- Cal Poly junior receiver Dominique Johnson was named one of the Football Championship Subdivision national players of the week Monday by The Sports Network. Johnson had career highs of 13 catches for 273 yards and a school-record five touchdowns in the Mustangs� 50-48 loss to South Dakota on Saturday at Alex G. Spanos Stadium.

Johnson, a 6-foot-3, 206-pound junior from Moreno Valley, transferred to Cal Poly from UCLA, where he caught 59 passes for 695 yards and five touchdowns during his freshman and sophomore campaigns.

Johnson surpassed the old single-game Cal Poly touchdown-catches record of the New York Giants� Ramses Barden, who had four against Weber State in 2007. Johnson�s touchdowns � all of which were thrown by quarterback Tony Smith � came on receptions of 20, 59, 13, 42 and 42 yards.

Laird leads Mission Prep on both sides of the ball

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:32 PST

By Donovan Aird -- The Mission Prep football team had a lot to live up to this year.

In 2008, the Royals had a landmark season. Playing an entire slate of games on their own field for the first time at the 11-man level, they went 9-2, reaching the semifinals of the CIF-Central Section Division V playoffs. This from a program that played at the 8-man level only five years ago.

And at the center of all that success was second-team all-San Luis Obispo County senior quarterback Dylan Morrow (now a baseball player at San Jose State), who accounted for 53 total touchdowns.

Brehaut and Barsotti team up for Straight Down Fall Classic win

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:19 PST

By Scott Silvey -- There would be no extra golf played this year at the Straight Down Fall Classic. Jeff Brehaut made sure of it.

Tied for the lead at 12-under, Brehaut�s approach from 130 yards off the 18th hole�s rough went to within three feet of the cup. Brehaut, a PGA Tour veteran who led the 2009 U.S. Open after the first day, would birdie to give him and partner Todd Barsotti a one-stroke win at the San Luis Obispo Country Club. The duo finished at 13 under.

�I knew a birdie was going to be a potential winner,� Brehaut said. �I saw my partner was in good position to make par so I went for it and it came out perfectly. When I walked up the hill and saw (how close the ball was to the hole) I knew I couldn�t miss it.�