August 1, 2007

Sports

Legendary coach Bill Walsh dies

Bill Walsh, the legendary football coach who led the San Francisco 49ers to three Super Bowl wins in the 1980s, died at his home in Woodside on Monday, July 30, after a lengthy battle with leukemia. Walsh was 75 years old.

Bill Walsh 1931-2007

Walsh was a household name not only in the Bay Area, where he coached the Stanford University football team to two bowl victories in 1977 and 1978, but nationally as well. Walsh is commonly regarded in the NFL as the founding father of the West Coast Offense, an offensive scheme used by several NFL teams to date. Walsh’s local ties date back to the 1950s when, as a San Jose State University alumnus, he embarked on a football coaching career that began at Fremont’s Washington Union High School, before spending time as an assistant coach at Cal and Stanford in the early 1960s. Walsh spent the next several years serving as an assistant coach for the Oakland Raiders, the Cincinnati Bengals and San Diego Chargers before landing his first college head coaching job at Stanford in 1977, where he spent two seasons. From there, Walsh took over the head coaching job with the 49ers in 1979, inheriting a team that went 2-14 in 1978, only to turn the 49ers into Super Bowl Champions within three years.

After 10 years as head coach of the 49ers, Walsh walked away from coaching, if only for a few short years. In 1992, Walsh returned to the college ranks to once again serve as the head coach for the Stanford football team, a position he held for three seasons before retiring from coaching for good. Walsh also served as Stanford’s interim Athletic director for several months in 2004.

His innovative offensive teachings aside, Walsh was also known for his knack of spotting talent. To that end, Walsh is credited for drafting the likes of quarterback Joe Montana, wide receiver Jerry Rice, safety Ronnie Lott, as well as acquiring quarterback Steve Young in a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Walsh is survived by his wife, Geri, and his two children, Elizabeth and Craig.

All-Stars Shine

North field goal seals 24-21 win at 33rd annual Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football game

Turnovers and pair of close calls in fourth quarter sink South for second straight year

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

Westmont’s Kevin Blakely’s 45-yard field goal with 8:59 left in the fourth quarter gave the North All-Stars a 24-21 win over the South at the 33rd annual Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football Game at San Jose State’s Spartan Stadium on July 18.

Danny Cruz of Piedmont Hills unleashes a pass for the South All-Stars. Photo by Dan Miranda

For the North, the win was its second straight over the South, which had previously won sixth of seven All-Star classics (1999-2005).

“The kids did a great job,” said North head coach Jeff Mueller (Monta Vista). “…I’m happy that we came out on the other side so that these guys can go ahead and end their high school careers with a win.”

The win, however, did not come without its share of controversy in the fourth quarter, as South coaches protested a pair of crucial calls that went against the South.

The winning field goal was set up after the South was forced to punt from its own end zone with just over 10 minutes left in the game. On the punt play, punter/quarterback Kevin Vye (Oak Grove) kicked the ball awkwardly off the side of his right foot, with the ball spiraling down near the South sideline on the South 19, before North special teams player Ruel Rivera (Fremont) appeared to graze the ball with his foot, South coaches claimed. Game officials, however, ruled that Rivera did not touch the ball, calling the ball down at the South 19 for the North.

The North, in turn, proceeded to go backwards instead on offense, getting flagged for a false start on third-and-10
at the South 19 before quarterback Nick Goodspeed (Palo Alto) was sacked by Aki Dionisopou-los (Santa Teresa) for a 3-yard loss, setting up the 45-yard kick from Blakely.

Later in the fourth, following a South fumble at the North 32, the North offense marched down the field again, as Goodspeed found Dave Martini (Los Gatos) for a 10-yard completion on third-and-nine to set the offense up in South territory on the 44. Shortly thereafter, Goodspeed completed a low 10-yard pass to Justice Patterson (Wilcox) on fourth-and-four, which drew protests from the South coaches, who said the ball hit the ground first before Patterson caught it. Nevertheless, game officials ruled the play a catch.

“It was a very questionable call, especially in a game like this,” South head coach Andy Penwarden (Willow Glen) said. “It’s fourth down. Why don’t you call that ball down? It skipped anyway. Give the offense a chance with three minutes to go to drive half of the field and see what happens. …I thought that would’ve been a little more of an interesting ending than what they decided it was going to be.”

Marcos Garces of Willow Glen (left) follows the lead blocking of Leland’s Adam Ondi (right, 21) during a run for the South All-Stars. Photos by Ben DeKoven

Instead, the North offense chewed up the clock with four straight running plays, sealing the win.

Earlier in the game, the South managed to break through from a 21-13 halftime deficit when quarterback Danny Cruz (Pied-mont Hills) found Bellarmine’s Kevin Gonzales for a 5-yard touchdown pass with 2:47 remaining. Cruz then completed a two-point play with a pass to Anthony Schmidt (Valley Christian) to tie the game 21-21.

Gonzales, meanwhile, gave the South its first score of the day when he returned a short kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown with 5:21 left in the first quarter to answer a North touchdown – a 12-yard pass from Goodspeed to Martini – just moments earlier and cutting the North lead to 7-6. Penwarden credited his special teams unit’s blocking on the play.

“It was a wall,” Penwarden said of the kickoff return. “We knew he was going right down our sideline. It was a short kickoff, but the wall got set up nicely. …That was a big pick up, because to have that at that time, we kind of needed that.”

The South then took a 13-7 lead with 2:28 left in the first on a 7-yard touchdown run from Marcos Garces (Willow Glen), completing a six-play drive that began after the South recovered a fumble on the North 17.

Still, the North struck back just before halftime when Tyler Dimich (Milpitas) intercepted a Vye pass on third-and-14 at the North 40 and returned it for a touchdown with 4:47 left in the first half, giving the North a 14-13 lead.
“The biggest play of the game was the interception for a touchdown,” said Mueller. “That was huge.”

The North then recovered a South fumble at the North 44 less than two minutes later, resulting in a 40-yard touchdown pass from Goodspeed to Kendall Hendon (Prospect) near the North sideline for a 21-13 lead with 1:46 remaining.

The North’s Kevin Blakely (Westmont) gets ready to boot his game-winning 45-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to give the North a 24-21 win at the 33rd annual Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football game. Photo by Dan Miranda

“Offensively, we played pretty well in the first half,” said Mueller. “They had our number in the second half. My hat’s off to Andy (Penwarden) and his staff. They did a great job making some adjustments at halftime.”

Mueller noted that his team’s ability to capitalize on two first half turnovers by the South.

“Our defensive front five really did a great job,” said Mueller. “A lot of those kids are going on to play college football and they did a great job. They were able to put pressure on all three (South) quarterbacks, and all three of those quarterbacks are quality quarterbacks.”

All told, the South committed three turnovers in the game, a stumbling block that Penwarden noted was too great to overcome.

“We made our share of mistakes and they capitalized on it and did a good job,” Penwarden said. “That’s the way football games are won and lost. It always comes down to who makes the most mistakes, and who capitalizes on those mistakes. They did, and that’s why they deserved to win.”

Sports Briefs

Tryouts for De Anza Force – U12 Girls’ Competitive Soccer
Girls’ U12 Soccer Tryouts (born after 07/31/1995). De Anza Force competitive teams. Schedules are Tuesdays and Thursdays. Class 3 (Competitive): 3pm-5pm; Class 1 (Select): 5pm-7pm. Location is Eaton Elementary School, 20220 Suisun Dr., Cupertino. For more information, contact: Stephanie Pearson at 619-917-7594. 

Join the Almaden Aftershocks Boys’ U14 Soccer
The Almaden Aftershocks U14 Boys’ competitive soccer team is looking for several new players (born between Aug. 1, 1993 and July 31, 1994) for the fall season to be part of a winning tradition and a team-family culture. The Aftershocks’ coaches strive to improve fundamental soccer skills, build team spirit, improve physical fitness, create life-long friendships, and focus on team-building attitudes and fair play through practicing and playing soccer, and having fun! Our players are personally trained by an English Premier Trainer. Contact coach Mark Schrick at schrick@pacbell.net or (408) 391-6664 for more information.

Silicon Valley Tigers youth tackle football now accepting applications
The Silicon Valley Tigers are still accepting applications for players between the ages of 6 and 14 for their youth tackle football teams.  We are a non-profit organization that was founded in 2006. We are dedicated to preparing the youths of Silicon Valley to play football at the high school level. We are a member of the highly competitive NYFL football league.

To register, or for more information, please go to our web site www.siliconvalleytigers.com and follow the instructions.  We have excellent coaching staffs in place for all teams.   If you have any questions about the Tigers or the NYFL, please contact Mary Ann O'Hara at 408-646-7748, Rod Abarca at 408-836-7844 or email rod@siliconvalleytigers.com.

Bay Area Boot Camp 5K Fitness Training Program
Boot Camp dates are from September 10 - November 4 at South Bay locations. The cost is $125 - All proceeds benefit the Bay Area Women's Sports Initiative. The 5K Fitness Training program, developed by Bay Area Boot Camp’s expert coaching staff, is a comprehensive workout series designed to prepare you for the Silicon Valley 5K Run/Walk on November 4, 2007.

Designed for runners of all levels, this 8-week program includes:

8 weekly training sessions led by Bay Area Boot Camp coaches

A detailed schedule of running, speed, and cross-training drills

A Training log to help you track your progress and keep your focus

An 8-week nutrition plan designed to support your training and optimize your energy level

Unlimited phone and email support from our coaching staff of veteran 5K, 10K, and marathon runners

15% off September and October Boot Camp sessions - an ideal way to enhance your race preparations and cross train in a supportive group environment

A pre-race party – get to know your fellow 5K racers and learn more about BAWSI!

For more information, contact Mary Beth Gonzales at marybeth@bayareabootcamp.com or phone 408-425-9475. Visit our website at www.bayareabootcamp.com.

Sports Briefs: Sports Briefs listings are subject to the following fee structure: $25 per month, per publication for the Evergreen and Almaden Times; $10 per month, per publication for the monthly newspapers. Indicate publication placement at the time the listing/payment is submitted. Sports Briefs accepts checks – payable to Times Media, Inc – VISA or MC. To charge your payments call Sonia Pineda at 494-7000 x205. Be sure to reference your team/organization with your payment. Listings appear once payments are received. TMI sponsored events and full-proceed charity fundraisers exempted. Email, fax or mail listing text to: candy@timesmediainc.com 1310 Tully Road, Suite 107, San Jose, CA 95122. 408-494-7078 (fax) Limit 200 words. Questions? Call 494-7000 x225.