|
After months of hard work brought Santa Clara Valley Athletic League championships to three local winter sports teams, team members are reaping fruit from their labors--all-league fruit.
Post-season honors have been earned by eight members of Monta Vista's girls soccer squad, nine from Homestead's boys soccer team and six from Cupertino's boys basketball team. Some of the highest honors went to Monta Vista junior Jessica Lau, Homestead sophomore Alex Plancarte and Cupertino senior Ehson Mortezaie.
Girls soccer
In order to give his line-up more scoring punch, Monta Vista coach Alan Kute moved Lau from the defensive back line to the offensive front. The strategy paid big dividends, as Lau scored 13 goals and two assists to lead the Matadors to a 9-2-1 record and the De Anza Division title. Lau, who added two goals and an assist during the Central Coast Section play-offs, was named the division's Most Valuable Player.
"This is no surprise," Kute said about Lau, who totaled 15 goals and three assists during the season. "She had an outstanding year and was recognized by all of the coaches as the MVP."
Two other Monta Vista scoring threats, juniors Jenny Kute (four goals, nine assists) and Emily Rubin (four goals, five assists), were among five other Matadors selected to the all-De Anza first team. Juniors Alex Gatley and Jennifer Nguyen and sophomore Rosa Ahn, key players in the Monta Vista defense that allowed just 22 goals in 23 games, also were first-team picks.
Senior Deanna DesCamp and sophomore Kasha Sang, two other cogs in the Monta Vista machine that reached the Division I semifinals, were named to the second team.
For the second year in a row, Megan Foertsch of Homestead won the Most Valuable Goalkeeper award.
Boys soccer
When Homestead needed defense this season, coach Luis Comesana would put Plancarte at "sweeper." When the team needed offense, Plancarte was moved up to the midfield where his passing and shooting skills could be converted into goals for the Mustangs.
For his efforts, the versatile Mustang, was the choice of the De Anza Division coaches as the Most Valuable Offensive Player.
"He is such a valuable member of our team," Comesana said of Plancarte, who was an all-El Camino first-teamer last year as a freshman.
Homestead senior Matt Reid was named Most Valuable Goalkeeper, because his play was a big reason the Mustangs were able to recover from a poor 1-5-2 record in the pre-season and win the division crown.
Teammates joining Plancarte and Reid on the first team were seniors Matt Nelson and Spencer Martinez, junior Scott Waiblinger and sophomores Omaer Efendovich and Julio Castillo. Other first-team selections included Monta Vista seniors Ian Courtright and Max Khurgin and Justin Samarrai of Cupertino.
Second team choices included senior Keya Ebadat and junior Brian Labadie of Homestead, seniors Kenny Kim and Daniel O'Donnell of Cupertino and junior Derek Ley of Monta Vista.
Boys basketball
Mortezaie, called by Cupertino coach Craig Ellegood "the glue to everything for us" during the Pioneers' fantastic 25-4 season, was named Senior of the Year by the El Camino Division coaches.
"Without him handling the ball, we would not have been the same team," Ellegood praised the 5-foot-9 playmaker, who averaged 10.4 points and about four assists a game. Two other Pioneers, senior David Warren and junior Ryan Matsuoka, were picked to the first team. Warren, a 6-foot-4 forward who led the league with 55 blocked shots, was second in scoring (14.8 points) and fourth in rebounding. Matsuoka, the team's top three-point shooter, was the Junior of the Year.
Other members of the eight-man squad are two Santa Clara seniors, MVP Brian Ngo and 6-foot-5 Kyle High, Monta Vista junior Marcus Woo and two Saratoga players--junior Bo Nielsen, the division's rebounding champ, and 5-foot-5 senior playmaker Ryan Matsuura.
Cupertino's top rebounder, 6-foot-4 senior Jeremy Brinkerhoff, made the second team along with high-scoring Lynbrook junior Kris Gingrich and Saratoga senior Kia Agadehl. The honorable mention list includes Cupertino senior Matt McCormick, Monta Vista junior Eric Sum and Saratoga senior Scott Newberry.
Cupertino's sixth man, 6-foot-3 forward Eric Heslin, was named Sophomore of the Year.
|
