Sports

Alex Nguyen spent his first 3 ½ years of high school at the Gilroy Early College Academy (GECA), the early college high school located in Gilroy. Even though Nguyen—a Morgan Hill resident—said he enjoyed his time at GECA, he had a burning desire to play organized volleyball (GECA doesn’t have sports teams).

When Brenden White unleashed a personal-record (PR) shot put throw of 46 feet, 2 inches in the first meet of the season, he was mildly surprised. But White doesn’t plan on stopping there; in fact, he has a goal of throwing 50 feet by the end of the season. If the Live Oak High senior hits that mark, he’ll be a strong contender to finish on the podium at the Central Coast Section Championships in May.

Mitch Martinez knows the Sobrato High baseball program is a budding one. Martinez, who coached the Bulldogs junior varsity team the previous two seasons, feels optimistic about the team’s chances this season and beyond.

When the Live Oak High baseball team played in the Blossom Valley League’s Mount Hamilton Division two years ago, things didn’t go so well. The Acorns finished the league season in last place with a 2-12 record. Live Oak promptly got demoted to the BVAL’s B division for last season, the Santa Teresa.

Approximately 2 ½ years ago, Brad Ledwith and a couple of his friends—who also happened to be parents of youth lacrosse players—gathered for dinner and talked about putting together a lacrosse organization in Morgan Hill.

Even though it’s her first year on the varsity team, junior Nicole Bonino feels comfortable in the circle. When asked if she has a go-to pitch to get an out, she said, “I like all my pitches.” That is good news since Bonino will be one of the pitchers Live Oak High relies on in its quest to contend for a Blossom Valley League Mount Hamilton Division championship.

The Sobrato High softball team finished in the middle of the pack with a 7-7 record in the ultra-competitive Blossom Valley League Mount Hamilton Division last season. Coach Julie Cognetti expects this year’s squad to notch a couple of more wins in league play.

Javier Torres entered the Central Coast Section Wrestling Championships intent on taking home a title in the 106-pound weight class. Even though the Live Oak High junior finished second, he still had plenty of reasons to feel proud about his performance. Quite simply, Torres delivered another machine-like effort en route to the finals, coming up with three pins before running up against a buzzsaw in Gilroy freshman sensation Jayden Gomez in the championship match.

In the end, the Sobrato High girls soccer team ran into a buzzsaw in the form of a powerhouse Mountain View squad. The Bulldogs saw their season end against the Spartans Tuesday in the form of a 4-0 drubbing against the Spartans in a Central Coast Section Open Division playoff semifinal at Milpitas High.

Moments after Grace Smith made a long 3-pointer from the left wing just before the halftime buzzer, Live Oak High girls basketball coach Mike Kiefer jumped up before pumping his fist. The longtime Acorns coach was so excited his right hand nearly hit the floor. Kiefer had good reason to be jubilant, as Live Oak would take a two-point lead into the intermission against host and No. 2 seed Aptos.