LosGatosObserver.com

For the 10th time this season, the Los Gatos girls fell behind in a soccer game. For just the first time, they were unable come back.

Three years ago—overweight and consumed with professional pursuits—Roger Sanford was at a crossroad in his life. His mother had suffered a fatal stroke. Six months later, his sister had a stroke. Realizing he easily could be headed down the same path, Sanford did some soul-searching. He started to run. And Sanford has been running ever since. This weekend, the 54-year-old Los Gatan, a co-founder of the original Los Gatos Weekly, is in Antarctica to compete in his eighth marathon.

The St. Francis Lancers are ranked No, 1 in the Central Coast Section for a reason. They are darn good.

The Los Gatos girls’ soccer team advanced to the CCS Division 2 semifinals with a 4-2 win over Sobrato Saturday, but the Wildcat boys team ran into a much faster Yerba Buena squad and saw its season come to an end with a 3-1 overtime loss.

Balls, bats, uniforms and other equipment don’t come cheap, and both the Los Gatos High School baseball and softball teams are looking for help.

The Los Gatos boys have a date with St. Francis Tuesday night.

Los Gatos goalkeeper Marshall Finch guessed right on the final penalty kick of the afternoon, and the Wildcats hopes of a CCS championship live for another day.

All five Los Gatos winter sports teams qualified for CCS action, with the girls’ soccer team receiving the top seed in the Division 2 soccer tournament.

With two wins over Gunn this week to close out the regular season, Los Gatos completed an unbeaten 15-0-5 season and captured the tough De Anza division championship in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League.

Undersized and outmanned, Santa Clara could do nothing but foul Tuesday night, sending the Los Gatos girls to the free-throw line a whopping 49 times.

The regular season will end this week for both the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams at Los Gatos High School, but both teams hope to keep playing for a couple more weeks. The girls have wrapped up the El Camino Division championship in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic league.

After starting De Anza League play with an 0-2 record, no one figured that the Los Gatos High School boys soccer team would be in the title picture. They were wrong. Since those two season-opening losses, Los Gatos has gone nine games without tasting defeat. The Cats are currently 6-2-3 in league play and tied for the league lead with Mountain View (7-3-1). Los Gatos closes out its regular-season Tuesday at home against a tough Gunn team. With a win, Los Gatos could win its third league title in the last four years.

Is it possible for a team to go unbeaten and not win its league title outright? The answer is yes, and it could happen to the Los Gatos High School girls’ soccer team, which currently sits at 6-0-4 in De Anza League play with two games remaining.

Picking right up where he left off when he left Los Gatos High School, Naveed Bagheri is now making a name for himself on the San Francisco State wrestling mat. The sophomore was named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference wrestler of the week the first week of February after going 6-0 for the week, winning the most outstanding wrestler at San Francisco State’s home tournament, the California Collegiate Open.

So far this season, only the rain can keep the Los Gatos girls’ soccer team from winning games. Rain washed out Saturday’s scheduled game with Gunn High school.

For the second time this season, Los Gatos’ varsity basketball teams pulled off the sweep against Los Altos.

They may be archrivals, but the Los Gatos and Saratoga boys’ soccer teams are teaming up on a soccer skills camp on April 12.

College baseball teams across the country began official pre-season workouts Monday, and poised to lead the Marshall University pitching staff in 2010 is former Los Gatos High School left-hander Ryan Kiel. Kiel tied for the staff lead in wins last year also.

Ranked No. 1 in the Central Coast Section, the Los Gatos High School girls’ soccer team remained unbeaten, although it has been doing it by the luck of the draw.

It was wet. It was muddy. It was physical. And after 80 hard-fought minutes, it was tied.

It’s showdown time Friday night in Palo Alto. Both Los Gatos and Palo Alto raced through the first half of the De Anza Division boys basketball season with 5-1 records, and the two teams will square off in a pivotal game Friday at 7:45 p.m. at Palo Alto High School. When the teams met earlier this year, it took a three-point basket at the end of the game in overtime for Los Gatos to win 62-61.

Both the boys and girls soccer teams at Los Gatos High School spent last week chanting “rain, rain, go away, let us have some soccer to play.

It is said that records are made to be broken, and the Los Gatos High School football team did just that this past season.

After having wrapped up its 12th CCS football championship trophy, it was only fitting that Los Gatos was well-represented on the recently announced All-Santa Clara Valley Athletic League and All-CCS football teams.

The streak is now at 12 games without a loss for the Los Gatos girls soccer team after two more wins last week. But it wasn’t easy.

It was the battle of basketball unbeatens Friday night in Helm Gym, and when it was all over, both the boys and girls teams at Los Gatos High School sat alone atop their divisions in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League.

The Los Gatos boys soccer team opened league play with high hopes, but two games and one goal later, the Wildcats were now facing an uphill battle after an 0-2 start.

Three sports comes to mind for those with tremendous wing spans — basketball, water polo and volleyball. Sean Wasserman played two of those sports in high school, and he is still playing one in college.

It was a big night of basketball Friday in Helm Gym as both the Los Gatos boys and girls opened league play with wins, albeit it in much different fashion.The boys beat Palo Alto 62-61 in overtime, while the girls cruised past Cupertino 55-24.

Sure Los Gatos entered the game with an impressive 8-0-1 record, but the Wildcats were now facing perennial power Mountain View, a team that took the field having allowed just one goal in its first eight games.

With no official games the week after Christmas, coach Rusty Millard had two choices — put the team through a series of not-too-exciting practices, or schedule a couple of fun “nongames.”

He opted for the latter.

Los Gatos ended its preseason with an impressive 9-2 record and a tournament championship.

They say all good things must come to an end, and the end of Los Gatos’ impressive eight-game winning streak to start the 2009-2010 season ended Monday in the opening round of the Pioneer Classic.

Coach Rusty Millard’s boys soccer team won two of three games played in the last four days.

After battling Mitty to a scoreless tie, the Los Gatos girls soccer team improved its record to 6-0-1 with three impressive victories.

When your team finishes the season 20-0-1, there is typically more than one star on the team. Los Gatos was a field hockey team filled with stars, and Noel Painter’s shined the brightest in 2009. Painter was not only one of four Wildcats named to the 2009 All-Mercury News Field Hockey team, she was named the Player of the Year.

After opening the season with two straight wins, the Los Gatos High School boys soccer team ran into two tough buzz saws.

Marc Tonkel wasted little time establishing himself on the University of Portland soccer team.

Off to a 3-0 start and outscoring its opponents 10-1, the Los Gatos girls’ soccer team will get its first real test Monday with it hosts perennial powerhouse Mitty.

After watching Los Gatos win its first two games in the annual Wildcat shootout by running up and down the floor from the opening tip to the final buzzer, Leland coach Steve Seandel figured he would try a different approach — slow the game down.

How big of a first-half lead constitutes a safe lead? Shouldn’t a 46-17 lead in the third quarter be more than safe? It almost wasn’t Tuesday night in Helm Gym.

With five freshman and five sophomores on the roster, one would think that it might be a long season for the Los Gatos varsity girls soccer team. But don’t tell that to coach Jan Nordmo.

Los Gatos added a 12th CCS football championship trophy to its collection Saturday night, but it was anything but easy.

Senior captain Alec Smoley pumped in two goals as the Los Gatos boys soccer team opened its 2009-2010 season with a 2-1 win over Saratoga Tuesday.

It had to be a bittersweet day November 4 when Jeremy Cleveland took the field for the final time at home in front of the Cal Poly faithful.

Los Gatos has outscored its opponents 93-6 in its first two CCS football games, but coach Butch Cattolico knows that it will likely not be more of the same lopsided football this Saturday in the Division II championship game against league rival Wilcox.

Does eight CCS championships in the last 17 years constitute a dynasty? How about 12 appearances in the championship game in the last 17 years? How about 18 consecutive appearances in the CCS playoffs?

The field was muddy, the air damp and the footballs wet. Coach Butch Cattolico was hoping it wasn’t one of those nights where the weather becomes the big equalizer.

Liam Smith has been putting on a football uniform for a long time, but with only three games left at San Jose State University, those days may soon be coming to an end.

Los Gatos will battle Presentation Saturday at 11 a.m. for the CCS field hockey championship at St. Francis High School.

Just how closely matched are the top four teams in the rugged De Anza division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League? On Friday night, just one point separated the four schools.

What a way for Stanford senior Marlana Shile to end her four-year stay on the Farm — a trip to the NCAA field hockey tournament.

The CCS championships happen three times each year, and Los Gatos High School always seems to be well-represented.

“It was nice to have Nick (Hirschman) back,” said Los Gatos coach Butch Cattolico in what might be the understatement of the year.

For those watching the Oregon-USC football game on television last Saturday, there was a familiar sight — Kiko Alonso racing down field and hurtling his body through the air to make a big tackle.

The injury bug hit Los Gatos hard last week, and the timing could not have been worse.

Following a stellar four-year varsity career at Los Gatos High School, Katie Bonadies now finds herself as a captain on the league-leading San Jose State University women’s soccer team.

The League championship will be at stake Thursday evening in Palo Alto when Los Gatos attempts to avenge its only league volleyball loss this season.

Los Gatos has played seven football games to date, but it can be said that the season really begins this Friday night in Palo Alto.

Graduating from Los Gatos High School before lacrosse became a sanctioned high school sport did not slow Eli Burnham down.

The 2009 Alexis Briski Memorial Softball Tournament was a smashing success, in large part to the numerous volunteers and generous local merchants. I want to thank those who donated their time and energy.

The Lynbrook Vikings didn’t know what hit them Saturday night.

Following a stellar track and cross country career at Los Gatos High School, Dylan Shawhan is now competing in both sports at Brigham Young University in Utah.

The script was very similar. The only thing different was the leading man.

In the latest Los Gatos romp, it was junior running back Andy Heimer leading the charge. Heimer scored four touchdowns and kicked seven PATs as the Wildcats rolled over Homestead 49-14 Friday night at Diesner Field in Sunnyvale.

What started out last year as a small, intimate softball gathering has almost doubled in size this year as close to 30 softball teams from all over the Bay Area gather in Los Gatos and Saratoga this weekend for the Alexis Briski Memorial Softball Tournament.

Opposing teams know that Andrew Berg is Los Gatos’ primary receiving threat, but that knowledge does not seem to be helping much.

They needed a long, hot shower afterwards, but it was all worth it for Dale and Jennifer Marcum of Los Gatos, who placed third in the 16th annual Calaveras Grape Stomp Saturday in Murphys.

It was a big volleyball match on several fronts Tuesday evening at Helm Gym — a match-up of Top 10 CCS teams, a match-up of undefeated teams and a match-up of arch rivals.

He was expected to start the season as a backup, but when Cal Poly visited San Jose State University last Saturday, there was Karl Winkelman of Los Gatos lined up as the starting defensive end for the Mustangs.

Los Gatos had a lot of players do a lot of things well Friday night in Salinas, but Andrew Berg had one of those special nights that will be remembered for a long time.

Since the Central Coast Section playoffs started back in 1967, Los Gatos had never won a CCS baseball championship until Brad Sanfilippo took over as head coach.

Usually when you lose seven talented seniors to graduation, you are deep into rebuilding mode. But Los Gatos High School girls volleyball coach Dan Hoefer thinks his young Wildcats can be right back in the thick of the CCS picture in 2009.

It has been said that momentum is the most unstoppable force in football, and St. Francis did nothing to dispel that theory Friday night at Helm Field.

Ever since he rushed for 2,553 yards and 41 touchdowns in 2007 while at Los Gatos High School, Nick Kalpin’s framed No. 34 jersey has been hanging on the wall at Double D’s Sports Grille.

It did not take long for Los Gatos High School to put points on the scoreboard to begin the 2009 football season — about 13 seconds to be exact.

I think the Milwaukee Brewers are happy that they made Logan Schafer their third pick in the 2008 Amateur Draft. Today, Schafer was named the winner of the Brewers’ 2009 Robin Yount Performance Award, which recognizes the Brewers Minor League Player of the Year.

Los Gatos is coming off the 11th CCS football championship in school history, but the Wildcats did not with the De Anza Division title of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League. Coach Butch Cattolico hopes to recapture that crown in 2009.

Will Kapp has heard it all his life. Not big enough. Not fast enough. But no one has ever said “not tough enough.”

The Los Gatos High School boys cross country team is looking for bigger and better things in 2009.

Only three players on Occidental College’s women’s basketball team started all 28 games last season, one of those was Los Gatos’ Madeline Rose.

Classes do not begin until Monday, but the Los Gatos High School campus is still plenty busy.

While others are still enjoying their summer vacations before thinking about returning to school, Los Gatos’ Jaimee Erickson is busy preparing for her third season of collegiate field hockey at Stanford University. Erickson and the Cardinal will open the season with three formal scrimmages, the first on Tuesday against Pacific.

More than 600 runners from all over the Bay Area assembled at the Los Gatos High School track Saturday morning for the 36th annual Los Gatos Dammit Run.

Ten basketball games in three days can be pretty taxing on an athlete’s body — and even more so when the athletes are over 65 years old. But basketball is in the blood of Los Gatans Tony Nanez, Denny Kollenborn and John Musser, and the trio huffed and puffed and shot their way to eight wins and the bronze medal at the Summer National Senior Games at Stanford University.

With Nanez and Kollenborn running the offense and pouring in short-range jumpers with regularity, the Cats defeated teams from all over the nation.

A red shirt year typically means just working out and not competing, but not for Los Gatos’ Geoff Doss.

After several close finishes this summer, the LGSGSA Magic 10B team closed out its summer season with an ASA tournament championship in Lake Tahoe.

The summer Magic softball season will officially end this weekend, and two Magic teams hope to be playing to the bitter end. The LGSGSA 14B and 12B summer All-Star teams will both compete in the ASA Western Nationals this week.

Riding the strong pitching arm of Hera Tang, the Los Gatos-Saratoga Girls Softball Association Magic 14C team won five games this past weekend at the California State Games in San Diego, walking away with silver medals.

As a sophomore soccer player at Northwestern University, Ali Rubnitz started all 20 games on the back line. As a junior, she saw action in 16 of the team’s 20 games, starting three.

Two Los Gatos-Saratoga Girls Softball Association teams are on their way to San Diego to compete in the ASA Regional “C” Championships.

Unable to run the ball effectively, coaches Mike Machado and Shawn Thomas decided they had better throw, and the result was an air show that will be remembered for a long, long time.

The Los Gatos American League All-Stars carry the big gun with six-foot slugger Johnny Breidenthal, but it was five-foot Matt Wilcox who delivered the big blow in Los Gatos American’s 4-2 win over Los Gatos National Monday in the District 12 Major All-Stars semifinals.

Five members of the 2008 CCS champion Los Gatos High School football team will get a chance to put on their Wildcats helmet one more time July 15 in the annual Charlie Wedemeyer High School All-Star Football Game at Spartan Stadium.

As long as Travis Howell has been playing baseball, base runners quickly learn that it is typically not a good idea to try and run on him. Now it is time for those toiling in the Midwest League to sit up and take notice.

If neither team trips up in its last pool play game, it is looking like a Los Gatos National vs. Los Gatos American match-up Monday in the District 12 Major All-Stars tournament semifinals.

Shoulder soreness cut short Kyle Blair’s college baseball season this spring, but the Los Gatos right-hander has healed up and is back on the mound this summer in the Cape Cod Baseball League.

The finals games at the NorCal ASA championships were played at 2 p.m. Sunday, and three of the six LGSGSA Magic teams entered in the tournament were still on the field. When the dust settled at the hot Twin Creeks complex in Sunnyvale, the Magic walked away with a first-, a second- and a third-place finish at NorCals and three bids to either state or Western U.S. tournaments.

As a team, they won the Central Coast Section Division II baseball championship. Now come the personal accolades.

After three seasons backing up quarterback Rudy Carpenter at Arizona State University, former Los Gatos High School star Danny Sullivan emerged from spring practices as the Sun Devils’ No. 1 man heading into the 2009 Pac 10 football season.