The Amador Valley Dons Junior Varsity football team traveled to Oakley for their 2009 opening game and defeated the host Freedom High School Falcons 18-12.
The Dons set the tone early by limiting the Falcons on offense. The Dons committed one of few miscues on their opening drive, fumbling the ball and giving Freedom excellent field position. Falcons feature running back Alex Pacheco took advantage of the opportunity, scampering for 30 yards on the opening play of the drive. Defensive back Gerald Seals prevented a touchdown, making a tackle at the three.
The Dons stifling defense looked to make a goal line stand, limiting the Falcons to a net loss of two yards over the next three downs. However, on fourth and one wily Freedom quarterback Anthony Davis got loose on a rollout pass and threw a strike to his tight end for the first touchdown of the game. Freedom failed on a two-point conversion attempt and led 6-0.
Dons quarterback Gunnar David went to work, guiding a balanced attack. Running back Casey Cummings ran inside for some hard-fought yards while David ran a pair of QB keepers for short yardage. The Dons offensive line featuring center Jack Hoffman, Robert Lewis, A.J. Parr, Sean O’Neill, and Alex Gedwill led the way. The Dons unveiled a dangerous passing attack on the drive, including a 17-yard reception by Brandon Chun and a 14-yard touchdown reception by speedy wideout Simeon Comenesque. The Dons’ extra point attempt was blocked and the first quarter ended in a 6-6 deadlock.
The Dons defense put on their hard hats and went back to work on the next series. Linebacker Jarod Graves got loose in the Falcons backfield on second down and corralled Davis for a five-yard sack. Linebacker Eric Hildebrand shut down the drive, tackling the Falcons running back after a short third-down gain.
Unsatisfied with merely showing his defensive skills, Seals lined up at wide receiver on the following Dons possession. Following a sack, the Dons found themselves faced with third down and 20 to go on their own 24 yard line. Time for a little razzle dazzle. On the next play, David handed off to Chun who burst through the Falcons line for a 15-yard gain. The Falcons linebacking corps closed in, poised to make the tackle on Chun who then flipped the ball to Seals on the option play and it was off to the races! All the Falcons could do was read the number on Seals’ back as he sprinted down the right sideline 52 yards for the go-ahead score. The Dons sideline and the fans in the visiting bleachers went wild.
Undaunted, the Falcons responded with a nifty drive of their own. The score was tied 12-12 at the half. The second half opened with Amador receiving the kickoff. Gum fielded the kick and gained 14 yards on the return, setting up a first down at the Amador 44. Both defenses continued to dominate the first few series of the game. On third and 10, a Freedom defensive back intercepted a pass by David on the Falcons 21 yard line. Not to be outdone, Amador’s Seals intercepted a pass on the following Freedom drive, returning the pick for a touchdown, which would be the deciding score of the game. With 6:22 remaining in the third quarter, Amador led 18-12, and closed out the game with that score.
The Dons controlled the clock, including a key 7-yard first-down run by running back Nick Griffen and later on a 13-yard reception by Daniel Wessel. Pleasanton Rage Girls Soccer earns Seal of Commitment
Pleasanton Rage Girls Soccer has earned the Positive Coaching Alliance Seal of Commitment for 2009.
PCA bestows this prestigious national honor only upon youth sports organizations and schools that officially commit to providing youth athletes a positive, character-building experience by requiring every coach to be trained and certified as a Double-Goal Coach.
“A Double-Goal Coach strives not only to win, but also to use sports to teach life lessons,” said Jim Thompson, PCA’s founder and executive director. “Likewise, PCA’s Seal of Commitment helps ensure that Pleasanton RAGE Girls Soccer provides all of its youth athletes with a positive, character-building experience.”
Pleasanton Rage has committed to have 150 certified Double-Goal Coaches, serving 1,900 youth athletes, said Dan Copenhagen, PCA Director for the organization.
“Earning PCA’s Seal of Commitment reinforces our pledge to focus on the best interests of our youth athletes,” he said. “It takes work to get coaches certified, but we owe it to the families participating in our programs to provide the best experience possible.”
For information, visit www.positivecoach.org/commitment.aspx.
U19 Select defeat Davis for 3rd place
The Ballistic United U19 Select are starting to find the form they will need for the opening of the regular season this Saturday, where they will host rival Mustang Roma FC at Val Vista.
Over the Labor Day weekend at the Roseville Classic, Pleasanton’s U19 boys continued to play an impressive attacking style of soccer. In game one, the team defeated the Azzurri Blue Devils 3-0. Winger Daniel Pittener’s standout play saw him score a brilliant header from Brandon Lee’s corner. Pittenger also added two assists in the game.
In game two, Ballistic fell to group winner Eureka Warriors 3-1. Eureka shocked the Pleasanton side with a 3-0 half time lead. In the second half Ballistic fought hard and was able to pull one goal back on Albert Lin’s spectacular blast from 22 yards. For the final game in group play Ballistic faced a tough Roseville Tigers team. Ballistic got goals from Niko Lecco and Alex Caravan (assisted by Lecco). Josh Cho played a solid game in goal securing a place in the consolation game with a 2-0 win.
The consolation game saw Ballistic matched against a very good Davis side. Pleasanton’s attack often had Davis on their heels in the first half but Ballistic was unable to put a ball into the net. The score was 0-0 at the half. In the second half Davis turned the tide on Ballistic — sustaining pressure in the Pleasanton third. Keeper Josh Cho was forced into several desperate saves. Davis went up 1-0 when Pleasanton’s Brian Bui scored an “own goal” on a clearance attempt. The goal proved to be a wake up call and Ballistic was able to mount several nice attacks eventually breaking through on Brian Bui’s “redemption” goal from about 8 yards. With the score knotted at 1-1, the game went to overtime where neither side was able to finish it off setting up a Penalty Kick showdown for third place.
Ballistic was first to kick, with Captain Tyler Copeman taking the honors. Copeman’s perfect side netting blast provided no chance for a save by the Davis keeper. The first Davis kicker made a feinting run intended to confuse keeper Josh Cho. It didn’t. Cho dove to his right and made a phenomenal save. Cho gave his teammates the opening they needed and they rewarded the keeper. Niko Lecco, Daniel Pittenger, Jered Chinn, and Jaymi Van Dam all finished their chances for a 5-4 (2-1 final score) shootout victory.
Player of the tournament for Ballistic was Captain Tyler Copeman. Copeman’s play was marked by excellent decision making and timely defending.
–Chris Griffen
