Weekend Preview? What to do...

Hey kiddies...

Soccer game Saturday morning will be probably a game-time decision on whether or not we will play. If there is no announcement posted here on the blog (or you don't get a phone call), we are going to play.

9 a.m. @ West Sunset for the final soccer game of the season.

Volleyball will be unaffected as it is indoors. 4:45 p.m. start at Mission Dolores for the final 8th grade volleyball game ever for our girls.

Finally...Cross Country is still a go as of right now, rain or shine. If there are any developments, please call me or check the blog before you leave the house for an official announcement.

Have a safe Halloween!

Pictures from the San Jose Earthquakes Game

ALL PRACTICES CANCELED TODAY

All practices, basketball, soccer and volleyball have been canceled today due to rain.

As for Cross Country on Sunday. CYO plans to run the event, rain or shine. If the conditions are terrible, my guess is that CYO will reschedule the event.

Please check the blog for the latest update or call me on my cell.

See you Sunday and pray for sun.

And does anybody know if it's spelled canceled or cancelled?

Happy Birthdays and Sports News

We wish Happy Birthdays to...

Sally Li in 7th Grade



The Great Eunice Tom...mother of Emily and Brandon



SPORTS NEWS

You should have received a cross country notice with times and other information. Also the newsletter that will go out Thursday, so don't forget to look at that.

The Phillies are World Series Champions.

The Warriors have started their season.

And the Sharks play the Stanley Cup Champions, the Detroit Red Wings Thursday night.

My YouTube Video

Here's a story I did as a project in college...Check it out.

News and Notes for the Week Ahead

Practices for basketball start TOMORROW (TUESDAY) Here is the schedule:

Tuesday - 3rd and 4th Grade
Wednesday - 6th and 8th Grade
Thursday - 5th/6th Grade and 7th Grade

All practices at Cameron House, which is in the alley between Powell and Stockton, Clay and Sacramento.

Cross Country practice on Wednesday after school, 3:30 - 5 p.m. Show up any time between that period and run as long or short as you want. Look for Matt Chung, the volleyball and basketball coach.

Cross Country this Sunday at Golden Gate Park!

Below are the basketball coaches for this season.

Basketball Coaches

Below is a run down of basketball coaches for this season. Enjoy...

3rd Grade




4th Grade Coaches








5th/6th Grade Coaches




6th Grade





7th Grade




8th Grade

All Saturday Results & Happy Birthday to Elliot

It was a crazy day for St. Mary's sports, as all 4 teams, both volleyball and both soccer teams played, 2 of the teams in their final games of the season.

VOLLEYBALL

The 6th/7th grade played their best game of the season and had their highest point totals for the season. They lost in straight sets, 25-15 and 25-17. Serena Leung did a phenomenal job of serving today and it was an all around team effort for their best performance of the year. It was definitely a great way to end the season, and hopefully they can remember this game as the building block and turning point for their volleyball careers.

The 8th grade played one of the top teams in the division and just couldn't get much going. They lost in straight sets. They have one more game to go, next Saturday.

NOTE: Sunday practice this week will begin at 11 a.m.

SOCCER

Soccer is a game of inches...On two occasions, the 6th/7th grade had breakaways only to push the ball just shy of the net by a matter of inches. First, Jeremy Chuong did it and then later on Derek Kwong followed. Both of them could've been goals, but the balls were pushed just a bit wide. It was undoubtedly the best game played all season, and a game that should build confidence for the future.

The 3rd/4th Grade let ONE mistake hurt them today, as another missed kick led to an easy goal, and that was the difference. They had many scoring opportunities including a point blank shot by Brandon Khuu, who just couldn't get enough leg on the ball. They close out their season next Saturday morning.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ELLIOT WONG (7TH GRADE)

6th/7th Grade Volleyball Results

The 6th/7th grade lost their game tonight in volleyball in 2 sets. 25-12 and 25-14.

Same thing that has hurt them all year--the serving.

They finish the season tomorrow, 11:30 a.m. @ Mission Dolores.

GAMES TOMORROW
8th Grade Volleyball @ St. Vincent De Paul, 11:30

SOCCER GAMES

Both at West Sunset

6th/7th Grade - 1 p.m.
3rd/4th Grade - 3 p.m.

DON'T FORGET TO COME BY THE ATHLETICS SPORTS BOOTH AT FALL FESTIVAL. SEE YOU THERE!

6th/7th Grade Wins Scrimmage Soccer Game!

The 6th/7th Grade finally got on the board in a 2-1 win in their scrimmage game Thursday afternoon.

Justin Lee dribbled through the defense to tie the game at 1 and then Mark Cheung broke in and beat the goalie later to give St. Mary's the 2-1 lead.

Tommy Lin stopped a penalty kick earlier in the game to keep the score at 1-0.

Great effort by the boys and let's hope they take that momentum into their final game Saturday.

Meet the Coaches

What does my coach do? Well, here is your answer.

SOCCER COACHES



Jeffrey Hong is one of the head coaches for the 6th/7th grade soccer team. Jeffrey graduated from St. Mary’s in 2004 and attended Lincoln high school, where he played baseball, ran cross country and participated in dragonboat. He is currently studying at the Art Institute of San Francisco. His sister is Tianna, who is in the 7th grade.



Edward Lee graduated with Jeffrey, also from Lincoln, where he played baseball for 3 years. He currently works at Wells Fargo and is studying business at City College. Right now, he is planning to move to Irvine in the spring.

VOLLEYBALL COACHES



King Yu is a graduate of Lincoln high school, where he played volleyball for 3 years. King's specialty in volleyball was playing by the net where his height worked to his advantage. He is a specialist in spiking the ball and held many honors in his years in high school. One year, he was injured and did not play in the championship game. What happened? His team lost. He is currently studying engineering at City College.



Heather Chen is another graduate of Lincoln high school. She played intense volleyball at the CYO level, before she became manager of the Lincoln volleyball team. Currently, Heather is studying business at City College and works primarily as a personal assistant. She is also a waitress at a sushi restaurant.

Matthew Chung is a graduate of Lincoln High School in San Francisco, where he ran cross country and was the captain of the dragonboat team. He also wrote on the school newspaper where he met Bryan. Matthew currently attends San Francisco State and aspires to work in the music recording industry.

Volleyball and Soccer Pictures

Some pictures from the soccer and volleyball season...

Courtesy: The Great Eunice Tom

Black Monday

Mike Nolan, now the ex-49ers head coach, was fired earlier tonight.

It was also a somewhat black Monday for myself, and I can explain if you ask me in person...

Soccer Results/This Week's Games and Practices

The 6th/7th Grade lost 4-0 today, but played what was one of, if not their best game of the year. They had several scoring chances including a free kick in the opponent's penalty box.

But as always, a few mistakes can lead to goals by the other team. They were toe to toe with their opponent, which is a playoff team.

They have improved dramatically from the beginning of the season and will look to finish their final two games on a high note.

On Tuesday, the 3rd/4th grade play at Crocker Amazon and the 6th/7th grade will do so on Thursday. Crocker Amazong is located at the corner of Geneva and Moscow.

Game time is at 5:30, be there at 5 p.m. the latest.

There will be NO practices at this time for the 3rd/4th grade this week. The 6th/7th grade will practice on Tuesday.

3rd/4th Grade Score Another Goal

Sooner or later, this bunch was going to break out. The 3rd/4th Grade are coming together and played their best game by far this season.

Trailing 2-0 in the 3rd quarter, Justin Guo, passed a perfect ball forward for Brandon Khuu who raced in on the goalie and beat him, to cut the lead in half.

There were a few chances in the 4th, but the 3rd/4th graders couldn't get the game-tying goal and end up losing 2-1.

But the defense played a lot better today and players are getting more aggressive. Aaron Pham played a spectacular game today, clearing many balls and making good decisions. 3 more games left to go for this up and coming team.

The 6th/7th Grade were not so fortunate and dropped their game 4-0.

VOLLEYBALL PRACTICE SUNDAY

6th/7th Grade - 1 p.m.
8th Grade - 2:30 p.m.

8th grade Girls Win Another Set!!!

For whatever reason, the 8th grade girls have gotten off to slow starts all season. The first set seems to be the biggest problem. It could be the game jitters or not having enough warm up time. In all their games, the second set has been their best. They just need to carry that over to when they begin the games.

That was from the newsletter this week and it looks like they got the message.

The first set was spectacular and it resulted in another set win, (25-19). The team they were playing was no slouch. This wasn't a set the girls won because the other team played terrible. It's just they played better.

But a few little mistakes in the second and third prevented them from getting a win. A few missed balls here and there were the difference. They lost the second set 25-14, and the final set 15-10.

Regardless, everyone should go out and see an 8th grade volleyball game before the season is over. They have improved so much in such a short period of time. Another fine job by the 8th grade.

NOTES: Patricia, Sally and Tom were in attendance at the 8th grade game.

6th/7th Grade
The 6th/7th grade girls lost in two sets tonight to the undefeated first place team in the division.

Volleyball Friday

Volleyball tonight for both teams.

6th/7th Grade @ St. Emydius - 5:45 p.m.
255 Jules Ave

8th Grade @ Epiphany - 6:45 p.m.
827 Vienna Street

Soccer Practice Tomorrow

Soccer practice tomorrow will be right after school, and will end at 5 p.m.

Soccer Practice Off Tomorrow, Moved to Friday

Soccer practice will be moved to Friday, instead of Thursday.

News and Notes--Tidbits that need to be done...

Here are a bunch of little things that are just reminders if you haven't already done so...

--Basketball for boys, sign-up sheets are due by this Friday.

--Cross Country is Nov. 2nd

--Earthquakes tickets are also due THIS FRIDAY. $20/ticket...if paying by check, write it to Bryan Cheung.

--Basketball assistant coaches, if you are interested, there may be a spot available for you. Let me know as soon as possible.

--We will have a Fall Festival booth, where you can order sweatshirts and t-shirts, or additional ones.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

4th grader Justin Guo...Happy Birthday to him.

That is all I believe for now. Happy Tuesday everybody!

Practices This Week, Basketball and Happy Birthday to...

8th Grade will not practice this Tuesday for volleyball. They will resume Thursday.

3rd/4th grade soccer will practice on Tuesdays from now on going forward.

BASKETBALL

Please turn in the boys basketball forms as soon as possible so we can get a count for how many are in each grade.



And we wish basketball coach James Chiu a Happy Birthday!

6th/7th Grade Soccer Results

Same result for the 6th/7th graders, although their coaches said they played a little better today. 3-0 was the final.

Late update today...WHY YOU ASK? I was covering the 49ers game...

Go check out this video, a little snippet of what I did.

http://cbs5.com/video/?id=40424@kpix.dayport.com

GOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!

Brandon Khuu, 4th grade, scored the first goal of the season for either soccer team. It came off of a throw-in and was probably an offsides.

The referee didn't call it or let it go and Brandon raced down the sideline and put the ball in the back of the net.

That gave the 3rd/4th grade a 1-0 lead. But two HUGE mistakes led to 2 unanswered goals and the team lost 2-1.

Nonetheless, a very well played game and a goal.

6th/7th Grade

6th/7th Grade were shut out 3-0, but at least on the scoreboard, it was their most competitive game.

They also play tomorrow on a Sunday, 1 p.m. @ West Sunset!!!

VOLLEYBALL

Both volleyball teams lost in 2 sets today. Serving still a major issue for the 6th/7th graders, while the 8th grade played the top team in the division and lost the second set by 6 points, 25-19.

Volleyball/Soccer Schedule This Weekend

VOLLEYBALL

6th/7th Grade @ CYO Serramonte 12 p.m.

8th Grade @ Herbert Center 2 p.m. (2222 Broadway)


SOCCER

6th/7th Grade @ Polo Fields 12 p.m.

3rd/4th Grade @ West Sunset 2 p.m.

SEE YOU THERE!

Birthday Shoutouts

Happy Birthday to 8th Grader Olivia Chan...

6th/7th Grade Volleyball Mid-Season Review

A few weeks before, I reached out to some of the 7th grade girls, and I heard a lot of different reasons why they didn't want to join volleyball. They were afraid, weren't good, just don't like it...etc.

One week after school started, the entire class joined. It has hard to believe, but it happened.

There season has gone better than expected, and I say that a lot, because I truly mean it. This is a very tight knit class that didn't participate in sports really until basketball last season. They won 2 games, including their first ever, which was a remarkable accomplishment.

At times, it may be a little frustrating watching them make the same mistakes, but I tell myself that this team, more than any other team, is inexperienced in playing sports. A lot of them are shy and still afraid when they step on the court.

That's the biggest challenge this team faces, more than any physical or volleyball game flaw they have. They can serve the ball over...they can return the ball...

But sometimes the confidence level is not there. There are several girls I have pulled aside and told them the same thing. Once they get passed that, they will be able to compete game in and game out.

Believe in yourself, have some faith, go out there, and make it happen.

The girls are really trying, so couple that with some motivation and self-confidence, this team can do some great things.

6th/7th Grade Mid-Season Soccer Review

Almost half way through the season, the 6th and 7th grade boys have probably played better than expected. Coaches Jeffrey Hong, Tianna's brother, and Edward Lee seem to be pretty satisfied with the results.

As with volleyball and baseball last year, we are playing years behind. Teams we play probably have played 4 or 5 times as many games as we have.

It's hard to say what the weakness of this team is, because they all play hard and enjoy what they are doing. Practices are always upbeat and the players always kick the ball around with such enthusiasm. You can tell by their body language and faces they really enjoy the sport, which is wonderful.

The only way to improve for them is to keep playing and practicing. The more repetitions they get, the better they will be.

These two classes, the 6th and 7th grade, have done something that no other class in the history of St. Mary's has ever done and that's play all three sports. Maybe someone can look this up and see if it is true. The participation from the boys and girl on this team is great, and we should all be very happy about that.

That goal will come...just a matter of when.

3rd/4th Grade Mid-Season Review

We welcome the 3rd graders into the world of CYO, as they are playing in a 4th grade division. Let's not forget that. Our four brave 3rd graders are Jason Ng, Ryan Kwong, Garrick Sin and Edwena Wong.

It's tough playing against bigger kids, and these 4 make up 25% of this team and all play a vital part, the defense. They are the last players teams get through in order to score, so it's a lot of pressure.

I'd have to say even though they are in 3rd and 4th grade, this team leaves some stuff to be desired. The team itself is a fairly athletic bunch, able to run and kick. However, their BIGGEST problem is working together. They are at times quick to blame each other and have trouble focusing and paying attention. But that goes with all young kids.

They have made improvements, even dominating possession in one of their games. Other teams sometimes are just too much for them to handle. The last two games, there were kids twice the size of our biggest player, and it's difficult to out-power them.

Every player has shown spurts of being a good player, most notably Steve Ung, Brandon Tom, Brandon Khuu and Garrick Sin. But to do it every game is pretty difficult.

Daniel Lin has been the goalie since day one and has done a great job. He's stopped a lot of shots and sometimes doesn't get too much help from the defense.

But it all comes down to one thing, and it sounds cliche, and it's used over and over again. Really--this team needs team work more than anything else. There's too much talent for this team not to be good.

EXCLUSIVE BREAKING NEWS: 6th/7th Grade Girls Volleyball Game Changed for Saturday

The 6th/7th Grade Volleyball game has been moved to 12 p.m. on Saturday @ CYO Serramonte.

It had been previously scheduled for earlier that morning.

Please read the 8th grade girls volleyball review if you haven't and stay tuned for the soccer team reviews later tonight.

St. Mary's Soccer/Volleyball Mid-Season Review: 8th Grade Girls

First, I wanted to thank all the kids and parents who have come out and supported our two newest sports, volleyball and soccer. It was a goal from the beginning to implement new and exciting activities and I think collectively we have all done a wonderful job in making this dream of sorts come true.

Below are some thoughts about the individual teams, the good and bad, half-way through the season. For the next few days, we will focus on one team each day.

8th Grade Girls Volleyball

I think far and away this is the most athletic girls class in the last several years at St. Mary's. This is no knock on any other classes, but clearly, we have athletes in this class, capable of doing some great things in the athletic field.

I remember reffing a CYO girls basketball game with this team at Holy Name, before I became Athletic Director and I said to myself that this will be a class that will compete for years to come. The coach at the time did something I will never forget. I overheard him say in the huddle to give the ball to his daughter, and pretty much everyone get out of the way. He even mentioned specific names of girls on the team to NOT touch the ball. And this was probably in the 4th or 5th grade?

But back to the current girls. The other day they won a set in volleyball. I don't know if anybody realizes what an accomplishment this is. I don't think I am blowing it out of proportion. Here you have a team that has probably played since 3rd grade, and for sure a few years at least. Then you have us, who started playing about 5 weeks ago. If you ask their coach and even girls on the team, they probably would tell you they should've and could've won that game.

From the beginning, Iris just seemed like she had a knack for volleyball. She transferred into the school last year and I didn't expect her to want to play. Good thing she did, because she was simply amazing on Saturday. She can serve, return, and it would not shock me if she played volleyball in high school. Iris does a great job of taking command and having confidence in herself, something that may be lacking with some of the players on the team. Have faith in yourself...see ball...hit ball. It's all mental.

One other person I want to point out is Katlyn. The first game I saw her play, I felt she had trouble picking it up. She was unable to serve it over and had trouble getting to the ball. 3 games later, she served with ease and even served it too hard on set point. Her turnaround from game 1 to 4 was pretty astounding.

The only knock I have on this team is how serious they take playing. On one hand, there's no reason to get bent out of shape and have a stupid game make you emo. But sometimes I don't know if there is enough care. Last year, after a basketball game they should've won, they all seemed to brush it off. If that was my team, I would've gone nuts (See me tossing scarf at St. Monica's a few years ago). With a little more focus, I think they could be even better than they are right now.

I'd love to touch on everyone, but we just don't have enough time. Just know that
I'm very proud of all you girls and keep fighting, because you're almost there.

Soccer Practice Moved to Tuesday for 3rd/4th Grade

Soccer practice for the 3rd/4th grade will be moved to Tuesday this week. Sorry for the inconvenience.

8th grade Girls Win Set!!! History in the making...

It was unbelievable, historic, incredible...etc. Not enough adjectives to describe what the 8th grade girls did today. Should've been there folks...

They actually won a set, and were this close from winning the game.

11-25, (W) 25-19, and 15-9.

A few serves that would've went over could've made the different. Just an amazing performance by the 9 girls in 8th grade.

More on this game later tonight or tomorrow afternoon.

SOCCER RESULTS

3rd/4th Grade- L 3-0
6th/7th Grade- L 7-0

The 6th/7th Grade played their best game, even though the score doesn't show it. They had several shots on goal and kept the opposition, another soccer powerhouse, scoreless in the first quarter.

6th/7th Grade Results

Quick score from the volleyball game that ended about half-an-hour ago.

25-17, 25-6.

Great first set, the best played this year by the team.

More insight and analysis to follow later this weekend.

SOCCER AND VOLLEYBALL TOMORROW

3rd/4th Grade- West Sunset @ 1 p.m.

6th/7th Grade- Polo Fields @ 2 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL

2:30 @ Mission Dolores

Trivia Question for this week

Who was the last Raiders head coach to have a winning record?

This one is a bit tougher...

Newsletter/Rainout???/Earthquakes and Stanford

Sorry, but the newsletter will be out tomorrow (Friday) this week. Had a little delay in getting it there, plus there was more breaking news.

It's possible games can be rained out according to the CBS5 Pinpoint forecast. If that happens, check the blog right away as it will be updated on an hour to hour, if not minute to minute basis.

Please turn in forms for the soccer game for the Earthquakes and the Stanford volleyball game as soon as possible.

Tomorrow night, 5:45 at Mission Dolores. 6th/7th Grade Volleyball game. Please be there...check it out.

Poor Volleyballs

When I buy new balls, whether it be volleyball, soccer or baseball, there will bound to be some that get lost or disappear for no other reason. It's kind of like using a pen or pencil. Think about how many you go through in a school year. Same principle.

So far to my knowledge, we have lost 3 balls. One soccer ball was lost somehow, but the story isn't that interesting, so we won't talk about it.

But the first volleyball that got lost, fantastic story.

An 8th grade girl which will remain anonymous was practicing at Helen Wills. She hit the ball so hard it went over the fence onto the street. Then seconds later, a speeding car ran over it, and the ball is disfigured. I will upload a picture in the next few days, but you can't really tell it got run over. But this girl who hit it--very strong.

The second volleyball that got lost, I don't even know the full story. But a 7th grader did it. So perhaps someone in the 7th grade can email me and tell me the story a little bit better and I will post it on the blog.

TRIVIA QUESTION FOR LAST WEEK


The U.S. Women's Soccer Goalie that won the gold medal was Hope Solo. Patricia from the 7th grade is this week's winner.