The 7th/8th grade girls left their last two games disappointed, knowing that they should've and could've came away with victories.
Tonight, there was no wishful thinking, and they just did it.
The girls put together a solid first set, and came from behind in the second set for a straight set victory to climb back to .500 on the year.
Cynthia extended the girls' lead in the first set and closed it out with some strong serves, giving set number one to the 7th/8th graders 25-18.
They fell behind 5-0 in the second set, but rebounded nicely to keep the set within reach.
Tamia was the star of the game as she spiked the ball over hand on several occasions throughout the night, including one sequence where she batted three straight balls back towards the other team to earn a point.
Both teams went back and forth, until late in the set when the 7th/8th grade girls fell behind 22-20.
However, they turned it on when they need to and even paced themselves out to a 24-23 lead.
But the other team was resilient returning some balls that were very difficult, and it had the feeling like this set was going to go quite a while.
Tied at 25-25, Tamia once again hit a ball over the net that nobody on the other team could get to, setting up match point.
Following a few rallies, Cynthia bumped a ball to the backrow that the other team could not handle, and the game was over.
The girls won the second set 27-25.
Dressing only seven girls tonight, the girls played one of their better games of the season. There were the handful of head shakers including some poor serves early on and in the middle of the second, but there play otherwise made up for some of their faults.
Pamela had the best game of the year and made quite a few nice jumping overhand serves.
The most experienced player on the court, Cynthia, made the big plays when it mattered. Her serves catapulted them to victory in set one and then down the stretch, her returns were just what the team needed.
One of the best things all night was to see the girls starting to come together as a team, as they even had their own cheer for aces, and the continuous slapping of high fives after points.
Midway through the year, their team chemistry is building, setting them up for a good stretch run.
For the second straight week, the referee reminded the girls on some basic volleyball etiquette and said, "You're in 8th grade, you should know this by now."
So it looks like the way they play and compete has the ref and everybody else fooled, even though most of the girls just finished playing the fourth game of their careers.
.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Happy Birthday to my Faja
Happy Birthday to my Dad.
Here are my two favorite videos of my Dad on Father's Day:
Here are my two favorite videos of my Dad on Father's Day:
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
This Day in St. Mary's Athletics History
October 5, 2009
Tom Cen left St. Mary's and gave us his thoughts as he said goodbye:
We caught up with Tom last year briefly when he came back. Here's a clip from Epic Video:
Tom Cen left St. Mary's and gave us his thoughts as he said goodbye:
suup dude, i will miss u guys i think, n hows school n mrs.chan. i will com back somtime but idk when. n holp the guys win at less 1 game n i want to com back for the baacketball but idk do bryan or the school let me. if not i ll com back to watch the basketball game sometime (maybe) n idk bye guys hav fun with mrs.chan LOL
We caught up with Tom last year briefly when he came back. Here's a clip from Epic Video:
Rerack: No practices for Wednesday
Soccer and volleyball practices have been called off for today, Wednesday, October 5.
7th/8th grade volleyball play tomorrow night at 6 p.m.
Both soccer teams will practice on Friday at Moscone, weather permitting. It is a half day so time to be announced.
7th/8th grade volleyball play tomorrow night at 6 p.m.
Both soccer teams will practice on Friday at Moscone, weather permitting. It is a half day so time to be announced.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Tuesday Soccer Practice Off
It just started to rain, so no soccer practice for the 5th/6th grade team today.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Monday night quarterback - more prizes
Monday Night Quarterback
Congratulations to Kindercop, whoever that is for your win last week, being the first person to identify Darren McFadden. Come find me whoever you are to redeem your prize. Same rules apply for this week if you would like a prize.
Happy Monday to everybody as we welcome you into Monday night quarterback, and we will call this MNQ because it's never updated during the morning.
Now out of five games this weekend, we did not pick up a win. In fact we lost four times, and tied once.
And in another first, this will just be a column to give praise to those who improved and highlight those who did well. Of course there is room for improvement but we rehash those so many times throughout the weekend so let's just point out the good.
We'll start with Raymond who scored his first goal ever. Whenever you can score a soccer goal, it is a huge accomplishment and it's something that only a handful of St. Mary's graduates have done.
The feat is so rare that in three and a half years of soccer, less than 10 St. Mary's players have actually scored a goal. So to be on the list is very impressive.
Raymond battles hard and gives it his 100% on the field. You can tell when you watch a soccer game the way he wills himself towards the action, how he is fearless in pursuit of the ball. It's not much of a surprise that sooner or later he would get rewarded with a goal.
On that same note, Brendan Quock played the best game I've seen him play in his 3+ years of soccer. He has a very powerful kick and it showed on Saturday. When he gets into a good position to line up a kick, the ball goes far, and without his play on Saturday, the game would've ended in a loss and not a tie.
Volleyball, good job by Edwena, Fiona and Victoria who all had a tough go last week in their 9 a.m. game. Maybe it was too early for them, but the three girls stepped it up this week and played very well in Saturday's game. Those three are pretty consistent on the serves, as when they step up, more often than not, the ball is going to go over the net.
On the older team, Pamela, Cynthia, Maria and Jocelyn, all so great on the serves. Congratulations to Belin for getting her first serves over as well. Now the other parts of the game need to come together.
Cynthia was in the same boat as Edwena, Fiona and Victoria. Last week, she had a not so good game, but she bounced back strong this week to help her team almost pull off a great comeback.
All in all, thank you to all of the players who are playing. I know it's tough out there, especially with new teammates, and being on a new team - again, but that's how we roll here at St. Mary's. Every year feels like brand new year because we're always trying to scramble to put the pieces together to find teams.
Maybe one day we won't have to do this, but for now, you got to make the best out of this situation.
And a special shout out to all the kids from St. Mary's who continued to play soccer. You all very easily could've picked up your ball and quit, but you didn't. You continued to give it a shot, and the results are right in front of you.
All the games over the weekend, whether it was volleyball or soccer were winnable games. A few things go our way and we would've had an undefeated weekend. Far fetched? A bit, but definitely possible.
These past few years, barring a few exceptions, every soccer and volleyball game was not too competitive.
We've come a long way, as now we are trying to get to the next level where we can expect to win a ballgame and not just compete.
Patience is virtue - the best things in life are worth the wait.
See ya pals.
- One who criticizes or passes judgment from a position of hindsight
 | |||||
| Identify both players in the pictures and get a prize. Leave it in the comments. |
Happy Monday to everybody as we welcome you into Monday night quarterback, and we will call this MNQ because it's never updated during the morning.
Now out of five games this weekend, we did not pick up a win. In fact we lost four times, and tied once.
And in another first, this will just be a column to give praise to those who improved and highlight those who did well. Of course there is room for improvement but we rehash those so many times throughout the weekend so let's just point out the good.
We'll start with Raymond who scored his first goal ever. Whenever you can score a soccer goal, it is a huge accomplishment and it's something that only a handful of St. Mary's graduates have done.
The feat is so rare that in three and a half years of soccer, less than 10 St. Mary's players have actually scored a goal. So to be on the list is very impressive.
Raymond battles hard and gives it his 100% on the field. You can tell when you watch a soccer game the way he wills himself towards the action, how he is fearless in pursuit of the ball. It's not much of a surprise that sooner or later he would get rewarded with a goal.
On that same note, Brendan Quock played the best game I've seen him play in his 3+ years of soccer. He has a very powerful kick and it showed on Saturday. When he gets into a good position to line up a kick, the ball goes far, and without his play on Saturday, the game would've ended in a loss and not a tie.
Volleyball, good job by Edwena, Fiona and Victoria who all had a tough go last week in their 9 a.m. game. Maybe it was too early for them, but the three girls stepped it up this week and played very well in Saturday's game. Those three are pretty consistent on the serves, as when they step up, more often than not, the ball is going to go over the net.
On the older team, Pamela, Cynthia, Maria and Jocelyn, all so great on the serves. Congratulations to Belin for getting her first serves over as well. Now the other parts of the game need to come together.
Cynthia was in the same boat as Edwena, Fiona and Victoria. Last week, she had a not so good game, but she bounced back strong this week to help her team almost pull off a great comeback.
All in all, thank you to all of the players who are playing. I know it's tough out there, especially with new teammates, and being on a new team - again, but that's how we roll here at St. Mary's. Every year feels like brand new year because we're always trying to scramble to put the pieces together to find teams.
Maybe one day we won't have to do this, but for now, you got to make the best out of this situation.
And a special shout out to all the kids from St. Mary's who continued to play soccer. You all very easily could've picked up your ball and quit, but you didn't. You continued to give it a shot, and the results are right in front of you.
All the games over the weekend, whether it was volleyball or soccer were winnable games. A few things go our way and we would've had an undefeated weekend. Far fetched? A bit, but definitely possible.
These past few years, barring a few exceptions, every soccer and volleyball game was not too competitive.
We've come a long way, as now we are trying to get to the next level where we can expect to win a ballgame and not just compete.
Patience is virtue - the best things in life are worth the wait.
See ya pals.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Saturday Recap: Tough losses and another tie
It was a tough day for all the St. Mary's teams today, adding to the heartbreak from Friday night. However, the 7th/8th grade did come away with a tie, in a game they were leading in the fourth quarter. The 5th/6th grade boys and girls were also in action, read about how they did as well.
Full recaps and highlights of each game are below.
Raymond scores in 5th/6th grade loss
The 5th/6th graders trailed 2-0 halftime and the game had all the signs of an encore presentation of last week.
Not so fast. Dante scored on a penalty kick in the third quarter to put St. Mary's on the scoreboard, cutting the lead down to 2-1. And then moments later, Raymond caught up to a ball in the open field and netted the first goal ever in his career to tie the game at 2-2.
However, those quick strikes by the 5th/6th graders woke up a sleeping giant, and the other team from that point forward went on to score five straight goals, turning a close game into a one-sided affair, handing the 5th/6th graders their third loss of the season 7-2.
Jason H. made his first start in goal in an effort to get both of the twins on the field to create more offense.
The boys were once again playing with 10 players with the absence of Garrick, and were exhausted towards the end of the second half.
That was a huge reason why the floodgates opened late as the team started to fatigue.
On the bright side, the two goals are the most scored by the team this year midway through the season. Conversely, they also gave up the most goals today as well.
The 5th/6th grade boys (0-3-1) currently sit in a five team division so all but one team makes the playoffs. With a tie under their belt, a win or two could catapult them into postseason play.
7th/8th graders grind through double-header
For the first time in school history, a St. Mary's soccer team was forced to play a double-header.
Coming off a 9-1 win, the boys were riding high, but were quickly brought back down to earth.
They trailed 1-0 early in the first game and then scored two unanswered goals in the first half, first on a goal by Pablo, then followed up with another by Sebastian.
But they gave up a goal later in the half and went into the break tied 2-2.
The 7th/8th graders had their share of opportunities in the second half but were unable to cash in with a goal. The other team did, with one in the third and another in the fourth, as the 7th/8th graders dropped game one by a score of 4-2.
Game two was just a test of will power as the 11 boys on the team were tired. They gave whatever they had left in the tank and were able to come away with a 2-2 tie.
They took the lead 1-0 in the final seconds of the first quarter as Eloy just chipped a slow roller past the other team's goalie.
The other team tied it up in the third, but the 7th/8th graders went back ahead just seconds into the fourth.
Pablo raced down the right sideline and sent a beautiful ball towards the middle. Sebastian made a nifty move to angle his kick into the corner of the net to give the boys a 2-1 lead.
Midway through the fourth, the defense erroneously kicked a ball out of bounds towards the goal line setting up a corner kick. The other team took advantage as the corner kick trickled into the box, and a player got enough on the ball to put it past Anthony to tie the score.
The 7th/8th graders did have some chances late for the winning goal, but nothing ever transpired.
It was a gutty performance by this team, especially an hour after playing such a hard fought game. Julio, John Jett and Brendan were all playing at a high level, leaving everything they had out on the field.
Their effort this afternoon was great, but there execution was just a little lacking.
Midway through the season, their record is (1-2-1).
5th/6th grade girls still working out kinks
The 5th/6th grade girls played a much better game than they did last week, but unfortunately lost in straight sets for the second straight week. 25-17, 25-20.
Victoria, Fiona and Edwena all bounced back from a rough performance last week, as the three girls who have played for two plus years, served consistently and did a real good job overall.
After dropping the first set 25-17, Victoria pushed the girls out ahead 13-9 on four straight serves in the second set, two of them aces.
Fiona started the second set with a beautiful bullet like serve that hit the girl on the other team right in the face. The girl was okay.
Edwena was consistent all afternoon on her serves, and made a brilliant over the head return in the first set, and then followed that with a nice set to earn the team a point.
Still getting used to playing together as a team in volleyball games, the team really had trouble communicating and moving their feet.
Girls were colliding on some balls and then on others, everyone stared and watched the ball hit the floor.
After winning the first game against an inexperienced team, the 5th/6th grade girls (1-2) haven't been able to up their game to compete with the stronger teams.
Many of the inexperienced girls had numerous balls fly awkwardly off their arm, and that's what ended up hurting them in today's contest.
The good news is that these games that the girls are losing are winnable games if they can just rectify their mistakes.
But making mistakes is part of the process when it comes to learning a new sport.
Ivy, Alexandria and Alexis, who are all playing for the first time this year, all made at least one nice return during the game.
Now it's just a matter of doing it over, and over, and over.
Full recaps and highlights of each game are below.
Raymond scores in 5th/6th grade loss
The 5th/6th graders trailed 2-0 halftime and the game had all the signs of an encore presentation of last week.
Not so fast. Dante scored on a penalty kick in the third quarter to put St. Mary's on the scoreboard, cutting the lead down to 2-1. And then moments later, Raymond caught up to a ball in the open field and netted the first goal ever in his career to tie the game at 2-2.
However, those quick strikes by the 5th/6th graders woke up a sleeping giant, and the other team from that point forward went on to score five straight goals, turning a close game into a one-sided affair, handing the 5th/6th graders their third loss of the season 7-2.
Jason H. made his first start in goal in an effort to get both of the twins on the field to create more offense.
The boys were once again playing with 10 players with the absence of Garrick, and were exhausted towards the end of the second half.
That was a huge reason why the floodgates opened late as the team started to fatigue.
On the bright side, the two goals are the most scored by the team this year midway through the season. Conversely, they also gave up the most goals today as well.
The 5th/6th grade boys (0-3-1) currently sit in a five team division so all but one team makes the playoffs. With a tie under their belt, a win or two could catapult them into postseason play.
7th/8th graders grind through double-header
For the first time in school history, a St. Mary's soccer team was forced to play a double-header.
Coming off a 9-1 win, the boys were riding high, but were quickly brought back down to earth.
They trailed 1-0 early in the first game and then scored two unanswered goals in the first half, first on a goal by Pablo, then followed up with another by Sebastian.
But they gave up a goal later in the half and went into the break tied 2-2.
The 7th/8th graders had their share of opportunities in the second half but were unable to cash in with a goal. The other team did, with one in the third and another in the fourth, as the 7th/8th graders dropped game one by a score of 4-2.
Game two was just a test of will power as the 11 boys on the team were tired. They gave whatever they had left in the tank and were able to come away with a 2-2 tie.
They took the lead 1-0 in the final seconds of the first quarter as Eloy just chipped a slow roller past the other team's goalie.
The other team tied it up in the third, but the 7th/8th graders went back ahead just seconds into the fourth.
Pablo raced down the right sideline and sent a beautiful ball towards the middle. Sebastian made a nifty move to angle his kick into the corner of the net to give the boys a 2-1 lead.
Midway through the fourth, the defense erroneously kicked a ball out of bounds towards the goal line setting up a corner kick. The other team took advantage as the corner kick trickled into the box, and a player got enough on the ball to put it past Anthony to tie the score.
The 7th/8th graders did have some chances late for the winning goal, but nothing ever transpired.
It was a gutty performance by this team, especially an hour after playing such a hard fought game. Julio, John Jett and Brendan were all playing at a high level, leaving everything they had out on the field.
Their effort this afternoon was great, but there execution was just a little lacking.
Midway through the season, their record is (1-2-1).
5th/6th grade girls still working out kinks
The 5th/6th grade girls played a much better game than they did last week, but unfortunately lost in straight sets for the second straight week. 25-17, 25-20.
Victoria, Fiona and Edwena all bounced back from a rough performance last week, as the three girls who have played for two plus years, served consistently and did a real good job overall.
After dropping the first set 25-17, Victoria pushed the girls out ahead 13-9 on four straight serves in the second set, two of them aces.
Fiona started the second set with a beautiful bullet like serve that hit the girl on the other team right in the face. The girl was okay.
Edwena was consistent all afternoon on her serves, and made a brilliant over the head return in the first set, and then followed that with a nice set to earn the team a point.
Still getting used to playing together as a team in volleyball games, the team really had trouble communicating and moving their feet.
Girls were colliding on some balls and then on others, everyone stared and watched the ball hit the floor.
After winning the first game against an inexperienced team, the 5th/6th grade girls (1-2) haven't been able to up their game to compete with the stronger teams.
Many of the inexperienced girls had numerous balls fly awkwardly off their arm, and that's what ended up hurting them in today's contest.
The good news is that these games that the girls are losing are winnable games if they can just rectify their mistakes.
But making mistakes is part of the process when it comes to learning a new sport.
Ivy, Alexandria and Alexis, who are all playing for the first time this year, all made at least one nice return during the game.
Now it's just a matter of doing it over, and over, and over.
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