January 26, 2005

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Palo Alto Online

Gunn boys face a critical week

by Keith Peters

This is the most important week of the season, thus far, for the Gunn High boys' soccer team, which has the opportunity to make a huge impact on the SCVAL De Anza Division race.

"If we can get past Mountain View and hit Paly with a loss, we can basically wrap up the league title," said Gunn coach David Burgee. "It's a critical week."

Gunn rolls into this week with a division-leading 6-0-1 record (15-1-2 overall) having not lost since Dec. 20, allowing just two goals in 2005 and only nine the entire season.

The Titans will visit third-place Mountain View (4-3-1) on Wednesday before hosting second-place Palo Alto (5-1, 9-3-2) on Friday, also at 3:30 p.m. Only three matches remain after that, including a makeup with the Vikings on Feb. 11 that could be rendered meaningless by the time it's held.

Gunn is coming off last week's 4-0 win over Monta Vista and 6-0 triumph over Fremont, which avenged the Titans' lone league blemish.

"What we have to do is continue to do what we did against Monta Vista and Fremont -- continue to break down defenses." Burgee said.

The Titans could be a little shorthanded this week, depending upon the status of defender Anton Horwath. He suffered possible torn ligaments in his elbow during a weekend snowboarding accident and was scheduled for an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of the injury.

"We could tape him up and see what happens," Burgee explained, "but if he fell on it, we could lose him for the remainder of the season."

Horwath's injury is just another in a season filled with similar incidents. Starting defender Doug Simpson suffered a surfing accident the morning of a Homestead Christmas Cup tournament match against Santa Cruz (which Gunn won) and seven members of the team were suspended one match (a 2-1 win over Mountain View on Jan. 5) after breaking team rules by drinking at a New Year's Eve party.

The players were punished because they had signed a contract, along with their parents, stating they would avoid alcohol and drugs, not participate in outside activities like skiing and snowboarding (that could cause injuries) and tend to the obvious things like maintaining grades.

"I make the kids and parents sign it," Burgee said. "This is something I do. It lays out the consequences that will be dealt. I really have a zero tolerance policy regarding alcohol and drug abuse. The second time (the rule is abused) you're off the team."

The contract is similar to the one featured in the hit movie "Coach Carter," based on the true-life story of Richmond High boys' basketball coach Ken Carter, who locked his players out of the gym and forfeited games (after going 16-0 in 1999) when his players failed to live up to the contract they had signed with him.

Burgee met with his team following the drinking incident and was impressed by what he heard from his players.

"That got the gist how disappointed I was," Burgee said. "I had kids come forward and tell me they were there and how much they drank . . . and said they'd never do it again. I was just blown away."

Burgee believes his team has grown even closer since then, putting that incident behind them while responding to the challenge ahead.

"I've got 17 wonderful guys I coach every day," he said. "I really care about them and I believe they know that. We're a very close group."

Horwath's injury, meanwhile, is the latest incident to test the Titans' mettle.

"It has been a very interesting season," Burgee said. "We've had some adversity to deal with."

Gunn has been able to overcome the majority of the obstacles on the field by scoring early and forcing the issue. In the previous meeting with Fremont, the Firebirds packed the defense and played for a tie, which they got. Last Friday, Gunn ruined that strategy when Avery Naar and Alex Guzinski scored first-half goals. That forced Fremont to get into an offensive mode, which opened things for sophomore Sam Zipperstein in the second half. Zipperstein came off the bench to score a career-high four goals, with one assist coming from his brother Sam, a senior defender.

Palo Alto, meanwhile, must first take care of visiting Santa Clara on Wednesday (3:30 p.m.) before concerning itself with Gunn. The Vikings are virtually assured of earning an automatic berth for the Central Coast Section playoffs but need to beat Gunn and get some help in order to successfully defend their league crown.

Paly is coming off a 4-1 win over host Lynbrook last Friday. Seniors Jean Choi and Manny Barragan scored two goals apiece. Choi's came off an assist from Barragan and then on a penalty kick after Barragan was fouled in the box.

Coach Don Briggs cited the solid contribution of sophomore Patrick Alonis, who played well in place of injured defensive midfielder David White. Junior Billie Chan and senior David Levebre also stood out on defense after the Vikings fell behind, 1-0.

Boys basketball

Palo Alto (5-0, 18-1) opened a game lead on second-place Fremont (4-1) in the SCVAL De Anza Division race after a decisive 54-42 win over third-place Milpitas (3-2) last Friday. A 23-5 outburst in the third quarter made the difference for the Vikings, who got 14 points from junior Steven Brown on his 17th birthday.

Palo Alto will host Fremont on Saturday (7:30 p.m.) with a chance to open a two-game bulge on the Firebirds.

In the Christian Private Schools Athletic League, Mid-Peninsula (6-0, 13-5) and Eastside Prep (5-0 15-6) remain on a collision course for the league title, which could be decided when the Dragons visit Eastside Prep on Feb. 1.

Walter Washington's 22 points sparked Mid-Peninsula to a 76-43 win over host San Francisco Christian while Marquis Pickrom's 18 points led the Panthers to a 69-33 romp over host Liberty Baptist. Eastside followed that up with a 56-51 nonleague win over visiting Santa Clara on Saturday as senior Derrick Haynie scored a season-high 25 points in only his second game of the season.

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