SanLuisObispo.com: Sports

Coast Union girls volleyball team closing in on CIF state playoff finals

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 23:36 PST

By Erick D. Smith -- Since starting the CIF state Division V girls volleyball playoffs last week, Coast Union has fought its way out of tough situations. They have battled back from the brink of elimination, and beaten an all-too-familiar rival.

That all preceded tonight, when the Broncos play in the finals of the Southern California bracket on the road against perennial power Tri-City Christian at 7 p.m.

“Each round we keep telling ourselves we know it will be tougher and tougher,” Coast Union head coach Pam Kenyon said. “Every round has been the right challenge we’ve needed.”

Brian Milne: Gardner on target, but it was too little, too late for Cal Poly

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:30 PST

By Brian Milne -- Andrew Gardner is an easy target.

At 5-foot-7, 162 pounds, the Mustangs’ junior place-kicker is dwarfed by just about everyone on the Cal Poly sideline — even some of the ball boys.

When he trots on the field, you can’t help but point a finger, especially after all of the ups and downs the Cal Poly kicking game has endured this season.

Dally leaves mark on Cal Poly football passing record books

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 23:57 PST

By Joshua D. Scroggin -- Former Cal Poly quarterback Seth Burford was there when Jonathan Dally broke his school record for touchdowns in a game.

Dally passed for six touchdowns in a blowout win over Weber Sate last season, beating Burford’s mark (set in 2000) by one, and Dally noticed Burford was partly disappointed to see one of his ties to the Mustangs program severed.

It was through that meeting that Dally seemed to forge his own opinion of records. They’re a way to remain competitive in a game that only lasts so long.

Miscues cost Cal Poly in first-round loss to Weber State

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 10:23 PST

By Joshua D. Scroggin -- There was no room to blame Andrew Gardner this time.

Cal Poly’s beleaguered junior placekicker did his job perfectly. It was the rest of the Mustangs football team — especially an offense that looked little like the statistical monster it was coming into the game — that dropped the ball on Saturday.

In the first ever Division I playoff game in Alex G. Spanos Stadium, Cal Poly turned the ball over four times in the red zone, and Weber State moves on to the second round and a rematch with No. 4 Montana after taking a 49-35 win.

Brian Milne: Senioritis? Cal Poly veterans make mistakes this time

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 02:58 PST

By Brian Milne -- Ramses Barden couldn’t put it into words.

Seven days after playing turnover-free football in a near-upset of a bowl team on the road, Cal Poly fumbled and bumbled its way to a postseason letdown against Weber State.

The Mustangs’ senior-laden squad looked like wide-eyed freshmen, at home of all places, still shocked from that overtime heartbreaker at Wisconsin.

Jordan Hasay makes it 4 for 4 at State cross country meet

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 23:41 PST

By Anthony Galaviz -- FRESNO - For the past three seasons, Mission Prep senior Jordan Hasay has dominated the Division V girls race. In her final race for the Royals at the CIF state cross country meet at Woodward Park, Hasay continued that trend in convincing fashion.

Hasay became only the second four-time champion, covering the 3-mile course in 17 minutes, 18 seconds.

She joined Montgomery’s Sara Bei as the only four-time state individual champions in meet history.

Cal Poly men's basketball team gets blown out

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 23:39 PST

By Tribune staff report -- What a difference a few minutes makes.

With 10 minutes to go in the first half, the Cal Poly men’s basketball team was looking good, leading Utah State 18-16.

At the 7-minute mark, the Mustangs were down 25-18, a deficit they would never come back from. The Aggies steamrolled the Mustangs 97-57 at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum in Logan, Utah.

Coast Union girls volleyball avenges loss to Mission Prep

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 23:38 PST

By Tribune staff report -- The Coast Union girls volleyball team avenged its loss nearly two weeks ago in the CIF-Central Section Division V finals to Mission Prep by eliminating the Royals 25-23, 14-25, 14-25, 25-23, 15-8 from the CIF Southern California Division V state playoffs.

“We knew it was going to be a battle,” Coast Union head coach Pam Kenyon said. “Mission has been coming on late in the season.”

Senior Skyler Moon again led the Broncos in kills with 14 and added four blocks. Devin Smith and Saira Avina held the line for Coast Union defensively, compiling 15 and 20 digs respectively.

Cal Poly football eliminated in first round of FCS playoffs

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 10:24 PST

By Brian Milne -- Sophomore quarterback Cameron Higgins threw for 399 yards and two touchdowns, and Trevyn Smith rushed for 137 yards and two scores as Weber State downed Cal Poly 49-35 in the first round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs Saturday at Alex G. Spanos Stadium.

Higgins connected with Tim Toone 10 times for 199 yards and a touchdown. Backup quarterback Brendon Doyle even added a nine-yard touchdown pass to Cody Nakamura as the Wildcats rolled up 564 yards of total offense.

Cal Poly, which took Wisconsin to overtime a week earlier, had 548 yards of offense but made five costly turnovers after making just six during the regular season. Jonathan Dally was intercepted four times, going 11 of 30 for 185 yards with two touchdowns. He did rush 23 times for 177 yards, but the Mustangs struggled to do much else offensively.

Time is now for Cal Poly football players

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 08:28 PST

By Joshua D. Scroggin -- David Fullerton and the rest of the redshirting freshmen were all gathered around the big screen TVs at the Cal Poly dorms.

The year was 2005. Fullerton and the others watched running back James Noble, a redshirt freshman in his second year in the program, and the rest of the Mustangs oust Montana 35-21 on the road in the first round of what was then the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.

Noble rushed for 188 yards and four touchdowns. Fellow redshirt freshman Ramses Barden caught three passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. Back home, Fullerton was just happy to be wearing a new T-shirt commemorating the game.

Six points enough to sink Atascadero High football playoff hopes

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 07:49 PST

By Erick D. Scmith -- There was an eerie silence as the Atascadero football team walked off the field for the final time this season.

The Greyhounds were in it until the bitter end on a cold Friday night in Atascadero, but Moorpark proved unrelenting. Atascadero fell behind 6-0 in the first quarter and the score remained unchanged the rest of the night.

All Moorpark needed to do was take a knee to end the game and the Greyhounds season finished with a 6-0 loss in the second round of the CIF-Southern Section Northern Division playoffs.

Big plays sink Paso Robles High football in Northern Division playoff game

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 00:38 PST

By Joshua D. Scroggin -- The Paso Robles High football team was already without leading receiver Cheston Holguin.

Andy Bridge, the Bearcats running back who’d rushed for nearly 1,500 yards and 20 touchdowns this season, went down with a leg injury on the first Paso Robles possession and came back in a jacket, jeans and crutches.

But there were the Bearcats, stymieing the offense of defending state champion St. Bonaventure and threatening to take a touchdown lead into halftime of their second round CIF-Southern Section Northern Division playoff game.

Morro Bay football uses two-point conversion to beat Harvard-Westlake

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 00:34 PST

By Tribune staff -- Morro Bay pulled out a narrow victory, defeating Harvard-Westlake 15-14 in a CIF Southern Section Northwest Division playoff game on Friday night at Pirates Stadium.

The Pirates won on a late fourth-quarter drive capped by a two-point conversion.

With both teams knotted 7-7 at halftime, the Wolverines came out quickly in the third quarter, scoring on an 8-yard run from Terhon O’Neal, who finished the game with 100 yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns.

Mission Prep quarterback Morrow throws five touchdown passes in playoff win

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 00:32 PST

By Donovan Aird -- Dylan Morrow and the Mission Prep football team were in unfamiliar territory midway through the second quarter Friday night.

The Royals lost just once all year to enter the CIF-Central Section Division V quarterfinals as the fourth seed and host No. 5 Firebaugh, but they’d given up two straight touchdowns and trailed 14-7 with less than seven minutes remaining in the first half.

And Morrow, the Central Coast’s leading passer, had set up the Eagles’ second score by throwing just his third interception of the season on his previous drive.

Hasay going for fourth straight state title

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 00:23 PST

By Erick D. Smith -- Jordan Hasay has more than made her mark at the CIF state cross country meet.

With a first-place finish today at Woodward Park in Fresno, the Mission Prep senior would become only the second individual to win four CIF state championships. Hasay would join Montgomery’s Sara Bei, who did that from 1997-2000.

So with that in her sights, along with the course record and the Footlocker National Championships in two weeks, Hasay has a lot to shoot for.

Cal Poly women's basketball holds off late rally to win

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 00:16 PST

By Tribune staff -- After withstanding a late surge by Missouri-Kansas City, including 19 second-half points from Chazny Morris, Cal Poly came away with a hard-fought 69-62 victory in the Courtyard by Marriott San Luis Obispo Holiday Beach Classic in Mott Gym on Friday.

Forward Megan Harrison led Cal Poly (3-2 ) with 16 points. She has a career total of 1,075 points, two away from third place on the Mustangs’ all-time career scoring list.

Mustangs guard Ashlee Stewart finished with 15 points, going 3 of 5 from beyond the arc.

Tribune staff writer to host live blog from tonight's Moorpark at Atascadero prep football game

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:58 PST

By Tribune staff report -- Tribune high school sports reporter Erick D. Smith will host a live blog from the Moorpark (10-1) at Atascadero (9-2) second-round CIF-Southern Section Northern Division playoff football game. The live blog will begin around 7 p.m. and the game is scheduled to begin at 7:30.

Your participation and interaction is encouraged in this blog, so come with questions or comments.

After the game, check back at sanluisobispo.com for score updates, stories and multimedia updates from the rest of the area's games. For previews of Friday night's games, head to www.sanluisobispo.com/sports.

Cal Poly baseball team signs seven players

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 22:44 PST

By Tribune staff report -- Cal Poly baseball head coach Larry Lee announced Wednesday that the Mustangs have signed seven new players.

“It’s a fairly small recruiting class that will hopefully fulfill our needs for the 2010 baseball campaign,” said Lee.

Five high school players and two junior college transfers comprise the group that breaks down into two outfielders, a catcher, one infielder and three pitchers.

Atascadero, Paso Robles try and make it through second round of playoffs

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 22:28 PST

By Erick D. Smith -- Recent CIF-Southern Section Northern Division playoff history hasn’t been kind to the football teams coming out of the PAC 7.

Since making the move into the Northern Division five years ago, the second round of the division playoffs has served as the end of the line for PAC 7 teams.

This has been the time when perennial playoff powers, such as St. Bonaventure, Saugus and Valencia distance themselves from the remaining playoff contenders.

Cal Poly men's soccer team's playoff run is done

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 10:52 PST

By Heather Gripp -- IRVINE – UC Irvine gained the rights to the storybook postseason run while leaving Cal Poly with the bitterest of endings.

Four days after recording their first ever NCAA Tournament victory, the Mustangs were eliminated with a 3-0 loss to No. 14 UC Irvine on a rainy Thursday night in front of a sellout crowd of 2,500 at Anteater Stadium.

Another loss was suffered before the final whistle as sophomore Derek Brown was taken from the game ambulance after being hit in the head while making a slide tackle in the 73rd minute. The game was delayed for nearly half an hour as Brown laid on the field, briefly losing consciousness, according to Mustangs coach Paul Holocher, who was awaiting further details of Brown’s condition after the game.