Mt. Madonna Student Headed to Jr. National Championships
Staff Reports
Barnstormers beat SJ Predators; Young Gilroy boxer wins fight
Mount Madonna School’s Alexa Rosendale has qualified for this summer’s Junior National Volleyball Championships (Junior Olympics) in Atlanta.
Rosendale, voted the Santa Cruz County Coast Athletic League’s “Sophomore of the Year” last season, is a 16-year-old playing with the nationally-ranked Main Beach 17 Gold of Santa Cruz County. The Main Beach Volleyball Club is one of only two Northern California clubs to have qualified thus far in the 17s age division.
Now in her fifth year of play, Rosendale first began playing volleyball as a middle school student at Mount Madonna. She went on to play for a couple seasons with Summit Volleyball Club before joining the Main Beach Club two years ago. Main Beach’s 17 Gold team is coached by Gayle Stammer, an accomplished professional player and volleyball coach at Cabrillo College in Aptos and Chris Muscat, an experienced player who teaches at Santa Clara University.
In addition to Rosendale, Mount Madonna sophomore Joanna Koda and eighth grader Erin Mitchell play on other Main Beach teams – the 16s and 14s, respectively. Several other MMS students have played with other area volleyball clubs.
Central Coast Barnstormers Improve to 4-0
The semi-pro Central Coast Barnstormers football team stayed undefeated this past weekend by defeating the San Jose Predators 34-0.
Now, the Barnstormers team is the only undefeated squad in the NCAFF Southern Conference.
The Barnstormers, whose defense is rated No. 1 in the NCAFF, held a 19-0 lead over the Predators (3-2) at halftime.
The Barnstormer offensive line of center Jose Rodriguez, guard Joffre Longoria, Brian Cortez, Eric Allen, Jeason Russell and David Crandall, opened holes on offense.
The Barnstormers play their next opponent, the Peninsula Panthers out of Half Moon Bay, Saturday at Gilroy High. Kickoff is 6:30pm.
Barnstormers Offensive Highlights
– 200 yards rushing, 109 yards passing
– QB Bryan Smith: 8-for-15, 107 yards passing, 3 TDs, 10 yards rushing
– RB Derrick Morrison: 81 yards rushing in 14 attempts, 1 TD
– WR Aaron Murro: 5 catches for 54 yards, 3 TDs
-RB Arvin Silvestre: 58 yards rushing in 5 attempts
Barnstormers Defensive Highlights
– DB Patrick Mogaw: INT for 16-yard return, 2 tackles
– LB Jiame Iracheta: 4 tackles, INT for a 19-yard return, safety
– LB Tony Beal: 5 tackles, safety
– FS David Flores: 5 tackles
– Sacks: LB Gil Barry (1) and DL John Conley (1)
Left to Right Boxer Gets First Win
When Left to Right boxing club coach Jerry Rodriguez saw his 17-year-old son Ralph Aguinaga fight at the Santa Clara PAL boxing tournament, he felt like he was watching a fight he had participated in himself almost 30 years ago.
As a 17-year-old boxer himself, Rodriguez won a Fight of the Night award after winning a match in Moorpark, Calif. On Saturday, he watched his son do the same thing.
Against Angel Gonzalez, a taller and more experienced fighter from San Francisco, Aguinaga won by unanimous decision in a three-round bout in the Novice division.
“Before the fight, (Ralph) told me he was ready to go in and take care of business,” said Rodriguez, also Ralph’s coach. “(In the first round) I thought maybe he was going a little too fast. I told him to pace himself but he just kept going at him.”
Out of the eight bouts that took place, Aguinaga and Gonzalez received plaques for putting on the “Fight of the Night.”
“I got ‘Fight of the Night’ in 1977,” Rodriguez said. “It was kind of dejá vu.”
