Losing a dozen to graduation, having five less players in
uniform and only suiting up three seniors are usually causes of
concern for a high school head coach.
When it comes to Adam Gemar and Gilroy High field hockey, the
reigning Central Coast Section Div. 1 runners-up, that’s not
necessarily the case.
Losing a dozen to graduation, having five less players in uniform and only suiting up three seniors are usually causes of concern for a high school head coach.
When it comes to Adam Gemar and Gilroy High field hockey, the reigning Central Coast Section Div. 1 runners-up, that’s not necessarily the case.
Call it a rebuilding year, Gemar is fine with that. But don’t think the winning won’t continue.
“I think our season will be good. For me, I just expect,” said Gemar, still breathing heavily after participating in his own shooting drill with the rest of the 2011 Mustangs on Wednesday.
A talent-laden 2010 class, including Dani Hemeon, Alex Rose, Emily Costa, Katelyn Nebesnick, Aubrey Young and more, individuals who were the last remaining links to the winningest four-year stretch in program history, have departed.
However, in steps a new crop of hockey players, such as midfielder Krissy Chuck, a four-year varsity player, junior Kaylana Mah, who will be asked to produce goals aplenty and junior Monica Marrazzo, who earned a spot on the USA Futures Elite squad over the summer, leading the way for a group of players eager to continue the program’s successful tradition.
“I’m loving the girls that we have,” Gemar said. “It’s a lot of new faces. For years I would take stuff for granted – that they could just do it. We kind of have to get back to basics, pick up the game and the speed.”
Speed and precision go hand-in-hand with the Mustangs’ turf play, and this year will be no different. What has changed, though, is the way the Mustangs have trained and conditioned to keep the pace of play at an elevated level for the duration of the 60-minute contest.
“I think we lost it in the finals because we weren’t fit enough,” Gemar said. “We’ve been running. We have to build the pace.”
Last season, the Mustangs reached the CCS finals for the first time in 27 years, after posting a 12-2 mark (15-3-2 overall) in the team’s debut as part of the Mount Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League. GHS faced rival Los Gatos for the title, but a brief 1-0 first-half lead didn’t hold long as the Wildcats erupted for three unanswered tallies for a 3-1 win.
Gemar got a good look at his pedigree during a jamboree last Saturday. Unofficially, the Mustangs went 1-1-1, squaring off against familiar league opponents St. Francis, Los Altos and Saratoga.
“I thought we were looking pretty good, but when we played St. Francis, whoa, they tore us up,” Gemar said. “But it was a nice preview for us. We have a lot of ‘what’s our positioning stuff’ still to set.”
Despite the loss of so many from 2010, the Mustangs do have a significant amount of returning players with valuable game experience to their credits.
Alex Kachakji, a role player over the past two seasons, returns for her junior year. Emma Leach, who came into her own as a freshman starter in 2010, has caught the eye of Gemar again at the outset of her sophomore campaign. Gemar also said junior Ezzie Gobea will have an impact this season.
“I’m excited because it’s like new blood,” Gemar said. “These girls have heart, they are anxious to learn, attentive and they are hard workers. It’s a chance to start new, see who is ready to bring it and have some fun.”
— The Mustangs opened preseason play against Branham in rousing fashion, defeating the host Bruins 7-0 on Thursday.
Freshman KC Carter registered a hat trick, including the game’s first goal to give the Mustangs a 1-0 halftime lead.
“It started off a little slow, through 20 minutes,” head coach Adam Gemar said. Last 40 we were really good. All of sudden flood gates kind of opened.”
Kaylana Mah scored twice in the second half, and was joined on the scoring chart by Monica Marrazzo, Ezzie Gobea and Carter, who tallied the finishing touches on her three-goal day.
