With the league season for area sports teams officially under
way as soon as 2008 rolls around, the holiday season will mark the
final dash to the preseason finish line.
With the league season for area sports teams officially under way as soon as 2008 rolls around, the holiday season will mark the final dash to the preseason finish line.
Starting next week, both the San Benito boys and girls basketball teams, the Anzar boys basketball team and the San Benito wrestling team will all be involved in tournaments around the state.
Here’s a quick look at what those teams will be up against:
San Benito girls basketball
The San Benito Lady ‘Balers will kick everything off Wednesday when they open the Seaside Sweet 16 Tournament with Scotts Valley at 3 p.m. The tournament is scheduled to run through Saturday.
Other basketball teams in attendance will include Notre Dame, Seaside, North Monterey County, North Salinas, Alisal, Buhach Colony (Atwater), Westmoor (Daly City), Orestimba (Newman), Aptos, Live Oak, Whittel (South Lake Tahoe, Nev.), Georgetown (Austin, Tex.), Harbor and Carmel.
“I would love to go out there and get an opening-round victory and move into the winner’s bracket,” coach David Kaplansky said. “That’s our goal.”
With a win over Scotts Valley, San Benito would play the winner of Buhach Colony and North Salinas, last year’s Tri-County Athletic League champion.
And getting a chance to play last season’s TCAL champ without it affecting the league record would be a nice gift for Kaplansky. Said the coach, “A matchup with North Salinas would be a good measuring-stick game … But first things first, we need an opening-round win.”
Kaplansky said it’d be a productive tournament if his squad plays in four games, the limit to the amount of action any one team can see.
San Benito will open their TCAL season on Jan. 4 when they host Salinas.
San Benito boys basketball
The ‘Baler boys basketball team will be competing at the Condor Christmas Classic at North Monterey County in Castroville starting Thursday. The tournament will last through Saturday.
San Benito is slated to open against San Lorenzo Valley at 6:30 p.m., on Thursday. Other teams scheduled to compete include Carmel, North County, Soledad, Alvarez, Salinas and Chowchilla.
As one of the final tests before the TCAL season opens for San Benito on Jan. 8 at Salinas, coach John Becerra is hoping to see his ‘Balers control their emotions and focus on what needs to be done within the game itself.
“I’m hoping to be more disciplined,” he said. “Hopefully, we’ll go out there and play good basketball and that’s it, and not be concerned with calls by the refs or anything else … being concerned with what we’re supposed to be doing both offensively and defensively.”
With a win over SLV, San Benito would play the winner between Soledad and North County.
Among the teams competing, Becerra added that there is a good possibility that his ‘Balers can win the Condor Classic. Said the coach, “We’re capable of doing it.”
San Benito wrestling
The San Benito wrestling team, coming off their sixth-place finish at the Coast Classic in Scotts Valley last weekend, will head south to the 37th annual El Cajon Invitational starting Friday at San Ysidro High School in San Diego.
The two-day tournament will have individual brackets at each weight division, and will include 64 wrestlers in each bracket. Teams from Virginia, Oregon, Washington, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona are expected to attend.
Wrestlers will be ranked individually following the tournament and teams will be ranked at the conclusion.
San Benito will open their league season when they host Salinas in a dual meet on Jan. 9.
Anzar boys basketball
The Anzar boys basketball team will look to give their game a tune-up before the Mission Trail Athletic League season opens on Jan. 8 at Greenfield.
The Hawks will play in the Bulldog Chase Tournament at Sobrato High School in Morgan Hill starting Thursday. The tournament will run through Saturday.
Although no official word has been handed out as to who plays whom when the tourney kicks off next week, Anzar coach Ed Cecena is hoping to see his Hawks come together as a team.
“I’m hoping we can get it together and play better defense,” Cecena said. “We want to make use of our big man inside. People are collapsing on him so much and we need to make them pay.”
Anzar’s “big man” is Erik Olson, and Cecena is looking to find other players step up when opponents are double- and triple-teaming him.
The tournament is double-elimination, with a possibility of playing as many as three games total.
