Fencers from the Coastside Academy of Fencing brought home two bronze medals from the Bay Cup Tournaments held over the past two weekends in Rancho Cordova and Carmichael.

Elizabeth Jug, 15 years old from El Granada, placed third in the highly competitive field of the Junior Women’s Sabre to take home a bronze medal. This category included twenty one fencers aged nineteen or younger.  She narrowly lost in the semi-finals to Emily Cheng 13-15.  Emily is an A-rated fencer and national medalist.

Andrew Gleeson, 11 years old from Montara, fought his way to third place in the Youth 12 Mixed Sabre, a field consisting of both girls and boys 12 years and under.

Clarissa Perez, a 12 year old from San Bruno, placed fifth in the same category.  Clarissa was number one seed after the round of pools and Andrew was second seed going into the direct elimination round.

Jeffrey Dalli from First Place Fencing Club, Y-10 gold medalist at the Summer Nationals, won gold in the above event, and Kalan Miurelle from NFC took home the silver.  Nicolette Stoddart from First Place also earned a bronze.

The Bay Cup organizes tournaments for clubs and fencers in the San Francisco Bay Area from as far north as Sonoma, south to San Jose and east as far as Sacramento.  These are the local training grounds for fencers of all ages, including many who compete nationally.

If you are interested in learning more about the Coastside Academy of Fencing contact Maestro Anthony Joslin at 650-219-5335 or email

Saturday September 22, 2007—Proving once again barking dogs seldom bite, the # 1 Coastside Cougar Midgets swiftly beat the #4 San Mateo Bulldogs 22-0 at last Saturday night’s game under the lights at John Francis Field.  The teams were evenly matched—a rarity for Coastside. 

The overall strategy of Head Coach Mike Seaton prevailed.  He runs a tight ship, his players play clean but tough and are led by running backs Chewy Huerta Jr. and Blake Kastl and quarterbacks Nate Seaton and Joey Erdie, all smart on the field and off. 

The game kickoff by the Bulldogs was a great example of speed and smarts.  Blake Kastl recovered the attempted on side kick, carrying the ball over 30 yards for a Cougar first down.  The Cougar offense drove hard, but didn’t score until the end of the quarter when the Bulldog quarterback threw a deep pass which was intercepted by cornerback Timma Cruz near the 5 yard line.  Blocking by guardsmen Austin Krieger, Neal Seaton, center Dalton James and tackle Jose Uribe, allowed the Cougars to run it up the middle for the first touchdown.  Chewy Huerta Jr. kicked for the PAT, putting the Cougars at 8, Bulldogs 0 by the end of the first quarter. 

The start of the second quarter sent the Bulldogs whimpering back to their crate.  If the primary job of defensive linemen is to gain penetration past the line of scrimmage and disrupt offensive plays, Coastside Cougar Defensive Coordinator Bobby Ellison’s training is right on the money.  Defensive tackle Erik Procopio made a ferocious QB sack at the Bulldog’s 34 yard line.  The next plays had defensive tackles Will Smith, Matt Young, Jacob Spaeth, and Sean McCaffrey exploding off the line with lots of power and forward drive forcing the Bulldogs to punt on the 50 yard line.  Offensive Coordinator Dave Gibbs is exercising the arms of his quarterbacks, allowing more passing plays, which are always crowd pleasers.  While interceptions are a risk, the Coastside Cougar defensive is ready to pounce.  Cornerback Brian Martinez made a great outside tackle after a Bulldog pass interception, showing good instincts and anticipation--preventing the Bulldogs from getting to a first down. 

On the third play of the third quarter, the Bulldogs tried a sweep.  The Bulldog’s running back was deep in his territory when defensive end Joey Erdie tackled him for a loss of 15 yards, forcing the Bulldogs to punt.  The Cougar Orange offensive guards Kennedy Palmer, Neal Seaton, offensive tackles Manny Arellanes, Marshall Egger and tight end Sergio Covarrubias, blocked for running back Chewy Huerta Jr. like dog catchers picking up strays.  In one play, Sergio Covarrubias made two blocks.  The hard drive didn’t result in a score, but an incredibly deep punt by Chewy Huerta Jr. choked the Bulldogs when running back Timma Cruz with breakaway speed tackled the Bulldog receiver on the 15 yard line.  The Cougar defense kept the Bulldogs in their dog run.  On a fourth and long, the Bulldogs had to punt, but the power of Cougar defensemen Joseph Lowman, Patrick Meyers and Taylor James forced an unnatural punter pass, which was intercepted by safety Blake Kastl on the 3 yard line.  The Coastside Cougars score, but miss the PAT, bringing the Coastside Cougar lead to 14, Bulldogs 0 at the close of the third quarter.

Kicker Chewy Huerta Jr. showed off his strong leg and good kicking mechanics with a deep kickoff which had the Bulldogs down the ball on the 5 yard line.  The Cougar Defense was on fire.  Cornerback Taylor James proved tough to get past and jammed the Bulldog QB.   The very next play had defensive guard Will Smith staying low and firing off the ball, sacking the Bulldog QB behind the goal line, forcing a fumble.  Defensive lineman Sergio Covarrubias was quick to spot the fumble, fetched the ball and turned the play into a touchdown with the PAT.  The final score: Coastside Cougars 22, Bulldogs 0. 

Coastside Cougars rule, while the Bay Cities Bulldogs drool.  1, 2, 3…GO COASTSIDE!

San Lorenzo Valley, Sept 16, 2007 Knowing fundamental tackling skills are one thing—but actually doing them in a game is another.  Neal Seaton and Manny Arellanes’ textbook offensive tackles pushed the tall Pacifica Tigershark defenders into shallow waters allowing running back Blake Kastl a 20 yard run to score early in the first quarter.  The Cougar defensive tackles and guards Austin Krieger, Matt Young, Will Smith and Sean McCaffrey thrashed the Tigershark offense with strength and speed off the line.  The Cougar Midgets closed the first quarter with a healthy 16-0 lead over Pacifica’s Tigershark Midgets. 

A series of Tigershark fumbles recovered by Cougar defensive end Jose Uribe and defensive tackles Sergio Covarrubias and Erik Procopio gave the Cougars most of the control during the 2nd quarter.  Brothers Dalton (center) and Taylor James (tight end) did a great job of pass blocking and QB protection, allowing several successful pass plays.  The final turnover allowed Offensive Coach Dave Gibbs to call a pass play where quarterback Joey Erdie threw a 15 yard pass to wide receiver Timma Cruz who smoothly completed and scored.  The Tigershark offense was completely shut down by quick Cougar defensemen Jacob Spaeth and Nate Seaton.  On a 4th and 13, Cougar Midget Head Coach Mike Seaton called on placekicker Chewy Huerta Jr. to attempt a 30 yard field goal.  Huerta’s soccer style kick sailed between the uprights, bringing the Cougar lead to 27-0 with 2:00 minutes still remaining in the first half.  Mario Kastl said “this game just gets better and better” to fellow water boy Alex Segura, both with big brothers playing for the Cougar Midgets. 

The end of the 2nd quarter and the entire 3rd and 4th quarters were filled with passing plays from both teams.  Cougar safety Joseph Lowman intercepted a pass bringing the Cougars to their 26 yard line.  A fumbled handoff allowed the Tigersharks their only touchdown late in the 4th quarter, but they failed the attempt at the extra point.  Cougar Midgets dominated the game.  Head Coach Mike Seaton should take pride in knowing his practice drills have paid off--the team has the fundamental tackling and blocking skills necessary to succeed –even when they swim with tall sharks. Final score Cougar Midgets 27, Tigersharks 6.

Farallone View Elementary School’s annual fundraising pancake breakfast will be this Saturday, Sept 15. The event will be held in the school’s multipurpose room from 7:30 to 11am. Tickets: Adults $5, Child $3, Family $15 (4 or more) Enjoy sausage, fresh fruit, drinks, and of course pancakes.  This event is sponsored by the Farallone View Education fund.

This year the HMB Sports Club is celebrating its 40th year of soccer on the coast.  There are 9 teams in the club and we are in search of few good players for all the teams. 

The club will conduct open tryouts this Sunday, February 11 from 1-4 pm at the HMB High School soccer field.  There are two time slots depending upon the players age.

1-2:30pm:
Crossfire--Under 10 boys-born after 7/31/96
Waves--Under 11 girls-born after 7/31/95
Mavericks--Under 12 boys-born after 7/31/94

2:30-4pm:
HMB Real & Cometitas--U13 boys-born after 7/31/93
Mavericks--U14 girls- born after 7/31/92
Hotshots--U16 girls- born after 7/31/90

*Please arrive 30 minutes prior to your scheduled tryout time
*Parents must sign waiver for players to participate in tryout
*Must bring copy of birth certificate
*Players must have cleats and shin guards

If you have questions please email or call 650-726-1545

Sherri Ballew is head coach of the Raiders Cheer Coastside Jr Midgets

Coastside Raiders Cheerleaders took home the first place trophy in the Jr Midget Small Novice division Friday at the Pacific Northwest Regional. The girls looked great and put on a clean routine. December 5 they will leave to represent Coastside and the Pacific Northwest region at Pop Warner Nationals Competition.

The girls are still working hard to raise the $5,000 they need to pay for the trip. The girls will be at Cunha’s Country Store for both nights of the night of lights and Safeway on Saturday. They are selling raffle tickets grand prize is a travel voucher for $500.00, 2nd place is a night at the beach house Inn, 3rd place is a hand made quilt by LaVerne Pacheco (lifetime resident of HMB) and 4th place is a hand made afghan again made by LaVerne Pacheco.

Thank You for all your support if there are any other questions I can be reached by email or phone 728-7879.

Sherri Ballew

The last day for in-person Little League sign-ups is Wednesday, November 15 from 7 to 9pm at Round Table Pizza in Half Moon Bay. Or you may sign up online. Please bring with you:

• $115 registration fee for ages 7 to 12


• $135 registration fee for ages 13 - 15


• Proof of player age, if new to Little League (note: CYA Instructional baseball is NOT affiliated with Little League)

Tryouts will be held at Smith Field on Saturdays, Dec. 2nd and Dec. 9th at times to be announced. The regular season runs from March 30 to June 10.

The Raiders Jr Midget Cheerleaders took first place in the championships for novice division this last weekend. They looked great taking the floor with the confidence of champions. They will be competing in the Regional Championships the day after Thanksgiving. Fundraising will soon be starting. Please support our Coastside girls if you see them. Any support is appreciated. -- Sherri Ballew, Coastside Cheer

Tom Vivian, Hollister Youth Football & Cheer

Tom Vivian, Hollister Youth Football & Cheer

Sherri Ballew, coach for the Jr Midget Cheerleaders, writes, "The girls had a competition this last weekend and they placed first in their division. The girls have made it to Nationals the past 2 years and we hope they do it again this year. They have 2 more competitions to go to and if the win off to Florida we are once again." We also have so great photos of the even-younger girls in the Pirates cheerleading team.

Sherri Ballew

Division champions.

Sherri Ballew

Some Pirates cheerleaders

Despite being short-handed, with 22 players in uniform, Half Moon Bay High School defeated Sequoia Friday night, according to the County Times.

Still, three weeks into the season, Half Moon Bay coach Matt Ballard and his coaching staff have proven that quality can overcome lack of quantity. The latest example came Friday when the Cougars rolled up 390 yards on offense in a 40-20 victory over Sequoia (0-3).