By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 29, 2009
Musings, mutterings and the occasional schmahts as Ornauer sadly realises he can stop yelling "Corpsman!" for Stanley is not in the cards this evening:
-- MVP Taiyo Robertson and the Kadena Panthers boys finished their unbeaten run through the tournament in style, leading by as many as 25 points before settling for an 81-65 triumph over host Hong Kong International before an enthusiastic Saturday evening crowd at the HKIS high school gym.
-- Meanwhile, Faith Academy repeated its girls title, but not without a major scare. After trailing the Lady V's 43-16 at half, Heep Yunn unveiled an uncharacteristic man-to-man press, for which Faith was not prepared. Heep Yunn got it all the way down to three points, the final margin as the Vanguards and MVP Kelly Hardeman escaped 64-61.
-- Nice to see three generations of Hardemans in the high school gym for those two final games. Grandfather Tine, he of seven Pacificwide tournament titles, and his bride Jan, along with their youngest son, Todd, a Vanguards assistant coach, and their daughter-in-law Robin, and their grandchildren Kelly and Liz playing in Vanguards Navy blue and gold.
-- No, it only seems as if I've been around long enough to have seen Tine play (I was born the same year Tine finished 10th in the nation in scoring for Westmont College of southern California). But I consider it a tremendous privilege and honour just to know the man.
-- What a time for Kadena senior Kevin Paranal, who struggled all tournament, to enjoy a breakout game. He owned the inside before fouling out early in the fourth quarter. The host Dragons tried to stage a rally, but the mountain to climb was as high as some of the peaks in the Tai Tam area. Robertson may have been MVP, but Paranal was the story of Saturday's title game.
-- And Paranal provided us the play of the tournament. Grabbing the basketball and tumbling to his back (HKIS wanted a traveling call, Kadena wanted a foul call), Paranal realised the cavalry wasn't coming, so he tossed the ball upward as he was lying in the lane, kissing it off the glass and in.
-- So, was that the play of the tournament? Or was Dionte Waite's entry pass that conked Kubasaki teammate Gary Whitaker right in the back of the coconut, off the backboard and into the net during the Dragons' 75-70 fifth-place win over St. Mary's International?
-- Paranal shooting from his back? Whitaker using his head?
-- Are you kidding me?
-- I have never in my life seen two teams trade such extreme momentum shifts as I did Saturday in watching the Kadena-Kubasaki girls knockout game, won by the Dragons 69-67 on Christelle Abello's two foul shots with 3.0 left.
-- Kadena led 28-15 after one period and 34-21 early in the second quarter. Over the next 17 minutes, the Dragons outscored the Panthers 37-7 and led by 17 points after three periods. Kadena had lost two of its starters to foulouts. And the Panthers STILL clawed back, outscoring the Dragons 26-9 to tie it 67-67 in the closing seconds.
-- Yeah, that was yours truly doing the play-by-play during the live streaming video Web cast of that game. No, they didn't quite have to peel me off the ceiling of the middle school gym, but boy I came close.
-- You don't have to be crazy to do that sort of thing. But boy, does it help.
-- Game of the tournament? Absolutely.
-- An honor it was to help out the Dragonnet Web staff with their coverage of the tournament, BTW. It's the sort of thing that DODEA Pacific should be doing for all of its Far East sports tournaments. Live streaming video with real-time score updates as the games happen. I'll bet you'd find enough students at each host school who'd be willing to do that, if the right equipment were available at each.
-- To the tournament organizers, to the host families and to those who oversaw the hospitality room, many thanks and I'll be back there as often as you'll have me. To the folks along Stanley Market Road: See you next year.
-- What a fun week.
-- 85 days.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 27, 2009
Musings, mutterings and the occasional schmahts as Ornauer realises he should have attended this tournament years ago, and he'll be back as often as HKIS will have him:
-- One of the beauties of this eight boys-eight girls teams tournament is the cross section of representation from all of East Asia's American and international interscholastic circuits. Seoul Foreign and Hong Kong International from the Asia-Pacific Activities Conference. Singapore American and Taipei American representing the Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools. And Faith Academy, Kadena, Kubasaki and St. Mary's International playing on the DODEA-Pacific tournament circuit. Talk about your "true" Far East holiday tournament.
-- That live video streaming feature along with real-time score updates on the tournament's Web site is the best thing since sliced pizza. Sure, seeing the games in person can't be beat, but if you'd like to spend your lunch hour at Mainstreet Cafe or Spiago's along the Stanley Waterfront, you can enjoy your Black Angus steak (yum!) and not miss a moment of the tournament.
-- That boys playoff is going to be something. Of the eight teams now seeded in the playoffs which began as I typed this, any one of six can rise up and win. And don't sleep on Kubasaki, the best 0-3 team in the tournament.
-- And don't think for a minute, based on pool-play win-loss records and runaway point totals that defending HKIS and Far East Class AA Tournament champion Faith Academy is the girls' odds-on favorite. Kadena gave the Vanguards a huge scare, holding a 1-point lead in the middle of the third quarter. Faith's 77-17 romp over Seoul Foreign on Thursday and 63-16 walloping of Kubasaki on Friday mean very little when the tournament begins. "That's why they play the games," Singapore American boys coach Mike Norman said.
-- Maria Vaughn. Freshman. Three-point specialist for Kadena. Can that girl shoot or what? And I mean in ye olde skool style, two-handed push-from-the-chest set shot a la Dave DeBusschere, Gerry Lucas or Michael Adams. An English-second-language student who was born on Okinawa and attended Japanese school until this year. And she's not going anywhere. She'll be a star for years to come in Panther uniform.
-- Adam Xu. Junior. Hong Kong International. Will Rogers might have said about him, "He never saw a shot he didn't take." Guy torched Kadena for 38 points in a losing effort 79-76 in Thursday's pool-play game. The guy can flat shoot.
-- Amritpal Warraich. Junior. Last year's Class AA Tournament semifinal hero for St. Mary's International. He was just BEASTing in that game Friday morning against Kubasaki -- a tournament high 43 points, 17 in the second quarter. And naturally, any team with a player named Taniguchi on the court has a chance against anybody.
-- Fred Sava, we miss you.
-- Just playing on words with potential headlines while giving shoutouts to selected players' names in the tournament:
Pressleys' performance leaves opponents all shook up (sophomore Bria and junior Jasmine Pressley, Kadena girls).
Petro fuels Vanguards' victory (junior Melissa Petro, Faith Academy).
Vanguards' boys take Long way to title (junior Kyle Long, Faith Academy).
Panthers' foes caught between Schrock, hard place (senior Stanley Schrock, Kadena).
Late FT Seals victory for Panthers (sophomore Desirae Seals, Kadena).
Junior center provides Key to victory for Dragons (junior Kentrell Key, Kubasaki).
Eagles, Crema rise to the top (junior Matt Crema, Singapore American).
Clower power helps Eagles soar in playoffs (junior Rauson Clower, Singapore American).
And, finally, as Ornauer hears the groans from as far away as Orchard Road:
Moon shines as Tigers tame opponents (freshman Katherine Moon, Taipei American).
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 26, 2009
Musings, mutterings and the occasional schmahts as Ornauer stares wide-eyed at the wonder of it all on his first visit to Hong Kong:
-- Imagine a 10-story building plucked and dropped into the Great Smoky Mountains, the Adirondacks or Cascades. That's what Hong Kong International School, opened 42 years ago, looks like, a tall edifice built into the side of a hill in the breathtakingly scenic Tai Tam area of Hong Kong. Greenery everywhere, the people are friendly and getting acquainted with new faces and reacquainted with old ones. Fun times, these.
-- The Hong Kong International School Holiday Basketball Tournament has been run pretty much by the same eight-team pool-play and single-elimination playoff format since its inception in 1970. It's actually the second-oldest basketball tournament out here, trailing only the DODEA Pacific Far East Boys Class AA Basketball Tournament, which sees its 61st edition come February at Yokota Air Base, Japan.
-- Highly recommend the school site for those rehabilitating a leg injury: You could run upstairs for years, with all the tall buildings here.
-- Among the many in attendance at the tournament:
Tine Hardeman, the legendary former Faith Academy boys coach with seven Pacificwide tournament titles to his credit, watching his granddaughters Kelly and Liz play for Faith in the tournament.
Tine's son Todd, Vanguards girls assistant coach whom I saw PLAY as a senior in the DODEA Pacific Far East tournament at Yokota in 1982.
Dan Beaver, the legendary ex-Faith girls coach with eight DODEA Pacific Far East titles to his credit, including the famed "Drive for Five" titles in the late 1990s and 2000.
Adrian Price, back at his old stomping grounds where he won this tournament four times, 1996, 1997, 2001 and 2002, before leaving for his native Australia to pursue a doctorate.
Anthony Soroka, the former Kadena tennis, basketball and soccer star, having graduated from Princeton and done a year at Oxford and is now interning at HKIS.
Jeremy Evans, Hong Kong International's boys coach whom I saw PLAY in the 1993 DODEA Pacific Far East Tournament at Yokota.
-- A cab ride up the hill to Tai Tam and the HKIS campus, replete with the hairpin turns and narrow lanes. Not for the faint of heart. Ride on the RIGHT side of the cab.
-- Kicking back with a ... um ... sports beverage at Mainstreet Cafe along the Stanley waterfront at night after the games are done, either taking in the night view of the harbour or a Tottenham Hotspur match on the wide-screen telly. Great for the soul.
-- Folks in Japan: Your AU Global Passport phone will not work in Hong Kong. The GPS feature recognises that you're in China (technically) and the correct time zone, but you will not get a signal. Good news: LG phones are readily available in the new airport terminal and are ridiculously cheap (got mine plus 100 minutes for just under $50).
-- War wound of the tournament (thus far): Kadena senior Jeremy Howell took an elbow to his upper lip in the Panthers' 89-68 opening win over Seoul Foreign. A few stitches and he played right through it.
-- Cuisine of the tournament (thus far): The Thanksgiving turkey dinner served in the hospitality room, perhaps the finest hospitality room of any tournament I've ever been to (and I'm not saying that because of where I am; it was THAT good).
-- Beverage of the tournament (thus far): Bundaburg Lemon Ale, a non-alcoholic lemon drink so named for the region of Queensland, Australia, where the stuff is brewed. Good call.
-- Vipin, Richard, Mike: Thanks for everything!
Too bad this thing lasts only three days. They should make it week-long.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 26, 2009
Real-time scores, schedule, tournament program, even live streaming video. Get it all here and follow the 40th Hong Kong International School Holiday Basketball Tournament as it happens. And yes, Ornauer is in Hong Kong for the first time, watching it all unfold.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 25, 2009
Almost without a chance to catch their breath, fall sports athletes had scant days to make the transition from football, volleyball, tennis and cross country into basketball and wrestling. Should there be a break between seasons, or are athletes -- and coaches -- able to make that transition seamlessly? Click here to find out what athletes and coaches have to say, as well as DODEA Pacific leadership.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 22, 2009
Finally, we give closure to the football season, as promised, with the SportsBlog Championship Series title game, the apex of the 12-team, all-inclusive Pacific high school playoff for all comers. George Washington, Guam Interscholastic Football League champion, visiting Kadena, four-time Okinawa Activities Council and two-time Far East Class AA champion.
And awaaaaayyyyyyyyy we go:
Kadena strikes first and keeps the upper hand for the first 2 1/2 quarters. With the Geckos' defense keying on speedy Thomas McDonald and Shariff Coleman, Panthers quarterback Stan Schrock uses several traps and cutback handoffs to fullback Lotty Smith to move the ball; Smith scores twice, while Schrock scores on a sneak and pitches a 5-yard flare pass to Coleman for a score. Kadena leads 28-6 at halftime; the Geckos' lone answer comes when they take advantage of a rare mistake, a Panthers fumble inside the 10. Jesse Manglona bulls over from the 1.
While GW's defense finally solves the power wishbone and uses outside contain to shut down sweeps, the Geckos' offense finds itself in the second half, with Stephen Santos handling ground chores, rushing for a TD and a two-point conversion, and Derek Santos going to the air for a pair of scores, one to Greg Uncangco and the other to Stephen Santos. It remains tied 28-28 until late in the fourth quarter, until offensive coordinator Steve Schrock reaches into his bag of tricks. On fourth-and-six at GW's 44-yard line with less than a minute left, not wanting to take his chances in overtime, Schrock calls for a hook-and-lateral, McDonald catching a buttonhook pass 8 yards upfield, then pitching to Coleman. He catches it in strides and blazes past the GW defense for the touchdown. The Geckos have one last gasp, but Derek Santos is only able to complete one of four passes, to Uncangco for five yards. Kadena 35, George Washington 28.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 22, 2009
Musings, mutterings and the occasional schmahts as Ornauer tries to contain the ringing in his ears from his first visit Sunday to a Basketball Japan League game, and all its noisy trappings:
-- No doubt, Robert Bliss must thank the PCS gods repeatedly for being so good to his Kadena Panthers boys. Not just one, but two star players moved in from Brussels American, half-brothers Jeremy Howell, a senior, and Jason Sumpter, a junior. Howell averaged 16 points and Sumpter just over 20 and the two combined for 65 rebounds as the Panthers swept their first three games, 92-58 Friday over Koza, 76-55 Saturday over Kitanakagusuku and 68-57 Sunday over Kubasaki.
-- This was a team that was going to be very, very good without the brothers. They had plenty of veteran blood returning, versatile senior Stan Schrock, shooting specialist Taiyo Robertson and inside banger Kevin Paranal, named All-Far East Class AA last year. Now, instead of very, very good, they'll be a Class AA title contender.
-- But don't count out Kubasaki, Bliss says. "They're a tough team. They gave us some problems" in Sunday's game. Four players, Kentrell Key, Kai Yamaguchi, Dionte Watie and DaShawn Johnson, return from the Dragons' team that played at Far East last February, and they're joined by some athletic newcomers with speed, quickness and skills. Should be a fantastic season series.
-- Speaking of transfers, that shower of three-point goals that fell at Trojans Gym on Friday at Camp Zama were courtesy of Christian Jarrard, an outside specialist late of Stuttgart, Germany. He averaged 18 points, including six three-point goals on Friday, as E.J. King, Jarrard's new team, split its two games in Tokyo, winning at Zama and falling by five points, 50-45, at St. Mary's International.
-- Speaking of the Titans, St. Mary's hasn't lost a step, it would seem, and last year's Class AA title-game heroes, Amrit Warraich and Class AA Tournament MVP Toni Taniguchi appear to be on course to challenge for back-to-back titles.
-- You don't often see six players on a DODEA Pacific team staying for all four of their high school seasons, let along two or three. Yet that's what Nile C. Kinnick boys coach Michael Adair is enjoying this season; seniors Devin Lewis, Kevin Pinchart, Michael O'Brien and Steve Horton and juniors Josh Adair and Glenn Newbins have lived, gone to school and played together since their kindergarten days.
-- As much as Shannon Jackson dominated the volleyball court in the fall, so should the junior post player control the paint in every game Kinnick's girls play, if the weekend's results at Matthew C. Perry are any indicator.
-- Speaking of two-game DODEA Japan sweeps, Ashley Hawkins also looks as if she hasn't missed a step, averaging 18.5 points and 12.5 steals as Robert D. Edgren's girls caged Yokota over the weekend.
-- Pair that with the Eagles boys soaring past Yokota -- which lost two games all of last season -- and the Edgren varsity and JV teams achieved a clean sweep of all eight games against the Panthers at the Eagles' Nest.
-- Some names to remember from Edgren's boys: Christian Weldon, scoring, and Gerald Atkinson, rebounding.
-- With a 55-36 loss to Pharex, a women's pro team, Faith Academy's girls basketball team's Pacific-record winning streak of 62 games finally ended on Saturday.
Up next -- Kadena and Kubasaki journey to the 40th Hong Kong International School Holiday Tournament over Thanksgiving weekend. I'll be in the house for that one.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 20, 2009
UPDATED at 11:50 p.m. Friday, 6:20 p.m. Saturday.
Season openers in high school hoops: Friday, Boys, Kinnick 54, Perry 38 at Iwakuni. Edgren 51, Yokota 47 at Misawa. E.J. King 59, Zama 56 at Zama. Kadena 92, Koza 58 on Okinawa. Girls, Zama 30, E.J. King 14. Edgren 52, Yokota 34 at Misawa. Kinnick 81, Perry 18. Itoman 51, Kadena 27.
Saturday, Boys, Kadena 76, Kitanakagusuku 55, Kubasaki 93, Chatan 71 on Okinawa; St. Mary's International 50, E.J. King 45, Robert D. Edgren 46, Yokota 36, Nile C. Kinnick 73, Matthew C. Perry 50 in Japan. Girls, Kitanakagusuku 56, Kadena 29 on Okinawa; Kinnick 52, Perry 9, Edgren 56, Yokota 35 and Seisen International 38, E.J. King 15 in Japan.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 15, 2009
As promised, here are the semifinals in the 2009 SportsBlog Championship Series, a 12-team all-comers playoff for Pacific high school football teams no matter their affiliation.
The lineup:
Game 9 -- American School In Japan at Kadena
Game 10 -- Guam High at George Washington
And awayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy we go:
Game 9 -- Perhaps the most spine-tingling battle of the SBS, pitting the Mustangs' Jardine to Jardine passing combo and Alex Busam's all-around play against the Panthers' junior star backs Thomas McDonald, Lotty Smith and Shariff Coleman. Defense steps up big, with each holding the other's offense in check save for McDonald and Coleman each running for touchdowns and Hayden Jardine hitting his brother Tom and Chris Kleindl for TD passes. Late in the contest, Tyler Broome sacks Hayden Jardine and the ball pops loose into the hands of Rodney Goodson who returns it 44 yards for the winning score. Kadena 21, ASIJ 14.
Game 10 -- What started out as a tough all-Guam defensive battle becomes a second-half runaway as the Interscholastic Football League champion Geckos force four turnovers, each leading to scores. Gregory Uncangco intercepts two Aaron Cosey passes, Stephen Santos runs for 125 yards and a touchdown and catches two passes from Derek Santos for scores, and Jesse Manglona pounds the ground for 89 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Panthers' only answer comes in the fourth quarter when Cosey finds Devon Jacobs in the corner of the end zone. George Washington 35, Guam High 6.
Championship on Saturday, George Washington at Kadena. Stay tuned. :)
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 15, 2009
Musings, mutterings and the occasional schmahts as Ornauer halts, takes five deep breaths, then charges headlong into the winter sports season, just days away:
-- Talk about your emphatic runaways. Thomas McDonald and Shariff Coleman led an offense that ran with machine efficiency on Saturday, scoring two touchdowns each and Kadena's defense did the rest, holding Seoul American to 21 yards and two first downs in a 44-0 Class AA title-game romp.
-- It was the biggest margin of victory in the five-year history of DODEA Pacific Far East football playoffs. It was the first shutout in Class AA title-game history. It was the worst loss in Seoul American's history.
-- How dominant was Kadena's defense? The Falcons did not advance past their OWN 43 yard line, and they got that far twice in the first quarter.
-- How dominant was Kadena's offense in the two playoff games, including the 55-6 shellacking of Yokota in Monday's semifinal? Kadena did not attempt a single pass in the two games.
-- Right from the pre-game toss, it was pretty evident this would be Kadena's night. Seoul American won the toss and elected to kick off, apparently in an effort to have the Falcons' defense make the first statement, fire the first warning shot, etc.
-- That got torpedoed from the jump. McDonald took the kick and handed it to Rodney Goodson, who tucked himself neatly behind a convoy of black-and-gold shirts, untouched up the left sideline for a touchdown. 17 seconds into the game. Pretty as you please.
-- Never before had either the Class AA or Class A title game seen a running clock. That was the case from 3 minutes, 20 seconds into the SECOND quarter, with the score 35-0 Kadena. The game began at 6 p.m.; it was over just after 7:30.
-- Guess we had our drama-filled championship game seven days earlier in Daegu.
-- See what a difference a healthy DeEric Harvin, Rainey Daley, Bradley Forbes and Gerald McCloud make? Yokota looked very much as it did in winning its first five games with all four healthy, and very much unlike the team that stumbled in October with all four nursing injuries, when the Panthers clawed Guam High 24-7 in Saturday's third-place game.
-- Nearly a month ago, I watched Nile C. Kinnick's girls volleyball team take apart what was thought to be a rebuilding Christian Academy In Japan squad in three sets, with the Red Devils wrapping up their first Kanto Plain Association of Secondary Schools title in school history.
-- Quite honestly, I thought this young team, with promising players Erika Mine, Lana Hollands and Seiko Weaver, among others, needed more seasoning. No way, I thought, could CAJ possibly contend at Far East, not this year.
-- Fast forward to Saturday, with CAJ standing atop the champion's podium accepting the gold medal in the Far East Class AA Tournament at the posh Coral Reef Fitness & Sports Center on Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.
-- Did anybody see that coming? A No. 7-seeded team, the lowest seed since the inception of dual pool/division play for seeding purposes in 1995, rising up all the way to the champion's stand? With Mine being named MVP?
-- Didn't think so.
-- I don't think even the Knights did. Certainly, coach Tanya Hall said she was "shocked" that the Knights stepped up the way they did, beating Faith Academy in four sets for the title. "It's fun being an underdog, with nobody expecting you to win and then go take it all."
-- In just a decade, Hall and her predecessor Tom Hardeman have turned the Knights into a volleyball juggernaut. Hall helmed CAJ to the Class A title in 1999, won the Class AA title in 2001, and again in 2005 as Hardeman's assistant for one season. With such stars as Kelsey Hardeman, Kelly Hardeman and Kelsey Masuda in tow, CAJ also captured the 2007 title. That's five total since 1999.
99 days. Double digits at last.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 14, 2009
-- Yokota 24, Guam High 7: Panthers' "Big Four" backs, Daley, Harvin, Forbes and McCloud healthy for the first time in six weeks and it showed.
-- Kadena 44, Seoul American 0: Right from the opening kickoff, it was clear this would be the Panthers' night; T-Mac, Shariff each rush for two TDs.
And off the field:
-- CAJ def. Faith 20-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-23 for Far East Girls Class AA Volleyball Tournament title. Lowest seed entering the elimination round at No. 7 to win the title since the inception of dual pool/division play in 1995. Coach Tanya Hall's third title in five years and fourth overall.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 13, 2009
Musings, mutterings and the occasional schmahts as Ornauer once more gazes out the window at the torrents and wondering if he should bring an outrigger to Mike Petty on Saturday:
-- "It's indescribable. Something I've never felt before. Something I hope to feel over and over and over again."
-- Those words, spoken by Daegu American junior setter Angie Robinet, completely encapsulated the moment Friday at Camp Walker's Kelly Gym, where the Warriors lofted their second Far East Girls Class A Volleyball Tournament title banner in four years.
-- It's a team built for the present, with their 27-29, 25-22, 25-23, 25-21 victory over Morrison Christian Academy of Taiwan a testimony to that.
-- It's a team built for the future, with most of the junior-laden group slated to return for the 2010 campaign.
-- So what makes them so good? Or at least what made them do so well on Friday? Trusting and believing in each other and playing to win instead of to not lose, coupled with generous portions of passing and defense. "When our back row is on, everything is on," said junior middle blocker and tournament MVP Kristina Bergman. "Passing is one of the most important keys to our team. Last year, we didn't have strong passing. This year, we do."
-- Nice march up the ladder for Daegu, taking third place last year and the title this year "when nobody believed we could," said coach Joanna Wyche.
-- Third straight year that a DODEA Pacific team has won the tournament, fourth time in five years since the 2005 Lynnette Grant Warriors who won the event at Sasebo Naval Base, Japan, and fifth time in eight years, starting with Osan American in 2001.
-- Third straight year Morrison has been on the losing end of the title match.
-- And so much for the Class A tournament being exclusively the province of international schools, which have not won the event since Morrison took the title in 2006.
-- While the Warriors tossed caution to the wind and left everything on the court, such was not the case for Seoul American, which came up short in its bid for a school-first Class AA Tournament title. The Falcons fell 26-24, 25-23 to Faith Academy, which reached Centre Court on Saturday for the first time.
-- "It's a dream come true," said Vanguards coach Val Manthe, who played for Faith in 1990s but never finished any higher than fifth place. "I wish I was on the court, but this is exciting. What I didn't get to do as a player, I get to do as a coach."
-- Faith plays Christian Academy In Japan, champion in 2005 and '07, at Centre Court at 5:30 p.m. Guam time on Saturday.
-- Val Manthe: Just as effervescent today as she was as a high school player. I mean, does she ever stop smiling? :)
-- "We lacked the energy to play the opponent on the other side of the net," coach Denny Hilgar said. "We didn't play to our strengths. We held back, playing not to lose instead of playing to win."
-- That verdict stretches to 13 years the length of the drought since a DODEA Pacific team won the tournament, Zama American on its home court in 1997.
Five days down. One to go. 101 days.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 13, 2009
Musings, mutterings and the occasional schmahts as Ornauer sits, wonders and worries whether this wet stuff will clear out in time for Saturday's football games:
-- Now, that's about as emphatic a sweep as you'll ever see. On its home courts at Risner Tennis Center, Kadena walked off with gold medals in four of five events and the overall Far East team title for the first time in five years. The Panthers also won the boys team banner, while Seoul American, which won or shared the previous four team titles, took home the girls team banner.
-- But the Panthers' girls had their hands full in sweeping the singles and doubles. Elissa Mason needed nearly two hours to fend off 2007 champion Kennedy Allen of Seoul American for her second straight singles title. Later, Mason and Christin Gentz needed just about as long in rallying past Allen and Jacqueline Nguyen for the doubles crown.
-- As dramatic and exciting as the girls finals were, the boys' title matches were devoid of either. Kyle Sprow left nothing to chance, blanking teammate Elliot Mason 6-0, 6-0 in just over 35 minutes for the singles title. The two then pummeled Chong Lee and Abe Nelson of Seoul American for the doubles title.
-- That left the mixed doubles title, won for the second straight year by a Class A school. Andre Bugawan and Shea Redick of Matthew C. Perry left Seoul American with its fourth silver medal of the tournament, beating Matt Bruhnke and Carson Allen 6-3, 6-0.
-- Thursday's verdicts brought to an end the four-year run of the Masons and Sprow as the lynchpins of Panther tennis. Rare it is, indeed, that a DODEA Pacific coach can keep that special a group for as long as Robert Bliss has. Talk about blessed.
-- If coaches Robert Victoria and Tommy Palmer can hold onto them, Seoul American's boys, with sophomore Chong Lee, and Yokota's girls, with freshman Erika Youngdahl and sophomore Erika Ettl, should be scary good in future seasons.
-- While Kadena and Seoul American stood head and shoulders above the other 10 teams, a couple of others made school history. Yokota, with 30 points, took third place, while Perry posted its highest finish, fourth, with 28 points.
-- On another type of net court, Daegu American reached the Girls Class A Volleyball Tournament championship match for the second time since 2005; they faced Morrison Christian Academy for the title on Friday afternoon at Camp Walker's Kelly Gym.
-- And Seoul American's girls vaulted to their fifth Class AA Tournament semifinal bid in 30-year coach Denny Hilgar's reign, and their second in the last three tournaments. They battled Faith Academy of the Philippines at Andersen Air Force Base's Coral Reef Fitness & Sports Center.
Four days down. Two to go. 101 days.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 12, 2009
2009 DODEA Pacific Far East High School Football Playoffs
Class A
Championship
Saturday, Nov. 7
Zama American 46, Daegu American 38
Class AA
At Camp Foster, Okinawa
Semifinals
Monday, Nov. 9
Game 2-Kadena 55, Yokota 6
Tuesday, Nov. 10
Game 1-Seoul American 15, Guam High 0
Saturday, Nov. 14
Third and fourth place
Game 3-Guam High vs. Yokota, 1 p.m.
Championship
Game 4-Seoul American vs. Kadena, 6 p.m.
The Top Ten
The Top Ten teams in the Stars and Stripes' 2009 Far East high school football ratings, with records through Nov. 10, points and last week's rating, as compiled by Dave Ornauer of Stars and Stripes sports. Ratings are based on teams' win-loss records, quality of wins, strength of roster, schedule and leagues, point differential and team and individual statistics. Maximum rating is 500 points:
Record Pts Pvs
1. Kadena, Okinawa 7-0 476 1
2. George Washington, Guam 7-0 464 2
3. American School In Japan 7-2 460 3
4. Zama American, Japan 7-2 456 4
5. Father Duenas Memorial, Guam 6-2 444 5
6. Daegu American, South Korea 6-2 412 7
7. Seoul American 2-5 388 --
8. Guam High 6-3 384 6
9. Yokota, Japan 6-5 380 8
10. John F. Kennedy, Guam 4-4 360 9
Week 11 grid honors
Guam High—Nov. 6, Jason Brunson 175 yards, 2 touchdowns, 10 carries; 45-yard fumble-return touchdown. Aaron Cosey 2-for-2, 35 yards, 2 touchdowns. D.J. Cruz 105 yards, 2 touchdowns, 6 carries. Nov. 10, Jason Brunson 141 all-purpose yards, 27 touches; 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery.
Seoul American—Brandon Morton 4-for-10, 33 yards, 2 touchdowns. Jamal James 93 yards, 10 carries. Han Yoo 82 yards, 17 carries.
Kadena—Thomas McDonald 84 yards, 3 touchdowns, 6 carries. Shariff Coleman 64 yards, 2 touchdowns, 4 carries.
Zama American—Michael Spencer 312 yards, 4 touchdowns, 45 carries; 26 yards, 1 catch. Mike Jorgenson 30 yards, 3 touchdowns, 11 carries; 6-for-11, 111 yards.
Daegu American—Tre Griffin 18-for-35, 360 yards, 3 touchdowns. David Martinez 173 yards, 2 touchdowns, 6 catches; 84-yard kick-return touchdown.
Week 12 lookahead
Saturday
2009 DODEA Pacific Far East Class AA playoffs
Third-place game
Yokota vs. Guam High, 1 p.m.—Guam High has made a habit of rebounding smartly from losses such as the 15-0 Class AA semifinal shutout Tuesday against Seoul American. But there’s much pride left in a Yokota program that will end the season with a victory. ... Yokota 14, Guam High 13.
Championship
Kadena vs. Seoul American, 6 p.m.—Yet another matchup of Falcons size vs. Panthers speed. Seoul American’s defense has an ability to neutralise foes, but they’ve not seen the speed of Thomas McDonald and Shariff Coleman. Nor will the Panthers be hit as hard as they will be by the Falcons. ... Panthers 18, Falcons 15.
Last week-4-1, .800.
Season-44-15, .746.
Far East High School football playoffs team capsules
Class AA championship
Kadena Panthers
Kadena Air Base, Okinawa
2009—7-0 overall, 1.000, 305 points for, 25 points against; 4-0 Okinawa Activities Council, 1.000, 167 points for, 16 against. Captured fourth straight Okinawa Activities Council football title.
Head coach-Sergio Mendoza, fourth season. Overall record 21-2, four straight Okinawa Activities Council regular-season titles (2006-09), one Class AA championship (2007).
Base offense—Multiple, spread option, power wishbone.
Base defense—5-3.
Key performers-Stanley Schrock, Sr., QB-WR-S; Tyler Broome, Sr., L; Sean O’Neill, Sr., L; Gabriel Ahner, So., L; Aaron Ahner, Jr., PK; Thomas McDonald, Jr., RB (495 yards, 12 touchdowns, 47 carries); Lotty Smith, Jr., RB-DB; Nollie Jones, Jr., LB; Anthony Tarver, Sr., LB; James Thompson, Sr., LB; Corey Hankerson, So., L; Anthony Arivisa, Sr., LB; Norman Correa, Sr., QB. L.J. Hubbard, Sr., WR; Shariff Coleman, Jr., RB (946 yards, 16 touchdowns, 88 carries); Tem Gutierrez, Jr., L; Marquis Lawrence, So., L; Michael Correa, Jr., L; Dennis Sharp, Jr., RB.
Strengths-Strong at all skills positions, leadership in the interior.
Drawbacks-Lack of depth; just 20 players on varsity.
Overview-Veteran group on a mission of redemption for 2008 Class AA title game loss, 22-21 at Seoul American. They may have to ironman it, but they’re still a good bet to win their second Class AA title.
Seoul American Falcons
South Post, Yongsan Garrison, South Korea
2009—2-5 overall, .286, 71 points for, 99 points against; 1-4 DODEA Korea, .200, 48 points for, 69 points against. Defending Far East Class AA champion.
Head coach-Alan Morton, first season.
Base offense-Wing-T.
Base defense-4-man fronts.
Key performers-Demetrius Johnson, Sr., FB-LB (297 yards, 3 touchdowns, 64 carries; Han Yoo, So., FB-DE; Jason White, Sr., OT; Steve Brown, Sr., C-DE-TE; Michael Masolo, So., QB-CB; Brandon Morton, Fr., QB; Jamal James, Sr., RB; Lionel Curry, Sr., RB; Brian Morton, Jr., OL-DL; Tyler Coulson, Jr., OL-DL.
Strengths-Discipline, sound fundamentals, aggressiveness; they like to hit, Morton says.
Drawbacks-Youth, inexperience.
Overview-The mountain is much higher this year for a Falcons team that endured the worst regular season in school history. Still, the slate is wiped clean, the new season began in resounding fashion with a 15-0 semifinal win over Guam High and, as Morton says, “It’s a whole new ballgame. We have yet to peak.”
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 11, 2009
Musings, mutterings and the occasional schmahts as Ornauer thanks his lucky stars for the help he had getting back on his tennis feet Wednesday after losing his tournament program and all the brackets somewhere at Mike Petty Stadium:
-- Never before had a DODEA Pacific team emerged from divisional play as the No. 1 seed entering the Far East Girls Class AA Volleyball Tournament playoffs, much less two teams occupying the No. 1 and No. 2 spots. Yet there they were, Korea-champion Seoul American at the top and Japan-champion Nile C. Kinnick, gazing at the competition staring up at them.
-- Call it uncharted territory. This is supposed to be the province of international schools. Can the Falcons and Red Devils keep it going, and -- dare I say it -- reach the first All-DODEA Pacific final in tournament history?
-- Coach Al Garrido of Kinnick has been there, done that, winning Class AA in 2002 and Class A in 2000 with Southern, which featured a solid core of setters in Charlene Pama and Monica Naputi, middle blocking in Jhunnie Rios and outside hitting in Wella Comoda. Amazing, that the Red Devils' setting tandem of Marina Nakayama and Dusty Keolanui-Wilson, middle blockers Camille Kawamoto and Shannon Jackson and outside hitter Mary Niemeyer strongly resemble those Southern teams.
-- What a way for Denny Hilgar to fete his 30th anniversay of taking the Falcons' helm. And also interesting that his Falcons feature gadgets similar to the Red Devils and those Southern teams, setting in Brittany Grandy, middle blocking in Destinee' Harrison and outside hitting in Liz Gleaves.
-- Class A volleyball in Daegu has its own complement of strong DODEA hitters, and interesting how two of them share a surname. Jessica Bergman paced Robert D. Edgren to the No. 4 seed into the double-elimination playoffs, which began Wednesday, and Kristina Bergman likewise powered host Daegu American to the No. 2 seed. Each won their playoff openers on Wednesday, in what many are calling a "wide open" chase for the title, with any one of eight teams capable of rising up.
-- Speaking of names, anybody gazing through the Far East Tennis Tournament program might think there are a few typos. Let's start with Great Hord, Yokota's No. 1 singles seed. "By my reckoning, Great Hord has always been Great. He is Great. And he always will be Great," said his coach, Tommy Palmer. Truer words were never spoken.
-- Hord does, indeed, have a brother and a sister. Brother named Maverick. Sister named Grace.
-- Then, there's Ryosuke Buffalochief of Robert D. Edgren. He was born in Japan to a Native American father (Ryosuke believes his dad descended from the Omaha tribe) and a Japanese mother.
-- I tell you, you can't make up stuff like that.
-- No question, the singles championships in the Far East Tennis Tournament are an exercise in familiarity. Kyle Sprow beat his Kadena teammate Elliot Mason 6-2, 6-2 in last year's final, one of many times the two have played since they met each other four years ago in the eighth grade. And Elissa Mason of Kadena, a 6-4, 6-2 victor over 2007 champion Kennedy Allen of Seoul American in last year's final, will face Allen yet again on Thursday.
-- Bless you, Stephanie Mobley, for being at Risner Tennis Center on Wednesday and for writing all those names and numbers into all those brackets into that new program. Thank you for rescuing my desperate self. :)
-- Oh, and if somebody did find the program (it has my name written on the front) and all the bracket sheets, please feel free to drop it by Risner Tennis Center on Thursday after 10 a.m. And thank you. :)
Three days down. Three to go. 103 days.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 10, 2009
Musings, mutterings and the occasional schmahts as Ornauer wonders if we're staring at Kadena-Seoul Class AA football title-game Classic No. 3:
-- I say again, that's why they play the games on the field, not in the newspapers or the blogs. I mean, who saw Seoul American 15, Guam High 0 coming?
-- Didn't think so.
-- I mean, a team 7-2 team entering Tuesday's Class AA semifinal that averaged 24 points per game held to 132 yards and gets no further than its foes' 18-yard line? Gets into Seoul territory four times, turns it over on downs three times and tosses an interception?
-- And Seoul American, which suffered its school-first losing regular season, got outscored 56-99 in six games and lost the season series to Class A runner-up Daegu American for the first time?
-- It was clear at Mike Petty on Tuesday that the Falcons totally drank the Kool-Aid (and Gatorade, water and anything else that would keep them from cramping), bought into the idea that the Class AA playoffs are a whole new season and played like it. Especially on defense.
-- At the very least, it was a solid coming-out party for guys like Han Yoo, Jamal James and Brandon Morton. And they're young, which means we could see a return to DODEA Korea League glory for the Falcons as soon as next season.
-- So, now we await Saturday's Round 3 between old nemeses Kadena and Seoul American. The two have met twice in Class AA title play, with the Falcons winning both. Will the story be different with the game on Okinawa this time? Kadena beat Seoul 27-10 in the 2007 Class AA semifinals. If that's an indication, etc.
-- That Guam High rushing star Jason Brunson injured an ankle on the first play didn't help the Panthers any. You could easily see he was tentative after that, tip-toeing and stutter-stepping instead of bulling ahead. That forced the Panthers to go primarily to the air. Hope Brunson, one of the Panthers' "Three Caballeros," is OK for Saturday's bronze-medal game with Yokota.
-- Is it just me, or have the crowds at Mike Petty for Monday's and Tuesday's semifinals been S-P-A-R-S-E? Mostly opposing coaches and players. I mean, c'mon! The Class A title game drew hundreds. From all up and down the Korean peninsula (well, at least until the intersection of 38th and Parallel). Sure hope Saturday's turnout is more to a title-game's liking.
-- Speaking of Seoul men, understandably worried was Falcons cross-country coach Steve Boyd about what kind of boys' team he'd be bringing to the Far East meet, what with Anthony Catineau and Andrew Murphy down with the flu and missing the Korean-American Interscholastic Activities Conference meet.
-- But healthy they were for Far East this week, and Catineau especially proved a difference maker as the Falcons put four teams in the top 10 of the team relay standings and captured their second straight overall team title in the Far East meet at Gosser Memorial Golf Course, Misawa Air Base, Japan.
-- Why didn't boys 3.1-mile champion Thomas Kim and girls 3.1-mile champion Siarria Ingram run as a pair? Holmes might say, "Elementary, my dear Watson." Boyd chose to go the depth route rather than put his eggs in too few baskets. His goal was to get as many pairs into the top 10 as he could, and if one of them could win the relay gold, so much the better. But the former was priority. And it worked to perfection.
-- Two straight Far East titles for Boyd, who formerly taught and coached at Misawa's Robert D. Edgren High School. Guess you can come home again. :)
-- Chasity Cordova of Kadena may have come away empty in the girls' 3.1-mile individual race, finishing second, second and third the last three years,, but she set a bit of Pacific history with her third straight team relay gold medal ... with a different guy each year, Brant Casteel in 2007, Patrick Edwards in 2008 and Jacob Bishop on Tuesday.
-- And another tip of the cap to Osan American, which swept all three team events in the Class A competition and made David Hemmer a two-time Far East Class A champion coach; he and the Cougars wrestling team won those honors last February. Nicole Solomonson and Josh Hanks placed second in the team relay, the best finish ever by a Class A pair.
-- Does Ma Nature have a grudge against the Far East Tennis Tournament? Four of the last six playing days the last two years, rain has visited the event, and on Tuesday made its presence known resoundingly with two lengthy rain delays. Using the Thursday rain delay for a second straight year is now a distinct possibility.
-- Predictable the singles brackets have become; all four of the top seeds in each of the girls and boys brackets made Wednesday's semifinals.
-- Falcons visited once again, this time on the Class AA volleyball courts, where Seoul American, which was supposed to be "all that" next year when Liz Gleaves and Destinee' Harrison are seniors, downed pre-tournament favorite and senior-laden Nile C. Kinnick in straight sets at Guam's Andersen Air Force Base. Could it be that the Falcons and Red Devils might meet at Center Court on Saturday?
-- Daegu American certainly righted its ship on Tuesday after losing Monday to Morrison Christian Academy, sweeping its pool-play matches and earning the second seed in the Class A volleyball tournament double-elimination playoffs. One of the Warriors' victories Tuesday -- a come-from behind triumph over perennial contender International School of the Sacred Heart.
Two days down. Four to go. 104 days (actually 103, since this is being posted past midnight).
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 9, 2009
Musings, mutterings and the occasional schmahts as Ornauer once more realises this gets more and more difficult every year, and looks around for the guy who does no-rain dances:
-- Thomas Kim and Siarria Ingram make it a sweep dream for Seoul American on the Gosser Memorial Golf Course at Misawa Air Base, Japan, which doubled as the Falcons' cross-country dominance platform on Monday. Kim checked in at 17:54, while Ingram, escorted by teammate Amanda Henderson, made it in 20:58.
-- While Seoul American's girls ran the team score table, how about the job that Jesse Arnold and David Bailey and the Nile C. Kinnick boys did, securing the boys team title? Not only did the Red Devils live up to their potential, they made Tuesday's team relay and the chase for the overall Class AA team title no sure thing. Kadena and Yokota still had outside (very outside) shots entering Tuesday's action. "I like where we are," Falcons coach Steve Boyd said. With every right to.
-- Josh Hanks didn't make it two straight wins over his Korea arch-rival Kim, but he and Nicole Solomonson did help Osan American capture its first Class A X-C title. Hanks took second place, scant seconds behind Kim, and Solomonson secured a 12th-place finish as Osan's boys and girls each won their respective team titles.
-- From the "no misprint" file in the Far East Girls Class AA Volleyball Tournament on Guam: Yes, that was Kadena stealing a set from American School In Japan in pool play, the first time that's happened in six years. Yes, there are two DODEA Pacific teams in the Gold Division of divisional play that begins Tuesday, Nile C. Kinnick and Seoul American, which each won their respective leagues. Never before have two DODEA teams been in the Gold Division since the dual pool/divisional play system was enacted for the 1995 Far East tournament. And yes, that was Zama American in the Silver Division, first time since 2002.
-- Once more, Kadena's football team operated with machine efficiency in improving to 7-0 on the season, pounding Yokota 55-6 in Game 2 of the Far East Class AA football semifinals at Mike Petty Stadium. Recovering five fumbles and repeatedly getting a short field from which to operate, junior backs Lotty Smith, Thomas McDonald and Shariff Coleman combined for six touchdowns. And Coleman didn't even play the first quarter.
-- Sure, people are going to ask, "What's wrong with Yokota?" in the wake of its fifth loss in six games following a 5-0 start. Coach Tim Pujol and the Panthers got removed from their comfort zone when they lost their two tight ends to PCS. For the want of the tight ends, the power game and the veer are lost. They're also a very young team this year; two freshmen started in the line, and all front-five members return next year. One thing I've learned in nearly 29 years of covering Pacific high school sports: Never count out a wounded Panther. Pujol & Co. will find a way.
-- Rain, rain, go away! It hadn't rained for weeks on Okinawa ... until the start of the Far East Tennis Tournament at Kadena. And I mean right at the start -- a 1 1/2-hour rain delay to open, followed by a 3:30 p.m. deluge that wiped out the rest of the day's play. Only upset recorded Monday, Yokota's Erika Ettl, No. 11, beat No. 6 girls singles seed Christin Gentz of Kadena 8-2.
-- Thus far in the Girls Class A Volleyball Tournament in Daegu, international schools (Morrison Christian Academy, International School of the Sacred Heart) seem to have regained their mojo; they shared the lead after a day of pool play. It's clear that without Laura Vega and Celina Baldevia, two-time champion Osan American faces a very high mountain in chasing a third straight title. Daegu American remains very much in the mix, but needs to be more consistent. Robert D. Edgren looms as a dark horse in case Morrison or Sacred Heart stumble.
One day down. Five to go. 105 days.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 8, 2009
Musings, mutterings and the occasional schmahts as Ornauer hopes that the weather holds and the Class AA all-in-one-location playoffs can live up to the Class A championship game's drama:
-- Was that a fantabulous Class A title game or what? It had a little of everything to please the gridiron lover's palate. Zama American's ground machine vs. Daegu American's spread option. Passing touchdowns. Rushing touchdowns, A kick-return touchdown. Even a bit of trickeration that came seven days too late for Halloween.
-- Zama's 46-38 victory over Daegu was the highest-scoring game in the five-year history of DODEA Pacific Far East football playoffs.
-- Daegu led 38-34 at halftime; the 72 points easily were the most in any two periods in any Far East playoff game.
-- Fourth straight year that the DODEA Japan team won the Class A title.
-- A bit of inglorious Trojans history wiped clean from the slate -- Zama boys had not won a Far East team title of any kind since wrestling in 1979. Wrestling also shared a Far East team title in 1982 with St. Mary's International.
-- Michael Spencer's 45 carries for 312 yards and four touchdowns, all Far East playoff single-game records. The 312 yards is the 11th most all time in Pacific single-game yardage lore.
-- Tre Griffin's 18-for-35 for 360 yards, the yards easily a Far East playoff single-game record.
-- David Martinez's 6 catches for 173 yards and two touchdowns plus an 84-yard kick-return touchdown for 257 all-purpose yards. Easily the most for a receiver in both offensive and total yards.
-- Zama's 451 rushing yards easily a record for a Class A title game. Combine Zama's 562 offensive yards with Daegu's 414; nearly 10 trips up and down the field.
-- Guns up!
-- Couldn't have asked for better weather.
-- Far better than Sunday's was.
-- What in the name of Boise State was Daegu coach Ken Walter doing, having his assistants yelling at Griffin to "get somebody off the field! You've got 12 out there!" Martinez turned and appeared to be leaving the field, but abruptly turned again and ran a flag pattern up the right sideline as the ball was snapped, with Griffin hitting him in stride.
-- Faked me right out of my socks. "That play's coming back. That play's coming back," I said aloud. Until Shaw Rast, an assistant coach, told me, "It's a trick play." Resulting in a 66-yard touchdown.
-- Faked the head referee out of his socks. Daegu used the very same play against Osan in the Warriors' 30-28 overtime win the previous week, and yet the referees bit on the play as hard as I did.
-- It's called "The Sideline Play." Shades of Chris Peterson; only he and Walter would have the grapefruits to call a play like that. Or "Circus," the hook-and-lateral that Petersen, Boise's coach, called on fourth-and-18 from Oklahoma's 47 with less than a minute left to tie the 2006 Fiesta Bowl 35-35. Or "Statue," when Ian Johnson took a curl-around handoff into the end zone for the game-winning two-point conversion, then got down on one knee and propose to his cheerleader girlfriend Chrissy Popadics. On national TV. You can't script stuff like that any better.
-- Cuisine of the week: Those weren't your average, ordinary hamburgers, hot dogs and brats being cooked in the hibachi area behind Camp Walker's Kelly Field. Warrior Burgers, Warrior Dogs and Warrior Brats are made with "love and dedication," one of the chefs said. Tasty stuff. Nothing like a hot dog with a ballgame in front of it, n'est-ce pas?
-- You think Guam High didn't have a belly full of fire going into that third-place game Friday with John F. Kennedy? Fresh off the stinging memory of a 20-12 semifinal loss the week before to Father Duenas Memorial, Jason Brunson and the Panthers walked all over the Islanders 42-0. Good momentum builder for the playoffs.
-- It's official: The Geckos are back.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 8, 2009
A day late, but what the heck ... We now continue with the quarterfinal round of our virtual SportsBlog Championship Series, pitting all comers, DODEA and international, no matter their affiliation, in a Pacific-wide football playoff to end all Pacific-wide football playoffs.
The lineup:
Game 5--Zama American at Kadena.
Game 6--Yokota at American School In Japan.
Game 7--Robert D. Edgren at George Washington.
Game 8--Guam High at Daegu American.
And awayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy we go:
Game 5 -- Both of these teams run the ball so efficiently that this easily becomes the shortest SBS game in terms of actual time, just 2 hours, 10 minutes. Zama's Michael Spencer runs 23 times for 165 yards and four touchdowns; Kadena's Shariff Coleman replies with 183 yards and three scores on 26 attempts. Each team scores on every possession until Trojans QB Mike Jorgenson gets picked off by Panthers secondaryman Lotty Smith, setting up a game-winning 56-yard swing pass from Stanley Schrock to Thomas McDonald. Kadena 45, Zama American 38.
Game 6 -- A healthy Rainey Daley back in the lineup provides some spark for the Panthers, but they're still outgunned by the Mustangs, with their passing tandem of Hayden Jardine to brother Tom Jardine, the fearless return man Ryan Christianson who never met a fair catch he passed up and do-everything back Alex Busam. Hayden goes 20-for-31 for 195 yards and four touchdowns, Tom catches 11 passes for 107 yards and three scores. Busam runs for 89 yards and a touchdown and Christianson returns a punt for a score. Daley runs for a score, Gerald McCloud runs 26 times for 153 yards and a TD for Panthers. ASIJ 41, Yokota 14.
Game 7 -- The Eagles surprise early in this one, staying with the Geckos behind the passing arm of Zach Davis and the catch-and-run ability of Matt Linder. But Davis goes down with his third injury of the season in the third quarter, and the Santos' tandem, QB Derek and RB Stephen, run wild over the Eagles in the second half, the former going 10-for-14 for 106 yards and two touchdowns and Stephen running seven times for 108 yards and a score. GW 32, Edgren 17.
Game 8 -- Spread option vs. spread option with predictable results -- the highest-scoring game of the SBS thus far. Panthers' Aaron Cosey and Warriors' Tre Griffin combined to go 50-for-72 for 741 yards and six touchdowns. Running out of the wildcat, Guam High's Jason Brunson nets 106 yards and two TDs on eight carries, while Daegu's Antoine "Flash" Feagin rambles for 97 yards and two TDs on 11 tries. An end-zone fumble recovery by R.J. Bryand halts a last-ditch Daegu drive for the win. Guam High 50, Daegu 44.
That leaves the semifinals next Sunday, two super matchups with American School In Japan at Kadena and Guam High at George Washington.
Disagree with ORNY's assessment? Shout it out! Be true to your school, but remember -- you've entered THE "No-Hate Zone." :)
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 7, 2009
UPDATED at 11 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9
-- Kadena 55, Yokota 6: Illustrious start to first all-in-one-location Class AA football playoff for Kadena; worst loss in school history for Yokota.
-- Guam High 42, John F. Kennedy 0: To be expected; Panthers had a belly full of fire after last week's home loss to Father Duenas Memorial. Brunson was beasting out there.
-- Zama American 46, Daegu American 38: What a ballgame. Haven't seen a shootout like that in 26 years. Michael Spencer and the Zama ground machine win out over David Martinez and Daegu's spread option.
-- George Washington 18, Father Duenas Memorial 8: It wasn't a dominant victory, but the Geckos completed the job.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 7, 2009
It's never been a question of talent, but mental approach for DODEA Pacific teams entering Far East High School Girls Volleyball Tournaments. Prime example: Three times, DODEA teams have won the last four Class A tournaments, which Daegu American primed to challenge to become the fourth in five years. Click here for the lowdown on the Class A and Class AA tournaments which begin Monday in Daegu, South Korea, and Guam.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 7, 2009
Perhaps the most star-studded field in Far East High School Tennis Tournament history hits the court on Monday with three former and present singles champions looking over their shoulders at a gaggle of hungry up-and-comers. Click here to get the lowdown on the tournament which begins Monday at Kadena Air Base's Risner Tennis Complex on Okinawa.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 5, 2009
Opportunity is knocking for Osan American, which stands to make school history with its first DODEA Pacific Far East High School Class A Cross Country Meet team title. Meanwhile, on paper, defending Class AA champion Seoul American appears to have the goods to repeat. Click here for the full rundown on the Far East meet, slated for Nov. 9-10 at Misawa Air Base, Japan.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 5, 2009
They may possess gaudy records, but beneath the stellar win-loss records lie some trends that could be disturbing for Zama American and Daegu American as they prepare for Saturday's Far East Class A football title game. Click here for full lowdown on Saturday's title game and next week's Class AA playoff battles on Okinawa.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 4, 2009
Courtesy of Tom Jardine, Sr., father of ASIJ passing tandem Hayden and Tom Jardine. I tell you, if I were hiring, I'd give this guy a job as a statistician:
American School In Japan Mustangs
Tokyo
2009-7-2* overall, .777, 278 points for, 76 points against; 5-1 Kanto Plain Association of Secondary Schools. First outright Kanto League Championship since 1983.
Head coaches—Warren Lavender, John Seevers
Base offense-Wing-T
Base Defense-4-2
Key performers-Alex Busam, Sr., RB-MLB (722 yards, 13 touchdowns, 86 carries; 1021 all purpose yards, 16 touchdowns total, 2 interceptions); Ryan Christianson, Sr. RB-CB (188 yards, 9 carries; 564 all purpose yards; 4 touchdowns, 3 interceptions); Thomas Jardine, Jr., Sr., TE-DE (473 yards, 25 receptions, 6 touchdowns); Hayden Jardine, So., (46-91, 1048 yards, 14 touchdowns, 1 rushing touchdown); Chris Kleindl, Sr., (260 all purpose yards, 3 touchdowns, 4 interceptions); Hamish Denham, Sr., (263 all purpose yards, 3 touchdowns, 17 PATs); Keita Iwabuchi, Sr., (189 all purpose yards, 2 interceptions); Jamie Masman, Sr., OT-DT (2 sacks, 1 PAT); Alex Jackson, Sr., OT-DT
Strengths-Run/Pass balance, defense let up only 11pts per game. Diversity of weapons.
Drawbacks-immune systems! A lot of graduating starters.
Overview-Mustangs improved each game and were able to bounce back from a 2 week illness period. Coaching staff employed all talents expertly throughout season as conditions dictated. Truly a miracle season.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 4, 2009
2009 DODEA Pacific Far East High School Football PlayoffsClass A
Championship
Saturday, Nov. 7
Zama American at Daegu American, 4 p.m.
Class AA
At Camp Foster, Okinawa
Semifinals
Monday, Nov. 9
Game 2-Yokota vs. Kadena, 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 10
Game 1-Seoul American vs. Guam High, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 14
Third and fourth place
Game 3-Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 1 p.m.
Championship
Game 4-Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 5 p.m.
Guam
Independent Interscholastic Athletic Association of Guam
Interscholastic Football League
Postseason
Quarterfinals
Friday, Oct. 23
Game 1-Father Duenas Memorial 49, Okkodo 13
Saturday, Oct. 24
Game 2-Guam High 48, Southern 6
Game 3-John F. Kennedy 14, Simon Sanchez 12
Semifinals
Friday, Oct. 30
Game 4-George Washington 22, John F. Kennedy 6
Saturday, Oct. 31
Game 5-Father Duenas Memorial 20, Guam High 12
Friday, Nov. 6
Third-place game
Game 6-John F. Kennedy at Guam High, 3 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 7
Bamboo Bowl
Game 7-Father Duenas Memorial at George Washington, 7 p.m.
Week 11
The Top Ten
The Top Ten teams in the Stars and Stripes' 2009 Far East high school football ratings, with records through Oct. 31, points and last week's rating, as compiled by Dave Ornauer of Stars and Stripes sports. Ratings are based on teams' win-loss records, quality of wins, strength of roster, schedule and leagues, point differential and team and individual statistics. Maximum rating is 500 points:
Record Pts Pvs
1. Kadena, Okinawa 6-0 472 1
2. George Washington, Guam 7-0 464 2
3. American School In Japan 7-2 460 3
4. Zama American, Japan 6-2 448 5
5. Father Duenas Memorial, Guam 6-2 444 6
6. Guam High 6-2 436 4
7. Daegu American, South Korea 6-1 432 7
8. Yokota, Japan 6-4 400 8
9. John F. Kennedy, Guam 4-4 360 9
10. Osan American, South Korea 2-4 352 10
Week 10 grid honors
American School In Japan—Hayden Jardine 13-for-21, 226 yards, 2 touchdowns. Alex Busam 1 touchdown catch, 1 touchdown run. Ryan Christianson 1 interception-return touchdown, 1 punt-return touchdown. Tom Jardine 92 yards, 6 catches.
Yokota—Gerald McCloud 132 yards, 22 carries. DeEric Harvin 86 yards, 1 touchdown, 16 carries; 2 interceptions.
Zama American—Mike Jorgenson 6-for-10, 108 yards, 1 touchdown; 1 touchdown run. Ashton Norwood 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery.
Nile C. Kinnick—Elijah Gamble 185 yards, 1 touchdown, 40 carries.
Daegu American—Antoine “Flash” Feagin 68 yards, 3 touchdowns, 15 carries, 3 two-point conversions. Josh Gosserand 94 yards total offense, 7 tackles, 1 interception.
Osan American—Julian Johnson 109 rushing yards, 1 touchdown.
Week 11 lookahead
Friday
Guam Interscholastic Football League playoffs
Third-place game
John F. Kennedy at Guam High, 3 p.m.—All the incentive in the world the Panthers have to come away with third place for the second straight year, then enter the Class AA playoffs with some momentum. … Panthers 23, Islanders 14.
Saturday
2009 DODEA Pacific Far East Class A Championship
Zama American at Daegu American, 4 p.m.—Neither side knows the other at all, having not seen each other play, so expect both teams to just stick with what’s succeeded for them, and adjust as they go. Depends on which Zama team makes it to Korea, the one that averaged 6.68 yards per play in its first four games, or 3.7 in its last three. … Trojans 18, Warriors 16.
Guam Interscholastic Football League playoffs
Bamboo Bowl
Father Duenas Memorial at George Washington, 7 p.m.—Santos & Santos and the Geckos complete their climb back to the top of the IFL with their most resounding season since Loring Cruz’s title teams of the 1980s. … Geckos 17, Friars 10.
Monday
2009 DODEA Pacific Far East Class AA Semifinal
Yokota vs. Kadena at Mike Petty Stadium, Kubasaki High School, Camp Foster, Okinawa, 5:30 p.m.—It may be a bit closer, but don’t expect much of a difference between this meeting and Kadena’s 35-0 win Oct. 17 at Yokota. … Kadena 21, Yokota 12.
Tuesday
2009 DODEA Pacific Far East Class AA Semifinal
Guam High vs. Seoul American at Mike Petty Stadium, Kubasaki High School, Camp Foster, Okinawa, 5:30 p.m.—The last time these teams saw each other, Seoul American began its run to a school-first Class AA title. This should be a sharp contrast to that one, and the Panthers will reach the first Class AA title game in school history. … Panthers 19, Falcons 15.
Last week-3-2, .600.
Season-40-14, .741.
Far East High School football playoffs team capsules
Class AA
Kadena Panthers
Kadena Air Base, Okinawa
2009—6-0 overall, 1.000, 250 points for, 19 points against; 4-0 Okinawa Activities Council, 1.000, 167 points for, 16 against. Captured fourth straight Okinawa Activities Council football title.
Head coach-Sergio Mendoza, fourth season. Overall record 20-2, four straight Okinawa Activities Council regular-season titles (2006-09), one Class AA championship (2007).
Base offense—Multiple, spread option, power wishbone.
Base defense—5-3.
Key performers-Stanley Schrock, Sr., QB-WR-S; Tyler Broome, Sr., L; Sean O’Neill, Sr., L; Gabriel Ahner, So., L; Aaron Ahner, Jr., PK; Thomas McDonald, Jr., RB (411 yards, 9 touchdowns, 41 carries); Lotty Smith, Jr., RB-DB; Nollie Jones, Jr., LB; Anthony Tarver, Sr., LB; James Thompson, Sr., LB; Corey Hankerson, So., L; Anthony Arivisa, Sr., LB; Norman Correa, Sr., QB. L.J. Hubbard, Sr., WR; Shariff Coleman, Jr., RB (882 yards, 14 touchdowns, 84 carries); Tem Gutierrez, Jr., L; Marquis Lawrence, So., L; Michael Correa, Jr., L; Dennis Sharp, Jr., RB.
Strengths-Strong at all skills positions, leadership in the interior.
Drawbacks-Lack of depth; just 20 players on varsity.
Overview-Veteran group on a mission of redemption for 2008 Class AA title game loss, 22-21 at Seoul American. They may have to ironman it, but they’re still a good bet to reach their fourth straight Class AA title game.
Seoul American Falcons
South Post, Yongsan Garrison, South Korea
2009—1-5 overall, .167, 56 points for, 99 points against; 1-4 DODEA Korea, .200, 48 points for, 69 points against. Defending Far East Class AA champion.
Head coach-Alan Morton, first season.
Base offense-Wing-T.
Base defense-4-man fronts.
Key performers-Demetrius Johnson, Sr., FB-LB (224 yards, 3 touchdowns, 52 carries; Han Yoo, So., DE; Jason White, Sr., OT; Steve Brown, Sr., C; Michael Masolo, So., QB-CB; Brandon Morton, Fr., QB; Jamal James, Sr., RB; Lionel Curry, Sr., RB; Brian Morton, Jr., OL-DL; Tyler Coulson, Jr., OL-DL.
Strengths-Discipline, sound fundamentals, aggressiveness; they like to hit, Morton says.
Drawbacks-Youth, inexperience.
Overview-The mountain is much higher this year for a Falcons team that endured the worst regular season in school history. Still, the slate is wiped clean, the new season is about to begin and as Morton says, “It’s a whole new ballgame. We have yet to peak.”
Guam High Panthers
Agana Heights, Guam
2009—6-2 overall and Interscholastic Football League, 174 points for, 106 points against. Beat Southern 48-6 in first round of IFL playoffs on Oct. 24; lost 20-12 to Father Duenas Memorial in semifinal last Saturday.
Head coach-Billy Henry, first season.
Base offense-Spread option.
Base defense-4-3.
Key performers-Raul Bryand, Sr., MLB; Devon Jacobs, Jr., WR. (338 yards, 6 touchdowns, 31 catches); Jason Brunson, Sr., RB (632 yards, 6 touchdowns, 80 carries); Aaron Cosey, Sr., QB (50-for-80, 604 yards, 11 touchdowns).
Strengths-Experience, program heavy with juniors with two and three years in the program.
Drawbacks-Lack of size in key positions, must shift smaller players to traditionally big-player spots.
Overview-Looks as if Panthers, after being knocked out in the Class AA semifinals four straight years, might have the goods to finally reach the title game.
Yokota Panthers
Yokota Air Base, Japan
2009—6-4 overall, .600, 226 points for, 200 points against; 5-1 DODEA Japan, .833, 191 points for, 71 points against; 3-3 Kanto Plain Association of Secondary Schools, .500, 137 points for, 144 points against. Had string of 10 straight DODEA Japan and Kanto Plain league titles snapped this season. Began season 5-0 but stumbled home losing four of last five games, worst stretch since 1998 season.
Head coach-Tim Pujol, 11th season, overall record 91-16, 10 JFL and Kanto titles, five Rising Sun Bowl championships.
Base offense-I.
Base defense-4-2.
Key performers-DeEric Harvin, Sr., QB-RB-DB (32-for-60, 515 yards, 11 touchdowns; 178 yards, 56 carries); Rainey Daley, Sr., FB-LB (397 yards, 5 touchdowns, 48 carries); Kevin Eckert, Sr., DE; James Peterson, Sr., C; Ross Matsumoto, Sr., CB; Gerald McCloud, Sr., RB-CB (772 yards, 6 touchdowns, 110 carries); Stanley Speed, Fr., QB.
Strengths-Strong offensively up the middle at C, QB and FB, returners in key positions.
Drawbacks-Youth, inexperience, lack of depth, particularly in the lines, where two freshmen start; that’s not happened on Pujol’s watch.
Overview-Always a contender, but young, small and thin, particularly at the tight-end spot, always a Pujol strength. Still a lot of pride left in this program, but the hill is pretty steep this season.
Class A
Zama American Trojans
Camp Zama/Atsugi Naval Air Facility, Japan
2009—6-2 overall, .750, 173 points for, 134 points against; 5-1 DODEA Japan, .833, 159 points for, 106 points against; 4-2 Kanto Plain Association of Secondary Schools, .667, 121 points for, 103 points against. Won first DODEA Japan title in school history, first league title of any kind since sharing Kanto title with American School In Japan in 1994. Earned first Far East Class A title-game berth in school history.
Coach-Steven Merrell, third, overall record 10-13, .435.
Base offense-Wing-T.
Base defense-4-3.
Key performers-Ken Schulteis, Sr., OL; Tevin Johnson, Jr., OL-DL; Michael Spencer, Jr., FB-LB (842 yards, 8 touchdowns, 127 carries); Ryan Blackstock, Sr., RB (365 yards, 5 touchdowns, 46 carries); Mike Jorgenson, So., QB (24-for-49, 368 yards, 3 touchdowns); John Iredale, Jr., OL-LB; Malcolm Franklin, Sr., NG; Ricky Martin, Sr., QB-WR-DB; Austin Wilson, Sr., DL; Cory Peckins, Jr., HB-DB; Ashton Norwood, Sr., HB-DB (500 yards, 3 touchdowns, 84 carries).
Strengths-Many players experienced in Merrell’s system, plenty of seniors and leadership.
Drawbacks-Lack of depth.
Overview-The first four games, Zama’s rushing game overpowered people, but that changed over the last three games. Trojans must regain their offensive-line mojo or the Warriors will truly be on the warpath.
Daegu American Warriors
Camp Walker, South Korea
2009—6-1 overall, .857, 156 points for, 117 points against; 5-1 DODEA Korea, .833, 140 points for, 104 points against. Won DODEA Korea title for the first time in school history, earned second Class A title-game berth in school history.
Head coach-Ken Walter, third season, 11-9 overall record, .550, one league title.
Base offense-Spread option.
Base defense-4-3.
Key performers-Antoine Feagin, Sr., RB-LB; Trey Griffin, Jr., QB-S; David Martinez, Sr., DB-CB-SL; Jerel Connie, Jr., OL-DL; Christian Hillman, Jr., OL-DL; Demetrius Williams, Jr., OL-DL.
Key newcomers-Anthony Lampman, Fr., OL-DL; Josh Gosserand, Sr., WR-LB; Allen Thomas, Sr., OL-DL.
Strengths-Speed, quickness, togetherness and experience in interior.
Drawbacks-Ironman across the board with just 20 varsity players, bolstered in the ranks by five junior varsity moveups.
Overview-They’ve been fortunate healthwise. It needs to stay that way against the bigger, more physical Trojans who have the potential to push people around on both sides of the ball.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 2, 2009
Once more, from the "Yes, DODDS student-athletes can do it!" file ... click here for a link to former Nile C. Kinnick volleyball and soccer star Frances Zukowski's college Web page and here for ex-Red Devils football and baseball star Chad Atchley.
Zukowski is now playing volleyball at Cuyamaca Community College of Rancho San Diego, near El Cajon. Atchley is now a linebacker at Southern Arkansas University, an NCAA Division II school in the Gulf South Conference.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 2, 2009
Never before had an Osan American runner won the season-ending Korean-American Interscholastic Activities Conference cross-country meet, until last Saturday, when junior Josh Hanks did it in the driving rain at International Christian-Uijongbu.
Never before had a Seoul American tennis team won a KAIAC title since the league formed 37 years ago, until last Friday at Yongsan International School-Seoul, when the girls, paced by 2007 Far East Tournament singles champion Kennedy Allen, accomplished the feat.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 2, 2009
Musings, mutterings and the occasional schmahts as Ornauer basks in the tropical air after 2 1/2 weeks in the mainland, and prepares for Far East championship week starting Saturday in Daegu:
-- Do they get any better than the last two weeks between Osan American and Daegu American? First, the Warriors very nearly fashion a comeback after trailing 28-14 on Oct. 24 at Osan; then, the seesaw affair that was Friday's 30-28 overtime victory that sealed Class A title-game host rights for Daegu.
-- Any wonder why the call the Warriors the Cardiac kids? They came from behind for four of their six victories this season, including Friday's game for the ages.
-- Each side had chances to win in the closing seconds. Daegu blocked a makeable Cougars field goal with half a minute left, then the Warriors drove to the Osan 2-yard line as time ran out.
-- Did losing Mike Gilliam to fourth-quarter injury doom Osan's chances? Didn't seem like it; Julius Johnson and Paul Snead more than carried the load, Snead tying it and Johnson giving Osan a short-lived lead in OT.
-- Antoine "Flash" Feagin. Three touchdown runs. Three two-point conversion runs. Including the game-tying TD and winning two-pointer in OT. Who'dya think Zama American's defensive coaches plan to key on during Saturday's Class A title game?
-- Likewise, Typhoon ORNY will bet the house that Daegu's defensive staff will throw everything including the kitchen sink at Zama American's Michael Spencer.
-- But both sides better also look out for falling rocks in the form of quarterback play -- Zama's Mike Jorgenson and Daegu's Trey Griffen can get it done under center.
-- Cory Peckins, a former Cougar who transferred to Zama over the summer, made no secret that he wanted to play Osan in the Class A title game. I'm sure any disappointment is muted by the fact that he's playing in the title game for a second straight year, period.
-- Elijah Gamble, 185 yards on 40 carries. The guy never quits.
-- Kinnick was perhaps the best 1-8 team I've seen in a long while.
-- How good was Jorgenson? 6-for-10, 108 yards and a 42-yard touchdown pass to Matt Cole.
-- Now, it's official -- Zama is DODEA Japan champion for the first time in school history. It's the Trojans' first outright football title since the Kanto Plain Association of Secondary Schools went to its current four-team, double round-robin format in 1973. Zama shared the Kanto title with American School In Japan in 1994.
-- Now, it's official Part II -- ASIJ is definitely, without reservation or qualification, the gen-yoo-wyne Kanto Plain champion for 2009. The Mustangs' first outright league title since 1983.
-- That Hayden Jardine was beasting at QB for ASIJ -- 13-for-21, 226 yards and two touchdowns. In his last three games, the sophomore was 31-for-50 for 535 yards and seven touchdowns. And he's not going anywhere. Perhaps the league's best pure passer since Tom Siegmann at Yokota in 1986.
-- Well, the "Three Caballeros" and Guam High's dream of its first island title was shattered by Will Williams and Father Duenas Memorial. But that's the beauty of football for the Panthers; They have a second title to chase, starting with Tuesday's semifinal against Seoul American at Mike Petty Stadium on Okinawa.
-- 112 days. :)
By Dave Ornauer
Published: November 2, 2009
Sometimes, some things that a star says or does to put a rival on the right track mean far more than victory.
Take Seoul American cross-country runner Thomas Kim, who had been unbeaten the entire season until last Saturday's Korean-American Interscholastic Activities Conference meet at International Christian-Uijongbu. Osan American's Josh Hanks beat Kim in a sprint to the tape in the last few hundred meters.
But courtesy of an e-mail from Osan coach David Hemmer is the "untold story" of the meet. And one that merits accolades as a true act of selflessness and sportsmanship:
As we all know or have heard about all the negative tales of athletes and character, this could be one of the finest examples of character that I think I have ever had the privilege of hearing. Saturday, the KAIAC cross-country meet at ICS-Uijongbu was set up to be one of the classic battles between two of the best male runners in Korea. Thomas Kim who had been on top all year, and Josh Hanks who was slowly climbing the ranks and improving his times.
At the start, they both set off at a blistering 5:05 first mile, both battling each other back and forth for almost two-thirds of the way. Josh's plan was to attack the hill and hopefully get a little distance between him and Thomas. To which he did, putting about 50 feet between them, but when he got to the top of the hill, Josh made a wrong turn, and was quickly heading completely in the wrong direction.
Thomas, being a man of true character, yelled out to Josh, unselfishly and demonstrating the ultimate example of sportmanship, "Hey.. you're going the wrong way..!!!" Certainly, there could have been many thoughts that could have ran through his mind, but Thomas instinctively chose the one that typifies the outstanding person he is. The next mile they continued to battle until the finish.
I don't know if there's such an award as "Sportsman of the Year" but, if there is one. Thomas Kim should be the top of that podium. What a man of character..!!!
