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Sports Notebook...with Brian Gomez
Cardinals’ Rinehart credits generosity of Corona staff at ‘02 fundraiser

By Brian Gomez

Flagstaff ¾ Arizona Cardinals cornerback Coby Rhinehart has more than enough on his mind during training camp, but he’s still thinking about the generosity displayed last spring in a charity basketball game that benefited the Thomas J. Pappas School for the Homeless.

A group of Corona coaches, teachers and administrators fell short against several Cardinals players in a lighthearted game at Sammy Duane Gymnasium. Proceeds from the first annual event were used to purchase new footballs and basketballs, many of which were signed by Rhinehart and donated to underprivileged students.

“It always feels good to help kids, especially those who are not as fortunate as others,” Rhinehart said. “We’re all in a position to do that.”

Backup quarterback Josh McCown carried the Cardinals with multiple three-pointers and some 360-degree dunks. Rhinehart didn’t attempt anything too fancy, other than a couple passes and jump shots.

“A lot of us were not in basketball shape, so they ran us a little bit,” Rhinehart said. “Then at the end, we kind of took it away.”

Tennis stars place high

Two Kyrene Corridor tennis players fared well at the Southwest Junior Closed tournament, held in June in Tucson.

Corona junior Lynley Wasson, ranked No. 3 for her age by the United States Tennis Association’s Southwest Section, won five matches to capture the girls 16-year-old gold championship. She accomplished the feat on the strength of a 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 victory over Tucson Salpointe Catholic freshman Claire Soper.

Playing in his third tournament since April, Waggoner Elementary School fourth-grader Alex Lawson finished second in the boys 10-year-old division. He triumphed in his first three matches in straight sets, before suffering a 6-1, 6-3 loss to No. 1-ranked Tucson native Jimmy Soper.

“I was a No. 2 seed, so I thought I was going to finish second,” said Lawson, who holds the No. 8 spot in the Southwest with an 8-4 record in four events. “I was playing good in my final match, probably better than I did in all my other matches.”

Soccer teams fare well

Corona senior defender/midfielder Shaylyn Scott’s club soccer team emerged victorious July 27 at the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships in Germantown, Md. Buoyed by goals from Nicole Mayberry, Levise Robertson and Alissa Oldenkamp, the top-ranked Sereño ’86 Golden Eagles shut out the No. 2 Carmel (Ind.) United Commotion in the finals.

The Sereño ’86 Golden Eagles boys, led by Corona seniors Zach Baker, Zack De Francis and Kegan Reilly, finished second at nationals. They suffered a 2-0 loss in the finals to the Chicago Magic Soccer Club, the team they blanked in the opening round.

Express win national title

The Chandler Express triumphed in 12 games in only five days last month to win the Cooperstown Dreams Park National Invitational Tournament, an annual event that showcases some of the country’s top youth baseball teams.

Sparked by Pueblo Middle School seventh-grader Ryan Klem, the No. 3-seeded Express cruised to a 2-0 win over the top-seeded Mac-N-Seitz Indians (Blue Springs, Mo.) in the championship game. Klem hit 14 home runs in 12 games and eight Express pitchers combined to allow a mere 1.29 runs per game during the preliminary rounds.

Vanney’s team falls short

Former Marcos de Niza defender Greg Vanney’s run in the CONCACAF Gold Cup came to an end on a positive note July 26 when the United States salvaged a 3-2 win against Costa Rica in a third-place playoff three days after falling to Brazil in the semifinals.

The U.S. finished the tournament 4-1, having also beaten El Salvador, Martinique and Cuba. Mexico edged Brazil in the championship match, earning the right to represent the region in the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Davini coaching Team USA

Corona varsity baseball coach Ron Davini is an assistant for the USA Baseball Junior Olympic 16-and-under team that will begin competition next week at the World Championships in Taiwan.

Davini helped select the 18-man team from a pool of 36 players during tryouts held last month at Southern California’s Dedeaux Field. Other coaches on the prestigious team are Phoenix Brophy’s Tom Succow and Don Freeman of Prairie (Wash.) High School.

Bader to host soccer camp

Corona boys varsity soccer head coach Fran Bader is scheduled to host his final indoor youth soccer camp from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Aug. 4-8 at the Kiwanis Recreation Center in Tempe.

Players (ages 5 to 10) will learn the basics of the game, including dribbling, passing and shooting techniques. They should bring their own ball and wear loose clothing and tennis shoes, not soccer cleats.

Cost is $70 for all five days. Players may purchase a $15 camp fun package, which includes a water bottle, a soccer ball and a sport bag. All campers receive a free T-shirt.

Interested parties may register in person at 6111 S. All-America Way or online at http://www.tempe.gov/pkrec/krc/default.asp. For more information, call (480) 350-5201.

Sports schedules released

Several fall sports schedules were released last month. Here’s a look at when Corona’s varsity teams start their seasons: Girls volleyball on Sept. 2 versus Phoenix Xavier; boys golf on Sept 2-4 in the Harvey Penick Tournament; girls golf on Sept. 3 at Casa Grande/Scottsdale Desert Mountain; badminton on Sept. 4 versus Phoenix North Canyon; boys and girls swimming and diving on Sept. 4 versus Gilbert Highland; football on Sept. 5 versus Mesa Dobson; and boys and girls cross country on Sept. 10 at Mesa High/Chandler High/Yuma Kofa.

Want to play softball?

The East Valley Pride fastpitch softball team is looking for experienced players who were born in 1991. For more information, contact Lynn LaVoy at lynn@cpa777.com.

Reach the reporter at brian.gomez@wranglernews.com or visit him online at http://sundevils.freeyellow.com/briangomez.html.

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