SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: Boys Lacrosse

2003 Metro Conference scoreboard

04/30: Bonita Vista 11, Chula Vista 9

Bonita Vista rebounds from 6-2 first-period deficit against game-prepared Spartans to improve to 10-1 overall, 7-0 in Metro Conference play. Top scorers for the Barons: Christian Amezcua 4 goals, Kyle Short 3 goals and 3 assists and Erick Jaime 3 goals and 2 assists.

Monday, April 21 @Rancho del Rey Middle School

Bonita Vista 15, Eastlake 7

Highlights: The underdog Titans had to leave the field with a measure of respect after surrendering 13 first-period goals in an eventual 15-1 first-round loss. "Even though we lost 15-7, it was a moral victory for us," said Eastlake coach Doug Murphy. "We were down 8-1 in the first half and made a game of it."

The Titans were coming off their first win of the season -- 13-4 against Montgomery on April 7 -- and it was apparent the rivalry between these two eastside schools was still very much apparent by the hitting. However, Eastlake seemed to focus more on technique in the second-round meeting rather than pure physical play and the results were more positive for the home side in the rematch -- particularly in the second half of play.

The Barons quickly took control of the game, though leading just 5-1 after the first period this time. Erick Jaime scored twice to lead Bonita Vista while Anthony Charlton got Eastlake on the scoreboard. The second period featured four more Baron goals but the Titans responded twice to trail 9-3 at halftime. Chris Fontaine scored two goals from Bonita Vista in the period while Hector Millan picked up his second goal of the game for the Barons. Jan Eckenrod scored one goal in the period for Bonita Vista, which improved its record to 8-1 on the season (5-0 in league play). Countering with goals for Eastlake were Jordan Mullare and Charlton, who picked up his second tally of the contest.

The third period featured back-to-back unanswered goals by the Titans to cut the Barons lead to 9-5. Two quick goals by Jaime, however, gave the Barons some breathing room but Eastlake continued to prove pesky on their home turf by closing the period with another goal to trail 11-6 entering the final period. Kyle Hughes and Gonzo Rejon each picked up single goals for Eastlake (1-10 overall, 1-3 in league) while Charlton completed his hat trick.

Bonita Vista asserted itself again by scoring the opening three goals of the fourth period to lead 14-6 before the teams traded goals to end the game. Kyle Short earned his second goal of the contest for the Barons while Daniel Freels, Adrian Davalos and Chris Boshell all picked up single goals in the frame. Boshell's goal with 2:57 left was memorable in that it was believed to be the first-ever goal scored in team history by a goaltender. Boshell is Bonita Vista's starting goalie but entered the game as a field player in the final period. Eulises Contreras drew the start this time against the Titans.

Short and Jaime continued their standout seasons for the Barons, who next play at Montgomery on Saturday, April 26, at 11 a.m. as part of a Metro double-header also involving Chula Vista and Hilltop.

"Our two main games the second half of the season are against Chula Vista and La Jolla. Depending on how we do against La Jolla, that will likely determine our seeding in CIF, " said Bonita Vista coach Gus Serrano.

Besides Short and Jaime, Serrano also singled out defender Geovani Pacheco for his consistent play through the first half of play. "But I really have to say the whole defense," Serrano said after rethinking his original statement.

For Murphy, the light at the proverbial end of the tunnel may be starting to shine. Fundamentals may be starting to pay dividends. "Ground balls are the key to winning lacrosse games. If you control ground balls, you control the game in lacrosse. We're starting to play ground balls better. It's like rebounds in basketball," the Eastlake coach said.

Thursday, April 3 @ Bonita Vista High School

Bonita Vista 9, San Dieguito Academy 8

Highlights: The Barons came out firing and maintained a 9-4 lead through the opening three quarters before weathering a fourth-quarter offensive surge by the Mustangs that netted four goals. Bonita Vista coach Gus Serrano credited a solid effort by Erick Jaime (3 goals, 1 assist), Chris Fontaine and Christian Amezcua (2 goals) as keys to the win. "Our offensive control was anchored by Kyle Short's face-offs and stick handling, as well as his one goal and three assists," the BV coach noted.

"Defensively we played three strong quarters, but penalties and miscommunication allowed San Dieguito Academy to creep back into the game with four goals in the fourth quarter. We held off a last ditch offensive attack in the last 39 seconds to preserve the win, 9-8," Serrano said, adding, "It's been a long two weeks of lacrosse for my kids, but after back to back games and our third in four days, I think my kids played their hearts out and were nicely rewarded going into their mid-season Easter break."

The Barons improved to 7-1 overall with the non-league win.

Wednesday, April 2 @ Hilltop High School

Bonita Vista 13, Hilltop 0

Highlights: Hilltop came out determined to prove something against the Barons while writing another chapter in the schools' long-time rivalry by holding the defending Metro Conference champions to one goal in the first quarter and four for the half.

However, the second half proved more in the Barons' favor as Hilltop was outscored 9-0. Erick Jaime led Bonita Vista (4-0 in league, 6-1 overall) with six goals while Kyle Short and Christian Amezcua both added two goals and two assists. Chris Fontaine had one goal and two assists while Jan Eckenrod scored once and senior defenseman Geovani Pacheco tallied one goal on a fast break.

"After a sloppy start and a aggressive Hilltop start, we came out in the second half playing a better controlled offensive game with strong games from Jaime, Short and Amezcua. Our defense and goaltending maintained a solid game throughout. Senior Chris Boshell made a few solid saves to maintain the shutout and freshman Eulises Contreras came in the fourth to preserve the shutout. Hilltop's goalie made many good saves that kept them in the game for almost three quarters," said Bonita Vista coach Gus Serrano, whose team will host San Dieguito in a non-league game on Thursday, April 3.

Monday, March 31 @ Bonita Vista High School

Bonita Vista 15, Eastlake 1

Highlights: The defending Metro Conference champion Barons extended their perfect league record to 3-0 (5-1 overall) by moving out to a 13-0 first-quarter lead in a contest marked by physical play from both sides. Christian Amezcua scored nine seconds into the game, followed by a goal by teammate Kyle Short 13 seconds later. Bonita Vista led 4-0 with just 2:09 elapsed in the match on subsequent goals by Erick Jaime and Andrew Mendoza. Baron goalie Chris Boshell held a shutout for 33:15 before the Titans' leading scorer, Anthony Charlton, scored to erase a 14-0 BV lead. Jaime finished the game with five goals while Short had four goals and three assists. Overall, the Barons received goals from six players, with Mark Czer (two goals) and Jan Eckenrod (one goal) also contributing offensively with tallies. Chris Fontaine had five assists while Boshell finished with 10 saves. Eastlake fell to 0-8 on the season, 0-2 in league play.

Friday, March 28 @ San Dieguito Academy, Encinitas

Bonita Vista 10, San Dieguito Academy 6

Highlights: The Barons persevered through a close game through two periods, outscoring the host Mustangs 5-1 in the second half of play. Erick Jaime led Bonita Vista with five goals while teammate Christian Amezcua scored two goals. Racking up single goals for the Barons, who improved to 4-1 overall, were Kyle Short, Jan Eckenrod and Chris Fontaine. Goalie Chris Boshell had 8 saves on the night. "He had a very clutch game with big saves in the second half," said BV coach Gus Serrano. "This win makes up for a two-goal loss last year against San Dieguito Academy."

The Barons rematch against San Dieguito Academy on Thursday, April 3. Bonita Vista returns to Metro Conference action against Eastlake on Monday and Hilltop on Wednesday.

Monday, March 24 @ Chula Vista High School

Bonita Vista 8, Chula Vista 3

Highlights: The defending Metro Conference champion Barons moved out to a 4-0 lead against their chief rival and league runner-up of a season ago in claiming the key early-season victory on foreign turf. Erick Jaime led Bonita Vista (3-1, 2-0 in league) with four goals while Christian Amezcua and teammate Kyle Short each scored twice. The Spartans, who fell to 1-3 on the season (1-1 in league), received goals from Justin Rogers, Matt Neal and Robin Yen.

The Barons finished 12-0 in league last season and improved to 2-0 this year on the strength of a 12-0 victory against Montgomery on March 19. Jaime had five goals against the Aztecs while Short contributed three goals in the season-opening league win.

"Our goals are to repeat as Metro champions and to place higher in the CIF seeding," said new head coach Gus Serrano, a Division II Honorable Mention All-America player while attending Northwood University in Michigan.

Serrano looked on in favor as the Barons' near flawless passing led to a substantial territorial domination of the host Chula Vista team.

Chants of "Barons!" and "Spartans!" from respective sides added a sense of spirit to the ongoing rivalry.

Suffice it to say, the chants will be heard again later this season.

Top offensive returners at Serrano's disposal this season include Jaime -- the 2002 Metro Conference Player of the Year -- along with Short and Amezcua. Top defensive returners include Joe Pacheco, Christopher Amezcua (Christian's twin brother) and goalie Chris Boshell.

The Barons have split both their non-league games thus far, defeating Helix while dropping a close match to University of San Diego High.

"We'd like to be more competitive in our non-league games and games against North County teams," Serrano said.

Bonita Vista could be turning the corner in its third year of existence, the second in official CIF-sanctioned play.

"We're a lot more together as a team," Short said.

The Spartans, who defeated Hilltop 4-0 in their league opener, are led by first-year head coach Nathan Batchelder, who takes over the helm of a likewise established program after enjoying playing stints at Serra High and Chapman University.

His task is to mold a relatively young team into a cohesive, consistent unit. "We have six to eight returners, mostly second-year players," Batchelder said. "We had a lot of kids who came out. It's a pretty young group except for a core of five seniors."

While the younger players gain experience, the Spartans will rely on the leadership of seasoned returners Justin Rogers and Matt Neal, both attacking players, defender Aaron Schuller and goalie Richard Montoya in the meantime.

2002 Scrapbook

Metro Conference All-League Team

Erick Jaime, 11, Bonita Vista

Christian Pimentel, 12, Chula Vista

Nick Downs, 12, Bonita Vista

Juan Valdez, 12, Chula Vista

Kyle Short, 11, Bonita Vista

Christian Felber, 11, Eastlake

Darnell Doctor, 12, Montgomery

Michael McDonald, 12, Bonita Vista

Patrick Narvaez, 12, Chula Vista

Abraham Coronado, 12, Hilltop

A.C. Contreras, 12, Bonita Vista

Oscar Montoya, 12, Chula Vista

Athlete of the Year

Erick Jaime

Championship Team

Bonita Vista