Prep Impressions for May 26

I covered the CIF-SS Division 5 boys tennis semifinal between El Monte Arroyo and Riverside Arlington for the Riverside Press-Enterprise on Tuesday, May 26, 2009 and came away thinking about how Arlington senior Jharen Gines, the top prep player in Riverside County, has trouble against players who keep him deep along the baseline.

Gines (5-8, 135 lbs) struggled against Arroyo’s Sam Ho in his opening set, eventually losing 6-2. Ho’s powerful and accurate forehand prevented Gines from approaching the net and caused Arlington’s No. 1 player to tire quickly. When Gines was able to charge the net he made unforced errors which were clearly the result of a loss of focus brought on by fatigue.

Gines had been unbeaten (67-0) in team play this season but seemed overmatched against the taller, longer Arroyo players. He still managed to earn victories in his final two sets.

“I don’t know what to say,” head coach Eric Biddle said during Gines set with Ho. “He’s struggling out there a little but today.”

In his second set, against Arroyo’s Johnny Lim, Gines fell behind 5-2 but managed to hang in long enough to break Lim’s serve. His confidence regained, Gines won point after point and — with his girlfriend cheering him on — pounded away at Lim with a jump volley and solid net play until he had tied the set at 5-all. Gines then served his way to a 6-5 advantage before putting Lim away with a flurry of competent returns that proved too much for his opponent to withstand. Gines added a 6-0 victory over Arroyo’s Thinh Tran in his final set to finish his senior season 69-1.

“I wasn’t satisfied,” said Gines when asked for his thoughts on the day’s performance. “But it’s OK. I’m not playing just for myself, you know? I’m playing for my team.”

In the end, Arlington lost 10-8 to Arroyo, which advances to the D5 final. The Lions (20-1) will not.

Arlington head coach Eric Biddle was coolly gracious in defeat. He shook Arroyo coach Anthony Lim’s hand before he had too, and made sure he greeted and congratulated every Arroyo player and staff member.

“To be down 4-8 and end up 8-10… that was a good come back. We were just one short. We were doing good but we didn’t quite get over the top. A couple more closer matches earlier could of helped us but it was the first time we were really down all season and had to fight back” Biddle said.

It was obvious that the coach was leading a team playing above expectations. After all, the girls side, coached by Biddle, had already won the school’s first CIF tennis title earlier this year. Winning a title on the boys side in the same year would be crazy talk.

“(That match) for us was ice cream. To finish the season 20-1 on the boys and 22-1 in the girls and one CIF champion… it’s a pretty darn good year. I’m proud of the kids.” said Biddle, who’ll return seven of the nine players who competed in a CIF semifinal match.

“It’s tough but we only lose two seniors — Jharen and Steven Gomez — everyone else will be back. It’s really a growing thing,” Biddle said.

No. 2 singles player Daniel Garcia looks to assume the No. 1 spot but will be pushed by Justin Andra, Eliott Moreno, Andrew Pena and Mason Biddle, the coach’s son. Adrian Huape and Ramon Soto will likely be featured in doubles.

The team’s shy star, Gines, carries a low tone when he speaks but is much more expressive on the court — his jump-return is an impressive physical display. For his part, he’s just excited about the sudden exposure he’s helped provide for the school.

“It’s really big. Making Arlington’s name bigger, you know?” Gines said. “Getting the name out there. It’s pretty nice.”

Biddle, surely the CIF tennis coach of the year, will have plenty of memories from this team. When asked what this season has meant to him, Biddle smiles.

“These guys work hard. When they’re done with practice at 5 or 6 or whenever, they’re the kind of guys who’ll go and play at RCC until 10. And then they’re over at my house playing ping-pong until midnight. I have to tell Mason to kick’em out. They’re a lot of fun,” Biddle said.

AMA Motocross at Glen Helen, 2009

I covered the AMA South Point Hotel & Casino Motocross National for the Riverside Press-Enterprise on Saturday, May 23, 2009 and came away thinking about how insanely devoted some motocross fans are to this niche sport.

I couldn’t walk 25 feet without seeing a young man or even male child with some sort of injury. Broken arms and broken legs were the norm though I even saw a couple of dudes sporting halos, the layman’s term for that medical implement used to support someone’s head after a severe neck injury.

Now, injuries are common in sports, even expected. But as my good friend, former colleague and contemporary J.P. Hoornstra illustrated, you will not see injured amateurs as spectators in any other sport. The whole idea of supporting an industry that has caused the supporter so much pain seems awkward and a little weird. I mean, what’s next? Dude in a coma being wheeled around by nurses? Seriously.

Anyway, there they were at Glen Helen Raceway in Devore (Ca.), sporting their red badges of courage with a smile and a Monster sports-energy drink in their good hand.

Speaking of Monster, I tried my first one EVER at the event. The drink was stocked elbow-deep in the ice chest at the media tent so I thought I’d throw caution to the wind and give it a go. And you know, it tastes like cheap fruity soda. The kind you get from K-Mart or Cardenas, the Mexican grocer.

This stuff has serious kick, though. I didn’t take but a half-dozen sips before I put it down. About two minutes later my chest got warm. About a minute after that my head fuzzied some. And the I felt like a wanted to run. Thinking that might be considered a tad odd, I just walked briskly to the AMA trailer to get race results.

Injuries and intoxicants aside, there were the usual winners and losers on the day. Ryan Villopoto swept the two 450cc class motos while Christophe Pourcel and Ryan Dungey each won one 250cc class moto. For as fascinating as the results are — and they are, um, fascinating — what’s more interesting to me are the personalities of the riders — especially because some of them are foreign. Pourcel, a Frenchman, had trouble understanding several reporters’ questions and resorted to sayingthe same thing over and over again.

To paraphrase: “I won zay chaum-pionship zo I think I know how to ride.” Which is true — Pourcel is the reigning FIMWorld Champion — but is obviously struggling with English comprehension and enunciation.

Another 250cc rider, Tyla Rattray (yes, that is a guy), hails from South Africa and sounds like countryman Ernie Els. He says things with a very laid-back tilt which makes him a real easy listen.

To paraphrase: “The intensity is uh-lot tuh-fer in Ah-merica. I’m not one huh-ndred puh-cent right now but I’m luck-ing to gettin’ beh-tah.”

I was also able to spend a few moments with 450cc class rider and Riverside native Josh Grant, who finished 2nd and 4th, respectively.

“I thought (the racing) was good. I had the break issue in the very first moto and put a damper on the lead that I had but overall, I felt good. I felt like my start were good and the bike was awesome. We made good changes all day long and that helped out. I’m stoked.”

What did you do to prepare for this weekend?

“We only had a couple of weeks since Vegas and we didn’t have that much time to get ready. For me, I didn’t really do that much outdoor testing during the Supercross season just because we were trying to make our bike better for the races that were coming up. We came in (to Glen Helen) kinda of wondering a little bit until practice and luckily we got to do the press day so once we did that and got a glimpse of what the bike would be like then we got a good idea.”

Grant, a graduate of Riverside King High School, is now based on the East Coast as part of the JGR Yamaha team owned by football coaching legend Joe Gibbs.

“I’ve been back in North Carolina since October. It’s nice. It’s way different that California. The pace is different. It’s a lot more mellow and I get time to focus on what I need to do.”

What are your expectations for the rest of this season?

“It keeps going the way it is it’ll goingto be good. Just gotta keep getting good starts and good finishes and not be inconsistentor getting DNFs. For me, that’s my goal.”

I then asked him about the level of competition in the 450cc outdoor class. This is Grant’s first season as an outdoor 450cc rider.

“I expected guys to be fast, for sure. Ryan (Villopoto) a good outdoor rider and he definitely rides pretty good here. I’ve got to go for it, really. He hangs it out andI’m a little more of a conservative guy who worries about style. I think if I start hanging it out a little more, I’ll be up there with him.”

Finally, I asked Villopoto, who won both motos without winning a single hole-shot, what he thought of his chances of going 24-for-24 in motos this year. It was a question that brought smirks and a few giggles from the riders and media gathered in the press tent. After all, only Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart have accomplished the feat.

“It’s not my main goal… to do the 24-and-oh. I’m just going to take it one race at a time and points is the main goal. I’m not out there chasing the (24-for-24) but maybe one day I’ll chase that down. Right now it’s just race to race and I’ll take what I can.”

Seems even motocross guys receive training in handling quote-thirsty media.

Prep Impressions for May 22

I covered the CIF-Southern Section Division I first-round baseball playoff game between Temecula Chaparral and Riverside Poly for the Riverside Press-Enterprise and came away thinking that the Bears will go as far as seniors Jake Marisnick and Blair Moore take them.

The pair, who bat 1-2 in Poly’s potent lineup, both went 3 for 4 with three runs scored as the Bears blasted the visiting Pumas 13-3 on Friday, May 22.

Marisnick (6-4, 185 lbs) led off the game with a single, hit a two-run double in the second inning and finished with three RBI after a run-scoring single in the fifth. Marisnick, the Bears’ center-fielder, has signed a letter-of-intent to attend University of Oregon.

Moore (6-3, 175 lbs) had two singles and also ripped a two-run bomb to right field in the fifth inning. Moore, the Bears’ shortstop, has signed a letter-of-intent to attend San Diego State. He is also the head coach’s son.

Both players say their futures ultimately depend on where they’re drafted.

“(Turning pro) is a possibility. We’ll see June 9,” Marisnick said.

“Depending what happens in the draft. Just see what happens and take it from there,” Moore added.

Both also want to go out as champions.

“Senior year. Go out with a bang,” Moore said. “We just talk about a five-game run. Just get hot for five game and see what happens.”

“That’s all we’re thinking,” Marisnick adds. “We just want to go team-by-team and take it one day at a time but we’re definitely looking at that championship.”

Head coach Aaron Moore has a deep, athletic team and a roster filled with some of the best baseball talent in Riverside. The Bears finished the regular season 17-10-1 overall, 10-4 in the Big VIII. They are the No. 2 seed from their league, behind area power Norco.

“Our guys were really pumped up,” Moore said following Friday’s blowout victory. “There was one thing I wanted to stress, though. And that was, we played (Temecula Chaparral) the first game of the season and we beat them 10-1 so I didn’t want the guys looking past this team. With the single elimination, anything can happen. But I was really proud of our guys.”

The Bears were the benafactors of fielding miscues/good hops and the flood gates were burst open before Chaparral even heard about an impending storm. Poly scored four runs in the first and four more in the second, taking much of the life from the Pumas dugout.

“Fast starts are always good,” Blair Moore said. “We saw that pitcher the first game of the year and he’s got really good stuff and I thought we came out and put it on him pretty good.”

“It helped just knowing what he was gonna throw and kinda have and idea of what was coming,” Marisnick said. “We threw BP left-handed and got used to it. It helped seeing him one time before and we knew we could beat him.”

Chaparral senior left-hander J.D. Voechting (6-1, 175 lbs) lasted just 1.1 innings and was tagged for seven runs — five earned — on eight hits by the Bears. His brother, junior right-hander Clayton Voechting (6-2, 170 lbs) relieved him but lasted only 1.2 innings, allowing three runs on three hits. The Pumas used four pitchers in all.

Next up for Poly is San Juan Capistrano JSerra, the No. 1 seed from its league. If the Marisnick, Moore and the Bears hit half as well as they did on this day, JSerra players better duck.