For the second year in a row, the Los Altos High gymnastics team edged rival Mountain View by less than a point to win the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League North Division finals – the last meet before today’s Central Coast Section championships.
The host Eagles put up a team score of 147.050, while the Spartans totaled 146.300 May 7.
As a student at St. Francis High, Phil Pompei was a standout in cross-country, soccer and track. Ten years later, the Los Altos native teaches at the school and coaches there.
The boys cross-country coach since 2013, Pompei was named co-head coach of the track and field team this year.
The Pinewood School baseball team’s seventh-inning rally Thursday resulted in a 4-3 win over Thomas More and a return trip to the playoffs.
The Panthers and Knights finished the regular season as co-champs of the Private School Athletic League South Division at 9-1, setting up last week’s showdown for the division’s lone automatic playoff berth.
Down 3-0 entering the seventh, visiting Pinewood scored four runs to take the lead.
“We hit the ball well all day,” Panthers coach Casey Rowe said, “and I kind of expected that once we got a run, they would come in bunches.”
Connor Riches walked to open the seventh, advanced to second on a passed ball and went to third on a ground out. Another grounder enabled him to score Pinewood’s first run. With two away, Liam Smith walked and soon scored on Eric Burton’s triple to the fence. An infield error brought Burton home, tying the game. The Knights intentionally walked Jackson Haun, who later scored from second on Bo Fick’s infield single to put the Panthers ahead. Colton Budge, who pitched the final three innings in relief of Haun, set down More in order in the bottom of the frame. “He pitched great,” Rowe said.
No. 8 Pinewood (12-3) is set to meet No. 1 St. Francis-Watsonville (18-7) in Saturday’s Central Coast Section Division III quarterfinals.
Los Altos’ 3-1 loss at Wilcox in the first round of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division tournament May 8 cost the Eagles an automatic playoff berth, but they still landed a spot in CCS Division I.
The Los Altos High softball team’s domination of its division didn’t translate into a lofty seed in the Central Coast Section playoffs, but the Eagles aren’t too upset about that. They’re just happy to be in the postseason.
“We’re excited to get there,” said Robert Herrera, who took over as coach this year. “The kids are so ecstatic to be in it – especially after the lashing they took last season.”
