Sharks soccer hits the road
Last week the Malibu High School Sharks Varsity soccer team took to the road for their first two away games of the season. On Tuesday they traveled to Santa Barbara and defeated Laguna Blanca 3-1. On Thursday the team made its way to Oxnard and came away with a 0-0 tie with Pacifica High. And the highlight of the week came on Friday as the Sharks hosted Windward High School and came away with a resounding 9-0 victory.
JV boys soccer is on a roll
The Malibu boys junior varsity soccer team finished the first two weeks of play with a record of five wins and no losses.
Victories over Buckley (4-3), Kilpatrick (7-1 and 6-1), Campbell Hall (4-0) and Oxnard Pacifica (4-3) left the team with a total of 26 goals scored and 8 conceded. Led by a high scoring offence and a strong, determined defense, the team is exciting to watch.
The JV squad is represented by Sean Clark, Ben Hanson, Mitch Levy, Miles Edmon, Thor Visher, Noah Baltrushes, Matt Mescher, Gabriel Bonetti, Justin Liscon, Wilfredo Castro, Jerry Menesses, Ben Corrodi, Harry Thomas, Alan Starnes, Reed Farrer, Kyle Kaplan and Andrew Heric. We would like to invite every soccer fan to come and support all the Malibu High teams.
Sharks basketball remains hot
The Malibu High School Boys Varsity basketball team had an extremely successful week winning three of four games including second place in the prestigious Milken “Hilltopper Classic” Tournament. The team captured its first ever team trophy since being guided by Coach Rich Miller.
On Dec. 9, the Sharks played their opening game at the Milken Tournament beating perennial Liberty League powerhouse, Yeshiva, 59-57 on a three-point shot by sophomore Shane Mahoney with less than one second to play. Yeshiva had been seeded second in the eight-team tournament. Mahoney led all scores with 25 points. Thomas Oden scored 11, and both Aaron Smith and Jaime Ballesteros scored 8 points.
Next up in the Dec. 10 tournament was Malibu’s game against Valley Torah. Propelled by a 19-3 fourth quarter, Malibu won 64-38. Senior player Smith contributed 16 points while Mahoney scored 14 and Oden scored 10. Sophomore Zak Katz contributed seven points, seven assists, three steals and four rebounds.
The championship game of the Milken Tournament was played on Dec. 11 against Cathedral High School. Undefeated, and the number one seed, the team previously won games by 50 and 30 points. In an exciting game, a standing-room only crowd spurred Malibu on, coming up short 73-70. Malibu, however, was clearly the story of the tournament, earning praise from all of its competitors. Both Smith and Mahoney were named to the All Tournament Team.
On Dec. 12, the team inaugurated its new gym with a resounding 58-37 victory over West Valley Christian. The team was treated to a play-by-play announcement of the game by Laker broadcaster and Malibu resident Paul Sunderland. Former Laker and vice president of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Malibu resident Tommy Hawkins was also present for the festivities. The team had a balanced attack with eight players scoring, including Mahoney with 12, Katz 10, Smith 9, Oden 8, Ballesteros 8, Mickey Dupree 6, Blake Ribnick 3 and Sky Shachory, 2.
This week, the varsity basketball team plays Dec. 17 at Camarillo Cornerstone Christian at 6:30 p.m., followed by its next home game on Dec. 18 against Trinity Grammer at 7 p.m. in the new high school gym. The team record now stands at 4-3. Come support your talented basketball team!
Malibuite competes in the Triathlon World Championship
Malibu General Contractor, George Toberman, placed second in the ITU (International Triathlon Union) Triathlon World Championship in Cancun, Mexico recently. The triathlon consisted of the Olympic Triathlon distances of a 1-mile swim, 25-mile bike and 6-mile run in more than 90-degree heat and 75 percent humidity.
Twenty-five hundred athletes, representing 58 countries participated. Each athlete had to win a qualifying race in their respective countries, making them the top triathletes in the world in their age group.
Toberman prepared for the competition by training with the Carmichael Training Group, which is also Lance Armstrong’s personal coach.
“It was very hot and humid-I am very lucky to have placed second in such a competitive field. Everyone was so physically fit and well trained that they pushed me to the limit!” Toberman said. “I came out of the water in third place and quickly passed two bikers to move into first position, until the run portion when a Swedish participant, a former Olympic speed skater, passed me to take first.”
Cheers for new coach
Malibu High School is proud to announce the hiring of a new cheerleading coach, Malana Jones. Jones is a graduate student at Pepperdine University. She graduated from Sam Houston State University and was a member of the cheerleading squad. She is from Victoria, Texas, were she attended Victoria High School.
A member of the Houston Dance Force, Jones competed as a professional dancer from 1999-2001.
“Her experience, enthusiasm, and desire to raise the level of our existing cheerleader squad was overwhelming,” Athletic Director Jeff Gardella said.
“We need someone who would come in and show the girls that cheerleading is a sport. That working hard and dedicating your time like other athletes can be rewarding.”
Gardella said he believes the school has found the right coach to make this happen.
“We are all real excited and anxiously await the outcome we all expect to happen.”
Malibuite wins third state championship
Liz Cvitan of Malibu, a senior at Marymount High school in Los Angeles, led her high school volleyball team to its third straight CIF State Championship on Dec. 6 at Cypress College. Marymount had a record of 3l wins and 4 losses this year. During Cvitan’s three years as middle blocker on the nationally ranked high school volleyball team, the team’s record was an outstanding 98 wins and 11 losses.
A member of the National Honor Society at Marymount, Cvitan has committed to play volleyball at Brown University in Providence, R.I. Brown was the 2001 Ivy League co-Champion. Cvitan, who is a graduate of Our Lady of Malibu School, will begin her studies at Brown in September 2003.
Sports Calendar
Boys Soccer V/JV Home/Oak Park 12/19 3 p.m.
Girls Water Polo V/JV Home/Culver City 12/19 3:15 p.m./4:15 p.m.
9-12 Girls Basketball V/JV Home/LaReine 12/19 5 p.m./ 6:30 p.m.
9-12 Girls Basketball V/JV Home/Scott Academy 12/20 4 p.m./5:30 p.m.
9-12 Boys Basketball JV Away/El Segundo Tournament 12/26
9-12 Boys Basketball V Away/Central California Small School 12/26