San Mateo will honor Lee again

Her impact on the Peninsula has already landed her in the San Mateo High School Sports Hall of Fame, as well as Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame and now she will be honored at her alma mater again as San Mateo will name the softball field after her.

Softball has been Lee’s passion for years. She was a longtime youth softball commissioner and umpire, and has played almost her entire adult life.

“She’s an alum (1965), she’s on the (school’s) hall of fame committee. I grew up reading her in the San Mateo Times. Softball is her passion,” said San Mateo athletic director Jeff Scheller. “I’ve been thinking about it for a little bit. It just makes sense.”

Scheller said the ceremony will be held next Tuesday, May 17, when the Bearcats host Hillsdale. Normally, the last home game of the season is reserved as Senior Day, but since San Mateo does not have any seniors on this year’s squad, Scheller decided it was the perfect time to honor Lee.

“She was kind of shocked,” Scheller said of Lee’s reaction when he told her. “It just feels right for all the things she’s done for the community.”

***

Badminton doesn’t get a lot of love from the Daily Journal. It’s such an unwieldy sport to cover with seemingly dozens of matches going on at one time (I know it’s not that many, but it is a lot).

So let me take the space here to commend this year’s Peninsula Athletic League champions — which go to a couple programs that haven’t been at the top for a while. In the Bay Division, Aragon went a perfect 14-0 and won its first division title since the 2012 season, the third year of a three-peat for the Dons.

Aragon was led by No. 1 boys’ single player William Ye, who appeared in 10 of 14 Bay Division matches this season, going 9-1, losing on three sets the entire season. Overall, the Dons were 13-1 at the top boys’ spot.

In the Ocean Division, Burlingame also went unbeaten in grabbing its first division championship since 2007 and do so in overwhelming fashion.

Burlingame was simply dominant in running roughshod through Ocean Division play. In 12 Ocean Division matches, the Panthers lost just 17 sets — and won 343. In badminton, there are 15 matches played in five disciplines: boys and girls singles and doubles, and mixed doubles — best of three sets.

The Panthers posted six shutouts, winning 30-0 — which means they won all 15 matches played in straight sets. The most sets Burlingame lost this season came against Westmoor March 18, when the Rams managed to win five sets.

The PAL division tournaments will be played this week, with the winners of each division meeting for PAL individual championships Saturday at Aragon.

***

In addition to the PAL badminton tournament this week, the postseason is officially in full swing. Last week, the PAL swim championships were held, as were the PAL track and field trials — and finals in a handful of events.

But the week leading up to Saturday is full of playoff action, as well. The Central Coast Section boys’ golf qualifiers begin Tuesday in Monterey, with the championship round scheduled for Tuesday, May 13. Wednesday, the CCS boys’ team tennis tournaments gets underway, while Thursday and Friday features CCS swimming prelims at Independence High School in San Jose — boys’ prelims Thursday and the girls going Friday. Independence will host the CCS championships, boys’ and girls’, Saturday, with races beginning at 1:30 p.m.

Friday and Saturday, track takes center stage with the West Catholic Athletic League finals being held Friday night at St. Francis, while San Mateo will host the PAL championships Saturday morning.

The CCS boys’ and girls’ lacrosse playoffs begin next Monday, with Carlmont hosting the boys’ championship match Friday, May 16 and the girls’ final Saturday, May 17.

The spring sports heavyweights — baseball and softball — don’t begin CCS play until Saturday, May 24.

Nathan Mollat is in his 24th year covering high school sports in San Mateo County for the San Mateo Daily Journal. He can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com.