Poised to make noise

After one down year, it appears as if the Serra basketball team is ready to challenge for league and section championships again this season. There is no question the Padres are the top team in San Mateo County, a loss to Burlingame not withstanding. Some may wonder if its just a down year for everybody else because unlike the Padre teams that won three straight Central Coast Section titles in 2004, 2005 and 2006, there is no standout star on this year's edition. There are no Division I college players in the starting lineup and they look like a normal high school team. So far, however, the Padres are proving to be anything but normal. Following Saturday's overtime win over Bellarmine, a game in which point guard Connor McGrath drained a long 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded, the Padres improved to 14-1 on the season overall and remained undefeated in West Catholic Athletic League play with a perfect 5-0 mark. So how are they doing it? For starters, with experience. While Serra went 11-18 last season overall and won just three games in WCAL play, the Padres gained valuable experience. Seven players from last year's squad -- including 4 of 5 starters -- returned this year with a season of some of the toughest basketball in Northern California under their belt. "Basically, it's the same team as last year. The biggest [difference] is experience," said Serra coach Chuck Rapp, who is in his 10th season as the Padres' head man. "We went through some tough times (last year)." Secondly, the Padres play defense like no other. Like uber-reporter Emanuel Lee said in his preview for the Peninsula Athletic League basketball season, defense is the one constant on which good teams hang their hats. It's the one aspect of the game that can be controlled by the players on the court and the Padres are doing it better than anyone right now. In 15 games, only one opponent has scored over 50 points -- St. Mary's-Berkeley scored 52 yet lost by a point. A look at the Padres' results this season and you see a trend developing: They've allowed opponents to score in the 40s eight times and have held six other to scores in the 30s. All that adds up to not having to be perfect offensively. It means that scoring in the 50s is going to be good enough to win on most nights. "We're defending well. They've really bought into the defensive concepts we hold near and dear here and Serra," Rapp said. "It takes pressure off the offense. You don't have to go out there and make the perfect pass every time." As to the thought the rest of the Padres' opponents are having down years, look at these numbers: The Padres have beaten De La Salle (13-2), St. Mary's (13-2), Bellarmine (14-1), Fairfield (13-5) and Buchanan-Clovis (12-4). They won the De La Salle tournament, which is one of the toughest pre-season tournaments in Northern California. They also ran roughshod over the competition in winning the Pioneer tournament. The Padres' only loss came at the hands of Burlingame (11-5) on the Panthers' home court. Burlingame hasn't lost at home this season and is the best public school program in the county. Despite all this success, more than likely the Padres will lose another game this season. These are high school kids, after all. But the team that beats the Padres will have to be more physical, more defensive-mind and more determined than Serra and there aren't many teams out there that have those ingredients. *** The soccer gods must have it in for the United States soccer team. Team USA got a decent draw for this summer's World Cup in South Africa, getting placed in a group with England (no easy out), Algeria (one of the last team's to qualify after winning a playoff) and Slovenia. At first glance, it would seem the U.S should be one of the two teams to advance out of this group, but injuries keep making it harder on the American boys. The latest player to be dinged by injury is midfielder/striker Clint Dempsey, who suffered a knee injury this weekend playing with Fulham in England's Premiere League. Initial reports were a torn ligament, which means about a six-month layoff/rehab for one of America's most dangerous goal scorers. This injury comes on the heels of top defender Oguchi Onyewu blowing out his knee in the last game of World Cup qualifying and the near-fatal car crash suffered by striker Charlie Davies, who burst on the scene with the national team this summer. There is approximately six months before the World Cup kicks off. Davies won't be ready, but there is hope Onyewu and Dempsey will be. They need to be near full health if the Americans are to make any noise in soccer's biggest showcase. *** The Capuchino baseball program is holding a dinner/dance fundraiser Feb. 20. Event organizers are looking for donations to be used as silent auction/raffle items, or food and beverages. All donations are tax deductible. For more information, contact coach Matt Wilson at msw9090@aol.com or 834-0256. *** The Kelly Shea Gallo Foundation will host its second annual dinner and silent auction fundraiser March 27 at the Millbrae recreation center. Shea Gallo is the former Mills High School girls' basketball coach who succumbed to breast cancer in 2004. Event organizers are looking for donations for the auction, or are seeking to sell advertising space in the program. Last year, funds raised were donated to cancer foundations, the Millbrae Girls' Softball Association and sent over 30 children from the Millbrae school district to outdoor education. For more information, contact Tracy Montserrat at tmontserrat@comcast.net or 692-6039. *** There is a correction to the picture caption in the weekend edition of the Daily Journal. In the story "Late goal lifts Sequoia over San Mateo" the person in the photo was misidentified. The picture is of Michael Young heading the ball. Nathan Mollat can be reached by e-mail: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 117.