On a chilly November evening the JV Dons concluded their successful season with a hard-fought tie with the Las Lomas Knights. It was a tough contest, with both teams moving the ball but unable score with any frequency. The defenses were hard hitting with players on both sides getting shaken up. The outcome of this game saw the Dons complete the season with a 7-2-1 record, the best record by the JV in several seasons! So, hats off and give a cheer to the boys. Varsity will be getting some good players with a penchant for winning. GO DONS!
Brian Watson

In Thursdays action…
The girls water polo team fell to Campolindo HS 10-9 in overtime in the NCS semifinals.
The boys water polo team was edged out by Miramonte HS 6-5 in the NCS semifinals.
The football team was defeated by Las Lomas HS.  The jv team tied the Knights 14-14.

Thursdays individual standouts…
Girls water polo                Barbara Lanier scored 3 goals, Megan Dietrich 2 goals, and Lizzie Newman, Ellyn Stewart and Molly Quinn one goal each. Katie Ramm had 14 saves.

Boys water polo               Connor Reid scored 2 goals, and Jack Hillman, Connor Mattox, and Andrew Schnugg one goal each.

Football                             Aaron Edwards and Carson Gardner scored rushing touchdowns.

R. Takahashi

On a frigid Thursday night, the Dons emerged from the mist to show Las Lomas a mediocre game. Their efforts weren’t enough to secure a win against one of the top teams in the DFAL.

Acalanes began the game with the ball, but quickly turned it over to the Knights. The Knights capitalized on the Dons failure to execute offensively with a touchdown. They quickly scored again and were controlling the game 14-0. The Dons then recaptured the momentum by scoring a touchdown, and making it a one possession game.

The Dons came out of halftime poised for victory, but soon realized their goal was unobtainable. Las Lomas started the half strong with a scoring drive, and they never looked back. At the end of the third quarter, senior Carson Gardner punched in a touchdown, and after a blocked extra point the score was 21-13.

Las Lomas added insult to injury with two more scores and ended the game with a 35-13 victory.

The Dons loss on senior night officially knocked them out of NCS contention and ended their 2011 season.

-Blueprint Staff Writer Jack DeVeny

The Dons put together another strong performance this week. The offense, defense and special teams did the job again. The Dublin Gaels were overmatched from the beginning, being held to a 3-and-out on their first possession. The Dons mounted a successful drive for a touchdown on their first possession and it was all downhill for the Gaels from then on. A shutout was held until the 3rd quarter when the Gaels scored a touchdown, but the extra point attempt was blocked. The Dons were dominant again, pushing their season record to 7-2. Up next, the Las Lomas Knights in the final game of the season. GO DONS!

Brian Watson

In Thursdays action…
The girls tennis team defeated Dublin HS 8-1.
The freshman football team defeated Dublin HS 27-14.

In Fridays action…
The football team plays at Dublin HS.  JV at 4:30, varsity at 7:00.
The varsity girls water polo team competes in the Nor Cal Championships in Atherton.
The JV boys water polo team competes in the Las Lomas tournament.
The freshman girls volleyball team competes in the St. Patrick’s HS tournament.

In Saturdays action…
The varsity girls volleyball team competes in the Northgate Tournament.
The varsity girls water polo team competes in the Nor Cal Championships in Atherton.
The jv boys water polo team competes in the Las Lomas tournament.

Thursdays individual standouts…
Girls tennis
Tessa Karagocev, Ida Barabi, Bianca Koyake, Tara Barabi, and Julie Zucker on singles matches.

Rachel Bauer & Connie Chen, Jenny Yang & Amy Liu, and Alice Bishop & Katrina Bittner won doubles matches.

R. Takahashi

This was one of those games where everything went right for the Dons. A complete game was put in by the offense, defense and special teams. The offense could do just about anything they wanted. The defense was outstanding, stifling the Wildcat running and passing game, generally frustrating them at every turn. Special teams kept the Wildcats pinned back in their territory throughout the game. All in all, it was a bitter homecoming for the Dougherty Valley Wildcats. Next up: Dublin HS Gaels. GO DONS!

Brian Watson

In Fridays action…
The Varsity football team defeated Dougherty Valley HS 28-14.  Peter Mitchell ran for 108 yards on 8 carries, with a touchdown.  Carson Gardner had 2 rushing touchdowns, and Spencer Henderson had one.  Aaron Edwards had 81 rushing yards on 11 carries.
The JV team won 45-0.

In todays action…
The girls golf team competes in the NCS Southern Qualifier.

R. Takahashi

In Fridays action…
The football team capped off homecoming week with a victory over Alhambra HS 28-27.  The jv team also won 28-19.

In todays action…
The girls golf team competes in the DFAL Championships at Lone Tree GC at 10:00AM.

R. Takahashi

Photo Courtesy David Reiling

League rival, Campolindo came into Dons territory. After a close first quarter the Cougars took the lead, and never looked back.
Both teams played a good first quarter, but then at the beginning of the second quarter Campolindo scored a touchdown. Then after Acalanes failure to execute, the Cougars scored two more touchdowns before the end of the first half.

The second half started 21-0. Campolindo quickly turned the intensity back on, and they scored two more touchdowns in the third quarter.
It was apparent at the start of the 4th quarter that the Dons were in a hole that they would not be able to dig themselves out of. The Cougars then scored again making the score 42-0. Then at the end of the game the Dons finally put up seven points, making the loss a little less painful.

Acalanes was defeated 42-7, and are now 2-4. They are now 0-2 in league play, and it is very clear that the team has many things they need to fix this week. The Dons hope to break their four game losing streak against Alhambra this week in the homecoming game.

-Blueprint Staff Writer Jack DeVeny

In Thursdays action…

The football team was defeated by Campolindo HS.  The jv team was defeated also.
The girls volleyball team was defeated by Miramonte HS.  The jv and freshman teams were victorious.
The girls golf team was defeated by by Miramonte HS.

In Fridays action…

The boys water polo team competes in the Southern California Invitational in Irvine.

In Saturdays action…

The cross country team competes in the Clovis Invitational at Woodward Park in Fresno at 9:00 am.
The non-varsity cross country team competes in the Crystal Springs Invitational at Crystal Springs Reservoir in San Mateo at 9:00 am.
The boys water polo team competes in the Southern California Invitational in Irvine.
The jv girls volleyball team competes in the Wolverine Invitational at Deer Valley HS.
The freshman girls volleyball team competes in the Northgate tournament.
The frosh-soph girls water polo team competes in the Alhambra tournament.

On September 30th, the Acalanes Dons played their first in league game against the Miramonte Matadors. They suffered a disappointing loss of 24-14, after trying to come back from a two game losing streak.
The Matadors started the game off strong by forcing the Dons to punt, and then capitalized on a Dons missed field goal with a field goal of their own. Acalanes retaliated with a huge 50 yard run from senior Carson Gardner, who punched it in the next play to give the Dons a 6-3 lead. After an interception by Gardner, the Dons took that 6-3 lead and all the momentum into half time.

It was a whole different game in the second half though. Miramonte started off the second half with a touchdown, and then minutes later they scored again, taking the lead 17-6. Gardner scored his second touchdown of the night, and the ensuing two point attempt was successful.

Just as it appeared the Dons might be taking some momentum back, Miramonte scored a touchdown, making the score 24-14. The Dons fallowed with a promising possession, but an interception thrown by senior Spencer Henderson deflated the Dons for the rest of the game

The Matadors proceeded to run out the clock, and win the game 24-14. With the loss the Dons fll to 2-3 (0-1), but look to come back next week with a victory over another league rival, the Campolindo Cougars (5-0, 1-0).

-Blueprint Staff Writer Jack DeVeny

In Fridays action…
The girls water polo team defeated Sir Francis Drake HS 9-2 to raise their overall record to 10-3.
The football team was defeated by Miramonte HS.  The jv team won.

Individual standouts…
Girls water polo Megan Dietrich scored 4 goals, and Molly Dietrich scored 2 goals.
Megan Mes and Katie Ramm each had 6 saves.
Football             Carson Gardner had 150 rushing yards on 24 carries, and scored 2 both touchdowns.

R. Takahashi

In Thursdays action…
The girls volleyball team defeated Alhambra HS in 3 games. The JV and freshman teams were also victorious both in 2 games.
The girls tennis team was defeated by Miramonte HS.
The freshman football team defeated Miramonte HS 32-13.

In Fridays action…
The girls water polo team hosts Sir Francis Drake HS. Varsity at 4:00, JV at 5:00.
The football team plays at Miramonte HS. JV at 4:30, Varsity at 7:00.
The girls tennis team competes in the Liberty tournament.
The JV boys water polo team competes in the Jesuit tournament.

In Saturdays action…
The girls tennis team competes in the Liberty tournament.
The JV boys water polo team competes in the Jesuit tournament.
R. Takahashi

The Dons fought hard but came up short in the end.  San Marin 13-10 over Acalanes. 

The Dons played a good game on Saturday, September 17 but fell short to San Marin 13-10. Acalanes appeared to be in control throughout the game, but some questionable officiating the Mustangs got a couple extra chances at the end of the game.
It was mostly a defensive game as both offenses struggled to put together successful drives. The Mustangs received the opening kickoff but were forced to punt by a stingy Dons defense. After an unsuccessful Acalanes drive, Junior Tyler Supple intercepted a San Marin pass, putting a halt to another San Marin drive. Seconds later, the Dons threw an interception giving the ball back to the Mustangs and setting them up in Acalanes territory. The Mustangs attempted a field goal but ended up turning the ball over after a botched snap.
Later in the first half San Marin attempted another field goal, and this time there kicker missed wide. The first half ended with neither team having the momentum, and the score being 0-0.
After a long drive to start off the second half, Senior Paul Nork kicked a field goal, putting up the first points of the game.
San Marin answered scoring a touchdown, and took the lead. The Dons worked their way down the field, and Sophomore Peter Mitchell punched in the ball from 5 yards out giving Acalanes the lead 10-7.
San Marin began to march down the field but then were forced to attempt a field goal. After another botched snap the holder tried to throw the ball down field. Senior Spencer Henderson intercepted the pass, and it appeared the Dons were going to be able to run down the clock for the win. Then one of the officials threw a questionable penalty flag, giving the ball back to the Mustangs.
Then Senior Carson Gardner intercepted a pass, and Acalanes believed they were going to win the game, but a referee called another very questionable penalty giving the ball back to San Marin.
San Marin proceeded to score a touchdown and take the lead. Then after a blocked PAT the Dons had a glimmer of hope as they only needed a field goal to tie up the game. Unfortunately, the Dons were unable to get into field goal range before time expired. The Acalanes Dons lost 13- 10, giving them a 2- 1 record.

-Jack DeVeny Blueprint Staff Writer

The football team played well and had a slim 10-7 lead in the 4th quarter, but San Marin scored late to down the Dons 13-10.

R. Takahashi

In Fridays action…
The football team rallied for a hard-fought victory over Skyline HS 28-21.  The jv team won in overwhelming fashion.
The girls water polo team defeated Foothill HS 16-2, and then defeated perennial power Monte Vista HS 5-4.

Individual standouts…
Football                Carson Gardner rushed for 170 yards on 14 carries, and scored 2 touchdowns.
Spencer Henderson and Peter Mitchell each scored a touchdown.

R. Takahashi

In Saturdays action…
The girls cross country team finished first at the Ed Sias Invitational.

Individual standouts…
Cross country    Amy Hollshwandner finished 3^rd, Annie Marggraff 5^th, Kelly Collins 6^th , Tara Bozzini 8^th, and Kelly Berge 14^th.

Tyler Troxel finished 10^th.

JV boys – Scott Lindsay finished 2^nd, and Rick Brundage 11^th.

Frosh-soph boys – Michael Wang finished 2^nd.

Frosh-soph girls – Katie Anderson finished 4^th, Lauren Chuck 5^th, and Morgan Samaniego 8^th.

R. Takahashi

Dons Football Pulls Off Close Victory Over Titans. Acalanes 28-21 over Skyline.

The Acalanes Dons pulled out a close win Friday, September 9th, over the Skyline Titans. After a slow first half and an intimidating lightning storm, Acalanes took over the second half on their way to a 28-21 victory in their first home game of the season.

The Dons took advantage of the Titans unsuccessful opening drive, by capping off their own opening drive with a touchdown run from Sophomore Peter Mitchell. The rest of the first quarter was fairly uneventful, until the end when Skyline put together a successful drive, tying the game at 7 on a touchdown pass from Skyline quarterback Jamaal Mayo.

Minutes later in the second quarter the Titans capitalized on their long drive, scoring a touchdown. It appeared that the teams would enter the half tied, but Skyline had other plans. With 44 seconds left in the quarter the Titans offense scored again. Halftime started with Acalanes- 7, Skyline-14.

When both teams came out of halftime it seemed that Skyline had the upper hand.
Then, about 8 minutes into the third quarter both teams and the fans were ordered to exit the stands due to a lightning storm. About 30 minutes later the teams came back onto the field, and the fans filed back into the stands. Soon enough, though, lightning struck again except this time in a different form. Senior Carson Gardener, who ran for 170 yards on 14 carries, broke multiple tackles on his way to an electrifying, game-tying touchdown run. The Dons were revitalized and, on the ensuing kickoff, recovered a Titan fumble, setting them up with very good field position. Seconds later Sophomore Peter Mitchell ran in his second touchdown of the night, giving the Dons a 21-14 lead.

Tied at 21 at the start of the fourth quarter, The Dons rattled off what proved to be the game winning drive, finished off by a touchdown run by Senior Spencer Henderson. Acalanes fended off the Titans last drive and the Dons finished with a 28-21 victory.

This proved to be a decisive victory for the Dons as Skyline is one of the tougher teams on their schedule. The win gives the Dons a promising 2-0 start and look to carry the momentum from their first two games into next weeks match up against a tough San Marin team.

-Jack DeVeny, Blueprint Staff Writer

Photo: David Reiling

The Acalanes Dons 2011 football season began with a bang on Saturday night, September 3, easily handling the Ygnacio Valley Warriors 49-0. The Dons quickly gained momentum at the start of the game and never looked back.

Only a minute into the game, the Dons forced and recovered a fumble that set them up on their own 9 yard line. About a minute later, junior running back Aaron Edwards ran in the the ball for a touchdown giving the Dons the early lead. Senior Carson Gardner added another touchdown, rushing 21 yards for the score and giving the Dons a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Acalanes put the game away in the second quarter scoring three more touchdowns from three different players. Sophomore Peter Mitchell used his speed to score a 24 yard touchdown. Immediately after, senior Tom Nork recovered an Ygnacio Valley fumble giving the Dons extremely good field position. A couple minutes later sophomore quarterback Robbie Stern connected with senior tight end Drew Gaylord for another touchdown. Acalanes then recovered another loose ball on the ensuing kickoff. With just 32 seconds left in the half, Senior quarterback Spencer Henderson broke multiple tackles and ran into the end zone. The first half ended with an impressive 35-0 lead for the Dons.

Coming out of halftime the Ygnacio Valley Warriors acted like a defeated team. After an uneventful start to the second half, senior running back Joseph Dryer added another Acalanes touchdown with 6:52 left in the third quarter. The Dons tacked on one more touchdown from Junior C.J Ibara, the fifth Don to score on the day.

The game ended with the Dons executing an impressive victory over the Warriors 49-0. The victory is a good way to start off the 2011 Acalanes football season, and hopefully the Dons can carry the momentum in the weeks to come.

-Jack DeVeny, Blueprint Staff Writer

The Varsity football team starts the season in grand fashion with a 49-0 drubbing of Ygnacio Valley HS in their season opener. The JV team also tasted victory 34-8.

The weather at kick-off was warm, but slowly cooled down for the Freshman Don’s opener against Livermore Valley. The Don’s started out hot and continued it’s dominance throughout most of the game, with a few surges from the young Livermore Valley team. The Don’s opponents dressed 18 players, while the Don’s were locked and loaded with 30.

Scores and Highlights:

With 3:34 remaining in the first quarter, Tommy Namura (sp) darted around the left end for the first score of the game. The PAT was no good. 6-0 Acalanes.

Shortly after with 1:19 left in the first quarter, Tommy Namura takes the ball on a 40 yard scamper for the second score of the game. Sam deRoque (sp) dashed around the left end for the two-point conversion. 14-0 Acalanes.

Throughout the game many players on defense stepped up to help the Don’s stuff Livermore Valley’s offensive: Tommy Hoffmeister (sp), Grant Pedder, Chris Greer, and Cole Tanner to name a few.

With 9:52 in the second quarter, Sam deRoque scampered around the right end for a 20 yard touchdown. Tommy Namura was good on the P.A.T. 21-0 Acalanes.

On Livermore Valley’s next possession, they were picked off by #13 Everett Roeth. With :34 left in the first half, Joey Hewitt darted up the middle for a 10 yeard touchdown. The P.A.T. was missed. Score at half-time 27-0 Acalanes.

The second half saw many of the second teamers getting the lion share of the playing time. This is great for the team as experience helps build skill.

With 8:49 remaining in the third quarter Joey Hewitt punched it the fifth touchdown of the game. Tommy Namura nailed the P.A.T. to make the game 34-0.

With 2:45 remaining in the third quarter, Livermore Valley scores their first touchdown of the game. The two-point conversion was good. Score 34-8 Acalanes.

The fourth quarter saw both teams pushing back and fourth for a score. Neither team gave in so the score ended 34-8.

Brian Gladden

Please click on the FORMS button ABOVE to fill out and submit athletic clearance forms through the Acalanes High School District website. The website will direct you through the entire process.
• You must print the Athletic Clearance Form.
• You must print one Online Registration Sports Summary Page for each sport of participation.
• Note: If this is the second or third sport, only the Online Registration Sports Summary Page must be submitted.

Acalanes freshmen defeated San Marin 14-7
 
In the second game Acalanes freshman defeated Vintage High School of Napa:  13-7.
 
Two games and two wins for the Freshman.

S. Seiler