EL SEGUNDO HERALD February 23, 2017 Page 9 Softball Preview: Lady Eagles Look to Build on Last Year’s Success Story and Photos by Gregg McMullin The El Segundo High School softball program has had a long and successful history. The Lady Eagles’ program won the CIF Southern Section’s first softball title in 1974, a 3-0 win over Wilson (Hacienda Heights). The team followed that with three consecutive finals appearances, winning the CIF title in 1976 with an 8-4 victory over Villa Park. El Segundo lost 7-2 in 1977 to Marina and then captured the 1978 title by defeating Downey in an epic 1-0 victory. It would take the program 29 years to return to the finals when they were defeated by Hesperia, 3-0. Over the last 12 seasons, the Lady Eagles have averaged 19 wins each year. Different coaches led the team to the title games. The list includes Sandi Berhmann (1974), Barbara Berhlohr (1976, 1977), Debi Cocks (1978) and Keith Cameron (2007). This season, first-year coach Megan McCann will be at the helm and looks to continue the winning ways for the Lady Eagles. The former standout from a Boston prep school who played outfield for Providence College was a coach at Serra High School for two seasons before joining El Segundo High last season as an assistant. She now takes over as the head coach with the departure of Keith Cameron after 19 years. Coach McCann looks to continue a program that has thrived on its feeder levels, including maintaining frosh/ soph and junior varsity teams. McCann inherits a young team with experience after the departure of nine seniors to graduation. She says first and foremost her team will have fun and in the process learn and win a lot of softball games. The Lady Eagles have plenty of talent throughout a roster of 13 players. It makes for a more tightknit atmosphere and will keep the entire team involved. McCann noted that a smaller roster will also ensure more playing time on the lower level for those who might have otherwise made varsity. Senior utility player Cierra Kessler and junior pitcher Monique Benjamin lead a group of players who have plenty to prove. They have two important goals they’ll be looking to conquer. The Lady Eagles won the Ocean League last season by unseating Santa Monica and that school’s 12 years of dominance. El Segundo aims for a two in a row and certainly has the right mindset for that to happen. The other goal is to extend the playoff run. Last season, the Lady Eagles faced West Torrance in the first round and fell in 11 innings--so revenge and something to prove will be on their minds. If there is any weakness, McCann points to the youth of the team. But, she counters, it is also one of the team’s strengths. Another strength is the group of seniors who have been with the team for as long as four years. Besides Kessler, a four letterman, other seniors are Sarah Bergren, Taylor Stevens, Iris Guzman and Bailey Ernest. All possess athletic and leadership skills that will provide the younger players with the incentive to be productive. McCann is enthusiastic about the prospects of this team because of the players’ versatility. “We aren’t set with someone playing one position--these girls can play all of them and there’s no drop-off,” she said. The lineup stacks up like this. At first base will be sophomore Gaby Benjamin and freshman Jade Johnson. Benjamin started as a freshman and will also see action on the mound, while Johnson will see time at second base. Bailey Ernest comes from an athletic family and looks smooth at second base. Sophomore Julia Chavez takes over at third base and looks to provide plenty of power as a hitter. Kaili Reitano, a starter as a freshman, moves from second base to shortstop. This smooth infielder also has the skills at the plate to drive in runs. The outfield is full of talent and depth. Besides Kessler, look for Sarah Bergren, Taylor Stevens, Iris Guzman and sophomore Kaela Little to split playing time. Each has a dynamic skill set that makes it easier to platoon. Bergren looks to have the strongest Post All-Star Break Questions Loom for Lakers By Adam Serrao There are two ways to look at the regular season that the Los Angeles Lakers have put together so far. If you are a realist, then you look at their 19-39 record heading into the All-Star Break, shrug your shoulders and say, “Well, at least they’re better than last year.” If you’re a real fanatic of the team, though, and hold extreme and irrational beliefs, as the definition of the word suggests, then you might expect the Lakers to be competing for the playoffs already. Living in Los Angeles isn’t easy, and neither is being a bad Lakers team that resides just steps away from Hollywood and is still ranked second on a list of value franchises inside of the NBA. For that reason alone, the Lakers have a lot of work to do after the All-Star Game that has easily distanced itself from most of the players and personnel within the organization. If, as a fan, you’ve come into this year expecting the Lakers to make it into the playoffs, it is time to change your reality. The Lakers are one of the youngest teams in the league--but despite their inexperience, there is still a lot to look forward to as long as expectations can be tempered. As the team drops further and further out of contention in the Western Conference, the opportunity for the Lakers’ young guns to play will become even greater. No, that’s not just D’Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram either. A season that is lost should also mean increased playing time for youngsters who have the potential to make an impact in coming seasons like Ivica Zubac, Larry Nance, Jr. and maybe even Tarik Black. Along with that should come more time on the pine for Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov, who both hit the lottery when Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak and/ or part-owner Jim Buss decided that they would be good additions to the team. If D’Angelo Russell is ever going to be a top-flight point guard in the league, the post-All-Star Break stretch run should finally see the 20-year-old come into his own. With virtually no pressure on his shoulders when he takes the court each night, it shouldn’t be a stretch to want to see Russell average close to 20 points, seven assists and six rebounds each night. Likewise, 19-year-old Brandon Ingram’s playing time should go up as the youngster transitions into a league with an 82-game schedule and professionals who all weigh over 200 pounds (unlike his 6’9”, 190-pound stature). Ingram needs to gain endurance if he ever wishes to make it back to All-Star Weekend, only next time as a starter. Despite the team’s inability to, well, be good…the Lakers still give their fans some- Sarah Bergren has one of the team’s best outfield arms and will be counted on for her bat too. See Lakers, page 14 A Soccer Story: Former ESHS Star Beats Injuries to Reach Goal By Joe Krebs From my introductory days in the AYSO to playing for El Segundo High School in the mid-1980s and then continuing on throughout my adulthood in the South Bay Peninsula Soccer League (SBPSL), my passion and love for the game of soccer has never faded. There’s something motivational and sensational about suiting up in a uniform on Sundays, taking the field with your fellow like-minded teammates and participating in an action-packed competitive sport that demands all individuals work together as a unified team to achieve success and bring home a victory. As a long-time El Segundo resident and former Honors graduate, I was once the captain of the boys’ varsity soccer team and in 1986, we the Eagles, won the All Pioneer League title and I was voted to First Team All Pioneer League as well as First Team All CIF 3A Division. Fast-forward to March 2014 and while playing in the SBPSL, I ruptured my right ankle. I tore the fascial tissue, dislocated and partially frayed the Peroneus Longus and Brevis tendons and thus such an injury would require surgery to fix or else I would never walk, run or move the same again. I sought out the expertise of Dr. Carol Frey, who specializes in foot and ankle injuries at West Coast Orthopedics located in Manhattan Beach off of Rosecrans. In short summary, my personal experience with Dr. Frey, her assistants and staff members was exceptional and I would highly recommend her services. She was the perfect balance of applying the brakes, allowing sufficient time for the tissue to fully heal and recover, in contrast to my continuous foot pressure on the throttle trying to accelerate my recovery. After four different casts, one walking boot and some major muscular atrophy, I was finally set free to start my next stage...rehab. I chose to do all of my own rehabilitation, for I have been a professional See A Soccer Story, page 17 1986 El Segundo High School team photo. Captain Joe Krebs kneeling in the first row, bottom far right corner. See Lady Eagles, page 17
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