Falcons, Trojans top Metro's league loops at midseason mark

By Phillip Brents

CHULA VISTA, Jan. 9, 2001 -- The Metro Conference’s roller hockey circuit reached the halfway mark of the season this week with Scripps Ranch and Castle Park leading their respective divisions with unbeaten league records. The North County-based Falcons topped the Mesa League with a perfect 5-0-0 mark following commanding wins against Southwest (17-1) and Montgomery (16-0) on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. The Trojans improved to 4-0-0 in South Bay League play following Tuesday’s 15-3 victory against Mar Vista.

Scripps Ranch took a conference-best 9-1 record into Thursday’s climactic meeting against Mesa League challenger Bonita Vista to officially inaugurate second-round play. The Falcons topped the Barons by a 7-4 score in the teams’ season opener back in late November and the two squads remain the heavyweights in the division at midseason. A win or tie Thursday by the Falcons would all but hand them the league championship title while a Bonita Vista victory could lead them to a share of the Mesa League title.

Heading into Thursday’s midseason showdown, the talent-laden Falcons had to hope they had enough depth from which to draw to keep the much improved Barons at arm's length.

Brothers Dan and Rick Comrie may stir the pot for Scripps Ranch, alternating in pacing the team in scoring, but the Falcons have proven themselves far from a two-man team through first-round play. Supporting the two cross-sport (roller and ice hockey) stars have been a cast of able players, including sophomores Andrew Berrier, Jennings Brieck, Greg Best, Geoff Bjork and Zach Walters, junior Lance Jeremiah and senior Emil Tsaturov.

A native of Moscow, Russia, Tsaturov immigrated to Michigan at age 8 and picked up roller hockey ahead of ice hockey. The Falcons became a stronger team after his family relocated to the San Diego area this past year. One of only two seniors on the team, Tsaturov had three goals and three assists in Wednesday’s game against Montgomery — a figure matched by Dan Comrie — while Brieck contributed three goals, Bjork netted twice and Best added a goal and two assists. Eight players scored goals in the contest for Scripps Ranch.

Castle Park, which improved to 8-2 overall following Wednesday’s 20-2 victory against Southwest, has been excelling on the court with a game plan almost the opposite that employed by conference newcomer Scripps Ranch. The Trojans have elected to go with a small core of high-impact players, focusing on quality rather than quantity. The result has been an explosive offense that few teams in the modest 11-team circuit can match.

Don McGraw has made the biggest impact in his first season with Castle Park by leading the conference in overall scoring. He surpassed the 50-point plateau with two goals and three assists in Tuesday’s win and padded that lead with four goals and two assists in Wednesday’s matchup against Southwest.

The Trojans also own the rights to the conference’s second pair of high profile siblings in Richard and Arturo Garcia, both of whom helped terrorize the conference’s inaugural 2000-2001 campaign. Together with McGraw, the two Garcias rank among the top five scorers in the conference.

The core group is rounded out by Jovan Meyers, Emmanuel Madrid and Huston Fry. Madrid, who played between the pipes in the team’s inaugural campaign, had five goals and four assists in Wednesday’s rout while Meyers added four goals and Fry racked up three goals and three assists. Both Arturo and Richard Garcia contributed two goals and one assists apiece.

Keeping the wheels spinning is the team’s biggest challenge. Without a significant bench from which to draw, Castle Park has been forced to play its core lineup virtually the entire game — a heroic measure that came up just short in a 6-5 loss earlier this season to Scripps Ranch.

Defending conference champion Hilltop remains very much in the hunt for this season’s South Bay League title, hoping to avenge a first-round loss to Castle Park. The Lancers improved to 7-2-1 overall after defeating Sweetwater, 15-6, on Wednesday. Sophomore Erick Morgan led Hilltop with three goals and two assists while freshman Trevor Stutzman and senior Ben Nixon both added three goals and one assist apiece. Sophomore Everett Hinojosa, who supplied the game-winning goal in the Lancers’ 5-4 victory against league rival Eastlake on Tuesday, contributed two goals and two assists in the game against the Red Devils while teammate Steve Monroe scored a pair of goals.

Sweetwater, which saw its record dip to 3-6-1, was paced on the floor by Marvy Ferrer, Richard Kolerich and Brian Wilkinson, all of whom tallied two goals and one assist. The Devils are fielding a stronger team this season and hold onto a 3-2 Mesa League record. “This year is good. Next year, we’re going to be a lot better,” said Ferrer, a sophomore.

Developing a program to peak in the future appears to be on the agenda of first-year Montgomery coach Brian Phillips, who brings both an ice and roller hockey background over from Arizona. “I’m taking everyone’s talent and putting it to the best possible use. A lot of my players are young. By the time they are seniors, we’ll have a good team. We’re all growing together,” Phillips said. “I tell them that the best hockey player doesn’t plan his moves, he just reacts to what he’s given.”