AAE rapidly improves
Both baseball and softball teams made CIF playoffsMARK A. PEINADO/Staff Writer
Up until this past prep season, the words "Academy of Academic Excellence" rarely if ever graced the pages of the Daily Press sports section.
Richard Gillard / Staff PhotographerAcademy for Academic Excellence's Cassie Bowles fields a ball and is backed up by Bethany Baum during practice at Apple Valley Community Center on Thursday. |
The Knights were unaffiliated and their neophyte sports programs had experienced little, if any, successes.
But that has all changed with the influx of talent to the charter school in Apple Valley. Both the boys and girls basketball teams made the CIF Southern Section playoffs, the golf team won a league title and the baseball team has advanced to this year's playoffs.
Then there's a softball team that went 9-0 in the Hi-Lo League and is the No. 4 seed in the CIF-SS Division VI playoffs that start today with a game against Capistrano Valley Christian.
"We were limited by the number of kids that came out but now we have enough and we are turning out some athletes," said softball coach Victor Holley of the freelancing days of the Knights in the early years of the school. "Going 9-0 in league was a combination of a bunch of excellent girls that played well together and the right bunch of girls coming together at the right time."
The school has grown steadily since its inception five years ago and the high school now has an enrollment of 123.
Just 13 students were new to the high school last year, but Director of Athletics Dave Cook said that five of them were varsity level athletes.
"Obviously the increased enrollment has helped," said Cook, who has been involved with the school since its birth and coached the softball team last year. "For me, it's been a slow change. The biggest difference is that the kids are finally starting to get to know each other as a group and that is building teamwork and trust and they are performing better on the field."
The softball team's success has been the school's most impressive, so far, as the Knights finished the regular season with a record of 13-5.
AAE is led by the battery of Mirrisha Jacobo and Sunshine Vanderveer. Jacobo is hitting .532 while Vanderveer is batting over .600.
"Sunshine is one of our seniors and if you don't have a catcher you're hurting," Holley said. "The other half of the two-man team is Mirrisha. She has been pitching awesome."
The success of the season has caught Holley off guard. Holley said he didn't expect to get into the playoffs let alone compete for a league title.
"Going 9-0 surprised us," Holley said. "We didn't look past each game. We didn't look toward CIF. We just wanted to come out with a winning season. The fourth seed is excellent and new territory for us."
As the team prepares for their first-ever playoff contest, Holley has noticed a little anxiety among the girls but feels that should wear off by game time.
"I could see a little more stress and them trying harder. They are not as relaxed," Holley said. "I think they'll come together. They are nervous and rightfully so. They have done something the school has never done. We're going to go like we have played all season, not looking past Friday."
Also advancing to the playoffs is AAE's baseball team. They, however, will face a stern test in the first round as the Knights take on the No. 2 seed Hesperia Christian. The Patriots went 10-0 in the Agape League and are 18-3 overall.
AAE's top performers during the season included pitchers Kevin Zencka and C.J. Deal while Ned Gonzales provided the offense. The Knights finished third in the Hi-Lo League.
Used with persmission by Daily Press, Freedom Communication, 2002