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Published on 03/09/1998 All articles from this issue

Alta Vista High hopes to enter the CCS for basketball

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By Pete Borello / Town Crier Staff Writer

Getting into the game

The athletic program at Alta Vista High School has come a long way in a short time.

A year ago the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District's continuation school didn't have a single sports team. Now Alta Vista has two teams and is trying to get into the Central Coast Section.

The change in the school's attitude toward sports is largely due to teacher John Figueroa. He approached administrators last summer about starting an after-school sports program. After mulling it over, they decided to give Figueroa the go ahead.

Administrators were leery at first because the Mountain View school has been down this path before. Alta Vista offered extra-curricular sports until six years ago when a fight broke out at a basketball game. The incident prompted the school to abruptly cancel the entire athletic program.

Figueroa has been told his boys basketball and football teams could vanish just as quickly if another problem arises. That's why Alta Vista prohibits spectators at home basketball games, which are played at Palo Alto's Cubberley Community Center.

"It's a little strange to play basketball in an empty gym," Figueroa said, "but it's better than not playing at all."

So far, everything has gone smoothly. In fact, Figueroa said he couldn't be more pleased with the conduct of his players.

"Referees have told us we're the best behaved team they've seen all year," Figueroa said.

This certainly was the case in Alta Vista's final home basketball game March 4. While players from visiting Robertson High questioned some of the referees' calls, the Aztecs accepted them. They encouraged one another and hung on Figueroa's every word during timeouts.

And the majority of the students out for sports have also performed admirably in the classroom, according to Figueroa.

"They're doing extremely well," he said. "They seem more interested in school and have a stronger connection with it."

Quinn Martin, a senior on the basketball team, agrees.

"It's cool to be a part of the team," Martin said. "We get to represent the school in a positive way. It also motivates us to keep our grades up."

Figueroa wants to get female students involved in sports as well. He tried to organize a girls basketball team, but only one student tried out. Figueroa hopes to get a better turnout for spring volleyball.

Numbers have not been a problem on the boys sides, though.

The flag football team attracted 40 players in the fall, impressive numbers for a school with only 136 students.

The 13-member basketball team has been such a success that Figueroa and assistant coach Bob Adams want the Aztecs to join the CCS next season. The squad has gone 9-1 against other Bay Area continuation schools this winter. Figueroa believes Alta Vista would be good enough to compete with the district's other two high schools - Los Altos and Mountain View - if it could get equal practice time. The players seem to feel the same way.

"We have some good players," said junior Dajuan Brown. "If we practiced more we could run with those teams."

The Aztecs may get their chance next year by entering the CCS.

"If we played other regular schools, the kids would feel better about themselves," Figueroa said. "They'd be more interested in practice because we'd have a set schedule of games. Now we sometimes don't have a game for two weeks."

Since Alta Vista isn't interested in joining a league, it plans on applying for an associate membership to CCS. This non-league status would allow the Aztecs to play a full schedule of games - in front of fans - but they wouldn't be eligible for the playoffs.

Getting into the CCS shouldn't be a problem, according to Figueroa. The hard part is raising enough money to compete in the section.

Alta Vista would have to pay the CCS a membership fee and buy regulation uniforms for its players. Home games would require renting a gym and hiring referees. Away games would mean renting a bus. Figueroa estimates these expenses will add up to about $4,500.

The school district is willing to pay a portion of the cost, according to Figueroa. The rest of the money will need to come from other sources.

That's where Adams enters the picture. He's working on getting the Los Altos Rotary Club - of which he is a member - to donate to the cause. Adams said his proposal is under consideration and he's hopeful the club will lend a hand.

"Getting into the CCS would be a great feather in Alta Vista's cap," Adams said.

Anyone interested in helping Alta Vista finance its bid to join the CCS can call Figueroa at 691-2439.