By Richard Paolinelli
MaxPreps.com
Move over Barry Bonds, Matt Chavez is the Bay Area's home run king.
At least for now.
The Burlingame High senior is serving early notice on Central Coast Section pitchers to beware when he strides to the plate. Chavez has already hit 10 home runs and is riding a six-game streak with at least one dinger.
Chavez, who has hit eight of his 10 home runs during the six-game run that began on March 29, launched his 10th of the season in the Panthers' 19-1 victory over Capuchino High last Wednesday after a seven-day break between games.
"Matt was a good hitter, but he didn't show this much power last season. Now he is just pounding the ball," Burlingame coach Rich Sciutto said in an interview with the San Jose Mercury News. "He has put in a lot of hard work and is seeing the ball very well. He's in a Michael Jordan-type of zone right now."
Chavez, who will play for the University of San Francisco Dons next spring, is batting .508 with 35 RBIs.
In other CCS action on the diamonds, not everything stays in Vegas after all, as the Monterey High baseball team defeated host team Bishop Gorman 7-2 in the championship game to leave Las Vegas with the Easter Classic crown.
Michael Bruno's three-run home run broke open the game as Monterey finished 4-0-1 in the tournament.
Unfortunately for nearby Carmel High, Vegas wasn't as much fun as Joey Parsons' complete game effort wasn't enough to help Carmel in a 4-3 loss to Orange at the Easter Classic. Parsons, who only gave up one earned run while striking out eight, had tied the game at 3-3 in the seventh with a two-run base hit.
Track & Field
Despite the rains, the 19th Annual Serra Top 7 Invitational had plenty of excitement to offer Saturday, starting with the boys 1,600-meter race.
Top-seeded Gambileg Bor of Jefferson High tangled legs with Woodside's Daniel Filipcik in the final eighth of the race.
Bor, who was behind Filipcik, stumbled to the ground. Bor immediately got up and continued his pursuit of Filipcik and nearly caught the Woodside runner from behind before falling just short at the finish line.
Menlo-Atherton's Kim O'Donnell won both the girls 100-meter hurdles (15.40) and 300 hurdles (46.30) before capturing the long jump with a leap of 16-3.5. Woodside's Lindsay Brunner won the girls 1,600 in 5:18.60. Menlo-Atherton's Keianna Talton also captured double wins, finishing first in the 100 (12.80) and the 200 (25.94).
On the boys side, Filipcik added a victory in the 3,200 (9:49.30) and Westmoor's Felix Wu also won multiple events, winning the shot put (21-6) and discus (41-6).
