KCEA Broadcasts 500th PAL Game Tonight at Terra Nova High Homecoming

By Joan Dentler

If it's Friday night, and if you can't be at the game in person, chances are you're listening to your local high school football game on the voice of Peninsula prep sports — KCEA 89.1 FM.

And tonight, KCEA will broadcast its 500th game, Sequoia High vs. Terra Nova Tigers at Terra Nova High School for the big homecoming game. 

What makes KCEA sports broadcasting unique is that it's produced, engineered, and announced primarily by local high school students.

Live this week on 89.1 FM, KCEA
Sequoia @ Terra Nova
pregame 6:45 p.m./kickoff 7 p.m.

Thank you to KCEA sports director John Mylod for sharing the station's latest newsletter with Patch. The following is an excerpt:

Friday night is KCEA's 500th game broadcast live!
A look back...On January 8, 1999, 89.1 FM, KCEA broadcast our first live game. On that day, host Menlo-Atherton downed the Bob Thompson led Mills Vikings 54-45. The On-air staff was Dave Kramer, John Mylod and Dean Hassapakis. Our on-site engineer was Brian Smith (Mills, 1998). Since 2001, Brian has been the often referred to, yet seldom heard, board op/produce for the Razor and Mr T(Now the Mr T Show) on KNBR. Christian De La Cruz (AKA-Run DLC-S.S.F., 1998) is now a local and digital design manager at KRZZ, Spanish broadcasting system.

Currently, the KCEA staff is rich with experience. Arden Cravalho (Junior, Serra) is now in his third year on the staff. Also in his third year is Grant Stewart, (Senior, M-A) This kind of consistency has led to smooth live coverage. The expected mistakes (this is after all a learning environment) that normally appear during Inside the P.A.L. are rare. This despite an era where technology is constantly changing. Just last week, our normal broadcasting procedure was not working. Arden set up the broadcast "old school" and we were on the air in minutes.

KCEA No. 500 By the Numbers... 
 
Total Games Broadcast
316-Total basketball games live. (225 boys, 91 girls) 179-Football games broadcast live. 5-Baseball games. 500-Total high school games broadcast live.

C.C.S. 40-Basketball games have been aired live. 22-Football games have been broadcast. 62-Total CCS games live. and... 12-Straight years live at CCS.  11-CCS Championships have been live. (7 basketball/4 football)  3-Nor-Cal games live including our farthest broadcast, Rocklin. PAL Tournament 11-Straight years broadcasting the semis and finals Rivalries 23-Basketball games between M-A and Woodside aired live. 14-(Or every game played since 1999) Football-M-A and Woodside
And Some Firsts...

• The first game at Woodside's gym was live. (2005, Woodside 72  Burlingame 66/Drew Shiller 45 points!)
• The first game at Sequoia's gym was also live. (2011, San Mateo 52  Sequoia 50)
• The first CCS win in Sequoia boys basketball history was live on KCEA. (2005/52-31 over Cupertino @ Sequoia)
• The first night football game in M-A history was live. (2009, M-A vs SHP)
• The first (and only) Ocean Division Championship game was live on KCEA. (2008, SHP 28  King's Academy 21-ot @ SHP)
• The first (and second a week later) overtime game in PAL history was broadcast live (2010, Sequoia 35  Hillsdale 28-ot.)
• KCEA was also live for the ceremony dedicated the football field at M-A to Coach Parks.
• KCEA also broadcast Pam Wimberly's 1000th game as a girls high school basketball coach.