The Hollister Viking Junior Pee Wees finish season undefeated,
win the national championship in Orlando, Fla.
Staff Reports
Top Story No. 1
The Hollister Viking Junior Pee Wees finish season undefeated, win the national championship in Orlando, Fla.
Just one year removed from their third-place finish at the Pop Warner Super Bowl, the Hollister Vikings returned to the national championship in Orlando, Fla. in December. They were the only returning team, and they left Florida as the top story of 2007.
The Vikings put an exclamation point on their undefeated regular season by defeating the Orange Park Cyclones of Florida 14-6 in the semifinals at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex, and they followed that performance with an 18-6 victory over the Fairfield Giants of Connecticut in the national championship.
They were crowned champions of the Peninsular Pop Warner Conference, the Pacific Northwest region and, of course, they earned their rightful place in the Pop Warner Super Bowl.
“This was not expected (at the beginning of the season),” head coach Gino Andrade said at the time. “We figured we’d be in the playoffs, but 15-0 with a national championship, this was totally unexpected.”
In the championship final against Fairfield, the Vikings battled the Giants in a defensive engagement that was settled in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter.
The go-ahead touchdown was a 31-yard pass from Tyler Fhurong to Joshua George, while the clincher was a 46-yard interception return for a touchdown by Fhurong.
As always, defense wins championships.
Top Story No. 2
Hollister product and former ‘Baler Daniel Barone gets called up to the Major Leagues.
Daniel Barone, a 2001 graduate of San Benito High School, was called up by the Florida Marlins from Triple-A Albuquerque on Aug. 8 and got the nod to pitch just two days later against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium.
“The (Albuquerque) manager called me in and said we’ve got to talk about the hitters for Friday,” Barone recalled back in August. “I was preparing for a Friday night start against Nashville or a Saturday night start against the Mets.
“He said, ‘We’ll, we’re gonna play Nashville, but you’re gonna pitch against the Mets.’ I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh.’ It was awesome … I’ve been dreaming since then. Just crazy.”
The right-handed starter threw 4 and 2/3 innings against the Mets and allowed two earned runs on five hits. He received a no-decision in his Major League debut.
Barone threw out of the bullpen at one point in the season, allowing just two runs through 15 innings of work.
He picked up his first win on Sept. 12 against the Washington Nationals. Coming out of the bullpen, Barone threw one inning and struck out one in a 5-4 Marlins victory.
“When you get someone to that level, from a town as small as Hollister, you get a sense of pride,” said Derek Barnes, who coached Barone when he was a freshman at SBHS. “There’s a lot of people that are happy for him and his family.”
Top Story No. 3
The San Benito softball team wins the Central Coast Section for the second year in a row.
Up until 2006, the San Benito softball team had never won a Central Coast Section Division I title. Today, they’re two-time defending CCS champions.
The Lady ‘Balers defeated top-seeded Carlmont 2-1 in the CCS final in March, and concluded a season that saw San Benito finish with a 32-3 record.
Just one year prior, San Benito defeated Watsonville 1-0 in the final to finish their season 29-3.
“This is just unbelievable,” coach Scott Smith said after this year’s victory against Carlmont. “To get hyped up for the game, knowing it’s the last game and to just be here and watch how calm the girls were … I couldn’t put it into words.”
Led by pitcher Marisa Ibarra, who’s compiled a 56-4 record in her first two seasons on the hill, San Benito upset the Scots for their second title in as many years.
After Carlmont tied the game at 1-1, pinch-runner Kelsey Russell scored on a Clayton single in what would be the game-winning run.
“That makes it a lot better,” Clayton said in May. “Carlmont wanted it bad. Winning (the title) is just amazing.”
Top Story No. 4
Kelsey Jeffries successfully defends her IFBA title three times, and picks up another belt along the way.
Hollister resident Kelsey Jeffries fought her 50th career fight in December and finished a fine 2007 with a 40-9-1 record with three KOs.
The champ went a perfect 4-0 this year. She defended her IFBA (International Females Boxers Association) Featherweight belt against Rhonda Luna, Donna Biggers and, most recently, Jun Yun Jung in Eumsung, South Korea. The Gilroy native also won the Global Boxing Union World Title in November from Elizabeth Villarreal, adding a seventh title to her collection.
Jeffries said her fight against Jung, though, was the toughest of her career. Traveling to South Korea, “The Road Warrior” won by a unanimous decision last Sunday against Jung, and defended her IFBA belt for the eighth time since earning it in 2004.
“It was the toughest fight in my career, mentally and physically,” Jeffries said. “I knew going in I had to just win … I had to push myself through it, and I’m lucky I did it.”
Jeffries was without any video on Jung, and after traveling halfway across the world to fight the native of Seoul, South Korea, Jeffries stepped foot onto a “memory-foam” ring mat, which reduced the movement of the speedy prize fighter.
“She thought she was gonna steal my belt,” Jeffries said. “She certainly surprised me, but not enough, I guess.”
Top Story No. 5
Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero: The Year of the Ghost.
Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero started and finished 2007 in smashing style.
The 24-year-old Gilroy native entered the year without his IBF Featherweight title after a tainted defeat to Orlando Salido in late 2006. However, the bout was later ruled a no-contest as Salido tested positive for steroids.
Guerrero regained the title by stopping Spend Abazi at the Falconer Center in Copenhagen, Denmark in February. Pummeling his opponent for eight rounds,
The Ghost was victorious when Abazi wanted “no mas” before the ninth.
In November, Guerrero defended his title by delivering the quickest knockout of his professional career, flooring Martin Honorio in 56 seconds. The victory improved his record to 21-1-1 with 13 KOs.
Getting the win was more than physically challenging, though, as Guerrero was also dealing with the news that his wife, Casey, had been diagnosed with leukemia just weeks before the bout.
“She told me, ‘I want you to go and fight. You’ve been training a long time. I want you to go out there and make it happen,'” he said later that night. “And that’s what I did.”
The couple, who have two children, found out on Casey’s birthday in December that her cancer is now in remission.
Top Story No. 6
The San Benito baseball team finishes runner-up in the Central Coast Section, Luna named coach of the year by NorCalPreps.com, Hudson earns All-American status at Gavilan, Medeiros named MVP.
The San Benito baseball team garnered a plethora of headlines in 2007, starting with the team’s record-breaking 29 wins and runner-up finish at the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs.
While the season ended with a disappointing 6-2 defeat to Valley Christian in the CCS final, it was the first time the Haybalers qualified for the championship, and they were rightfully awarded after the season.
First, eight players earned All-League status, while senior Kevin Medeiros earned Most Valuable Player of the Tri-County Athletic League.
Medeiros batted .533 with two homers and 17 RBI in 11 league games in 2007, and finished second in the TCAL in all three categories.
Said coach Michael Luna in May, “He was just a few hits away from getting the Triple Crown.”
Luna was named coach of the year by NorCalPreps.com after leading the ‘Balers to a 29-9 record, five wins better than the previous season’s then-record breaking win total.
“He’s arguably the best coach in Northern California, if not the state,” said Steve Beaulieu, head baseball coach at Santa Teresa.
Even outside San Benito County, former Haybalers were earning awards.
Seth Hudson, a graduate of SBHS, was named to the Northern California All-American team as a catcher at Gavilan College.
Hudson led Gavilan in batting (.398), hits (49), home runs (3), RBI (29), doubles (19), walks (28) and hit by pitches (15).
In May, Hudson signed a full scholarship to play for Cal State Stanislaus.
Top Story No. 7
The San Benito girls volleyball team finishes season in Nor-Cal playoffs, Kortsen named league MVP.
The San Benito girls volleyball team finished their season with an impressive 28-12 record after earning the Tri-County Athletic League crown outright (with an 11-1 league record) and finishing runner-up in the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs behind Homestead.
The Haybalers advanced to the CIF Nor-Cal State Volleyball Championships as a result, and finished as one of the top four teams in Northern California after falling to Nevada Union in four games.
“I thought we played well. I was real proud of their effort,” coach Dean Askanas said in November. “They played hard and Nevada Union is pretty good.”
After the season concluded, four members of the team earned All-League status, including Bri Romero, Ali Sharp, Justine Hunter and Emily Kortsen.
Kortsen also earned Most Valuable Player honors for the third time in her high school career after she finished the season with a league-leading 544 kills.
She’ll be gracing the courts of Utah State next season after signing a National Letter of Intent in late November.
Top Story No. 8
The Hollister National 9- and 10-year-old Little League All-Stars finish runner-up in the Northern California Division II Tournament.
The Hollister National baseball team earned second place out of some 500 Little League teams in Northern California in August, taking the runner-up position to Davis American.
The National team came up on the short end of two one-run games in the double-elimination Nor-Cal tournament, but manager Adam Breen at the time reminded his players of their high standing.
“We reminded them that it’s tough,” Breen said in August. “But they’ve got two more years of Little League left. We represented Hollister well. Next year, they’ll be introduced as the district champs and the section champs. That’s not going to change.”
Hollister was crowned champions of the Section 5 and District 9 All-Star tournaments en route to their Nor-Cal title run.
Top Story No. 9
Former Haybalers Amanda Boyd and Chelsea Fowles excel at the collegiate level.
Amanda Boyd, a 2006 graduate of San Benito High School, competed at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Ind., in November with her Northern Arizona cross country team.
The Lumberjacks, who garnered a No. 15 ranking, finished seventh overall out of 31 teams with 357 points, while Boyd ran a 21:38.6 for NAU, good enough to cross in 113th place out of 253 runners.
“The experience was amazing. I’ve never seen so many people for a cross country meet,” Boyd said in November. “Being one of the top 260 girls in the country, that’s an experience in itself … It’s something I’ll never forget.”
Chelsea Fowles, a 2007 graduate of SBHS, was named Freshman of the Year in the Western Athletic Conference as a setter for her Utah State volleyball team in November. It was the first time an Aggie earned the honor since Utah State joined the WAC in 2005.
Fowles finished second in the WAC with 1,133 assists, averaging 12.45 a game.
The Aggies finished their regular season with an upset victory over 10th-ranked Hawaii. It was the first time since 1981 that Utah State had defeated the Rainbow Wahine, and the first time ever a WAC team has defeated Hawaii in Honolulu.
“… In college, you learn that your team is your family. They’re who you spend your time with and you learn to get along with all of them,” Fowles said in October. “In college, you know everyone is experienced. You have to work with so much talent and utilize it to be the best.”
Top Story No. 10
The Central Coast Barnstormers defend their Nor-Cal Championship with rout of Sacramento.
The Central Coast Barnstormers throttled the Sacramento Wolverines 23-3 in the Nor-Cal Championship game in August after having nearly two months off from their previous game in June.
The ‘Stormers won the Northern California Amateur Football Federation Championship on June 16, and waited for the Wolverines to win their respective division, the Golden Coast Football League Championship.
The two teams met up in mid-August for the Nor-Cal title game, and the ‘Stormers played with seemingly little rust to suggest that it was their first game in two months.
Quarterback Rhett Van De Mark was 7 of 17 and threw for 126 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Central Coast’s top-ranked defense allowed just 215 total yards against Sacramento.
“There was a little bit of rust offensively, but the defense played so well early that it allowed the offense to get going and execute,” ‘Stormers head coach Dave Clapham said in August. “It doesn’t take long to rub that rust off.”
The win over Sacramento pushed the Barnstormers to the state title game in December, but with four months off in between games, Central Coast suffered a 40-0 defeat to the Foothill Firehawks.
Honorable Mention (in no particular order):
Pole-vaulter Josh Schroder returns to CIF State Track and Field Championships; Freshman Junior Davila qualifies for the CIF State Wrestling Championships; San Benito boys and girls track earn Tri-County Athletic League titles; Anzar cross country nabs Central Coast Section title; Courtney Allen finishes 93rd overall at CIF State Cross Country Championships; Mitch Thomas earns tour card for the European Seniors Tour; San Benito girls tennis finishes 15-1 and earns TCAL title, CCS bid; San Benito girls water polo finish 20-7, earn first in TCAL Championships.
