San Benito County produced winners from many sports backgrounds
in 2007
Here it is Jan. 4, 2008. Another year has come and gone. And
with it, another year of sports memories that are forever captured
in the archives of this very paper
– stories that those of us who follow the local scene may never
forget.
San Benito County produced winners from many sports backgrounds in 2007
Here it is Jan. 4, 2008. Another year has come and gone. And with it, another year of sports memories that are forever captured in the archives of this very paper – stories that those of us who follow the local scene may never forget.
Yes, 2007 was an extra special one in terms of personal and team achievement. Recently, we had a chance to delve through the past 52 issues of The Pinnacle’s Sports Section to come up with the Top 10 sports stories of 2007. Although they are listed below by number, the order is subject to debate. After all, one particular sport or story might be far more interesting to one person than it is to another. But there is no doubt that all of these stories were of major significance to the Hollister sports scene in 2007.
Barone in “The Show”
1. In the history of Major League baseball no one from the city of Hollister ever earned a trip to the big leagues. That all changed on Aug. 8 when right-handed pitcher Daniel Barone was called up from the Albuquerque Isotopes to the Florida Marlins. Two days later, Barone made his first start where he picked up a no decision against the New York Mets – a team with a strong hitting lineup. For the record Barone pitched respectably, going 4 and 2/3 innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs in his debut.
“The hitters are a lot more patient up here,” Barone said at the time. “They sit and wait for their pitch. When they have an 0-2 count, they’ll just foul balls off and wait you out until they get the pitch they want to hit out of the park.”
Editor’s Note: Some will read this and say that Charlie Root, the former Chicago Cubs pitcher whose claim to fame was throwing the “called” homerun shot to Babe Ruth in the 1932 World Series was from San Benito. Root was originally from Ohio and didn’t live in Hollister until after his retirement.
Vikings win national title
2. Winning a league, Section or state title is one thing. But when a local team wins a national title that’s an automatic for making a year-end list like this. Not only is winning a national championship an exceptional achievement it’s also as rare as it gets. But just last month the Hollister Vikings Jr. Pee Wee football team found a way to do it and made the dream a reality after ousting Connecticut’s Fairfield Giants 18-6 to capture the city’s first-ever National Junior Pee Wee championship. The title game, which took place at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida capped off the Vikings’ perfect 16-0 season – another huge feat in itself.
Anzar cross country wins CCS
3. Winning a Central Coast Section title in any sport is a major accomplishment for any high school team. San Juan Bautista’s Anzar High School – a school with less than 400 students – captured the 2007 CCS Division V Cross Country Championship at Crystal Springs in Belmont in November. The historic victory marked only the second time in school history that an Anzar team was able to capture a Section title. In 2000, the Hawks did so in the sport of volleyball. During the cross-country season this year the Hawks posted a perfect 8-0 record in league to capture the Mission Trail Athletic League title.
“I knew heading into the season that we would be good, but not great,” Hawks’ Coach Doug MacKinnon at the time. “This was everything we could have hoped for.”
Golf balls to Iraq
4. Although this accomplishment had nothing to do with records or titles and didn’t take place on a playing field, the decision of Ridgemark Golf and Country Club’s staff to collect and donated as many golf balls as possible and ship them to Iraq for the U.S. Military personnel to use took on a life of its own. The idea, which first stemmed from a handful of Ridgemark members and Head Pro Chris Branon wound up taking on a life of its own. Not only did the story gain national attention but hundreds of people and members from various clubs from all over the country joined in to help provide our military with a few moments of leisure during their tour in Iraq. In all, more than 50,000 golf balls were sent over a three-month period to U.S. troops in Iraq. Since that time other clubs throughout the country have had similar campaigns – and it all started right here in Hollister.
Balers softball team repeats as section champs
5. Winning a Central Coast Section title is hard to do one time. The San Benito High softball team was able to win back-to-back titles this past year thanks to their 2-1 win over Carlmont in the finals. Riding on the arm of star pitching ace Marissa Ibarra, the Balers won the prestigious title and with it an invitation to play in a national tournament this coming March in Southern California, which includes the top 32 teams in the nation. Ironically, the number 32 also represents the number of games the Balers won last year – a number that has grown every year since Head Coach Scott Smith took the program over six years ago.
“We won 20 the first year, then 24, 25, 27, and last year (2006) we won 29,” Smith said in an interview after winning the title. “This year (2007) we won 32 games. The most you can play in, counting tournaments, is about 36, so next year (this year) it’s going to be tough to top.”
National BMX champion
6. Hollister’s Ricky Castro captured the National BMX Championship in the 6-year-old Expert Class in September. In addition to being the national champion, Castro performed so well in 2007 that he earned the No. 1 ranking for the United States Western Region as well as the state of California. In all Castro, who is now 7, has won more than 100 BMX races. In fact, he has won so many that the family no longer accepts them unless they’re four-feet high (nearly his height) or more and/or from a national event because the family simply doesn’t have the space in the house for them any more.
Blind golfer competes in golden age games
7. Raymond Trevino, a Korean War veteran, may have lost his sight to diabetes in 2001, but that didn’t prevent the 69-year-old Hollister resident from competing last summer in the 21st National Veterans Golden Age Games, a pre-qualifier for the U.S. Senior Olympics. Although Trevino didn’t win the competition just being able to compete was an accomplishment worthy of earning a spot on our top 10 list. At the event, which took place in Houston, Texas, Trevino (no relation to Lee) also competed in dominoes, 9-ball and bowling events.
Rovella national bodybuilding champ
8. Steve Rovella, who owns and operates Rovella’s gym in Hollister, made our list for his exceptional success this year in a number of bodybuilding competitions. Rovella, a 54-year-old amateur and former winner of Mr. USA (1986) and Mr. California (1985) World Natural Bodybuilding Champion (2006), didn’t lose a single event that he competed in in 2007 – regardless of division. During the year, the 5-foot-4, 154-pound bodybuilder captured the U.S. Millennium Natural Body Building Championship as well as the U.S. Nationals competition in Hawaii. He also won the Silver & Black Bodybuilding Championship, which is sponsored by the Oakland Raiders.
Two title bouts on the same night
9. So what’s the big deal about this? Multiple title bouts are always taking place on the same night. That’s true, but how often do two world champions, one from Hollister, the other from Gilroy, fight on the same night? Answer: It never happened before. But that was the case on November 3 when Hollister’s Kel-C “The Road Warrior” Jeffries successfully defended her International Female Boxers’ Association Featherweight title against Elizabeth Villareal at the same time that Gilroy’s Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero knocked out Martin Honorio to retain his International Boxing Federation title. The fact that two neighboring cities are home to two current reigning world champions is enough alone to make this list.
Kortsen a three-time volleyball MVP
10. In the history of Tri County Athletic League volleyball no player had ever won three consecutive MVP awards. That all changed this year when San Benito High’s Emily Kortsen, a player who her coach called one of the greatest he had ever seen at the high school level, won the prestigious award for the third consecutive time. During the team’s season, which wrapped up in November, Kortsen led the Balers in almost every single category that stats are kept. In addition to her league-leading 544 kills, Kortsen had 320 digs, 49 service aces, 74 blocks, 48 assists, and 250 service points. In the fall, the dominant 6-foot-2 opposite hitter will attended Utah State University on a full volleyball scholarship.
