Complete with title runs, miracle comebacks, rivalry
matchups
&
amp; surprises
By SCOTT FORSTNER
Sports Editor
GILROY –
The year 2003 began with the Mustang matmen returning from Reno, Nevada with an impressive tournament championship at the Sierra Nevada Classic.
Even as the preseason favorites to win the Central Coast Section, the garlic grapplers never imagined they’d win out the elite tournament that encompassed six states and 89 high school programs.
“Going into the Sierra Nevada Classic, we were saying it would be nice to have a top 10 finish and, as the tournament started to go, after the second and third round, we were down in 16th place,” said Coach Armando Gonzalez, whose squad finished with a tournament-high 173 team points. “But as the rounds got tougher the elite wrestlers came to the top and we continued to win. That’s where it started becoming pretty phenomenal.”
Gilroy’s Danny San Juan won the 125-pound weight class crown; Johnny Gurich placed second in the 103-pound weight class; and both 130-pounder Chad Haygood and 119-pounder Armando Gonzalez finished third.
It marked the start of a very special and successful season for the Gilroy High wrestling team.
The month of January also saw garlic-bred quarterback Jeff Garcia lead the San Francisco 49ers back from a 24-point, third-quarter deficit against the New York Giants for an unthinkable 39-38 come-from-behind victory. Garcia, who had lived in the shadows of great predecessors Steve Young and Joe Montana, finally made his own mark by winning his first playoff game in dramatic fashion.
It certainly was a legendary comeback, the biggest comeback in 49ers’ franchise history and the second biggest in the National Football League post-season history.
“I think it’s hard to fathom right now. I can’t even really grasp my emotions. I think I’m feeling the most calm I felt all game long as far as just trying to soak it all in,” said a physically and emotionally drained Garcia as he hunched over on the microphone stand while fielding questions from the media. “I think when you play a game like that you put everything in your heart and soul on the field, and it leaves you a little zapped afterwards.
“But I tell you what, it’s probably the most gratifying feeling, most exciting feeling that I felt in a long time. To be able to rally back like that with a group of guys that just never quit, they just never gave up, is something special to be a part of.”
Garcia finished up 27-of-44 for 331 passing yards and three touchdowns, while scrambling for 60 yards on the ground – none more important than his 14-yard touchdown gallop on the opening play of the fourth quarter.
On the game-winning drive that started on the San Francisco 32-yard line, Garcia – now at the New York 13-yard line – checked the coverage and knew who he was going to get the ball to on the play. Not Terrell Owens. Not J.J. Stokes. It was Tai Streets – the man who emerged as the 49ers’ number-two receiver this year.
Garcia and the 49ers could not find the same magic in the next round, losing to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the comeback win will forever be remembered.
Before the first month on 2003 was up, the Mustang matmen would continue their early tear: Avenging a dual-meet loss from the previous season against Live Oak; thumping defending section champion Hollister, 54-7; torching North Salinas and then Salinas to remain undefeated.
“This was a great win. We knew coming in we had the stronger team – which is rare against this program. Matt Olejnik is a great coach. I have nothing but respect for him and I knew that his wrestlers would wrestle tough,” said Gonzalez, after beating the Haybalers for the first time in four seasons. “Let me tell you the final score is not indicative with the competition that went out there today. Every match was very competitive and I take my hat off to him.”
Concluding the matmen’s month was the 46-team field Mid-Cals at Gilroy High School, where Gurich and Gonzalez won weight class championships along with two runners-up, two thirds and one fifth.
“How could you compare this to anything else – at your home school with the spotlight,” Gurich said. “We’ve been preparing for it the whole week and knowing what was going to happen in the finals it was pretty exciting. There was no way I was going to lose in front of the home crowd.”
In the meantime, some other Gilroy High winter athletic teams were starting to make waves like the girls basketball team, under first-year head coach Kari Williams, and the boys soccer team, under head coach Albert Marquez and assistant Brian Hall.
The Mustang kickers suffered their first loss in a battle of the unbeatens against the rival Acorns, 2-1. The heated battle, which was complete with a on-field scuffle and the issuing of several yellow cards, was one of two thrilling clashes between the league’s top two teams.
“That’s what happens when two of the best go out there to battle to the end,” said striker Javier Hernandez, who plays club soccer with some of the Live Oak players. “They’re a lot stronger than the other teams, but it’s good practice. It gets us stronger for next time. Next time we’re going to bring it to them even more.”
Two days later, Gilroy took its frustrations out on Salinas with a dominating 9-0 victory.
The Lady Mustang hoopsters opened their surprise season with an 11-4 record and it was only the tip of the iceberg for the gritty bunch.
For the second straight season and third time in five years under head coach Jeannie Baumgartner, the varsity spirit squad earned a trip to the Pro Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii – maintaining that behind every great team, there are great spiritleaders.
“Like Jeff Garcia we want to represent the community,” said Baumgartner, who will be leaving Jan. 30 along with assistant Liz Hardy and 17 spiritleaders.
February’s coming brought a hard-to-swallow 49-48 girls basketball loss to North Salinas. On the final play of the game, Gilroy’s Sarah Miller was bumped out of bounds, but no foul was called, ending in a bit of controversy.
“Miller was shoved out of bounds and they don’t call it,” said Williams, following the heartbreaking loss to North Salinas. “We had our shots. We had two or three down there that went in and out, in and out.”
The Mustang kickers kept on winning, edging Hollister by a slim 3-2 margin with a brilliant heal pass from Everardo Diaz de Leon to Hernandez for the game-winner. The victory upped Gilroy’s record to 5-1-1 in league and 10-5-2 overall.
“I was calling for the ball. My teammate Alfonso (Motagalvan) was able to give me the ball on a great throw-in and I just healed it back to my teammate (Hernandez),” said Diaz de Leon, knowing the importance of getting the win with rival Live Oak sitting undefeated atop the T-CAL Standings. “We knew we can’t lose or tie from here on.”
In the seventh annual City of Gilroy Junior High Boys Basketball Shootout, Brownell Academy defeated Bret Harte for the seventh grade championship and Adrian Rodriguez was named the Most Valuable Player.
The garlic grapplers showed up again, taking second in the Mission-SJ Tournament despite battling illness to add to their already impressive run that included winning the Sierra Nevada and Cupertino Tournaments. In addition, they picked up a 52-19 road win over Palma to end the regular season.
The Mustang kickers (6-1-1, 10-6-3) did not stop winning in February either, blowing out Palma, 6-0, to set up a showdown for the league title against still unbeaten Live Oak.
“Some teams jell early (but) come this time they fall apart. Some teams little by little start jelling,” said Marquez. “We’re finishing. It’s all falling into place… We’ve also been lucky to stay injury-free.”
When the two soccer powers clashed again, the game ended in a scoreless tie as Gilroy finished with an 11-5-4 overall record and a 7-1-2 Tri-County Athletic League mark into the Central Coast Section Playoffs.
The Mustangs received the No. 12 seed and headed to No. 5 Menlo-Atherton for a first-round battle. But for the second straight season, the talented kickers fell in the opening round, losing 3-2.
“I thought we gave them all they could handle,” said Marquez, whose squad finished 12-5-4 in what was his final year at the helm. “We had a couple of breakdowns on defense and they took advantage of them.”
Their season ended prematurely, but Javier Hernandez (league-high nine goals, 10 assists) was named the league’s co-MVP along with Live Oak’s Cesar Serrano.
The Mustang matmen’s storybook season was furthered with 10 individual league champions, two runners-up, and one third placer for their first-ever T-CAL Championship.
“This is the best we’ve done since I’ve been here,” Gonzalez said. “I’m very, very proud of the boys. Ten champions, two runners-up and one third place so our full team is going on to CCS. We’re right on track.”
Although the playoffs were not in their future, the boys basketball team – one season removed from winning a share of the league title and reaching the CCS Quarterfinals – picked up their first and only league win over North Salinas in head coach Michael Baumgartner’s final season on the bench.
“It means a lot more than you would expect. The last home game we would ever play here. It felt good to get a win,” said senior forward Erik Tollison.
Nearing the end of February, the garlic grapplers finally achieved their ultimate goal by winning the Central Coast Section Championship with a mammoth 213 team points, including four individual champions.
“Unbelievable. This was the best feeling. We worked all year for this and now that it’s finally happened it hasn’t really sunk in yet. It’s just enormous. It’s huge,” Gonzalez said. “It’s what we’ve been looking forward to doing since I started coaching here and now we can focus on the next step – going over to state and trying to bring home some medals and some state champions.”
At the CIF State Meet, John Gurich finished a team-high fourth and teammate Mark Zabala placed sixth.
“The thing this year that really helped was that the team wasn’t really a team. They were more like a family. All the kids hang out together like a family, not a team. That helped a lot,” assistant coach Mike Koester said. “What we’ve been telling everybody is, ‘you thought we were good this year, wait until next year.'”
The second month of the year still wasn’t up when the Lady Mustang hoopsters received a No. 4 spot in the CCS Playoffs and defeated No. 13 Mount Pleasant in the first round.
At the same time, the Gilroy High boys golf team was embarking on another new season, winning the league opener at CordeValle Golf Club.
The March Madness began with the Lady Mustang hoopster notching a 62-33 quarterfinal victory over Fremont to advance to the semifinals against Archbishop Mitty – which ended Gilroy’s dramatic playoff run.
The spring sports season started strong for the boys volleyball team, which delivered with back-to-back victories over Pioneer and Sacred Heart.
Gilroy’s Brian Lopez led his four-person team to two gold medal performances at the Hollister Co-ed Relays – which signaled the opening of Gilroy High’s track season.
“He’s doing great,” said head coach Guido Zvigne of Lopez. “He PR’d in the shotput. He’s doing great. He’s a real team leader.”
The third month of the year was a busy one for the Gilroy golf team – which placed 10th of 24 teams in the Monterey Bay Invite, and second in two league meets.
“It was a beautiful day (but) we were a little worn out from the six-hour round yesterday. The guys played well, however, Salinas played better,” head coach Eric Kuwada said.
The softball squad, led by ace hurler Jenn Olvera, who already earned a scholarship to Vanguard University, started another successful season by winning their opening two games of the Tournament Of Champions.
“She’s back into her rhythm,” said head coach Julie Berggren of Olvera, who got a late start because of the varsity basketball team’s run into the CCS Semis. “She looked outstanding.”
The Lady Mustang diamond girls won their third straight game over Aptos before falling to Carlmont in the TOC.
In March, the Gilroy Community Services Department presented Coach Ernie Alnas with the honorable Mason Kunimura Youth Sports Coach of the Year Award – which is given to a youth basketball coach each year that best exemplifies the spirit of the man for whom the award was named.
“Coach Alnas has a positive attitude when dealing with his players and the officials,” Recreation Supervisor Cheryl Bolin said. “One of Ernie’s best attributes is that he is easy going and everyone gets along with him.”
World featherweight champ Kelsey ‘The Road Warrior’ Jeffries won a unanimous decision over Atlanta’s Rolanda Andrews in the Miller Lite Fight Night At The Tank and then went to Yacama, Washington to defeat Jo Jo Wyman.
Nearing the end of March, the storied South Valley Junior High wrestling team, under longtime coach Bert Mar, returned from its Tournament Of Champions with a school-record seven medalists, including Nicolo Naranjo’s weight class title.
April showers and a loss to Salinas didn’t dampen the success of the Gilroy High boys tennis team – which built an 8-2 league record.
In an exciting match-up of unbeaten volleyball teams, the Gilroy spikers went the distance before falling to rival Live Oak in a fifth rally game. The Mustangs responded with league wins over Palma, Hollister, and Alisal for a 9-1 record in league.
The garlic duffers won their final league meet, going into the T-CAL Finals, where they finished in third place.
After dropping three one-run games in a week’s span, the softball squad thumped Live Oak, 8-0, to remain in playoff contention.
Before the end of the month, the Gavilan College softball team wrapped up a 16-win season to build a foundation for the resurgent program.
The May flowers sprouted up and so did the playoff pushes for the Lady Mustang softball team, the boys tennis team, the boys golf team and the garlic spikers.
A CCS berth was on the line when the Gilroy volleyball team went up against Live Oak for the second time of the season. The winner was assured a CCS spot, while the loser was snubbed out. The Mustangs gave it their all before succumbing to the taller Acorns, falling one win short of a CCS spot. Despite a 20-win season, Gilroy did not receive an at-large bid, but Jason Medenceles was named the league’s co-MVP.
The softball squad made things interesting with consecutive losses to North Salinas and Notre Dame, but the Lady Mustangs won the one that counted, beating Live Oak in their season-finale to earn a No. 9 seed in the CCS Playoffs. After defeating Oak Grove in the opener, Gilroy went down swinging in a 5-2 loss to top seed Carlmont.
The boys tennis team saw Robbie Marquez in singles place second as well as Tomas Carillo and Ray Rivera take second in doubles at the T-CAL Finals, but there was no CCS berth.
Golfers Ale Rodriguez and Chad Brownfield both played strong rounds in the CCS Sectionals to advance as individuals to the CCS Championship at Rancho Canada Golf Course. While Brownfield finished off his high school career with three straight CCS playoff berths as well as consecutive CCS Championship bids, Rodriguez played in his first CCS competition to highlight his senior campaign.
Brian Lopez was the Gilroy High varsity track team’s only league champion in this year’s Tri-County Athletic League Track & Field Finals held at Salinas High. Lopez hurled the discus 148 feet-three inches to top the T-CAL field and also placed second in the shot put with a distance of 51 feet-six inches – short of only Hollister’s Clay Peer (52-06.75). He also qualified for the CCS Finals, where he placed second in the shot put to advance to the CIF State Championship.
The Brownell Academy track team also won the school’s seventh county championship with 10 individual champions.
With the high school seasons over and the summer calling, June was brought home some past Gilroy stars, including baseball player Chris Gimenez, who was named to the All-WAC first team playing at the University of Nevada-Reno.
Local boxer Robert ‘The Ghost’ Guererro, who is still undefeated in the professional ranks, notched his second straight first-round knockout to up his mark to 11-0 with four KOs.
In Gavilan College’s first ever Million Dollar Hole-In-One Shootout, none of the 10 finalists could sink the 166-yard shot at Eagle Ridge Golf Course.
Closing out the month of June was the Red Dogz winning the third annual Spring 16 Softball Tournament, run by the Gilroy Community Services Recreation Department as well as Gilroy Health & Fitness instructor Linda Pulido taking a world title in martial arts for point sparring.
In July’s Fight Night At The Tank, Jeffries pounced the formerly unbeaten opponent Melissa ‘Honey Girl’ Del Valle to up her record to 21-8. Gilroy’s semipro football team, the Central Coast Barnstormers, won their playoff game over Elk Grove at South Valley Junior High and set up a championship battle against the Capital City Fury.
With the departure of Coach Baumgartner from the Gilroy High boys basketball program, the school district announced the hiring of one-time Santa Clara University All-American and former NBA player Bud Ogden.
“Obviously, he has a ton of basketball experience,” said Athletic Director Jack Daley. “He has a wealth of basketball knowledge. It’s not often you get someone with that kind of ability.”
The month August started with a scare at Niners’ camp as reports surfaced that Gilroy’s hometown hero strained his back. At first, Garcia showed no signs of his injury, taking snaps at camp, but later on the back strain kept him out of workouts. His status remained up in the air. In the annual preseason ‘Battle of the Bay’, Garcia sat out as backup Ken Dorsey shined in helping the 49ers to a 14-10 victory over the Raiders. After a 10-day absence from workouts, Garcia returned to action at training camp.
“Without a doubt, I plan on practicing every day this week. Obviously, it’s taking it one day at a time, and hopefully I can continue to go out and feel the way I felt today and not have any relapses of what occurred a couple weeks ago,” Garcia said. “I feel pretty confident that that’s going to be the case. If I continue to treat and listen to my body and not overdo it, that’s going to be the most important thing right now.”
Garcia played in the Niners’ preseason game against New Orleans, completing 6-of-7 passes for 52 yards.
Meanwhile, the Gilroy High fall sports teams solidified the varsity line-ups for the start of a new season with high hopes for field hockey, girls tennis, girls volleyball and football. At Gavilan College, the Rams gridmen assembled for another campaign.
It was Miller-time in the annual Beatty Memorial Junior Golf Classic as 14-year-old Jordan Miller was crowned the overall champion, meaning his name would be added to the coveted trophy.
“I thought I had a good shot at winning my age group, but I didn’t think I’d win the overall,” said Miller, who followed his first round tournament-low 80 at Eagle Ridge with a final round 85 at Gilroy Golf Course for a five-stroke victory over 15-older champion Thomas Hoshida and his 170 (86-84). “I was keeping track the whole time so I knew I was ahead by five.”
September’s start saw the Niners embarrass the Chicago Bears, 49-7, with Garcia behind center and playoffs on the horizon. Later on in the month, Garcia was inducted in the San Jose State Hall of Fame.
The Mustang boys cross country team erased a three-year hex by picking up their first victory in as many seasons by defeating North Salinas.
The Lady Mustang stickhandlers completed the month with a 7-0 victory over Carmel to up their record to 7-1 overall and 2-0 in league.
The garlic gridmen won their first three non-league games over Terra Nova, Santa Cruz, and San Lorenzo Valley.
The Gilroy High girls tennis team won its league opener and looked poised to make a run at the T-CAL title.
October was a month of success for all Gilroy High teams as the football team toppled Monte Vista Christian to extend to a four-game winning streak; the girls tennis team won six matches in a row to remain unbeaten; and the field hockey team went on a six-game winning streak.
But in the same month, the garlic gridmen’s winning streak ended with a 14-14 tie against Alvarez followed by losses to Salinas, Hollister and Palma; the field hockey team suffered its first league loss to York, 2-0; and the girls tennis team’s seven-game winning streak was halted by Notre Dame.
With the Gavilan gridmen pressing for a conference title, former coaching great Bob Garcia, the father of Jeff Garcia, and his 1973 national championship team was honored at San Benito High. Garcia’s former players from far and wide flocked to the South Valley to pay tribute to their coach.
“I love Bob Garcia like my father strictly because he treated me like his son,” said All-American safety Mike Mavromatis, who played during the historic 1973 season. “He treated me like one of his sons and I was an 18-year-old kid. He taught us values. He’s a beautiful, beautiful person.”
It was a beautiful moment when Coach Garcia – who led Gavilan to a national title with an 11-0 undefeated season in 1973 to highlight his coaching career from 1972-78, 1982, and 1984-1990 – was hoisted up by his players one more time during the special halftime festivities.
Before the month was up, the girls tennis team earned a share of the T-CAL league title with Notre Dame; golfers Kristen Campos and Andrea Hugo qualified for CCS; and the Lady Mustang stickhandlers clinched the T-CAL title with a 2-0 win over RLS and a 8-0 nod over Santa Catalina.
The end of October was a nightmare for the Mustang gridmen as they were forced to forfeit an earlier win over San Lorenzo Valley due to the late paperwork on a transfer student.
“We’re hurt and we’re unhappy with the decision,” said head coach Darren Yafai, following the Mustangs’ 27-0 home loss to Palma. “I’m disappointed that CCS wouldn’t take the whole situation into account and make a decision. I think that they made a strict and harsh decision and we’re sad.”
The forfeit loss combined with the Mustangs’ league losing streak eliminated them from playoff consideration.
The boys cross country team finished fifth in T-CAL and top runner Arnulfo Velasquez qualified for the CCS Finals.
November began with the Lady Mustang tennis team losing a winner-take-all match to Notre Dame to decide which team got into CCS. They still remained co-league champions, though.
In the ring, Jeffries successfully defended her title with a punishing victory over Kelli Cofer in San Jose.
On the gridiron, the Gavilan Rams – despite the off-the-field distraction of a coach impersonating a former NFL player to get a job with the team – clinched a share of the conference title by beating Cabrillo. The Gilroy High football team lost its fourth straight league game to North Salinas.
On the hard court, the Lady Mustang spikers received a surprise CCS spot and a home match against Oak Grove for the first time in 12 years. Gilroy defeated Oak Grove in three straight games, but then lost to Piedmont Hills in the quarterfinals.
Back outside, the field hockey team earned a first-round bye in the CCS playoffs, but were overwhelmed by eventual co-section champion St. Francis in the quarterfinals.
The Gavilan College football team earned a bid into the Shrine Bowl – where the Rams lost for the second time in the season to Sierra College.
The garlic gridmen salvaged their rocky season with a victory over rival Live Oak in the finale. Senior A.J. Rai scored his first varsity touchdown to highlight the game.
The month of November also opened the winter season at Gilroy High with high goals for the boys soccer team, girls basketball and the defending CCS Champion wrestling team – which was once again the preseason favorite to win the section title.
After sitting out three games due to a high ankle sprain, Garcia returned to the Niners’ starting lineup amidst a blossoming quarterback controversy with backup Tim Rattay. Garcia threw four interceptions in his first game back against Baltimore to add fuel to the fire.
December brought out the best in the boys soccer team – which went unbeaten in its first 12 games of the season for a 10-0-2 record. The Mustang kickers’ season-long streak ended in the Homestead Christmas Cup Finals, where they lost in penalty kicks to Watsonville. Unranked to start the season, the Mustangs are now ranked No. 2 in CCS behind only Watsonville before going into league play. Gilroy picked up impressive wins over Mitty and Leland during its tournament run.
Garcia got back into the groove as well. The garlic-bred slinger passed for four touchdowns, tying a career high, and rushed for two more, finishing with a six-TD day for the first time in his NFL career in a win over Arizona. Garcia became one of only three players in NFL history to have four touchdown passes and two rushing scores.
Jeffries won her eighth bout in nine fights for 2003 with a TKO of Carla Wilcox and was honored as the IFBA Fighter of the Year.
South Valley Junior High wrestling coach Bert Mar coached his final county championship meet after 27 seasons. In his final meet, the Tigers broke a school record with eight county champions. Mar was honored before the finals and GUSD Board Member John Gurich presented his with an all-expenses trip to Reno, Nevada to watch the Mustang varsity matmen compete in the national event, the Reno Tournament Of Champions.
After three garlic grapplers won weight class titles at the Coast Classic in Scotts Valley, the team headed to Reno for the first time since winning the Sierra Nevada Classic. Against the national field in the ‘Toughest Tournament In The USA’, the Mustangs were humbled, but first-year varsity wrestler Nicolo Naranjo, a three-time county champ at South Valley, placed a team-high sixth and Gurich reached the quarterfinals before placing seventh.
“Being top ranked in our section isn’t enough so we wanted to come out here and look at some of the best schools in the country and then help motivate our kids and give them some higher goals,” said Gonzalez, after his last wrestler finished up the team’s action in the Dec. 19-20 tournament. “We want to raise the bar every year. … it was a great experience.”
There is even more to come in 2004.
