The Dispatch unveils its top five Gilroy sports stories of 2008.
No surprise, Gilroy High wrestling took top honors after a sixth
straight Central Coast Section title, two state champions and a
second-place finish at state as a team.
1. Wrestlers pin down best season ever
When a Gilroy High wrestling squad can claim without a doubt to be the best in school history, you know you’re talking about a team for the ages.
The Mustangs continued their impressive run of dominating the Central Coast Section with a sixth straight title in February, and carried that momentum to a program-best second-place finish at state. Along the way there were four individual CCS champions (Jesse Delgado, Martin Gonzalez, Hunter Collins and Luis Barragan), two state champions (Gonzalez and Collins) and a state Coach of the Year award for Armando Gonzalez.
“It just means everything to me,” coach Gonzalez said after winning CCS. “It’s a huge accomplishment. … We try to keep raising the bar and setting new goals for ourselves. We have a saying, ‘To continue improving we have to keep sharpening the saw.’ And in order to improve, we have to keep measuring ourselves against ourselves.
“People don’t know how hard it is to continue to dominate and stay on top. It gets harder every year.”
Following state, the Mustangs coach conceded the obvious.
“This is the best team in Gilroy history,” he said.
Gilroy also set school records in 2008 by having ten placers at CCS, six individuals in the finals and nine state qualifiers.
2. Ghost defends title with huge KO
Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero didn’t have a busy year, fighting only once, but it was the kind of bout that has put him in place to be amongst boxing’s biggest stars.
In the eight-round of his IBF featherweight title defense against Jason Litzau, Guerrero floored Litzau twice, the second of which left the challenger unable to get to his feet.
It was the fourteenth knockout in the last 15 victories for Guerrero (22-1-1,15 KOs), who said he retained his title by executing his gameplan to perfection.
“The beginning of the fight I threw a lot of power shots,” he said. “I connected a lot, but nothing hard. When I went back to the corner my dad told me to relax. We worked on little uppercuts because he puts his head down a lot. As soon as he did that his defense was no good.”
Litzau was more than impressed after the fight.
“I was like holy [expletive], this guy can take a shot,” he said.
The fight was extra emotional for Guerrero, as his wife, Casey, was able to attend after being diagnosed with leukemia in October of 2007 and missing his previous bout.
“She just gives me so much inspiration,” he said minutes after the fight.
3. Run, ladies, run
A steady progression over the last few years, similar to how a runner builds up stamina over the course of a season, culminated in the best finish in school history for Gilroy High’s girls cross country team this November.
Taking second place at the Central Coast Section Division I meet held at Toro Park in Salinas, the Mustangs earned their first-ever trip to state as a team.
The squad missed qualifying for state by just a few seconds in 2007, leaving just Kathleen Miller to represent the Mustangs.
“It’s awesome,” Miller said after finding out that Gilroy was going to state this season. “I’m just so proud of the hard work everyone put themselves through.”
Miller, a senior, was third overall at CCS, and was the highest GHS finisher at state by taking 34th. The team took 37th overall and 16th out of all Division I teams at the state race held at Woodward Park in Fresno.
Miller was accompanied to the state race by Athena Alarcon, Savannah Silacci, Brandie Rodriguez, Paty Hernandez, Christine Bobula and Anne Donahoe.
4. Perfect Prune Bowl
It didn’t end quite the way many expected, but Gilroy High football completed one of its best seasons in school history this year by earning a share of the Tri-County Athletic League title, beating Hollister in back-to-back Prune Bowls for the first time since 1991, and posting the largest margin of victory in any Prune Bowl played in the 52 years of the annual game.
With Christopher High School opening its doors next year, Gilroy took extra pride in dismantling the visiting San Benito Haybalers 47-0, as such wins might not be as common in the future with shrinking enrollment.
“I’m just excited because with the school splitting and everything happening, I don’t know if were going to win this trophy on this field again,” Gilroy coach Rich Hammond said following their game. “It’s going to be a tremendous challenge to do that. We’re going to be a school of 1,500 and they’re going to be a school of 3,000. Those are tough odds. So, for us winning this … it’s special because it might be the last one that happens here for a long time.”
While the Mustangs (9-2) were bounced from the Central Coast Section Open Division playoffs in the first round by Serra, there was plenty to be proud about. Gilroy shared the TCAL championship with Palma and North Salinas, giving the Mustangs their first consecutive league titles in school history.
5. Sensational start
Adam and Erin Gemar, similar to Gilroy High cross country coaches Art and Cathy Silva, have built their program up steadily over the years. This season set a new watermark for seasons to come.
The Mustangs were nearly unstoppable over their first 22 games, going 20-0-2 during that time.
In the process, Gilroy had an eighth straight undefeated season in the Mission Trail Athletic League.
While the Mustangs season didn’t end in a fashion the players and coaches appreciated – Los Gatos was awarded a controversial goal in the final minutes of a Central Coast Section semifinal to win 2-1 – there was no denying what a special team was taking the field each game.
“There’s not a weakness out there,” Adam Gemar said of his roster after an early September win over Saratoga.
