A combo plate of news and notes from the Garlic news wire
Rodriguez set for nationals
Exhausting her resources at the junior level, local amateur boxer Elizabeth Rodriguez (22-8) is set to fight in the senior division (17 to 34-year-olds) at the 2011 USA Boxing National Championships in Colorado Springs next week.
Rodriguez, 17, who earned the 2010-11 No. 1 women’s junior national ranking at 101 pound, according to usaboxing.org, will move up to a more comfortable 106 pounds at the national championships, which run from June 20 through the 25.
A two-time national champion in 2010 – gold medals at both the Junior Olympic National Championships and the National Police Activities League Championships – Rodriguez (pictured above) has been cranking her training regimen up a few notches in preparation for a possible three fights in Colorado.
Her coach and father, Jerry Rodriguez, said the duo have been up and running at 6 a.m. followed by an extensive gym workout. Six other boxers are registered in the 106-pound weight class.
Former Gilroy resident signs
Former Gilroy resident Theadore Fernandez (pictured signing ) signed his letter of intent to play for Iowa Wesleyan College earlier this month. Fernandez will join his older brother Robert, who just finished up his freshman campaign at Iowa Wesleyan.
Fernandez earned both baseball and academic scholarships totaling $70,000, his mother Nancy wrote in an e-mail.
After moving from Gilroy, Fernandez played his final two prep seasons at Goose Creek Memorial High School in Texas.
Catches of the week
John Flolo, 81, (pictured below) and Jim Langdon (top left) had a pair of great days on the waters of Lake Pardee and Lake Amador.
The duo hooked 16 trout, trolling with night crawlers, “no flashers, no blades, just a 3/8 ounce bullet sinker.”
Langdon said the fish was enjoyed barbecued, using a special technique. With the skin on, it’s important to get a nice crisp before peeling the skin and “liberally” basting the fish with a butter sauce. That is repeated on the second side. The butter sauce is applied three more times for a fish with “more flavor than most people are used to.”
Locals help team repeat
The San Jose 49er Starts youth football club, a team that features three players and a head coach from Gilroy, won the All-American Football conference title for the second straight spring in San Mateo last weekend.
Head coach Toby Reyes, leads the team, which includes Gilroy kids Dominic Reyes, Thomas Voorhees and Damian Ramsey, who also play for the Gilroy Browns in the fall.
The 49ers defended their first-place finish against the Mission Valley Cougars in the championship, 21-0. Isaiah McElvane, Elijah Banks and Jaime Diaz each scored touchdowns, while Reyes added to the score with a 2-point conversion and came through with six tackles.
