With many tales to choose from in Gilroy, the winner of the
biggest story in sports the past year is
…
1. An unbelievable season. Despite two tough losses to close out the regular season, the Mustangs football team had a lot to smile about in 2004. The ‘Stangs beat Palma on Oct. 22 for the first time ever. They made it to the CCS Large School semifinals, taking eventual champion Oak Grove to the limit before losing 25-20 on Nov. 26. And Justin Sweeney broke the TCAL single-season rushing record with 1,661 yards – nearly a mile on the ground – for which he was named league Co-MVP and a CCS First Team selection. All in all, it was the most successful season by a Gilroy High football team in 20 years.
2. Jeff Garcia relocates. A fixture at quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers – and before that for Gilroy High and San Jose State – Jeff Garcia was heading out of town thanks to Niner cost-cutting and a highly publicized drunk driving arrest. But where would he land? The Dispatch scooped the world, reporting on March 8 that he was headed to Tampa Bay. Only it was a scoopful of egg, applied to our face, when the next day Garcia announced he was signing with Cleveland instead. A miserable first season with the Browns saw Garcia hurt, benched, insulted by the Cleveland press and finally done for the season with a sprained MCL. We bet he wished he’d gone to Tampa Bay after all.
3. Home Run Hemeon. In 2004, Ben Hemeon set the Gilroy High single-season home run record with eight, the single-season RBI record with 50 and tied the single-season batting average mark with a .500 (44-for-88) average. All this ocurred on a beautiful day in May that was perfect for baseball … and perfect for a batter who exploded during his senior season after hitting .270 with one homer the previous year.
4. Seven to state. Seven Gilroy High wrestlers from a team packed with multiple CCS champions went to the March 5-6 State Championships in Bakersfield where they were stopped just shy of reaching their goal of a top 10 team finish. Six of the seven advanced to the second day of competition. John Gurich took fourth and was the only Mustang to medal. And that’s not the end of it – even after graduating several seniors, Coach Armando Gonazalez’s grapplers look to be just as formidable in 2005.
5. Almost perfect. The Gilroy High boys’ soccer team took a stunning 21-0-5 record into the CCS title game on Feb. 27 against perennial powerhouse Watsonville. Riding a wave of upset victories to that match, the Mustangs’ Cindarella dream was ended by the No. 1 team in the section, 3-0. But missing out on their first CCS title since 1991 was no reason for shame – this year’s Watsonville squad was ranked No. 1 in the nation and the spirited ‘Stangs are angling for a rematch with the Wildcatz in 2005.
6. Scare tactics. Gilroy’s own Robert “The Ghost” Guererro took a mighty step towards a world title fight with his dismantling of Top 10 featherweight Cesar Figueroa at the Pechanga Casino and Resort on Dec. 9. With his fourth-round knockout of the highly regarded Figueroa, The Ghost earned the NABF featherweight belt, unveiled a more complete set of boxing skills under the guidance of new trainer John Bray, and, most importantly, set the table for a very, very exciting 2005.
7. In this Korner, Kelsey Jeffries. Boxer Kelsey Jeffries upped the stakes in the bidding war between Gilroy and Hollister – both cities claim her as their own. And no wonder – the Princess of Pow won her fifth title on Sept. 24 with a close decision over Jeri Sitzes at the HP Pavilion in San Jose for the IBA super bantamweight world title. Jeffries then successfully defended her title against Trisha Hill on Nov. 6 with a 10-round decision for her 30th win on the eve of her 29th birthday.
8. Six sheets to the win. The Gavilan Lady Rams basketball squad wasn’t much on paper to start the season. With just six players on the team, it would have been easy to just mail in the season. But the Gavilan women didn’t have any kind of quit in them, finishing with an 11-11 overall record and 3-7 in league. The most amazing stretch of their season? After an injury to Carolyn Beatty, the Lady Rams reeled off a five-game winning streak with not six but FIVE players. The saddest part of the story? The Gavilan women’s basketball program was unable to field a team for 2004-05. Head coach Steve Nemeth is spending the year rebuilding, and plans to have the Lady Rams back on the court in 2005-06.
9. Heartbreak in the Hills. With an MTAL title under their belts following a perfect league record of 10-0-2, the Gilroy High field hockey team roared into Los Gatos on Nov. 16 hoping for an upset of the section powerhouse in their CCS playoff game. The Wildcats had different ideas, however, and knocked the Mustangs out, 5-1, and leaving more than a few Gilroy players in tears. where their hearts were broken. The CCS power house soundly defeated the Mustangs 5-1 shattering their hopes and leaving more than a few players in tears. There was reason to celebrate in December, however, when junior Karlie Sandoval was named to the CCS First Team and senior Elena Ramirez to the Second Team.
10. Turf tale. When the Gilroy Unified School District board unanimously approved a $175 million facilities improvement plan on Dec. 16, a new artificial turf and track surface for Gilroy High was part of the package. The new field, made of the latest generation of artificial sports surfaces, will cost $1.4 million to install and could be ready by June, 2005. School officials say the stuff is safer, cheaper and more aethestically pleasing than the old Astroturf we all know and loathe – plus, because it’s much more durable than natural grass, many more sports and activities will be possible at Mustang Stadium throughout the year. Turf toe or not.
Honorable mentions:
•Edge edged by 6-year-old: Ryan Slater, a 6-year-old golfer from Gilroy, humiliated Dispatch columnist Brett Edgerton on the golf course in July.
•Skater flies south: Joey Flores, a skateboarder from Gilroy and the No. 1 seed from NorCal turned in an awesome year that culminated in a slot at the California State Championship in Tehachapi.
•Thanks for the invite: Gavilan’s No. 1-ranked defense could not stop Santa Rosa as the football team fell 46-10 in the Clo Bowl.
