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The year

in sports What’s old was new again in the aughts’ last gasp

BY JEREMY THOMAS

I

f anything, 2009 could be summed up by the old adage “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”

In the pro ranks, the Pittsburgh Steelers kicked off the year by winning their sixth NFL title, beating the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 in Super Bowl XLII. On June 12, the Pittsburgh Penguins won their third Stanley Cup, defeating the Detroit Red Wings in a classic seven-game series. The very next day, the Los Angeles Lakers made their sixth appearance in the NBA Finals this decade

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Personal foul: Complaints from parents led to the ousting of St. Joseph High School head girls’ basketball coach Ron Barba in May after five successful seasons. Barba, who left the school with a 115-23 career record, led the Lady Knights to their second straight league title and the CIF Southern Section Divisional championship in March. The team went a perfect 12-0 in Los Padres league play and finished with a 29-3 overall record. “This is a hard pill to swallow,” Barba said at the time.

“You build something—and I just didn’t build it, I have it deep on the backside—and the goal was to get youth to come and play for you. You can’t be that bad of a coach when people want to come and play for you.” Longtime St. Joes’ boys’ basketball coach Ed Torres took over for Barba, who is now the assistant men’s basketball coach at Cuesta College.

Contact Staff Writer Jeremy Thomas at jthomas@santa mariasun.com.

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Knights to remember: Coach Mike Hartman and the St. Joseph High School football program continued to rise to new heights in 2009.

Led by senior running back K.J. Cusack, the Knights successfully defended their Los Padres League title, going a perfect 7-0 in league play and 12-1 overall. “We preach turnovers,” St. Joseph head coach Mike Hartman said during the season. “We preach getting multiple guys to the ball and having fun and making the most of your opportunities.” The Knights beat El Segundo easily in the first round of the CIF Southern Sectional playoffs, but lost to Gardena Serra 49-27 in the semifinals, a game in which Cusack was injured in the second quarter. Cusack, who averaged more than 150 yards per game on the ground and was named the league’s Most Valuable Player, is committed to play for Cal Poly-SLO next season.

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a successful one, dominating the Orlando Magic for the franchise’s 15th championship. Then in November, for the 27th time in their storied history, the New York Yankees hoisted the World Series trophy, this time after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies four games to two.

Locally, St. Joseph High School continued its multi-sport brilliance, defending Los Padres league titles in girls’ basketball and football. The Knights also topped the charts in girls’ softball, tied Lompoc for the boys’ basketball crown, and, for the second year in a row, toppled Pioneer Valley in the season’s biggest pigskin contest. There must have been something in the water ’round Bradley Road way, too, because St. Joe’s cross-street neighbors, Righetti High, had an equally impressive year. The Warriors claimed Pac-7 titles with undefeated teams in football, boys’ soccer, and girls’ softball. A bit further up the academic ladder, Allan Hancock College did the Bulldog faithful proud on the diamond and on the field, returning its successful baseball and football programs to the playoffs.

All in all, if you experienced a slight case of déjà vu in ’09, you’re not alone. What will 2010 have in store?

Don’t touch that dial. m

‘The toughest two minutes in sports’: In August, Vandenberg Air Force Base’s fire crew hustled and sweated it out in preparation for the team relay portion of the Firefighter Combat Challenge World Championships. Racing against themselves and the clock, team members climbed up a five-story tower, hoisted and dragged firehoses, and “rescued” a life-sized, 175-pound dummy. “This is a really aggressive workout, and only the best of the best can do this,” said Vandenberg firefighter Phil Klein. “When guys go, they’re tired. It’s everything you do on a real fire ground but in a short amount of time.” The relay team finished sixth out of 12 crews from across the state and country during the team’s first-ever competition on July 18 and participated in the championships in Las Vegas on Nov. 16.

Rush n’ attack: Allan Hancock College running back Thomas Sua, shown here after scoring a touchdown in the Bulldogs’ season opener, helped the Bulldogs boast the state’s top-ranked rushing offense in 2009. Hancock had its best regular season in 10 years, finishing 9-1 and placing second in the National Northern Conference. They came up short in the first round of the playoffs, however, losing a nail-biter to nemesis Bakersfield College 24-21. “As an overall unit, this is the best team I’ve coached,” Hancock head coach Kris Dutra said in November.

“We might have had some teams where there were some more talented guys at some spots, but this is about as good as we’ve had since we got here.” Eight Bulldog players were named First Team All-Conference, including quarterback Gunnar Jespersen, linebacker Brennan Locker, tailback Ryan Anglin, and offensive lineman Riley Gauld.

2009

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Year in

Review

PHOTO BY LYDIA MAGDALENO

State Champs: Just three years after the start of girls' wrestling at Pioneer Valley High School, coach Justin Magdaleno’s girls won the State Championships. Not bad, considering that before, if a girl wanted to wrestle, she had to compete with the boys. Not that girls’ wrestling is any easier—in fact it might just be a tougher training regime. “Wrestling conditioning is brutal,” Magdaleno said. “Daily drills with live wrestling, sprints, pushups, situps, non-stop moving for an hour. And all that after they’ve run 5 to 6 miles.

Ask any wrestler on the team, that is hard.”

The summer that wasn’t: The former home of the Santa Maria Indians, Elks Field, was quieter than usual in 2009. One of the oldest semi-pro baseball clubs in the country, the Indians suspended operations for the summer due to economic hardship. “Each and every year, the costs associated with running a ballclub continue to rise,” team owner Kevin Haughian said in an April press release.

“Unfortunately, because of our current economic climate, the financial support necessary to fund the Indians’ operation has been absent. In addition, rising expenses associated with the use of Elks Field, coupled with the establishment of a new team in Santa Maria, have further hampered our efforts to make ends meet.” Indians officials are still hopeful that if the economy continues to improve, the Tribe will be able to return in 2010 or 2011. In the meantime, since the city has made it clear there’s no money for a new facility or a renovation of the team’s home field, team management is considering selling or relocating the franchise.

Run to remember: For three weeks, from Oct. 20 to Veterans’ Day on Nov. 11, soldiers, family, and friends ran mile-laps at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Each mile was dedicated to one of the more than 4,800 military personnel who have died as a result of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The event drew 3,000 participants from all over the country, including Lt. Col. Bob Hassler, shown here running a ceremonial final lap with his daughter Miranda. “A lot of people have made an incredible sacrifice to protect what we have here and what we hold dear in the United States,” Hassler said. “I think it’s the least we can do to honor their memories and show that we haven’t forgotten that sacrifice.” More than 7,300 miles were logged for the event, which organizers said surpassed all expectations.

FILE PHOTO BY JEFF KENDALL-WEED

No home? No worries: Zev Olevera, Alex Lopez, and Samuel Guillaume of the Alan Hancock College Track and Field team shot off the blocks during practice. Even though they didn’t have a home track to practice on (Hancock’s track is in need of repair), nine Hancock athletes were still ranked in the top 10 in the Western State Conference. “They’re working hard, they’ve really dedicated themselves,” Track and Field Coach Louie Quintana said. “They’re not just going through the motions. If you wanna be good, you gotta work hard.”

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Pilot program: To help fill the summer baseball void left by the Indians, the Santa Maria Pilots got off the ground in 2009, stocked with a roster of players from Allan Hancock College and recently graduated high school seniors. After a slow start, the Pilots held their own against much more seasoned competition in the California Collegiate League, finishing their inaugural campaign with a record of 14-20 and one tie. “In summer ball, of course you want to win, but a lot of people are coming in trying to work on things for the next regular season and trying to get better,” said infielder Chris Mallory, who’ll be a sophomore at Hancock in 2010. “It makes it successful for you when you need to return back to the program you’re at, whether it’s at Hancock or wherever else.” The Pilots are currently preparing for their second season, which begins June 5 against the East L.A. Dodgers.