Publish Date: Nov 15, 2014
BIG DAY FOR HARTNELL COLLEGE
George Watkins is a sports writer for the Salinas Californian. He can be reached at gwatkins@thecalifornian.com or 754-4264.
This could be one of those days you usually get at Magic Mountain, Great America — anything and everything that can happen might happen today for Hartnell College. However it ends it’s sure to be a ride to remember.
It’ll begin around 11:30 a.m. with the start of the school’s Hall of Fame luncheon and induction ceremony in the student center. Tickets will be available at the door for $60.
In case you missed it here are the names of the Hartnell 2014 Hall of Fame class: Anthony Toney (football), Bob Kelley (coach, athletic director), Diane Mazzei (volleyball, basketball, softball), Ed Adams (track coach), Ed Brown (football), Jennifer Barrett (track and field), Jess Regli (baseball coach), John Larick (rodeo team coach), Kathy Raugust (track and field), Santiago Aguilera (soccer), the 1984 state championship baseball team, Bill Maker (supporter) and Bruce Adams (supporter).
Regli and Kelley both coached Salinas High football for three years. Regli’s Cowboys went 10-11-1 from 1936-38 and Kelley’s Cowboys went 11-14-2 from 1960-62.
At last report 18 members of the 1984 baseball team will be in attendance today, including assistant coaches Frank Geller and Chuck Felice.
I covered that 1984 team when it went to the state tourney, and it was one of the more emotional moments in my 35 years of covering sports in Monterey County. The Hartnell College icon of icons, Tony Teresa, started the season as head coach and finished it in a hospital room. He was in a battle with cancer that ultimately ended his life, and each member of that 1984 team played as if they were on a mission to make sure their coach was going to get that one last hurrah.
Like coach, like team. They all fought to the last pitch.
Also today, Hartnell will unveil the area where the plaques of its two Hall of Fame classes will be on display. School officials have wisely chosen to mount the plaques on the wall near the main entrance to the school’s basketball gym.
A couple of hours after the induction ceremony ends the Hartnell College football team will close the regular-season with its biggest game of the year — an anticipated slugfest with West Hills at 6 p.m. at Rabobank Stadium. At stake is the Golden Coast Conference title and bowl berths.
At halftime the newest members of the Hall of Fame will be introduced to the crowd.
West Hills is one of only two undefeated teams in the state at 9-0 and is averaging about 47 points per game. Hartnell is 8-1, scoring at close to 43 points each game.
This is the first time since 1959 a West Hills team has gone through nine games undefeated. The Falcons’ 10th game was a bowl game and they lost. West Hills is also trying for its first conference title since 1999 and only its second since 1981.
All that may explain why West Hills, from Coalinga, is arranging for a few rooters’ buses to make the trip to Salinas. I’m no expert on West Hills football, but given its history of teams that usually finish below .500 — this is its first team with a winning record since 2003 — I’m guessing this is the first time they’ve ever made traveling arrangements for their fans.
“This has been a great thing for our town,“ said West Hills coach Robert Tucker. “Every home game we’ve had more and more support.”
Tucker has been some sort of miracle worker. He wasn’t hired until January and in just a few months assembled an unbeaten team that ranks No. 16 in the state.
“There were some very good players before I got here,” he said.
On a somewhat lesser scale tonight’s game might be to West Hills what the 1951 Junior Rose Bowl was to Hartnell College.
Coincidentally, current Hartnell College president, Willard Lewallen, came to Salinas two years ago from West Hills, where he was president for five years.
With West Hills bringing a bus load of fans, it might be a good time to show them how Salinas feels about its team. You’ll get your money’s worth. The Panthers play a daring, defiant and sometimes gambling brand of football. Four times this year they’ve had games of 80 offensive plays or more.
For those of you who haven’t been to a Hartnell game since their glory days of the 1980s, that’s about 30 plays more per game than back in the day.
The action rarely stops when Hartnell has the ball. The Panthers have scored in 33 of their 36 quarters this year. As good as Hartnell’s 8-2 team was last year it scored in 26 of its first 36 quarters.
Who knows, you may be watching a few future Hartnell Hall of Famers in action tonight.
George Watkins is a sports writer for the Californian. He can be reached at gwatkins@thecalifornian.com or 754-4264. He can be followed on Twitter at watkins_salnews.
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Athletic Team: Men's Football