It
’s a safe bet there’s never been a busier week and a half of
sports in Morgan Hill history than the 11-day period that began
last Thursday and continues this weekend. In fact, the
conglomeration of events vying for attention during this hectic
time would keep the average community buzzing for a
solid month. Apparently, Morgan Hill is anything but average.
The montage began with last weekend’s four-day Far Western
Championship swim meet at the Aquatics Center and the Northern
California State Cup youth soccer tournament at the adjacent Soccer
Complex. (Can you imagine some unwary tourist
rolling all clueless into town on Saturday or Sunday and driving
down Condit?) It’ll be more of the same this weekend, too,
beginning with the seventh annual South Valley Wine Auction
fundraiser for area schools’ running programs on Friday night at
the Community Center. It continues on Saturday
with Morgan Hill Pony Baseball’s Opening Day ceremonies
beginning at 9am at Britton Middle School, an event rescheduled
from its original date last month that was rained out. Also
Saturday, Olympic wrestler Eric Guerrero hosts a clinic at Live Oak
High. And, the NorCal State Cup soccer tourney con
tinues with a full slate of games on Saturday and Sunday at the
Soccer Complex. Finally, on Sunday, the Specialized Morgan Hill
Grand Prix criterium will attract a host of bicycle racing
enthusiasts downtown.
It’s a safe bet there’s never been a busier week and a half of sports in Morgan Hill history than the 11-day period that began last Thursday and continues this weekend. In fact, the conglomeration of events vying for attention during this hectic time would keep the average community buzzing for a solid month.
Apparently, Morgan Hill is anything but average.
The montage began with last weekend’s four-day Far Western Championship swim meet at the Aquatics Center and the Northern California State Cup youth soccer tournament at the adjacent Soccer Complex. (Can you imagine some unwary tourist rolling all clueless into town on Saturday or Sunday and driving down Condit?)
It’ll be more of the same this weekend, too, beginning with the seventh annual South Valley Wine Auction fundraiser for area schools’ running programs on Friday night at the Community Center.
It continues on Saturday with Morgan Hill Pony Baseball’s Opening Day ceremonies beginning at 9am at Britton Middle School, an event rescheduled from its original date last month that was rained out. Also Saturday, Olympic wrestler Eric Guerrero hosts a clinic at Live Oak High. And, the NorCal State Cup soccer tourney continues with a full slate of games on Saturday and Sunday at the Soccer Complex.
Finally, on Sunday, the Specialized Morgan Hill Grand Prix criterium will attract a host of bicycle racing enthusiasts downtown.
It’s enough to make you shake your head and whisper that immortal question, “How did everyone get their permits at the same time?”
As impressive as the list of events crowded together over a couple of weekends is, it’s an easy call as to which event is the most important to local sports – the Wine Auction fundraiser.
For six years, the primary funding event for local schools’ cross-country and track programs has been a model of burgeoning success. According to co-founder Dennis Martin, who started the event with a group of parents led by Jon Hatakeyama, the event has mushroomed from a modest earner that raised about $3,000 and drew about 35 people in its first year into a big-time sip-and-bid that brought in about $35,000 and 130 attendees last year. It also attracts many of the city’s top corporate sponsors, including longtime backer Fry’s Electronics, along with the area’s finest wineries and restaurants as participants.
This year’s event will be held from 6pm-10pm on Friday night in the Hiram Morgan Hill Room at the Community Center on South Monterey Road. The event will include wine from local wineries such as Cinnabar, Guglielmo, J.
Lohrs, Kirigin, Mirassou, and more, and food from Giancarlo’s, Golden Oak, Mama Mia’s, Le Bistro, Mushrooms, and other local restaurants. In addition, the silent and live auctions feature bidding on a wide range of items from unique wine items, gourmet dinners, and golf packages at prestigious local courses, winery tours, art work, and an assortment of other items.
A few of the auction items for bid include: a tasting for two at Sideways Sunstone Winery, a Pietra Santa Exclusive Tuscan Style Tour, an invitation for two to join the Fabulous Gallo Sonoma Tour as part of SVWA’s group of 10, a tour at the Frei Ranch Estate and a winemaker’s lunch at McMurray Ranch, a fabulous six-course Tuscan Dinner for 8 adults with special desert, CordeValle Golf for four includes green fees and carts, a Crab Cioppino Dinner for eight at Rosy’s At The Beach Restaurant in Morgan Hill, a Spanish Paella Dinner for 6 at Le Bistro in Morgan Hill, a romantic lunch for two Italian-style provided by Maurizio’s, lodging at Irish Rose Inn located off Dry Creek Road in Healdsburg, and more.
Tickets are $50 in advance and $55 at the door. Details: call Wendy Campos at (408) 778-9501.
Martin, the Sobrato High Athletic Director and track coach, was the Live Oak High AD and track coach when Hatakeyama approached him seven years ago and suggested a fundraiser to pay for much-needed new uniforms. Admitting he’s no fundraising expert, Martin agreed to a small, one-time event. When it raised $3K for new unis, Martin was thrilled. A month later, though, Hatakeyama called back and asked Martin what the plan was for the following year.
Now, Martin’s new high school cross-country and track program will benefit from the event’s proceeds.
Live Oak and Sobrato will split 60 percent of the take, which will go toward purchasing new uniforms and equipment, and paying for transportation and event fee costs, along with annual scholarships (ranging from $500 to $1,000) for top graduating seniors in both the cross-country and track programs through the South Valley Athletic Foundation. (Because Sobrato won’t have graduating seniors for two more years, its scholarship funding will be banked with the intention of earning enough interest to pay future scholarships.)
The funding is essential for the high school programs, which get only coaching stipends and league fees from the school district, Martin said.
Meanwhile, the Britton and Martin Murphy middle schools will divide 20 percent of the event’s proceeds and use the money to pay for their unfunded programs. In addition, Martin said any Morgan Hill elementary school can apply for part of the remaining funds for their programs, while about 10 percent is returned to the Wine Auction fund.
This year, the event will feature a well-known emcee in Jona Denz-Hamilton, the longtime Bay Area radio personality whose sons attend Sobrato and Los Paseos Elementary, and a professional auctioneer for the first time.
Auction item donors and volunteers are still being sought. Visit www.svwineauction.org for more information.
And, if you haven’t had a weekend’s worth of fun by the end of Friday night’s fundraiser, there’s plenty more to do in Morgan Hill this weekend. It’s bound to be a weekend to remember for years to come.
Jim Johnson is the Morgan Hill Times Sports Editor. He can be reached by calling (408) 779-4106 (ext. 203) or by email at jj******@*************es.com
Saturday: MH Pony Baseball’s Opening Day ceremonies
After being rained-out last weekend, Morgan Hill Pony Baseball rescheduled its annual Opening Day ceremonies for Saturday, April 9 at Britton. The event will begin at 9am, followed by regularly scheduled games.
Saturday: Olympian Erik Guerrero to hold wrestling clinic at Live Oak High on Saturday
California Wrestling Hall of Famer Erik Guerrero, a 2004 Olympian and 2003 World champion, is presenting a wrestling clinic at Live Oak High on Saturday, April 9. Erik, an assistant coach at Oklahoma State and three-time state champion at Independence High in San Jose, is offering a small-scale, intensive hands-on clinic which will devote personal time to each wrestler. Guerrero said he is looking forward to the “opportunity to give back some of the knowledge and skill I have acquired to my local wrestling community.” Guerrero was also a four-time U.S. National champion and three-time NCAA champion at Oklahoma State, which recently won its third straight NCAA Division I team title.
Details: call (408) 892-2874.
Saturday: Kiwanis North-South All-Star basketball game
The 19th Annual North-South All-Star Basketball Classic, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Salinas, will be held on Saturday, April 9 at Hartnell College in Salinas. The game will include the top graduating seniors from the Tri-County area (Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Monterey) playing their first college-format basketball game. The girls teams will play at 6pm with the boys game to follow at 7:45pm. All-star rosters will be released on March 31. Proceeds from the event will go to the Kiwanis Club of Salinas and Sunrise House, a youth/family counseling/crisis center in Salinas, which deals with alcohol and other drug related problems.
Details: call (831) 757-4246.
Sat.-Sun.: NorCal State Cup youth soccer tournament
A top Orchard Valley Youth Soccer League team – the Under-16 Scream girls squad – will compete in the Northern California State Cup soccer tournament this weekend at the Morgan Hill Soccer Complex. Following is their schedule:
Game 1: Saturday, Field 11, noon against the Southern Alameda North Stars
Game 2: Sunday, Field 8, 1:45pm against the San Ramon Blues
