Despite having to cancel or postpone five sports because of
construction delays and funding issues, Sobrato High is heading
into its Spring sports season. According to Athletic Director
Dennis Martin, boys volleyball and badminton had to be delayed due
to the delayed completion of the school
’s new gym. While Martin said badminton is set to play the
second half of its season, boys volleyball was cancelled due to a
lack of interest. In addition, boys and girls water polo was
cancelled due to delays in the school’s pool construction. (Both
the gym and the pool are scheduled for an Apr
il 4 opening.) Martin said boys tennis and boys golf won’t be
offered at Sobrato because the Morgan Hill School District isn’t
funding the sports, and the school’s fledgling boosters club can’t
yet fund the sports. Live Oak boosters fund their boys golf and
boys tennis programs. However, Mar
tin said Sobrato’s other Spring sports – baseball, softball,
track and field, and swimming – are going full speed ahead.
Despite having to cancel or postpone five sports because of construction delays and funding issues, Sobrato High is heading into its Spring sports season.
According to Athletic Director Dennis Martin, boys volleyball and badminton had to be delayed due to the delayed completion of the school’s new gym. While Martin said badminton is set to play the second half of its season, boys volleyball was cancelled due to a lack of interest. In addition, boys and girls water polo was cancelled due to delays in the school’s pool construction. (Both the gym and the pool are scheduled for an April 4 opening.)
Martin said boys tennis and boys golf won’t be offered at Sobrato because the Morgan Hill School District isn’t funding the sports, and the school’s fledgling boosters club can’t yet fund the sports. Live Oak boosters fund their boys golf and boys tennis programs.
However, Martin said Sobrato’s other Spring sports – baseball, softball, track and field, and swimming – are going full speed ahead.
“We’ve had some problems but we’ve used them as kind of a motivation to show what we can overcome. I think it’s coming along. The students are being patient and the parents are being patient. Do we have a perfect facility? No, but we have a pretty good facility. And, we have some great athletes here, that’s for sure.”
Martin and Bulldogs football coach Jeff Patterson have seen plenty of Sobrato’s fine athletes this Spring as the track and field coaches.
On the girls side, Ashley Grose and Katie Alton lead a strong group of sprinters, while hurdler Alex Cervantes has shown talent and the 4X100 relay team led by Carissa Pasanos, Jasmine Rodriguez and Cervantes have been impressive. In addition, distance standout Abby Devaraj has done well in the 1,600 and 3,200, while Maria Serrano competes in both the high jump and throws.
On the boys side, sprinters Matt Kellett, Russ Tirey, Chris Montoya, Murilo Almeida and Juvenal Rodriguez are all top athletes, while triple jumper Richard Aylard, high jumper James Lowery and hurdler/pole vaulter Will Cambra are also standouts.
“We have a lot of kids who are versatile and are great athletes,” Patterson said.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs baseball team is off to a 2-1 start despite battling the early season rainouts.
Led by Coach Ulises Gutierrez, Sobrato has 20 players on its roster this season, a fine first-year turnout.
The Bulldogs are paced by sophomore pitchers Ryan Evanger, who played at LO last year, and Tim Buich, along with power-hitting freshman catcher/closer Adam Perez, the team’s clean-up hitter who slammed the school’s first-ever home run in an 11-5 victory over Del Mar.
Other key players include freshman shortstop and leadoff hitter Billy Hill, and freshman second baseman Danny Nelson, who hits second. Gutierrez said the diminutive double-play combo is a key to the team’s success.
In addition to the win over Del Mar, the ‘Dogs also beat North Monterey County 2-1 for its first win ever and lost to Mitty 12-7.
Gutierrez said he expects to compete for a playoff spot in two years.
In softball, the Lady Bulldogs are off to a 1-2 start under the guidance of Coach Jessica Fields. Sobrato is led by freshman pitcher Casey Post, a Pride and Spirit veteran, along with sophomores Nicole Mata (shortstop), Chelsea Hrupek (second base) and Caroline Amaya (catcher-first base).
The team picked up its first win at Kings Academy 14-8.
In swimming, Coach Frances Nance has 19 girls and one boy on her fledgling team. There are no divers.
Top swimmers include Katelyn Smith, Ramseena Shallo, Cicily Nishimatsu and Amelia Greenland.
With a late start (in February), Nance said the team are working on developing their skills and endurance.
Coaches needed at Sobrato
Sobrato High is looking for coaches for the following sports: varsity and JV girls volleyball, varsity boys and girls water polo, and JV boys and girls soccer.
For information, call AD Dennis Martin at 201-6240.
Bulldogs coaches take the Spring reins
Ulises Gutierrez, baseball
Gutierrez, 31, is a former pitching coach under new Hollister-San Benito coach Mike Luna at Leigh. He played at Overfelt High and Mission College, then coached JV baseball at Overfelt. He teaches business and computers at Sobrato.
Jessica Fields, softball
Fields, 26, is a sixth grade teacher and softball coach at El Toro Elementary. She played competitive softball at Newark Memorial High. Her sister Pamela Fields is her assistant coach at Sobrato. Fields has lived in Morgan Hill for three years.
Frances Nance, swimming
Nance has never coached swimming before but has a strong background in the sport. She swam competitively in high school in Michigan, has given swimming lessons and served as a lifeguard. She teaches digital photography and computer design at Sobrato.
