The year 2003 began with a simultaneous promise for the future
and a fond gaze at the past as Live Oak High dedicated its new
state-of-the-art pool and Wall of Fame featuring the top swim
athletes in the school
’s famed aquatics history.
The year 2003 began with a simultaneous promise for the future and a fond gaze at the past as Live Oak High dedicated its new state-of-the-art pool and Wall of Fame featuring the top swim athletes in the school’s famed aquatics history.
It was a harbinger of things to come as the Live Oak boys and girls water polo team swam to twin Tri-County Athletic League titles in the fall led by the brother and sister league MVP combo of Ryan and Ronni Gautschi, the progeny of longtime local swim instructor Lynn Gautschi.
Not all of the year’s local sports achievements were quite so poetic, but they were all memorable in their own way.
Following is a look at the year in local sports:
January:
The Live Oak boys basketball team finished its non-league schedule at 12-2 overall with two tourney titles, one of the best starts in school history, then promptly lost its league opener.
Live Oak grad Critin Reichmuth qualified for the Team USA triathlon squad.
February:
Live Oak’s boys and girls soccer team’s both clinch league titles and prepare for the Central Coast Section playoffs. Both win their first-round games before falling in the quarterfinals.
Acorn senior Regina Estrada wins league MVP honors, while senior Jose Serrano is league co-MVP.
The Acorn boys hoops team finishes second in league and also moves on to the CCS playoffs. Live Oak chalks up its first-ever section playoff win over Milpitas before losing in the second round.
Live Oak senior forward Miles Curley is named TCAL MVP.
March:
An OVYSL 14U boys Class I club soccer team, the Top Dawgs, advances to the quarterfinals of the State Cup for the first time in program history.
April:
Live Oak’s boys volleyball team beats Hollister to move into sole possession of first place in league.
The El Toro Brew Masters water polo club team wins the Clovis Masters Invita-tional.
May:
Live Oak’s baseball team beats Hollister to trot into first place in league with 9-2 record.
The Acorn boys volleyball team beats second-place Gilroy for the TCAL title, and finishes 13-0 in league, qualifying for the CCS playoffs. Live Oak loses to Aptos in the first round.
Acorn senior outside hitter Matt McElroy is named the TCAL’s co-MVP.
Live Oak’s girls swim team wins the TCAL final meet but is relegated to second place due to a scoring oversight. The Acorn boys swimmers take third and the dive team sends four divers to CCS.
LOHS junior David Dunn turns in an All-American qualifying time in the 100-yard breaststroke at CCS finals.
LOHS’s baseball team finishes tied for first in league with Hollister with an 11-4 record. Acorn ace pitcher Ryan Muller attracts pro scouts. The Acorn baseball team loses to Santa Teresa in its CCS opener.
Longtime MH Pony president Roy Jackson is feted with a dinner, dance and roast as he retires after 18 years with the organization.
LOHS senior Erick Jutesen finishes third in the CCS golf finals and advances to the NorCal finals.
LOHS’s girls and boys track teams send two boys and two girls to CCS meet.
Senior Jesus Atanacio breaks the school record in 1600 at CCS trials.
June:
Morgan Hill resident Lee Walton, a former collegiate men’s water polo coach, is elected into the San Jose State Hall of Fame.
Live Oak’s Muller is drafted by Detroit in the Major League Baseball draft but chooses to accept a college scholarship to USF.
Live Oak seniors Kris Mott (cross-country, soccer and track) and Gina Sanders (field hockey and soccer) are named the Morgan Hill Times’ Male and Female Athletes of the Year.
July:
The MH Pride 12U Gold softball team qualifies for the nationals at an ASA qualifier tourney at Twin Creeks.
A total of 385 runners compete in the seventh annual MH Freedom 5000 5K run on July 4.
The MH Pony 13s All-Stars win sectional and regional titles and advance to U.S. Zone Championships.
The Silicon Valley Renegades club bawseball team wins the U.S. Youth Baseball Association World Series National Champion-ship in Knoxville, Tnn.
The MH Colt Athletics win section and regional titles to advance to U.S. Zone Championships.
Morgan Hill’s Jeff Ulbrich and 49er teammate Bryant Young work out with the LOHS football team.
The MH National Mustangs win a sectional title.
LOHS’s new all-weather track is finished.
August:
LOHS athletic boosters announce their new fundraiser, the Golf Classic.
MH resident Scott Keswick, a four-time national gymnastics champion, is elected to the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame.
Questions are raised about LOHS’s new all-weather track.
September:
The LOHS football team loses its home-opener on newly renovated Richert Field to Oak Grove. The field is later declared unsafe, forcing the Acorns to play at Gilroy High.
October:
The LOHS football team returns to Richert Field for its Homecoming game against Hollister.
LOHS’s boys and girls water polo teams both finish first in TCAL, then win the league tourney. The boys team goes undefeated in league play.
November:
Gavilan College’s football team wins a Coast Conference co-champion-ship and advances to the Capital Shrine Bowl.
LOHS sophomore Cobbie Jones finishes third at the CCS finals and qualifies for the state finals.
LOHS’s football team finishes its season with an 0-9-1 record after losing to Gilroy, extending its winless streak to 24 straight games.
The LOHS girls volleyball team comes out of nowhere to qualify for the CCS playoffs, upsets league rival Salinas and advances to the CCS finals.
Despite a loss to Piedmont Hills in the section finale, the Acorns qualify for the NorCal playoffs for the first time in recent memory.
The MH Pop Warner Midget and Pee Wee teams win regional titles.
December:
LOHS water polo standouts Ryan and Ronni Gautschi are named TCAL MVPs.
South Valley Middle School wrestlers win 12 individual titles at the Santa Clara County Champion-ships.
The LOHS boys hoops team starts the season 10-1, winning its second straight Bob Hagen tourney title.
Morgan Hill’s Drew Fredenburg wins a state wrestling title for West Valley.
