Home Games played at Antioch Community Center in Prewett Park, 4703 Lone Tree Way, Antioch. Tickets at: www.brownpapertickets.com/cccds/3689712 Learn more at www.cccdeltastars.com.

Tickets are still available including a few spots left for kids to Hi-five the players. Hurry and call TODAY!

Cornerstone Christian High Cougars football team. Photo courtesy of Cornerstone Christian.

Antioch’s Cornerstone Christian High Cougars football team is now 11-0 this season and playing for the NCS 8-man football championship against the Branson Bulls of Ross, CA at Rio Vista High School at 410 S 4th Street, in Rio Vista on Friday night Nov. 29 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $12 adults and $7 for seniors and students.

The team has gone undefeated with a record of 20-0 in two seasons. The Cougars trounced the Calistoga Wildcats 46-8 in the semifinal game, last Friday night.

Support the team as they battle their way to another championship.

John O’Connor and his wife, Tere.

By Luke Johnson

A man fell into the trackway – about 30 feet in front of an oncoming train – and a BART employee immediately thought:

“Oh, he ain’t gonna make it.”

However, the employee got on his knees and reached over the trackway – putting himself in harm’s way. He then grabbed the fallen man and pulled him to safety with inches to spare. This all happened in a matter of three seconds. (See BART video)

Photo courtesy of John O’Connor.

The hero: John O’Connor, 55, who has lived in Antioch for 28 years. He’s also a former assistant football coach for the Antioch High Panthers and has worked for BART for the past 24 years.

He was working at the Coliseum Station after the Oakland Raiders game Sunday, Nov. 3 to provide extra supervision for the overflowing postgame crowd – which was needed to say the least.

“That’s what I’m here for,” O’Connor said. “God was with us at that moment.”

He added that it doesn’t sound right to be called a hero, because people in the military, police and fire department save lives all the time and he doesn’t believe he belongs in that category.

“It seemed a lot slower than it actually happened (on video),” O’Connor said during a press conference. “He came to the side, I figured he wasn’t going to make it so I grabbed him and pulled him up to the platform. That’s what we do. We got foreworkers, train operators, station agents who deal with this on a daily basis. We preach safety, and we practice it.”

Although he may not identify as a hero, this Thursday the Raiders will honor him as one. The team will host him in front of the Thursday Night Football audience as this week’s “Hometown Hero.”

O’Connor during the press conference. Photo by BART.

BART said the young man who stumbled onto the trackway was intoxicated.

After O’Connor pulled the young man to safety, he lifted him from the ground, embraced him with a hug and said, “It’s OK.” Meanwhile, other BART riders cheered for O’Connor for saving the young man’s life.

The moment was captured on video and posted to Twitter – which quickly went viral and can be seen, here.

The story has been all over the news and has even garnered national attention. O’Connor said if it weren’t for that video, many people would not have known what happened, and it would have become “just another good drinkin’ story.”

By Don Martin II

Antioch, CA…This weekend Antioch Speedway will be hosting the biggest Dirt Modified race of the year. It’s the First Annual West Coast Nationals. The A Modifieds and the B Modifieds will both be competing.

Past Modified and Stock Car competitor Chad Chadwick is making his foray into promoting with this big event. He’s hoping not just to offer the racers a big money race, but also to help reclaim Antioch Speedway’s status as one of the top tier dirt tracks in the state. “The fans will be seeing some of the best Modified racing you’ll find anywhere,” said Chadwick. “Some of the best drivers on the West Coast will be here this weekend. We have a format that will give the racers several opportunities to make it into the big race. I’m excited to be bringing this race to Antioch Speedway.”

Bobby Hogge IV #2h will be one of the drivers to beat in the West Coast Nationals at Antioch Speedway. Photo by Kniss Racing Photos.

The event kicks off on Thursday night with a practice, barbecue, cornhole tournament and live music. Both divisions will compete in heat races and Preliminary Features on Friday. The Top 4 finishers in the Preliminary Features will be locked into Saturday’s big money Main Event.

On Saturday, the two divisions will again run heat races as well as B Mains and Last Chance Qualifiers. The night ends with the Main Events offering purses of $25,000 for the A Modifieds and over $5,000 for the B Modifieds.

Antioch Speedway has held some big Modified races during the past 30 years, but this one will be the biggest ever. Just to take the green flag in the A Modified Main Event on Saturday will ensure a driver a minimum $500 payday. To win the show will be worth $7,500, and even second place walks off with a tidy sum of $3,800. The B Modified drivers will be competing for $1,500 to win their feature race with drivers earning $150 just to start.

The money being offered for the A Modifieds was enough to attract the attention of Bakersfield driver Ethan Dotson. Dotson gained national attention by winning the big IMCA Nationals event in Boone, Iowa in early September. He may come in as a top driver to beat, but an all star lineup of competitors is anticipated with the money on the line.

Bobby Hogge IV has a knack for winning some of the biggest races on the West Coast, and he’s won 70 Main Events at Antioch Speedway alone in his impressive career. Hogge picked up the lucrative victory in the Mike Cecil Memorial at Watsonville earlier this year and also left with the big prize money in the Roger Haudenshild Tribute race in Medford back in June.

Kellen Chadwick #83 has already won two of the biggest races of of the season at Antioch Speedway. Photo by Kniss Racing Photos.

When you talk about drivers to beat, Bobby’s name will be found near the top of the list. “These are the races that I look forward to,” said Hogge. “You get some of the best drivers out there, and it makes it a lot more fun and challenging for me. I’m looking forward to this race. We’ve always done pretty well at Antioch.”

Like Hogge, Kellen Chadwick, Troy Foulger and Nick DeCarlo are all past Antioch Speedway champions. Chadwick won both the Donna Soares Memorial and Jerry Hetrick Memorial at Antioch this year. He also won the Wild West Speedweek Series title for the second time this year and the $5,000 R Charles Snyder Salute in Medford.

Foulger is a four-time Antioch champion teaming with Billy Bowers, and he won the Merced Speedway title this year. DeCarlo won the Antioch championship last season and had three wins this year. This second-generation competitor bears the distinction of being the only driver to win Modified championships at Antioch, Petaluma and Watsonville.

This is just a sampling of some of the stars anticipated not just from California but from the Pacific Northwest and even Canada. Local stars such as new champion Buddy Kniss, 2017 champion Bobby Motts Jr, Sean O’Gara, multi-time Late Model champion Jeff Decker and Bob Newberry are among a roster of roughly 50 competitors expected to do battle.

The $1,500 is one of the bigger prizes being offered for the B Modifieds, and that kind of cash will bring some fast competitors to Antioch Speedway. This will include past champion Fred Ryland. Ryland has won over 50 Main Events in his career at Antioch Speedway alone as well as the 2015 championship. He won the Merced title this year. Local star Tommy Fraser, who won the championship this year along with eight Main Events, is anticipated as well.

In addition to other local stars such as Trevor Clymens and brother Tommy Clymens Jr, Todd Gomez and Kevin Brown, top racers from tracks such as Watsonville, Merced and Marysville are anticipated for this special event. There’s even reports of a few Modified racers bringing two cars to compete in both divisions.

The track has offered some big paying events through the years, and this is the biggest one yet. The West Coast Nationals promises to be a can’t miss event. This two-day event is also the final race of the season until next year. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.