The 2018 DVC Hall of Fame will welcome eight new enshrines. The inductees include two Antioch sports heroes, Gene “Butch” Rounsaville and Robert Hubbard.

Rounsaville was the 1964 Male Athlete of the year at DVC, culminating a fabulous year where he was named first team All-Golden Gate Conference as both a quarterback in football and pitcher in baseball as well as being a starter on the Viking basketball team.  After DVC, “Butch” was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies and later went on to pitch in the major leagues with the Chicago White Sox. 

Rounsaville has also been honored with induction into the Reading, PA Phillies AA Baseball Hall of Fame (2006) and the Antioch Sports Legends Hall of Fame (2007). He joins fellow Antioch High graduates, Tim Foote, Baseball (2008), Steve Sanchez, Wrestling (2009) and Rally Rounsaville, Basketball (2009) as DVC Hall of Famers. Sanchez and Rally Rounsaville are also inductees of the Antioch Sports Legends Hall of Fame.

Hubbard, current head football coach at Deer Valley High School, was a record setting running back while at DVC in 2002-03.  In 2003 Hubbard amassed an all-time school record of 1,518 yards rushing while being named to the Mid-Empire Conference’s first team.

After DVC, Hubbard accepted a scholarship to the University of Nevada at Reno and played there his two remaining collegiate seasons. Hubbard led his Deer Valley football team to the North Coast Section Playoffs this past season.

Other members of this year’s class of inductees that will be honored are: Marv McKean, Coach; Sue Lindh, All-Around Female Athlete; Dr. Michael Oberlander, Team Doctor; Will Levy, Basketball; Lindsey Azevedo, Softball and Stefanie Hanf-Grinstead, Track & Field. The induction ceremonies will be held on February 22, 2018 at 6:00 PM at Diablo Valley College. For dinner ticket information contact Steve Ward at (925) 969-2762 or sward@dvc.edu.

By Jesus Cano

Deer Valley Wolverines

Deer Valley is expected to be a top team again this season, as they have been for the past two seasons. The only problem is, they didn’t live up to their talent.

Main reason, coaching. Juan Tannus based his players playing time on discipline, which doesn’t it work out when you are trying to compete against star studded teams Freedom and Pittsburg. Some of the best players on the team rode the bench because Tannus didn’t like them.

I’ve been saying this for years. Deer Valley will see a fortune change when they got a new head coach.

Deer Valley acquired John Delaney, who has been part of the program for four years, to take over the helm. Now, Deer Valley has posted a record of 6-3-1 which is the best record in the BVAL heading into league play. Look at it however you want, the numbers don’t lie.

The Wolverines are a well-balanced team. Starting from the back, goalkeeper Matt Wilmes has the make saves in the league with 65. The defense consisting of Esteban Sandoval,Ryan Eng and Christopher Hackney has come up clutch like a third pedal. In Deer Valley’s six wins, they haven’t allowed more than one goal.

In the midfield, they have another group of players that manage the ball really well in Armando Fajardo and Diego Ruiz. They also have Rudy Saucedo, who is the best player in the BVAL, controlling the midfield.

Isaiah Moreira and Edgard Morazan have been able to finish the ball a lot in season, both scoring a total of nine combined goals.

The tools are there for the Wolverines. If they play the way they have in non-league action, they will win league. But if they get scored on when facing top dogs like Freedom and Pittsburg, they are going to float around the third and fourth place area.

Antioch Panthers

Before Pittsburg won its seven straight BVAL titles, Antioch was on a run of its own, winning two in a row. Even up until 2013, the Panthers had a strong program, but that was it. They’ve been only winning about two or three games a season.

The same is expected this season. They come into the league with a 2-7-2 record.

The biggest challenge they face is the fact the Antioch High School area has a majority of low-income families. It correlates with the fact many of those students do not possess sufficient funds to play club soccer, which is why they’ve struggled so much.

Lucky for them, the head coach Conrad Diaz is a club coach at Delta Youth Soccer. When took over the program midway through last season, the Panther’s improved. They did not finish last in the table, while not losing the Antioch Mayor’s Cup game.

That doesn’t change the fact Antioch has talented players. Keys to the team are Josue Lopez and Liam Gammond. Lopez got hot in scoring when it came to BVAL play and came in fourth place in scoring, while Gammond can also score too, but works well in the midfield to distribute the ball.

A new comer that is going to make an impact is goalkeeper Melvin Morales. He and many of his teammates gave him the nickname “Spider-Man”, and he earns it. He saves Antioch a lot and can fly to make big time stop.

Also look for Ian Scheringer to step up. He has four goals in his young career.

Deer Valley faces the Liberty Lions in their season opener tonight, while Antioch will take on the Heritage High Patriots.

By Luke Johnson

Najee Harris will become the first Antioch High School alum to play in a national championship game in college football.

The true freshman running back and No. 4 Alabama upset No. 1 Clemson in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day, 24-6. The Crimson Tide now faces No. 3 Georgia in the College Football Playoff National Championship in Atlanta tonight at 5:17 p.m. (Pacific)

“If [Alabama] wins, it will be big, but I also think it will push him even more to get it again next year,” Harris’ personal trainer and close friend Marcus Malu said. “I think Antioch, as a city and a school, that we need to build on that, [and] make sure that we don’t have a one-hit wonder, and turnout some more kids.”

Harris has rushed for 306 yards, 5.6 yards per carry and three touchdowns this season, on top of six receptions for 45 yards. His longest reception came last week for 22 yards — a game in which he had no carries.

Alabama’s ground game has been led by juniors Damien Harris and Bo Scarbrough — who are potential prospects for this year’s NFL Draft. Damien Harris is projected to be picked in the second or third round while Scarbrough is expected to be selected between the third and fifth rounds, according to Senior Draft Analyst Charlie Campbell of Walter Football.

Najee Harris has been Alabama’s third option at running back with only 55 carries this season. However, Malu feels his limited action may be a good thing. Harris holds every rushing record at Antioch High School — including carries with 838. He played the majority of his senior year (291 carries) with a knee injury that he hid from the public, for which he underwent surgery last January.

Malu believes this was a productive year for Harris to allow his banged-up body to recover while getting acclimated to the highest level of competition in college football. Although Malu still hopes Harris is utilized and has an excellent performance during tonight’s contest.

“He understands that it’s a process,” Malu said. “If he gets in I’m sure they’ll give him a few touches. If he doesn’t, he understands that this is the business.”

With a lot of local anticipation for this upcoming game between two teams in the Southeastern Conference, Malu said that people come up to him at least three to four times per day to ask about Harris.

“They say, ‘Hey, is the kid gon’ play? Is the kid gon’ get some touches?’ And I’m like, ‘Man, you know, you should be emailing [coach] Nick Saban,’” Malu said while chuckling.

The game will air on ESPN. For more information about the NCAA National Championship football game click here.

By Don Martin II

ANTIOCH, CA…January 1…New Year’s Day meant the Winter Classic was happening Antioch Speedway Monday afternoon. Oval Motorsports began their 21st season of promoting the 3/8-mile clay oval with a special four division program featuring A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Dwarf Cars and Hobby Stocks.

The A Modified Main Event was won by Williston, North Dakota’s Travis Peery. Peery competed at tracks in Medford, Oregon and Yreka, California before moving to North Dakota. He took the lead from Raymond Lindeman and then had a battle with five-time champion Scott Busby during the final 10 laps.

On a restart with 8 laps to go, Busby used the inside line to take the lead from Peery. However, when Chester Kniss rolled in Turn 4, the ensuing red flag negated Busby’s pass. Peery chose the inside on this restart and withstood an outside groove challenge by Busby over the next two laps to hold the lead. As Peery brought it home to victory, 2017 race winner Nick DeCarlo made a late pass on Busby for second. Busby settled for third ahead of reigning track champion Bobby Motts Jr. and Jeff Faulkner.

Fred Ryland took the lead from his wife Patti Ryland early on and won the B Modified Main Event. F. Ryland is the reigning Merced Speedway champion, and he held off reigning Chico and Marysville champion Philip Shelby down the stretch for a well-earned victory. Les Friend finished third ahead of Craig Nieman and Mark Garner.

Reigning champion Mike Corsaro scored an impressive victory in the Dwarf Car Main Event. Two-time champion Danny Wagner led the first half of the race before overheating issues sidelined him. During the second half of the race, Corsaro led with Jack Haverty and Michael Grenert in close pursuit. Grenert made a pass on Haverty for second with six laps to go. Two laps later, Grenert made a slide job move around Corsaro in Turn 2, only to drift too high as Corsaro raced back into the lead down the backstretch. Corsaro scored a hard-fought victory ahead of Grenert, Haverty, Chuck Conover and David Michael Rosa.

The Hobby Stock Main Event featured an entertaining side-by-side battle between Chris Long and Orland Raceway star, Brad Ray. After technical inspections following the race, Ray was disqualified and Long was elevated to first. Orland Raceway champion Jeremy Langenderfer was riding along in third when he spun on the last lap, handing the position to Chris Bennett. Bennett’s third place became second with the disqualification of Ray.

The Antioch Speedway 2018 schedule should be made available shortly. For further information on what’s happening at the track, check out the official website at www.antiochspeedway.com.

 

At Mountain Mike’s Pizza in the Raley’s shopping center.

Meet the two-time World Record-holder at Barnes & Noble

By Allen Payton

Having previously equaled the World Record, Martinez-born and Pittsburg-raised Eddie Hart was a strong favorite to win the 100-Meter Dash at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany. The inexplicable happened, he was disqualified for arriving seconds after his quarterfinal heat. Ten years of training to become the “World’s Fastest Human.” The title attached to the Olympic 100-meter champion was lost in a heartbeat. How could this have possibly happened on athletics’ biggest stage, the Olympic Games?

Hart provides his story in a new book he’s written with the help of friend and former Oakland Tribune sports reporter, Dave Newhouse, entitled “Disqualified – Eddie Hart, Munich 1972, and the Voices of The Most Tragic Olympics.”

A Champion Since High School

Hart moved to Pittsburg when he was eight years old, and attended Village Elementary and Central Junior High. He graduated from Pittsburg High in 1967 where he lettered every year as a member of the track team, in the 100, 200 and long jump. He won “the conference in four events, including the 4×100 relay in 1966, then he repeated in the 100 and 200 in 1967,” Hart shared.

He then went on to attend Contra Costa College in San Pablo.

“That’s where I really blossomed,” Hart said.

It’s where he won the 100 and 200 at the junior college state meet in 1969.

Hart then transferred to U.C. Berkeley where he majored in Physical Education, because he wanted to be a track coach. In his first year, he won the 100-meter race at the PAC-8 championships and placed second in the 200.

Then at the NCAA national championships that year, Hart won the 100 and running anchor, helped his team win the 4×100 relay, as well.

One of his teammates, Isaac Curtis, who went on to play wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, came in second in that same 100-meter race, making it the only time in NCAA history that teammates from the same school placed first and second in the championship race.

“At the end of that year I made the U.S. national team and toured Europe for six weeks competing in various meets,” Hart shared. “We competed in France, in Russia and Oslo, and Sweden, also.”

Champion in the 5,000-meter Steve Prefontaine was on that same team.

“I knew Pre, well,” Hart said.

First Major Challenge

Then in 1971 he placed second in the 100 and third in the 200 at the NCAA Championships due to an injury earlier in the year, having missed half the season and not even competing in the conference championships.

First Comeback

Hart withdrew from school to train for the Olympics and became an assistant to the head track coach in 1972, at the same time. He entered open competition that year and during the meets Hart made the qualifying times in the 100. In fact, he missed the World Record by just 1/10^th of a second running 10 flat at the West Coast Relays in Fresno.

Second Major Challenge

Three weeks before the Olympic trials Hart injured his right hamstring while running in the 200 at the U.S. Championships in Seattle. He couldn’t do any starts between that injury and his first race at the Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon.

“It was terrifying,” he said. “It was tough.”

Then at the trials, “It was a nightmare,” Hart said. “Each race, everyone was ahead of me.  I just kept pulling up.”

Asked if he was hesitant, he replied, “Oh, very much so. I was afraid I was going to reinjure myself.”

“You have to run four races,” Hart explained.  “A heat, a quarterfinal, a semi-final and then the final.”

Second Comeback

In the semifinal I was fourth and they only took four to the final. “I barely made it,” he stated.

“It was a wind-aided race and the first five guys ran a 9.9 in the 100 meters and the fifth-place guy didn’t even qualify,” Hart continued. “I was the fourth guy and I was scared to death, because from the finals they only took the top three.”

In the blocks at the starting line, he was still thinking about his leg, which was bothering him.

“This was all the marbles right here, there was nothing to save,” he shared.

“The gun went off and I was in a dream,” Hart explained. “I ran the best race of my life.”

Before or after, “Ever,” he said. “That was it.”

“I was an Olympian, an Olympic trials champion and the World Record holder at 9.9,” Hart stated proudly.

“It was legal, not wind-aided,” he added.

Hart had equaled the World Record in the 100-meter dash, which had been achieved by only two others before. It wasn’t broken until 1991 when Carl Lewis ran it in 9.86.

He also qualified for the Olympics as the anchor for the U.S. Men’s 4×100 relay team, which was made up of the four finalists in the 100-meter race.

From Triumph to Tragedy

About a month later he was with the U.S. Olympic Team in Boden, Maine for a few weeks to train in similar weather as Munich, Germany. They then competed in Oslo, Norway, France and Italy before arriving in the Olympic Village just a few days before the Opening Ceremony.

A few days later he ran and won his heat.

“It was easier to make it to the finals at the Olympic games than it was to make the finals at the Olympic trials,” Hart shared. “Of the top 10 to 15 sprinters in the world, the top 10 were in the  U.S. at that time.”

After all three U.S. sprinters had won their heats, the coach said “let’s go back to the Olympic Village and rest” Hart explained, “because there was so much time between races. But, that was his schedule.”

The Village was only about a mile or less away from the Olympic Stadium. But, the coach had the incorrect time for the start of the quarterfinals.

They rushed back to the stadium, but it was too late for Hart.  He had missed his race and was disqualified. Thus, the title of his book.

Tragedy Ends in Triumph

Hart’s Olympic story didn’t end there. The following week after the tragic murder of the 11 Israeli team members had halted the games for a day for the memorial, Hart once again ran anchor for the U.S. 4×100 relay team. They won that race in World Record time and he became an Olympic Gold Medalist and a World Record holder, once again. See video of Hart’s leg of the race here.

Returning to Pittsburg he was met with celebrations by the Mayor of Pittsburg and the city.

Hart returned to college to complete his degree, and became a paid assistant track coach at Cal Berkeley. He has since started his philanthropic efforts through his Eddie Hart All In One Foundation which holds an Olympian Track Education Clinic at Pittsburg High, each year.

Faith has been a big part of his life, all of his life. Hart has been a member of Stewart Memorial Methodist Church in Pittsburg since elementary school. He’s taught Sunday School for 35 years and for the past 20 years he’s taught the men’s class.

Asked if faith played a part in his Olympic journey, Hart responded, “In every aspect. I grew up in the church, it couldn’t have been any other way.”

“I never prayed to God for success in track,” he shared. “I asked God to give me strength in life to face the challenges as they come.”

“My prayer is that His will be done. God is interested in spiritual things, in our soul not our flesh,” Hart continued. “Ultimately at the end of the day whatever physical things we’ve accomplished here will be left here. It’s about our souls which are eternal. Our flesh is going to burn up. The Bible is clear.”

Asked if his story will become a movie, Hart said, “We’re working on it.”

But, he has to think about who will play the part of him, he shared with a laugh.

His book includes a foreword by Harvard professor Dr. Cornel West who has been a friend since high school, and whose brother Cliff was Hart’s roommate at Cal.

See Eddie Hart and get your copy of his book signed on Monday, Dec. 18 at 7:00 p.m. at Barnes & Noble book store in Antioch at 5709 Lone Tree Way.