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2004: EU claims section softball title in 11 innings
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Sixty years ago, on May 18, 1954, Jack McAllister, Manteca High hurler, pos ted his first no-hit, no-run game of the season, shutting out Oakdale High 2-0. McAllister combined with catcher Ed Morley to set the Mustangs down with no hits while his teammates were collecting seven base knocks. Emmett Lee and Bob Vogel doubled for the locals.

In other sports stories from the Bulletin files:

100 years ago: May 29, 1914 – Manager Milton McGraw Miller of Atlanta invaded the Manteca territory Sunday with his hard-hitting baseball team and carried away a 4 to 2 victory over the White Sox. Bill Fletcher and Al Carroll umpired the game in a very dignified manner and all went according to the direction of the Marquis of Queensbury. Henry Erstad did some sensational base running a la Ty Cobb. In the fourth he came in from second on a narrow chance and later in the game, showed flashes of real base running.

90 years ago: May 18, 1924 – In the first CIF game this season, Manteca High showed old-time form and held Ceres High to three hits, winning 7-6. Captain Dutch Washington pitched a steady game and allowed but one earned run, fanning 10 men. Bennie Hooper played the usual good game behind the plate and connected for three hits.

80 years ago: May 17, 1934 – Spring football practice started at Manteca High Monday afternoon with about 35 players turning out. Spring practice will end May 29, according to Coach Aubrey Laws. Next year’s team will be light and inexperienced, with Captain Jim Hlebakos, Milo Candini, Theodore Abrew, Ernie Silva, Howard Barber and Carl Schaffner as the only veterans from last year’s starting lineup. The line will average about 165 pounds and the backfield about 160.

Five Manteca High trackmen qualified for the Northern Section meet to be held in Gridley next Saturday. Miller Whitman won the half-mile in 2:08.4 and Harold Reynolds set a new record in the 1320 in 3:36.6. Ed Grant won his class C high jump easily with a new record of 5-6.75.

50 years ago: May 18, 1964 – A five-run outburst in the top of the seventh inning gave St. Mary‘s High a 10-6 non-league victory over Manteca High Friday afternoon on the local diamond. Greg Wisby and Norman Knodt led the Buffaloes at the plate with two hits apiece.

40 years ago: May 29, 1974 – Manteca High’s Mike Hubbard pitched his way to the coveted “Player of the Year” honor in the Valley Oak League baseball selections during a meeting of the coaches early last week. And to add icing on the cake as Manteca High’s baseballers witnessed a Cinderella season, their mentor, Jim Brown, was appropriately named “Coach of the Year”. Hubbard was one of three Buffaloes to make the all-VOL team, along with three members of the East Union High diamond squad. For MHS, there was Dan Vogel and Keith Rankins and from EUHS, there were Ron Munoz, Darrell Hardcastle and Miles Branson.

For the second straight year, Miles Branson was chosen as East Union High’s Athlete of the Year. The selection was announced at the Spring Sports Social held Tuesday evening at the FESM Hall. Branson, who was a varsity letter winner in both football and baseball, also gained all-league honors in both sports. Other sport MVP’s were: Ron Munoz (baseball), Ken Webb and Bruce Mellor (golf), Steve McKee and Norm Sadler (tennis) and Jerry Tucker, Doug Stone, Melody Millbeck and JoAnn Chincarini (track and field).

30 years ago: May 29, 1984 – Some of Manteca High’s finest athletes were honored earlier this week during the school’s annual year-end Sports Social. Marilyn Elkins, a member of the school’s league champion volleyball team, section champion basketball team and the only local to qualify for the state meet in track, was hailed as the top All-around Female Athlete of the Year. Pat Payan, a senior performer for the MHS football, basketball and tennis teams, was named as the top male athlete. MVP’s in other sports were: Tony Perez, Kevin Cimoli, Joyce Spradlin and Elkins (track and field), Melody Root (softball), Sam Ochoa and Chris Harris (baseball), Torben Madsen (tennis), Kevin Wentworth (golf) and Teresa Plemons (gymnastics).

20 years ago: June 1, 1994 – The East Union High Spring Sports Social was a special one for Danelle Liles. Basketball standout Liles had the rare privilege of having her No. 3 jersey retired. She was only the third EU athlete to have a jersey retired. The others were 1983 graduate Scott Brooks, a six-year veteran of the NBA, and 1975 graduate Dana Taylor, a three-year starting running back who gained over 3,000 yards. Liles’s four-year varsity career saw the Lady Lancers win four VOL titles. She finished with 2,176 points, more than 500 rebounds, 100 assists and 330 steals. She is headed to the University of Florida on an athletic scholarship. Other winners were Alicia Lyon and Eric Brandt (track), Amy Denny (softball), Felicia Hellums and Brett Hinton (swimming), Brett Sapp (golf), Gene Ballardo (baseball) and Danny Norman (tennis).

Don Morgan and Rebecca Kemptner were named the outstanding senior athletes for the 1993-94 school year at the Manteca High awards banquet Tuesday. Morgan, a three-sport athlete, will attend the University of Nevada-Reno next year on a football scholarship. He was named to the all-VOL teams in both football and baseball. Kemptner was an all-VOL selection in basketball after leading the Lady Buffs in scoring and rebounding. She also won the VOL shot put title. Other winners were Morgan (baseball), Kemptner and Hector Leija (track), Jamie Plath (softball), Levi Frisk (tennis) and Denise Lowry and Brad Masterson (swimming).

10 years ago: June 2, 2004 – The East Union High Spring Sports Awards included the following MVP’s: tennis-Chris Vaught; baseball-Ryan Fleckenstein and golf-Erickson Parker.

East Union High’s late-inning magic fizzled away in its 10-6 loss to one of the state’s best Division III baseball teams, Buhach Colony High, in the Sac-Joaquin Section finals at Zupo Field in Lodi Monday. The Lancers (22-7) were led by Eric Texeira’s 3-for-3 and three runs scored. Justin Friend hit a three-run homer but EU’s seven errors in the game contributed to the loss.

The recent Sierra High Spring Sports Awards were held and the following MVP was recognized: softball-Meghan Soulsby.   

Pinch-runner Erica DeFillo scored the eventual game-winning run at the top the 11th inning Friday and East Union High rang up the last two outs of the ball game with a clutch double play to claim the Division III Sac-Joaquin Section softball title with a 1-0 win over Vanden High of Fairfield at Galt on Friday. Amanda Vickers, the VOL’s Offensive Player of the Year, accounted of the team’s five hits. The Lancers’ seven seniors celebrated just one hour later at the school’s graduation ceremonies back in Manteca.

East Union High’s Carl Crawford left the blocks in the 100-meter dash and clocked in at a blazing 10.53 seconds to cruise to victory Friday night at the Sac-Joaquin Section finals inside of Hughes Stadium in Sacramento. He will be the only Manteca trackster represented next week at the California State Track finals back at Hughes Stadium. He was a double winner with a 21.08 clocking to easily win the 200 meters also.