Forty years ago, on August 1, 1977, the Manteca Dolphins swim team won the Trans-County League championship in Ceres. The final team point totals were: Manteca 613.5, Ripon 385, Ceres 340.5, Escalon 277, Patterson 218.5 and Gustine 185.5. The Dolphins had four high-point winners in their respective age groups. Desiree Dowell won the girls’ 13-14 trophy, Daniel Coburn in boys’ 6 and under, Rob Scott in boys’ 11-12 and Jeff Wright in boys’ 15-17.
In other sports stories
from the Bulletin files:
100 years ago: August 3, 1917 – The Manteca baseball team is some aggregation. It defeated the Tracy Tigers on their home ground Sunday. It was the first occurrence of the kind this year. Jensen and Kiel Potter formed a very reliable battery for Manteca. It was one of those close-fit games when something happens. Foster spoiled the game for Tracy with a homerun in the seventh inning, leaving the score 3-2.
90 years ago: August 4, 1927 – By defeating the Hughson Highlanders on the local diamond Sunday afternoon, the Manteca Maulers won their twelfth consecutive game in the Don Pedro League this year. The score was 4 to 1 and was a tie until the sixth inning when Clarence Flores went in as a pinch hitter, bringing in two men besides scoring himself. The game was hotly contested from the very start and a dispute arising over Umpire Hopper’s decision over a fly ball to Owens in right field almost precipitated a fight. Hopper announced the batter out, many local players taking issue with the decision and for a while it looked as if the game would break up into a free-for-all fight. Converse and Hooper were the most belligerent and the interference of others is all that prevented blows from being exchanged.
80 years ago: August 5, 1937 – The Spreckels Honeydews softball team pounded out an 11-3 win over the Victor Fruit Growers of Lodi in Recreation Park Friday night. Ed Winters was back in fine form, setting down 16 Victor batters on strikeouts and adding a two-base hit which he stretched to four bases on an error. Charley Percival knocked the ball out of the park in the second inning to circle the bases and score two ahead.
70 years ago: August 7, 1947 – The Manteca Dickman Special, with Lemoine Frey at the wheel, won its fourth main event at the 99 Stadium races in Stockton Saturday night. Frey and the Special are the only entries at present to take four main events at the Stockton track.
50 years ago: August 2, 1967 – The big game last weekend saw Manteca Ford and Modesto Sportsmen of Stanislaus battle for four hours and 50 minutes in a 26-inning softball marathon, with the local nine winning the game, 4 to 2. The victory assures the locals a trip to the state regionals in Napa. Stockton’s Oak Park was the site of the battle which has been billed as the longest softball game ever played in Stockton. Pitcher Bill Simoni went the full 26 innings, allowing only nine hits, while striking out 40 batters. In the top of the 26th inning, singles by Larry Lusk and Jim Ennis and a double by Lee McNutt scored one run. A wild pitch allowed another local runner to score. The game ended at 1:30 a.m.
40 years ago: August 3, 1977 – Supported by a flawless line and some outstanding plays by the quarterback and tailback, the North rolled past the South 16-0 in the fourth annual Lions Central California all-star football game Saturday night in Stockton. A crowd of over 11,000 watched as Leo Hamilton, fueled by fine plays and unsurpassed team momentum, crashed though gaps in the South defense, opened by Mantecans Jeff Watson from Manteca High and Marlon Hughes and Eric Hedstrom from East Union High.
30 years ago: August 2, 1987 – For the 18th year in a row, the South all-star team beat the North, this time a thrilling 12-6 victory in the 36th annual Shrine Classic at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena Saturday night before 22,495. The game featured Manteca High lineman Rob Van De Pol. He was the first player to represent MHS since Victor Liles in 1972 and played the entire game at right guard and performed well on offense.
20 years ago: July 27, 1997 – Sierra High grad Eli Campbell scored the game-winning touchdown with 13 seconds left as the North defeated the South 20-13 in the 24th annual District 4 A-1 Central California Lions All-star Football Classic Saturday night in Merced. Campbell, who finished with a team-high 52 yards on nine carries, dove over left tackle for the score. The North team also included East Union High grad Adam Rabusin and offensive lineman Calvin Ryans from Manteca High.
The Northgate Little League Senior softball team dropped an 11-3 game to Red Bluff last night, after the eventual winners had scored 10 runs in the top of the first inning. Northgate committed seven errors in the game to offset a six-hit performance by starting pitcher Kristi Norton and relief pitcher Kat McKenzie. Offensively, Amanda Vickers belted two doubles in a losing cause. The loss eliminated Northgate from the divisional playoffs.
The Manteca Senior Little League softball all-stars managed just two hits against Fortuna yesterday and committed five errors in a 5-0 loss. Singles by Angela Rice and Kim Huntley provided the only offense for the local girls. The defeat eliminated Coach Gary Mullins’ team from the divisional playoffs.
10 years ago: July 29, 2007 – The Manteca All-City Senior All-star softball team scored two runs in the seventh inning to down Colton, California 6-4 in the third round of the Western Regionals of the International World Series of Little League Softball in Missoula, Montana on Saturday. The local girls scored four runs in the second inning to get ahead early. Casey Cedergren led the offense with three hits in four at-bats for Manteca.
The Manteca Babe Ruth 13-15 All-stars won the Central California State Tournament with a convincing 8-4 victory over Arroyo Grande at Lodi last night. With Tournament Most Valuable Player Marshall Swift getting the starting pitcher assignment, Jonathan Davis drove in a pair of runs. It was the first time a Manteca Babe Ruth team has won a State title. The team now heads to Hanford for the Pacific Southwest Regional Tournament next week.
