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1972: Thissen throws 1-hitter as Buffaloes take tourney win
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Forty years ago, on April 5, 1972, officials of the prestigious Los Angeles High School Shrine football game have announced that Vic Liles of Manteca High has been selected as one of only three valley football players to participate in the annual summer contest. Liles, a senior three-year letterman, set Buffalo receiving records as an end in his last two years of varsity competition.



In other sports stories from the Bulletin files:

90 years ago
: March 31, 1922 - The Manteca High School defeated Ceres High in baseball last Friday afternoon by a score of 9 to 8. The game was exciting from beginning to end. Clarence Flores was the star of the game.

Last Sunday at the Manteca diamond, the Independents of Manteca lost their game to the Cedar Products team. The game was loosely played throughout, Capatanich being hit frequently and hard by the Cedar boys. Manager Dye is not discouraged at all and says with the new lineup next Sunday, a very different game will be seen.



60 years ago
: April 3, 1952 - Manteca High baseballers again threw away a Valley Oak League game via the error route last Friday when they were defeated 9-8 by Tracy High. The Buffs were guilty of nine errors with Tracy most obliging by putting them to good use. Leo Cardinal scored three of the Manteca runs.

In a four-way track meet last Thursday afternoon in Oakdale, Oakdale High snowed under their opposition in easy fashion. Oakdale had 91.25 points, Manteca 41, Sonora 25 and Livingston 15.75. Outstanding performance of the meet for the Buffs was the excellent time of 54 flat by Ralph Lanting in the 440. Other Buffalo firsts were by Gene Peterson in the high jump and Milton Snelling in the shot put.



50 years ago
: April 5, 1962 - Manteca High ended its non-league season on a winning note last Friday by taking a 10-5 win over Turlock High. The win was the second of the season for the locals. Lowell Grissom got two hits for the Buffs, including a grand slam home run in the first inning. Eron Grisham went all the way on the mound for Manteca and limited the Bulldogs to eight scattered hits.

With John Lathrop leading the way, the Manteca High track squad took a dual meet  with Lincoln High last week. Lathrop won three first places, the broad jump and the pole vault and tied for first place in the 120 high hurdles.



40 years ago: April 5, 1972 - The highlight of the week-long Gus Gallagher Baseball Tournament in Stockton was a one-hitter by Manteca High’s John Thissen. The hard-throwing right-hander completely throttled Lodi High at Billy Hebert Field, allowing only seven runners to reach base, while striking out 10. Thissen squeezed in Greg Williams with the lone run in the fifth inning. The Buffs went on to wrap up their third consolation title in the history of the Easter week classic.

East Union High nipped Atwater High 2-1 in VOL action prior to their spring vacation. Tim Murphy led the Lancer batsmen with two hits in four trips to the plate and he scored the winning run. Twirler Ralph Bochicchio was impressive as he tossed a complete game while allowing just six hits. He struck out 11.

The Manteca High tennis team overcame a major obstacle in its race for the VOL title Tuesday afternoon when the netmen downed a highly regarded Atwater High squad 4-1. Manteca’s singles wins were by Scott Joslyn, Marty Hill and Terry Munoz. Bud Michael and John Boyden grabbed a doubles win for the Buffaloes.



30 years ago
: April 4, 1982 - Senior right-hander James Matas, apparently recovered from early-season shoulder troubles, pitched a one-hitter Saturday as Manteca High stopped LeGrand High 3-1 in the first round of the 1982 Orestimba Easter Baseball Tournament in Newman. The win evened the Buffaloes’ season record at 4-4. The game was called after six innings because of rain. Matas struck out 12 batters in going all the way.

Danny Fernandez scattered four hits to lead East Union High to a 9-1 win over Denair High Thursday and a spot in the title game of the Orestimba Tournament in Newman. Andy Pratt, Mike Emperador and Ron Hester had two hits apiece and Mike Wood collected three RBI’s.



20 years ago: April 8, 1992 - Manteca High erupted for 13 runs on 13 hits in a 13-2 win over visiting Los Banos High in softball action yesterday. Emerging from a season-long slump, cleanup hitter Jennifer Johnson paced the offense with three hits and two RBI.

Kirsten Moran hurled a no-hitter and Tiffany Mattos crushed a three-run homer as the East Union High softball team remained perfect on the year with a 4-0 win at Oakdale High Tuesday afternoon. The Lady Lancers are 3-0 in VOL and 7-0 overall. Moran, a junior, hasn’t given up a run all season. The Mattos home run was the freshman’s second round-tripper in two games.

Paced by double winners David Furlong, John Lowry and Brad Masterson, the Manteca High boys swim squad splashed by Ceres High 116-53 to up its VOL record to 3-0. At the same time, the Lady Buffaloes used their depth to dispose of Ceres, 95-74. Furlong took firsts in the 200 free and the 100 free; Lowry grabbed wins in the 200 IM and the 100 breast, while Masterson won the 50 free and the 100 back. In the girls competition, Julie Gaynor and Lisa Pendexter notched their normal two victories apiece for MHS. Gaynor had wins in the 200 free and 100 fly as Pendexter took the 100 free and the 100 breast.

Snapping a two-meet losing streak, the East Union High girls swim team coasted past Calaveras High in San Andreas on Tuesday afternoon. Meanwhile, the EU boys posted their fifth straight triumph of the 1992 season with a commanding 108-58 margin. The Lady Lancers did not have any individual double winners but had plenty of top three finishes. For the Lancer boys, Chad Bergen and Nate Hall were each double winners. Bergen won the 200 IM and the 100 fly, while Hall raced to wins in the 50 free and the 100 free.

East Union High’s golf team boosted itself back into the VOL title chase with a crucial 205-215 victory over Ceres High on Friday in Modesto. The Lancers (10-6 overall) were paced by Eric Parsons, who shot a 36.

Competing against Carmel’s Stevenson High, the Manteca High golf team earned a 233-239 win over the difficult Spyglass course. Coach Steve Winter praised Buff medalist Rob Wallace, who shot a 36.

The East Union High baseball team committed four errors that led to all three Oakdale High runs as the Mustangs claimed a 3-2 VOL win Wednesday afternoon. Elbert Bartlett ripped a two-run triple in the top of the second inning to give the Lancers (2-8 overall) a 2-0 lead but EU tossed the game away in the next two frames.

Coach Jack Thomson’s Manteca High baseball team defeated Los Banos High 8-3 Wednesday afternoon. Winning pitcher Paul Gutierrez also paced the Buffaloes at the plate with a perfect 3-for-3 and an RBI. The senior also pitched a complete-game six-hitter, striking out 10 batters and walking only two.

Number-one singles player James Vu swept his three matches as the East Union High netters earned a 9-6 VOL tennis win at Oakdale High Wednesday.

Manteca High’s tennis team snapped an 11-match losing steak Wednesday afternoon, blasting visiting Los Banos High 11-4. The Buffs’ Erik Agnew and Eddie Low were both double winners.

The East Union High girls track team took a big win over visiting Sonora High Thursday afternoon but, missing two key members, the boys were routed . Kimba Carter and Brittny Harris took two individual first places as the Lady Lancers earned a 71-56 win. Carter won the 100 meters and the 200, while Harris took the gold in the 800 and the 400. Winning only one event, the EU boys were dumped 103-33 by the Wildcats. Martin Gonzalez was the only Lancer to take a first, winning the 400.

Both the Manteca High boys and girls track teams rolled over Los Banos High Thursday afternoon. The boys got two firsts from David Bayless as they thrashed the Tigers 95-40. He won the pole vault and the triple jump. Tanya Ryals won three events as the Lady Buffs remained perfect in VOL meets. Speedster Ryals won the 100 and the 200, in addition to winning the long jump.



10 years ago
: April 10, 2002 - Cat McKinzie got the only Lady Buff hit Tuesday as the host Tracy High softball team shut out Manteca High 7-0 yesterday.

Cherie Early and Marti Teunissen each scored three goals as the Sierra High soccer team pounded host Manteca High 9-0 at Schmiedt Field on Tuesday. Liz Alexander and Amanda Bartolomeu added a goal each for Coach Manuel Pires’s Lady Timberwolves.

Down by two runs early in the game, the East Union High softball squad came from behind to defeat Los Banos High 4-2 on Tuesday. Aimee Brooks hit a two-run single in the seventh inning to cap off the win. Amanda Vickers and Brooks collected three hits each, while EU pitcher Brittney Tachara struck out nine batters and got two hits at the plate.

Scoring in the bottom of the seventh inning, host Oakdale High edged Sierra High 1-0 in softball action yesterday afternoon. The Lady T’wolves gathered hits from Lisa Young, Melanie Berezay and Chyanne Jacomini and loaded the bases but could not score.

The Sierra High girl swimmers were defeated by the visiting Sonora High team on Tuesday by a 105-65 score. The T’wolf boys lost as well, dropping a 119-46 decision.

The East Union High tennis team blew Sonora High out of the water on Monday by a 15-0 score. Coach Allison Carter’s Lancer netters are now 10-2 overall.

The Sierra High baseball team sealed third place in the Atwater Easter Classic by beating Atwater High 4-1 on Thursday. Matt Berezay and Mike Loomis were named to the All-tournament team as the T’wolves have won five of their last seven games.

Manteca High ended the Windemuth Baseball tournament in Modesto on Wednesday by dropping a 5-0 game to Modesto High. Randy Sprinkle had a double for the Buffaloes.

East Union High played the last game of the DeBenedetti Baseball Tournament in Lodi on Tuesday and lost to West High, 10-8. Lancer pitchers gave up 11 walks and the team committed five errors. Nick St. Hilaire was 3-for-3 at the plate with a double, a home run and five RBI in a losing cause.