20 years ago: August 19, 1996 – The local high school football programs are preparing for a new, but different season. Sierra High will be playing with their first senior class and East Union will be playing in their own stadium for the first season in the history of the school. All three Manteca high schools began conditioning Monday. At Manteca High, Coach Joe Miller has a group of 39 experienced down linemen out: Trinidad Diaz, Calvin Ryans, Anthony Pacheco and Richie Guillermo are expected to lead at the point of attack.
At East Union, Coach Jim Brown will be returning for his 10th season and has 30 players out for practice. “I like what I’ve seen so far,” said Brown, we don’t have many, but we have some pretty good athletes.” Up front, the Lancers’ four returning people are expected to make an impact. Jorge Cortez, Louie Mendez, Matt Meninga and tight end Kurt Konicek are all returning starters.
The Timberwolves, of course, return their entire squad and should be one of the quickest squads in the entire VOL this year. Head Coach Greg Leland has welcomed 40 players out for practice. Running backs Preston Pate, Eli Campbell and quarterback John Thomson give Sierra High a solid offensive backfield.
Sierra High girls’ tennis practice starts this morning at 8:30 a.m. on the SHS tennis courts. Coach Don Freeman advises all girls to bring their own tennis racquets and water. Tennis balls will be provided.
The Manteca High soccer team will start practice today.
Ten- year-old Andrew May, a Manteca swimmer who took part in the Delta Valley Aquatics meet held in the Lincoln High pool during the weekend, improved on his personal records in all seven of his races. May, who won four events, set junior-plus qualifying standards in both the 50 and 100 breaststroke races. He clocked 42.14 in the 50 and 1:29.21 in the 100.
In other sports stories from the Bulletin files:
80 years ago: August 20, 1936 – Jim Barber left Sunday for Boston to join the Redskins, a professional football team. The team is one of 12 comprising a league in big eastern cities. The Mantecan was one of the Pacific Coast’s outstanding football players while attending the local high school and later the University of San Francisco.
70 years ago: August 22, 1946 – Hope McFall Post Legion baseball team nosed out the Escalon Merchants in a game on the local high school diamond Sunday afternoon by a score of 9 to 8. Manteca’s battery was Frank Lourentzos, pitcher, and Steve Blanco, catcher. Leon Bridge and Fred Hubbard got two triples. Bridge got four for five and Navo Arax got two for three.
60 years ago: August 23, 1956 – The Manteca High varsity will begin practice for the approaching football season next Monday. Although they lost 23 lettering seniors and a 200-pound tackle to the armed forces, there will be little mourning in the Buffalo camp this season. Head Coach Frank LeSan and his assistant, Ken Von Rueden, are expecting 55 to 60 eager prospects to suit up for the first night of rigors.
50 years ago: August 19, 1966 – A ground ball off Forney Bassham’s hand prevented him and Bill Simoni from teaming up to pitch a no-hitter Tuesday night when Manteca Ford bombed an all-star team from Stockton 6-0 at Sequoia Park. Ford racked Burton Edwards for nine hits. Jim Leatherwood and Don McQuinn paced Ford with two hits apiece.
40 years ago: August 18, 1976 – Varsity and frosh-soph football teams for both Manteca and East Union High Schools have gone through the usual pre-season conditioning sessions in preparation for the fully-geared practices next week. Walker Vick, head coach of the defending Valley Oak League co-champion Buffaloes, welcomed 62 players for the drills this week, following Monday night’s physicals. The MHS staff, which includes Butch Linn, Art Mathis and incoming Humboldt State graduate Mickey Founts, saw their turnout divided perfectly with 31 seniors and 31 juniors this week.
For East Union, the Lancers will begin their twice-a-day drills Monday, with several of the specialty players meeting three times. East Union, heading into its sixth season under the varsity leadership of Vern Gebhardt, had approximately 50 gridders attending this week. Assisting Gebhardt this fall are offensive coordinator Dino Cunial and Doug Smith, who replaces Rick Wohle as line coach.
Four new tennis courts are being constructed at East Union High. The Manteca Unified School District project was aided by a donation of $2,000 from the East Union Athletic Boosters.
30 years ago: August 18, 1986 – The local high school football season will officially get underway tonight when both Manteca and East Union High Schools begin practice for 1986. Manteca head coach Bob Lee said he expects 40 to 45 players to report for practice, which will start at 5 pm in the girls’ gym. After stretching and other exercises, the players will move out to the practice field for more conditioning and agility drills.
At EU, the regimen will be similar, only practice will start at 6 p.m. today, then at 5:30 p.m. for the remainder of the week. Head Coach Jim Brown said the team will be doing primarily conditioning and agility work on the field this week.
said he’s not sure yet how many players will report.
10 years ago: August 18, 2006 – Tonight at 6:30 p.m. will be the Manteca High Football Social hosted by Delicato Winery. The cost will be $15 and you must be 21 to attend. There will also be a football car wash on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 noon at the Manteca High parking lot. Car washes are $5.
