Sports Stories Of The Year

The saying goes, “Save the best for last.”

Local sports delivered late in 2008.

There was championship caliber play on a number of fields. The fall brought exciting football games from Barstow and Silver Valley. The Aztecs returned to prominence for the first time in years, while Silver Valley made a name for itself for the first time.
On the dirt path the Barstow cross country team won its fourth straight state title, sixth in eight years.

Here's a look back at our top stories from the entire year:

1. Championship game comes to Barstow
Aztecs bring a CIF football championship game to Barstow for the first time since 1999. More than 5,000 fans pack a windy, cold Langworthy Field to see Barstow lose 31-27 to Citrus Hill. The game lives up to the championship hype with each team trading scores in the fourth quarter.

2. Duarte retires
 Barstow cross country coach Jim Duarte makes a shocking announcement at the state cross county meet that he’s done coaching after 15 years and six state titles.

3. BHS cross country wins state again
The Aztecs sealed a CIF four-peat in Fresno with fastest time ever by a Division III squad despite tough competition from two North Coast Section teams.

4. Silver Valley becomes a football program
Trojans didn’t just make the playoffs for the first time since 2002, they exploded in their home playoff debut with a 40-0 win vs. Webb. Silver Valley came close to advancing to semifinals but dropped a rematch with Mojave in the quarters.

5. Rubio turns dream job into dream season
Jose Rubio signed on as football coach after dreaming about the job since he was a football player in Barstow. After a long stint as an assistant coach, he completed a thrilling first season at 10-4.

6. Barstow baseball resurgence
Baseball became fun again in Barstow with a fiery new coach and a never-die team. Coach Sean Sers helped guide the Aztecs to a 14-8 record, a DSL title and a home playoff game.

7. BHS girls basketball team comes of age
Derrick Delton helped shape the Barstow girls basketball team from a collection of largely sophomores and juniors into a playoff-winning team.

8. BCC athletics transitions
The Barstow Community College athletics program operated without an athletic director for most the year, cancels the softball season, lost interim AD Kim Ensing and scored poorly on a Foothill Conference report. Gary Schwartz is hired as the program’s first full-time AD in late summer.

9. Silva bounces back
After disappointing first-day finish at the CIF meet, wrestler Sean Silva becomes two-time All-American by placing at sophomore and freestyle nationals. He followed that up with a surprise return to football.

10. Gordon hits ESPN2
Barstow-native Brian Gordon started the year with his fourth professional boxing win in Irvine. His next match put him on ESPN2, but ended as a loss. Gordon lost another bout to close out the year.