Page 9 - Dinuba Sentinel 6-7-18 E-edition

Sports
- Lucas Lichtenwaldt, Dinuba High Track Coach
“Daniel stepped up and put in the work. He worked for everything he got. For him to have accomplished what he did has been truly a great achievement. ”
B1
Thursday, June 7, 2018
ough placing third in both of his heats, Dinuba hurdler nishes in 11th place in both the 110 and 300-meter hurdles. His nishes were still the highest of any hurdler in Dinuba High School history.
the three top finishers of each heat, plus the six next fastest times would advance to the finals, for a total of nine finalists. But four runners also qualified in the third and final heat of the 110, leaving Martinez’s time a tenths of a second out of the finals. Only Clovis North’s Caleb Foster survived the first heat to move on to the finals. Martinez’s Central Section rival in the hurdles, Clovis’ Jake Woods, made it to the finals with a 14.11 time in the second heat and finished fifth in the finals. Martinez’s hopes of making the finals, however, were still alive with another chance in the 300-meter hurdles, as Martinez was the first Dinuba High athlete to compete in the State prelims in two events. That event took place after 8 p.m. on Friday, and sore throat and all,
Martinez again ran in the first heat.
His time, though not his best, was good enough once again for third place in the heat, finishing in 39.02 seconds. Once again, however, as in the 110, Martinez was pushed out of the top nine in the final two heats, with Woods of Clovis and Redwood’s
Brandon Andrade making the final cut.
By the time he started the 300-meter
event, his congestion was getting worse.
“I felt like I could have done better, but I kept having to use my inhaler,” said Martinez, who revealed he also suffers from asthma. “I was feeling it in the 300, my nose was stuffed and
I had to breath through my mouth the whole time.”
It was the closest Martinez came to making the finals. His time in the 300 was just four one-hundredths of a second shy
See Martinez, Page B8
The Dinuba Sentinel
Martinez nishes just outside the bubble
Track & Field
Michael is a 1972 graduate of Orosi High and does photography for the Healdsburg Tribune.
Daniel Martinez raced in his final hurdles event as a Dinuba Emperor last Friday at the CIF State Championship Preliminaries. Though he did not make it to the finals, Martinez became the highest placer of an Dinuba hurdler.
Mayberry earns three postseason accolades
Photo by Michael Lucid
“I was just hoping that things got better today, and they did,” said Martinez.
The problem for Martinez was that there were three heats in the state prelims, and waiting is the toughest race of all.
In the second heat there were four qualifiers, putting Martinez’s time as the seventh best time of the prelims. Only
The Dinuba High School senior had just graduated two days prior and yet had two more races to run, at least. His hopes were to race four more. And it looked like he might be able to do so after his performance in the 110. For the fourth time in a row, Martinez outdid himself by breaking his previous personal record to finish the event in 14.40 seconds and good enough for third place in his heat.
“It felt pretty good,” said Martinez after setting another personal record. He did so under not-so-perfect conditions. The weather was perfect, but as for Martinez, he came in with a having the body aches the day prior.
sore throat and was
By Rick Curiel
Sports@thedinubasentinel.com
Things looked good for Daniel Martinez at Friday’s 2018 CIF State Track and Field Championship Preliminaries. Though he finished in the top three of his heat of both the 110-meter and the 300-meter hurdles prelims, Martinez ended up 11th overall in both events, just outside the bubble for the State Championship finals.
Dinuba High senior Elijah Mayberry led his team and the league in both batting average, hitting .517, and stolen bases, 33. He was recently named the Most Valuable Player of the Central Sequoia Leauge and played in Fresno’s City vs County All-Stars Game. Mayberry will also be playing in this Saturday’s East vs West All-Stars Game at Rawhide Stadium.
Rick Curiel | The Sentinel
Sentinel staff report
Dinuba High’s centerfielder Elijah Mayberry wore No. 1 while playing for the Emperors’ baseball team, and that number seems more appropriate after he recently achieved what some might consider the trifecta of All-Star accolades.
After a stellar senior year in which he led the Central Sequoia League with a .517 batting average and 45 hits, Mayberry was named this year’s Most Valuable Player of the league. On top of that, he was also invited to play in Fresno’s City vs County All-Stars Game, a game in which he started at centerfield for the County team on Sunday at Chukchansi Park.
And completing the hat trick of postseason achievements, Mayberry will also be playing in the East vs West All-Stars Game this Saturday in Visalia.
“He’s a special kid,” said Dinuba High School baseball coach Brent Morrelli of Mayberry. “He’s hard not to like. We’re going to miss his play but we’re going to miss his smile the most.”
On top of being a reliable presence in the batter’s box
Gladiators host clinic with CFL quarterback
While on medical release from Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Josh Straughun helps develop young quarterbacks
this past season, Mayberry also shined as a base runner. His 33 stolen bases were also the best in the league, and a couple of those stolen bases were home plate.
Said Morrelli of Mayberry, “Whether it was in stats or in other things he always found a way to help the team win.” Mayberry wasn’t the only Emperor baseball player to receive post season honors. Dinuba High sophomore Isaiah Ochoa was named the CSL’s Co-Pitcher of the Year with
Exeter’s Dillon Howell.
Ochoa had six wins this past season with only one loss.
Over nearly 57 innings, he was able to earn himself an ERA of 1.60 and collected 50 strikeouts with just 18 walks.
Also making the CSL’s All-League First Team were Dinuba’s Joshua Martinez and Corey Cosper.
Emperors’ Justin Gonzalez, Ridge Huckaby and Noah Cortez were named to the All-League Second Team.
The East vs West All-Stars Game will be played at Rawhide Stadium on Saturday. Not only will Mayberry be the only Emperor represented in the game, he will also be the only player representing the CSL. The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
Josh Straughun, formerly of the Canadian Football League’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers, instructs Gladiators’ Josiah Ortego on how to properly throw a football at KC Park last Saturday.
See Martinez, Page B8
By Rick Curiel
After playing for Southern Illinois, Straughun signed with the Canadian Football League’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers last October.
“He has actually been working with our son,” said Gladiators’ commissioner Tony Galvan. “We thought he’s done such a great job with our son that it would be good for the other kids to have the same opportunity.”
Galvan’s son Jacob was the starting quarterback for last year’s freshman team at Dinuba High School.
After a year with Winnipeg, Straughun needed hip surgery and was recently released by the Blue Bombers. He is looking at returning to the team this fall. In the meantime, Straughun moved to Valley to be closer to his brother Jake, who plays basketball at Fresno Pacific University. He now works for Throw To Win, who uses quarterbacks like Straughun to train other up-and-coming quarterbacks.
“I usually work at a much higher level than this,” referring to the young
quarterbacks at the clinic. “But I love running the camp with the young guys. They’re fun.”
Straughun has worked with many other high school quarterbacks, from schools like Reedley, Buchanan and Mendota, and has even spent some time working out with Fresno State’s starting quarterback, and Dinuba High Alumni, Marcus McMaryion.
Of McMaryion, Straughun said, “He’s good. He can play. He’s a good improviser, smart kid, sneaky athlete and he just makes plays. And he takes care of the ball.”
Gladiators football will start their season the first week of July. They are currently in their third year and will be playing in the Tier 2 Division of Valley Elite Youth Football. They will be playing against teams from Selma, Madera, Fresno, Reedley and Hanford.
They offer four teams at various age groups, beginning with the Mighty Mites, the Peewees, Juniors and Seniors.
Sports@thedinubasentinel.com
Though the Dinuba Gladiators’ youth football season doesn’t start until July, workouts have already started for some young quarterbacks and wide receivers.
Last Saturday about a dozen young Gladiators had the opportunity to learn from a Division I, and formerly CFL, quarterback when Josh Straughun came to put on a quarterback and wide receiver clinic.
Straughun played his high school football in the small town of Colton, Washington. He then played a few seasons at the Division II college level before transferring to Division I South Illinois in 2016 as a fifth-year senior.
In his first eight games as the Salukis’ starting quarterback, Straughun threw for 2,429 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was also named the 2016 MVP of the FCS National Bowl Game after completing 19 of 30 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns.
Rick Curiel | The Senitnel
“This was my best year. Out of all my four years this was by far my best year.”
— Daniel Martinez DHS Track Star