FANTASTIC FALL FOR HARTNELL ATHLETICS

Hartnell Athletics had one of its finest falls in decades. Hartnell fall athletics are some of the top programs in Northern California and in the state. Here are some of the highlights of these programs.
FOOTBALL
The Panthers ended their season with a bang. The team played in the Living Breath Foundation Bowl and defeated Solano College 48-22. They also ended the year ranked 20th in the State. Running Back Alvin Jelks ended the season as the all time single season running back in Hartnell history. He compiled over 1,600 yards this past year. In two years he had 33 touchdowns. Quarterback Austin Fales passed for over 1,800 yards along the way. Much of the offensive success is a resultof a solid offensive line led by sophomores, Mike Milovale and Nick Nunez. Both will be receiving athletic scholarships to Division 1 schools along with Jelks and Fales. Defensively Kelepi Nau Ranked 9th in the state for solo tackles and Carroll Washington was 6th in the state with 5 interceptions. Juan Pacheco had an impressive season as he recorded 10.5 sacks and 18 tackles for a loss which ranked him 4th in the state for both of these categories.

SOCCER
The Hartnell Mens soccer team had one of it's best seasons on record. Winning the Coast Conference Championship with a record of 16-2-3. The team ended up 3rd in the Nation, #2 in the state, and #1 in Northern California. The Panthers lost to the #1 team in the nation Mt. Sac 1-0 for the state championship. This year's team was led by the scoring tandem of Max Estrada and Ivan Campos, who were #1 and #2 in the state in total points.

MENS AND WOMENS CROSS COUNTRY
Both the mens and womens teams finished 2nd in Northern California. In the mens side sophomores Christian Soratos, Miguel Gallegos and Kevin Roa knew they would be leading their fellow panthers up against a goliath of a challenge in top ranked American River College in the challenging 4.195 mile coarse. The trio gave the top team all they could handle as the Panthers were the most represented team in the top 20 other than the Beavers from American River College of Sacramento.
In the Womens side sophomore Zaira Guzman produced her best performance of the season. Guzmans fourth place time of 18:47 is the fifth best individual performance on the crystal springs cross country course in over 30 years. Also doing well was freshman Rosita Uriostegui finishing 9th, Stephanie Ramirez, Victoria Alcala and Stephanie Blalock. Since 2005 the lady panthers have earned two regional titles and now two runner-up finishes in the six years making them one of the most consitently successful prgrams in Northern California.

WOMENS VOLLEYBALL
The womens volleyball team had an exciting 2011 season. They placed 3rd in the Coast Conference. They ended up ranked 14th in Northern California with an overall record of 17-8. Some of the statistical leaders for the lady panthers include sophomores Kameo De La Cuadra, Rachel Heavin, Kirstie Zubiate, and Victoria Love.

Womens Soccer
The Hartnell women's soccer program had its best season since 2006, ending the season with a record of 7-12-2. This year the team was composed of mostly freshmen, with only three sophomores. The offense was led by Daniela Armenta who ranked 13 in the state in total points. Defensively the team was led by Jessica Barrera, Maria Jimenez and Arienne Garcia.

Bowl-bound Panthers take down MPC

Saturday night the 2011 Hartnell College football team put its name right up there with some of the most notable in the 76-year history of the program by bringing back the glory with a rousing 36-24 win over rival Monterey Peninsula College in front of a large and excitable crowd at Salinas High Stadium. (click here to read the full George Watkins article...)

BIG WEEK FOR HARTNELL ATHLETICS

Five out of 6 fall athletic teams at Hartnell College are in contention for Northern California playoff spots. Here is an update of our fall sports.

MENS SOCCER
The celebration of a conference title was put on ice Tuesday afternoon for the Hartnell College men's soccer team. The Panthers, who are a win away from clinching the Coast Conference for the first time since 2006, couldn't pentrate West Valley's packed-in defense, playing to a 0-0 tie. Hartnell, which improved to 11-1-1 in conference, can still clinch the title out right with a win at home Friday afternoon against Gavilan. Hartnell coach Daniel Ortega said he was caught off-guard by tactic employed by the Vikings (6-4-3). "I was surprised,"Ortega said. "For a perennial power to do that just shows you how much respect we've earned. But we really wanted it today." A win by Hartnell ( 15-2-3 overall) Friday could lock up a second consecutive NorCal home playoff match or a first round bye.

FOOTBALL

HARTNELL-MPC: LIKE OLD TIMES
Saturday night the Panthers will be playing for a share of the Coast Conference title and a bowl berth. Its been a long and winding road- filled with a few potholes and sinkholes along the way. - back from a 0-10 2005 season to the role of contender for the Panthers. But here they are at last. And perhaps it's only fitting that the only thing standing in the way to complete the Hartnell comeback is its old friend, Monterey Peninsula College. The two antagonists meet again Saturday at Salinas High School Stadium at 6 p.m. in the regular-season finale. At least for one night, it should be just like the good old days. The Panthers (3-1 in conference) held up their end of the bargain with a 45-7 win over Gavilan Saturday afternoon at Gilroy High School, while the Lobos beat San Jose City 45-16.

MENS AND WOMENS CROSS COUNTRY
The mens and womens cross country teams had a strong showing in NorCals. They both finished 2nd. Cristian Soratos placed fifth Saturday in the Northern California championship meet at Crystal Springs in Belmont with a time of 21:38. Miguel Gallegos of Hartnell was sixth at 21:41 and Kevin Roa was 11th at 22:05. Freshman Eddie Guzman placed 17th at 22:26. Fellow freshman Steven Hernandez was the final scorer in 47th at 23:38. Hartnell was the only program to place both men's and women's teams in the top three. For the Hartnell women, sophomore Zaira Guzman placed fourth in 18:47 while freshman Rosita Uriostegui took ninth at 19:13. The first five Panthers across the line all dipped under the 20-minute mark, the only women's team to do so, with Stephanie Ramirez (19:47), and Stephanie Blaclock (19:59) all placing in the top 26 finishers.

VOLLEYBALL

OUTSTANDING WEEK FOR HARTNELL ATHLETICS

HARTNELL VOLLEYBALL

The lady panthers swept their rival M.P.C. Lobos in three sets at the Hartnell gymnasium. 25-9, 25-17, 25-22. Hannah Larick had 12 kills. Yesenia Gutierrez had 31 setting assist. Kirstie Zubiate had 21 digs. The lady panthers are now 13-7 overall and 4-3 in league. They next travel to West Valley of Saratoga this Wednesday.

MENS AND WOMENS CROSS COUNTRY

Cristian Soratos of the mens's cross country team set the school record Saturday at the Toro Park Invitational finishing the four-mile course in 20:30- four seconds better than the clocking of Jose Garcia in 2005. Soratos, the former Salinas High School standout, had won three invitationals already this season and place no lower than third in two others. Soratos will look to earn his first Coast Conference title Wednesday at Golden Gate Park. Following Soratos, the Panthers enjoyed a sweep of the next three spots with Miguel Gallegos (21:03) Kevin Roa (21:05) and Eddie Guzman (21:44). Guillermo Cuevas (22:18) placed seventh to complete the team scoring. Hartnell bested the second place team Diablo Valley, 17 t0 39. Hartnell teammates Zaira Guzman and Rosita Uriostegui fought for the womens's top place with the nod going to Guzman. Both were given the same time of 19:49.

FOOTBALL

Just when it appeared the San Jose City College football team was about to put the finishing touches on an in-your-face, 99-yard drive, upped stepped D'Andre Green. The Jaguars began a second quarter series with the tip of the football nearly touching their own goal line. A 15-yard penalty before the first snap gave them some elbow room, and 15 plays later they had a second and goal from the Hartnell 2 yard line, trailing only 9-6. On third down, San Jose tried to shoot a pass to the left side, but it was intercepted by Green on the run and after breaking through a wall of players, the 5-10 sophomore flew down the sidelines for a game-changing 99 yard touchdown return. The electrifying play by Green not only stretched Hartnell's lead to 10 but it enabled the Panthers to get the ball back one more time in the first half, allowing Salvador Oseguera to boot a 23 yard field goal. It was all part of a 38 point run by Hartnell, which kept its bowl hopes very much alive with a 41-6 victory Saturday on a rare balmy night at Salinas High Stadium.

MENS SOCCER

At Hartnell, the Panthers maintained their lofty rankings with a victory that upped their Coast Conference mark to 8-0 and overall record to 12-1-2. Hartnell is ranked No. 6 in the nation, No. 1 in Northern California and No. 3 in the state. Ivan Campos scored a pair of goals and is the state leader in points with 41. He has 16 goals (two points) and nine assists (one point). Hartnell's Max Estrada is No. 2 in the state in scoring after netting his 19th goal of the season. Marvin Milligan, Gilberto Ruiz and Augustin Nolasco also scored for the Panthers, who are at Foothill in Los Altos Hills on Tuesday.

HARTNELL FOOTBALL 3-2 ENTERING LEAGUE PLAY

Panthers finish with flair in overtime victory. It was one small leap for Matt Collins, one giant leap for the Hartnell College football team. Well, maybe the Hartnell victory Saturday night didn't quite equal that of walking on the moon, but it was a victory worth savoring nonetheless. It was enough for Collins to leap into the arms of a jubiliant Hartnell team after a short, but excitable post-game pep talk following a wild 27-20 overtime win over Reedley at Salinas High Stadium. "I was trying to get the kids excited," Collins said. If the Panthers had been any more excited the riot squad may have been needed. Hartnell avoided what could have been its most crushing defeat since Collins became head coach in 2007 with one of its zaniest victories, and the timing could not have been better. " We have a group of kids who have a lot of heart," Collins said. " And our fans deserved for us to win that game. They were supporting us the whole night. We'll enjoy the win. But after we break down the film on Monday it's all about Cabrillo."The emotionally-charged Panthers open the Coast Conference season Saturday against bitter rival Cabrillo in Aptos at 7 p.m.

Mens Soccer

At Hartnell, the streaking Panthers scored two goals in each half to beat De Anza 4-1 in a coast conference match. Hartnell, ranked No. 2 in the state, went to 9-1-2 overall and 5-0 in conference. The Panthers scored in the first 30 seconds of the match on a goal by Ivan Campos, assisted from Enrique Montano. After the Dons tied the score, Hartnell took the lead again on a goal by Rodrigo Duarte on an assist from Campos. Max Estrada scored his 12th and 13th goals of the year in the second half, with Fabien Ruiz assisting on one. Hartnell visits Cabrillo this Friday.

Womens Volleyball

Women's volleyball defeated Chabot College in 5 sets. 23-25, 25-17, 19-25, 25-28, and 15-12. Rachel Heavin had 14 kills while Victoria Love had 19 kills. The team is 12-5 overall and 3-1 in conference. Next up Gavilan at Hartnell. 6:30 start time

HARTNELL MENS SOCCER #1 IN THE STATE

THE HARTNELL MENS SOCCER TEAM IS RANKED #1 IN THE STATE AND # 6 NATIONALLY. ON FRIDAY THEY SHOWED WHY THEY ARE THE NUMBER 1 TEAM IN THE STATE. AT HARTNELL, THE PANTHERS LIVED UP TO THEIR BILLING AS THE TOP TEAM IN THE STATE. THE PANTHER BEAT VISITING SKYLINE 7-0. THE PANTHER WENT TO 3-0 IN CONFERENCE AND 7-1-2 OVERALL.
MAX ESTRADA AND MARVIN MILLIGAN SCORED TWO GOALS EACH FOR HARTNELL AND IVAN CAMPOS HAD TWO ASSISTS. ALEX PACHECO AND ALBERT GARCIA ALSO SCORED THE THE PANTHERS. HARTNELL IS HOME TUESDAY TO PLAY RIVAL MPC AT 4 P.M..

HARTNELL FOOTBALL
THE HARTNELL COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM WON ITS SEFCOND NON-CONFERENCE GAME. THE TEAM SQUARED ITS NON CONFERENCE RECORD TO 2-2. THE PANTHERS BEAT VISITING LOS MEDANOS 25-6 AT SALINAS HIGH STADIUM.
HARTNELL DID ALL ITS SCORING AGAINST LOS MEDANOS-PITTSBURGH IN THE FIRST HALF ON DRIVES OF 61, 72, 65, AND 57 YARDS. THE PANTHER DEFENSE MADE SURE THE 25-POINT FIRST HALF WAS MORE THAN ENOUGH. HARTNELL HAD SEVEN QUARTERBACK SACKS-TWO EACH BY ANTHONY RICE, JUAN PACHECO AND ALEXIS JONES AND ANOTHER BY DANDRE GREEN. IN ADDITION, CARROLL WASHINGTON MADE A PAIR OF INTERCEPTIONS. ALVIN JELKS, SCORED ON A 11 YARD RUN IN THE FIRST QUARTER AND ONE YARDER IN THE SECOND- GIVING HIM SEVEN TOUCHDOWNS FOR THE SEASON, ON HIS WAY TO A 113-YARD EFFORT. AUSTIN FALES COMPLETED 14 OF 19 PASSES FOR 166 YARDS, INCLUDING A 25 YARD STRIKE TO BRANDYN CROSBY IN THE FIRST QUARTER.
THE PANTHERS FACE REEDLEY COLLEGE AT 6 P.M. AT SALINAS HIGH THIS SATURDAY.

HARTNELL VOLLEYBALL
THE HARTNELL VOLLEYBALL TEAM WENT TO 1-1 IN CONFERENCE AND 10-5 OVERALL BY BEATING THEIR RIVAL M.P.C. 3-1. RACHAEL HEAVIN HAD 20 KILLS TO LEAD HARTNELL TO A 25-14,22-25, 25-10 25-22WIN. KIRSTIE ZUVIATE ADDED 29 DIGS FOR THE PANTHERS WHO PLAYWEST VALLEY ON TUESDAY.

MENS AND WOMENS CROSS COUNTRY
SOPHOMORE CRISTIAN SORATOS CONTINUES TO ENJOY HIS DREAM SEASON WINNING HIS THIRD INVITATIONAL OF THE SEASON AT THE COLLEGE OF SAN MATEO CRYSTAL SPRING INVITATIONAL. BEHIND SORATOS, FELLOW SOPHOMORES MIGUEL GALLEGOS AND KEVIN ROA WERE PUTTING TOGETHER THEIR BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES OF THE SEASON. EDDIE GUZMAN IN 18TH AND STEVEN HERNANDEZ AT 30TH COMPLETED THE SCORING FOR THE PANTHERS. THE PANTHERS WOULD TIE AT 56 POINTS THROUGH FIVE RUNNERS WITH THE TEAM FROM CUESTA COLLEGE.
FOR THE WOMEN, FRESHMAN ROSITA URIOSTEGUI USED HER PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE AT CRYSTAL SPRINGS TO PRODUCE HER BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE OF THE SEASON. CARRYING A PREVIOUS PERSONAL BEST OF 19:45. ZAIRA GUZMAN HAD UNUSUALLY OFF PERFORMANCE BUT STILL MANAGED A HARTNELL PERSONAL RECORD AT 20:13 AT 17TH PLACE. RIGHT BEHIND GUZMAN, SOPHOMORE STEPHANIE BLALOCK ENJOYED A TWO MINUTE PERSONAL BEST AT 20:14.

WOMENS SOCCER
THE HARTNELL WOMENS TEAM DEFEATED WEST VALLEY 4-1 ON TUESDAY AT HARTNELL COLLEGE. THE PANTHERS DANIELLA ARMENTA AND STEPHANIE GONZALES HAD TWO GOALS APIECE TO HELP THE PANTHERS IMPROVE TO 3-4-1. GOALKEEPER YANELI MORA HAD THREE SAVES FOR THE PANTHERS. THE TEAM LOST TO CABRILLO COLLEGE ON FRIDAY 3-1. THEIR CONFERENCE RECORD NOW STANDS AT 1-1 AND OVERALL 3-5-1.


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POWERFUL WEEK FOR PANTHERS

The Hartnell football team opened its season Saturday with a 29-17 victory over Mendocino in the 95-degree heat in Ukiah. " It was really an all-around good effort by our guys in the second half and in the heat" Hartnell coach Matt Collins said.
The Panthers will try to stay hot at least in the win column- Saturday when they play their home opener against Modesto at 6 p.m. at Salinas High Stadium.
Running back Alvin Jelks paved the way for the victory by scoring all four touchdown. He rushed 22 times for 168 yards and three touchdown and caught a 17-yard pass from Austin Fales for the other

VOLLEYBALL
Wednesday the Women's Volleyball team traveled to Modesto College Volleyball Tournament. They defeated Merced College in an exciting five game match(25-16, 20-25, 20-25, 25-23, 15-6) Next, they took on the tournament host Modesto College and defeated them in a four game match (25-15, 29-27, 18-25, 25-20). The two wins gave the lady panthers a first place finish!
The lady panthers were lead by Rachel Heavin with 26 kills, Victoria Love with 19 blocks and 25 kills, Kirstie Zubiate with 43 digs, Kameo De la Cuadra 44 setting assists. This year's team is a dynamic group of student athletes who's enthusiasm and talent is very fun to watch.
This Saturday(9/17 the lady panthers will be hosting the first annual Panther Classic. The first match is scheduled to start at 10:00 am in the main gym against Columbia College. Thge next round will start at 3:00 pm against Butte College.

Womens Soccer
The lady panthers competed in their first home game and prevailed against Marin College 2-1. The lady panthers are 1-2 and visit Deanza of Cupertino on Friday.

Mens and Womens Cross Country
Toeing the line against 24 other teams from both Northern and Southern California at the Fresno Invitational did nothing but motivate the HartnellCollege women's cross country team. The Lady Panthers proved to the state they are just as good as they were last year when they won both the Coast Conference and Northern California titles. With a team of just three sophomores and four freshmen, the ladies notched their second consecutive top regional placing in as many weeks. The women placed fourth overall in the team standings behind only Glendale College, Orange Coast, and Mt. SAC, all ranked in the top six in Sourthern California.
Leading the Lady Panthers was newcomer Rosita Uriostegui. Her gutsy, aggressively style of racing produced the 19th best mark and one of the best by a true freshman at Woodward Park in Fresno. Other stand out were Zaira Guzman, Stephanie Blalock, Stephanie Ramirez, Amy Johnston-Serano.
For the men sophomore Cristian Soratos had on-lookers wondering where yet another Hartnell Panther had come from as one of the top individual performers. Soratos used solid tactical racing to find himself with striking distance of the overall win with one mile remaining in the four mile race but managed to place 3rd overall. Following Soratos were Kevin Roa(22:16) Miguel Gallegos (22:35), Eddie Guzman (22:41), and Guillermo Cuevas (23:16) to round out the team scoring. The panthers placed seventh overall and were second place regional team behin inviatation winner and early season top ranked American River College.