By PETE BANDA
Special to the NEWS
RIO HONDO—With the fallout from COVID-19 all but forgotten, the Rio Hondo Bobcats seem to finally be back on their usual track of exceptional athletic performances. The football team got things started with a return to the playoffs after an uncharacteristic two year absence, but the baseball team has continued to take things to the next level with one of the most impressive seasons in Valley history.
After an improbable upset victory over the 29-3A District Champion Taft Greyhounds last week, Rio Hondo pushed its overall record to a spectacular 28-2. It’s already far and away the best season in school history and, according to long time head coach Sergio Gonzalez, it’s only the start of what should be a dynastic run for the baseball program.
“We kind of had to start from scratch after Covid basically forced us to lose a season, but our coaching staff put together a two year plan to get us back where we needed to be and we identified some special young players coming up through our system,” said Gonzalez. “We’re now in the third season since COVID and we’re finally starting to reap the fruits of our labor. We only have three seniors on this team so this is really just the start of what this program can become.”
With the move from 4A down to 3A, the Bobcats have been able to take advantage of a more level playing field in terms of school size. For years Rio Hondo was highly competitive despite being one of the smaller 4A schools in the Region. The ’Cats missed out on a district championship by one game, but they just captured their first Area Championship since 2007 and are now set to take on one of the top ranked teams in the entire State in the Regional Quarterfinals.
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