Baseball: Long journey pays off for El Toro and Gonzales

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My colleague Anthony Stitt blogged earlier about El Toro Coach Mike Gonzales hoisting the Southern Section-Toyota Division II championship plaque high into the air, so I thought I’d share this photo of him just seconds after he was handed the hardware.

Obviously, Gonzales was thrilled to be at the helm of the Chargers’ first divisional title, and you could tell he was very proud to be the guy who finally helped make it happen. Gonzales graduated from El Toro in 1986 and played baseball, football and was on the wrestling team during his mid-1980s heyday. I could only imagine all the fast times Gonzales and my other colleague, Dan Arritt, must have had back then.

‘It’s been a long journey,’ Gonzales said. ‘I’m so happy for my players and my coaches.’

Be sure to read Eric Sondheimer’s story on El Toro’s 7-0 victory over top-seeded Redlands East Valley.

-- Austin Knoblauch

-- Image by Austin Knoblauch