Once Competitors, 2 Soccer Stars Lead Colleges to Banner Seasons

Gary Hurtarte and Jesus Gonzalez kept close tabs on one another while playing on the Bell Gardens and Montebello High soccer teams.

The two were also among the Whitmont League’s best.

Hurtarte, a three-time All-Southern Section first-team selection at Bell Gardens, was the league’s most valuable player in 1991. Gonzalez won the honor the previous season while at Montebello High and each was named to the all-league team for four seasons.

Now in college, Hurtarte, a freshman at East Los Angeles College, and Gonzalez, a sophomore at Cal State L.A., still reminisce about those high school days.

“Jesus was always the one I had to match up with because he was the best player,” Hurtarte recalled. “It was the toughest game of the league playing against Montebello.”

Gonzalez echoed similar sentiments. “It was the biggest match of the year,” he said. “We hated each other.”

Although they haven’t played against one another since, Hurtarte and Gonzalez helped East Los Angeles College and Cal State L.A. to banner seasons this fall.

Hurtarte, a 5-foot-4, 135-pound midfielder scored 16 goals to lead the Huskies, who overwhelmed their opponents, 106-16.

He was selected the South Coast Conference most valuable player, helping East L.A. (21-1-3), a team of 19 freshmen and only three sophomores, reach the semifinals of the state junior college playoffs and win its fourth conference title in five seasons. Hurtarte scored two goals, including the winning penalty kick, in a playoff victory over defending state champion Orange Coast.

Gonzalez, the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. most valuable player, finished sixth in Division II scoring with 23 goals in 21 matches.

Cal State L.A. (16-2-3) won its first California Collegiate Athletic Assn. championship since 1983 and earned its first playoff berth in 11 seasons, coming within one match of the Division II semifinals.

Hurtarte had aspirations of attending a Division I university after graduating from Bell Gardens. However, he was unsatisfied with his scholarship offers or following his twin brother, Erick, the 1991 Southern Section 2-A Division Offensive Player of the Year, to play at Chapman College, a Division II school.

Instead, Hurtarte chose to remain with Bell Gardens Coach Orlando Brenes and assistants Ramon Gomez and Bob Oseguera, who also coach at East L.A.

The Huskies have a 79-12-5 record in Brenes’ four seasons at East L.A., and Bell Gardens has won 10 league championships in 12 seasons under Brenes. He also coached Gary’s brother Jorge on the 1984 Southern Section 3-A champion team at Bell Gardens.

Hurtarte credits familiarity with Brenes, a member of the East L.A. state championship soccer team in 1975, and his staff in making a successful transition to college.

Brenes “has helped me a lot,” Hurtarte said. “He’s like my second dad and one of the people I look up to. He’s a good coach and a great motivator.”

Earning a scholarship should not be a problem for Hurtarte after he finishes at East L.A. He has attracted interest from several Division I universities, including UC Berkeley and Old Dominion.

“He’s our field general,” Brenes said. “I really believe he could have gone to a four-year school, but now he’s a proven player and can go elsewhere.”

Meanwhile, Gonzalez chose Cal State L.A. to play for Leo Cuellar, the captain of Mexico’s 1972 Olympic soccer team who later played for the San Diego Sockers and San Jose Earthquakes of the now-defunct North American Soccer League.

The adjustment to college was not as easy for Gonzalez. Last year, the 5-foot-10, 145-pound halfback was one of seven freshman starters for Cal State L.A. The Golden Eagles lost their first four matches and five of their first seven before finishing 9-10 as a Division I independent.

“I could have done better,” Gonzalez said. “I was nervous because I didn’t have experience against that level of soccer. Mentally, I was relaxed and had more confidence my second year.”

Gonzalez equaled his freshman scoring total of five in his first four matches. He scored three times in three matches, including the game-winning goal in a 5-4 victory over Cal State San Bernardino in a key CCAA match.

The progress of his high school rival has not gone unnoticed by Hurtarte. “He’s doing really well and getting really good,” he said.

Gonzalez no doubt would say the same about Hurtarte.