Patch Gallery

Action Soccer Scenes from El Cerrito High Victory

We'd like to thank Aaron David Cole and Pinole Patch for these stop-action photos reflecting some of the soccer drama in the Gauchos' victory over Pinole Valley High.

We hope you enjoy these photos capturing some highlights from the El Cerrito High Gauchos' 1-0 men's varsity soccer victory over the Spartans of Pinole Valley High on Feb. 2. It was a close game, with Mauricio Garcia's goal in the 24th minute clinching the victory for El Cerrito. You can find a brief write-up in the Contra Costa Times. The team wasn't as fortunate last night, Tuesday, losing 1-6 to the Richmond Oilers in a conference game that brought their conference record to 2-3 with 5 draws.

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Gauchos Ride to Another Hoops Win

After an uncertain season start, the El Cerrito High basketball team has caught fire, beating Pinole Valley 81-77 Friday night in their 10th consecutive win.

The boys' varsity basketball team at El Cerrito High School may have been struggling at the beginning of this season after last year's stellar performance, but now they're recovered their winning ways. The Gauchos downed Pinole Valley High 81-77 in Pinole Friday night, bringing their league record to 9-0 and chalking up their 10th consecutive victory in the overall 16-7 season, according to MaxPreps.com. Friday's win followed an 89-45 romp over the Richmond Oilers on Tuesday. An account of their dramatic 63-61 victory over the Berkeley High Yellowjackets on Jan. 24 can be found in an Oakland Tribune article, "El Cerrito comeback is simply stunning." The Gauchos last year placed second in their division in Northern California, NorCal …

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Guest Columns

Richmond Rockets Collar Pit Bulls, 108-93

Richmond's new basketball team was unfazed by having to face a substitute opponent Friday, easily outpacing the East Bay Pit Bulls at Richmond's Memorial Auditorium.

By Jean Womack The Richmond Rockets basketball team got a surprise match with the East Bay Pit Bulls Friday, but nothing the Pit Bulls could do was enough to pull the basketball game out of the fire, as they went down to defeat 108-93. The victory boosted the Rockets' record to 11-3. The schedule said that Rockets would be playing the NorCal Bears, but that was decided eons ago. Changes can be made right up to game time, which shows the flexibility of the team and willingness to play against all teams, even big strong guys like the Pit Bulls.  Lindsay Hughey and Tita Davis were the top scorers just from an eyeball assessment, but Chris Adams, and Joel Smith got their licks in as well.  The Rockets defense overwhelmed the Pit Bulls with …

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Farewell, Forty-Niner Fever

For a brief, nostalgic remembrance of the 49er fervor that suddenly died in Sunday's NFL play-off loss, here's a hip-hop video tribute that was a hit on YouTube this month and was made by Matt Straus, who grew up in El Cerrito and Albany.

It seems like a long time in the past now, but remember three days ago when much of the Bay Area was in the midst of 49er mania? As the team's Super Bowl hopes grew, an unofficial hip-hop anthem by Bay Area rapper Bailey, "Who's Got It Better," was made into a hit YouTube video by Matt Straus, who grew up in El Cerrito and Albany. It was uploaded Dec. 30 and had been viewed 540,601 times at the time this article was written. It was featured by KGO-TV, the San Francisco Chronicle and USA Today.

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Guest Columns

Richmond Rockets Put a Chill on Sacramento Heatwave

Richmond's new professional basketball team boosted its season record to 10-3 Saturday with 120-to-102 thumping of the Sacramento Heatwave. Jean Eger Womack reports the game and interviews some Rockets.

By Jean Eger Womack The game The score was Rockets 120 to Heatwave 102 Saturday night as Richmond provided the turmoil needed to defeat the visitors who were held over an extra night to get beaten two straight games in a row. The team scheduled to play in that time slot, the Modesto Seahwawks, were having some problems and couldn't make their play date. An effective, aggressive defense by the Sacramento Heatwave was not enough to overcome the undeniable shooting ability of Justin Baker and the rest of the Rocket basketball stars. Baker stood out as he sank one shot after another every which way but Sunday, but especially the close-up slam dunk. Baker can pick the ball out of the air with his fingertips, so if you throw a ball anywhere in …

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YouTube 'Anthem' for Gauchos Basketball Team

JwilThaRealest (aka Jessie Lee Wilson Jr., 16) has a new ode with a modern beat for the El Cerrito High basketball team.

On a casual stroll of the Internet, Patch happened upon a new offering on YouTube, "El Cerrito BasketBall Anthem 2011-2012," uploaded Jan. 9 by JwilThaRealest, whose Web page identifies him as also JwilDaRealest and "Artist/Producer" Jessie Lee Wilson Jr., 16, of Richmond. The El Cerrito High Gauchos varsity basketball team boosted their league record this season to 3-0 with Tuesday's 73-53 trouncing of Pinole Valley High, according to MaxPreps.com. Their overall record stood at 9 wins and 7 losses.

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Letters to the Editor

Letter: Dance Room at El Cerrito High Needs Heating, Cooling

In the latest of our series of letters from El Cerrito High freshman, Philisha Knox says it's not fair for dancers to suffer without heating or cooling while the school office gets heating and cooling.

El Cerrito Patch welcomes letters to the editor up to 300 words. Send them to elcerrito@patch.com. See past letters here. Dear Editor, My name is Philisha Knox and I am a freshmen attending El Cerrito High. I am writing to inform you that there is a situation concerning the dance room lacking a heating and cooling system. El Cerrito gets very cold and windy. In El Cerrito how low or high the temperature is, that’s the temperature in the dance room. Being a dancer you can’t wear warm clothes because you will get hot and then take off your sweater and then once again you will be cold. Not only on cold days, warm days also, it doesn't affect the dance room as much, but when we work we get hot and have to use fans that the teacher supplies, …

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Letters to the Editor

Letter: School Class Sizes Are Too Big

El Cerrito High freshman Alexia Ramirez describes the problems with large class sizes in school, including excessive distraction, potential fire danger and teacher overload that reduces individual attention to students.

El Cerrito Patch welcomes letters to the editor up to 300 words. Send them to elcerrito@patch.com. See past letters here. To to the Editor: My name is Alexia Ramirez and I am a freshman at El Cerrito High. And I am writing to you to explain to you what I think needs to be changed in maybe not just my school, El Cerrito High, but in many other schools too: class sizes. I think some classes should have less students than now. My reason for this is that some classes aren’t physically big enough to have 35 or maybe even 40 students all together in one room. It’s not really fair because students don’t really get the chance to fully listen to what a teacher is saying most of the time. Although the students think they’re whispering, the amount …

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Drew Gooden Interviews "Spanish Sensation" Ricky Rubio

NBA star Drew Gooden, an El Cerrito High grad, interviews Spanish basketball phenom Ricky Rubio on coming from European basketball to play pro in United States.

  Drew Gooden, the NBA star and El Cerrito High School basketball stand-out, conducted an interview with the Ricky Rubio, an extraordinary basketball talent from Spain, on Comcast SportsNet. The interview took place shortly before the Make-A-Wish charity basketball game that Gooden hosted Nov. 20 at the Cow Palace. Rubio, who talks about coming to the United States to join the NBA, played in the charity game.

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Windrush Mediation Stalls

The struggle by debt-burdened Windrush School to survive remained in suspense this week after a day-long mediation session with a federal bankruptcy judge failed to produce an agreement with school creditors, according to the Windrush board.

A day of mediation with a federal bankruptcy judge this week failed to break the impasse between financially crippled Windrush School and its creditors, according to school board members. Another mediation session was set for next Tuesday, immediately prior to that day's scheduled hearing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court on Windrush's petition to remain under Chapter 11 protection, the board said in a statement composed Wednesday and distributed early on Thanksgiving. A special meeting for Windrush parents and others affiliated with the school was held at the school Wednesday afternoon. The K-8 private school, which defaulted on its debt payments on $13 million in school bonds, is trying to stave off closure and seizure by bondholders. On Oct. 28…

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