It’s been some kind of 2023-24 sports season for teams at Spring Valley’s Mt. Miguel High School. First, the school’s football team won the San Diego Section Division IV championship during the fall, then the Matadors claimed the Division IV boys basketball championship during the winter.
Mt. Miguel remained in the championship circle this spring after capturing the San Diego Section Division II boys track and field championship on May 11 and the Division V baseball title on Thursday, May 23.
If one is counting, that’s four-for-four. In baseball lingo, that’s a perfect 1.000 batting average.
“The last four or five years, it’s been pretty rough (8-19 record in 2021, 6-22 record in 2022 and 7-19 record in 2023),” first-year head coach Joey Gonsalves said. “This was supposed to be a rebuilding year, but the boys are here at the big dance. It’s definitely exceeded expectations. I’m proud of the team.”
Mt. Miguel finished fifth in the sixth-team deep Grossmont Valley League standings with a 2-8 record to trail Valhalla (10-0 in league), Monte Vista (6-4 in league), El Capitan (6-4 in league) and West Hills (6-4 in league) in the standings. El Cajon Valley brought up the rear at 0-10.
The Matadors finished regular season play with a two-game sweep of El Cajon Valley and managed to maintain that momentum into the CIF playoffs by winning out with a 4-0 run. It’s been an uphill climb all season. The championship game victory raised the team’s overall record to 15-16 entering the regional state playoffs.
“Hitting the ball hard, making routine plays and pitching carried us through the playoffs,” Gonsalves said.
The second-seeded Matadors opened postseason play with a 4-3 win over seventh-seeded El Cajon Valley, then topped sixth-seeded High Tech High San Diego, 11-2, in the second round, before pounding third-seeded Orange Glen, 10-1, in the semifinals.
Mt. Miguel put the finishing touches on the school’s first CIF championship with a 5-3 win in eight innings over the fifth-seeded Kearny Komets at UC San Diego’s Triton Field.
Key players throughout the season included seniors Jeremiah Castillo (centerfield), Matthew Barton (pitcher) and Tyler Kelly (shortstop, outfield, pitcher) along with junior Alfredo Rodriguez (third base, pitcher).
All four played key roles in the CIF championship game victory.
Barton started and pitched the opening seven innings before yielding to Kelly in relief in the top of the eighth inning. Kelly had one RBI, Rodriguez had two hits and scored one run while Castillo was the team’s heavy hitter on the day with two hits, two runs scored, a triple, walk-off home run and two RBI.
Barton faced 28 batters, retiring the final 14 hitters after the Komets took an early 3-1 lead on the scoreboard. He totaled 104 pitches with seven strikeouts, yielding four hits, one walk and one earned run.
Senior Laird Eaton pitched all 7.1 inning for the Komets, who were searching for their first CIF championship since 1971. Eaton (4-4) struck out five batters, walked two and gave up five hits in absorbing the extra-inning loss.
“I settled down pretty good,” Barton said. “It just took me a while. I’m very proud of my defense.”
Senior James Cibrian scored what proved to be the game-winning run after drawing a walk
prior to Castillo’s walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to end the game and hand the Matadors their first CIF baseball championship.
Castillo placed the first pitch over the right field wall.
“I was trying to put the ball into play and put us on top,” Castillo said.
“I knew it would either be a home run or double to win the game,” Gonsalves said.
The Spring Valley school was making its second appearance in a division final, the last time around in 2019 following a 7-5 loss to Morse for the Division V title.
Kearny (19-10) had lost, 13-5, to Mt. Miguel in early season tournament play but built an early lead in the CIF rematch.
The Komets took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning as senior Elijah Duffy drew a walk and came around to score the game’s opening run on a RBI double by junior Nicolas Hembera.
The Matadors didn’t waste any time in getting on the scoreboard as Castillo tripled and came home on a groundout by senior Xavier Reyes.
The score remained tied, 1-1, until the top of the third inning when the Komets took a 3-1 lead.
Duffy, Kearny’s hitting star, reached base on an error and Hembera followed with a single. Both runners moved up a base on a double steal. Duffy scored on a passed ball while Hembera scored on a base hit by senior Abraham Vazquez. Barton gave up three hits in the inning, but misplays helped set the table for the go-ahead runs.
The Matadors continued to battle and tied the game, 3-3, in the bottom of the fourth inning by playing small ball.
Rodriguez reached base on his second hit of the game and senior Junior Ettleman followed with another single to open a promising rally. A passed ball moved each runner into scoring position.
Kelly brought Rodriguez in on a groundout while Barton helped his own cause with a sacrifice fly to score the tying run.
Kelly closed out the top of the eighth inning in relief, facing five batters with one walk and one strikeout to put the Matadors in position to win the game in the bottom of the frame.
Castillo and Barton have been together for two CIF championships this school term. Barton was the quarterback (3,592 passing yards, 48 touchdowns) and Castillo (1,249 receiving yards, 17 touchdowns) was a receiver on the football team. Barton continued to throw the ball as a pitcher this spring while Castillo knocked the cover off the ball.
“It’s amazing,” Barton said. “It’s a great feeling to be CIF champions in football and baseball. It’s the chance of a lifetime.”
Between the two titles, Castillo said baseball was his favorite.
“At the beginning of the season (in football) we knew we could take it,” he said. “In baseball, however, we had a lot of doubters. It feels good to be on this side.”
Kearny defeated fourth-Mountain Empire, 9-1, in the opening round of double-elimination play, then defeated top-seeded Coastal Academy, 2-0, before picking up a 17-5 win over ninth-seeded Army-Navy Academy in the semifinals.
Mt. Miguel received the No. 3 seed in the Division V state regional playoffs, hosting No. 6 Pacifica Christian/Orange County (22-7) in Tuesday’s quarterfinals.
