Guzman led the pack
Monache Hall of Fame
Jesus Guzman ran away from the competition while attending Monache High School and went on to be a highly successful coach for rival Porterville for three decades.
Jesus Guzman ran away from the competition while attending Monache High School and went on to be a highly successful coach for rival Porterville for three decades.
He is a member of the second class of athletes and coaches being inducted in to the Monache High School Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, March 24.
On June 16, 1964, 11-year-old Guzman came to “this great country of ours.” Because he had no knowledge of the English language, he was placed in the fourth grade. He went on to learn English on his own by sitting in the back of the class, listening to the teachers, and watching the students react to what the teachers were saying. Like his parents, Jesus was a farm worker for the next 10 years of his life.
The principal of Vincent Elementary School at the Woodville Labor Camp saw Guzman play different sports and right away noticed his God-given athletic talent and became interested in helping him develop his skills in various sports. He graduated as a salutatorian from Woodville Elementary School and excelled in many sports.
At Monache High School he participated in cross country for three years, four years in basketball and three years in baseball.
For two years he was the Most Valuable Runner in cross country. In 1970-71 he was part of the first varsity sport — cross country — to win a league championship, back then it was the Central Yosemite League, in the history of Monache athletics.
He played four years of basketball. As a freshman he played junior varsity for Porterville High School, and the next three years played varsity for Monache High School, where he had the honor of being named the MVP all three years.
The first two years he was a second team Allleague performer and his senior year he was named league MVP. The basketball team also won the EYL championship during his last year in high school. As a junior he was the MVP in JV baseball.
After high school he received his associate’s degree from Porterville College, his bachelor’s degree from the University of Santa Cruz and his lifetime teaching credential from Fresno State.
He taught at Porterville High School for 38 years and coached for 30 years. During his coaching career his teams won 20 EYL championships at the varsity level, and in 1988 his team won the first girls Valley championship in girls cross country for the City of Porterville. His teams at the junior varsity level won 30 EYL championships. He coached cross country, track, soccer, basketball and golf.
Guzman loved to run, and he trained and competed in four marathons. His best time was 2 hours and 45 minutes for an average of 6:18 per mile. His best running experience was competing in the 1990 LA Marathon and coming in 267th out of more than 10,000 runners. The highlight of the LA Marathon, was seeing Muhammad Ali fire the cannon to start the race.
The second annual Monache Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony will be held on Saturday, March 24, at River Island Country Club in Springville. A no-host cocktail hour will begin at 5 p.m, dinner will begin at 6 p.m., with the Induction ceremony to follow. Inductees for 2018 will be: Jesus Guzman 19681972, (cross country, basketball, baseball), Kim (Goodin) Rafanan 1974-1978, (volleyball, basketball, softball), Jim Short 1977-1981, (football, wrestling, baseball) Don Townsend 1978-1982 (football, wrestling), Coach Rick Vafeades 1970-2005 (cross country, basketball, baseball, track and field), and the 1991 Valley Champion Monache baseball team.