Calexico pair pockets third CIF crown
Most high school athletes are happy if their team makes it into the CIF-San Diego Section playoffs. Making it to the championship game is a huge thrill and winning a title is a once-in-alifetime experience.
How about winning three team championships in the last two years? For Calexico High School athletes Anizza Ramirez and Louie Gutierrez that was the reality on Saturday when the Lady Bulldogs softball team defeated Escondido in the Div. II championship game, 3-0.
Ramirez and Gutierrez were also part of the Bulldogs’ volleyball teams that captured division championships in 2014 and 2015. Add in Saturday’s softball title and that’s three championships in the last two years.
“It feels so surreal,” said Gutierrez, a 17-year-old junior. “I’m still processing it. I just feel so blessed to be part of those two programs.”
Gutierrez, who caught the final out of Saturday’s championship game in left field, will actually have a chance to earn a fourth and fifth CIF title if her volleyball and softball teams can repeat next season.
“Even though I’d won two volleyball championships, I was still super excited on Saturday at the softball championship,” Gutierrez said. “Softball is my sport. I’ve been playing since I was 5 so winning on Saturday just felt so amazing.”
The 17-year-old Ramirez plays right field for the softball team and middle blocker on the volleyball team. She said getting that first title last year in volleyball was a special experience.
“That was the first time Calexico won a CIF title in a long time,” Ramirez said. “It feels great being able to win. I have younger brothers that will be coming to Calexico and when I come to watch them I’ll always be able to see the banners with our championships on them.”
Both Ramirez and Gutierrez said the softball team had to refocus itself on the playoffs after suffering losses during Imperial Valley League play.
“We had to go to CIF with a different mindset,” Ramirez said. “OK, we didn’t win league but we had to get all together and play for each other and play with heart if we were going to win this.”
That heart showed in the semifinal victory over Granite Hills, trailing 5-2 entering the seventh inning the Bulldogs rallied for four runs and a 6-5 victory.
“It just didn’t feel right that we were down. I knew we were going to come back,” Gutierrez said. “We had seniors who were missing Grad Night and our senior pitcher and leader was hurt and we knew we had to try harder and come together for them.”
Bulldogs’ coach Alex Flores said there is a third member of the team that will be getting her third CIF ring as his assistant coach is Claudia Maeda is head volleyball coach for Calexico. Maeda said she is hoping to make a run at a fourth ring when volleyball season begins.
Congratulations to the Calexico softball team and its outstanding coaches. In a city and school district where politics are usually the biggest game in town, it’s good to see the young athletes grabbing the headlines.