The Hemet Sportsman’s Club is a nonprofit organization that works year-round to promote and salute youth sports in the San Jacinto Valley and Anza. On May 23, the club presented the 2024 Bill Gray and Spring Sports Awards Banquet honoring local outstanding high school athletes. Area coaches nominated their students who were all recognized as team MVPs.
President Bill Misner has been a club member for about nine years. His sport of choice is golf, and he has been an assistant golf coach at Hemet High for 10 years. His daughter played for Hemet High and at Waldorf College in Iowa for four years. He said approximately 170 guests attended the recent event.
Once finalists from each school were determined, members of the club scouted all those nominated and decided who would be awarded the Most Outstanding Female Athlete and the 10th annual Bill Gray Award which honors the most outstanding prep baseball player. Each received a $1,000 scholarship, a recognition plaque and had their names added to a perpetual trophy.
Chloe Payne from Hemet High School was named the most outstanding female athlete. Other 2024 Spring Season finalists were Gwen VanZile, track and field, Hamilton High School; Jaydah Godbolt, swimming, Hemet High School; Angel Chang, track and field, San Jacinto High School; Leeana Shores, track and field, San Jacinto Valley Academy; Taylor Solis, swimming, Tahquitz High School and Zena Pastrana, swimming, West Valley High School.
This category was recently added to the annual awards event and the previous winner of the Spring Sports Most Outstanding Female Athlete was Kaitlyn Barreto, Hamilton High School softball (2023).
Hemet High School Head Football and Softball Coach Jeff Galloway coached Chloe all four years she has played varsity softball for the school. This year, she played third base and shortstop and in previous years she has played outfield as well as catcher. Galloway said Chloe will play wherever she is needed, and she will embrace every role she is given. Chloe is going to be playing softball at Tyler College in Texas.
“In my opinion, to become a good high school softball player, you need to work on yourself, from emotional to physical characteristics,” Galloway said. “Chloe never stops learning about this game or how to improve herself as a person and leader on and off the field. Chloe is very coachable, always open-minded and open to change. Chloe has a great attitude and a swagger about her on the field. She is very confident in her ability to play this game; she never stops competing until the last out. That is the relentless attitude that she possesses. Chloe’s work ethic is unmatched by many. She puts in long hours of work off the field in the cage and on her own to help hone and master her skills.”
Timmy LaChappa, also from Hemet High School, received the coveted 10th annual Bill Gray Award. Other finalists were Seth Aanestad, Hamilton High School; Aidan Quiroga, San Jacinto High School; Carter Kelly, San Jacinto Valley Academy; Coleman Rutkoff, Tahquitz High School; and Caden Bridwell, West Valley High School.
Coach Steven Brown has been the head baseball coach at Hemet High School since the 2018-2019 school year. Along with coaching Timmy for the past four years, he coached his older brother Nolan from 2018-2021. Timmy is a four-year letter winner who became an everyday starter in his sophomore season. He was a starting pitcher and played first base/third base this season. Timmy is continuing his education and baseball career as a pitcher at the University of Texas Permian Basin. He received a baseball scholarship there and will be on the team with his brother Nolan.
Brown said what makes Timmy stand out from other athletes is that “It doesn’t matter what he has going on, as soon as he is on the baseball field we get the same Timmy every single day. Timmy is the ultimate competitor that wants to win every game, inning and pitch. As a leader, he is the type of player that goes about his business every day with the intention to get better and find ways to help the team win.”
Coach Brown said it is important for people to know who Bill Gray was and what he did for baseball in the valley. Bill Gray founded the Bill Gray Baseball School in Hemet. The school was free to all, operated for 30 years and had 150 students each Saturday at the ball field at his home. Special instructors included MLB players Don Drysdale and Sparky Anderson along with team coaches, managers, umpires and major league scouts. Gray was a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers, umpired high school and college baseball and coached local summer teams. He developed big league players, managers and umpires. He was deeply involved in the growth and development of the Hemet Youth Baseball program.
Among numerous honors, Gray was a recipient of the Hemet-San Jacinto Exchange Club’s Book of Golden Deeds Award in 1999 and was recognized by the Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District with the naming of Bill Gray Park on Lake Street in Hemet. While operating the baseball school, Hemet High School won the CIF baseball championship three times (1963, 1966 and 1974). Two former students from his school were honored as CIF Player of the Year. They were Bill Gray Jr. and Bob Frazier.
Gray came to the San Jacinto Valley after being heavily involved in Los Angeles teams. He graduated from Manual Arts High School and played and coached on numerous Los Angeles teams. Among his numerous former players were Larry and Norm Sherry (Dodgers) and Bill Cosolo (Red Sox). Larry was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1959 World Series and Norm later managed the Angels.
Gray also championed the rights of Emmett Ashford, an L.A. resident, who fought to umpire baseball games and eventually became the first African American to umpire in the major leagues. Prior to moving to Hemet, Gray was president of the Los Angeles Grain Exchange. Before his passing in 2005, Gray was married to his wife Marion for 60 years and had three children, Christine, Corynne and Bill Jr.
To honor Bill Gray and his influence in the valley, the Hemet Sportsman’s Club initiated the Bill Gray Award in 2014 to recognize the most outstanding high school baseball player in the valley. His son, Bill Gray Jr., was at the event and thanked the club for honoring his father with such a meaningful award.
“My dad would have been very honored to have his name on this award,” he said. Bill Jr. followed in his father’s footsteps by playing baseball and operating a baseball camp in San Diego where he has lived since 1971 after playing in the Minnesota Twins organization. He also coached and scouted for the sport. “Baseball has always been a part of me,” he said.
Previous winners of the Bill Gray Award were Jarrett Veiga, Tahquitz High (2014); Zachary Barnes, San Jacinto High (2015); Quiason Holt, Hamilton High (2016); Caleb Farmer, Tahquitz High (2017); Tyler Richardson, Hemet High (2018); Caleb Shepard, Tahquitz High (2019); Gavin Meyer, Tahquitz High (2021); and Raul Plata, Hemet High (2023).
President Misner said for boys’ baseball, football and basketball awards, which are all celebrated at different events throughout the year, members form groups that attend games at local schools and then confirm stats through MaxPreps. Girls are typically nominated by the Athletic Directors and then confirmed through their stats.
The Spring Sports Team MVPs from local high schools who were celebrated at this year’s banquet in Hemet were chosen by coaches who submitted names of their top choices in each sport. Girls Softball: Kaitlyn Barreto and Ashlyn Rozzo, Hamilton High School; Chloe Payne, Hemet High; Keyera Cameron and Selena Gallegos, San Jacinto High; Leslie Hernandez, San Jacinto Valley Academy; and Vanessa Garcia and Lillian Phelps, Tahquitz High. Boys Volleyball: Kevin Gomez, Hamilton; Kellen Arnold and Russell Huser, Hemet; Skylar Murphy and Lucas Rex-Cube, San Jacinto; Leon Terakubo, San Jacinto Valley Academy; Daniel Mendoza, Tahquitz; and Diego Allievi, West Valley High. Boys Golf: Levi Schain, Hemet; Robert Day Edwards, San Jacinto Valley Academy; and Timmy Parker, Tahquitz. Boys Tennis: Jesus Guadarrama, Hemet; Keith Norman, San Jacinto; and Angel Cantor Chiman, Tahquitz. Girls Swimming: Jaydah Godbolt, Hemet; Olivia Mahle, San Jacinto; Taylor Solis, Tahquitz; and Zena Pastrana, West Valley. Boys Swimming: Evan Marshall, Hemet; Damion Montague, Tahquitz; Tyler Valdez, San Jacinto; and Paul Gid Valenzuela, West Valley. Girls Track: Gwen VanZile, Hamilton; Kaycia Carridice and Allyson Jamisola, Hemet; Angel Chang, San Jacinto; and Leeana Shores, San Jacinto Valley Academy. Boys Track: Timothy Wisda, Hamilton; Jomini Ransom, San Jacinto; Nehemiah Hamala, San Jacinto Valley Academy; and DJ Bryant, Tahquitz High School.
Coach Galloway, who has been coaching softball at Hemet High since 2006, said, “Seeing these young athletes accomplish great things through their high school careers and beyond is always a pleasure to see. I love seeing the success of all of the athletes I have coached once they leave high school. That to me is what coaching high school sports is all about. Seeing how these young athletes grow in just a short four years and then seeing their many successes after high school is awesome. I always feel blessed to have been a small part of their high school career.”
The Hemet Sportsman’s Club was formed in 2011 to serve amateur athletics in the San Jacinto Valley and Anza, although its roots date back to the 1970s. Its mission is to fill the financial gap that exists between what the youth and high school programs need and what schools and family members provide. The club’s donations help athletic teens with equipment, uniforms, transportation and recognition.
Galloway said, “I feel it is important for the community to get to know the youth who are growing up in their community. The Hemet Sportsman’s Club does a great job of recognizing the athletes in our valley. It is another way for our young athletes to see community members who care about what they are doing. The Hemet Sportsman’s Club does an outstanding job of building a positive relationship between our athletes and our community members by bringing all of the high schools together at one event to celebrate the athletes for all of their accomplishments. The Hemet Sportsman’s Club truly understands it’s about the athletes and nothing else. They are there to provide support and give them the recognition they so much deserve. The valley could use many more organizations dedicated to our valley athletic programs at all age levels like the Hemet Sportsman’s Club.”
Coach Brown said it is important for community organizations to host these events to create a sense of community within the valley. “The Hemet Sportsman’s Club members are at different athletic events all year watching student athletes compete. It is great for those students to know the people cheering for them. They do a great job putting on different events and supporting different athletic programs in the valley.”
The club raises money through donations, hosting special events, membership dues and other activities. Most of its members are former athletes or avid sports enthusiasts who want to contribute their time, money and effort to helping local athletes. Membership is by invitation only. For more information, www.hemetsportsmansclub.com.
