A reflection on 90 years of basketball at MCHS Part III: The final quarter

Contributed by
Trace DeSandres
Former teacher, coach and
athletic director

At the conclusion of the 1996-97 season, Coach Loyd Hobby retired as head varsity basketball coach.

With the exception of Rock Carlson (who coached varsity basketball for three seasons between 1984 and 1987), Coach Hobby was the only varsity basketball coach Mariposa County High School (MCHS) had since Don Smith coached in 1964. Coach Carlson had an overall record of 55 wins and 26 losses. His teams went 29-7 in Southern Athletic League competition winning the league crown in 1985.

The 1997-98 season found Orin Pyle becoming the 18th varsity basketball coach. Pyle had previously coached the girls’ basketball team and took the reins of the boys’ program on an interim basis. In coach Pyle’s only year as varsity coach, the Grizzlies struggled, posting a 7-21 losing record. At the conclusion of the school year, Pyle accepted a teaching position at Summerville High School.

In August of 1998, Trace De Sandres applied, interviewed, and accepted a teaching position at MCHS. His contract included coaching varsity basketball.

De Sandres saw his first Grizzly basketball game in 1966; he played in Coach Hobby’s Saturday program in the late 60s and early 70s. De Sandres played varsity basketball for Hobby during the 1976 and 1977 seasons and was his assistant coach during the 1983 and 1984 seasons.

He (De Sandres) had previously spent 13 seasons coaching basketball at Rivera (Merced) and Yosemite (Fresno) middle schools, as well as having spent three seasons as a Fresno State manager and student assistant.

Returning to Mariposa to teach and coach and raise a family with his wife Robn was a dream come true. In De Sandres first two seasons, the Grizzlies were 38-18 overall and 23-1 in league play winning two Southern League titles.

At that time, the Grizzlies were blessed with seven players six-foot three or taller, including Logan Mankins, who became one of the most dominant players in Mariposa basketball history.

Ironically Logan’s father Tim Mankins and De Sandres were teammates on an MCHS team coached by Hobby 22 years earlier. With Coach Hobby continuing as athletic director and De Sandres assisted by coaches Dave Fiester, Keith Williams and Bob Jaekle the Grizzlies would win five more Southern League championships between 2006 and 2010.

Mariposa’s Grizzlies won 30 Southern league games in a row over a three-year period and won 20 games in a row during the 2009 season. De Sandres ended his varsity boys’ basketball career after the 2011 season. In 13 seasons his teams won 239 games with seven Southern League championship banners which produced five Southern League Most Valuable Players including Mankins, Tim Oswald (twice), and Cody Wichmann (twice).

Remarkably, Mankins and Wichmann both became National Football League players, with Mankins establishing a remarkable All-Pro career with the New England Patriots

With Coach DeSandres departure from varsity basketball coaching duties, Corey Edmiston led the Grizzlies over the next four seasons.

Coach Edmiston, like De Sandres, played for Hobby in the early 90s. He had coached previously at UC Merced and brought a new and exciting style to the Grizzly basketball program. Edmiston coached the Grizzlies for four seasons and would have continued to lead the program if a teaching position would have been available. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

In his four seasons his teams went 72-40 overall and 45-9 in Southern League action. Coach Edmiston had Mariposa on the verge of its first Sac-Joaquin Section title, losing in the semi-finals in 2015. His accomplishments included two 20-plus win seasons, two undefeated league championships and two playoff wins.

Coach “E” left with 26 consecutive league wins and 20 straight wins at home. With his departure, Bob Jaekle became the 21st Grizzly basketball coach. In his first season as coach, Mariposa had an amazing and historic year. The Grizzlies continued their Southern League and home winning dominance going a perfect 12-0 in league and 9-0 at home.

Qualifying for the Sac-Joaquin Division V section playoffs, Mariposa defeated Ripon Christian, Bradshaw Christian, and in front of over 1,200 students and Mariposa fans at Sleep Train Arena (home of the Sacramento Kings) defeated Brookside Christian, 79-75, in overtime.

The win gave Mariposa its first ever boys’ basketball section championship. One ecstatic fan commented after the emotional game, “Today would have been a perfect day to rob Mariposa, everyone is in Sacramento!”

The Grizzlies went on to play Stuart Hall of San Francisco in a state playoff game. Due to limited seating for a home playoff game in the Hobby Gymnasium, the state playoff game was played at Merced Community College, where once again a capacity crowd watched Mariposa play a great game. The Grizzlies came up a little short losing 70-65 to the Bay Area powerhouse.

The 24-5 season without a doubt was the most successful Grizzly basketball campaign ever. Coach Jaekle would coach the Grizzlies for two more seasons, winning another outright league championship and sharing a co-championship with Orestimba. His teams went 69-17 overall and an amazing 35-1 in Southern League play. Mariposa’s league win streak reached 36 games, breaking the previous mark of 30 in-a-row.

The home win streak, which began in 2014 grew to 49 straight home court wins finally ending in November of 2018. Although Coach Jaekle elected to coach varsity basketball for only three seasons, his influence on the program is far reaching. He has coached the frosh and junior varsity teams, was a varsity assistant for three seasons, coached the middle school program the last 14 seasons and has run the highly successful Saturday youth program for the past 15 years. His commitment to Mariposa basketball is second to none.

With Coach Jaekle’s departure, Pierce Chaney became the 22nd Mariposa varsity basketball coach. Chaney was an outstanding player for Coach DeSandres in the 2009 and 2010 seasons, helping to win two SL championships. He also assisted Coach Jaekle during Mariposa’s successful run.

In his first year as coach, Chaney led his team to its sixth consecutive 20-plus win season. Mariposa went 23-6 overall and had another perfect 12-0 league season. The Grizzlies reached the quarterfinals of the Division V playoffs behind the dynamic scoring of Devon Acker-James.

In three seasons of varsity basketball Acker-James scored 1,897 points. With Coach Chaney’s high- powered offense, Acker-James averaged 27.7 points per game breaking his previous personal record of 23.5 points per game. Over the next two seasons Coach Chaney produced solid teams going 24-17 and 16-6 in Southern League play.

His 2021 team was outstanding going 22-7 and 11-1 in league, splitting a co-championship with Denair. After two playoff wins, Mariposa faced Denair in the Division V section semi-finals. In one of the most exciting games in recent memory, the Grizzlies fell to the Coyotes, 60-56, on two controversial calls. Denair went on to win the section championship. In his six years as Grizzly basketball coach he has won two league championships, posted a 99-58 overall record, and 55-15 mark in league play.

Overview: Since 1980 Mariposa varsity basketball has claimed 19 Southern league titles, 10 more than any other Southern League team. Mariposa has won 15 California Interscholastic Federation playoff games and won one section title.

The Hobby gymnasium is one of a kind. When it is packed the noise level is deafening. A crowd of 300 sounds like 1,000. The support of the Mariposa community is second to none. I remember the feeling I got stepping into that gym back in 1966. Now, 58 years later, it is still a thrill to step into the gym and on the floor on a game day.