Inductees

Following a 2-22 season in 2004-05, the Antioch Panthers stunned local basketball fans when they compiled a record of 43-13 over the next two seasons, including an impressive 23-7 in the formidable BVAL. A major contributor to that turnaround was point guard Eddie Miller.  As a junior, Miller averaged a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds per game.  The Panthers finished the season 21-7 with their first NCS playoff berth in many years. Miller’s accomplishments were recognized by being selected 1^st Team All-League and 3^rd Team All-Contra Costa Times. 

Miller’s impressive junior year was just a warmup of what was to follow.  As a senior, Miller led the Panthers to another NCS record of 22-6, finishing 14-2 in the BVAL.  That season marked the first victory over De La Salle in the program’s history. Miller led the league in scoring with a 15.6 average over the 16-game league schedule and was named the league MVP.  Again, the Contra Costa Times recognized Miller by placing him on the All-CC Times regional squad.  The Times also named Eddie to its top 50 male athletes list in both his junior and senior years.  Finally, Miller was named the Panther’s Senior Athlete of the Year in 2007 for his exploits in both basketball and track and field.

After graduation, Miller walked on to the basketball program at the University of California, Berkeley where he appeared in 15 games over two seasons. He then transferred to UC Davis on a scholarship for this final two years of eligibility. Over the next two seasons, Miller started 52 games as a point guard, scoring a total of 631 points. His senior year was highlighted by a 35 point outburst versus league opponent UC Riverside. 

Miller concluded his basketball career by playing professionally in Brazil for 1 year.

Click on photo to enlarge. 

Andy Sample loved to run and his talent would become apparent early in his Antioch High School career. As a sophomore he won the varsity 400 meter title at the BVAL league meet, a feat he would repeat 2 more times as a junior and senior. At the North Coast Section Meet of Champions he qualified for the State Track & Field Championships twice, once in the 300 intermediate hurdles and once in the 400 meters. He was also named AHS track and field Co-MVP his senior season.

Andy had very successful high school career but for him the last year ended in disappointment. You see, his senior year was supposed to be his breakout track season. However, in a tournament basketball game at Liberty High School Andy broke his ankle and for the next 16 weeks was in a cast. Shortly before the league meet with the cast off and limited training he still was able to win his 3^rd DVAL 400 meter title and go on to qualify for the State Meet but his goals remained unfulfilled.

That would change the following year when he enrolled at Diablo Valley College. Over the next 2 seasons at DVC Andy would break the school 400 meter record running 46.61, the fastest 400 meters ever run by any Antioch High School alumnus. He was also part of the record breaking 4×100 and 4×400 meter relay teams. All 3 records still stand today some 33 years later.

After DVC, Andy received a track scholarship to UC Berkeley. At CAL he competed for the Bears in the prestigious Penn and Texas relays and Pac-10 Championships among others. Injuries held him back, but he still was able to run anchor leg on the 4×400 meter relay team that beat UCLA for the first time in 25 years.

Click on photo to enlarge. 

Eddie Loretto decided to focus on becoming a full-time kicker his junior year at Antioch High School.  After a year at the JV level, Loretto became an offensive weapon as a senior for the Panthers.  He had 4 field goals that season of 40 or more yards missing only one and was 31-33 on PAT’s. His 47 yarder set the Panther record for longest field goal, a record that stood for 15 seasons. As a senior his accomplishments were recognized by being named 2^nd Team All-League and 1^st Team All-East Bay. In addition, Loretto was named to the San Francisco Examiner’s All-Bay Area team.

Upon graduation, he took his powerful left leg to UC Davis to become a member of the Division 2 powerhouse Aggie football squad.  After redshirting his first year, he was named the starting kicker for the Aggies. In that 1985 season, Loretto hit 16-21 field goals setting a school record for most FG’s in a season.  He was also 37-40 on PAT’s and his 85 points set another school record.  As a sophomore, Loretto was 12-15 on his field goals, landing him a spot on the All-Conference 1^st team.  His senior year saw Loretto connect on all 26 of his PAT’s and 7-12 on FG’s, again earning him 1^st Team All-Conference and Honorable Mention on the Little All-American list.  He graduated as the Division 2 all-time career scoring leader, setting school records for most FG’s, PAT’s and scoring for both a season and career.  He still holds school records for most PAT’s (8) and FG (4) in a game and his 273 career points rank second among all Aggie kickers.

Loretto is currently a history professor at the College of Alameda.  He retired from coaching in 2022 after 12 seasons as special teams coach for Pittsburg High School.

Click on photo to enlarge. 

Through three decades, Michael Amorosa left his footprint on the trails around Antioch High School. He excelled as a cross country athlete at AHS graduating in 1988, and DVC where he went to the State Championships. Earning a full scholarship to the University of Hawaii, Hilo he qualified and ran in the snow at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Wisconsin.

Michael came back to Antioch and became an Assistant Cross-Country coach with Tom Torlakson in 1995. He was hired as the boys and girls head coach in 1996 and for the next thirteen years enjoyed some of the most successful seasons in AHS cross country history. During that time, Coach Amorosa’s runners never had a losing season and racked up a string of highlights, including a 3^rd place finish in Division II Girls Cross Country State Championships and his boys’ team beating De La Salle in 2001 to end their 10 year dual meet win streak at 99. His 1999 girls’ team was inducted into the Antioch Sports Hall of Fame in in 2019.

In 1999 and 2000 his girls’ team won the BVAL Cross Country Championship title. In 1998 his boys won the Division II NCS Championship and in 1999 his girls’ team won the Division II NCS Championship. During his tenure, he coached many outstanding runners including previous Antioch Sport Legends inductees Janie Nolan, Chris Hernandez and Christine Perez

Michael and his wife Amanda currently work in the medical field and live in Placerville, CA with their two children Ameliana and Vinnie who both run for their high school’s cross-country team.

Click on photo to enlarge. 

Ashley Vallis’s high school athletic career began with the question, soccer or basketball? Due to the conflicting schedules Ashley had to choose one sport; she chose soccer. Ashley dreamed of playing soccer at the collegiate level and she knew running track would help her speed and endurance as a soccer player.

Ashley’s freshman year she was the 800M champion at BVAL and NCS. She qualified for the CIF Track Championships in the 800M and in the 4x4M. Ashley’s freshman year she ranked 13th in California for the 800M.

Sophomore year, Ashley played varsity soccer and was named 1st team all-league. In track, she was the 800M and 1600M BVAL champion and qualified for the CIF Track Championships in the 800M.

Ashley’s junior track season she got walking pneumonia, but she was able to dominate the 800M at the BVAL Championships and qualified for the CIF Track Championships.

Ashley’s senior soccer season she scored 33 goals with 13 assists. She was named BVAL-MVP. During her final appearance at the BVAL Track Championships, Ashley placed 1st in four events (4x1M, 4x4M, 200M and 800M).

Ashley went onto the Track NCS where she and her team won the 4×4 and she won the 800M.  For the 4th time, Ashley qualified for the CIF Track Championships in the 800M, a feat that has never been accomplished by any other Wolverine.  

Ashley graduated high school with a 3.86 GPA, a member of the 750 club, 3-time CCC Times Top 100 Athlete, 4-time team captain, 2-time MVP, and the 2005 female athlete of the year.

Ashley received a soccer scholarship to California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Ashley played four years as a Mustang. She was named All-Conference her sophomore and senior year. Ashley graduated with a BS in Business Administration, Concentration in Marketing, and a minor in Spanish. 

The 110 Magazine article described Rich Valdez this way” A Big Little Man in Antioch”. It featured all of Valdez’s athletic achievements and focused on his special hometown.

During Rich’s sophomore year he wrestled at 95 lbs. the lowest weight class on the Antioch High School varsity team. His junior year he made the DVAL finals, taking second place and ending the year with a record of 14-1 with 10 pins.

Rich had a big senior year for a little guy. Still competing in the 95lb. weight class Valdez won the 95 lb. DVAL title helping lead the Antioch High wrestling team to its first ever league title. This victory advanced him to the North Coast Region 2 Tournament where he earned an individual North Coast Section championship title. His next stop was the prestigious (CIF) Northern California Invitational Tournament. This was the highest tournament in which a Northern California wrestler could compete. Rich stepped up to the challenge finishing in third place. He ended his senior year with a record of 20 wins and only 2 losses

This Northern California Wrestling Tournament format was in effect from 1962 to 1972. During this period Antioch High School had only three placers at this tournament, Bob Koupeny and Steve Sanchez, both 3rd place in 1967 and Rich Valdez, 3rd place in 1970. With Rich’s induction this year all three are now together in the Antioch Sport Legends Hall of Fame.

Rich was voted the MVP Wrestler for AHS. He was also selected by longtime coach Gerald Palmer to the All-AHS Wrestling Team from 1957 to 1969. Coach Al Kain was Valdez’s coach his senior year.

After high school “The Big Little Man” became a professional jockey. He started as a groomer at Bay Meadows Race Track and rode professionally in California, Oregon, and New York.

If you’ve ever watched the hit movie “The Blind Side” you will understand why the left tackle position in football is probably the most important on the offensive line. He protects the quarterback from being hit from his back side while dropping back to pass. This was Jon Summers’ position as a two- year starter for Stanford University.

 In 1983, Jon was the AHS Most Valuable Offensive Lineman on Antioch’s championship football team. He earned a full-ride football scholarship to Stanford University based on outstanding performance on the field and in the classroom. Jon was named first team ALL-DVAL, 2nd Team All-East Bay and named to the prestigious Contra Costa Times “Cream of the Crop” which recognizes the best football players in the East Bay. As a senior he was honored with the Scholar-Athlete Award by the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame and started in the Contra Costa vs Alameda County All-Star game after graduating.

Jon’s head coach at AHS, Tim Galli, had this to say about him. “Between his junior and senior season, Jon made the decision that he was not going to be satisfied with just being a good football player, he wanted to be a great football player. His dedication in the weight room, often lifting twice a day, was remarkable. Jon became one of our team leaders and was an absolute pleasure to coach”.

While at Stanford, Jon was named Offensive Player of the Game vs Oregon in 1987. Jon earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Stanford University while still playing.

After college, Jon joined AT&T, where he has worked for 33 years. He currently serves as their Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer. He and his wife Kathleen have been married 29 years. They have two sons and reside in Dallas, Texas.

Bernard Stephens, this year’s Outstanding Coach Inductee became the Head Track and Field coach at Deer Valley High School in 2000. Arriving with 24 years of prior coaching experience he immediately began to change the culture and expectations of what it meant to be a Deer Valley track and field athlete.

For the next 16 years Bernard would guide both the boys and girls programs to heights never before achieved sending 60 athletes to the California State Track and Field Championships. During a remarkable span from 2007 to 2015 one girls team would finish 7th and 19 athletes and relay teams would place and score points for the Wolverines in the State Finals. That included triple jump champion, Hammed Suleman and three runner-ups, Chizoba Okodogbe and Briana Guillory in the 400 meters along with his 2015 girls 4x400m relay team. Suleman, Okodogbe and Guillory would each go on to become multiple-time College All-Americans at CAL, Oregon, and Iowa respectively.

The single most remarkable State Meet performance by one of Bernard’s athletes may have been turned in by Taiwan Jones who in 2007 placed in both the 100, 200 and both relays. Only one of 2 NCS male athletes ever to place in all 4 events they entered.

Stephen’s teams won 9 Girls NCS Tri Valley Championships. He was voted Contra Costa Times Girls Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2012, North Coast Section Honors Coach in 2010 and received the California Coaches Association, Girls Track and Field Coach of the Year in 2014.

Beyond the athletic honors and championships Bernard Stephens worked to create a safe and caring environment for his athletes. He taught young men and women the importance of sportsmanship and quality work habits while instilling in them the competitive drive to be the best they can be both on the track and in the classroom.

The 2022 All-Around Athlete Inductee is Deer Valley High School’s Taylor Stanton. He was 1st or 2nd Team All-League in all three sports he played. As a senior he was recognized as one of the Top 50 Male Athletes by the CC Times was named Deer Valley’s Senior Athlete of the year

When he was 8, he played on the Under 11 Delta United Soccer Team. That early beginning started a soccer career that lasted throughout high school. He was the team’s Most Valuable Player as a sophomore and 1st Team All-League his junior and senior seasons.

Taylor first began playing football as a freshman. He was the starting varsity quarterback and kicker as a junior and senior and was recognized his senior year by being named 2nd Team All-League.

Under the tutelage of Dennis Luquet and LeRoy Murray he became an outstanding pitcher accumulating a career record ERA of 2.83 with 157 innings pitched, 158 strikeouts and a 17-7 won/loss record which as of 2017 placed him as 3rd best pitcher Wolverine pitcher all-time in terms of wins, strikeouts, saves and innings pitched. He also had a career batting average of .343. These marks would result in a baseball scholarship to St. Mary’s College.

Taylor played for the Gaels for one year and then DVC for an additional year. In 2008 he was drafted in the 26th round by the Seattle Mariners. His 5-year Mariner minor league career would take him all over the country with his highest level playing for the Jackson Generals, the Mariner’s AA franchise. His next stop was the Independent League where he played 4 years for the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks where in 2013 he was named American Association Pitcher of the Year. His 9-year pro record is 61 wins, 53 losses with a 4.14 ERA in 217 games pitched.