Bandit Connection to El Paso High School Final Four Teams
June 13, 2009: The last 5 El Paso High School teams to visit the Final Four in Austin have strong Bandit connections. Coach Mark Dillon was a starter on the Austin High School Panthers team that reached the Final Four in 1965. The 1983 Burges team had 9 starters and 13 team members who played for Coach Larry Hernandez and Coach Javier Sandoval on the 1978 and 1979 Hirby Pest Control team. The Coronado T-Bird entry in the 1992 played on a Summer league teams coached by Bandit Coach Mark Dillon. The Riverside Rangers 2000 team two top pitchers (Omar Ferniza and Beto Romo) were Bandits and played for Coach Javier Sandoval. The 2009 Texas High School State Baseball Champion Socorro Bulldog team featured 4 starters who all hit in the top 5 spots and played for Coach Larry and Coach Javier as Bandits from 2001 to 2003. Bobby Mares, George Stoltz and Jessiray Navarrette are members of our 2002 National Finalists and Cory Falvey joined them in 2003 on our State and Regional Championship Squad. Bobby, Jessiray and Cory gained All State honors and Falvey also was named the “Texas High School Player of the Year in Baseball for 2009”.
