MidValleySports.Com

(Hector Urias was killed at his auto shop on Tuesday night)

“Ends Criss-Cross Halfback Flare”. That was the play. In Kansas City it may have been “65 Toss Power Trap”. In Temple City it may have been “6 Power”, and in Rosemead we know it’s still “Double Tights”.

At Columbia Elementary, at least for the time I passed from the fourth grade through the eighth grade, “Ends Criss-Cross Halfback Flare” was in the flag football playbook.

It was the first play I ran as a fourth grade halfback on the fifth grade football team against a school I don’t remember (In fact I don’t remember trying out for the squad, I was just thrown on it seems)… But I do remember who threw me the pass.

The play was sent into the huddle, “Ends Criss-Cross Halfback Flare”, and I looked at the quarterback Hector Urias. Easily the leader, easily the one everybody respected, I looked at him on recognition of the play. It meant I was supposed to get the ball.

“Is this the one that I…?” I asked just as the huddle began to break.

I’m a year younger, completely out of place on this team, and Hector opens up the palm on his left hand and points out my route with an excited, smiling face. He didn’t call me stupid or curse me,…he encouraged me.

The ball is hiked, the ends cross downfield and I flare to the right out of the backfield into the end zone. I turn and a meteor shaped like a football lodges itself into my stomach for the score.

***

I remember Hector Urias as being absolutely sold out to sports and super competitive.

Being a bit of snob when it came to sports I didn’t believe anybody who said they liked sports. They had to prove it. They had to name players, teams, and scores. They would have to know who was in the Super Bowl two years before.

Never had that conversation with Hector, but as I watched a lunchtime kick ball game being played, I saw Hector crush a ball and as he rounded third base he was high-stepping to home plate.

Understand, this was 1974. The only place you saw high-stepping was during an NFL FIlms “Game of the Week” showing or the halftime highlights on Monday Night Football. So I knew this guy was into it.

***

A year later during P.E. the softball team I was on with Hector was in the finals. The whole period was built around this game. Everyone was watching, the small grandstands were full.

I had a Gene Tenace first baseman’s glove, I played third with. I thought it was cool looking when I bought it, but everyone thought it was weird and when I botched a play they always said it was because of my strangely configured glove.

Hector was the pitcher and when I butchered a second grounder at third base, he looked at me and his eyes just lit up. This wasn’t the encourager looking at me, this was the competitor.

“Give me that piece of BLANK glove!” He yelled and then came over and snatched my Gene Tenace first baseman’s glove out of my hand and gave me his.

I didn’t think anything of it then…but he changed gloves with me in the middle of a game. A title game. He didn’t try to embarrass me, he just wanted to win.

When I was the fifth grade quarterback, Hector was the sixth grade quarterback. When I was the sixth grade quarterback, he was the seventh grade quarterback, and when I was the seventh grade quarterback…he was the eighth grade quarterback.

I had a pretty good arm and knew sports, but Hector was an athlete who just competed. I was never going to be Hector Urias, more than a few coaches let me know that.

***

In the summer before starting high school, we played a pick up game of Over-the-Line down at Pioneer Park (The same field the EMA Majors play on)…It wasn’t planned just a bunch of guys running into each other. Hector was one of them. Between innings I spoke to him for the first time in a year.

“So what did you play?” I asked wondering if he played football or basketball in high school.

“I played all three,” he said. “Football, basketball, and baseball.”

“You played all three?”

“Yeah,” he said. Then he came to the plate and launched a ball over the fence.

Of course Hector played all three, how could he not?

***

My last high school conversation with him, that I recall, happened in the locker room in the fall of 1980. Basketball season had just started and the J.V. game ended in a fight at Port Hueneme.

“So Torosian did you knock down anybody?” He asked. The varsity had been in the locker room when the trouble started.

“No,” I said. “I just hid behind Guzman.”

***

After high school I didn’t see Hector again until 2000 at a reunion. Most of us were old and overweight. He was in what seemed perfect shape and was telling me about his golf game.

A few years later we reconnected again on the sidelines at “The Swamp” watching his nephew Lee Aguirre play for South El Monte and his brother Jerry Urias serve as offensive coordinator.

He never said a word about his playing days, but I can remember thinking how much better of a quarterback he was than the ones I was seeing around the valley that particular season.

Later it was passed on to me Hector purchased cleats for a few of the players on that 2005 Eagles team who couldn’t afford them.

***

It wouldn’t be true for me to say Hector and I were tight. We weren’t. I probably wouldn’t rank in the top 500 of the people he knew, but it wasn’t until learning of his death the other night—and being only a block away—that it struck me; It was a good thing to be in his shadow as a kid…He loved sports, he loved to compete, and his nature, from my limited time with him, proved he would encourage you, give you his glove, and push you to be better than you thought.

I don’t know all the details of his life, I don’t know how he voted, or how he responded when stuck in a line at the DMV. These were just my memories of someone I grew up around, and they were good memories. Memories that have served me later in life…Again my prayers go to his immediate family and to those I know; Eva, Lee, and Jerry.

***

(Went through the files, did a little homework and recapped the 1980 football season at El Monte High School. It was Hector’s season as the starting quarterback. Thought it might be interesting.)

Preview 1980

In 1979 the Lions behind Henry Omana and Ray McNeil reach the semifinals before falling. They win the Mission Valley League title and make the playoffs for the first time since 1958.

But all those guys are gone.

Hector Urias (6’ 180) becomes the starting quarterback behind an offensive line consisting of Cisco Jaramillo (5-7 190), Ruben Avila (5-10 160), John Hubler (5-10 160), Raul Lomeli (5-11 175), Larry Cecil (5-11 180), Joe Hinostro (5-10 210), Tom Guzman (6-1 170), and Mike Villalobos (5-9 220).

“Hector throws the ball well,” said El Monte HC Charles Ucker. “He just didn’t get a chance to play behind Omana. He showed the talent in passing league this summer. He has all the tools.”

Sept. 12: El Monte 33 La Puente 15 at Bergstrom

On the fourth play, of the first offensive series of the season Urias hits Rene Ruiz with a 4-yard TD pass. He ends up throwing three touchdown passes (Ray Silva 5-yd & Kevin McNeil 10-yd) while going 12 of 22 for 125 yards. He also kicked two (28 & 35-yards) field goals.

Gary Painter rushes for 138 yards.

“Urias got great pass blocking tonight,” said Ucker.

***

Sept. 19: El Monte 23 Excelsior 12 at Bergstrom

Urias throws an 8-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to Ray Silva and adds a 30-yard field goal in the win.

***

Sept. 27: El Monte 10 Azusa 3 at Bergstom

Urias goes 9 of 17 for 159 yards and leads a third quarter drive that he caps with a 10-yard scoring run. With time expiring in the first half Urias kicks a 25-yard field to tie the score at 3-3.

The Lions survive a Painter fumble with 1:51 to play by holding off the Aztecs on four downs with the the Saturday night crowd on its feet roaring.

***

Oct. 3: Charter Oak 21 El Monte 7 at Charter Oak

Urias goes just 5 of 15 for 29-yards with three picks. John Ramirez scores the team’s lone touchdown on a 20-yard run.

***

Oct. 10: St. Anthony 13 El Monte 0 at St. Anthony

Lions shutout on the road.

***

Oct. 17: El Monte 14 Rosemead 0 at Bergstrom

Urias goes 8 of 15 for 120 yards and throws touchdown passes to Alex Roman for 11-yards and Chuck Jeffrey for 14-yards to key victory.

***

Oct. 24: El Monte 24 Mt. View 14 at Mt. View

Urias kicks a 30-yard field goal in the third quarter to give the Lions the lead 17-14. He finishes 12 of 24 for 150 yards and a 15-yard touchdown pass to Johnny Ramirez.

***

Oct. 31: Keppel 13 El Monte 3 at Keppel

Urias 44-yard field goal holds up until the Lions meltdown in the fourth quarter and let the Aztecs steal the game.

***

Nov. 7: El Monte 30 Arroyo 6 at Bergstrom

Urias goes 10 of 19 for 180 yards and three touchdowns. He also adds a 20-yard field goal. Touchdown passes go to Anthony Silva (9-yds), Johnny Ramirez (67-yds), and Alex Roman (4-yds).

Stanford Tucker returns an interception 60-yards for a touchdown.

***

Nov. 14: Schurr 28 El Monte 10 at Montebello H.S.

Urias goes 11 of 20 for 154 yards and adds a 27-yard field goal, but the Lions are routed by the soon to be CIF champs.

***

Nov. 15: California Tie Breaker between El Monte, Rosemead, Keppel at Mt. View

League officials, in an unprecedented action, vote to use the tie-breaker system rather than utilize coin flips, overall records, or head to head competition.

Keppel beats Mead 7-6. El Monte beats Mead, and then beats Keppel 7-6 to earn second place in the Mission Valley.

***

Nov. 21: CIF Playoffs Round One

El Monte falls at Victor Valley (newspaper accounts conflict the final score, no way to be certain unless someone was there.)