Mission Viejo’s boys track and field team won an Orange County Championship in 2013. Diablos coach Mike Hoffman was honest when assessing his team’s chances at a repeat.
“This season, we didn’t think we’d have a chance,” he said.
Hoffman’s crew defied their coach’s odds, though, and led by Diego Courbis’ victory in the 300-meter hurdles, brought home a second consecutive county championship.
Another county championship also brought Hoffman the Register’s coach of the year award for 2014.
The Diablos became just the third program in the past 30 years to repeat as boys county champion. Mission Viejo joined Dana Hills, which won four consecutive county titles from 2008 to 2011, and Foothill, which won titles in 1993 and 1994.
“Hardly any team gets to do that, and the ones that do (it) are dominant,” Hoffman said. “Dana Hills did it for four years. We’ve never been able to put it together back-to-back, so this was really special for us.”
Mission Viejo, which won its sixth boys title overall, finished No. 2 in the final county rankings to Dana Hills, which won the South Coast League title.
Under Hoffman’s watch, Courbis qualified for the CIF State Track and Field Championships in the 300 hurdles, where he finished third, and CIF-SS Masters in the long jump, while Dallas Hartman qualified for Masters in the high jump.
Jordan Antol was a CIF-SS finalist in the pole vault, and Mike Mathews was in the shot put.
Logan Obbards, who has run under Hoffman the past three seasons, was named to the Register’s All-County team in the 100 and was a CIF-SS Division 2 finalist in the 100 and 200.
“He’s a great mentor,” Obbards said. “He pushed us to our limit. With him, anything is achievable. He’s probably one of the best coaches I’ve ever been around.”
Contact the writer: amorales@ocregister.com
