O.J. Favela and Sam Gelardi speak to each other on the phone pretty much daily, whether itโs for scouting reports or to shoot the breeze.
Not leading up to their much-anticipated showdown.
Coach Favela and his Nogales baseball program beat Gelardiโs Sahuarita squad 9-5 in eight innings Tuesday night, in a battle between two of the top teams in Division III. The Apaches rallied from a five-run deficit to win their 10th straight game.
CLICK HERE to view more photos from Tuesday night's game.
Bragging rights and significant postseason implications were on the line, but thatโs not all: The winner also took home a coveted rivalry trophy โ a sombrero, rather.
โUsually a couple of days before we'll part ways and be enemies for a few days,โ Favela said. โHe's always calling me saying he wants his sombrero back.โ
The meaning Tuesday's game was even more significant than any other between Gelardi and Favela: This was first time the teams are in the same classification, let alone the same region with a section championship on the line.
โThere are rivalries in town that just don't like each other, but this truly is a friendly rivalry,โ Gelardi said. โWe look forward to this game every year.โ
Nogales and Sahuarita also met in the championship game in the AMSA Lancer Baseball Classic last month and the two could very well meet again in the upcoming Division III state tournament.
The Star caught up with both coaches prior to Tuesday's 'Game for the Sombrero' to find out more about the unique rivalry:
Bringing the culture
Gelardi used to teach and coach at Nogales middle school. He has remained close with Favela, even after he left in 2001.
โI love that program, the kids and that culture they have in Nogales,โ said Gelardi, who took over Sahuaritaโs baseball program in 2006. โI don't turn my back on my friends, so when I came here, I tried to bring that same culture here.โ
The coaches are so close that Favela's son played five years on Gelardiโs club team and the two have traded pitchers throughout the fall and summer leagues. They also play together in the winter nationals tournament in Nogales.
Want to play for a burrito?
Once Gelardi saw he would be facing Favela and the Apaches for the first time in 2010, he tried to make things interesting.
โHe wanted to play for a burrito,โ said Favela, who is in his 12th season as Nogalesโ coach. โI told him that doesn't last too long.โ
Thatโs when Rio Rico assistant coach Ralph Escobar went across the border to retrieve a donated sombrero from a retired Mariachi band. Just like that, the tradition was formed.
The hat, unaltered, is gold and green. There is a running tally of the series underneath the brim, with Nogales now holding a 6-3 advantage. Gelardi also likes to leave playful notes.
โItโs a tribute to high school baseball, this is what it could be like every week,โ Gelardi said. โBut these are relationships that are built through years, through mutual respect for the coaches, the players and this level of high play.โ
Guarding the sombrero
After the game, the sombrero goes home with the winning team and stays in its clubhouse for the entire year like a trophy, until its brought back out for the next matchup.
Nogales has won four straight in the series and has displayed the hat atop its dugout in the following meeting. It needs to be guarded by players and coaches.
โDuring the game we'll have guys go over there to mess with them and try to steal it,โ Gelardi said. โAfter, if we win, they'll present us with the sombrero on the pitcher's mound and we'll celebrate.โ
Family atmosphere
Sahuarita and Nogales players face each other about 10 times a year, including winter and summer ball, so the players and families are familiar with one another and there's no animosity amongst the coaches and fans.
โI think its like brothers or cousins going after each other,โ Gelardi said. โWe know each other very well.โ
Favela's wife has made potato tacos as a postgame treat for the Sahuarita staff when they host and the Mustangs open up the concession stand to the Apaches come to visit.
Off the diamond
The rivalry also carries into football season, as both Favela and Gelardi are assistant coaches with their schools. Gelardi is an assistant on the defensive side while Favela helps out with the Apachesโ offense.
For now, both coaches have considered the possibility of another meeting in the later rounds of the state tournament, which begins April 29. Nogales was ranked second in Division III heading into the matchup, while Sahuarita was No. 4.
If the two teams were to play in the semifinals or championship game, the coaches agree it should he held at Hi Corbett Field.
โThat be awesome, the Sombrero would come out for that,โ Gelardi said. โWe'd call that the Super Sombrero game.โ
