![]() They met in 1979 and were friends until the end. ![]() The Corona-Norco city boundary wasn’t a barrier between Torres and lifelong Corona resident Ronnie Smith. He would run drills for me at a high energy level.” He brought energy to everything he did, practice, the games. He meant that much to me.”įormer Norco offensive line coach Alan Krueger said, “He (Torres) was like an energy source people can plug into. “It was devastating,” said Gonzales of Torres’ passing. Torres was an assistant coach for all five Norco football teams that won CIF titles. Torres then joined the baseball staff, too. He persuaded Torres to join him on the Norco football staff. Gonzales convinced Torres to move to Horsetown USA. ![]() They met in Orange County and started playing on teams that traveled all over the state and the country. Slow-pitch softball was Torres’ connection with his first friend in Norco, businessman Danny Gonzales. Norco lost one of the great people in the town.” “I hadn’t talked to him in a while,” Gerhart said. Gerhart was stunned when he heard of Torres’ passing. He was the most unselfish person I’ve ever met.” “Bobby was everything that was good about Norco,” said Toby Gerhart, by phone from his home in Nashville. Toby Gerhart flew out from his home in Nashville to be a featured speaker along with two of his five siblings and their parents, Todd and Lori. A celebration of life followed at The Farm in Norco that evening. Torres is survived by his wife, their three daughters, Brandy Rodriguez, Lisa Hernandez, and Natalie Heredia, five grandchildren and one great grandson.Ī viewing was held on July 15 at the Norco Family Funeral Home. The Torres’ had moved to a home on Fourth Street in Norco from Orange County in 1976 for affordable property and so he could be closer to Norco High and the softball diamonds where he played.Īt that house in the early morning hours on June 14, Torres succumbed to a heart attack. “He was crazy about sports, anything sports.” “He wasn’t a person to sit back,” said Candy Torres, his wife of 49 years. Torres pushed himself continuously up to the age of 68. The Torres’ met the players after the game. He went to the weddings of all six Gerhart siblings including Toby, the star Norco running back who was the 2009 Heisman Trophy runner-up for Stanford, and a six-year NFL veteran.Īs a member of the Vikings, Toby reciprocated by treating Bobby and his wife, Candy, to a trip to Minneapolis for an NFL game. “He’s only going to get bigger and stronger and with his determination and work ethic, there’s no reason why he can’t be successful at both.Torres’ connection to the players went way beyond the boundaries of the playing field. “I think his best years in both sports as still ahead of him,” Chastian said. Gray wants to play both sports at the next level, which is one of the reasons he decided to commit to UCLA in April. Gray is still growing into his 6-foot-3 frame, and his ability to get the job done in both sports are reasons why several college football and baseball coaches have been actively recruiting him in recent months. “If he got on base, we usually were able to get him home.” “Offensively, we went as Grant went,” he said. Gray reached safely in 23 of the 29 games he played and registered at least one hit in 21 of those games. Parcell didn’t mince words when talking about the impact Gray had as the team’s leadoff hitter this season. Gray’s versatility will be tested as a senior, as Chastain said Gray also will play in the secondary in the fall. “He thrived in the big-pressure moments, and we knew he was going to give us the production against any coverage he saw.” “He was extremely reliable, no matter who was lined up on the other side,” Chastain said. Gray registered five 100-yard games, four of them coming against Santa Margarita, Sierra Canyon, Centennial and Mater Dei. He continued to post huge numbers during his junior season. Gray emerged as a top target during the pandemic-shortened 2021 spring season and helped Norco win its first league title in 11 seasons. “Grant is so athletically gifted and can play anywhere on the field,” Norco baseball coach Gary Parcell said. Gray played innings at both positions during 15 of Norco’s games this season. ![]() He started 15 games in center field and 14 more at second base. Gray showed the same kind of versatility when baseball season arrived.
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