Hometown Report: Turlock’s Tovar boxes to national title

Turlock High School freshman Sandra Tovar enjoys running because it prepares her for another passion – boxing.

Tovar, 14, was crowned the Junior Female 110-pound champion of the USA Boxing National Championships (sanctioned by USA Boxing) held Dec. 5-10 in Kansas City, Mo. She defeated Buena Park’s Mayra Ruiz via majority decision after three two-minute rounds.

Tovar (20-4) has been training over the past year at Stanislaus PAL but began at age 8 under the supervision of her father, Jeff. She won a series of regional tournaments to qualify for the nationals, and family and friends pitched in to help with expenses.

Her victory already has opened a few doors. She will train for a week in April alongside other young fighters at USA Boxing headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo. International competition may follow.

Until then, Tovar prepares for her freshman season as a runner on the Turlock track team. She ran for the cross country team last fall.

Ex-Pirate is NAIA All-American – Former Modesto Junior College defensive back and track standout Stephen Thayer has been named to the AFCA/NAIA Coaches’ All-America Team after a brilliant senior season as a linebacker at Missouri Valley College.

Thayer, a graduate of Sierra High in Manteca, set an MVC record with 111 total tackles this season. He led the Heart of America Athletic Conference’s Southern Division and was 10th in the NAIA with 21 1/2 tackles for loss and finished second in the division and tied for 11th in the nation in sacks with 11. He was named the division’s Defensive Co-Player of the Year.

“This ia a great accomplishment for Stephen, and one that he worked very hard over the year to achieve,” MVC coach Paul Troth said. “Stephen is a leader by example and was a great teammate this season.”

Missouri Valley was 9-3.

This story was originally published December 24, 2016 at 4:37 PM with the headline "Hometown Report: Turlock’s Tovar boxes to national title."