Stephen Hobbs

Winless and in the playoffs, a look back at the Richmond Oilers girls’ soccer season

At halftime of the Richmond High School girls’ soccer team’s regular season finale against St. Joseph-Notre Dame High School, the conversation between the Richmond High coach and players was not focused on the game. The Oilers had lost all 19 of their games so far in the season, in what had been a challenging and frustrating year. Unlike earlier matches, when the Oilers were down by scores of 4 or 6 to nothing, the game with the Pilots was tied…

Earnings report caps off week of mixed news for Chevron

The announcement this week of the approximately $11 million in losses Chevron sustained in fines and claims related to the August 6 Richmond refinery fire was dwarfed by its fourth-quarter earnings. Although Chevron’s total earnings for the entire year fell by three percent in 2012, the corporation brought in $7.2 billion in the final three months of the year, a 41 percent increase from the same period of the previous year. News of its earnings ended a mixed week for…

Richmond Oilers defeat Berkeley High 3-2 in meeting of top soccer teams

Nine days after losing to De La Salle, the Richmond High School boys’ soccer team had another chance to take on a top soccer team in the area. This time, against Berkeley High School, the Oilers pulled out a 3-2 win. Monday night’s meeting with the Yellow Jackets was the Oilers’ final home game of the 2012-13 regular season, in which five of this year’s seniors were honored before the game began, and it came against a rival opponent that…

Richmond High girls fall 3-1, but look forward to playoffs next week

For a team struggling to win soccer games, the smallest successes can become highlights of a season. For the Richmond High School girls’ soccer team, the week provided two of those highlights. On Thursday night, in the Oilers’ final match of the regular season, the girls did something they had not done all season: They had a lead. In the ninth minute of the Richmond High Oilers’ match against the St. Joseph-Notre Dame Pilots at the College of Alameda, junior…

Richmond boys look to build off of Saturday’s loss to De La Salle

A 2-1 road loss to De La Salle High School in Concord ended a 13-game unbeaten streak for the Richmond High boys’ soccer team on Saturday night, but the players and coaches viewed the match as an opportunity to build for the end of the regular season and the playoffs. Early on in the season, the Oilers seemed to have trouble jelling and working together on the field. Coaches stressed the importance of playing as one, and players cited the…

Richmond falls to Mt. Diablo in final home match of the season

On Saturday afternoon the girls’ soccer teams from Mt. Diablo and Richmond High Schools faced off against each other. The two teams last met in late November at Mt. Diablo High School in Concord, when Mt. Diablo’s Red Devils defeated Richmond’s Oilers 3-2. This time, they were playing at Richmond High School in the final home game of the 2012-13 season for the Oilers. But much was the same: The Red Devils took an early lead in the game, and…

Oilers lose to St. Joseph-Notre Dame HS, still searching for first win

For a moment, it looked like they had a chance. League opponent St. Joseph-Notre Dame High School from Alameda did not start out playing like other opponents the Richmond High girls’ soccer team had faced all year; the Pilots’ ball handing skills, passing, and intensity seemed to match that of the Oilers. The first eleven minutes featured back and forth play, resulting in scoreless soccer. But the even nature of the contest was broken by two goals in eight minutes for…

City officials approve permits for Richmond refinery repairs

Days after a public meeting was held to discuss the repairing of piping, city staff gave the go-ahead for the approval of permits that allow for repairs on the No. 4 Crude Unit at Chevron’s Richmond refinery. Last Wednesday, City Manager Bill Lindsay held a public hearing to discuss the city’s approval of piping at the Chevron refinery in Richmond to replace the pipes that failed during the Aug. 6 fire. Approximately 150 people attended. Public speakers voiced their skepticism…