SALINAS—Christopher High coach Ryan Dequin led his team to an incredible second-half turnaround, which earned it a No. 3 seed in the Central Coast Section playoffs.
And the league took notice.
Dequin was named the Monterey Bay League Gabilian Division’s Coach of the Year Wednesday. The Cougar coach guided his team from a 4-7 overall record early in the season to finish 15-12 overall. Dequin was one of nine Cougars to receive postseason honors, and five Gilroy High players were also recognized.
Christopher seniors Makaio Duyao, an outfielder, and Bryan Easton, a pitcher, were named First Team All-League. Junior infielder Jimmy Lemberger was the lone Mustangs to make the First Team roster.
Gilroy ace Justin Hale was named Second Team All-League for the Mustangs. Justin Nelson, Anthony Rodriguez and Gordy Papalias all earned Second Team honors, too, in the outfield, infield and utility spots, respectively.
Both Will Soares of Gilroy and Josh Wheat from Christopher were named to the MBL Gabilan Sportsmanship Team.
Rounding out the nods are Gilroy freshman standout Alex Benavides and teammate Dallas Wilson, along with Christopher juniors Alec Cordova and Darren Santos, who all received honorable mentions.
The Mustangs finished the season 7-20 overall, but like their crosstown counterparts they found success in the second half of the season and won three of their last nine games.
The Cougars entered the CCS playoffs as the No.3 seed, but were upset 6-2 by Monta Vista on May 20 to be eliminated from contention.
