GILROY—Tonight, football will both unite Gilroy and divide it. Gilroyans will have to pick a side as the Mustangs and Cougars clash in the 6th annual Severance Bowl game, held at Christopher High School for the first time.
On the line is the Severance Bell, the 140-year-old, enormous artifact from Gilroy’s Severance Elementary School. The winner of the game is awarded the Bell—which takes six men to carry—and maintains possession of it until after next year’s game.
The Mustangs won the inaugural Severance Bowl in 2010, but have stood by the last four years as the Cougars rang it in celebration after the game. The Bell has become a fixture at Christopher High and is brought out for special occasions such as graduation—and Cougars plan to keep it that way.
But it won’t be easy.
This year’s contest may be the most evenly matched that it’s been in some time . Christopher has averaged 43 points per game through the first five years, while holding Gilroy to an average of 23. But this year’s teams look a lot different than those in the past. The difference, however, is several of Christopher’s weapons have graduated.
Gone is the ferocious Jake Moen, the 6-4, 240-pound linebacker who gave the Mustangs’ fits the past four years. Also missing is the talented receiving core the likes of Max Sanford, Alex Pacheco and Anthony Sammut. And if that wasn’t enough, Christopher’s lethal quarterback Matt Adamkiewicz, who pummeled the Mustangs with five touchdowns and threw for 450 yards in last year’s game, is sidelined with an injury. Likewise, Gilroy is missing a key piece from last year and is without its First Team All-League offensive and defensive lineman Darius Alexander-Jones.
In their absence, players from both sides have emerged as leaders.
Senior middle linebacker Brendan Lerma has been racking up tackles for Christopher, while teammate Jared Huddleston has led the O-line. Gilroy’s Will Soares and Noe Garcia, both middle linebackers, have wrecked havoc for the Mustangs’ opponents and been instrumental in the team’s success.
Offensively, both squads have rookies under center. Gilroy is led by sophomore quarterback Jon Jon Castro, who is still learning the ropes but has shown his strength and accuracy with explosive plays this season. Across town another sophomore, Eric Ortega, is leading the Cougars. Ortega, the team’s third stringer, saw his first slice of varsity action last week against Salinas after receiving the call for the injured Ryan Adamkiewicz in the second quarter.
“We’re limping a little physically, but our spirits are good,” interim Christopher coach Aaron Bembry said.
The Severance Bowl will be a brand new experience for both coaches, too. While Bembry has been to the game before, it’s the first time he’ll be at the helm. Having been with the Cougars since their inauguration, he said he is feeling the pressure of retaining the Severance Bell.
“Now, it’s my watch, I want to make sure I hold down the fort like Coach (Tim Pierleoni) has done all the years before,” Bembry said. “It’s very, very important and personal to me. I know our players enjoy having it at our place.”
First-year Gilroy head coach Jubenal Rodriguez is also looking forward to experiencing the Severance Bowl. As an assistant at Sobrato High School, Rodriguez has gone toe-to-toe with the Cougars before, but this time he’s wearing blue.
“I feel extremely fortunate to be a part of something so special to this community,” the Mustangs coach said. “The stakes are higher. There’s a little bit more pressure, but at the same time I’m looking forward to the challenge. I just want to see our kids play all out.”
Both teams are coming off losses in Week 6. Gilroy fell 21-7 to Alisal, while Christopher was handed a 41-7 loss by Salinas.
The Cougars and Mustangs are both eyeing victory, but only one will achieve it. Maintaining focus, discipline and “150 percent” effort, Rodriguez said, are key for Gilroy if it wants to come out on top.
“Christopher always has a high-powered offense, that’s no secret,” he said. “Our goal is to keep the offense off the field and when they are on the field, to make sure everybody does their job individually. If they do their job individually, then the whole defense works.”
The Cougars have a similar task. Bembry said he’s looking for his team to put its all into the game, play hard and stay healthy. If the Cougars can do that, he said, the Bell will remain at Christopher High.
“We took the loss on Friday, but I challenged them to just give me everything; give me everything you have, Bembry said. “They responded and I was very, very proud of the way they played—they left it out there. If we can do that this week, we can have some success.”
The Severance Bowl kicks off at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Christopher High School.
