GILROY—With progress comes change.
Three Christopher teams—football, girls tennis and girls water polo—will find themselves in a new division of the Monterey Bay League next year after successful fall seasons.
The Cougars football team, which went 9-2 overall and a boasted a perfect 6-0 league record, will make the move to the upper Gabilan Division along with Central Coast Section Division IV runner-up Monte Vista Christian. They will join the CCS Division I champion San Benito as well as Everett Alvarez, Monterey, Palma and Salinas.
Gilroy will remain in the Pacific Division, meaning the Severance Bowl will be a nonleague contest next season.
The Cougars’ girls tennis team, which also clinched the Pacific Division title, finished the season 9-2 overall and will also make the move up to the Gabilan Division. Christopher joins Alisal, Everett Alvarez, Pajaro Valley, Salinas and San Benito in its new alignment. Gilroy will remain in the Pacific Division.
Last, but certainly not least, Christopher’s girls water polo team will compete in the tougher Gabilan Division starting next season. While the honor is normally given to the league champs, the Cougars were selected to be bumped up after coaches determined they have the strongest team moving forward, coach Jim Shuster said. The girls finished with an overall 14-10 record and took second in the MBL-Pacific Division Tournament. Christopher will join Aptos, Salinas, San Benito, Santa Catalina, Santa Cruz and Soquel in the Gabilian Division. Gilroy remains in the Pacific Division.