For Nikko Villarreal and Emma Leach, the halls of Gilroy High School will always be home.
Over the last four years, Villarreal and Leach have honed their crafts—wrestling and field hockey, respectively—with guidance from their coaches and peers, whom both consider to be family. The knowledge gained inside the walls of GHS has shaped both into elite athletes who will leave a lasting impression on their school long after they graduate on June 13. For this reason and more, Villarreal and Leach are the 2014 Gilroy Dispatch Athlete of the Year selections from Gilroy High.
“I was surprised; it’s an honor,” Leach said. “I worked hard playing field hockey, so it’s nice recognition, but I was still surprised.”
“It was a big shock—I wasn’t really expecting it,” Villarreal agreed. “It’s always cool to be named one of the top athletes.”
Villarreal is no stranger to being among the elite, having won at the local, state and national levels. He completed the sweep of the Central Coast Section tournament by winning his fourth title this season before going on to win his third consecutive California Interscholastic Federation state title. He was undefeated his senior year and allowed just a single takedown all season. He took second at the NHSCA National Wrestling Championships March 29 in Virgina Beach, Va. and is the most decorated wrestler in Gilroy High history.
Even through all his success, Villarreal remains humble. He credits the lessons he’s learned from longtime coach—and Mustangs head coach—Greg Varela for making him into the athlete he is today.
“I’ve learned—because I’ve known Greg (Varela) probably my entire life—you have to be crazy to be successful,” the senior wrestler said. “There has to be a little insanity to your success. I just hope to carry that on.”
Villarreal will follow in the footsteps of another GHS coach, principal Marco Sanchez, as he joins the Arizona State University wrestling team this fall. He’ll still see his Mustangs teammates—Isaiah Locsin, Victor Olmos and Paul Fox who will wrestle at Stanford—in Pac-12 competition. While they will no longer be teammates, Villarreal said he’ll cherish the memories he made with them his senior year, especially sharing the spotlight with Fox as they both took home state titles.
“I had a lot of fun in senior year. I knew that it was my last time to reach my goals,” Villarreal said. “Reaching it with the guys I have grown up with my entire life was just a cool experience. To be there (state) my last time was really nice. It was a bittersweet moment.”
Senior year was just as special for Leach. She was a captain on the Mustangs field hockey team and led them deep into the CCS playoffs before losing a heartbreaking 1-0 game to rival Archbishop Mitty in the semis. Her performance and perseverance—despite the heavy coverage by Monarchs—led her to earning the final Player of the Game honor, a Mustang tradition that followed each contest.
The accolades continued to roll in for Leach even after the season was done. She was named First Team All-CCS and First Team All-League in the Mount Hamilton Division. Leach was named the Most Valuable Player and was given Coach’s Award during Gilroy’s team awards.
While she has plenty of hardware to represent her senior year, Leach said the most important things she’ll take away are intangible—especially all the lessons from coach Adam Gemar.
“I’ve learned so much more than just the basics and fundamentals,” she said. “He’s (Gemar) given me so much to go off of. …I’ll always go back to where I started and remember the little things and the love for hockey he taught me.”
Like her cousin, Dani Hemeon who plays for the University of Iowa, Leach will play field hockey at the Division I level as part of the University of Pacific squad this fall. She has cemented herself as one of the greatest hockey players to wear a Mustangs uniform and said it’s all thanks to the unique atmosphere of Gilroy High.
“(I’ll remember) the family environment here,” Leach said. “It was small, but not too small. It’s not everyday that you get the support and guidance (that you get at GHS). I think their help has made us both succeed.”
While we could chose only one male and female Athlete of the Year, there were several worthy candidates. Listed below are some Gilroy High standouts who deserve recognition for their stellar seasons.
Male nominees: Paul Fox, wrestling; Andres Jimenez, soccer; Luis Urias, soccer; Brandon Boyd, football; Justin Hale, baseball; Jimmy Lemberger, baseball; Zach Loo, basketball
Female nominees: Anna Brolin, swimming; Alejandra Aceves, soccer; Leilani Mah, volleyball, basketball; Katrina Carter, field hockey; Holly Lam, basketball, softball; Lauren Castro, softball; Maddy Cox, field hockey, basketball, softball
