After selecting four Christopher High School teachers to coach
the school’s various sports teams next year, Athletic Director
Darren Yafai has opened the remaining positions to applicants
outside the CHS staff.
GILROY – After selecting four Christopher High School teachers to coach the school’s various sports teams next year, Athletic Director Darren Yafai has opened the remaining positions to applicants outside the CHS staff.
“We’re very excited to have such an awesome foundation for the Cougar coaching staff,” said Yafai, who will also be a social studies teacher at CHS when it opens fall 2009. “This is an energetic group of coaches who are great teachers in the classroom and on the playing field.”
The new coaches are Gilroy residents Kaden Bahner, Catherine Hallada, Jeff Ross and Justin Ponzio.
Currently the assistant boys varsity basketball coach at Gilroy High School, Bahner will coach boys basketball and teach physical education at CHS. Hallada, another future physical education teacher at CHS, will coach softball after three years as softball coach at GHS. Ponzio, who currently coaches basketball and golf at GHS, will coach boys soccer and teach social studies at CHS. And Ross, the athletic director at Brownell Middle School with two decades of coaching experience under his belt, will coach swimming and teach physical education at CHS.
In addition to swimming, softball, soccer and basketball, Yafai plans to have football, volleyball, cross country, water polo, field hockey, golf, wrestling, baseball, track and field and tennis teams and is considering adding a lacrosse team in the spring that would be a combined club team of CHS and GHS players.
“There is a growing interest in lacrosse in the South Valley,” said Yafai, who played four years at Chico State University. “So, if there is enough interest we’ll field a team.”
The Cougars will suit up only junior varsity teams in all sports the first year, unless the participation and skill level are high enough to compete at a varsity level, Yafai said.
“It all depends on the athletes,” he said. “It’s a unique situation, but we will only compete at the varsity level in certain sports this first year if we have high participation and skill levels. Usually new schools with just ninth and 10th graders only offer JV or Frosh-Soph that first year.”
All of the sports, except football and track and field, will compete on site at CHS. Home football games and track meets will be held at Garcia-Elder Sports Complex at GHS.
“There is room for a track and stadium, but we’ll have to wait for those facilities,” Yafai said. “We don’t want to rush things. We want to do it right to set a high standard for Cougar athletics. We intend to build a tradition of winning.”
Those interested in coaching at CHS may contact Laura Smith in the Human Resources Department at the Gilroy Unified School District office via e-mail at la*********@*********ca.us or by calling (408) 848-7131.
