The center of the football universe is in Gilroy, California.
Not exactly, but in the high school football world, both Christopher High and Gilroy High are flying high and it has been a long time since both were excelling in the same season. They sure are now, as 3-2 CHS has won three straight and the 5-1 Mustangs have won five in a row.
Christopher has had many strong teams over the years. They took a step back last season, but this year’s Cougars are catching fire. After two close losses to open the season, Christopher defeated Alisal 10-7 on a last-second field goal and then blew out Leigh 35-0 and Piedmont Hills 44-0.
Dylan Robinson has completed 53-of-85 passes for 702 yards to a diverse group of receivers. Tailback Adrian Leon and a strong offensive line have been thriving. Leon has compiled 362 yards on 52 carries, a superb 7.0 yards-per-carry average.
The Cougars’ defensive platoon has really put it together after struggling in the first half of the opener against Monterey. Dominic Marini, returning league “Defensive Player of the Year” leads the way, along with teammates Benjamin Morales and Jacob Villareal. The unit has yielded just 34 points in the last 26 quarters.
And Gilroy has really skyrocketed. Since the unbeaten team of 2017, Gilroy has been down, with an overall record of 14-51, 7-28 in league play. It is very different in 2026.
Head coach Dillon Babb has been building the program and the results are showing on the field. The 5-1 Mustangs, 2-0 in league games, have scored 239 points and allowed just 45. Three of their last four contests have been one-sided shutouts.
Gilroy quarterback Christian Lacroix is putting together a Heisman Trophy-level season, if that award was available to high schoolers. The senior has completed 72-of-103 passes for 1,090 yards, an amazing 15.1 yards-per-completion average, with 15 touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Lacroix has a quartet of great targets. Marcos Juarez is a deep threat with 310 yards and five touchdowns on 11 catches and Omarri Neville has 196 and five scores on nine receptions.
Mitchell Friebel has pulled in 18 for 282 yards and three tallies and Nikolas Sanchez, a reliable option who has the most catches at 24, has a total of 307 yards and three touchdowns.
The Mustangs’ ground game features Michael Lopez, with 45 carries for 241 yards. The offensive line also makes holes and running lanes for Nathan Hinojos, who has 16 rushes for 160 yards.
The defensive unit has made incredible progress. Ziggy Gemar, freshman sensation Bradley CayGill and Ethan Jauregui lead the Mustangs’ tackling parade. Depth is a key this year, with many other big contributors, including Macoy Hamilton and Joey Parra.
Close games for CHS
Christopher began the season with three close contests. It was déjà vu against Monterey, who edged the Cougars by a point last year with a late two-point conversion. This time, Christopher was the one going for a late win via a two-point conversion. However, they failed and lost 27-26.
For the night, Robinson completed 12-of-21 passes for 184 yards and one score, along with seven rushes for 75 yards and a touchdown. Christopher rallied from a 20-point deficit to set up the late drama.
Robinson hit Ethan Vernon on a 35-yard touchdown and a 41-yarder between the same pair led to Leon’s touchdown with 3:20 to play. But, on the two-point play, Robinson was swarmed by a host of Toreadores inches short of the goal line.
Coach Michael Pirnik felt the team had turned things around and the future would be bright.
“When we came out of halftime, the leaders really started to step up,” Pirnik said. “The kids started playing with a lot of confidence. We were a young team last year, and kids are starting to take those leadership roles.
“It took him (Robinson) a while to figure out who he is as a player, but he grew into this game. He figured out what he could start doing on his own, what he could do with his legs to create bigger plays.”
In the second week, Robinson completed 20-of-34 for 282 yards and three touchdowns, two to Logan DaSilva. However, a comeback fell short in a 24-20 defeat to Sacred Heart Prep. Villareal led the defense with nine tackles and Marini had eight, including two sacks.
The next week, the fortunes turned teal. Leon ran 19 times for 104 yards and a last-second 25-yard field goal by DaSilva gave the Cougars a 10-7 win at Alisal.
CHS followed by crushing Leigh, leading 28-0 at half and rolling 35-0. Leon starred with 161 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries and Robinson ran in three scores. Marini had an interception and a fumble recovery.
On Sept. 24, it was another blowout win. CHS led Piedmont Hills 37-0 at halftime and cruised to a 44-0 victory. Robinson threw a touchdown pass to Naol Benti and Leon ran for two scores. Marini and Morales each had seven tackles. Marini also collected a safety and Luke Verala had an interception with a 45-yard return.
The Cougars travel to Sobrato on Oct. 10 for a 1:30pm game to open league play. Then comes a short week and a Thursday game versus Willow Glen. After that, it is Silver Creek and Lincoln at home and then a contest over at Live Oak.
Mustangs rebound
Gilroy opened the season with a 22-21 home loss to Rancho San Juan. Lopez carried 23 times for 101 yards, Lacroix found Juarez for a touchdown and Sanchez for eight receptions and 64 yards. CayGill had seven tackles and Sanchez had six.
The Mustangs rebounded to beat Marina 28-9. Lacroix was 14-for-23 for 174 yards and two touchdowns. Friebel caught one of those and also reached the end zone on a 63-yard run.
The next two weeks featured a 52-0 rout of Yerba Buena and a 49-0 mashing at Evergreen Valley. Lacroix was 11-for-13 for 145 and three touchdowns versus YB and 10-for-13 for 242 and three more scores against EV. Neville collected all three scoring tosses in the EV game. Jauregui had seven tackles against YB and Gemar had nine against EV.
League play began and the Mustang train kept rolling. Lacroix threw 13-for-17 for 266 yards and four touchdowns to beat San Jose 35-14, with Friebel catching two of the scoring tosses.
CayGill had eight tackles and Gemar had seven.
Then it was Del Mar and Lacroix was on target again, 12-for-16 for 197 and two tallies. Sanchez caught five for 89 yards and a score. A 54-0 victory over the Dons compared favorably with the result of just two years ago, a 14-12 Del Mar win.
After a bye week, Gilroy resumes league play on Oct. 15 versus Gunderson at 7:15pm. The Mustangs follow with powerful Oak Grove a week later, then travel to Westmont and finish the regular season at Overfelt.
