Last year’s Gilroy football team finished the season 0-10, running their losing streak up to 13. But Coach Dillon Babb’s turnaround of the Mustangs is in full swing and this year is different. After a couple close losses in an 0-4 start this season, Gilroy broke through in dominant fashion.
The Mustangs smashed Independence 34-0 and wiped out Prospect 47-0. Just 12 months ago, Independence smacked the Mustangs 48-7 but it’s a new day and new year in Gilroy.
”We had it rough last year,” Babb said. “We were 0-10. Then we started 0-4.”
Signs of improvement were visible early on. Last year, the Mustangs lost by an average score of 43.5 to 9.7. In 2024, during the first four games, the Mustangs fell just 12-8 to Delhi and only 14-12 to Del Mar. They lost to Pioneer Valley and Christopher, the only one-sided defeat coming versus the powerful Cougars across town.
Then came the trip to Independence in San Jose and a huge Gilroy win in a shutout.
Gilroy outyarded the 76ers 268-66 and collected three turnovers in a landmark 34-0 victory. A week later, GHS visited Prospect in West San Jose and demolished the Panthers 47-0.
In the first quarter against Prospect, Gilroy scored four touchdowns to build a 26-0 lead. By halftime, the tally was 41-0 and the Mustangs had rolled for 345 yards to Prospect’s 55. The game was played with a running clock in the second half.
Gilroy’s Juan Carlos Puga rushed 17 times for 158 yards and three touchdowns. Ayden Quezada completed 6-of-7 passes for 110 yards, including touchdown tosses of 31 and 36 yards to Juel Martinez.
The defense shut down everything the Panthers tried, as they notched just two first downs in the first half and only once moved beyond their own 35-yard line. The complete performance illustrated the huge strides made by coach Babb and the players.
“We’ve been working a lot at practice,” Puga said. “It just showed today.”
Running back/receiver Omarri Neville echoed that sentiment and Quezada cited execution.
“The key to success is in the lines,” Puga said.
Neville agreed and pointed out the great blocking by the offensive line and others. Quezada concurred.
“And we would feed the beast,” said Quezada, referring to the success with Puga carrying the ball on many Gilroy plays.
The front group on offense includes Frank Perez, Jayden Ortiz, Jimmy Friebel, Christian Martinez, Brian Ayala and tight end Landen Sanchez, with depth provided by Ethan Hodges, Don Rose and others.
Two shutouts and allowing just 12 to Delhi and 14 to Del Mar illustrate how much stronger the defense is this season.
On defense, the line includes Michael Lopez, Perez, Hodges and Ortiz. Behind them are Emiliano Garcia, Jojo Gonzales, Manuel Chavez, Juel Martinez, Jaime Gonzales and others.
Puga, Quesada and Neville all cited improved teamwork and camaraderie this year. Better practices and having everyone on the same page. They were all extremely complimentary and appreciative of the coaching from Babb and his staff.
“We had a hard week of practice,” said Babb, summarizing what led to the big win over Prospect. “We did good scouting. The defense was doing their job. The offense was firing off the ball. All three phases had to execute. We had it rough last year but everyone is doing their job and we’re a family.”
Babb has worked hard off the field to build up the program.
“For us, the program, we got more coaches and ones with more experience,” Babb said. “I now have a full staff on varsity. It was six last year and now it’s eight. JV had two last year and now it’s six. I’ve been bringing in experience on the offensive line and on defense.
“It’s a blue-collar mentality of our kids. They put in the hard work.”
Babb has brought in people who coached him during his playing days and other contacts. He, the staff and the kids are working hard to get the program back to level, with thoughts of the glory days of Gilroy football.
In 2016, a 13-0 Mustangs team won the Central Coast Section Division V title, with playoff wins of 41-7 over Santa Cruz, 34-14 over Hillsdale and 38-21 against Menlo. In 2017, Gilroy was 8-4 and beat Gunderson 40-20 in the Division V playoffs before falling 27-26 to Soledad, the eventual champion.
The other period of Gilroy glory came before nearby Christopher High opened in 2009, as Gilroy headlined all of CCS football. The 2007 squad went 10-3 and reached the Open Division final, topping Valley Christian 38-22 and Los Gatos 40-34 before losing to Oak Grove 46-35. The 2008 team was 9-2 and also competed in the Open Division, losing to Serra 45-14.
Coach Babb’s team is making strides. Last year’s squad scored just seven points three times and was shut out three times. This year’s team put 34 and 47 on the scoreboard in consecutive weeks. The defense allowed no points for eight consecutive quarters, a huge improvement over last year. The special teams are also improved.
“We do a lot of film work,” Babb said. “We do drills, including pursuit drills and the key is to attack.”
After the two wins, Gilroy gave unbeaten powerhouse Willow Glen quite a battle before falling in an Oct. 17 game. At halftime, the score was tied 14-14, though the Rams pulled away after the break to win 42-14.
On Oct. 25, Westmont edged Gilroy 13-8, with total yards favoring the Warriors by just 198 to 184. The Mustangs are now 2-6, with three of the losses being one-score games—a clear improvement in coach Babb’s rebuild.
The regular season continues with a 7:15pm Oct. 31 game at home against Leland. Gilroy concludes the league slate with a Nov. 9 game at 2:30pm at Sobrato.
