Coach Dillon Babb’s Gilroy Mustangs are on the upward path in his third year as head football coach as the hard work is paying off. Results are starting to show up on the field.
During another year of progress, the Mustangs secured a huge victory by beating league rival Westmont on Oct. 30, thrilling a loud home crowd with a 28-21 comeback win. Gilroy triumphed with a strong offensive line effort powering fierce running by Michael Lopez and a deadly aerial attack by junior quarterback Christian Lacroix, along with a host of other contributors on offense.
Equally crucial was the defensive effort which forced a key turnover and later held off the Warriors’ final response as the clock ticked down.
“It’s our first home win in my three years here,” coach Babb said. “It is great to get one in front of the home fans. The key is being disciplined and that is finally translating to the field. Christian was beautiful. He had a rough start but bounced back in the second half. He led us down the field.”
Gilroy trailed 21-14 late in the third quarter. The Mustangs scored a touchdown for a tie, later forced a Westmont turnover and then Lopez scored the game-winner with just 1:40 remaining.
“Everyone connected,” said Lopez, who carried five straight times on the game-deciding 40-yard drive. “It all clicked. It was a hard-fought game. I love my line. We love each other. The offensive line was driving guys back.
“Jimmy (Friebel), Evan (Passama), Julian (Perez), Cam (Tuz), Abrian (Lopez). They showed up. They got us the victory tonight.”
The offensive line also gave protection to quarterback Christian Lacroix. The previous three touchdowns, all in the second half, were passes on a dime to Leo Lacroix, Mitch Friebel and Nikolas Sanchez.
“We did really good,” Christian Lacroix said. “We didn’t let our mistakes get to us.”
Older brother Leo Lacroix is a speedy receiver and has been a top target of Christian Lacroix’s aerial game all season. The duo connected on a 54-yard scoring reception to break a scoreless deadlock late in the first half.
“I love playing with my brother,” Leo Lacroix said. “There is nothing like it. It’s something we dreamed of since we were little kids.”
The victory illustrated the forward steps by coach Babb, his assistants and his players. In 2023, the Mustangs were winless and the first seven of 10 games were losses by 35 or more points.
Some positive signs were seen late in the season as Gilroy’s final two contests were defeats by just eight points and then six. In 2024, Gilroy beat Independence 34-0 and smashed league opponent Prospect 47-0 on the way to a 2-8 campaign. Three other games were defeats by five points or less. The Mustangs were on the way up.
In 2025, Gilroy beat Delhi 35-17, a year after losing to them 12-8. There were other signs of improvement but being competitive with Silver Creek and Leland did not feel as good as a highly-desired victory. Especially one at home. It came on a cold Thursday night against a solid Westmont team in Blossom Valley Athletic League, Santa Teresa-Valley Division play.
On this night, Gilroy reached the promised land. Westmont has been a solid “B League” team for years. Back in 2022, the Warriors were 4-1 and in second place in league play, 10-2 overall. The last two seasons, they have been around .500 in both league and overall. They came down to Gilroy this night at 3-5 overall, 1-2 in league.
The contest was scoreless for most of the first half. Shortly before intermission, the Gilroy defense forced a fumble. On the next play, Christian Lacroix fired a bullet to Leo Lacroix on an inside slant and Leo ran away from the secondary for a 7-0 lead.
In the third quarter, down 14-7, Christian Lacroix rifled a perfect spiral to Mitch Friebel on a deep post for a 60-yard touchdown. Later, Lacroix found a wide open Sanchez for an 18-yard touchdown.
But the Warriors were finding their offense too. Midway through the fourth quarter, the scoreboard read 21-21.
At that point, the Gilroy defense stood tall. Passama, Abrian Lopez, David Esquivel, Michael Lopez, Adrian Chavez, Caleb Cedillo-Gonzalez and Ethan Jaugueri were usually in the front group. Marcus Juarez, Xavier Soriano, Emiliano Garcia and Joey Parra were in the secondary. Their pressure with the rush was getting to the Warriors.
Their physical play was energized by the now-roaring home crowd. A high snap caused trouble for Westmont quarterback Kevin Rangel. The ball popped loose and Mustang linebacker Soriano covered the fumble. The momentum was all Gilroy blue.
Coach Babb’s philosophy had paid off bigtime with this crucial fourth quarter turnover.
“On defense, we tried to create some chaos,” Babb said. “And it worked.”
Lopez churned out 23 yards on the first play, then carried four more times in a row, scoring the go-ahead touchdown behind blocks by Julian Perez and James Friebel. With 1:40 to play, Gilroy led 28-21.
Westmont had a chance to respond but the Mustangs held the fort. Strong secondary play, coupled with pressure on quarterback Rangel forced a turnover on downs and Gilroy had victory in the bag.
The home crowd erupted with loud cheers. Soon the final buzzer went off and team members raced off the sideline to join the players on the field. A wild celebration with players, cheerleaders and coaches ensued.
“It feels great to win,” Leo Lacroix said. “We’ve put in so much work and it’s finally paying off. I love playing with my brother, and with my teammates. And all our coaches.”
The future is bright for Gilroy.
“We are a super young team this year,” said Michael Lopez, a junior. “We lost a lot of seniors from last year and we are starting to see what it takes to win.”
On the night before Halloween, the Mustang players saw that their hard work could pay off with a big victory. And fortunately for all, their home fans were able to witness it too.
