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On its first play from scrimmage, San Benito found the end zone when Hunter Raquet hooked up with Adam Mendoza for a 22-yard touchdown. That pretty much summed up the Haybalers’ 45-0 win over Christopher Friday in a Monterey Bay League Gabilan Division contest.

They make the most money upon graduating from college and retain that edge over the course of their careers, so if you are a parent or teacher of college-bound students, take another look at engineering.Last week, Gilroy middle school and high school teachers got the inside scoop on STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) pathways and how they can utilize available resources to inspire students to pursue careers in these lucrative and in-demand fields.“There’s no better area in the whole world to pursue a STEM career than in Silicon Valley,” said Jeff Sosa, head of product at a stealth mode startup and speaker at the free Bite of Science session by the Center for Excellence in Education on Sept. 27 at Hilton Garden Inn in Gilroy.Sosa, a Gilroy High School alum, shared his experience with nearly two dozen middle and high school teachers from Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Hollister and Salinas.The successful software engineer turned product manager and entrepreneur got his start at Gavilan College where he studied for two years before transferring to Sonoma State University to pursue a degree in mathematics.It was a computer programming class during his junior year at college that turned him on to software engineering.Tracy Serros, who teaches biology and biotechnology at Gilroy High School, said the session was interesting as it gave teachers an insight into what Silicon Valley jobs are all about. She added that she’d like to see more partnerships between the school and local companies for student internships.“It’s great, especially in the biotech context to get real world experience,” she said.Promoting STEM is not just for high schoolers. Getting younger students to “light up” while trying to solve a particular problem is a highlight for Barbara Kalman, who teaches 7th and 8th grade science at Brownell Middle School.“Getting them exposed to how we use technology in the world, researching online, building models, having them work in a team is huge,” she said. “It’s always exciting and interesting to see them light up when they solve a problem.”The session also introduced the various resources available to teachers who want to push the envelope.Both teachers cited the opportunities for instructors at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in Moss Landing. The nonprofit oceanographic research center promotes a peer relationship between engineers and scientists and offers training workshops for teachers, as well as classroom kits that address real-world issues like ocean acidification and the role plankton plays in our ocean ecosystem.“Teachers always like resources,” said Kalman.

Hartnell had two 100-yard rushers against Gavilan en route to a 44-14 win at Gilroy High School Saturday.

Gilroy fell in a tie breaker to Monte Vista Christian on Wednesday, with MVC taking the match thanks to the score of its sixth player.

“The need for affordable housing in this county and Gilroy in particular is tremendous,” began Jennifer Loving, the director of Destination: Home, the San Jose-based nonprofit that has successfully championed housing-first solutions for the region’s homeless and is one of nearly 100 organizations across the county that have endorsed Measure A.The $950 million bond would fund affordable housing in the county, and was unanimously placed on the ballot by the county Board of Supervisors as a way to mitigate the region’s housing crisis by freeing up money for the acquisition or improvement of real property and first-time homebuyer programs.A countywide poll conducted earlier this year found two-thirds of likely voters would support a measure that built affordable and supportive housing for homeless, seniors, low-income families and other vulnerable populations.At last count in 2015, there were 439 homeless residents in Gilroy, up from 379 two years earlier.Gilroy Mayor Perry Woodward, who endorses the measure and is one of more than 130 individuals across the county to do so, said the way Measure A funds are used is largely up to the community.“It allows flexibility for cities to devise their own course on how they spend the money,” he said, adding that the money toward supportive housing for the city’s homeless would help address public safety issues as well, resulting in fewer quality-of-life calls fielded by Gilroy police.“We can focus a lot more on community policing,” he said.The $950 million in general obligation bonds would result in $700 million to be spent on the county’s most vulnerable populations, including supportive housing for the homeless; $100 million for low-income families; and $150 million for working families and first-time homebuyer programs.The annual cost over 30 years to property owners would be about $12.60 per $100,000 in assessed property value, according to the San JoseMercury News this summer.Thanks in large part to the advocacy work done by Loving and support from county representatives who spearheaded a housing task force that spurred the measure, there has been momentum in recent years to find lasting solutions to chronic homelessness and home insecurity in a region with rising home prices and a housing supply that cannot keep pace with increasing demand.At Monday’s City Council meeting, a five-member council (Cat Tucker and Roland Velasco were absent) voiced its support for the measure, with Councilman Peter Leroe-Muñoz saying the monies set aside for first time homebuyer programs would help the young workers who flock to Silicon Valley technology companies, many of whom he is in direct contact with during his day job as Vice-President of Technology & Innovation Policy for the industry lobby group, Silicon Valley Leadership Group.“We are in a housing crisis,” said Loving. “Here is a solution.”Measure A needs a two-thirds majority vote to pass.

While emergency workers were battling one disaster at San Martin Airport, another crew was preparing for a future disaster.

Two candidates are vying for one contested seat on the Gavilan Joint Community College District Board of Trustees in the Nov. 8 election, the first district election in the school’s nearly 100-year history.

The city’s streets are set to get a lot less bumpy, as Gilroy City Council on Monday approved $500,000 to purchase new pavement maintenance equipment to improve the shoddy condition of the city’s streets.

What began as a way to draw attention to a flagging downtown district, a virtual group on social media has become a bit player in Gilroy’s local elections this year, securing a community award in the process.

Four people who made a huge difference in Gilroy nonprofits will be honored at this year’s Chamber of Commerce Gilroy Hall of Fame induction lunch on Saturday.