GILROY — It was an unforgettable night for senior running back Rayshon Mills as he continues to etch his name in Christopher football history.
Mill’s broke the school’s single-season rushing record during the Cougars’ 43-14 win over Gilroy at the Severance Bowl Friday at the Garcia-Elder Sports Complex. The previous record was set by Nic Slater in 2011. Slater rushed for 1,095 yards that year while Mills currently sits at 1,153 with one game left.
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Mills’ also broke Slater’s career rushing record of 1,635 on 235 careers as he has 1,846 on 269 carries so far. If that wasn’t enough, Mills is also 11 points shy of breaking Christopher’s record for points scored in a career. Mills had 139 yards on 26 carries and three touchdowns against Gilroy — not to mention the team’s third Severance Bowl title in as many years.
Christopher took a 19-0 lead into halftime, but it could’ve been more had it not been for a Mustangs interception in the endzone to end the half. The INT was one of the few mistakes Cougars’ QB Sterling Montgomery would make in his standout 18 for 26 and 291-yard performance. Montgomery also had three touchdowns in the game, two of which were to junior Max Sanford who finished with five catches for 105 yards. It was about more than bragging rights for the senior QB. The win, he said, was a chance to create unforgettable moments from his final year.
“Being able to ring the bell one last time, this will something I’ll remember,” Montgomery said. “I’ll never forget this game and never forget this memory.”
Gilroy was finally able to get on the board early in the third quarter when David Munoz hit Bubba Lara in the endzone for a 9-yard TD, cutting Christopher’s lead to 19-8 at that point.
Despite being shutdown most of the night, Brandon Boyd was able to find the endzone with just over seven minutes left to play. He carried the ball in from the 4-yard-line, but the point after try was blocked by Jacob Moen for the final.
“If we would’ve stuck to our game plan, I feel like it would’ve been a much more competitive game,” Mustangs coach Brian Boyd said. “They were giving us the short pass and we weren’t taking it. …That two-headed monster that we had was gone — we didn’t even have a monster. They shut down the run game and then we tried to go after them with the big pass and went about it all wrong.”
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Brandon Boyd finished with just 32 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown.
On the otherside of the ball, Gilroy’s defense kept the pressure on Montgomery all night, sacking him five times in the game. The senior QB even commented on how “sore” he was afterwards.
The game gives Gilroy and Christopher a 3-2 record in the Monterey Bay Pacific League, tying them for third place. There is just one game left in the regular season and both are hoping to be able to get into the playoffs in their respective divisions with wins this week. Their opponents, however, are very different.
Christopher (6-3, 3-2)
The Cougars will face the winless, yet dangerous, North Monterey County team which will be looking to play spoiler. The Condors (0-9 overall, 0-5 in league) were shutdown 40-8 by Pajaro Valley last week.
Christopher’s biggest job lies in protecting Montgomery, who got roughed up by the Mustangs last week. Christopher coach Tim Pierleoni said that even in 1-on-1 rush situations, like the ones the QB found himself in last week, the offense can still find itself at an advantage — it just comes down to smart decision making like Montgomery has shown.
“I think that if they bring pressure, we just have to get the ball off quick,” Pierleoni said. “A lot of times Gilroy just brought a lot more guys — we have five or six guys blocking and they were bring seven sometimes. …He did a great job, he didn’t complain one bit. He’s limping pretty hard today, he took a beating but he’s not complaining. I’m really happy with his progress and his decision making abilities.”
NMC will try to throw Christopher off with a mix of different formations, so Pierleoni said it’s imperative his team is lined up correctly each time. He also stressed the importance of once again being able to play mistake-free football.
Even with the playoffs looming overhead, Pierleoni said he and his team are focused on NMC and only NMC. The Cougars playoff fate in Division II is something they’ll worry about Sunday morning after the coach’s meeting.
“I’m kind of a football-karma guy,” Pierleoni said. “I try not to look ahead, I tell my kids not to talk about it. We’re focused on North Monterey County and finishing this season on an upswing and writing that story that we want to write — a good ending story.”
Christopher will play its regular season finale at 2 p.m. Saturday at NMC.
Gilroy (5-4, 3-2)
Though losing to Christopher was a hard pill to swallow, the Mustangs have put it behind them and moved on.
One of Gilroy’s goals before the season was to make the playoffs and whether or not that will come fruition all depends on tonight.
As it stands, Gilroy is in a three-way tie with Division III opponents Aragon and Saratoga to make the playoffs. All three are projected to lose this week and if one can be victorious, it means an automatic berth of it. Unlike his Christopher counterpart, Brian Boyd has factored in all possible scenarios that would result in the Mustangs reaching the postseason and he’s stressed the importance of this game to his players. The key, however, is strong the dual threat of an offense the Mustangs had just a couple weeks ago when they beat NMC 55-7.
“They know what’s in store for them from (North) Salinas and what the prize is if they win this game,” Brian Boyd said. “They all want this, so I expect it to be a pretty good game. If we can get our offense back on track and clicking again, I expect it to be a pretty game.”
Gilroy had a chance to scout North Salinas on it’s bye and right away it was clear the biggest challenge would be shutting down receivers David Dorr (40 receptions, 637 yards) and Randy Ivey (30 receptions, 407 yards).
Gilroy displayed strong defense against Christopher and will be strengthened as defensive tackle Rene Fregoso returns to the lineup after being sidelined with a sprained ankle. Brian Boyd said as long as his team stays hungry and aggressive defensively and his offense remains confident, the Mustangs will have much to celebrate in their home and regular season finale.
“We win and we’re in the playoffs — that’s what it amounts to,” Brian Boyd said. “This is a huge game for us. …If we win, we’re going to be pretty excited. It’s Senior Night, it’s going to be an emotional game.”
Gilroy will host North Salinas at 7 p.m. Friday.
Gilroy
The Mustangs close out their regular season at 7:30 p.m. Friday against North Salinas.
Christopher
The Cougars end the regular season on the road, taking on the Condors at North Monterey County at 2 p.m. Saturday.
