The series coined “El Classico” three years ago – first played between the junior varsity teams – featured the second annual varsity matchup between the Gilroy High and Christopher boys soccer teams Friday night. And for the second straight season the trophy – and bragging rights – stayed with the Mustangs after a 4-0 victory.
Gilroy (3-1) tallied twice early in the first half and pushed home another pair of goals in the second half. GHS defeated CHS last season 3-0.
“We put pressure on their defense with our forwards and created turnovers which we used to our advantage. Kind of like a full-court press,” Gilroy head coach Armando Padilla said. “That has worked well for us the past two games.”
Senior Jonathan Diaz De Leon netted a goal in each half, and was also credited with an assist.
The forward has four goals through four games this season. Jorge Ontiveras and Gaspar Figueroa had the other two Mustangs’ goals.
“A lot of what happened for us in the game was as a result of our combination play,” Padilla said. “The kids were sharing the ball well with each other.”
Gilroy’s JV team won 3-0.
Up next for the Mustangs is the alumni game, which usually draws about 30 or 40 alumni, some who graduated as far back as the early 1980s, Padilla said. The game is slated for 6 p.m. The alumni have won six of the last eight games.
CHS’s rough weekend continued with a 4-0 loss to Salinas in the third round of the Homestead Christmas Cup. Since the season began, the Cougars have lost two of their best players, but have two weeks to prepare for their Monterey Bay League opener Jan. 4 at Monterey.
Wrestling
The Gilroy High wrestling team was represented by five Mustangs at the Reno Tournament of Champions, which is often considered one of the most competitive high school tournaments in the county, this past weekend.
Paul Fox (132), Willie Fox (145), Victor Olmos (126), Niko Villarreal (138) and Jose Lara (heavyweight) led GHS to a 13th place finish out of a field that included more than 100 high schools.
Villarreal, a sophomore, placed second, losing a tight championship match by a 4-2 decision. Sophomore Paul Fox lost in the semifinals and took fourth. Older brother Willie Fox, a senior, also dropped his semifinals match, but recovered for third place. Olmos battled his way into the semifinals where he lost to the weight classes’ eventual champion. The sophomore ended up placing sixth. Lara placed seventh and added to the Mustangs 100 team points.
• The Christopher High team was in action at the Lynn Dyche Tournament hosted by James Lick over the weekend and placed fifth.
John Riffle cruised to the 220-pound title with victories via pin in each match, His performance earned him the Outstanding Wrestler award. Ricardo Bribiescas finished first at 132 pounds, while Jacob Graffigna (160) and Raul Meza (120) placed fifth for the Cougars, who are ranked No. 7 in the Central Coast Section.
Sophomore Jimmie Lopez, a state meet participant last year, was CHS’s lone representative at the Reno TOCs and made the podium in eighth place.
