High School Sports

As the only remaining player from the 2019 Christopher High team that advanced to the CIF NorCal Division III Regional playoff semifinals, Elizabeth Holderman knows the effort and focus it will take for this year’s team to achieve its potential.  “The girls have already made...

For one of the few times in his 20-plus seasons as the coach of the Gilroy High field hockey team, Adam Gemar has inherited a roster that is 20 deep. That’s mostly a good problem to have, Gemar said, as it creates fierce competition...

When Ella Rodriguez got to the U.S. Paralympic Track and Field Trials in Minneapolis last month, she and her coach Andrew Dela Cruz received news they were entirely unprepared for: Rodriguez was entered in the long jump competition.  “I went into the Trials training for...

When Cody Ahola suffered a devastating injury a week before the season-opener in March, he was understandably melancholic. After all, the junior season for many high school athletes are key in the recruiting process.  “When I got injured, I thought it would put a halt...

Don’t look now but the start of the high school football season is just seven weeks away. Gilroy and Christopher have already competed in two 7 on 7 passing league scrimmages, giving Mustangs coach Tim Pierleoni and Cougars coach Darren Yafai a small glimpse...

Gilroy native and recent Monte Vista Christian graduate Brendan Doyle wasn’t receiving offers from any four-year programs that piqued his interest, so he did the next best thing—he decided to enroll at the College of San Mateo (CSM).  The Bulldogs annually rank as one of...

On a recent sun-drenched day, Zoey Zeller swam laps with the South Valley Makos club team at Live Oak High School. Save for some good-natured ribbing she received from her fellow swimmers after talking to a reporter, Zeller blended in with the rest of...

Make no mistake: Darren Yafai is excited to be the new Christopher High football coach—it just wasn’t on his radar.  “By no means at all (was I thinking of doing this),” said Yafai, who spent the last five years as an assistant coach helping the...

Ryan Duross went up for an attack from the far left side and viciously spiked a ball crosscourt that hit an opposing player’s face, delivering a thud. Even when the Christopher High boys volleyball team was outgunned against Mitty in a Central Coast Section...

For Jackie Torres, starting golf at age 10 represented something more than just playing a sport—it was an opportunity to bond further with her dad John—the Gilroy High golf coach—every time they took the course together. After all, there is no other sport in...