Sports

GILROY—While other football players around the state snuggled up in their beds and dreamt of the first day of practice, the Cougars were strapping on their shoulder pads. Not a millisecond of practice time was wasted at Christopher High School. The instant the clock struck midnight on Aug. 14, ending the two-week mandatory “dead period,” the team was on the field to usher in the start of a new year for prep sports.

Each week we recognize one area male and female athlete for their performance on the field of play. This week's are:

Rayshon Mills said he had been waiting for a night like Friday night - a night where he could just cut loose. And did he ever. Mills scored four times - three in the first half - as the Cougars set the tone and tipped its Monterey Bay League Gabilan Division opener in its favor with a 41-19 victory over Everett Alvarez on Friday night in Gilroy.

By Ana Patejdl

Christopher High School has a new, but familiar starting quarterback for the 2017 season in Ben Sanford.

Victor Vong, Josh Hernandez and Ryan Cockcroft each won at singles to lift Christopher High’s boys tennis team to a 4-3 victory over visiting Everett Alvarez on Tuesday.

The Gavilan volleyball team continues to stay hot.

MORGAN HILL - Macey Dunne and Megan Rauschnot scored on two superb passes by Alissa Pham and Shannon Rauschnot, and Live Oak beat Gilroy 2-0 Tuesday in the undefeated Acorns' first real nonleague test this year.

Both the Gilroy High and San Benito boys soccer teams entered Wednesday's must-win match with the feeling that there was more to be done after a 1-1 draw in the teams' first encounter left each unsatisfied and with business unfinished.