Sports

The Christopher boys water polo finished off the first half of the season with a 22-9 thrashing of San Lorenzo Valley Tuesday at home.

GILROY—Gymnasts Gabby Milano, Alexis Felix, Tiffany Roberts and Sloane Pace are a family—plain and simple. They train together and give each other tips. On the day of competition, they lend each other hair spray and makeup. It’s not until they look down at their uniforms that they remember they come from different high schools.

Anthony Rodriguez had a big day at the plate for Christopher.

STOCKTON—Dani Hemeon caught herself cheering on her cousin, Emma Leach, and had to stop herself. Under normal circumstances, she’d be rooting for her as loud as anyone, but Sept. 14 was anything but normal.

BAKERSFIELD—Two finalists. Four medalists. Nine qualifiers. Fifth place in the state.

GILROY—Just two days earlier, Christopher’s Senior Night was spoiled by San Benito. On Friday, the Cougars returned the favor.

Whether it was beating each other to the finish line or beating each other to the lunch line, Christopher’s Cydney Caradonna and Rayshon Mills have been in constant competition since sixth grade. Neither was content with letting the other one win. As a final accolade of their high school careers, Caradonna and Mills are both in the spotlight as the Gilroy Dispatch Athlete of the Year selections from Christopher High—and there’s no one else they’d rather share it with.

As a teenager, Christopher’s Athletic Director Darren Yafai dreamed of playing lacrosse. He knew the game inside and out, learning all the skills from his father, who had played in Canada. He frequently talked lacrosse with Gary Podesta—the head coach of the Santa Clara University team at the time—during his shift at Nob Hill where he bagged groceries. There was only one thing stopping Yafai from playing—Gilroy didn’t have a team.

SAN JOSE—A goal 18 years in the making was finally accomplished Wednesday night.