Spartan athlete inspires others to challenge themselves
"What the hell am I doing? I can't even pick these things up."
That is what Jana Eastus was thinking at one point in the Lake Tahoe Spartan Beast World Championship race last September. Eastus was carrying two heavy sandbags up a mountain in rainy...
Sometimes the games don’t go on
For the local high school spring sports teams, the season has been put on hold—for now. The Gilroy Unified School District, Morgan Hill Unified School District and San Benito High School District last week made the decision to suspend all athletic events until at...
Aphrodite Ayala makes fast ascent
When Aphrodite Ayala decided to compete in wrestling for the first time in her sophomore year, she had it in the back of her mind that it could lead to something greater. The Gilroy High senior proved prescient, as she signed her letter of...
Lauren Castro, Canisius College teammates give back
Lauren Castro was born and raised in Gilroy, and like many Gilroyans, was devastated when she learned of the shooting at last year's Garlic Festival. She thought raising funds to go to the victims would be a nice way of showing support and giving...
Christopher falls short in CIF NorCal quarterfinals
With its season hanging in the balance, the Christopher High boys basketball team got the shot it wanted. Rickey Becker had curled around a screen to the top of the key, and even though there were two defenders in his vicinity, he had just...
Christopher’s dream season continues
Immediately after the Christopher High boys basketball team lost to Hillsdale last Saturday in the Central Coast Section Division II championship game, CHS principal Jeremy Dirks approached coach Tim Von Urff and said, "Get ready to go to Humboldt." When a team loses in...
Chase Saldate completes his mission, wins state title
Three days before the start of the Central Coast Section Championships, Gilroy High senior Chase Saldate was at the American Kickboxing Academy wrestling with UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. After two five-minute rounds, Saldate was exhausted. After all, not only was Saldate grappling with...
Christopher’s dream season continues
Duncan Ellis lay in his bed, reliving the indelible moments of Christopher's 52-45 win over host Gunn-Palo Alto in a Central Coast Section Division II playoff semifinal. Thursday night had bled into Friday morning, and Ellis couldn't fall asleep, too excited and pumped after...
Becker powers Christopher into CCS semifinals
The shortest player on the Christopher High boys basketball team made the biggest impact in the Cougars' 43-37 win over Santa Clara on Tuesday in a Central Coast Section Division II playoff quarterfinal. Sophomore Rickey Becker, a 5-foot-8 shooting guard, went off for a...
Gilroy wrestling dynasty stronger than ever
Just call him The Comeback Kid. After winning the 170-pound title in the Central Coast Section Championships last Saturday at Independence High, Chad Sakamoto was greeted by a flood of teammates, coaches, family members and friends as he came off the mat. The comeback...
