Mills Powers the Cougars Offense

Nothing felt right about the first four weeks of the season for the Christopher High Cougars.  Winless in the first four contests leaves a bitter taste in your mouth but a win in their first league game would erase that entirely, getting the team back on track headed into the meat of their schedule. Well, that is exactly what happened on Friday night. The Cougars rolled to a 41-19 victory over the visiting Everett Alvarez Eagles, riding their stud running back, Rayshon Mills.

Rayshon Mills was supposed to be the offense this season after being the only play-maker returning from Christopher’s Co-MBL championship team a year ago. In the first four weeks though he hadn’t lived up to the hefty expectation. That changed quickly against the Eagles, amassing 203 yards on 28 touches, scoring 4 times. Mills had his coming out party In front of a home crowd, running hard, determined, and carrying his team to its first “W” of the season.

RB Rayshon Mills

“We focused on tempo. Coach P, had a brand new philosophy we were going to run the ball, run the ball. I just had a lot of faith in my line. I knew the holes were going to be there, and they were, so I broke and did what I had to do,” Mills continued, “This week at practice we focused hard on rushing, rushing, rushing.”

Mills wasn’t alone in turning things around. First year starter, Sterling Montgomery had his best game of his varsity career (12 of 20, 136 Yds, 2 TDs), rebounding from his previous week’s performance of 33 total yards passing. More importantly, he took care of the football something he hadn’t done in his first 4 games, averaging a turnover a game. Montgomery passed with the most poise he has shown – throwing on time, in rhythm, hitting his spots - managing the team’s offensive explosion but he wasn’t about to take the credit.

QB Sterling Montgomery

“I don’t think it’s my game personally. The team had a great week of practice. We worked really hard all week, tempoing, running. The team just really came together. We the team works together like that everyone looks good. Especially, our O-line; The O-line got us this win tonight,” the cougars signal caller praised.

The defense looked polished and confident for the first time in the young campaign. (If you think you’re reading a lot of firsts, its simply because this was a “game of firsts” for the Cougars.) After giving up nearing 37 points a game, Christopher High’s defense made a statement, allowing just 19 points, piling up 4 sacks and forcing 2 fumbles. The Eagles rushing attack was shut down with the Cougar’s tenacious gang tackling, led by Jacob Moen with 16 total tackles.

CHS first victory showed the potential of how the team is capable of performing when everything falls into place and the players trust the systems. 1-4 does not look good but when that first win is in league, it can propel you into the rest of their season, seemingly a lot better then 3 games under .500. Still, the team in black and Vegas gold are 1-4 and face a very tough Palma Chieftains team, who is coming off a 15-12 win over Monterey, next. The Cougars travel to the Salinas for their match up with Palma tonight.

Week 1: Cougars No Defense for the Wing-T

Christopher High did not defend its Co-MBL league championship well to begin the season. In the first two weeks of the season the Cougars have lost a combined 58-26 to both Morgan Hill schools - Sobrato and Live Oak. CHS 2011 season was remarkable and redefined the expectations for the future of the program but many of the key players were lost to graduation, heading into this season.

Week 1, Christopher took on the Sobrato Bulldogs and their Wing-T rushing attack. Game 1 of any season you are anticipating all types of nerves and mistakes, especially from a young team that the Cougars. The young squad were caught time and time again missing their assignments and over anticipating on the misdirection plays that the Wing-T offense thrives on. CHS did jump out to an early 7-0 but Sobrato answered with the next 38 points. The Cougars were humbled in their home opener losing 38-19.

First year starting QB, Sterling Montgomery put the Cougars up early, connecting on a 14 yard strike to Takoda Bowers. But that was all the success Montgomery would have in his varsity debut. Montgomery had the hefty task for stepping in for the only QB Christopher High has had, Brandon Pickens (2011: 2914 YDS, 31 TD, 8 INT). The junior signal caller would not fair well in week 2 either but more on that later.

The Cougar defense was intimidating, hard-hitting and explosive to the ball in 2011. They lost all 5 of their top tacklers from a season ago, as well as, their leading pass rusher, coming into 2012. The defense was welcomed into the new season by a Bulldog offense that looked to be in mid-season form - racking up over 400 yards of total offense. The Bulldogs ran the Wing-T nearly too perfection, catching the defense when they'd bite hard on a play action. QB,  Michael Bocknick (11-14, 284 YDS, 3 TD, INT, 63 Rush YDS) found Nick Hardy on the skinny post down the middle of the field for a 32 yard TD, seemingly putting the nail in the coffin of a 38-19 victory. But the Cougar defense would respond in a big way in week 2 vs the Live Oak Acorns.

Week 2 breakdown coming soon...

Bay Area's Elite Kick Off the Prep Season

Alan Hoshida
South Bay SportingNews
 @SBSportingNews

Game: August 31st at 7 pm
San Jose Community College

Two of the Bay Area’s most storied high school football programs square off, kicking off the prep season once again - De La Salle vs. Bellarmine - two schools that represent tradition with vast amount of pedigree. How would you like to be the Bells, facing the defending state champions and 9th nationally heading into Friday’s match-up, or the Spartans, traveling to face the same team that nearly ended there now 8 year reign as Northern California’s top team last season.

Week 1 in the prep scene and you might not see a more competitive game all year in California. Lets recap what happened last year week 1 one when the Spartans and Bells met –

Bellarmine held the lead heading into half 7-0, then De La Salle’s Anthony Williams returns a punt return 90 yards to the house, giving the Spartans back some energy. Williams hauled in a 70 yard TD next possession, giving De La Salle the 14-7 lead. But the Bells would answer late in the 4th,  so  to overtime it went. All the Bells needed was a extra point to end the Spartans dominance in Northern California – the kick flew left. Overtime 2, the Spartans’ Bart Houston, now a Wisconsin Badger, kept it himself, scoring from a yard out, allowing the Concord squad to collectively exhale. Their 2 decade long win streak against Northern California was intact, even if it took a 2 OT Thriller.

Now back to this year.

K.J. Carta-Samuels steps into the prep spotlight
courtesy 24/7sports.com 

When the Spartans and Bells face off this year, it may not match the overtime thriller that took place last season. Last season, Bellarmine had the experience to match Del La Salle. This year, they return just 2 starters on either side of the ball, losing nearly 3,000 yards rushing and nearly 40 rush TDs to D1 programs. All everything QB, Travis McHugh ,is playing in the Ivy League at Princeton, accounted for 34 TDs (22 Rush, 12 Pass). Running back, Tim Crawley will be playing at nearby San Jose State, he had 17 TDs and 1,446 yds on the ground a year ago. McHugh will be replaced by highly-touted K.J. Carta-Samuels, an Elite 11 Underclassman. Carta-Samuels doesn’t have a start under his belt, yet he’s already verbally committed to Vanderbilt University. It will be interesting to see if Bellarmine opens up the passing playbook more this season with Carta-Samuels being a pro-style QB; McHugh only attempted 107 passes in 14 games in 2011.

Michael Hutchings leads defending state champs Spartans
 courtesy 24/7sports.com

De La Salle returns 5 starters on both offense and defense, including top-prospect Outside Linebacker, Michael Hutchings, an ESPN Top 150 recruit, #4 OLB in the country, and future USC Trojan. Hutchings leads a linebacker corp (Hutchings, David Moffitt, Victor Egu) that is the foundation to a dominating defense. Austin Hooper brings the rush off the edge, tallying a team high 10.5 last campaign. But the offense will be more then able to support the defense. Tiapepe Vitale returns for his senior season, after rushing for over 1,200 yards (105.8 yds/gm) and 18 TDs as a junior. The big question mark for the Spartans will be the quarterback position. Houston is in the Big 10 now, so in steps athletic junior lefty Chris Williams (Williams will also wear #13 like Houston). Williams will take his first snap as starter vs the 
Bellarmine defense on Friday.

Under the lights on Friday night at San Jose Community College, Northern California’s finest kick off the football season. A seasoned Spartans’ defense will face an inexperienced but highly regarded varsity rookie QB, Carta-Samuels - trial by fire as it’s said. Another overtime classic will make De La Salle vs Bellaramine the traditional way Bay Area prep football will kick off every season.


PREDICTION: De La Salle 24 Bellarmine 13

Team Teal Grind into the Post Season

The San Jose Sharks just barely got into the 2012 playoff this season, taking every bit of the 82 games to cement their spot…well 80 games to be exact. Nevertheless, it was by the skin of their tiny, sharp Shark teeth. Many respected writers, fans, and just general public believe this is going to tire San Jose out, but the way the season had to end is good for Team Teal. They’ve made the playoffs 8 consecutive seasons; this is only the 3^rd time they’ve finished outside the top 3 – last being in 2007 playoff, having 107 points. Not exactly having trouble getting in.Sure, the

Sharks have had troubles before the playoffs before, limping into the playoffs on loosing streaks, or on the flip side, riding high on franchise record breaking point streaks. They haven’t had to fight for the chance to play in the playoffs in quite some time, playing to clinch the division or home ice is much different then trying to win enough games to have a chance to make the post season. The playoffs started for this team a solid month ago, every game, every point mattered. Each game was under such a microscope that just winning wasn’t good enough; it had to be in regulation because of the ROW (Regulation/overtime win total) numbers, which were never in the Sharks’ favor.

San Jose has shown in the past the team lacked passion, grit, and depth. Now, we – fans, media – can’t expect this team to be any different till they show it in this post season tournament, but looking at the last 10 games (7-3-0) of the regular season might give some type of representation of what this team is capable of accomplishing. There was little room for the Sharks to blunder down the stretch, so winning at a 70% clip is impressive, especially, because the majority were against teams desperate for points in the playoff race. Game 82, prime example of where this team is heading into tonight’s game 1. Down 2-0, already in the playoffs, no chance for division, the Sharks could have folded but they fought hard and got that one extra point with the 3-2 victory, ending the season on a 4-game winning streak.

So the grind to end the season might be a positive for Team Teal heading into the playoffs, but it’s not ideal. The roster/lineup the Sharks put on the ice every night should not have taken 80 games to clinch a playoff berth but it did, mainly, because they lacked consistency to their game and the penalty kill was pretty awful the vast majority of the time. Lets face it, at times, San Jose played like they didn’t care, forgetting how efficient, high caliber hockey was executed. 2012 was the season of streaks for the Sharks, going 13–6 from the start till Thanksgiving, then later having a 2-7 road trip, and closing the season out strong, with everything else in-between. The penalty kill is playing terrible going into game 1 tonight in St. Louis, giving up 6 PPG in the last 2 games vs the Kings. No doubt, any time a team gets on the Power Play, they think they are scoring, not if they are going scoring…which brings us to Round 1 match up against the Blues.

The match-up is simple – youth vs. experience, defense vs. offense. The Sharks are a team that has been through the playoffs year after year, while many of the Blues players will be getting their feet wet for the first or second time. Captain Joe Thornton has never missed the playoffs as a San Jose Shark…yes, that obvious but think about that 8 straight seasons this team has been playing this time of the year…they knows playoff pressure. However, this means little to the Sharks since they always fail to capture the Stanley Cup. The Blues are playing with house money; they know no better – young, fast, with a good mix of veteran leadership. St. Louis gives up the least amount of goals per game (1.89); their defense is tops in the NHL…Its #2 Power play (SJ) vs #7 Penalty kill (STL). Pretty simple, if the Sharks score 3 goals per game they should be able to win the series, but that is a mighty challenge against a team that prides itself on defense first.

It’s a new season, every thing is on the line for the Sharks: pride, respect, and reputation. In essence they will start their second playoff season this year, which is the key for their quest to finally hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup.

Making a Statement...Upset defending MBL Champs

Alan Hoshida
South Bay SportingNews

Christopher High won a game without even taking the field during their bye week, but that wasn't the most successful part of the week. The Cougars improved to 4-0 on the season after a player for Sobrato (Morgan Hill, Ca) was proven ineligible, unfortunately. In prep sports no one wants to win a game because of academic ineligibility, but CHS will take it. So in the bye week while they were preparing for what was going to be a litmus test against Monterey, they had gained some momentum. The default win wasn't what Coach Pierleoni was stressing to his players, it was about repetition. The extra week gave the Cougars defense more time to rep against the veer option offense that Monterey runs.

Monterey Toreadors are coming off a very success campaign in 2010, losing only two games, capturing the Monterey Bay League title, making it all the way to the CCS Division three championships. Christopher knew this game was going to measure just how far they had actually come in this undefeated season; they'd beaten good teams but Monterey is always a power within their league.

During warm ups there was a silent calm, focus showing from the Cougars side, it was all business. This game meant something.

Monterey got off to a quick start, going up 7-0, after capitalizing on an opening drive fumble the Cougars, but that is where the Toreadors advantage stopped. Christopher showed that they were a veteran bunch, staying calm and poised, scoring 37 points unanswered points. Brandon Picckens, Christopher High QB, threw for 4 touchdowns, 300 yards, more importantly no interceptions. CHS won the game 37-7



The Toreadors are not they same team that ran through the MBL last season, losing 10+ seniors to graduation. Three of those seniors were stars at three of the skills positions - QB, RB, WR. Last year, John Wyatt-Williams, the Toreadors star RB, had over 2300 yards and 27 scores, while the guy hand it to him, Stephen Ventimilia had a total of 27 TD (14 throwing, 13 rushing). Wyatt-Williams and Ventimilia accounted for over 54 touchdowns, a little over 250 pts.

Monterey lost some vital players but Monterey has always been able to replace those players with other athletes who step up year after year, so its not unreasonable to believe that the 2011 Toreadors wouldn't do the same. But when you looked up at the scoreboard there was evidence that Christopher was sending a message to the entire MBL - "We aren't the same team as last year either."

The offense was passing all over the Toreador defense but it was the Cougar defense that allowed its team to beat the defending MBL champs. The Toreadors ran the ball and ran the ball even being down large; the veer option offense is build to come back from big deficits. Its a ground and pound, unlike a quick strike spread offense. In addition it seemed like anytime QB, Jimmy Hill dropped back to back he was intercepted. CHS picked off Hill three times, including an interception by MIkey Pirnik that was momentum changer.

Two way players Marcus Harrell and Nick Slater elaborates on why their defense seemed to stop the Toreador offense handily. Harrell was a game changer on offense and defense - 8 catches, 173 yds, 2 TDs, 1 Int, 1 backed ball (leading to another Int).



After three years in the same system, Christopher had made strides on the football field. After beating the defending MBL league champs, they will have more a target on their back; the Cougars might not be able to sneak up on teams anymore but that doesn't seem to the bother the players or coaches. The Monterey win will get an undefeated CHS team some respect and acknowledgement that each player and coach is looking for.

*UPDATE* Christopher High kept their undefeated season going beating Pajaro Valley in Watsonville over the weekend, 34-7.

Over-Confident Cougars Win Streak Snapped.

Alan Hoshida
South Bay SportingNews

The Christopher High Lady Cougars were coming off, certainly, the biggest win in the program’s brief history. Many Christopher High athletes, coaches, facility, student would argue it was the school’s biggest, historic in varsity sports. The Cougars, just four days earlier had beaten their cross town rivals, Gilroy High, in a varsity sport for the first time ever; not only did they beat…they swept them three sets to none. Needless-to-say, the Lady Cougars were flying high and confident going into their first league match of the season against the Monte Vista Christian Mustangs…maybe a bit over confident?

CHS was off their game from the very 1^st first – their passes weren’t clean, sluggish, surprised. They had just won seven in a row but MVC is no team to take lightly. They came into the match with already 9 wins on the young season, poised to make a run at the MBL league title. The Mustangs swept the cougars in 3 straight sets (25-17, 25-21, 25-16), giving the Cougars more then they could hand defensively. Senior, Outside Hitter, Britta Blaser led MVC with 15 kills, making the defense play passive.

Following a sloppy first set, filled with the in ability to execute, Christopher bounced back and played tough through the 2^nd set just falling shorts. However, set three is really when Blasser made her presence felt. The Cougars, youthful team only 4 seniors, how’d that even though they still had a big win streak; they still have a lot to learn. Olvera surprising truthfulness shows that the team may not have played to their best ability but they weren’t making excuses.

After a huge win like the Cougars had against Gilroy, there is always the looming threat of a “hangover” – a team does not find the fire for the next game, letting their guard down, and loose handily. Coach Tom Schatz knows of the old sports cliche but wasn’t having any of it when talking about his teams’ performance.

Coach Schatz got his team refocused with the vast majority of league matches still ahead. The Lady Cougars bounced back nicely the next 3 matches with a combined 9 set win to only one loss. They are now 11-6 overall and 3-1 in the MBL. This weekend CHS will be competing in the Live Oak Dig Pink Tournament in Morgan Hill, CA.

Christopher Runs Wild

Alan Hoshida
South Bay SportingNews

**UPDATE** CHS VS PG HIGHLIGHT IS LOCATED AT BOTTOM OF HOME PAGE **

Two weeks ago, The Christopher High School football team put up a 50-o route of Live Oak, using a spread attack to rack up point after point. But when the Cougars opened the game Friday night against the Pacific Grove Breakers, they were playing a completely different brand of football - smash mouth, physical, old-school. Christopher ran the ball right at Pacific Grove, who surely, was planning all week on stopping QB Brandon Pickens' arm, after his 4 TD passing performance against Live Oak.





Rayshon Mills had a break out game for the Cougars accounting for 4 first have TDs - 3 rushing, 1 receiving - in the first half. All three of Mills rushing TDs were over 10 yards, 2 of them being 20 plus, ending the game with 5 carries for 59 yards and three scores. The running backs were seeing wide open running lanes because the offensive line was quick off the ball, pushing the Breakers line back, getting to the second level before the backs made their first cut. Starting runningback Nic Slater said it best, the blocks were "Amazing."

If the offensive line and their skill players were impressive, posting 34 points before the half, then the defense was on a completely different level. The Cougars' defense came into the game against Pacific Grove on a mission; they hadn't given up any points last week, this week would be no different. They were tenacious - flying to the ball, gang tackling - led by ,Linebacker, Patrick Mank, 5 tackles. Pacific Grove could not gain any momentum, gaining only one first down the entire first half. Its a sports cliche to say games are won in the trenches, but how can you ignore the type of penetration the defensive line was getting on the smaller Breaker line. The Breaker QB and Backs were under pressure every snap, many times failing to make it to the line of scrimmage.



The coaches had the players well prepared for Friday nights game, throwing a curve ball at their opponent from the getting go and never looking back. CHS defense never forced a turnover but 4 and outs are just as good, getting off the field and allowing their potent offense to run wild. Once the game looked well in hand, the Christopher High coaches looked to their bench, finding any player who didn't get playing time.

Every player on the team works hard, every player sit in the studys film, every player makes minor, or major, sacrifices to be on the squad, so it was a admiral, simple gesture when the coaches got every single athlete some deserving playing time.



Head Coach Tom Pierleoni gladly takes a back seat to his player and especially his coaches, saying he his the last person for why his team is off to a fast start ,2-1, first time in school history being over .500 (even if still young, just a two year existence). After three years with Coach Pierleoni, the athletes look poise, comfortable, confident, and physically ready for a break out season. Yearly league power, Monterey High Torreadores come into Gilroy in two weeks to test the upstart Christopher Cougars.