High School Sports

When the Los Gatos and Hollister field hockey teams played their season-opener on Aug. 31, it represented a matchup between an up-and-coming program in Hollister against the Central Coast Section’s gold standard in Los Gatos.  The host Wildcats, winners of an astounding 17 CCS championships,...

Senior leadership, younger contributors and a hardened-by-steel early-season schedule are the tickets to success for the Hollister High girls’ volleyball team.  At least that’s the plan for head coach Lisa Becerra.   After last week’s losses to a trio of powerhouses in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic...

“Touchdown Hollister” may have a new meaning this fall.  With the California Interscholastic Federation and Central Coast Section approving girls flag football, Hollister High will field a team and compete on the gridiron in a 7-on-7 version of the popular sport. The games should be, “fast-paced...

Anzar High football head coach Greg Brazil has high hopes to break expectations this upcoming season because for better or worse—usually for worse—they have always had a reputation in the Pacific Coast Athletic League as the low man on the totem pole. Some would even...

Hollister High football coach Bryan Smith was forced to make some minor changes on the offense toward the end of the 2022 campaign. So far, it’s been working for the eight-year skipper who chose to carry over the same concept into the upcoming season.   However, with...

Hollister High girls’ soccer team went on an amazing run in the 2022-23 season that was capped off with both section and state titles for the first time in the program’s history. On Aug. 10, they received shiny silver and red championship rings displaying a...

The Hollister High softball team’s season finished June 3, but the awards keep rolling in for the players who made it happen.  SBLive Sports California released its All-State team last week and Haybalers pitcher Sophia Mariottini was named the Player of the Year, first baseman...

Abel Galindo Jr. recently wrapped up his first year of playing on the Hollister High boys golf team, which under normal circumstances would be more of a footnote. However, Galindo’s situation deserves more attention because it wasn’t that long ago when he was on the...

After a 10-2 loss to St. Francis on March 25—a game in which the Hollister High softball team nearly got mercy-ruled—the Haybalers learned a valuable lesson: adjust to the home plate umpire even if the calls aren’t going their way.  Hollister did that and more,...

As far as storylines and powerhouse matchups go, it doesn’t get better than this. Hollister and St. Francis, one final time, for the CIF NorCal Regional Division I playoff championship. They’ll meet at Ray Barragan Stadium on Saturday at 4pm, with the winner gaining the...