The Stockton City Council honored the St. Mary’s High School football team for winning the Rams’ first-ever CIF Division 2-AA state championship.
On Tuesday, Dec. 16, the council celebrated the historic milestone for the school and the city — the first state football title ever won by a Stockton team. City leaders praised the Rams for their dedication, teamwork and their role in uniting the community.
Mayor Christina Fugazi led the council in honoring head coach Tony Franks during the meeting, praising him for dedicating his life “not just to coaching boys but to building strong men.”
Franks thanked the council and reflected on the team’s historic accomplishment.
“We’re incredibly honored and proud and grateful to have accomplished something that no other football team has done in the city of Stockton’s history, which is bring home a state championship to this community,” Franks said. “We recognize the weight of that.”
District 1 Councilmember Michele Padilla, a 1986 alumna of St. Mary’s, said the championship was deeply personal to her and that she was “extremely proud” of the team.
“This championship is mainly about you young people,” Padilla said. “You young men committed yourselves to something bigger: long practices, early mornings, hard nights, staying up late at night, sore bodies, I’m sure a lot of sore bodies. You showed resilience and leadership, and most of all, heart, because not only did you just carry a football, you brought pride to the city of Stockton.”
District 3 Councilmember Michael Blower, also a 1986 graduate, attended Lincoln High School, St. Mary’s rival.
“I want to say, even as a Lincoln High grad, I’m so proud of all of you guys,” Blower said. “To bring home the first state championship for the city of Stockton is huge.”
St. Mary’s finished the season 13-2, defeating the Bakersfield Christian Eagles 27-24 in the CIF Division 2-AA title game on Friday, Dec. 12, at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo. The victory marked the Rams’ first state crown and capped a season highlighted by comeback wins and standout performances from senior quarterback Jaden Galvan and senior running back Diego Hernandez.
Fugazi said the council hoped to go to St. Mary’s in January to present something to the team, but asked them to come to city hall for the recognition, “because we really need something to celebrate.”
Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Stockton City Council honors St. Mary’s football for first-ever CIF State title
Reporting by Hannah Workman, The Stockton Record / The Record
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