St. Francis is hosting Watsonville this weekend for the anticipated start of Pacific Coast Athletic League Mission Division-North play.
The crosstown rivals will square off on Borina Field on Saturday afternoon at 12:30pm.
“Being able to play other high schools in your city is what high school athletics is all about as it brings the community together,” said St. Francis head coach John Ausman, who is in his ninth year with the program. “We know Watsonville is going to be tough and they will come out ready.”
Watsonville (2-3) is looking to get back on track following a 38-0 crushing loss to King City on Oct. 3 to close out the non-league portion of their schedules.
Ausman said they’ll pay extra close attention to Watsonville junior Edwin Cornejo, a speedy quarterback who can use both his arms and legs to make a play.
The Shark defense will also need to keep an eye out for Wildcat senior Abraham Martinez, a powerful back who has a motor that never seems to stop running. And blocking for him on the offensive line is senior Lisandro Pantoja.
St. Francis (2-3) will attempt to snap a three game losing streak that began with a 39-29 defeat to Pacific Grove in non-league play on Sept. 20.
The Sharks will lean on senior running backs Joseph Dayrit and Coy Jordan to help reinvigorate an offense that has scored just 12 total points in back-to-back non-league losses to King City and Alvarez.
Dayrit currently has a team-best 470 rushing yards and four TDs on 57 carries, while Jordan has 418 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 54 carries, according to statistics on the Monterey Bay Preps website.
“We are excited about another opportunity to play this great game and we need to come out and execute at a high level,” Ausman said. “We do that, and finish, we give ourselves a chance.”
Monte Vista Christian (3-2) at North Monterey County (1-4), Friday at 7:30pm
Monte Vista Christian will also begin PCAL Mission Division-North play on the road against North Monterey County in Castroville.
The Mustangs are coming off a 36-19 win against Greenfield on Oct. 3 that finished their non-league portion of the schedule. Senior running back Max Arce scored a trio of touchdowns that evening, and should be a major factor in goal-line situations come Friday night.
MVC junior quarterback Evan Vessey and senior receiver Boston Ashe have been quite the duo on the field this season.
Vessey has completed 71 percent (133-of-187) of his pass attempts for 1,735 yards with 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions, according to statistics on the Monterey Bay Preps website.
Ashe has 46 catches for 836 receiving yards and five touchdowns, while teammate senior Jordan Ramirez has 375 receiving yards and three touchdowns this season for MVC (3-2).
NMC (1-4) will be without starting quarterback Junior Hernandez, who has compiled 533 passing yards with five touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Pajaro Valley (2-4, 1-1) vs. Seaside (1-5, 1-1), Saturday at 12:30pm
Pajaro Valley is attempting to keep things rolling following last week’s 44-24 victory over Harbor in PCAL Santa Lucia Division play Oct. 2.
The Grizzlies scored 36 unanswered points in the second half, including a pair of rushing touchdowns from both senior Benito Lara-Alvarez and Adrian Mendoza Torres.
Lara-Alvarez finished with a total of three touchdowns, while teammate sophomore Landin Manzi had a 25-yard rushing TD in the fourth quarter.
Gio Villanueva-Benitez added one more touchdown in the final stanza to cap off the scoring for Pajaro Valley (2-4, 1-1), which improved to 1-1 in league play this season.
Aptos (1-5, 0-4) vs. Palma (5-0, 3-0), Saturday at 7:30pm
Aptos continues to search for its first win in PCAL Gabilan Division play this season following a 50-27 loss to Alisal on Oct. 3.
The Mariners, who are currently on a four game skid, had a tough time stopping Trojan running back Jayden Duarte. He tallied 316 all-purpose yards and accounted for seven touchdowns, including a pick six.
Aptos’ defense has a tall task ahead going against Palma’s rushing attack that includes junior Eli Dukes, who received an offer on the table from Oregon State.
He has 949 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on 59 carries this season, while teammate senior David Garcia has 463 rushing yards and 12 TDs on 45 carries, according to statistics on the Monterey Bay Preps website.
The Mariners (1-5, 0-4) will turn to seniors Gavin McDonald and Scott Catesi to help spark an offense that is scoring an average of 17 points per league contest.
