Watsonville senior Mathew Silva had one touchdown and one interception to help lift the Wildcatz football team past North Monterey County, 25-13, in Pacific Coast Athletic League Mission Division-North action Friday evening.
Junior quarterback Edwin Cornejo had a 2-yard rushing touchdown, and he connected with junior receiver Mark Flores for a 45-yard TD strike.
“It was a really good week of work,” Watsonville head coach Manny Contreras said in a phone interview. “And that’s the thing that scared me because we also had a really good week of work last week going into St. Francis.”
Watsonville was coming off a 21-14 loss to St. Francis on Oct. 11.
With the win, the ‘Catz snapped a two game losing streak while improving to 1-1 in Mission Division-North play this season.
Josiah Carranza and Gabe Raya each had one touchdown for NMC, which has lost five straight, and dropped to 0-2 in the league standings.
Carranza gave the Condors an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter, shocking both the ‘Catz sideline and the home crowd which were celebrating Homecoming night.
“[The Condors] were just kind of jamming it down our throats, and then we adjusted,” Contreras said. “Finally we got in the end zone, and we just couldn’t stop after that.”
In the third quarter, Ricardo Ramirez added a 42-yard field goal. Then a blocked punt led to a 9-yard rushing touchdown for Silva that extended the lead at 25-7.
Silva also had a 60-yard kick off return that put the ‘Catz in great field position on NMC’s 30-yard line.
Contreras was thrilled to pick up the victory, yet he was still concerned about several unnecessary penalties such as encroachments on the defense.
“We got to clean up those penalties,” he said. “We made some dumb mistakes tonight. Thankfully we got the [win].”
Next up, Watsonville (3-4, 1-1) hosts Scotts Valley (4-2, 0-1) on Oct. 25 at 7:30pm.
“They always have a trick play under their sleeves,” Contreras said.
Grizzlies win third straight: Pajaro Valley scored 26 unanswered points en route to a 26-7 victory against Gonzales in PCAL Santa Lucia Division play Friday night.
The Grizzlies, winners of three straight, improved to 3-1 in league play, while the Spartans dropped to 1-2 on the season.
“So proud of these guys because they wouldn’t accept the effort,” PV head coach Casey Neligh said. “They always outworked the last play, and they wouldn’t accept no for an answer.”
Junior running back Adrian Mendoza was the main workhorse for the Grizzlies, breaking tackles and denying to go down to the ground.
“[Mendoza] ran the football like his hair was on fire,” Neligh said. “He was possessed.”
PV (4-4, 3-1) will head into the bye week before playing at Rancho San Juan (1-6, 1-3) in PCAL Santa Lucia Division play on Oct. 30 at 7:30pm.
High school flag football
Grizzlies extend win streak to seven: Pajaro Valley sophomore Denisse Magallon had three touchdowns in the Grizzlies’ 26-0 defeat over the Pumas in PCAL Mission Division on Thursday afternoon.
Magallon also recorded six interceptions on defense for Pajaro Valley, which has a total of eight shutouts this season.
She added four more touchdowns in the Grizzlies’ 48-0 win against Alvarez on Tuesday, giving her a total of 32 TDs this season.
Pajaro Valley (12-2, 11-2) now has a one game lead over Pacific Collegiate (10-4, 10-3) in the Mission Division standings.
Next up, the Grizzlies play at Rancho San Juan (4-8, 4-7) on Oct. 21 at 4pm.
Girls tennis
Mariners resume dominance in SCCAL play: Aptos’ Coral Collins, Isabella Calderon, Natalia Calderon and Julia Blevins each won their singles match in the Mariners’ 7-0 sweeping win against Harbor in SCCAL play Thursday.
In doubles action, Charlotte Long and Kate Deteso won at No. 1, while Gia Arista and Sadie Chapman were victorious at No. 2. Teammates Neci Hoeptner and Heather Hoeptner won at No. 3.
Aptos recorded another 7-0 sweeping win against Scotts Valley on Wednesday afternoon, improving their record to 8-0 in league play.
The Mariners (8-2, 8-0) have outscored their opponents 55-1 in eight matches played this season. Next up, they’ll host Santa Cruz in SCCAL action on Oct. 21 at 4pm.
Girls volleyball
Mariners fall in SCCAL action: Aptos junior outside hitter Ella Dueck had 14 kills, two aces and a pair of blocks, and the Mariners fell to Santa Cruz in three sets 25-23, 25-20, 25-20 in SCCAL play Tuesday.
Senior outside hitter Kenzie Smith tallied two aces and eight kills for Aptos, while teammate freshman setter Cana Taylor added nine assists and two aces.
Junior setter Mady Reed contributed eight assists for Aptos (11-11, 4-6), which is scheduled to compete in the Harbor Tournament at Harbor High on Saturday.
Sharks split pair of league matches: St. Francis senior outside hitter Peyton Orradre had 16 kills and 15 digs, and the Sharks defeated Pacific Collegiate in five sets 17-25, 25-16, 19-25, 25-19, 15-13 in PCAL Cypress Division action Tuesday.
“This game was a good fight,” St. Francis head coach Sabrina Bracken said. “[Pacific Collegiate] always brings their best when they play us, so we had to step up and it came down to who made less mistakes.”
Senior setter Georgia Otzman tallied 34 assists, while senior outside hitter Julie Lopez added a team-best 18 kills for St. Francis. Senior middle blocker Madison Silva finished with seven kills and a pair of blocks, while freshman libero Michelle Tannaci had 19 digs.
On Thursday, St. Francis fell to Rancho San Juan in three sets 25-14, 25-22, 25-20 in a battle for first place in the Cypress Division.
With the loss, the Sharks drop to 8-2 and are one game behind the Trailblazers (9-1) in the league standings.
Next up, St. Francis is scheduled to compete in the Harbor Tournament at Harbor High on Saturday.
