Pajaro Valley High senior Adrian Mendoza-Torres scored a pair of touchdowns to lead the Grizzly football team to a 28-0 victory over Gonzales High in Pacific Coast Athletic League Santa Lucia Division play Oct. 10.
Junior quarterback Landin Manzi and Iran Garcia each added a rushing TD for Pajaro Valley, which snapped a four-game losing streak while earning its first league win of this season. They improved to 1-3 in the Santa Lucia Division standings, and currently own a 3-4 overall record.
Kicker Aaron Solorzano was a perfect 3 of 3 in extra point attempts for the Grizzlies, while teammate Sebastian Vasquez recorded one sack and recovered one fumble on defense.
Pajaro Valley (3-4, 1-3) hosts division-leading Greenfield (5-1, 4-0) in Santa Lucia Division play Oct. 17 at 12:30pm.
Editor’s note: Check back later for an updated version of the story with quotes.
At Aptos 28, Watsonville 13: Senior running back Preston Carvalho had a game-best 142 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns to help lift the Mariners past the Wildcatz in PCAL Mission North Division play Oct. 9.
Teammate senior River Cook had 69 yards rushing, while senior Anthony Najera added 64 yards on the ground for Aptos, which improved to 2-0 in league play this season.
Junior quarterback Jared Verdia-Moya connected with senior Ryan Murphy for a 30-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, helping the Mariners seal a victory over Watsonville in the “Black & Blue Bowl”.
Verdia-Moya recorded one interception, along with teammates junior Johnny Martinez and sophomore Xander Gonzalez, who returned his 74 yards for a touchdown in the third stanza.
Watsonville senior quarterback Edwin Cornejo had one rushing TD in the second quarter, while teammate senior Jayden Ayala added a 32-yard touchdown late in the contest.
The ‘Catz’s defense had two takeaways, including one interception by junior Christopher Sigala and one fumble recovered by senior Leeandro Serrano.
Watsonville (3-4, 1-1) dropped to a 1-1 record in the Mission North standings, and are currently in the bye week.
They continue Mission North play against Scotts Valley (4-2, 1-0) at Harbor High School on Oct. 23 at 7:30pm.
Aptos (4-3, 2-0) is also currently in the bye week, and it continues league play at St. Francis on Oct. 24. Kickoff is slated for 12:30pm.
San Lorenzo Valley 28, at St. Francis 7: The Cougars this fall season have struggled on offense to cap off drives with touchdowns in the red zone, especially near the goal line.
However, SLV senior running back Justin Griffis was able to flip the script this past weekend. He managed to find the end zone three times to help lead his team to victory over the Sharks in PCAL Mission North Division action Oct. 10.
Griffis finished with 61 yards rushing on 13 carries, while teammate junior Jesse Fulkerson had a team-best 134 yards rushing and one TD on 12 carries.
“The way that we played on Saturday is what we had originally pictured the way we would look going into the season,” SLV head coach Dave Grant said. “Unfortunately, we’ve had injuries and stuff along the way. But, just having all of our running backs made a huge difference.”
SLV also utilized senior running back Cody Goulart and fullback Jacob Hardin into the mix, allowing Grant to spread the workload evenly and keeping bodies healthy as they hit the final stretch of their campaign.
SLV (2-5) improved to a 1-1 record in the PCAL Mission North Division standings, while also snapping a two game losing streak.
Senior quarterback Max Madrigal tossed a 35 yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Keon Barcinas-Hill for St. Francis, which dropped to 0-2 in league play this season.
Teammate senior Jayden Flores recorded one interception, while junior Johnny Martinez forced one fumble and junior Eddie Torres was there to recover the loose ball.
St. Francis (2-5, 0-2) is currently in the bye week, and it will look to bounce back against Aptos (4-3, 2-0) in league play on Oct. 24 at 12:30pm.
Senior defensive back Landon Pifer recorded a pair of interceptions for the Cougars, while teammate senior defensive back Carter Scarborough had one interception.
Senior linebacker Nico Brasuell, who missed the first four games of the regular season, led SLV’s defense with 10 tackles.
“[Brasuell’s] really shown a lot on defense in coverage, and just the way he pursues and tackles,” Grant said.
Hardin added six tackles, while senior inside linebacker Jackson Patton recovered one fumble.
“We had four turnovers on defense, and that’s another thing that’s been lacking that we’ve been talking a lot about,” Grant said. “We’ve gotta get more turnovers.”
SLV is currently on a much needed bye week, giving them time to recover after going up against some physical teams such as North Monterey County High and St. Francis.
“We’re gonna lay off some contact this week here, and kind of take a close look at ourselves as we get into the last three games of the season,” Grant said.
It also gives the Cougars two weeks to prepare for Monte Vista Christian (4-2, 0-2) in what will be their final home game in Felton this season. The PCAL Mission North Division contest is scheduled for Oct. 24 at 12:30pm.
Going into the game, Grant said the focal point will be all about the fundamentals, including being able to tackle in space or forcing difficult throws for the opposing quarterback.
“It’s about us just executing our offense,” Grant said. “We just really want to tighten up what we’re doing, and we’re going to take a look at Monte Vista. I know it’s going to be a tough game.”
