Watsonville High was shut out for the first time this 2026 fall season after a 28-0 defeat to San Lorenzo Valley High in Pacific Coast Athletic League Mission North Division play Thursday night.
With the loss, the Wildcatz dropped to 1-3 in league play. The Cougars improved to a 3-1 record in the Mission North Division standings, sitting just one game behind division leader Aptos at 4-0.
SLV—winners of three straight—plays at Aptos in a showdown for the league crown Nov. 6 at 7:30pm.
Justin Griffis punched in a 1-yard touchdown rush in the second quarter to open up the scoring for the Cougars.
They struck again after senior quarterback Brayden Scoma connected with Cirion Jacobs for a 15-yard touchdown pass, giving them a 14-0 lead going into halftime.
In the fourth stanza, Scoma tossed his second TD of the night on a 15-yard pass to junior Jesse Fulkerson. Teammate senior Cody Goulart broke loose for a 17-yard touchdown run to cap off the scoring.
“Watsonville is always a tough place to play and they’re always tough kids,” SLV head coach David Grant said. “I was really impressed with the way our team prepared on a short week.”
Fulkerson paced the ground attack with 135 yards rushing on nine carries, while senior Justin Griffis added 87 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries. Goulart added 56 yards on the ground.
Under center, Scoma completed 4 of 15 pass attempts for 57 yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers.
On defense, senior Colton Scarborough snatched two interceptions to anchor the secondary. Senior defensive back Nico Brasuell led the unit with nine tackles and one tackle for loss, while senior linebacker Jacob Hardin made his presence felt behind the line of scrimmage, registering seven tackles and two tackles for loss.
“Overall I thought we played really good defense and we ran the football really well,” Grant said. “We’re looking forward to resting up over the weekend and we know we have a critical game next week against a very talented Aptos team.”
Next up, SLV (4-5, 3-1) plays at Aptos (6-3, 4-0) in the teams’ regular season and Mission North Division finale Nov. 6 at 7:30pm.
Watsonville (3-6, 1-3) hosts Monte Vista Christian (6-3, 2-2) in the teams’ regular season and Mission North Division finale Nov. 6 at 7:30pm.
Aptos 55, Scotts Valley 29: The Mariners remained undefeated at 4-0 in the PCAL Mission North Division standings following a crushing victory over the Falcons on Friday night.
Up next, Aptos (6-3, 4-0) hosts SLV (4-5, 3-1) in the teams’ regular season and Mission North Division finale Nov. 6 at 7:30pm.
Monte Vista Christian 39, St. Francis 27: Johnny Finney helped seal the deal for the Mustangs with a 97-yard pick-six in Friday night’s victory over the Sharks in PCAL Mission North Division play.
Finney, who also recorded a blocked kick, intercepted a pass attempt with less than one minute remaining in the game that prevented St. Francis from scoring the go-ahead touchdown.
Senior running back Jordan Ramirez led MVC with 155 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 24 carries. Teammate Brandon Hagen added 61 yards rushing and one touchdown on 13 carries.
Senior quarterback Evan Vessey had an efficient night under center, completing 10 of 14 pass attempts for 163 yards and one touchdown.
Senior wideout Emilian Tenwinkel hauled in four receptions for 72 yards and one TD, while junior James Tipton caught five passes for 90 yards.
Hagen and junior linebacker Reece Walker set the tone up front on defense, pacing the team with 11 tackles apiece. Walker also made his presence felt behind the line of scrimmage, recording one sack and a tackle for loss.
Kai Bergthold registered seven tackles and broke up two passes, while Finney and Zach Moran tallied four tackles each. Sophomore Gabe Figliomeni added one interception and a pass breakup.
Next up, MVC (6-3, 2-2) plays at Watsonville (3-6, 1-3) in the teams’ regular season and Mission North Division finale Nov. 6 at 7:30pm.
St. Francis (2-7, 0-4) hosts Scotts Valley (5-4, 2-2) in the teams’ regular season and Mission North Division finale Nov. 7 at 12:30pm.
Rancho San Juan 27, at Pajaro Valley 14: Senior running back Adrian Mendoza punched in a rushing touchdown for the Grizzlies in a defeat to the Trailblazers in PCAL Santa Lucia Division play Saturday afternoon.
Junior Landin Manzi tossed one touchdown pass to Sebastian Vasquez to round out the scoring for PV. Neither squad committed a turnover in the contest.
Next up, PV (4-4, 2-3) plays at Marina (6-3, 5-1) in the teams’ regular season and Santa Lucia Division finale Nov. 5 at 7:30pm.
