WATSONVILLE — Watsonville High’s defense bent. Stiffened. Cracked. But it ultimately stood like a rock when it mattered most.
Keeping in tradition of one of the longest rivalries in California high school sports, the Wildcatz beat the Santa Cruz High Cardinals, 14-12, at home Friday night, giving them their first 2-0 start in 14 years.
It didn’t come easy.
With four minutes left in the game, Santa Cruz (0-2) senior quarterback Abram Soriano connected with senior wideout Tomas Mitchell for a score to bring the Cardinals within two.
It was a standoff at 14-12 as Santa Cruz lined up at the 3-yard line, poised to punch in the two-point conversion. Cardinals’ senior running back Taj Carpenter took the handoff and bulled forth into the teeth of the Watsonville defensive line.
It held, but only by inches.
“That’s a great victory,” said Watsonville Head Coach Ron Myers inside a rocking Wildcatz locker room. “A lot of hard work paid off. We stepped up strength wise when it got really tough. A lot of number twos needed to step up during the game because of a lot of cramps and they played tough. The Santa Cruz game is always like that.”
Santa Cruz attempted to drop the ensuing kickoff between the advance line of the hands team and the waiting arms of Cesar Gonzalez, who caught the ball on the bounce to all-but secure the win. An improvised firework boom, presumably from a passing car, seemed to punctuate what would prove to be a victory in the long-term Santa Cruz County turf war, avenging a 7-6 defeat the year prior.
The hometown Watsonville fans were rowdy, as expected. Hollering throughout, the spirited crowd appreciated the win over its county rival, raising Watsonville’s all-time record over Santa Cruz to 57-38-5 in a rivalry that goes back to 1890.
“In the beginning we knew it was going to be a dog fight, we knew they were going to come after us hard but we kept fighting,” said Watsonville junior running back Matthew Barcelo. “It’s amazing, it’s our first 2-0 start since I don’t know when. I was a little nervous at the end but I knew our defense was going to pull through.”
With the time ticking down in the fourth quarter, Santa Cruz methodology marched down the field, gobbling up yardage in chunks. Cardinals’ running backs Johnny Soto and Carpenter and their signal caller Soriano were running like a well-oiled machine up until they reached the red zone.
There the Wildcatz’s defense, led by junior linebacker Esteban Reyes and senior cornerback Julian Zepeda, who recorded an interception in the first quarter, stiffened.
The Cardinals fought for each yard, slogging forward bit by bit into Watsonville’s defense. The line held until Soriano rolled to his right and found Mitchell for the short touchdown.
But that’s as far as Santa Cruz would come.
It was classic smashmouth football for Watsonville, one worthy of the days of leather helmets, as the Wildcatz rode the legs of Barcelo and senior Evan Delozier. They got on the board first with a 4-yard rushing touchdown from Barcelo in the first quarter and Delozier added a 42-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter, piercing the heart of the Santa Cruz defense to build a 14-6 lead.
Santa Cruz was no pushover. Despite a 40-7 drubbing by Sequoia last week, the Cardinals hung tough. Carpenter ran with authority and Soriano passed efficiently, if not abundantly.
However, football can be a game of inches and a costly missed PAT, following a Carpenter rushing touchdown in the second quarter forced what would turn out to be the game deciding two-point conversion at the end.
Watsonville will try to improve to 3-0 on Friday at Greenfield High against the Bruins, who routed Pajaro Valley High 48-6.
