Watsonville High has a rich tradition of producing talented soccer teams and players.
It doesn’t seem like that will change anytime soon.
Not with players like Elyanna Magdaleno and Ricardo Alvarado suiting up for the Wildcatz on a yearly basis.
For the first time since the 2011-12 season, Watsonville’s boys’ and girls’ teams both finished the year with a league championship — the two programs also earned the top seed in their respective division of the Central Coast Section playoffs. And Magdaleno and Alvarado each a had big hand in their team’s success.
The former was a scoring machine and league M.V.P. honoree for the upstart girls’ team, and the latter starred as a defender and captain for the historic boys’ squad.
Now, the Pajaronian is cementing the duo as the top soccer players from the Pajaro Valley this winter. This newspaper is naming Magdaleno our Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year and selecting Alvarado as our Boys’ Soccer Player of the Year.
A tall and strong forward with multiple skills, Magdaleno was a blessing for the Wildcatz, who were in dire need of a go-to scorer to pair with their stingy defense and youthful midfield.
The junior finished the year with 27 goals — the fifth-most in the CCS, according to the stats kept by MaxPreps — and tallied five multi-goal games, including a five-goal performance against Notre Dame-Salinas to clinch the Pacific Coast Athletic League Mission division championship.
Magdaleno transferred from Ceiba College Prep to Watsonville after her freshman year and earned all-league honorable mention while primarily playing defense as a sophomore. Though she spent most of her junior season on the attack, Magdaleno also filled in at defender and midfielder to help the Wildcatz piece together an 11-game unbeaten streak at the end of the regular season to win the aforementioned league crown.
Magdaleno was named the PCAL-M M.V.P. and also earned a spot on the league’s first team.
Watsonville’s girls finished the year with a 15-5-1 overall record — the program’s first 15-win campaign since the 2010-11 season — after falling in the first round of the CCS Division II playoffs.
Alvarado had only two goals to show for but walked away with plenty of accolades at the end of Watsonville’s historic run to the CIF Northern California Division II final.
The wiry senior defender was named the Most Valuable Player of the Homestead Christmas Cup after helping Watsonville win the tournament with dominant back-to-back shutouts against Los Gatos and Menlo-Atherton. He also earned his second consecutive all-league first team selection following the team’s first-place finish in the juggernaut PCAL-Gabilan — it was the program’s first league title since the 2014-15 season.
Watsonville was bounced in the semifinal round of the CCS Open Division playoffs by the rival Bellarmine Bells, but rebounded with a runner-up finish in the CIF NorCal D-II playoffs.
Alvarado scored the game-winning goal in overtime of the Wildcatz’s regional playoff opener against Bella Vista, and also facilitated Watsonville’s game-tying goal in the championship game before Marin Academy stunned the Wildcatz during the final seconds to win the title.
Watsonville completed the year with a 16-4-5 overall record and finished 37th in MaxPreps’ state rankings — it cracked the top 15 earlier in the season.
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BOYS’ TOP HONORS
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Diego Padilla (Sr.)
School >> Ceiba
Position >> Forward
The lowdown >> Scored 37 goals and made 20 assists for the upstart Spartans, who finished second in the PCAL-Santa Lucia division
COACH OF THE YEAR
Roland Hedgpeth
School >> Watsonville
Year >> 49th
The lowdown >> Led the Wildcatz to a 16-win season, their first league title since the 2014-15 campaign and a runner-up finish in the CIF NorCal D-II playoffs
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GIRLS’ TOP HONORS
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Brynn Mitchell (Jr.)
School >> Aptos
Position >> Midfielder
The lowdown >> The SCCAL Midfielder of the Year, Mitchell scored 10 goals and dished eight assists while leading the Mariners to the CCS D-I semifinals
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
(Photo courtesy of M.V.C. Athletics)
Sophie Bessa (Jr.)
School >> M.V.C.
Position >> Defender
The lowdown >> The M.V.P. of the PCAL-Cypress division, Bessa helped M.V.C. post seven shutouts, win its first league crown since the 2014-15 season and advance to the CCS D-IV semifinals
COACH OF THE YEAR
Morgan Miller
School >> M.V.C.
Year >> Fourth
The lowdown >> Pushed a young but talented team to the PCAL-Cypress division title and the CCS D-IV semifinals
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All-Pajaronian boys’ team
FORWARDS
Jael Leal, Watsonville, So.
Diego Padilla, Ceiba, Sr.
MIDFIELDERS
Julian Garcia, Watsonville, Jr.
Eric Vasquez, Watsonville, Jr.
Angel Luis Hernandez, Watsonville, Sr.
Alexis Valenzuela, Watsonville, Jr.
DEFENDERS
Noel Vega, Watsonville, Sr.
Ricardo Alvarado, Watsonville, Sr.
Alberto Bernardino, Ceiba, Sr.
Bob Chavez, M.V.C., Sr.
KEEPER
Jonny Brinton, M.V.C., So.
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All-Pajaronian girls’ team
FORWARDS
Jasmin Castillo, Pajaro Valley, So.
Gisselle Vasquez, Aptos, So.
MIDFIELDERS
Brynn Mitchell, Aptos, Jr.
Elyanna Magdaleno, Watsonville, Jr.
Shayna Lebovitz, M.V.C., So.
Olivia Meier, Aptos, Sr.
DEFENDERS
(Photo courtesy of M.V.C. Athletics)
Sophie Bessa, M.V.C., Jr.
Chantal Aguirre, Aptos, So.
Ashley Haduca, Watsonville, Sr.
Jazmin Castaneda, Aptos, Fr.
KEEPER
Caroline Miller, Aptos, Sr.
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Editor’s Note: This article will publish in the March 29 edition of the Pajaronian.
