For the first time since the Pacific Coast Athletic League was formed in 2018, Aptos High will not be a member of the Gabilan Division—the highest of the four tiers within the league.
After going winless in league play, they were relegated to the Mission North.
It’s considered one of the two “B” divisions in the PCAL, but senior defensive lineman Ben Martin knows better than to underestimate any opponent, including those the Mariners are familiar with.
“We’re gonna take it one game at a time,” he said. “We’re just gonna play our best against every team and not expect them to go down without a fight.”
Senior halfback and defensive back River Cook said the 2026 campaign is a proving point for Aptos, which finished with a 1-9 overall record last season.
“We have a standard to live up to, so we’re definitely gonna do better things this year,” he said.
Cook, who won a Central Coast Section championship with the boys soccer team, is a three-year varsity player for the football program. He had a walk-off field goal that gave the Mariners a 23-22 win over Alvarez in 2024.
Now as members of the Mission North Division, Cook is looking forward to resurfacing some rivalries with former Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League members Monte Vista Christian, San Lorenzo Valley, Scotts Valley, St. Francis and Watsonville.
“We’ve been playing the same teams for a while,” Cook said. “So it’s going to be cool to see just the way different teams play and the different systems that they run, and see how we can adjust to those.”
Martin, who has been nearly unblockable in practice, is very athletic for his size at 6-foot-3, 237 pounds.
“We’ve been working all off-season a lot, and I’m just excited to be in pads right now, getting to actually hit someone. It’s really fun,” he said.
The Mariners have a sturdy set of returning players, including senior wide receiver and defensive back Ryan Murphy. The lacrosse standout is an explosive athlete with great hands.
Aptos head coach Zach Hewett said opponents will have a problem covering Murphy, along with some of the other senior leaders on the team.
That includes lineman Eli Frye and two-way starter Preston Carvalho, who is capable of using his speed for break-away runs as a halfback or putting pressure on the quarterback as an edge rusher.
“The thing that I really enjoy about them is they’re a good group of guys,” Hewett said. “They get it done in the classroom, there’s a lot of multi-sport athletes, guys that are really important to other parts of our campus. They’ve been hungry for success after how rough last year was.”
Leading the way in the junior class are Ivan Cortes, Joshua Gonzalez, JJ Martinez and Jared Verdia, who was named the new starting quarterback.
Hewett said Verdia has a strong arm that can get the ball downfield, and he makes good decisions while running the Delaware Wing-T offense well.
It’s an offense that former Aptos head coach Randy Blankenship perfected, brought it with him and won four CCS titles in 2013, ‘14, ‘15 and ‘18.
Hewett continues to use the Wing-T because he feels it’s good for their personnel. He said it can include anywhere from five to eight carriers per game, making Aptos a hard opponent to prepare for in this era of shotgun offenses.
“We carry a heavy playbook, and there’s a lot of stuff that takes a lot of time and reps to work on,” Hewett said. “But the advantage to it is that there’s not a lot of people doing it the way that we’re doing it.”
Cook added their entire offense is based around setting defensive players up to bite on the fake in order to open up something else.
“We have different plays that we’ll bait a defensive player to bite on,” he said. “And once we see that hole open up, hit that hole, and it could be a 50-yard gain, big play.”
Martin said the Wing-T offense is designed to be so fast-paced that by the time they hike the ball it can catch the defense off guard at times.
“It’s a lot of run blocking, so you get really good at that, and maybe get a little more pancakes,” Martin said.
Cortes is one of the hardest workers on the team who could potentially be a two-way starter as an offensive guard or linebacker. Gonzalez is wreaking havoc in the trenches as one of several athletic defensive lineman Hewett is excited to have.
Martinez is proving why he’s an instinctual, playmaking safety and a tough runner in the halfback position by getting tons of reps during practice, and sophomore Xander Gonzalez continues to turn heads as a hardworking explosive athlete with game-breaking speed.
Aptos will again line up in a 4-2-5 defense that will be bolstered by the defensive line, which should be athletic and powerful with good depth behind them.
“I think having a really good front four is really important because not only will they get the tackles, but it really sets up if they’re doing their job for the linebackers to get their tackles,” Martin said. “Having that front four can overpower a whole team.”
There’s tons of athleticism in the linebacker and secondary units, as well. Cook said the defensive backs have been focusing a lot more on pass coverage as they prepare for teams that are pass-heavy.
“As the DB [defensive back], you’re the widest man out. So you’re really focused on deciding whether you take the second receiver out or if you take the number one deep,” Cook said. “You just got to be smart on who you take and make sure you always have a backup person to take the other man.”
Aptos kicks off the season with a trio of home games starting with The King’s Academy on Aug. 28, followed by former Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League foe Soquel on Sept. 4. Both games are slated to begin at 7:30pm.
The Mariners will host Soledad on Sept. 11, then set sail to King City on Sept. 18, followed by one more home game against Alvarez on Sept. 25 to cap off the non-league portion of their schedule.
“We’re consistently getting better,” Hewett said. “Some days are really good days. Some days it’s like, okay, we got a little bit better today, but we’re consistently getting better.”
Aptos High football 2026 schedule
Aug. 28: The King’s Academy, 7:30pm
Sept. 4: Soquel, 7:30pm
Sept. 11: Soledad, 7:30pm
Sept. 18: at King City, 7:30pm
Sept. 25: Alvarez, 7:30pm
Oct. 3: at Monte Vista Christian*, 7:30pm
Oct. 8: Watsonville*, 7pm
Oct. 24: at St. Francis*, 1:30pm
Oct. 30: vs. Scotts Valley* at Harbor High, 7pm
Nov. 6: San Lorenzo Valley*, 7pm
*PCAL Mission North Division game
