Temperatures will finally begin to drop after a couple of scorching days hit the Central Coast unexpectedly this week.
The only thing not cooling down at the moment is the Watsonville High girls flag football team.
They kept their unblemished record intact following a 21-0 victory over Greenfield High in nonleague play Wednesday night, improving to a 5-0 overall record in the early fall campaign.
So far, the recipe for success is having game-changing returning players such as senior rusher Taylor Alves-Lopez and junior quarterback Aaliyah Arellano back in the mix.
“It’s definitely fun,” Alves-Lopez said. “After last season, it was a little rough. It’s a good amount of seniors that are returners, we just wanted to push for each other as a team.”
Alves-Lopez had four sacks and three flag pulls, while Arellano completed 10 of 15 pass attempts for 95 yards and one rushing touchdown for the ‘Catz.
Arellano most of the night connected with wide receiver Yoshi Delgadillo, who hauled in five receptions for 35 receiving yards.
Freshman quarterback Zoe Saldana also saw time at quarterback, completing 6 of 8 pass attempts for 42 yards and one touchdown.
Watsonville head coach Zach Cook said a big help was getting everybody together on their own during the off-season. He wanted to make sure teammates were building bonds while holding each other accountable on the field.
“That old saying that a player-led team is stronger than a coach-led team is absolutely true with this,” he said. “That’s what’s contributing to our strong start right now.”
Cook returns for his fourth season with the program, which he led to the inaugural Pacific Coast Athletic League Tournament championship in 2024.
It’s the first time in the program’s history that Watsonville has won five consecutive games to begin the season.
In 2025, the ‘Catz were marred by injuries at almost seven different positions. They competed in the PCAL’s top-tier Gabilan Division, tying for seventh with a 4-12 record in league play.
Instead of returning to the Gabilan they were relegated to the Mission Division—the middle tier above the Cypress Division.
“The caveat was that it hardened and helped build up the kids who were coming up,” Cook said. “We actually anticipated being back in that [Gabilan] Division, only to be surprised to see that we’re in the Mission.”
Watsonville escaped with a 13-7 win over King City High in the teams’ Mission Division opener Tuesday evening.
The rest of the division includes North Salinas, Pacific Collegiate, Soledad and Pajaro Valley.
Alves-Lopez said another part of their success is the ability to discipline each other and making sure they have each other’s backs. That means playing with confidence and having no doubts.
“I’ve been saying a lot to have confidence in each other and yourselves. I think that’s the most important thing,” she said. “If you don’t have confidence in your teammates to pull a flag if you miss it, or to get an interception if you miss an interception to catch a ball, it’s never going to go anywhere.”
The ‘Catz’s defense has a total of four shutouts this season, including a 12-0 nonleague victory against Pioneer of San Jose on Sept. 2.
Alves-Lopez, who leads the ‘Catz with 15 sacks and 14 flag pulls, said they all have the mindset to be the best team out there. They have high hopes of qualifying for the Central Coast Section playoffs, and possibly winning a championship.
“We have no doubt in our mind,” she said.
Teammate senior Evelyn Hernandez is tied with 14 flag pulls, while Laisha Zamora-Martinez has four interceptions and seven flag pulls. Junior Audrina Rodriguez has a team-leading five interceptions.
Rodriguez had two of those interceptions in Wednesday night’s win, including one for a pick-six in the third quarter.
“I try to go to whatever side [the quarterback’s] rolling out to, and then wherever her eyes go, I just follow them,” she said.
Rodriguez believes they could’ve been competitors in the Gabilan Division, which is why they’ve been doing so well against teams from the lower divisions.
Alvez-Lopez agreed by saying, “We should be at the top of our game in the Mission. We’re working hard at practice. There’s nothing that we’re not doing to be the absolute best.”
Cook said this group learned a lot through adversity, which taught them to be connected even closer regardless of what’s happening.
“Through all those injuries, they realized that being connected kept them through that,” he said. “Hardship builds resiliency, and so that’s kind of what we’re reaping the rewards of right now.”
The main goal for Cook this season is for them to compete in every single moment for each game. The rest is up to the players.
“I believe their goal is to be as successful as they can be, and have fun while doing it,” he said.
Next up, Watsonville (5-0) hosts cross-town rival Pajaro Valley in PCAL Mission Division play on Sept. 14 at 5:45pm.
