Watsonville senior Adan Magaña had never lost to longtime rival Pajaro Valley prior to last week’s anticipated meeting between both teams.
The standout linebacker made sure it would stay that way.
Magaña was a menace on the field for a defensive unit that played lights-out, including three forced turnovers in the second half en route to a 17-2 victory over the Grizzlies in non-league action Sept. 21.
“We expected to win but they put up a fight,” he said. “I’m just glad that I got to beat our rivals as a senior.”
The win makes it eight consecutive for Watsonville, which now owns a 16-2 record over PV since the Belgard Kup was introduced in 2007.
After the game, Magaña hoisted the 5-quart white ceramic coffee mug before passing it around to his teammates similar to how several former ‘Catz players have done in years past.
Watsonville now owns a 17-2 overall record in the cross-town series.
“That defense, we got something special,” Watsonville head coach Manny Contreras said. “If we can just go into league playing lights-out just the way they did. The defense held us in this game, they’ve done tremendous things for us.”
The Wildcatz’s offense put up 17 points in the second quarter, which was all they needed to pick up the win.
“[The Grizzlies] were good on defense, stopping our offense and they only allowed 17 points. We expected to put up more,” Magaña said.
Watsonville’s defense was also honed in from the beginning. It started with Diego Abrego intercepting a pass attempt by PV senior quarterback Miguel Solano.
However, a roughing-the-passer penalty negated the turnover. Despite the mishap, the drive still stalled following a missed field goal attempt by the Grizzlies.
Watsonville also did a great job of keeping the ball out of PV star receiver Izaak Ocampo’s hands.
“We were planning on stopping the run first, but we expected them to pass. [Izaak Ocampo] is a really good player,” Magaña said.
Shortly after taking possession, sophomore running back Abraham Martinez found himself sprinting down field to Pajaro Valley’s 46-yard line. A pair of costly penalties committed by the Grizzlies allowed the ‘Catz to move downfield even faster.
The drive was capped off by Martinez as he bulldozed his way past the goal line for the touchdown, and a 7-0 lead in the second quarter.
“This is my first time playing PV at the varsity level, so it’s a great experience. I feel happy, and I’m just very glad we got the win,” he said.
Watsonville’s offense produced several other big plays in the second stanza, starting with a quick dump pass from senior Tino Razzo to sophomore Alex Paniagua that turned into a big gain down to PV’s 10-yard line.
The end result was a 35-yard field goal by senior Eduardo “Lalo” Garcia, that extended the lead at 10-0.
Later in the second, Razzo connected with junior Luis Marquez to put the ‘Catz in the red zone once again. The senior quarterback followed up with an 11-yard strike to senior Nate Aguilar for the TD, giving them a 17-point lead going into halftime.
A scary moment occurred in the third quarter when Razzo injured his left knee as he attempted to scramble down the sideline. Aguilar, who was the starting quarterback in 2023, replaced him for the rest of the afternoon.
Watsonville had several chances to put the game out of reach but a pair of interceptions thrown by Aguilar in the red zone prevented them from doing so. Ocampo and senior Ismael Nuñez were credited with the turnovers for Pajaro Valley.
The ‘Catz’s defensive shutout was also fractured when senior Joshua Zamora mishandled the snap on a punt attempt in the end zone that resulted in a safety, and a 17-2 deficit for the Grizzlies.
“We gotta clean up a lot of things, but I’m proud of these boys to go in there and battle through it,” Contreras said. “All week, it just seems we were hit with more and more stuff.”
Martinez credited the defense for Saturday’s performance. Abrego redeemed himself in the fourth quarter by recording an interception, while seniors Joel Saldana and Joseph Mendez each recovered a fumble.
“We all did a great job playing as a team, and we were able to prevent an offensive score,” Martinez said.
Next up, Pacific Coast Athletic League Mission Division–North play begins for Watsonville (2-2) starting with a home game against Monte Vista Christian (2-2) on Sept. 28 at 7pm.
The Mustangs have a potent passing attack led by senior quarterback Dominic Pierini and senior receiver Nico Downie.
“They love to throw the ball, so it’s going to be a challenge for our defense,” Contreras said. “But we got to be able to execute on offense. It’s going to be one of those [high scoring] games.”
Pajaro Valley (1-3) will regroup before taking on Marina (1-3) in PCAL Santa Lucia Division play at Monterey Peninsula College on Sept. 27 at 7:30pm.
Prep Football Week 4 Scoreboard
Thursday (Sept. 19)
Aptos 61, Seaside 6
St. Francis 41, at Harbor 8
Friday (Sept. 20)
At Monte Vista Christian 42, Alvarez 34
Saturday (Sept. 21)
Watsonville 17, Pajaro Valley 2
