There was a lot on the line for the Marina High football team going into last week’s home and regular season finale against Pajaro Valley High.
For the first time in the program’s short 15-year history, the Mariners were on the cusp of clinching the Pacific Coast Athletic League Santa Lucia Division title or at least earn a spot in the Central Coast Section playoffs.
They accomplished both with a 49-35 victory over the Grizzlies in league action Nov. 5.
“We came into this season, we had a rough start,” said Marina senior Logan True after the game. “I ain’t gonna lie, I didn’t think we were gonna do it. After that Greenfield game, something changed. Everything clicked together, and this is what happens when it clicks.”
Marina (7-3, 6-1), which will share the Santa Lucia Division title with Greenfield High, earned the No. 2 seed in the newly established Division VI bracket that is made for schools competing in a ‘C’ or ‘D’ league.
They will host No. 3 Independence (9-1, 6-0), champion of the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s West Valley Division, on Friday at 7pm.
Clinching a league title and going to the playoffs is something that True’s brothers, Isaiah (2024) and Kaleb (2026), never got to experience. Which is why this moment in time is beyond extraordinary for him.
“It’s a great feeling,” Logan True said. “We’re putting Marina on the map. Both of my brothers went here, they played football. They never did this, so I’m doing it for them. I’m doing it for my family, doing it for everybody in Marina.”
Pajaro Valley was hoping to play the role of spoiler once again after it handed Greenfield (8-2, 6-1) its lone loss in league play nearly one month ago.
“I guarantee you, they [Marina] weren’t expecting to get that from us,” Pajaro Valley head coach Ray Myers said. “That was the way we played all year long. We’ve never given up.”
But the Grizz dug themselves too deep into a hole in the first quarter, which included a 74-yard touchdown reception by True.
The speedy wideout caught a 1-yard bubble screen, juked a group of defenders and sprinted near the sideline to the end zone on the first play from scrimmage.
The Mariner special teams unit came up clutch on a surprise onside kick that was recovered by junior Ace Sledge. Moments later, senior Marcel Covita had himself a TD that put them ahead at 14-0.
Pajaro Valley’s offense also gave away the ball on a fumble lost, and the special teams unit nearly recovered a surprise onside kick of its own but a penalty was called for a player touching the ball within the 10 yards of reaching the restraining line.
“Our game plan, as it is always, is to hold on to the football and keep the ball out of their athletes’ hands,” Myers said. “I thought we did a good job of that tonight, but the turnovers kind of give them extra possessions that they can have on there.”
The Grizzlies stayed within reach thanks to a pair of rushing touchdowns from senior Adrian Valadez, who finished with 119 yards on the ground. His bulldozing 5-yard TD run cut the deficit at 20-14 just before halftime.
“We knew it was going to be a good run game, heavy run team,” True said. “We just knew we had to go through, run through somebody, and stop the run.”
Easier said than done. Teammate senior running back Adrian Mendoza finished with a game-best 238 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 39 carries.
He also tried his best to keep PV afloat in what turned out to be a high-scoring affair.
“It’s always been our thing: just running it hard and just giving it all we can,” Mendoza said. “It’s a lot of teamwork, everyone has to do their parts, fix every little mistake and stuff.”
Mendoza made it a one-score game at 42-35 with a little more than two minutes remaining in the contest. That’s as close as they would get, though.
After the sound of the final buzzer, the Mariners ran onto the field to celebrate a historical feat that the Grizzlies have yet to do.
Pajaro Valley finished with a 4-6 overall record, and placed seventh in the Santa Lucia Division standings this 2026 fall season. Four of the defeats were by seven points or less.
“It felt like a roller coaster. It was really fun,” Mendoza said. “A lot of wins and losses, but overall, I think it was a pretty good season.”
The future is looking bright for the Grizzlies and Myers, who expects a majority of his players returning to work in the spring. He is scheduled to teach a strength and conditioning class during the offseason to keep them in shape for next fall.
“I can’t wait to get in the weight room,” Myers said. “We got a little bit of a taste of it in the season here. But man, we’re really going to get after it and get stronger.”
Monte Vista Christian 20, at Watsonville 14 (OT): Johnny Finney recorded the game-sealing interception for the Mustangs in a thrilling comeback win over the Wildcatz in PCAL Mission North Division play Nov. 6.
In the extra period, senior Jordan Ramirez ran 15 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. He led the ground game with 145 yards rushing and one score on 27 carries, while teammate Brandon Hagen added 27 yards on five rushes.
Through the air, senior quarterback Evan Vessey completed 10 of 18 passes for 90 yards with one touchdown and one interception. James Tipton caught four passes for 45 yards, and Ramirez snagged three receptions for 24 yards. Senior Emilian Tenwinkel hauled in three receptions for 21 yards and one score.
Junior linebacker Reece Walker led the defense with eight tackles, followed by Zach Moran and Hagen with six apiece. Blaise Borjon contributed five tackles, Finney racked up four, and both Gabe Figliomeni and Rocco DeBernardo tallied three.
Hagen also recorded one forced fumble and two sacks, while Borjon also had a pair of sacks. Walker, Moran, Figliomeni and DeBernardo each added one sack.
The Mustang defense had no answer early in the contest as Watsonville struck first in the opening quarter. Senior Mark Flores broke loose for a 63-yard touchdown run, putting them ahead at 7-0.
The ‘Catz extended their lead when senior quarterback Edwin Cornejo connected with junior Noel Navarro on a 22-yard scoring strike.
MVC responded with a pair of field goals by kicker Massimo Melo from 29 and 33 yards out, pulling his team to within eight points.
They leveled the score on the opening play of the fourth quarter. Vessey found Tenwinkel for a 4-yard touchdown pass, and he hauled in the two-point conversion to tie the score at 14-all.
MVC finished the regular season with a 7-3 overall record, and placed third in the Mission North Division standings with a 3-2 record in league play.
They missed out on an at-large bid for the CCS playoffs by one point, which was determined by the High School Ratings website.
Watsonville finished with a 3-7 overall record, and tied for fifth in the Mission North with a 1-4 record in the league standings.
At St. Francis 34, Scotts Valley 14: The Sharks recorded their first league win of the season with a stunning win over the Falcons in PCAL Mission North Division play Nov. 7.
With the win, St. Francis (3-7) improved to 1-4 in the league standings to tie with Watsonville (3-7, 1-4) for fifth place this 2026 fall campaign.
Scotts Valley (5-5) was eliminated from CCS postseason contention after suffering its second consecutive loss in league play, and finishing with a 2-3 record in league play this season.
