St. Francis High junior safety Davin Avila recovered a fumble and took it back 45 yards for a touchdown to help the Sharks get past Marina High, 32-20, on Friday in Pacific Coast Athletic League Santa Lucia play.
“That was big,” said St. Francis coach John Ausman. “That’s two weeks in a row where he scored a huge defensive touchdown for us. It was good.”
Ausman said Avila also did a good job as the starting quarterback and helped set up the offense with excellent scoring opportunities.
“(Avila’s) playing well,” Ausman said. “He’s just gotta clean a couple of things up and we’ll be good to go.”
St. Francis junior Josh Hernandez got things started in the first quarter with a 61-yard touchdown run, while senior tight end Lawson Orradre scored from 1-yard out to pull within a point of Marina, 14-13.
The Sharks took their first lead of the game just before halftime. Sophomore running back Johrdan Garibay’s 1-yard touchdown made it 19-14 at the break.
Sophomore Dez Litel scored a 10-yard touchdown in the third quarter and Avila sealed the deal with his fumble return for a score.
Ausman said the Mariners came out with a solid game plan and showed the Sharks some different looks than what they expected.
Ausman said they hurt themselves at times with penalties and the defense had trouble taking down Marina junior quarterback Mikey Barerra.
“Which really hurt us tonight,” Ausman said. “We missed some opportunities to tackle him for losses or plays for nothing that he turned into positive plays. And good players do that.”
Ausman said he believes they didn’t execute as well as they did last week against Pajaro Valley but he was still happy to get the win.
“It was a battle but we kept with it and just kept going, kept chugging away,” Ausman said. “And that’s what you need to do some weeks when things aren’t necessarily clicking on all cylinders.”
Up next, the Sharks (4-3, 2-1) play at Greenfield (2-5, 2-1) on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
•••
Monte Vista Christian 45, at Scotts Valley 21: Senior running back Quinn Alexander scored twice as the Mustangs defeated the Falcons on Friday in PCAL Mission division play.
M.V.C. coach Jubenal Rodriguez said they started strong and executed their passing game at a high level.
“We were finally able to pass the ball pretty well. So, I’m excited about that,” Rodriguez said.
Seniors Andrew Montoya and Terrel Brown along with junior Riley Moller each had a touchdown reception for the Mustangs.
Junior Brendan Doyle had a rushing touchdown, while senior kicker Austin Klinski was credited with a field goal.
Rodriguez said he believes the Mustangs are peaking at the right time and is excited about what direction the team is headed.
“It feels great,” Rodriguez said. “We’re going to enjoy this one and next week is a big challenge.”
Up next, the Mustangs (5-1, 3-0) will square off against Alisal (3-3, 2-0) at Watsonville High on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
•••
At North Monterey County 20, SLV 7: The Cougars smacked the Condors in the mouth with a deep touchdown pass to begin Friday night’s PCAL-Cypress game.
But coach Sean Gomes had little doubt his group would respond.
“I think they’re starting to gel as a unit,” Gomes said.
N.M.C. senior quarterback Brandon Ducusin recorded a rushing touchdown and connected with receiver Chris Villarreal for a passing touchdown.
The Condors are 6-0 this season with Ducusin in the lineup.
“(S.L.V.) is a big, physical football team. That’s for sure,” Gomes said.
Gomes said the offense missed out on some golden opportunities to take control of the game.
“I thought we left some points on the field,” Gomes said.
Gomes mentioned they struggled to keep penalties at a bare minimum, which is something they had trouble with last season.
But the defense was clutch yet again. N.M.C. junior Sergio Anaya recovered a fumble and scored to tie the game at 7-all. The Condors went on to score 20 unanswered points.
“I think that got us confident to where we’re in this thing,” Gomes said.
Gomes said the defensive line did a great job of controlling the line of scrimmage, which helped the linebackers make some big plays.
Gomes said this year’s group is resilient and believes they can overcome any type of adversity that gets in their way.
“The bad things are going to happen but let’s move on and let’s get to the next play,” Gomes said.
Up next, the Condors (6-1, 3-0) will hit the road to take on Santa Cruz (4-2, 2-0) on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
•••
At King City 26, Watsonville 18: Junior running back Nasser Sabla recorded two touchdowns but it wasn’t enough as the Wildcatz fell to the Mustangs on Friday in PCAL-Cypress play.
Watsonville coach Ron Myers said they spotted King City a pair of quick touchdowns, both of them coming off big receptions.
“Then we just fought back,” Myers said. “We held onto the ball a long time, driving down the field and we actually executed.”
Senior running back Blake Mares finished with a little more than 100 rushing yards for the Wildcatz.
Junior kicker Jaime Haro made a 30-yard field goal, while senior running back Simon Lazaro was credited with a 2-point conversion.
Watsonville played without senior quarterback Danny Carlos and senior linebacker Ryan Itamura, who are both dealing with injuries.
Still, the Wildcatz marched down the field late in the fourth quarter and had a chance to steal the game. But an incomplete pass ended all hope for a miracle comeback.
“Oh well,” Myers said. “It was a pretty well played high school football game. Our kids played really hard.”
Up next, the Wildcatz (2-4, 0-2) will host Soquel (6-1, 2-1) on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
•••
At Greenfield 27, Pajaro Valley 13: The Grizzlies lost to the Bruins on Friday in PCAL Santa Lucia division play.
Pajaro Valley had a 1-point lead until Ivan Torres scored an 81-yard touchdown that put Greenfield ahead, 20-13. Antonio Chiquito added a 12-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to assure the win for the Bruins.
Up next, the Grizzlies (0-6, 0-2) will play against Harbor (1-5, 0-2) at Cabrillo College on Saturday at 2 p.m.
•••
Editor’s Note: This article will be published in the Oct. 18 edition of The Pajaronian.
