It’s been nearly one month since Aptos High senior Alexa Castañeda was hoisting a Central Coast Section championship trophy above her head.
Yet, not a day goes by that at least one flashing moment goes through her head of that historic point in time.
The Mariner star player drilled the game-winning goal in a 1-0 shutout victory against The King’s Academy in the Division III finals on Feb. 28, giving her and the school their first-ever section title in the program’s history.
“It feels good to finally get it done,” Castañeda said. “It’s just a good feeling to win CCS. We should have had more [section title] wins before this year, but it’s definitely sunk in.”
Castañeda and her teammates were recognized for their section title run by the San Jose Earthquakes during halftime of last weekend’s game against the Seattle Sounders.
Alongside them were the Aptos boys, and both Watsonville boys and girls soccer teams for winning CCS titles in their respective divisions.
“It was just fun to be with the team and watch other people play soccer, and not us for once,” Castañeda said.
Castañeda tallied 16 goals and eight assists in her final season donning Aptos’ school colors of navy blue and silver. She was named the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League’s co-Player of the Year for her outstanding play on the pitch.
Castañeda, who was selected to the 2008 Olympic Development Program national select team, and Santa Cruz senior Lia Guilarte were regarded as the top players by the coaches within the league.
It’s the second POY award for Castañeda, who won it as a sophomore in 2023-24.
“I’m very grateful for the coaches voting for me and [Guilarte],” Castañeda said. “Everybody that won an award is obviously deserving for putting their time and work into the sport. It was definitely a reflection of my hard work.”
Aptos junior Bella Hartnett took home the Attacker of the Year award, and teammate senior Maddie Redding was named the Midfielder of the Year.
Soquel senior Hailey Betterman was named the SCCAL’s Defensive Player of the Year, while Santa Cruz junior Ari Flores earned Goalkeeper of the Year honors.
Hartnett finished with 22 goals and eight assists, while Redding contributed six assists.
“It was surreal when we won [CCS],” Redding said. “It was something we’ve always wanted to achieve as a team, and it’s been our goal since at least my freshman year.”
Redding reminisced about the early morning workouts and late nights at practice. She said players committed their time while maintaining focus on their goals, which was the difference maker in her opinion.
They also had numerous pasta nights that included several team bonding activities.
“We had a lot of team chemistry this year,” Redding said. “We all wanted the same goals and had the same objectives that we wanted to achieve.”
Prior to the season, Redding was put up to the task of filling in the all-important defensive midfielder position. It was vacant with the departure of Anahi Macias, the SCCAL’s reigning POY.
Those were some big cleats to fill, yet Redding was ready to take on the challenge with Aptos head coach Gina Castañeda right by her side.
“Anahi [Macias] was such a good aspect and so amazing at her spot,” Redding said. “Once Gina told me she wanted me there, I went by what she said. When she believed in me, it made me believe in myself more.”
Gina Castañeda won her second Coach of the Year award after she led the Mariners to a fourth consecutive SCCAL title, and 16th overall since 1985-86.
“You’re talking four months of dedicated work to these young ladies to get them to win a CCS championship,” she said. “It’s not just about training a team and having the best staff that’s at your side. It’s all the other stuff that goes into it, the pasta nights, film, PowerPoints, empowering them to make decisions on the field.”
Aptos also participated at the 30th annual SoCal High School Classic soccer tournament in Oceanside. The local community fundraised $12,000 to help make the trip happen.
The Mariners kicked off the tourney with an 8-0 win over Montwood of El Paso, Texas, followed by a pair of losses to Patrick Henry of San Diego and St. Ignatius of San Francisco.
Alexa Castañeda and Redding each mentioned how playing against some premiere competition from around the state and country helped jump start their CCS title run.
“We never gave up,” Redding said. “And even though we lost some of the games down there, it definitely made us a better team, and made us grow together.”
Aptos seniors Izzie Schenone and Anahi Najera along with sophomore Emily Santiago each earned All-SCCAL First Team honors. Teammates Aubrie Ford, Tayanna Bonilla and Kenzi Culberson were recognized on the all-league second team.
The Mariners conceded just four goals and recorded six shutouts in SCCAL play this season, finishing undefeated at 10-0 for the first time since going 12-0 in 2016-17.
They went into the CCS D-III playoffs as the top seed, and finally got over the hump in that opening round by beating No. 8 Gilroy, 3-0, in the quarterfinals on Feb. 21.
The Mariners defeated No. 4 Sequoia, 3-1, in the semifinals on Feb. 25, and went on to beat No. 2 The King’s Academy in the finals just three days later at Del Mar High School in San Jose.
Aptos earned the No. 5 seed in the California Interscholastic Federation State D-III bracket.
However, their remarkable season came to an end March 3 following a 2-0 loss to No. 4 Sonoma Academy in the opening round of the Northern Regional playoffs.
Alexa Castañeda said her four years at Aptos was an adventure she’ll never forget.
“I always try to tell people it’s not about us winning, it’s about the friendships,” she said. “In 30 years, we’re going to remember who we’re friends with, not if we lost to Santa Cruz or Soquel…it’s something I definitely will never forget.”
