Pajaro Valley last week secured the flag football program’s first-ever Pacific Coast Athletic League championship following a pair of blowout victories, including a battle for first place in the Mission Division.
Denisse Magallon, a sophomore, had a pair of touchdowns while tallying four interceptions on defense in the Grizzlies’ 32-0 statement win over North Monterey County in Mission Division action Oct. 23.
With the win, PV improved to 13-2 in league play to secure no less than a share of the PCAL Mission Division crown.
Teammate sophomore Leilani English, a transfer from Watsonville High, recorded the first of three touchdowns that the Grizzlies scored in less than one minute.
“It was just a little bit of lack of concentration from North Monterey County, which we took advantage of,” Rojas said. “The girls are playing amazingly on defense, you can see it in our scores.”
PV (14-2, 13-2) plays at Seaside (2-13, 2-13) in the teams’ regular season and league finale on Tuesday at 6pm.
The Grizzly defense has recorded nine shutouts in 14 wins while outscoring opponents by an average score of 37-3.
Both of their defeats this season were low-scoring affairs. The Grizzlies fell, 13-0, to Pacific Collegiate on Sept. 16, followed by a 12-6 loss to NMC on Sept. 23.
Rojas said the players were nervous going into last week’s battle for first place against the Condors, especially knowing what was at stake.
However, he reminded the Grizzly players that they already had an advantage by hosting the all-important contest on their home field.
“You’re at your house, just put in the work,” Rojas said.
PV’s flag football team won a league crown just two years after the program’s inaugural season, making them the quickest program on campus to accomplish that feat.
“It’s big,” Rojas said. “There was a lot of talking at school, a lot of the kids, staff congratulating my girls. It’s been an amazing run.”
In 2007-08, the boys’ soccer team won a league crown in the now defunct Monterey Bay League and a Central Coast Section Division II title three years after launching their program.
Rojas has the flag football team on track to accomplish the same feat.
Prior to the start of league play, he made the players stand inside the gymnasium to visualize themselves hanging a PCAL Mission Division Championship banner.
Rojas also reminded them the CCS playoffs are an entirely different animal when it comes to competition. And he’s speaking from experience.
In 2022-23, he led the boys’ soccer team to the CCS D-I finals, falling to powerhouse Bellarmine.
CCS will host a flag football seeding meeting on Thursday at 4pm to determine who and where the Grizzlies will play in the first round scheduled for Nov. 3.
“Some of those teams you’re playing, you don’t even know them,” Rojas said. “I’m gonna try my best, along with coach Jordan [Ruiz], to try to win the CCS title. I don’t know how the placement is going to be. I’m hoping that it’s gonna be fair, but I feel like we’re ready.”
Gabilan Division
St. Francis sealed the Gabilan Division crown for a second consecutive PCAL championship with a 19-14 victory over Carmel on Oct. 20.
Sophomore quarterback Liliana Whitmeyer accounted for three total touchdowns for the Sharks, who won the Mission Division in 2024. She finished with 228 passing yards with two touchdowns and one interception, and 52 rushing yards and one TD on 10 carries.
Teammate freshman Eden Findrick hauled in seven catches for 110 receiving yards and two touchdowns, while freshman Cami Madrigal had three receptions for 70 yards.
Sophie Madrigal, a junior, finished with a team-best 15 flag pulls, followed by sophomore Keira Grio with 14. Grio, Evonna Jordan and Cami Madrigal each had one sack for St. Francis, which improved to 13-2 in league play this season.
Whitmeyer finished with 254 passing yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in the Sharks’ 21-7 win against Hollister in Gabilan Division action Oct. 22.
She also had one rushing TD, while Jordan and Findrick each hauled in one touchdown reception.
On defense, juniors Chanel Venter and Talia Moakler each recorded one interception.
St. Francis (21-4, 14-2) will now await the CCS’s postseason seeding meeting on Thursday to see who and where it will play in the first round scheduled for Nov. 3.
The top six teams in the Gabilan Division automatically qualified for the playoffs.
Watsonville junior Taylor Alves-Lopez had eight receptions for 111 yards to help lead the Wildcatz to a 36-0 victory against Sobrato in non-league play Oct. 25.
The ‘Catz, who snapped a four game losing streak, have lost seven straight in Gabilan Division play. They currently sit seventh behind King City (13-12, 7-9) in the league standings.
Watsonville (10-15, 4-12) caps off the regular season against Hollister (5-15, 2-12) for Senior Night on Wednesday at 5:45pm.
SCCAL
Aptos captured a second consecutive Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League crown following a 30-2 crushing win against Harbor on Oct. 22.
Ella Jacobs, a freshman, had a team-best nine flag pulls and recorded one interception for Aptos, while teammate freshman Ellia Correia also had one interception, five flag pulls and a pair of pass breakups.
Mary-Anne McCarthy and Myla Appleby each had two sacks for the Mariners, who improved to 9-0 in SCCAL play this season.
Aptos won the league title outright after having to share it three ways with Scotts Valley and Soquel in 2024. They also secured one of the automatic CCS playoff spots given to the league’s top two finishers.
Aptos (11-5-1, 9-0) is aiming to keep its unblemished league record intact against Soquel (6-3, 6-3) in the teams’ regular season finale at Santa Cruz High on Wednesday at 6pm.
