St. Francis and Watsonville both went into last weekend’s Pacific Coast Athletic League opener aiming to get a head start in the race for a Mission Division-North crown.
In the end, a big stop by the Shark defense helped lift them past the cross-town rival Wildcatz, 21-14, in league play Oct. 11.
“It feels great because it sets the tone for our other four league games,” St. Francis senior lineman Jacob Almeida said. “I think Watsonville is one of the best teams we’re gonna play in league.”
Almeida and his fellow offensive linemen kept a clean pocket most of the afternoon for junior quarterback Max Madrigal, who completed 10 of 19 pass attempts for 193 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Senior receiver Jacob Jimenez hauled in one of those TD passes in the first quarter to open up the scoring.
Jimenez returned to the field after missing the past three games with an injury. He tallied five catches for 137 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Coy Jordan, a senior, had a game-best 80 rushing yards and one touchdown on 10 carries, while senior Joseph Dayrit added 28 rushing yards.
With the win, the Sharks snapped a three-game losing streak. They also begin with a 1-0 record in PCAL Mission Division-North play alongside Monte Vista Christian and San Lorenzo, which picked up wins in their league openers.
“Every week you’re gonna have to bring it because all these teams are going to have something that’s going to give you a hard time,” St. Francis head coach John Ausman said.
Almeida said they’re up for the task despite falling to PCAL Mission-South teams such as King City and Alvarez during the non-league portion of their schedule.
“I think those [games] really prepared us for this, so I don’t think any of us were really worried,” Almedia said.
Meanwhile, Watsonville (2-4, 0-1) has dropped two straight since pulling off a come-from-behind win against Pacific Grove on Sept. 26.
“Every loss, especially this loss right here, 100 percent on me,” Watsonville head coach Manny Contreras said. “I did tell them about our penalties, it kicked us in the butt, taunting. We can do better, but that definitely caught up to us and that’s something we don’t promote at practice.”
Senior running back Mathew Silva had 53 rushing yards and one touchdown, and recorded one interception on defense. He was one of the players hit with a personal foul for leaning up against the goal post as he celebrated his TD run.
Teammate Andrew Aguilar was also hit with a personal foul for excessive celebration following a quarterback sack in the fourth quarter.
Senior running back Abraham Martinez had 30 rushing yards and one TD for the ‘Catz, while Noel Navarro contributed with 52 rushing yards. Senior quarterback Tino Razo finished with 138 passing yards and 25 rushing yards.
“Offensively, we should have been the ones to bail the defense out,” Contreras said. “But it’s cool, they didn’t break their spirits.”
The Sharks gave themselves a 21-7 cushion after Nicholas Fantl hauled in a 9-yard touchdown reception late in the second quarter.
The ‘Catz were in great position to respond just before going into the break. Instead, Razo’s pass attempt was intercepted by St. Francis senior linebacker Jacob Rocha, killing the potential scoring drive.
“The first half was great, and it’s exactly where we want to be as a football team,” Ausman said. “Then in the second half came out, and we lacked that same execution. And Watsonville did some great things there to hurt us.”
Anthony Landa helped steer the course of events for the ‘Catz, who were looking for any type of big play to get them back on course. The senior lineman fought his way past the line of scrimmage to block a punt and recover the live ball at St. Francis’ 23-yard line.
Four plays later, Silva capped off the drive with a 6-yard sprint down the right sideline and into the end zone, cutting the deficit at 21-14 with 5:35 in the third quarter.
In the fourth, junior quarterback Edwin Cornejo came in under center to replace Razo with eight minutes remaining in the contest. He drove the ’Catz downfield to St. Francis’ 14-yard line, giving them a chance to tie or take the lead.
On fourth down, Cornejo scrambled to his right and found a wide-open Mark Flores in the end zone for a touchdown. However, an offensive penalty negated the score.
After replaying the down, Cornejo got sacked and fumbled the ball. Yet another penalty was called but this time on the Shark, giving the ‘Catz new life.
St. Francis’ defensive front seven stepped up on the very next play, stuffing Martinez behind the line of scrimmage to force a turnover on downs.
“Those guys, when they execute, they execute well, and I had full confidence in them,” said Almeida, who was standing on the sidelines as the play unfolded.
Next up, Watsonville (2-4, 0-1) will aim to bounce back against North Monterey County (1-5, 0-1) on Homecoming night Friday at 7:30pm.
St. Francis (3-3, 1-0) plays Saturday in Felton against San Lorenzo Valley (4-2, 1-0), which is coming off a big win against Scotts Valley. Kickoff is slated for 1pm.
“We gotta play, we gotta get that energy and keep it,” Almeida said. “We can’t stop, we just gotta go and we’re gonna keep doing that.”
Palma 42, at Aptos 14: Aptos senior lineman Froylan Lomeli recorded one touchdown reception, and the Mariners fell to the Chieftains in PCAL Gabilan Division play Oct. 11.
Lomeli hauled in a 15-yard catch from senior quarterback Joshua Bermio in the fourth quarter. Teammate Caden Bogle had a 16-yard TD reception from Bermio in the third quarter.
Bogle also had 41 rushing yards on 12 carries, while Dominick Faria recorded one interception for the Mariners, who fell to 0-5 in league play this season.
Next up, Aptos (1-6, 0-5) plays at Salinas (4-2, 3-1) in PCAL Gabilan Division play on Oct. 23 at 7pm.
Monte Vista Christian 49, at North Monterey County 34: Monte Vista Christian junior quarterback Evan Vessey tossed five touchdowns, and the Mustangs held off the Condors in PCAL Mission Division-North action Oct. 10.
Boston Ashe had 12 catches for 241 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns, and an 80-yard rushing TD in the fourth quarter. Teammate Jordan Ramirez had five receptions for 110 receiving yards and one TD, along with a 5-yard rushing touchdown.
Isaac Loredo and Max Arce each hauled in one touchdown reception for MVC, which with the win is off to a 1-0 start in league play this season.
On defense, Mykhailo Bronevytskyy had a team-best 15 tackles, one sack, and forced and recovered one fumble. Teammate Reece Walker had nine tackles and forced one fumble, while Johnny Finney had four tackles and forced one fumble.
Next up, MVC (4-2, 1-0) plays Scotts Valley (4-2, 0-1) in PCAL Mission Division-North play at Harbor High School on Saturday at 7:30pm.
At Pajaro Valley 29, Seaside 17: Pajaro Valley senior Benito Lara-Alvarez ran in a pair of touchdowns, and the Grizzlies defeated the Spartans in PCAL Santa Lucia Division play Oct. 11.
Landin Manzi and Adrian Mendoza Torres each added one rushing touchdown for Pajaro Valley, which improved to 2-1 in league play this season.
“They’re starting to understand what we’ve been talking about, and we’re no longer a team. We’re a unit,” said PV head coach Casey Neligh in a phone interview. “We look at each other differently now because we understand our job and our purpose, and we are just clicking on all cylinders. It’s been a lot of fun.”
Neligh added it was a monumental win because it was the first-ever victory against Seaside in the program’s history.
“Just the buy-in from kids experiencing something like this for the first time is so rewarding as a coach because they’re understanding the big picture here,” Neligh said. “It’s an exciting time to be a part of.”
Next up, PV (3-4, 2-1) plays at Gonzales (1-4, 1-1) in PCAL Santa Lucia Division play on Friday at 7:30pm.
