High School Sports

WATSONVILLE—The St. Francis High softball team remains unbeaten after its first week of play thanks to another power pitching performance by Alicia Mendez.  The senior pitcher racked up 11 strikeouts and did not give up a walk for the Sharks in their 4-1 win against...

APTOS—The high school football season unofficially kicked off this past weekend with the Santa Cruz County Jamboree at Cabrillo College. St. Francis, Pajaro Valley and Watsonville high schools along with four other schools within the county scrimmaged for the first time this season at...

WATSONVILLE—Last week was a rollercoaster ride for St. Francis High football coach John Ausman.  A day before their season opener against King City High on Aug. 27, he broke the news to the team that the game would be postponed.  The excitement came back when they...

APTOS—The Aptos High baseball team is off to a great start this season thanks to its strong pitching. Jorden Espinoza, a sophomore, was the latest Mariners’ pitcher that helped extend their win streak to six with a 10-1 non-league victory against Alvarez High on Tuesday. The...

WATSONVILLE—Pajaro Valley High athletic director Joe Manfre is entering his second season as head coach of the football team.  When he took over the program, the process of having to coach in an abbreviated Covid-19 season was still a whirlwind to him.  Manfre said this season...

APTOS—Aptos High boys’ golf coach Paul Zech felt a lot of pressure to have a good season this year, especially considering the program’s rich tradition of winning on the course. The first-year head coach was also filling in the shoes of longtime skipper Jamie Townsend,...

MONTEREY—It was all business on Tuesday evening for Monte Vista Christian pitcher Jacob Woods, who was one game away from making a return to the Central Coast Section title game. The senior right-hander was tuned in on the mound, as well as in the batter’s...

St. Francis High is one of five schools in Santa Cruz County that qualified for the upcoming Central Coast Section football postseason, which begins this weekend with the quarterfinals. The Sharks earned the No. 7 seed in the Division V bracket. They will take on...

The Pajaronian’s Prep Athletes of the Week were selected based on their performances during the week of Sept. 22-28. Coaches and athletic directors are encouraged to submit nominations to sports editor Juan Reyes at [email protected].  Boys Mathew Silva (Sr.), Watsonville: The Wildcat two-way player was a...

APTOS—Aptos High football coach Randy Blaneknship has won countless league titles throughout his illustrious career, including six straight Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League crowns since joining the program. But for the first time since joining the Pacific Coast Athletic League in 2017, the Mariners won...