High School Sports

The life of a high school student-athlete was something Aptos High senior Mikayla Santaella knew she was getting herself into as soon as she stepped foot onto the campus. At times it almost felt like she was never home unless it was to do homework...

It wasn’t too difficult to spot Aptos High senior Dante Aranda anytime he made his way onto the football field or a wrestling mat.  So much so, during his junior year he slowly started earning the moniker “The Bus” whenever he took off with the...

Aptos High baseball team capped off on another historical run in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League this season by winning its third straight league crown with the help of a pair of key contributors.   Junior Matt Hood—along with Santa Cruz High senior Oscar Knapp—was...

Aptos High senior Jewels “Sparky” Chavez was a huge difference maker this season for the Mariners softball team and she became what head coach Phil Rojas called the best leadoff hitter during his tenure with the program. “I nicknamed her (Sparky) because of how she...

Pajaro Valley High School announced Thursday that football defensive coordinator Casey Neligh was promoted to head coach of the program for the upcoming 2023 season.  The 38-year-old Salinas High alumnus took a big leap in his life after he proposed to his fiancee, Pajaro Valley...

The thought of retirement for Watsonville High Athletic Director Marcus Northcutt came creeping into his head last year in the summer when he was having a hard time with his health. After five years of dialysis, he received a kidney transplant at the end of...

The Aptos High boys’ golf team this season qualified as a group to compete at Central Coast Section Regional Golf Tournament, giving golfers a chance to square off against some of the best in the section at Laguna Seca Golf Ranch in Monterey.  Mariners standout...

Monte Vista Christian was eager to get back into the postseason this year with high hopes of defending both its Central Coast Section and NorCal baseball championships.  However, the No. 4 seed Mustangs were corralled back into the stable following a 2-1 loss to No....

Aptos High senior Lena Manchester wasn’t too concerned about rankings or what lane she had to run in prior to her 100 meters hurdles race at last week’s Central Coast Section Finals. In fact, she tends to push herself a lot harder knowing there’s always...

At times during the season, it seemed like the Watsonville High baseball team just wasn’t able to get out of a rut.   It got off to a rocky start in the preseason that included postponed games due to the series of rainstorms and a handful...