High School Sports

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...

Pajaro Valley High senior Izaak Ocampo knows the football program has been considered a doormat of the league for quite some time.  In fact, the Grizzlies have recorded just one winning season since the team began competing in 2006. That was long before he was...

WATSONVILLE—Absolute domination was how Monte Vista Christian performed in its season opener against Del Mar with a 27-0 victory. Since then, they haven’t skipped a beat. Mustangs second-year manager Johnny Ramirez said it set the stage for them this season.  “I wanted that game to see where...

Mother Nature hasn’t been too kind for Aptos High, which has yet to begin the 2024 softball season because of cancellations due to last month’s rainy weather.   But a little bit of rain hasn’t deterred a young, and very hungry, Mariners squad, which continues to...

WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley girls basketball program has been in the rebuilding phase for the past three seasons, constantly improving year after year.  Grizzlies coach Mark Harris is hoping the pieces to the puzzle are in place so they can finally have the breakout season they’ve...

The term “statistics can be misleading” is meant for players like former Gilroy High and Monte Vista Christian standout Brendan Doyle, who is second on the tight end depth chart on the University of Memphis football team.  On Friday, the Tigers (9-3) play Iowa State...

Nearing the end of the regular season, the Monte Vista Christian boys’ basketball team has demonstrated its endurance and find themselves leading the pack as the Central Coast Section playoffs approach. In less than a year, the Mustangs have transformed their previously underachieving record into...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville High senior wrestler Danisha Nuñez was finally able to see some action last weekend after a hectic offseason delayed her return to the mat.  The reigning Pacific Coast Athletic League champion made an appearance at the 13th annual Lady Royal Tournament at Overfelt High...

Aptos High seniors Cameron Saldaña and Jack Spinelli were a powerful dynamic duo for the Mariners boys’ basketball team this season. They led Aptos (22-6, 9-1), co-champion of the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League, to the Central Coast Section Division III finals against Burlingame. The coaches...

This week’s edition of the Pajaronian Sports Ticker highlights local prep athletes for their performances during the week of Feb. 5-11.    Preps of the Week Boys: St. Francis High senior Sam Braun had back-to-back monster games for the Sharks boys’ basketball team. He finished with 24...