High School Sports

CASTROVILLE—Last year was the first time North Monterey County High junior Steven Poudrier ever put on a uniform for the Condors’ football team.  The 5-foot-5-inch, 142-pound receiver started off on the JV team and his work ethic was through the roof.  NMC coach Juan Cuevas couldn’t...

WATSONVILLE—Monte Vista Christian senior Kyle Recotta is on a mission to accomplish some big things for the Mustangs’ football team this upcoming season.  Especially after a challenging year plagued with injuries and going winless in the difficult Pacific Coast Athletic League’s Gabilan Division a year...

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...

APTOS—Aptos High football coach Randy Blankenship joined the state’s 300-win club last year, becoming one of a dozen coaches who have reached that feat. Prior to that he brought home four Central Coast Section championships to the Mariners’ program since he arrived in 2010.  But the...

WATSONVILLE—There was a time when winning a Central Coast Section championship was just a fairy tale story for softball programs in Santa Cruz County. Watsonville High softball coach Scott Wilson broke the wicked curse of heartbreaking losses by delivering the county’s first-ever section title in...

APTOS—Aptos High incoming junior Bella Garvey began dancing ballet when she was just 3 years old.  Since then, she’s continued to dance and slowly became part of what she calls her other family. “I really like the performing aspect of it, just getting to perform in...

APTOS—Aptos High alumna Elizabeth Churchill has danced everything from ballet to more upbeat jazz and lyrical performances.  It’s taken her years to hone her skills, including how to sauté with such ease that it looks like at times she could be floating in mid-air.   This past...

WATSONVILLE—It was a memorable campaign for St. Francis High alumnus Saul Noel Aquino who closed out his senior year as a champion, while also earning a couple of accolades along the way.  The standout student-athlete was named the Most Valuable Player in the Pacific Coast...

WATSONVILLE—St. Francis High football coach John Ausman doesn’t have much to work with when it comes to building a “powerhouse” program.  The school has roughly 220 students enrolled and the football program brings in about 20% of the student body—40 players—for both junior varsity and...

APTOS—Aptos High softball coach Phil Rojas had high hopes going into the spring season with a group primed to make a run at a league title. The Mariners (11-11, 6-6) found themselves instead sailing to a third-place finish in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League...