High School Sports

Watsonville High this week announced it promoted Patrick Rodriguez as the newest head coach for the softball team. The 37-year-old Watsonville native will take the helm after former coach Pete Legorreta told the school he was retiring from coaching following the 2024 spring season. Rodriguez was...

CASTROVILLE—Pajaro Valley High senior Daniel Murillo was in a bit of a funk going into Tuesday night’s league match in which the Grizzlies boys’ soccer team desperately needed a win in order to keep its playoff hopes alive. However, he picked the perfect time to...

This week’s edition of the Pajaronian Sports Ticker highlights local prep athletes for their performances during the week of Jan. 30 - Feb. 5.  Coaches and athletic directors are encouraged to submit scores and stats to [email protected]. Follow sports editor Juan Reyes on Twitter @jmreyes831...

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...

Baseball season is finally upon us. Besides the recent rain storms, it has been all smiles at Watsonville High as the baseball team works its way back. The Wildcatz are led by second-year head coach Tige McSwain Sr. at the helm. In his first season...

ATHERTON—When a high school soccer team scores the go-ahead goal in the 70th minute, it usually goes on to win. Sometimes, it will end in a tie and rarely does it ever end in defeat. But the latter situation is exactly what unfolded for...

Aptos High last week announced that Johnny Velez was named the new head coach for both the boys’ and girls’ wrestling teams. The 31-year-old Aptos High alum is replacing long time coach Rudy Guzman who retired at the end of the 2023-24 season. Guzman was an...

APTOS—It’s typically difficult to identify an MVP-type caliber soccer player when they primarily play in the defensive backfield and it’s the attackers producing all of the highlight reels with the goals and assists. Aptos High senior defensive midfielder Summer Jacob recorded just one goal and...

FELTON—Aptos High’s wrestling team was on the brink of dropping below a top-3 finish at last week’s league finals after some of its studs lost in the earlier rounds.    That’s when a trio of their athletes in the upper weight classes in James Craig, Dante...

WATSONVILLE—There were times last year when St. Francis High sophomore Johnny Croghan was the lone Shark practicing in the wrestling room.   The Sharks anticipate a different story this season after the program saw a bigger turnout of wrestlers who continue to show up on a...