Sports

One of the deadliest offensive players in the Tri-County (Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito) last season, Hocom lived up to her reputation this winter while also making drastic improvements on the defensive end. The 5-foot-9 guard often blanketed the opposing team’s best guard for three quarters of the court, throwing their offensive game plan out of whack with her pestering reach and impeccable footwork.

Junior catcher hit three home runs, two triples and a double to knock in nine runs over five wins for the Wildcatz last week.

Hocom compiled a 78-36 overall record in his four years at Aptos, and helped the program capture its first Central Coast Section title since 1983 and first outright Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League crown since ’82.

His participation in track and field is somewhat of an act of defiance — internally and externally. He wants to push his limits as an athlete and person, and he also wants to challenge his peer’s beliefs of people with disabilities. Because of his condition, he uses a wheelchair, he has a speech impediment and his motor skills are disorganized at times. But he doesn’t want his cerebral palsy to define him. A straight-A student with a gigantic personality, Vasquez wants to break down barriers one shot toss at a time.

Boys and girls basketball were both split into five divisions, boys and girls soccer were split in four divisions and wrestling found its home with three.

Watsonville’s Layla Ruiz won the 400-, 1,600- and 3,200-meters in the Wildcatz’s Monterey Bay League Pacific division dual meet win over Gilroy on Thursday.

For being the fearless and consistent heart of the Sharks’ squad, the Register-Pajaronian is naming Gallo our Player of the Year for boys basketball.

Watsonville principal Elaine Legorreta wrote in an email that the program is going in a “direction consistent with our vision for the coaching staff” and that assistant coaches James Carranco and Max Gonzales would take over for the remainder of the season. The Wildcatz also added Watsonville alumnus Daniel Hernandez to the coaching staff as an assistant.

Riland Wagner had 23 kills, 11 assists and four aces to lead the Monte Vista Christian Mustangs over the Watsonville Wildcatz, 17-25, 25-23, 25-21, 20-25, 15-11 on Tuesday night in Monterey Bay League Pacific division play.