Sports

The Mariners came tantalizingly close to the Monterey Bay League Gabilan division championship on Friday night but the Cowboys were cleaner and more focused when it mattered most, doing just enough to edge Aptos, 31-21, for the program’s first league title since 2014.

Behind their hard-hitting one-two punch of outside hitters Maggie Walters and Sam Strah, top-seeded Soquel topped No. 2 Aptos 25-20, 18-25, 25-14, 25-16 on Saturday night for the Central Coast Section Division III title at Watsonville High.

For several local student-athletes, the last 12 months were filled with championship performances, inspirational efforts and unforgettable matchups. Some used their skills on the court, field, pool, track and trails to wow spectators, while others showcased their drive and attitude to inspire young and old.

High School Athletes of the Week for the week of Jan. 7-13.

Aptos produced six league champions at the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League Finals on Feb. 8 at San Lorenzo Valley High.

Jabari Brown, who Santa Cruz Warriors head coach Casey Hill called the missing piece, poured in 36 points on 10 of 16 shooting and his final make from the charity stripe proved to be the difference in Wednesday night’s first round Game 1 win over the Okla

After serving as the Sharks’ defensive coordinator for the past two seasons under Adam Hazel, Ausman is now the head coach of the St. Francis program. The University of La Verne alumnus has tried to keep most of the same offensive and defensive concepts i

And it’s arguably the biggest reason why the No. 3-seeded Hawks, powered by an airtight defense and an on-fire attack, will play at top-seeded San Marin High tonight for the NorCal Division V championship.