Sports

The Aptos High Mariners captured a share of their fifth straight Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League championship on Thursday night with a 25-16, 25-21, 23-25, 25-9 win over Scotts Valley High in Aptos.

After an engaged 80-minute battle from the beginning to the final whistle, the Aptos and Watsonville boys’ soccer non-league match ended in a scoreless draw on Wednesday evening. The Mariners possessed the ball about 60 percent of the game, creating seven shots on goal but...

Shayna Lebovitz’s header off of Sophia Bessa’s free kick in the final minute of the match clanked off the crossbar and out, preserving a frustrating 1-1 tie for both teams.

Senior midfielder Monserrat Hernandez Marquez scored and made an assist, junior keeper Caroline Miller recorded a handful of crucial saves and the Mariners shut out juggernaut St. Francis High of Mountain View, 3-0, in a statement preseason victory.

From their monstrous offensive line, to a defensive backfield that features a handful of athletic studs standing 6-feet-tall and above, the Seahawks have the look of a winner. And they’re ready to prove that their play can match their appearance.

After suffering a heartbreaking loss to Alisal last week, St. Francis was aiming to bounce back against Scotts Valley in what was a rare Thursday night “home” game at Cabrillo College. The only thing was they would have to do it with several key injuries...