Sports

APTOS—Aptos High boys’ golf coach Paul Zech felt a lot of pressure to have a good season this year, especially considering the program’s rich tradition of winning on the course. The first-year head coach was also filling in the shoes of longtime skipper Jamie Townsend,...

APTOS–The Cabrillo College women’s basketball team is on the right path to capture a third straight conference title. The Seahawks opened up Coast Conference South Division play with a 90-50 win against Hartnell College on Wednesday.    Coach John Wilson said the main objective is to win...

WATSONVILLE — The Watsonville High girls’ volleyball team had many factors in its favor heading into Wednesday night’s Central Coast Section play-in match against North Salinas High. The Wildcatz were set with home-court advantage and were riding on a 12-match winning streak. But Watsonville lost a...

Aptos last season finished runner-up to eventual CCS Open Division I champion, Salinas High, in the now-defunct Monterey Bay League Gabilan division. For many, the team’s 6-1 run through the powerhouse league was an impressive feat. For the Mariners, it was a “disappointing” end to an otherwise solid season.

Now at the reins of the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League as the commissioner, Kittle is hoping that sense of pride and community can lead to a resurgence for the dwindling high school athletic league.

APTOS—For the first time in the 53-year history of Aptos High athletics, the girls’ lacrosse team will represent the blue and white in the program’s inaugural season this year. With little to no experience across the roster, the Mariners will be faced with the task...

St. Francis High alumni Nick Ciandro, right, and Sahid Valenzuela suited up for the Cal State Fullerton baseball team in its season-opening series against Stanford.

Focused on building up her mental toughness and working the inside of the plate, Watsonville High’s star junior pitcher did not put up the gaudy strikeout numbers of a year ago, but the end result was just as good — or maybe even better. The coaches of the Monterey Bay League Gabilan division said as much, naming Rodriguez the division’s top pitcher for the second straight season.

Third-year coach John Wilson has four players from Aptos High and two from Santa Cruz High. Scotts Valley High, Soquel High, North Monterey County High and Pacific Collegiate School are also represented with one player each.