Professional Sports

It’s been nearly four years since Watsonville native Ruben Ibarra was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the fourth round of the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft.   Since then, the former St. Francis High star athlete climbed his way through the Minor League Baseball ranks....

A trio of Santa Cruz County Olympians shined on the big stage during the first week of action at the 2024 Paris Games.  Santa Cruz resident Haley Batten (mountain biking) and Aptos native Caspar Corbeau (swimming) are bringing home a silver and bronze medal, respectively,...

Haley Batten placed ninth in the women’s mountain bike event three years ago at the Tokyo Olympics. One would figure that’s already quite the accomplishment itself just being able to get to that point. Instead, she departed the “Land of the Rising Sun” feeling as...

The Santa Cruz Warriors pulled ahead early and never looked back en route to a 112-101 victory over the Iowa Wolves at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on Tuesday evening.  Two-way center Quinten Post led the charge with a career-high 30 points for the...

After a disappointing fifth place finish in last year’s Wharf to Wharf race, Arturs Medveds managed to find some sweet redemption on Sunday morning.  The 25-year-old Latvian won the 53rd running of the event in 27 minutes, 04 seconds, edging defending champion Evert Silva (27:16)...

MONTEREY—The 74th installment of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am was well underway as professional golfers teamed up with celebrities and professional athletes for Day 2 of the tournament.  It was my first experience at such a high level golfing event, so the objective was to...

SEASIDE—Monterey Bay F.C. midfielder Adrian Rebollar continues to ride the wave during the team’s inaugural season in the United Soccer League Championship.    Rebollar and company are in a good position to still clinch a postseason berth after a 5-0 win over Indy Eleven during Hispanic...

Everlyn Kemboi glanced behind her shoulder once moments just before covering her face as she came storming down Cliff Drive in Capitola to win Sunday morning’s Wharf to Wharf women’s division race.  The 24-year-old American crossed the finish line first in 30 minutes, 29 seconds,...

Monterey Bay F.C. 2 is barely in its first year of existence in the USL League 2, which typically leads to a rough start for most first-year organizations. However, that hasn’t been the case for the Union who recorded back-to-back wins over NorCal Division-rival Academica...

AROMAS—Watsonville native Hugo “Prince” Chavez Jr. won his professional boxing debut in February that ended with a technical knockout, taking him less than one round to get the job done.  On Saturday, the 18-year old will attempt to keep his unblemished 2-0 record intact.  The “Prince”...