Youth Sports

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Jr. Wildcatz football and cheer programs were hit with a big surprise last month when thieves stole thousands of dollars worth of safe-and-sane fireworks intended to sell as a Fourth of July fundraiser. Shanon Mornhinweg, president of Watsonville Cadillac Buick GMC at 500...

RICHMOND—A local Amateur Athletic Union girls’ basketball team won a competitive tournament in the Bay Area this past weekend.  Athletic Club Santa Cruz beat out teams from Oakland, Richmond and San Francisco to capture the championship that was held at a local gymnasium in Richmond. ACSC...

SALINAS—The Watsonville Wildcatz defeated the Seteinbeck Tigers, 22-12, in the Monterey Bay Youth Football League Junior Peewee Sectional championship at Rabobank Stadium on Nov. 13. With the win, the ‘Catz advance to their first ever MBYFL Junior Peewee Super Bowl.  Giovanni Rivero finished with three rushing...

SALINAS—Watsonville Junior Wildcatz standout Giovani Rivero has been nearly impossible to contain in the Monterey Bay Youth Football League this season. He’s been using his agile legs to juke opposing defenses and zipping past offensive lineman for quarterback sacks.  Rivero used his swiftness once again to...

St. Francis High senior infielder Noel Aquino hit a game-changing home run that helped lift the Sharks baseball team past Watsonville High on Monday. Aquino’s three-run blast in the bottom of the fourth inning was the difference in a 5-4 win against the Wildcatz in...

The Central Coast F.C. 2015 boy’ soccer team out of Watsonville captured the Carabao Division 10U championship earlier this month at the 2024 Manchester City Cup in Southern California.   Central Coast (CalNorth) beat FC Scorpions (CalSouth), 3-2, in the championship game on July 8 at...

WATSONVILLE—For two weeks, the District 39 Little League baseball organization used Franich Park to host a pair of the largest tournaments in Northern California.  Twelve of the best teams from Hollister to Eureka battled in the Majors Section and NorCal All-Star tournaments on Ruso Field—home...

The Santa Cruz Pop Warner 10U team is making the trek to the Sunshine State this weekend. But don’t think for one second this is any type of vacation to Universal Studios.  It’s more of a business trip for the Seahawks, who will battle for a...

Aptos 12U All-Stars continue to stay alive in the Little League NorCal Tournament following an 8-0 victory over host Petaluma National at Luchessi Park on Tuesday evening.  Starting pitcher Kiran Yager allowed three hits and three walks while tallying five strikeouts in five innings for...

Aptos native Nikki Hiltz captured their third consecutive USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships title after winning the 1,500-meters in 4 minutes, 03.15 seconds at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. on Aug. 2. The 30-year-old former Aptos High standout edged Sinclair Johnson (4:03.77) and Emily...