With the 2023-24 sports year officially in the books, it’s time to reflect on some of the best moments that took place throughout this past year.
Watsonville native selected in MLB Draft
A lifelong dream came true for Watsonville native Luke Keaschall, who was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the second round of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft in June 2023.
The former Aptos High baseball star is currently playing for the Wichita Wind Surge—a Double-A affiliate of the Twins.
Keaschall is batting a .324 average (85-for-262) with nine home runs, one triple, 19 doubles, 33 RBIs and 59 runs scored this season.
Locals shine at 51st Wharf to Wharf
Salinas native Diego Estrada got some redemption in July by capturing the 51st Wharf to Wharf in 27 minutes, 14 seconds, edging Kenyans Josphay Kipchirchir and Shadrack Keter who finished second and third, respectively.
Estrada, a former standout at Alisal High School and Northern Arizona University, won $5,000 in prize money—$4,000 for first place and $1,000 bonus for the top American.
Watsonville native Julian Vargas, a former standout at St. Francis High School, took ninth in 22:29 and was the top local male.
Girls flag football kicks off inaugural season
Girls flag football was declared an official California Interscholastic Federation sport for the 2023-24 school year. And, naturally, schools in the area immediately adopted the game into the fall season.
The inaugural season became an instant success as numerous girls showed up to play for Watsonville, Aptos and St. Francis high schools.
Dominic Pierini sets county record for passing yards
Monte Vista Christian incoming senior Dominic Pierini set the all-time Santa Cruz County record for most passing yards in a single season with 3,057 to go along with 32 touchdowns in 2023.
He surpassed former Watsonville High quarterback Jerry Alvarez who originally set the county record with 2,727 passing yards and 32 touchdowns in 2009.
Pierini also set the county record for most passing yards in a single game with 486 against Watsonville High on Oct. 27, breaking a previous mark of 439 set by former MVC quarterback Josh Blanton in 2006.
On that night, Pierini also surpassed Blanton’s single-season school record of 2,570 passing yards, also set in 2006.
Randy Blankenship retires after 50 years of coaching football
Former Aptos High football coach Randy Blankenship retired after an illustrious 50-year coaching career on the sidelines.
Blankenship won four Central Coast Section championships during his 14-year tenure at Aptos, including three straight titles from 2013-15, and most recently in 2018. He recorded 300-plus victories and is one of the winningest coaches in California history.
On top of his section title runs with Aptos, Blankenship won four section titles in his eight seasons with Clovis West and one during his two-year stint at Fallbrook.
Soquel football captures county’s first-ever state title
The Soquel High football team became the first-ever program to capture a California Interscholastic Federation State Championship title following a 28-7 victory over Jurupa Hills High in the D4AA Championship game in Pasadena on Dec. 8.
The Knights finished with a 13-2 overall record—the most wins in Santa Cruz County—and closed out the season on a 10-game winning streak by out-scoring opponents, 155-35, during that span.
Gina Castañeda returns after battle with cancer
Nothing was going to keep Aptos High girls soccer head coach Gina Castañeda away from being on the sidelines this past winter season. Not even the grueling pain she suffered during her battle with kidney cancer.
Equipped with a wheelchair, Castañeda showed up to the first day of tryouts. She continued to coach the Mariners to a Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League crown and a trip to the Central Coast Section playoffs.
Scotts Valley’s Danica Kelley wins state wrestling title
Scotts Valley High graduate Danica Kelley became the county’s first CIF State Wrestling champion since 2015 when former Falcons star Dom Parrish won back-to-back state titles in 2014-15.
Kelley pinned Alex Maday of Whitney High to capture the 135-pound weight class championship, going 5-0 with four wins by fall in the three day tournament at Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield in February.
Also making the trek to Bakersfield was Aptos graduate Janie Houser (125 pounds) and incoming senior Lucas Zuniga (285), and Watsonville graduate Joselyn Gutierrez (130)—who was escorted through downtown Watsonville by local police and first responder vehicles as she left for the state finals.
St. Francis girls’ hoops goes unbeaten in league play
It was a historical season for the St. Francis High girls’ basketball team, which captured the Pacific Coast Athletic League Cypress Division crown with an unblemished 14-0 record in league play.
The Sharks were led by a solid core of seniors in Aaliysah Gomez, Nevaeh Litel and Emily Raich, along with incoming junior Peyton Orradre and sophomore Maya Calfee—the Cypress Division’s Most Valuable Player for the 2023-24 season.
Watsonville softball goes from worst to first
In the span of one year, the Watsonville High softball team had one of the biggest turnarounds in the program’s history. They went from finishing winless in league play to capturing the PCAL Mission Division crown in 2024.
It was the team’s seventh overall league title and first since winning the now defunct Monterey Bay League Gabilan Division in 2018. The ‘Catz finished with an 11-1 record in the Mission Division—the second highest tier within the PCAL—and earned a trip to the CCS playoffs.
- Watsonville native Luke Keaschall gets his name called in MLB Draft
- Salinas native Diego Estrada wins 51st Wharf to Wharf; Watsonville native Julian Vargas finished as top local
- Girls flag football kicked off its inaugural season
- MVC junior Dominic Pierini becomes the county’s all-time leader for passing yards
- Randy Blankenship retires from coaching high school football
- Soquel High football team wins CIF State Championship
- Aptos girls’ soccer coach Gina Castañeda returns after battling kidney cancer
- Scotts Valley’s Danica Kelley wins CIF State Wrestling Championship; Trio of local wrestlers earn trip to state
- St. Francis girls’ basketball team goes undefeated in league play
- Watsonville softball team went from worst to first
