The St. Francis High girls' volleyball team poses for a photo following a win against Marina High on Sept. 25. (contributed)

The St. Francis High girls’ volleyball team had a solid week with back-to-back wins, including a Pacific Coast Athletic League Cypress Division victory over Marina High.  

Junior outside hitter Peyton Orradre had 10 kills and six aces for the Sharks in their five-set (14-25, 25-23, 16-25, 25-22, 15-13) win Sept. 25.

“We started off really rocky, but perseverance and control on our side of the court paid off as we won in five sets,” St. Francis coach Sabrina Bracken said. “I’m extremely proud of the girls for that win. Anytime you win a game in five sets, especially an away game, it’s a big deal.” 

Junior setter Georgia Otzman finished with 16 assists for St. Francis, while  fellow teammate Julie Lopez contributed 10 assists. Senior middle blocker Carley Anderson had eight kills and a pair of blocks for the Sharks. 

Otzman had another great game with 11 assists and four kills in a sweeping three-set (25-13, 25-3, 25-17) victory over Ceiba College Prep on Sept. 23. Lopez contributed 14 assists, and Orradre had 12 kills. 

Junior middle blocker Madison Silva added six kills and a pair of aces, while senior middle blocker Delaney Fowler finished with a team-best seven aces and three kills for the Sharks who were down a few players due to illness. 

“The team really stepped up to make it a graceful win and they all really played well as a team,” Bracken said.

The Sharks (10-6, 2-3) play at Notre Dame of Salinas in league play Oct. 3 at 6pm.  

Scoreboard

Girls volleyball

Santa Cruz 3, San Lorenzo Valley 0: Outside hitter Violet Derr led the Cougars in hitting efficiency with five kills on 11 attempts and no errors in a three-set (25-17, 25-19, 25-14) loss to Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League play Sept. 24.

Boys cross country

Pajaro Valley competes at Westmoor Invitational: Grizzlies junior Erik Michi set a new school record in the 2.7 mile race after he placed 93rd in 15 minutes, 55 seconds at the Westmoor Invitational on Sept. 28. Juniors Luis Martinez took 108th in 16:27 and Patrick Lopez placed 118th in 16:52, while William Cruz-Santos (19:22) recorded the fastest time ever for a freshman in the school’s program.  

Scotts Valley 15, San Lorenzo Valley 50: Aaron Weiss won the race in 14 minutes, 33 seconds to help the Falcons defeat the Cougars in SCCAL action Sept. 26. 

Jackson Stull (14:40), Nate McKeon (14:47), William von Haunalter (14:48) and Joshua Adams (14:49)  rounded off the top five for Scotts Valley. Cian Ryan (14:54) took sixth for SLV. 

Girls cross country

PV’s Emily Lopez sets PR at Westmoor Invite: Grizzlies junior Emily Lopez set a new personal best finish by one minute after she took 72nd in 20:39 at the Westmoor Invitational on Sept. 28. 

San Lorenzo Valley 26, at Scotts Valley 29: Naomi Seastrom placed second in 16 minutes, 28 seconds to help the Cougars edge the Falcons in SCCAL action Sept. 26. 

Other top finishers for SLV include Skyla Leggett (16:41) in third and Beth Gabrielson (16:55) in fourth.

Scotts Valley junior Ava Decleve won the race in 15:55, while fellow teammate Dylan Turzak (17:33) took fifth.

Flag football

St. Francis 44, Watsonville 42: The Wildcatz scored a touchdown in the final seconds of the game but they failed to convert on the 2-point conversion in a loss to the Sharks in non-league play Sept. 24.

Senior quarterback Fernanda Lazo had three passing touchdowns for Watsonville. The Sharks recorded a pick six and were successful on the 2-point conversion attempt. 

Watsonville’s Isa Alvarez had a pair of rushing TDs, including a 46-yard sprint to the end zone. Fellow teammate Taylor Alves added one rushing touchdown. 

Brianna Leon had one receiving TD, and Stephanie Martinez hauled in a pair of scores for Watsonville. 

Watsonville 32, Soledad 14: The Wildcatz improved to 2-5 in Pacific Coast Athletic League Gabilan Division play following a win over the Aztecs on Sept. 23. 

Girls golf

Scotts Valley 159, at Aptos 174: Lauren Ohlsson shot a 31 to earn medalist honors for the Falcons in a win over the Mariners in SCCAL play Sept. 24.

Ohlsson parred on hole No. 2, had four bogeys and a triple on the front six holes at Seascape Golf Course in Aptos. 

Scotts Valley improved to a 3-0 record in league play, while Aptos dropped to 2-1.

Maisey Chard shot a 34 for the Falcons. She hit the green in two shots on hole No. 3 (par 5) and sunk in the ball for par. She also pared on hole No. 5.

Other finishers for Scotts Valley were Lizzie Goldfield (44) and Serena Sanford-Brantley (50).

Emily Fassio shot a 38 for Aptos, followed by Lemi Anastasopoulos (43), Addy Burgess (46) and Lilly McGee (47).

Scotts Valley 144, San Lorenzo Valley 164: Maisey Chard shot a 29 to earn medalist honors for the Falcons in their SCCAL victory over the Cougars on Sept. 26. 

Chard birdied on the first hole and shot par on the second hole at DeLaveaga Golf Course in Santa Cruz.

Scotts Valley improved to 4-0 in league play, while SLV dropped to 3-1. 

Other scorers for Scotts Valley included Lauren Ohlsson (31), Lizzie Goldfield (37), Serena Sanford-Brantley (47), and Becca Ervine (48). Ohlsson shot par on both the first and third holes. 

Reagan Atkinson shot a 33 for SLV, followed by Sadie Bell (36), Ella Cook (47), Sammy Shults (48), and Lainey Weikel (49). 

Girls tennis

At Aptos 7, Scotts Valley 0: Kiana Safari, Aviana Andrews, Coral Collins and Isabella Calderon each won their singles matches for Aptos in a sweeping victory over the Falcons in SCCAL play Sept. 26. 

“So proud of our team. They are truly a terrific group,” Aptos coach Tammi Brown said in a text message.

In doubles action, Charlotte Long and Natalia Calderon won at No. 1 for Aptos, while Gia Arista and Aracely Ritchie were victorious at the No. 2 spot.

Julia Blevins and Neci Hoeptner completed the sweep for the Mariners (4-2, 3-0), who host Santa Cruz on Oct. 3 at 4:30pm. 

At Aptos 7, San Lorenzo Valley 0: Kiana Safari, Aviana Andrews, Isabella Calderon and Gamble Kellermyer each won in their singles matches to help lift the Mariners past the Cougars in Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League action Tuesday.

Natalia Calderon and Charlotte Long won in their No. 1 doubles match, and Gia Arista and Aracely Ritchie were victorious at No. 2 for Aptos, which improved to 1-0 in league play.

At Monte Vista Christian 4, Rancho San Juan 3: Sofia Moore, Ana Borges, Sophia Sheridan and Cloe Morrow each won their singles match to help lift the Mustangs past the Trailblazers in Pacific Coast Athletic League Cypress Division play Thursday. 

With the win, MVC improved to 5-0 in the league standings. 

Up next, the Mustangs (5-2) play at St. Francis on Oct. 1 at 4pm. 

At Scotts Valley 5, Santa Cruz 2: The Falcons opened up Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League play with a victory on their home courts against the Cardinals on Tuesday afternoon.

In singles action, junior Aila Papadopoulos, senior Sofia Niklaus, senior Erin Szymanski and senior Ava Keller swept all four matches in straight sets. 

In doubles play, the Santa Cruz tandem of Julia Kennedy and Rainey Ruff won at No. 1, while Kira McGlashan and Clara Weaver won at No. 2. 

In the final match of the day, Scotts Valley senior Dillon Fiorita and sophomore Georgia Chetcuti defeated Liza Jacobson and Camille Lambert. 

Scotts Valley (2-2, 1-1) hosts Soquel on Oct. 3 at 4:30pm.

Games of the Week

Aptos High senior Izzy Graff looks to make move around a Hollister defender during last week’s non-league game at Aptos High on Sept. 27. (Jonathan Natividad/special to The Pajaronian)

Aptos vs. Los Gatos, flag football, Thursday at 6pm: The Mariners (7-1) have won seven consecutive games following a thrilling non-league victory over Hollister in overtime. The Wildcats (15-1, 2-0) are on a three-game win streak after suffering defeat for the first team this season, losing to Salinas, 26-20, in non-league play Sept. 21.

Watsonville vs. Monterey, girls volleyball, Friday at 6pm: Both teams will meet for the first time in PCAL Mission Division action. The Wildcatz (8-3, 4-1) host a Toreadores (13-7, 6-0) squad that has yet to lose in league play. 

Watsonville vs. St. Francis, football, Friday at 7:30pm: A pair of PCAL Mission Division–North Division foes will battle it out to remain atop of the league standings. The Wildcatz (3-2, 1-0) are coming off an emotional 36-15 win over Monte Vista Christian, while the Sharks (4-1, 1-0) have won four straight since losing the season-opener to King City.  

Watsonville High girls volleyball tournament, Saturday at 8am: The Wildcatz invited several local teams including Monte Vista Christian and Scotts Valley to an all-day tournament at Watsonville High.

Pajaro Valley at Santa Cruz, football, Saturday at 7:30pm: After snapping a three-game losing skid, the Grizzlies (2-3, 1-0) are looking to keep the ball rolling against the winless Cardinals (0-5, 0-1) in PCAL Santa Lucia Division action.  

Editor’s note: This week’s edition of the Weeklys Sports Ticker highlights local prep athletes for their performances during the week of Sept. 23-29.

Coaches and athletic directors are encouraged to submit scores and highlights to [email protected]. Follow sports editor Juan Reyes (@jmreyes831) on Twitter for scores and news updates. 

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A Watsonville native who has a passion for local sports and loves his community. A Watsonville High, Cabrillo College, San Jose State University and UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism alumnus, he primarily covers high school athletics, Cabrillo College athletics, various youth sports in the Pajaro Valley and the Santa Cruz Warriors. Juan is also a video game enthusiast, part-time chef (at home), explorer and a sports junkie. Coaches and athletic directors are encouraged to report scores HERE.

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