The Watsonville High football team last week bounced back with a 44-21 win over Santa Cruz High in non-league action Sept. 6.
Nate Aguilar hauled in two touchdown receptions, and fellow teammate Abraham Martinez added a pair of rushing touchdowns for the Wildcatz.
Watsonville had a total of 400 yards on offense against the Cardinals—a longtime rival that dates back to more than 100 years.
Luis Marquez and Alex Paniagua each finished with one TD for the ‘Catz (1-1), which will host Aptos (1-1) in the renewed “Black and Blue Bowl” on Sept. 13 at 7:30pm.
Scoreboard
Football
Mitty 41, Aptos 19: Senior quarterback Jonah Kroenung tossed three touchdowns for the Monarchs in a non-league win over the Mariners on Sept. 6.
Next up, Aptos (1-1) plays at Watsonville (1-1) on Sept. 13 at 7:30pm.
Monte Vista Christian 42, Santa Clara 6: Senior quarterback Dominic Pierini completed 29-of-36 pass attempts for 421 yards and five touchdowns for the Mustangs in a crushing non-league win over the Bruins on Sept. 6.
Nico Downie had six receptions for 128 yards and two TDs, while Nate Collins also hauled in a pair of scores for MVC. Fellow teammates Boston Ashe finished with six receptions for 80 yards and one touchdown, and Max Torres had one rushing TD.
On defense, Ashe had one fumble recovery and Brady Cortez recorded an interception. Torres finished with 10 tackles and Gunner Sorensen led the Mustangs with 17 tackles.
Next up, MVC (1-1) will host Carlmont of Belmont on Sept. 13 at 7:30pm.
San Lorenzo Valley 21, Gunderson 6: Senior quarterback Jack Dagan had 125 yards rushing with three touchdowns to help lift the Cougars past Gunderson in non-league action Sept. 6.
Next up, SLV (2-0) will host rival Scotts Valley on Sept. 14 at 12:30pm.
St. Francis 48, Pajaro Valley 25: The Sharks rolled past the Grizzlies in non-league action Sept. 7.
Next up, St. Francis (1-1) plays at Greenfield on Sept. 13 at 7:30pm. Pajaro Valley (1-1) plays at Denair (1-2)—which is roughly 15 miles southeast of Modesto—on Sept. 13 at 7:15pm.
Branham 60, Scotts Valley 35: Senior quarterback Jack Lewis tossed five touchdowns for the Bruins in a non-league victory over the Falcons on Sept. 7.
Next up, Scotts Valley (1-1) plays at rival San Lorenzo Valley on Sept. 14 at 12:30pm
Flag football
St. Francis 49, Pajaro Valley 0: Sophomore receiver Maya Calfee hauled in seven receptions for 320 yards and four touchdowns for the Sharks in their crushing win over the Grizzlies on Sept. 3. She also had four flag pulls and one interception on defense.
Fellow teammate freshman Liliana Whitmeyer completed 18-of-33 pass attempts with nine touchdowns, including one rushing and one receiving TD.
Evonna Jordan, a freshman, had seven receptions for 135 yards with one touchdown and one sack on defense, while senior Mia Guardino finished with three receptions for 60 yards.
Keira Grio, a freshman, had five receptions for 80 yards and two touchdowns. She also recorded one interception on defense.
Leading flag pullers were sophomores Talia Moakler with six and Mackenzie Ridgway had five, while senior Jianna Muzzio with two.
Next up, the Sharks have a doubleheader against Pacific Collegiate and Marina at Marina High School on Sept. 10. First game begins at 5:15pm.
Girls tennis
Stevenson 6, Scotts Valley 1: The Falcons dropped their season-opener to the Pirates in non-league play Sept. 5.
Junior Riya Kuriakose and sophomore Carmen Pitterling were victorious for Scotts Valley in the longest match of the afternoon. The Falcons duo defeated Belle Wang and Maya Daffner in a third set tie-breaker (5-7, 6-4, 1-0 [10-7]).
The Falcons will travel to Watsonville to take on St. Francis in a non-league match at Pajaro Dunes Resort on Sept. 9 at 4:30pm.
Girls volleyball
Aptos 3, Hollister 0: Ella Dueck had 14 kills to help lift the Mariners past the Haybalers in three sets (25-16, 25-18, 25-18) on Sept. 4. The sophomore outside hitter also had six aces and a pair of blocks.
Fellow teammate freshman Sienna Fozzati had six kills and 10 digs, while junior setter Isabella Magaña finished with 13 assists for Aptos.
The Mariners (1-3) have one final non-league match Carmel on Sept. 9 at 6pm before starting SCCAL play against Harbor on Sept. 10 at 7pm. Both matches are in Aptos.
St. Francis 3, Kirby 0: Georgia Otzman had eight aces and 10 assists for the Sharks in a three-set (25-12, 25-16, 25-15) non-league victory over the Griffins on Sept. 5.
St. Francis setter Julie Lopez also had eight aces to go along with five assists, while fellow teammate Carley Anderson finished with four kills and one block.
The Sharks (3-1) will play at Scotts Valley (3-1) on Sept. 9 at 6:30pm, followed by a home match against Pajaro Valley (0-1) on Sept. 11 at 6pm.
St. Francis 3, Anzar 1: Senior Peyton Orradre had 11 kills to help lift the Sharks past the Hawks in four sets (25-7, 25-11, 19-25, 25-16) on Sept. 3. Fellow teammate Georgia Otzman had 15 assists and 10 aces, while Carley Anderson finished with nine aces and Olivia Chavez-Arce had seven aces for St. Francis.
Scotts Valley 3, Harker 1: Junior outside hitter Hayden Smith had 11 kills and nine digs to help lift the Falcons past the Eagles in a four-set (25-18, 15-25, 25-16, 25-22) thriller on Sept. 5.
It was Scotts Valley’s first-ever win over Harker in the program’s history.
Falcons junior outside hitter Aila Papadopoulos had 14 kills and 10 digs, while fellow teammate junior middle blocker Makayla McDonnell had five blocks and four kills.
Next up, Scotts Valley (3-1) will host St. Francis (3-1) on Sept. 9 at 6:30pm.
Games to Watch
- Watsonville vs. Aptos, football, Friday at 7:30pm: It’s been 10 years since the Mariners and Wildcatz squared off in the “Black and Blue Bowl” on Emmett M. Geiser Field at Watsonville High School. Aptos defeated Watsonville, 56-0, in the teams’ most recent contest on Sept. 19, 2014.
- Monte Vista Christian vs. Carlmont, football, Friday at 7:30pm: The Mustangs will attempt to keep it rolling following an explosive offensive performance in last week’s win over Santa Clara. The Scots (1-1) are coming off a 49-41 loss to Menlo School.
- St. Francis, flag football, Thursday at 5:15pm: The Sharks will be battle tested against Palma and North Monterey County, two of the best teams in the Pacific Coast Athletic League Mission Division.
- Aptos vs. Watsonville, flag football, Thursday at 8pm: The Mariners and ‘Catz will meet in a friendly exhibition. Last year’s contests between both teams came down to the wire.
- Watsonville vs. Soledad, girls volleyball, Thursday at 6pm: The ‘Catz make their home and PCAL Mission Division debut against the Aztecs.
This week’s edition of the Weeklys Sports Ticker highlights local prep athletes for their performances during the week of Sept. 2-8. Coaches and athletic directors are encouraged to submit scores and highlights to jr****@we*****.com. Follow sports editor Juan Reyes (@jmreyes831) on Twitter for scores and news updates.
