A quartet of Scotts Valley High student-athletes took the first step to compete at the collegiate level after the group signed their written offers of athletic aid on May 9.
Falcon seniors Hayden Smith, Ava Decleve, Brooklyn Williams and Caden Kilpatrick each provided an autograph in front of family members, schoolmates and coaches on campus, officially making them members to their respective schools.
“I am so proud of these student-athletes that will all be going on and playing a college sport,” Scotts Valley athletic director Louie Walters said. “All of them were very special, juggled high academic classes and excelled in their sport.”
Smith will attend California State University–Northridge to play for the women’s beach volleyball program, while Decleve will continue her running career at the University of California–Los Angeles.
Kilpatrick won’t be too far from them as a member of the rugby team at CSU–Long Beach, while Williams is on her way to play basketball at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Mont.
The foursome participated in what used to be National Letter of Intent Day, or NLI Signing Day, but the NCAA eliminated the National Letter of Intent on Oct. 9, 2024.
The NLI had been around for more than 60 years until student-athletes were allowed to earn money from their name, image and likeness (NIL) while maintaining eligibility.
The NLI was replaced with written offers of athletic aid. Once a student-athlete signs, other schools are prohibited from communicating with them.
Smith helped lead the Scotts Valley girls volleyball team to their first-ever Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League crown in the program’s history, going 11-1 in league play in 2025.
The Falcons standout finished with a team-best 224 kills and 143 digs to go along with 21 blocks and 24 aces. She was named the SCCAL’s Most Valuable Player by coaches within the league.
Williams, who earned All-SCCAL First Team honors, finished with an average of 10.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 2.5 steals per game during the 2025-26 winter campaign.
She helped lead the Falcon girls basketball team to their first-ever Central Coast Section Division IV title, and a perfect 10-0 record in SCCAL play en route to back-to-back league championships.
Kilpatrick was the starting quarterback for the Falcon football team that was runner-up in the Pacific Coast Athletic League Mission Division–North in 2025.
Decleve helped the girls cross country team capture their fifth consecutive CCS D-IV team title, and fourth SCCAL crown in the past five years.
The Falcon star runner is competing in three events — 200, 400 and 800-meters — in the CCS Track and Field semifinals at Gilroy High on Saturday at 10am.
High school baseball
At Aptos 8, SLV 6: Porter Boyd had three hits, including one double for the Cougars in a loss to the Mariners in SCCAL action Tuesday afternoon.
Teammates Spencer Bruce had a pair of hits and scored two runs, while Liam Fields-Rapley had two hits and two RBIs.
Larrabee Mitchell had one hit and scored two runs, while Jesse Fulkerson tallied three strikeouts on the mound for SLV (4-21), which dropped to 1-12 in SCCAL play this season. The Cougars host Aptos (12-8, 8-6) in SCCAL play on Friday at 4pm.
Harbor 8, at Scotts Valley 6: Bryce McDonnell nearly hit for the cycle but it wasn’t enough as the Falcons fell to the Pirates in SCCAL play Tuesday afternoon.
McDonnell finished with four hits, including a pair of doubles and one home run to go along with three RBIs and one run scored.
Teammate junior Rex Thompson had three hits, including one double and one home run with a pair of RBIs, while Garrett Brown, Nick Acton and Fabricio Ore Gomez each had one base hit.
Sophomore pitcher Elliot Smith finished with three strikeouts for Scotts Valley (8-16), which dropped to 5-9 in league play this season. The Falcons play at Harbor (16-9, 8-6) in SCCAL play on Friday at 4pm.
High school softball
At San Lorenzo Valley 11, Santa Cruz 4: Freshman Ida Robertello had three hits and four RBIs for the Cougars in a victory over the Cardinals in SCCAL play Tuesday afternoon.
Teammate freshman Skylar Cloyd had two hits and scored one run while tallying a pair of strikeouts in the circle. Senior Brooke Reed had one hit, one RBI and scored one run.
Freshman Savanna Robertson had one hit and three RBIs for SLV, which improved to 8-6 in league play this season.
At Aptos 7, Scotts Valley 2: Senior Isabella Williams had one hit and one RBI for the Falcons in a loss to the Mariners in SCCAL play Tuesday afternoon.
Teammates junior Chloe Kent and freshman Stella Van Every each had a pair of hits, including one double, while senior Jazzy Phillips and Natalie Murray-Skalland each scored one run.
Kent allowed seven runs (four earned) on eight hits while collecting six strikeouts in the circle for Scotts Valley (8-11-1), which dropped to 7-7 in league play this season.
