Falcons aspire to return atop of Mission North | PCAL football

Scotts Valley kicks off the 2026 season at Gonzales on Aug. 28

August 19, 2026

PBR2634 SV football 2026 preview - WEB-1 — Scotts Valley High senior Bryce McDonnell was named the starting quarterback for the Falcon football team, which kicks off the 2026 season at Gonzales High on Aug. 28 at 7:30pm. (Juan Reyes/Press Banner)

It’s been well over nine months since it happened but Scotts Valley senior Jake Locatelli can still sense a bit of the pain.

The same ache he and his teammates felt as they watched their season come to an end in a gut wrenching loss off a field goal to Lincoln in the Central Coast Section Division IV playoffs.

In a way, though, the three-year varsity player believes it could be something good to look back on while thinking about what they could have done to fix that mistake.

“It’s obviously good to use that as fuel to get back to the place that we want to be and to go further,” Locatelli said.

The Falcons finished with an 8-3 overall record in 2025 following the 24-21 defeat in the postseason, and were runner up behind San Lorenzo Valley in the Pacific Coast Athletic League’s Mission North Division with a 4-1 record in league play.

As usual, Scotts Valley head coach Louie Walters, who is entering his 27th season with the team, plans to run an offense strictly based on the “I” formation.

He will have various runners lined up in the backfield, including Locatelli, who Walters said is the strongest and fastest player in the program.

“It’s very fun to be in a smash mouth-type of environment because running backs get a lot of love in this program, and it’s really good,” Locatelli said. “And we do pass the ball sometimes, but it’s always good to have that old-school smash mouth football.”

The Falcons will line up in a 5-2-4 defense with the linebacker core being the strength of that unit. They will be led by Locatelli and fellow senior Casey Gates, who Walters said is the toughest guy to block on the line.

Gates, who will also bring plenty of power as an offensive lineman, said it’s been a long time coming since being able to get back into full pads and a helmet.

He said if there’s one thing Walters preaches to the defense it’s always rally to the ball, making sure it’s not one guy making a play.

“Making sure it’s multiple people, it’s the whole defense that’s there just on top of them every play,” Gates said.

Locatelli added it’s about playing 110% from start to finish, and if mistakes are made they immediately correct them.

“We take a lot of pride in it,” said Locatelli about the linebackers playing a critical role on the field. “If something goes wrong, it’s all on us because we have to make that call. We have to make that correct read, and it’s all on us.”

Other key returners include a pair of two-way starters in senior fullback/linebacker Ben Luckey and senior lineman Clayton Carter, who was having a standout 2025 campaign before being sidelined with an injury in Week 5. Noah Baker, a senior defensive end and tight end, is also expected to see plenty of more time on the field.

Walters got an unexpected boost on the roster when a group of five Falcon baseball players, all seniors, from the 2026 spring season joined the football team for their final year at school.

Playing at the wide receiver and defensive back positions are the Acton brothers — Ben and Nick — along with Owen Martin. Monte Jordan will take on several roles as running back, wide receiver, defensive back and kicker, while Bryce McDonnell was named the starting quarterback.

McDonnell as a sophomore was the quarterback on the junior varsity team but he decided to take a year off to focus on baseball. He’s now ready to take over a Falcon offense that relies on the running game, but isn’t afraid to pass when necessary.

“So whatever offense that we run will help us put points on the board and win, it’s gonna be fun no matter what,” McDonnell said. “Definitely love it.”

Another new up and coming player to watch for is junior fullback and linebacker Colton Lofontaine, who was the junior varsity’s most valuable player in 2025.

Gates said his lone advice to the newcomers is always try to improve on a daily basis no matter how bad things might seem.

“There’s some people that may not have the highest thinking of themselves,” he said. “They don’t think they’re the best, or whatever, but if we get better every day we’ll be just okay. We’ll be winning.”

One of the biggest challenges, again, this season is players having to travel to Harbor High in Santa Cruz for practice and home games. Locatelli said it has been difficult but it’s not going to derail them offtrack.

“We’re still gonna have the same path, same work ethic, and the same goal in mind,” he said.

Gates said he would’ve loved to play at home in front of the Scotts Valley community because they’re able to draw bigger crowds that way. Yet, the atmosphere of playing under the lights on a Saturday night has been great for the team and fan base, as well.

“You get used to that feeling,” he said. “You get used to being on that bus and just the mentality of we’re going in, we’re gonna go kill this team, and then we’re gonna ride back and celebrate on the bus back to our hometown. So, that’s awesome.”

Scotts Valley will participate in the Santa Cruz County Jamboree at Harbor High on Aug. 22 at 5pm. They will scrimmage against Harbor, Santa Cruz and San Lorenzo Valley. Other participating schools include Watsonville, Carlmont and Lincoln.

The Falcons kick off the regular season at Gonzales High in non-league action Aug. 28 at 7:30pm.

Once PCAL Mission North Division play begins in October, the Falcons will square off against SLV, which has won the past two meetings, Watsonville, Aptos, St. Francis and Monte Vista Christian, which at one time were all rivals as members of the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League.

“It’s going to be a really good experience to play Aptos,” Locatelli said. “We’re also really excited to play SLV. Do our best to get our get-back on them for these past years, and to win.”

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