The 2025 spring season is near the midway point for both San Lorenzo Valley and Scotts Valley’s track and field teams. Both schools showcased their athletic abilities at the 52nd Annual Avis Kelley Track and Field Invitational at Gilroy High School on March 29.
SLV senior Orea Pollock won the high jump with a leap of 5 feet that helped the Cougars girls’ team place fourth with a score of 34 points. Mitty won the team title with 98 points, followed by Sobrato (58) in second and North Monterey County (45.33) in third.
The Falcons also produced a pair of winners in juniors Ava Decleve and Dylan Turzak as they placed sixth with a team score of 24 points. Decleve won the 400-meters in 58.13 seconds, while Turzak took first place in 2 minutes, 27.19 seconds in the 800m race.
“It was a good day,” said Scotts Valley head coach Todd Hoffman. “They really got out there and they raced. Their effort is showing.”
The Avis Kelley Invitational featured dozens of athletes from 35 various schools, including Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League rivals Aptos, Harbor and Soquel. Monte Vista Christian and Watsonville were also in the mix.
It was a small sample of what to expect with both the league and Central Coast Section Championships being one month away.
“I think our league is really stacked,” Hoffman said. “It’s fun to watch them and you get to know these kids. Our league is close. The kids are friends and so they’re cheering for each other. I think that only makes it better.”
In the 100m dash, Scotts Valley senior Sarah Drees (13.26) placed 10th, followed by teammate senior Rayne Leonetti (13.47; 14th), SLV sophomore Madison Fogerty (13.60; 17th), Scotts Valley senior Ava Morrison (14.67; 45th) and junior Lily Rittenhouse (15.12; 55th).
“Sarah Drees and Rayne Leonetti, they’re all team captains and they’re seniors,” Hoffman said. “Their leadership has really been incredible along with the other captains.”
Leonetti had a top 10 finish in the 200m as she placed eighth in 27.97, followed by Pollock (30.66; 31st), Rittenhouse (31.51; 38th) and Morrison (31.91; 40th). SLV sophomores Skyla Leggett (1:03.16) and Emily Petrov (1:06.77) took fourth and 13th, respectively, in the 400m.
Leggett (2:31.56) also placed fifth in the 800m, followed by Scotts Valley senior Violet McCutchen (2:35.71; 8th), Petrov (2:41.66; 16th) and Scotts Valley sophomore Natalie Goble (3:04.47; 34th).
Scotts Valley junior Jennifer Brownfield took fifth in 5:30.12 in the 1600m, while SLV freshman Stella Sutcliffe (5:48.32) placed 15th.
SLV senior Naomi Seastrom took third in the 100m hurdles (16.86) and second in the 300m hurdles (47.54), while senior Angelica Petrov finished 15th in the 100m hurdles (19.16) and eighth in the 300m hurdles (54.45).
Seastrom was also part of the Cougars’ 4×400 relay team (Seastrom, Angelica Petrov, Leggett, Pollock) that placed fifth in 4:36.06. Scotts Valley’s 4×100 relay team (Drees, Leonetti, Rittenhouse, Morrison) placed fifth in 53.57 seconds.
On the boys’ side, Scotts Valley junior Anton Khomenko (11.51) took fourth in the 100m dash, followed by senior Will Shilling (11.79) in 14th and junior Vaughn Chomentowski (12.66) in 65th. Shilling (23.55) placed sixth in the 200m, followed by Khomenko (23.56) in eighth and junior Michal Sitarz (32.26) in 58th.
The Falcons placed 13th as a team with a score of 13 points. Aptos won the team title with 82 points, followed by Atwater (54) in second and Sobrato (44) in third.
“Will [Shilling’s] twin brother, Zach, is coming back from injury along with a couple others,” Hoffman said. “When we get people back, it’s going to be fun.”
Scotts Valley senior and team captain Ian Jory (52.66) was seventh in the 400m, followed by sophomore Viggo Enevoldsen (1:01.17) in 38th.
Scotts Valley junior Aaron Weiss (1:56.58) was runner-up in the 800m, while juniors William von Haunalter (2:09.24) placed 15th and Nate McKeon (2:09.99) took 17th. Sophomore Joshua Adams (2:16.67) finished in 33rd.
In the 1600m race, sophomore Jackson Stull (4:44.40) placed 12th, followed by junior Jacob Ezgar (5:05.29; 37th), junior Berkeley Aldridge (5:16.69; 49th) and freshman Hayden Spierings (5:31.08; 57th).
Chomentowski (18-8 1/2) and Enevoldsen (15-9 1/2) each placed 13th and 38th, respectively, in the long jump event. SLV senior Cody Bumbaca-Thomas took 29th in the shot put (34-3) and 30th in the discus (95-4).
“It wasn’t [Chomentowski’s] best day, but he’s another one that’s just asking all the questions, working hard and he’s gonna pop. It’s coming,” Hoffman said.
Next up, both the Falcons and Cougars will travel to Palo Alto to compete in the Stanford Invitational starting on Friday.
“For Scotts Valley, it’s just to keep trusting the process,” Hoffman said. “It’s easy to get numbers in your head and what you want to run. Don’t think about it, just race. Get in there and race, and the numbers will come. They’re really starting to do that now.”
High school softball
Scotts Valley on track to defend SCCAL title: Senior Sofie Seese and sophomore Chloe Kent combined for a two-hit shutout in the Falcons’ 12-0 win in five innings against Harbor on March 25. Seese allowed one hit with four strikeouts in two innings, while Kent allowed one hit with eight strikeouts in three innings of work in the circle.
Kent batted 4-for-4 with one RBI and three runs scored, while teammate sophomore Lorelei Warner had one hit and a pair of RBIs for Scotts Valley, which produced a total of 13 hits as a team.
The Falcons (8-3, 2-0) had a league game scheduled against Santa Cruz on March 27, but it was postponed to a later date. They’ll continue SCCAL play at home against San Lorenzo Valley on Thursday at 4:30pm.
SLV remains unbeaten in league play: The Cougars have won three consecutive SCCAL games to begin the league play, including a crushing 16-2 victory over Harbor on March 27. Elie Colby allowed just one hit with six strikeouts in three innings of work in the circle, and teammate Savanna Robertson relieved Colby in the fourth to record the save for SLV, which improved to 3-0 in league play this season.
Bailey Filice batted 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles, three RBIs and one run scored for the Cougars, and teammate Grace Purtscher had two hits, including one double, three RBIs and scored three runs.
Abigale Krepelka allowed three runs on six hits while tallying three strikeouts in SLV’s 5-3 win against Aptos in SCCAL action March 25. Cheyenne Owen, Sophia Sarmiento and Colby each had two hits and one RBI for the Cougars, (5-4, 3-0) who plays at Scotts Valley on Thursday at 4:30pm.
High school baseball
Scotts Valley loses twice in league play: After starting the SCCAL season with a 9-2 win against Aptos, the Falcons dropped to a 1-2 record in league play following losses to Harbor and Santa Cruz on March 25 and 28, respectively.
Senior Clayton Pryor had three hits, including one double, while teammate senior Lukas Bloom finished with a pair of hits, including one triple, one RBI and one run scored in the Falcons’ 6-5 loss to Harbor. Senior pitcher Kaleb Wing tossed three innings, allowing three runs on four hits while tallying five strikeouts.
Sophomore Monte Jordan had one triple and one RBI in Scotts Valley’s 9-2 loss to Santa Cruz. Pryor, Bloom and sophomore Owen Martin each recorded one base hit, while Wing scored one run for the Falcons.
Kit DeForest had one home run and one double in the Falcons’ 14-9 loss to Palma in non-league action March 29. Acton had a pair of hits, including one double and two runs scored, and Pryor had two hits with one RBI and two runs scored. Scotts Valley (5-7, 1-2) will host San Lorenzo Valley (1-8, 0-3) on Friday at 4pm.
SLV extends losing streak to five: Junior Brody Egnar had one hit and one RBI in the Cougars’ 12-1 loss to Aptos in SCCAL action March 25. Teammate Jaden Sharby scored one run for SLV, which dropped to 0-3 in league play this season.
Junior Brody Egnar finished with a pair of hits, including one double in SLV’s 8-0 loss to Harbor on March 28. Teammates sophomore Larrabee Mitchell and junior Porter Boyd each had one base hit for the Cougars.
Boys volleyball
At San Lorenzo Valley 3, Scotts Valley 0: Will Shanks had seven assists, three kills and three digs in the Falcons’ three-set 25-11, 25-14, 31-29 loss to the Cougars in SCCAL action March 27.
Teammate Marlon Meissner finished with five digs, four assists and one kill, while Ben Luckey contributed eight digs and a pair of kills for Scotts Valley (4-13, 1-5), which plays at Aptos on Thursday at 6:30pm. SLV (3-6, 2-2), which is riding on a two-game win streak, will host Soquel on April 15 at 6:30pm.
