High School Sports

With the lead and league championship on the line, San Lorenzo Valley senior Jack Dagan was inches away from putting the Cougars in prime position of giving them some extra cushion in Saturday's game against Stevenson.  Yet, it was the Pirates that had the momentum-changing...

Scotts Valley orchestrated a late-scoring drive to help defeat Aptos 12-7 in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League Girls Flag Football Tournament championship game Nov. 9. “This win feels amazing, we worked really hard all season and it paid off,” Scott Valley’s Claire Skinner said. Participants...

For the past three years, Dominic Pierini has experienced just one winning season as the starting quarterback for the Monte Vista Christian football program.   It came in 2023 when the 6-foot-3,195-pound slinger led them to a 6-4 overall record and on the brink of qualifying...

This week’s edition of the Press Banner Sports Ticker highlights local prep athletes for their performances during the week of April 8-14.   Editor's note: There was no Press Banner Sports Ticker for the week of April 1-7 as both Scotts Valley and San Lorenzo Valley...

Scotts Valley High’s boys’ basketball team was in search of a much-needed spark last week following a subpar start to the 2024-25 winter campaign. Jacob Sanders and Will Shilling provided some heat for the Falcons in their crushing 67-46 win over St. Francis in non-league...

San Lorenzo Valley lit up the scoreboard in a crushing 48-7 win over Marina in Pacific Coast Athletic League Santa Lucia Division action Oct. 12.  It was the most points scored by the Cougars, who improved to a 6-0 overall record and 2-0 in league...

Aptos High last week announced that Johnny Velez was named the new head coach for both the boys’ and girls’ wrestling teams. The 31-year-old Aptos High alum is replacing long time coach Rudy Guzman who retired at the end of the 2023-24 season. Guzman was an...

Scotts Valley High seniors Sofia Niklaus and Erin Szymanski got some redemption after falling short in last year’s Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League Girls Tennis Championships tournament. The top seeded Falcons duo beat No. 3 Coral Collins and Isabella Calderon of Aptos in straight sets...

Going into the 2024 season, San Lorenzo Valley was regarded as one of the favorites to capture this year’s Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League championship. However, it hasn’t been the start the Cougars were expecting. They currently own a 7-7 overall record, already doubling their...

A new era under Zach Hewett officially began last week as the Aptos High football team took the practice field for the first time this season.  Prior to taking the helm, the 39-year-old head coach knew there wasn’t going to be much of a change.  For...