At the end of August, Cody Rakela, a Scotts Valley teenager, left for the Saviano High Performance Tennis Academy in Plantation, Fla., in pursuit of lofty athletic goals.
Both the Scotts Valley and San Lorenzo Valley high school football teams opened the preseason with wins — SLV in dominating fashion and Scotts Valley with a gutsy second half surge against a strong opponent.
Several days before the first day of school, cross country teams from San Lorenzo Valley and Scotts Valley high schools were running in the 90-degree heat to prepare for the season.
San Lorenzo Valley High debuted a fast-paced, no-huddle offense while Scotts Valley High showed what makes it one of the teams to beat, when both squads competed during the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League preseason jamboree Aug. 24 at Cabrillo College.