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 play.
“Marina is a pretty tough, kind of scrappy group of guys. I give them credit,” SLV head coach Dave Grant said.
The Mariners marched down the field to score on their first drive, while the defense stopped SLV on its opening drive of the game. Grant said the players had to wake up in a hurry and knew it was going to be a tough game from there on out.
“It’s not like we’re taking them lightly, but it’s a league game and everybody’s gonna bring their best for league,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of respect for all these teams. Marina, we know they have athletes, they had some big linemen. We knew they could move.”
Grant said his players were tackling a bit sloppy on the first drive, but they took accountability for the mishaps and managed to bounce right back.
“They responded and that’s kind of the cool thing, they know what to do,” he said. “That was important for me as a coach to see, and they responded. We played great defense the rest of the day. We played really good offense and special teams.”
Winston Wells had the best game of his varsity career. He had three receptions for 105 receiving yards and six carries for 50 rushing yards and one touchdown on the ground.
SLV quarterback Jack Dagan tossed the ball well, racking up nearly 200 passing yards with a pair of touchdown passes and one rushing TD. Riley Johnson and Jordan Renteria each had one touchdown reception.
Justin Griffiths had a great day running the football. He had 120 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.
“[Griffiths] really just turned into our workhorse,” Grant said.
The defensive unit also had a huge afternoon. Haden Woolworth forced one fumble and scooped up the loose ball, while Cody Bumbaca, Graham Baxter and Jacob Medefesser each had one quarterback sack.
Sophomore linebacker Jacob Hardin is slowly becoming a stalwart on defense.
“He’s just flying to the football. He’s fun to watch. He’s just all over the field, making tackles. As a sophomore linebacker, we’re really happy with him,” Grant said.
Grant mentioned a lot of players were involved, with multiple guys touching the football on offense and making a difference on defense.
“Making big plays. I think those are the best wins when there’s a lot of people contributing,” Grant said.
As generic as it sounds, Grant said they’re just focused on one week at a time. Next up, SLV plays against Gonzales (3-3, 0-1) at Alisal High School on Oct. 19 at 7:30pm.
The final stretch of the season includes next week’s Homecoming game against Santa Cruz (0-7, 0-3) on Oct. 26 at 1pm, followed by the home finale in Felton against Stevenson (4-2, 3-0) on Nov. 2 at 1pm.
SLV wraps up the regular season at Pajaro Valley (4-3, 3-0) in Watsonville on Nov. 9 at 1pm.
“Everybody wants to win league, that’s a huge goal for us,” Grant said. “There’s no easy teams from here on out. Those are gonna be tough games.”
Prep football
At Monte Vista Christian 25, Scotts Valley 23: Eli Velez had three rushing touchdowns for the Falcons in a heartbreaking loss to the Mustangs in PCAL Mission–North Division action Oct. 11.
Velez gave Scotts Valley its first lead of the game at 23-22 after he successfully ran in a 2-point conversion attempt with just 52 seconds remaining in the game.
But the Mustangs drove down the field to set up Julian Pizarro with the game-winning field goal as time expired.
“Hats off to MVC for the win. Proud of my guys, [they] played with lots of heart. This one stings, [but] on to the next game,” Scotts Valley coach Louie Walters said in a text message.
Girls cross country
At Scotts Valley 20, Aptos 50
Ava Decleve took second in 17 minutes, 21 seconds to help lift the Falcons past the Mariners in Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League action Oct. 10. Aptos junior Maya Schiro won the race in 15:24.
Other top finishers for Scotts Valley include Violet McCutchen (17:22) in third, followed by Dylan Turzak (4th; 17:24), Jennifer Brownfield (5th; 17:26) and Hanna Shehorn (6th; 17:27).
Girls golf
Scotts Valley 138, Aptos 153: Lauren Ohlsson shot a 28 to earn medalist honors for the Falcons in their win over the Mariners in Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League action Oct. 10.
Ohlsson shot par on the first and third holes, while fellow teammate Maisey Chard (29) sunk a birdie on the first hole.
Emily Fassio (32) also had a birdie on the first hole and a par on the fifth hole. Lizzie Goldfield (38) and Serena Sanford-Brantley (43) also scored for Scotts Valley, which improved to 8-0 in league play this season.
The Falcons have one more league match against Soquel on Oct. 22, followed by the SCCAL Girls Golf Tournament at DeLaveaga Golf Course on Oct. 29 at noon.
Scotts Valley 131, Harbor 197
Maisey Chard shot a 27 to earn medalist honors for the Falcons in their Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League win over the Pirates at DeLaveaga Golf Course on Oct. 8.
Other scorers for Scotts Valley include Lauren Ohlsson (28), Lizzie Goldfield (34) and Becca Ervine (42).
Girls tennis
Scotts Valley 7, at San Lorenzo Valley 0: The Falcons defeated a short-handed Cougars team in SCCAL action Oct. 9 in Felton.
In singles play, Scotts Valley seniors Sofia Niklaus and Erin Szymanski each won at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.
In doubles action and in the most competitive match of the day, Scotts Valley junior Maya Wexler and sophomore Montserrat Burgos combined for a 6-3, 5-7, 1-0 (10-8) marathon win over Abi Krepella and Claire Hamilton at No. 1.
Falcons’ senior Dillon Fiorita and sophomore Georgia Chetcuti won at No. 2, while fellow teammates Isabella Padilla and Raquel Sullivan were victorious at No. 3.
Girls volleyball
Harbor 3, San Lorenzo Valley 1: The Cougars lost in four sets (25-14, 25-23, 21-25, 25-15) to the Pirates in SCCAL action Oct. 10.
Editor’s note: This week’s edition of the Weeklys Sports Ticker highlights local prep athletes for their performances during the week of Oct. 7-13.
Coaches and athletic directors are encouraged to submit scores and highlights to jr****@we*****.com. Follow sports editor Juan Reyes (@jmreyes831) on Twitter for scores and news updates.
