High School Sports

The Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League girls soccer season was so jam-packed with talent this past winter campaign that coaches had no choice but to hand out two awards for the league’s top player. Aptos High senior Alexa Castañeda and Santa Cruz senior Lia Guilarte...

It took nearly a decade to get it done, but the Aptos High softball team is once again champion of the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League, bringing home a league crown for the first time since 2018. They also became the first team to go...

APTOS—The high school football season unofficially kicked off this past weekend with the Santa Cruz County Jamboree at Cabrillo College. St. Francis, Pajaro Valley and Watsonville high schools along with four other schools within the county scrimmaged for the first time this season at...

APTOS—The Aptos High girls’ cross country team is back in training and looking to rebuild after the loss of a few of last season's influential teammates.  With a good amount of returning talent and a large number of newcomers, the defending Central Coast Section Division...

Pajaro Valley High Athletics Department on Thursday announced that Kristian Flores was resigning from his position as head coach of the girls soccer program. Flores confirmed with The Pajaronian on Thursday afternoon following the school’s notification. “It’s a big time commitment, and my kids are getting...

Aptos High senior Ella Porter trained for seven days a week on her craft as the quarterback for the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League flag football champion Mariners during the 2025 campaign.  Their season came to an end Nov. 3 after an early exit in...

APTOS—A late turnover for the Aptos High football team led to a heart-breaking defeat in last week’s home opener against Campolindo High. For senior running back Caden Prichard, the Mariners’ 30-22 loss left a bad taste in their mouths.  “I don’t think we played a great...

Aptos High senior Ella Boyes finished with a pair of top-five finishes during the finals of the Central Coast Section Track and Field Championships at Gilroy High on May 23. But perhaps none was more meaningful to her than the performance she put on to...

It was a special, and historical, Wednesday night for four local high school soccer teams that kept their Central Coast Section postseason runs alive for at least one more weekend. The Watsonville boys’ group is returning to the section finals for the first time since...

Aptos High seniors Ivan Zavala and Daniel Lozano each were recognized as two of the top players in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League during the 2025-26 winter season.  The coaches within the league awarded Zavala as the Attacker of the Year for his offensive...