A week after losing several key starters to injury, including its quarterback, and suffering its lone loss, Soquel High’s playoff-bound football team was eager to prove Friday that it could find success employing a “next-man up” mentality.
Soquel High’s football team, ranked No. 4 in the Central Coast Section and No. 74 in the state, was intent on doing Soquel-esque things early and often in its latest rout.
It was supposed to be another Pacific Coast Athletic League thriller — a matchup pitting a pair of top-three teams in the prestigious Gabilan Division — under the bright lights of Monterey Peninsula College on Friday night.
It was just a matter of time. Soquel High’s football team had shined on defense and sputtered on offense in its first two games this season. If they could find a way to put a few more points on the board, they had a chance to earn a special win in their brutal lineup of opponents.
Junior guard Isaiah Ackerman scored a team-high 13 points, but the No. 2 Aptos High boys basketball team was upset by No. 7 Burlingame 47-43 in the Central Coast Section Division III quarterfinals on Tuesday night.
Nico Ramirez and D’Rell Hopkins each scored 15 points to help the No. 7 seed Soquel High boys basketball team beat No. 10 Stevenson 62-36 in the second round of the Central Coast Section Division IV playoffs on Saturday night.
Soquel High’s football team looked like it may be a spectator in its debut season in the prestigious Gabilan Division after being shut out by Salinas in the teams’ Pacific Coast Athletic League opener three weeks ago.
Marcus Northcutt’s first win as a varsity football coach was a big one: Watsonville High beat crosstown foe Pajaro Valley 12-0 in the Belgard Kup rivalry game Friday night in front of 1,500 fans.
Soquel High quarterback Cole Johnson passed for 145 yards and three touchdowns — the last coming with 5 seconds remaining — as the Knights did all their scoring in the second half and rallied for a 27-21 nonleague win over host Hillsdale on Friday night.
It’s not always about how you start, but how you finish. And both went incredibly well for Santa Cruz High’s basketball team at the Dad’s Club Tournament on Saturday night.
Scotts Valley High expected a battle from Watsonville on homecoming night in their Pacific Coast Athletic League Cypress Division opener. Both teams lost recently to Santa Cruz by similar scores.