Catz sits out season opener at Greenfield

Greenfield High entered Friday night’s regular season opener as the defending Pacific Coast Athletic League Santa Lucia Division champions.

It’s the type of test Watsonville High head coach Manny Contreras wanted his players to face right away.

In the end, it was a veteran Bruins squad that held on for a 14-7 win over the Wildcatz in non-league action on August 30th.

“We have to change the culture,” Contreras said. “At the end of the day, (Greenfield) was successful. They were in the playoffs. And now that’s what we want… why can’t we be like that? We’ve just been tested and that’s something we have to go through.”

Watsonville came out swinging first after scoring on its first drive that was set up by long runs by Alex Arevalo and Abraham Martinez.

Moments later, senior quarterback Tino Razo connected on a 17-yard pass to wide receiver Anthony Landa for the score, giving the ‘Catz a 7-0 lead nearly four minutes into the game.

“The running game worked right away, but then they got going,” Razo said.

Contreras agreed, saying they stuck with the game plan of running up the middle in hopes of wearing down Greenfield’s front seven.

“It was a loss for me. I was one-dimensional, that was me,” he said.

Greenfield began collapsing the box with an outside linebacker or safety, plugging any holes the ‘Catz looked to run through.

Watsonville was also without offensive coordinator Andy O’Rourke, who Razo said plays a big role in the offense they run.

“All formations, not being able to run what we want to run. I feel like if we had our offensive coordinator we could execute things better,” Razo said.

Still, “Catz” had plenty of opportunities to pounce on the momentum.

A bad snap on a field goal attempt by Greenfield (1-0) led to great field position for Watsonville (0-1) and a chance to go up two scores. Instead, Razo threw an interception to Gio Hernandez on the ensuing play.

Watsonville’s defense made a big play just before halftime when senior Nate Aguilar put his shoulder into Hector Garcia for a monster hit, forcing Garcia to fumble.

Adan Magaña, a senior, was there to recover the loose ball for the ‘Catz, but the turnover resulted in no points on the scoreboard.

“This is my fault. I can’t blame the defense. We adapted to everything we saw, even the things I saw,” Contreras said. “But it is what it is and I’ll wear that. We’ve taken it on the chin and we’re going to get better.”

Greenfield senior Chris Morris said they didn’t get off to the best start either. Going into the break, the standout defender knew what it would take to emerge victorious. He was part of last year’s squad that won the Santa Lucia Division.

“We are a championship team. We came back after that and everyone was locked up,” he said.

Watsonville had an excellent defensive stop to start the third quarter. But turnover problems continued for Razo, who mishandled a transfer. Greenfield’s Travis Ryan was there to retrieve the ball.

The Bruins capitalized on the turnover with a 1-yard touchdown run by AJ Martinez. But they fell behind by one point, 7-6, after the botched extra point attempt.

Greenfield was on the verge of taking its first lead of the game after a long drive seven minutes into the third. The result was a 45-yard field goal attempt that went wide.

That’s when Morris took over the game. He made some clutch throws in the fourth, including one to Naythen Hernandez that extended the drive that led to the go-ahead score.

Morris stepped back into the pocket looking for an open receiver before taking off, flying and finding Hernandez, who tiptoed near the sideline for the first down.

“(Hernandez is) perfect, he is one of the best players we have ever had in the history of football. I’m glad that’s my receiver, that’s my brother,” Morris said.

Moments later, Morris sprinted 24 yards on a quarterback keeper in the end zone. He was also successful on a 2-point conversion attempt, giving Greenfield a 14-7 lead.

“My linemen blocked great, I took the lead. My receiver over here dragged that boy over there, and I saw out, I saw green. Touchdown,” Morris said.

The ‘Catz had one last chance to at least tie the score with just over two minutes left in the contest. Razo looked sharp with some clutch throws of his own, batting and diving to record first downs.

He threw a bomb to Aguilar, who kept his eye on the ball the entire time for a big over-the-shoulder catch for 40 yards down the sideline to the Greenfield 29-yard line.

The come-from-behind story ended, however, as Razo’s pass attempt on fourth down fell short.

“It’s quite challenging when you go against a good team, they gave 100% effort as well. It’s going to be a challenge trying to make those changes,” Razo said.

Next, the ‘Catz will host Santa Cruz (0-1) on Sept. 6 at 7:30 p.m. Greenfield plays at Stevenson School (0-0) on Sept. 7 at 2:30 p.m.

Weekly Prep Football Scoreboard – Week 1

Thursday

At Aptos 34, King’s Academy 7

Friday

At Piedmont Hills 49, Monte Vista Christian 28

Scotts Valley 40, at Santa Cruz 20

Los Gatos 14, at Soquel 7

Greenfield 14, Watsonville 7

Saturday

King City 24, St. Francis 19

Pajaro Valley vs. Lynbrook, TBD

San Lorenzo Valley vs. South San Francisco, TBD