Sports

South County high school athletic teams began observing “dead week” this past Sunday and athletes will have no contact with their coaches until July 30. Football, cross country and volleyball teams will resume regular practice after that date.

A first-ever Mission Trail Athletic League title in girls basketball brought tears of joy, huge smiles, and countless hugs on Friday for the champion Soledad girls team, their coaches, and their families.

Longtime Soledad junior varsity head football coach Eric Rodriguez was named the Aztec varsity football head coach last week.

Three players had three hits apiece as the Soledad Aztec baseball team hammered the visiting North Salinas Viking 16-6 on Thursday afternoon in Soledad.

The King City Mustangs are just two games out of first in the Mission Trail Athletic League and trail the second place Soledad Aztecs by just one game.

Lady Mustang pitcher Mikayla Davis was one out away from a no-hitter and produced five runs in King City’s 20-1 win over the Gonzales softball team last Thursday in King City.

Three of the four boys soccer teams from South County were victorious on the soccer pitch and two girls teams won games in non-league play last week. This is the final week of non-league games for the local teams.

The organizers of the Salinas Valley Half Marathon are launching an 11-week training program beginning May 16, designed to teach runners of all abilities and experience to reach their goals.

The Mission Trail Athletic League season opened up last week with the Greenfield Bruins hosting the King City Mustangs and the Soledad Aztecs hosting the defending league champion Gonzales Spartans.

Soledad High quarterback Robbie SantaAna and King City’s Clay Barbree were selected as major award winners in the Mission Trail Athletic League’s All-League football team.