Sports

With the high school football season under two months away, local teams are preparing for fall games with weight lifting, overall conditioning, and taking part in seven-on-seven football games.

First-year Soledad varsity football head coach Eric Rodriguez watched nervously as the host Palma Chieftains got more and more efficient throughout last Friday’s game at the Salinas Sports Complex. Unfortunately for Rodriguez and his Aztecs team, the Chieftains could not be stopped and downed Soledad by a 52-6 tally.

SOLEDAD — Central Coast Section selection committee gave the Soledad Aztecs the last seed in the baseball playoffs’ Division IV bracket, but what was eye-opening were some of the teams that were seeded ahead of them. The Aztecs will have an uphill battle when the...

All four local high school cross country teams were on the Monterey Peninsula last week with races at Carmel Valley, Monterey, and Pacific Grove.

Soledad High had a good week with wins over Watsonville and Stevenson. The Lady Aztecs beat Watsonville 25-23, 25-17, 13-25 and 25-16, and beat the Pirates 25-15, 25-18 and 25-10. Soledad hosted Pajaro Valley on Monday and will host the North Monterey Condors tonight.

Gonzales High School and Hartnell College graduate Norma Verduzco will be attending Cal State Monterey Bay to continue her studies and pursue a spot on the Otter women’s soccer team.

A nice cloud cover protected the lead runners on Saturday during the Salinas Valley Half Marathon that began at the Soledad Mission and finished 13.1 miles later at Pessagno Winery in Gonzales.

The Gonzales Little League 11 and 12-year-old All-Star baseball team began the All-Star Tournament last weekend with wins over King City and Ferrasci.

The King City High School football team opened the regular season with a 37-20 setback against the Monte Vista Christian Mustangs last Friday night in Watsonville.

SOLEDAD — After one year as Soledad’s head football coach, Jose Martinez has resigned due to personal reasons. “I resigned for a couple reasons, but the main reason is that it’s not my time,” Martinez said. “I have to step away and take care of...