Watsonville quarterback Jerry Alvarez runs against Soquel Friday.

SOQUEL — The Watsonville High football team fell one yard short of winning its season opener.

After a touchdown pass brought the Wildcatz within one point of host Soquel, they attempted to rush the ball in on the 2-point conversion, but were stopped a yard short and lost 22-21 Friday night.

It was the sixth straight loss for Watsonville against Soquel, and the third straight time the loss came in the season opener. The Knights now lead the all-time series 26-20.

“Both sides played well,” Wildcatz coach Tom Sullivan said. “They competed. These are games that last year we were not in. This year we are.”

Watsonville went 3-7 last year, but despite allowing a touchdown on the opening kickoff and failing to score in the first half, looked impressive at times Friday. Senior quarterback Jerry Alvarez, who completed more than half his passes last year, had a strong game, running and throwing the ball well. He tossed a pair of touchdown passes to speedy receiver Fernando Olivarez.

“Watsonville was impressive,” Soquel coach Ron Myers said. “They’ve had great improvement in one year. Watsonville’s quarterback is the key weapon to their season. If they can keep him healthy, they should have a great year. He took some pounding out there.”

The Wildcatz trailed 14-0 at halftime, but it appeared they might pull out the victory when they took a 15-14 lead with 3:30 remaining in the game. Alvarez sustained a long drive with several runs, then hit Olivarez over the middle for a 42-yard score. That made the score 14-13, then Alvarez carried the ball over the right side for the 2-point conversion.

Soquel, however, answered quickly. Tyler Evey scored on a 30-yard touchdown run, then converted the 2-point conversion when quarterback Jacob Czuk, despite being held onto by Watsonville defenders, found James Carson in the end zone. That gave Soquel a 21-14 lead.

Watsonville drove down to score again, with Olivarez catching a 28-yard touchdown pass from Alvarez. Rather than kicking the extra point for the tie, the Wildcatz went for the win. They tried to run the ball up the middle, but Soquel’s Matt Malone made a game-saving tackle.

“I love to pass the ball,” Alvarez said. “It makes the game exciting, but we need to develop a better run game.”

Watsonville didn’t score until 10:08 remaining in the game, when Tony Mora carried the ball from six yards out.

The game started out disastrously for the Wildcatz, as Soquel’s Niko Alarcon returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. The half’s other touchdown came late in the second quarter when Malone threw a sweep pass to Diontae Riles Strong, who ran in for a 23-yard score.

Watsonville’s offense saw several drives be ruined by penalties in the first half, but Soquel lost a pair of fumbles deep in Wildcatz territory, including one on the 1-yard line. Diego Rosillo and Javier Muro each recovered a fumble for Watsonville. Ultimately, however, the Knights did just enough for the win.

“This year’s team’s gift is its quickness,” Myers said. “It’s what kept us in the game.”

“We had numerous plays on defense that hurt us today,” Sullivan said. “But defensively it’s a young squad, and we’ve got a lot of things to work on. But the team is ready for next week against Santa Cruz and the rest of the season.”



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