Fernando Olivarez (left) is congratulated by teammate Blake Gradilla after intercepting a pass in the end zone during the first half. (Photo by Eric Anderson)

Fernando Olivarez said his coaches have told him he’s not Reggie Bush.

He’s still pretty darn good, though.

Olivarez caught two touchdown passes — including the game-winner — and hauled in two interceptions — including the game-clincher — in the Watsonville High football team’s 27-20 victory over visiting Santa Cruz in a nonleague game Friday night.

The speedster had eight catches for 181 yards in the first half and suffered an ankle injury on his first reception of the second half that caused him to miss extensive action, but returned to make a decisive impact late in the fourth quarter. After Santa Cruz tied the game at 20-all, Olivarez made a one-handed 11-yard touchdown catch with 2:33 remaining, then intercepted Santa Cruz quarterback Peter Miller’s desperation pass on fourth-and-long.

“It felt good,” Olivarez said of the winning catch. “I was backpedaling and I was a little nervous (I was going to drop the ball).”

Olivarez’s other interception came in the end zone and halted a Santa Cruz drive in the first half. His first touchdown catch came on the next play. Wildcatz quarterback Jerry Alvarez hit Olivarez in the left flat, and Olivarez broke through the Cardinal defense, pulling away for an 80-yard touchdown. Olivarez said that play was particularly satisfying because he listened to his coaches’ advice from practice, and instead of dancing in the hole like Bush, the famed New Orleans Saints running back, he slashed through the defense.

“I’ve got the speed,” Olivarez said. “I’ve just got to get to the hole.”

Olivarez also had a big game in a season-opening 22-21 loss to Soquel last week. He had eight catches for 173 yards and two touchdowns in that game.

“I can’t say enough about the kid,” Watsonville coach Tom Sullivan said of Olivarez. “Obviously his talent on the field is incredible, and he’s a great kid to coach.”

Alvarez also had a big game, completing 14 of 25 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns. Also a threat to run, he broke away from a potential sack to score on a touchdown run on the game’s opening possession.

“You flush him out, he’s going to run,” said Sullivan, who credited the offensive line with a strong game. “You keep him in the pocket, he’s going to throw.”

Santa Cruz scored on its opening possession to tie the game at 7-all, but Olivarez’s 80-yard score and Tony Mora’s 3-yard run on fourth-and-goal pushed Watsonville’s lead to 20-7 by halftime.

The Cardinals (0-2) used a balanced offensive attack in the first two quarters, but bulled their way back into the game with effective inside running in the second half. Bjorn Berg scored on runs of 8 and 5 yards, Santa Cruz converted the second extra point with 4:51 remaining to tie the game and had all the momentum when Watsonville went back on offense.

One long pass was all it took to get the Wildcatz back on track, and Olivarez wasn’t even involved. Alvarez heaved the ball downfield to Nestor Marana, who caught it, then scrambled for a few more yards; his 54-yard catch put Watsonville on Santa Cruz’s 11-yard line. After two rushing attempts went nowhere, Alvarez threw the ball to the left side of the end zone, where Olivarez reached up with one arm for the winning catch.

It was a satisfying win for the Wildcatz (1-1), who a week after not liking how they played at the end of the game against Soquel, stayed resilient against Santa Cruz, giving them confidence heading into next week’s game against rival Aptos.

The Watsonville-Santa Cruz rivalry is far older than the Watsonville-Aptos rivalry. Last year, Watsonville won when it and Santa Cruz celebrated the 100th anniversary of their first game.



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