The St. Francis football team’s Ty Sambrailo officially signed his national letter of intent to play at Colorado State on Wednesday.

Sambrailo, who is 6-foot-5 and weighs 275 pounds, was the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League’s Lineman of the Year as a senior.

Sambrailo comes from an athletic family. His dad, Mark, was a pole vaulter at the University of Colorado, and his grandfather Bill Sambrailo played football at Santa Clara, while his older sister, Kiersten, an Aptos High graduate, starred for the Oregon State women’s volleyball team last season.

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Blankenship named Aptos High coach

Aptos High has hired Randy Blankenship to be its football coach.

Blankenship won 13 league championships in 25 years, four Central Section titles at Clovis West High and a San Diego Section title at Fallbrook High. He replaces Jamie Townsend, who guided the Mariners to a 5-4-1 record as interim coach last year after Aptos was unable to come up with a replacement for Johnny Lopez, who had resigned.

Blankenship was the 2000 NFL High School Coach of the Year and the 1998 California Coach of the Year.

“Aptos High School is very excited to have a coach as renowned and capable as Coach Blankenship leading our program,” Mariners athletic director Mark Dorfman wrote in an e-mail. “He has proven himself to be one of the finest high school football coaches in California over the past 20 years. He is also an outstanding educator, role-model, and mentor. We are excited about the 2010 season, and for the future of Aptos football.”

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Boys basketball

Watsonville 68, Pajaro Valley 56

Ivo Basor had 11 points and 28 rebounds on Monday for the visiting Wildcatz, who avenged a previous loss to Pajaro Valley.

Also for Watsonville, Austin Vojvoda scored 13 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, Nestor Maraña added 12 points, Jacob Rodriguez contributed 11 points and David Torres chipped in nine points.

Wildcatz coach Mike Blum said it was his team’s “most complete game” of the season, noting that it committed only six turnovers and Rodriguez, Watsonville’s leading scorer on the season, worked hard in a decoy role as Pajaro Valley defended him aggressively.

Pajaro Valley led 14-12 after the first quarter, but Watsonville outscored the Grizzlies 19-11 in the second quarter and scored 20 of the first 30 points after halftime.

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Girls soccer

Watsonville 12, Monterey 0

Ana Vasquez scored four goals and Dejanira Hernandez added three goals for the Watsonville High girls soccer team in an MBL win Tuesday.

The Wildcatz, who host Pajaro Valley tonight, improved to 6-0 in league play.

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Soquel 6, St. Francis 0

Goalkeeper Natasha Tapia made 14 saves, but the St. Francis girls soccer team lost to host Soquel in a SCCAL game Tuesday.

The Sharks will play Santa Cruz today at Depot Park in Santa Cruz.

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Softball

Foothill 7, Cabrillo 2

Shaunay Day-Smith hit a solo home run and doubled, but the Cabrillo College softball team lost its season opener to visiting Foothill on Monday.

The Seahawks will host Los Medanos in a doubleheader today. The first game is slated for 1 p.m., with the second scheduled to start at 3 p.m.

Tanya Mutz pitched all seven innings for Cabrillo and allowed five earned runs on seven hits and three walks. She struck out three.

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Wrestling

Kalka takes third at girls state tourney

The Watsonville High wrestling team’s Emily Kalka placed third at the California Women’s Wrestling Association’s Girls California Invitational, which is considered the state high school girls tournament.

Kalka went 5-1 in the tournament, which was held Friday and Saturday.

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JV girls basketball

Aptos 38, Harbor 29

Amanda Ang scored nine points for the Aptos High junior varsity girls basketball team in an SCCAL win Monday.

Also for the Mariners, Josie Bruce scored eight points, Anissa Torres seven points and Jackie Houser five points.

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Youth soccer

PVUYSC to hold tryouts

The Pajaro Valley United Youth Soccer Club will hold tryouts for all ages Saturday at Watsonville High.

The tryouts are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.



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