Watsonville High’s Fernando Olivarez (4) battles with Monterey’s Paul Aliotti (6) and Allen Hood on the Hail Mary. (Photo by Eric Anderson)

The Watsonville High football team’s Hail Mary appeared to have been answered, but a penalty flag took away a potential 49-yard touchdown as time expired.

As a result, the Wildcatz lost 28-22 to visiting Monterey in a key Monterey Bay League game Friday night.

Watsonville dropped to 2-1 in league play, while Monterey, which struggled early in the season but has won four straight games, improved to 3-0 and is tied with Seaside for first place.

With three seconds left, Watsonville quarterback Jerry Alvarez heaved the ball to the right side of the end zone, where receiver Fernando Olivarez and two Monterey defenders leaped for the ball. The ball bounced off one of the defenders and Olivarez ended up with the ball after falling to the ground. Two officials glanced at each other as Olivarez and other Wildcatz players appealed for a touchdown, but a touchdown was never signaled due to a penalty for an illegal block in the back near where Alvarez threw the ball.

The officials did not signal who committed the penalty, but Watsonville defensive captain Blake Gradilla said he saw the play and thought the running back hit the defender legally in the shoulder.

“That wasn’t a good call at all,” he said. “I guess you could say it cost us the game.”

Wildcatz coach Tom Sullivan said he wouldn’t criticize the officials, saying they do a good job. He added that even though the penalty was called, it was still quite a play.

Watsonville fell to 5-3 overall, and all three of its losses have been painful. It lost the season opener 22-21 to Soquel when it missed a 2-point conversion in the final minute and blew a 21-point second-half lead in a 35-34 loss to Reno, Nev.

The Wildcatz have perhaps their toughest test of the season when they play at Seaside next week. Sullivan said he’ll have to get his players ready for the Spartans’ speed and athleticism.

A major positive for Watsonville on Friday was the play of its defense, which shut out Monterey in the second half, giving the offense a chance to overcome a 28-14 halftime deficit. Every opponent has scored at least 20 points against the Wildcatz this season.

“The defense was able to step up,” Sullivan said. “We’re going to continue to play. There’s two games left, and a lot can happen.”

Gradilla said the key was the coaches making adjustments and telling the players that it was “time to step up” at halftime.

“Today everybody took it in and they started to do their jobs,” Gradilla said.

The offense, however, had its lowest scoring output since the opening loss to Soquel. Monterey’s speedy defensive backs played tough against Watsonville’s passing game. Wildcatz quarterback Jerry Alvarez completed 15 of 23 passes for 225 yards in the first half, but just six of 14 passes for 73 yards in the second half.

The Wildcatz got on the board first when Tony Mora, who had 85 yards on 13 carries, scored on a 7-yard touchdown run on the game’s first possession.

Monterey (5-3 overall) responded with a 23-yard scoring pass from Kyle Mills to Tobias Jones, who rushed for 75 yards, had an interception and had a long kickoff return. The Toreadores then went ahead 14-8 when Joey Christiansen scored on a 1-yard carry. The first two Monterey touchdown drives started at the Watsonville 24-yard line, one after a short punt and another after an interception.

The Wildcatz tied the game on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Alvarez to Marco Hernandez, but Monterey scored twice before halftime to take a 28-14 advantage. Jones scored on a 15-yard run and Mills hit Nate Malone with a 56-yard touchdown pass.

The only scoring drive of the second half ended with Alvarez hitting Olivarez with a 4-yard touchdown pass. Alvarez added the 2-point conversion run, making the score 28-22.

Watsonville had four more offensive possessions, but didn’t threaten to score until the Hail Mary play. The Wildcatz were given one more play after the penalty, but Monterey pressured Alvarez and he couldn’t get a throw downfield.

“The mistakes in the first half were a lot to overcome,” Sullivan said.



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