Pacific Collegiate School senior volleyball talent Finn Pommerenke was named the Pacific Coast Athletic League’s Mission Division Offensive Player of the Year. Pommerenke, a 6-foot-4 outside hitter, averaged six kills per set for the Pumas (9-7, 7-5), who finished fourth in the division. “To me, the award is personal because I represent such a small school and we especially haven’t had much success in boys volleyball in the last five years or so, so I feel like I made the team and the school proud,” Pommerenke said. Pommerenke was the Pumas’ primary outlet for scoring, and he he made sure he d ..read more

Scotts Valley High junior midfielder Sofia Niklaus was named Offensive Player of the Year in the Pacific Coast Athletic League’s Gabilan Division after leading the rebuilding Falcons girls lacrosse team to a surprising second-place finish behind champion Stevenson. Monte Vista Christian junior goalie Jana Bacero-Duncan was named Defensive Player of the Year, and Stevenson junior midfielder Macey Torres was named Player of the Year. Niklaus, a member of Switzerland’s Senior National Team, stepped out of the shadows after the Falcons saw star Taylor Santos transfer to IMG Academy in Bradenton, F ..read more

SAN JOSE — Glenallen Hill Jr., a 5-foot-9, 170-pound outfielder, continues to post video game numbers during his hot streak for the Fresno Grizzlies, the Colorado Rockies’ Single-A affiliate. Playing in front of friends and family scattered among the announced crowd of 3,008 that showed up for Fireworks Night, the Santa Cruz native provided some fireworks of his own. He was 4-for-5 batting with a double, home run, three RBI, and four runs scored in the Grizzlies’ 11-4 win over the San Jose Giants at Excite Ballpark on Friday night. He also had a stolen base. Over the last nine games, the switc ..read more

WATSONVILLE — Ocean Speedway hosted a special Friday night stock-car only show with Salinas’ Cody Burke, Watsonville’s Jeff Mead, Joe Gallaher, and Prunedale’s Amaya Flower earning exciting wins at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds dirt track. Flower earned her first career Four Banger win, and Mead earned his first IMCA Sport Modifieds win in several years. Salinas’ Cody Burke in the winner’s circle after his IMCA Modified victory at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville on Friday. (Top Dawg Photos) After a winless 2023 season, former track champion Burke prevailed for the second time in 2024 in the ..read more

SANTA CRUZ — A multi-agency force of police officers cleared the Palestine solidarity encampment at the base of UC Santa Cruz on Friday morning. Hundreds of police officers from departments across the state from Eureka to San Francisco and Watsonville, alongside California Highway Patrol, surrounded the Palestine solidarity encampment at the base of UC Santa Cruz early Friday morning — the 31st day of the demonstration. Around 4 a.m. Friday, demonstrators, lit up by portable light towers brought in by authorities, were ordered by police to disperse the encampment. Some left, but many refused a ..read more

San Lorenzo Valley High’s James Dahlen essentially grew walking the fairways at Boulder Creek Golf and Country Club. As a 2-year-old, he toted around a wooden club made by his uncle, Bud, and took his cuts as the family played the course each week on “Tee it up Tuesdays.” Eventually, Dahlen transitioned to real clubs and continued to improve during the countless hours he spent on his home course. Over the years, he tested his talents on other courses throughout the county, and found success. The Cougars’ junior was at his best this spring. He averaged 35.11 strokes over 10 Santa Cruz Coast Ath ..read more

Aptos High senior Lawrence Ingram IV will continue his academic and football careers at NCAA Division III Chapman University in Orange. He plans to play linebacker for the Panthers. Ingram shined as a running back and linebacker the past four seasons for the Mariners, helping them win the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League title as a freshman and earn a share of the Pacific Coast Athletic League Gabilan Division title as a junior. He rushed for more than 1,700 yards and 30 touchdowns in his career and helped his team advance to the Central Coast Section playoffs in 2021 and ’22. He also played b ..read more

The Monterey Bay area continues to experience a weird mix of conditions as we move from spring to summer. It feels almost like we are moving from winter directly to summer, skipping spring altogether. We’ve seen a continuation of northwest swells over the past few months. Those swells, plus stiff northwest winds promote upwelling of cold water from the deep submarine canyons. The chilly water is nutrient-rich, which is not a bad thing. But, summertime species prefer warmer water, which might be the reason inshore fishing has been slower than usual. This week, things are finally changing up. In ..read more

St. Francis High baseball talent Nash Horton made up for lost time. Sidelined his sophomore season by a torn labrum, Horton returned with a vengeance and was named co-MVP of the Pacific Coast Athletic League’s top tier, the Gabilan Division, with Carmel sophomore Matt Maxon, a Stanford University commit, and Padres senior JJ Sanchez, who will play for Loyola Marymount University next season. Horton helped the Sharks (22-5, 18-3) take second place behind Carmel (23-7, 19-2) and advance to the Central Coast Section Division II playoffs with the No. 2 seed. The Sharks were upset by eventual champ ..read more

Former Santa Cruz High basketball talent Jack Busenhart has committed to NCAA Division III Benedictine University, a private Catholic university in Lisle, Illinois. Busenhart, a 6-foot-7, 215-pound forward, was a Coast Conference all-North Division honorable mention selection after helping College of San Mateo (14-15, 7-5) finish in third place last season. He totaled 113 points and 123 rebounds over 28 games, 13 of which were starts, in his sophomore season. The Eagles (16-11 overall) went 12-6 in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference for third place under coach Jordan Townsend. Women’s so ..read more