WATSONVILLE >> The latest chapter in the rivalry between Watsonville and Santa Cruz high schools could easily be titled “It’s all about AB.”

Wildcatz junior back Abraham Martinez, nicknamed “AB,” scored three touchdowns in a frantic first quarter Friday night as Watsonville rolled past the Cardinals 44-21 at Geiser Field.

“It definitely came out like we wanted it to. There’s things we do have to work on, but today we got a ‘W’ and we get to go home happy,” Martinez said.

It wasn’t all AB. Watsonville quarterback Anthony Razo threw three touchdown passes, and Nathaniel Aguilar tossed a pair of scoring passes for the Wildcatz (1-1) in their home opener.

Santa Cruz fell to 0-1.

This game was a renewal of the second oldest rivalry in state history and the oldest among public schools, dating back to 1896.

Only St. Ignatius and Sacred Heart Cathedral, both of San Francisco, have a longer rivalry, dating back to 1892.

“We had a great game from the (start). We were able to move the ball on offense and get some stops on defense,” said Manny Contreras, Watsonville’s first-year head coach. “This is a great win for everyone.”

Watsonville dominated the first quarter, taking a 28-7 lead after the first 12 minutes and allowing the Cardinals to run only five plays from scrimmage.

“I thought that first quarter lasted for a whole game. We put 21 up pretty fast and it seemed like it was still running,” Contreras said.

Watsonville scored on the opening drive of the game, needing just five plays to go 50 yards, the last 10 on a Martinez run with 8:24 left in the quarter.

The Wildcatz forced a turnover on Santa Cruz’s second play from scrimmage, taking over on their own 47 and needing just three plays to make it 14-0 on an 8-yard Martinez run with 7:15 left.

Santa Cruz’s Brodie Hale returned the ensuing kickoff 60 yards to make it a 14-7 game with 6:54 left, but the Wildcatz responded with an eight-play, 80-yard drive capped by a 36-yard pass from Razzo to Martinez to make it 21-7.

“AB is a special player. He had himself a game. I’m proud of him,” Contreras said.

The Wildcatz recovered a short kickoff popped up over Santa Cruz’s first line of defense and soon made it 28-7 with 1:08 remaining in the quarter when Razo hitting Aguilar in stride while he was streaking down the sideline for a 49-yard touchdown.

“Santa Cruz had some slip-ups, and we were able to take advantage of it. We were able to execute,” said Martinez. “It’s a big win and first home game, it’s definitely the way we want it to go. It being a rivalry means a lot to us and it’s a great win.”

Santa Cruz gave the Wildcatz a better battle in the second quarter, making it 28-14 just 24 seconds before halftime on a 5-yard pass from Nevin Ristic to Jason Graff.

Ristic ended the night 12-of-17 passing for 143 yards.

But turnovers and an aggressive Watsonville defense kept the Cardinals off the scoreboard until late in the game, when Ristic scored on a 2-yard run.

“We were just sloppy. It’s hard to win games when you play sloppy football,” said Sergio Escobar, Santa Cruz’s first-year head coach. “But I commend my kids for their effort. We just made too many mistakes to win against a ballclub like that.”

Razzo and Aguilar hooked up for their second score, this one from 16 yards out, with 2:40 left in the third quarter.

Watsonsville also got a 24-yard field goal from Eduardo Garcia and an 8-yard touchdown run from Alex Paniagua in the fourth quarter.

“It’s tough to win when you don’t got the possessions and you put the football on the ground and stuff like that. It’s just things we’ve got to clean up,” Escobar said of the Cardinals, who are coming off an 0-10 season. “But I have to commend my kids’ efforts for the last eight quarters, they just don’t quit. It’s a discipline thing and a focus thing we’ve just got to clean up.”