APTOS >> With no disrespect intended, Hollister High’s football team has a bunch of brutes.

The swarming, physical Haybalers capitalized on several Aptos blunders and pulled out a 35-14 win in the teams’ Pacific Coast Athletic League Gabilan Division opener on Friday night.

While the Mariners (3-2, 0-1) were held to a season-low 14 points, it was pretty much a standard outing for the hearty Haybalers (4-1, 1-0) on defense. They’ve allowed a Gabilan-low 79 points this season.

Aptos isn’t hanging its head. It also played solid defense, but gave its opponent favorable field position a bit too often.

“We’re definitely looking forward to next week,” said Ryan Solorio, a quarterback, receiver, and defensive back for the Mariners. “This was a tough loss. Hollister came out big and strong. They played hard. That’s what they do. They’re Hollister, they’re a big team. So next week we’ve got to keep composure. We gotta work on competing and getting ready for Monterey.”

Four plays helped sink the Mariners, including two costly blunders on special teams.

Hollister’s Savion Loza recorded a pair of interceptions, and returned one of them 99 yards for a touchdown for a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.

“I was seeing stars at the end,” Loza said of his long sprint. “I was trying to catch my breath.”

So where Hollister fans, who cheered wildly.

“Through three quarters we gave up one defensive touchdown,” Mariners coach Zach Hewett said. “But we found interesting ways to let them in the game, like that 14-point swing on that pick-six at the goal line there. That was brutal.”

Loza’s second pick killed another Mariners’ red zone possession, and also came at the goal line.

Haybalers quarterback Daniel Martinez scored on a 13-yard run to cap an eight-play 51-yard drive in the second quarter, but the Mariners carried some momentum into the half after Solorio, a second-string quarterback, scored on a broken play.

Under pressure from Hollister’s defensive front, Solorio dropped back in the pocket, spun around to avoid a sack, and saw a lane up the middle. Without hesitation, he bolted through traffic and outraced the secondary for a 42-yard touchdown. Westin Aviles blocked the extra-point kick.

After throwing their second interception, Aptos forced Hollister to punt on its first series of the second half.

The Mariners were unable to move the ball with success and forced to punt. But a special teams blunder on 4th-and-16 from their own 18 proved costly. Mariners punter Cole Miller had his kick blocked, and several players pursued the loose ball. Ultimately, linebacker Tripp Felice pounced on it in the end zone for a touchdown, which put Hollister up 21-6.

“That’s something we’ve been really working on and we’re just not there yet,” said Hewett, of his punt team.

Aptos was held in check on its next series, too, and another punt team blunder also proved costly.

After a high snap sailed over Miller’s head, he retrieved the ball, but was tackled for a 23-yard loss, which gave Hollister possession at Aptos’ 26-yard line. Two plays later, Martinez connected with Aaron Medoza for a 21-yard touchdown pass.

Down by three scores, Aptos elected to not punt on two of its final three possession.

After turning the ball over on downs early in the fourth, Hollister took over near midfield and marched 45 yards on nine plays to go up 35-6. Fullback Matthew Stoner hauled in a 13-yard pass from Martinez to cap the scoring drive.

Aptos’ Felix Valencia recovered a Hollister fumble late in the fourth, and the Mariners converted the turnover into points.

Running back Gavin McDonald was the featured back on a five-play drive that he ended with a 2-yard scoring run. Quarterback Joshua Bermio ran in the two-point conversion for the final score with 2:24 remaining.

Bermio started under center for Aptos, but the Mariners decided to give Solorio some offensive series at quarterback given that he was shining all over the field. Solorio recorded an interception, hauled in a 46-yard reception, also had a pair of kickoff returns of 50-plus yards.

“We’ve got a talented team,” Hewett said. “You saw Ryan doing his Superman thing today. But, you know, they had a really good plan for bottling us up. And, on top of that, some of those d-linemen in particular just really took it to us. They did a good job of setting the tone and winning the line of scrimmage.”

The Mariners were without running back DeSean Gomez for a second straight week. He’s recovering from a knee injury sustained against Watsonville.

Bermio and Solorio finished a combined 4-of-9 passing for 71 yards, and the Mariners rushed for 130 yards on 41 attempts. Hollister recorded three sacks.

“We just tried cheating a bit,” Loza said. “See where their tight end was at, and play coverage on their main guys, like three (Solorio), two (Bermio), and 42 (Owen Warmerdam), their tight end, and their running back. The linebackers and d-line did a very good job of shading and running to the gaps.”

Said Hewett: “They play really good defense. For forty years, Hollister plays really nasty defense. They did a really good job of making us earn stuff. We moved the ball in spurts. It was never consistent. They did a really good job of forcing us into second-and-long, third-and-long situations, and our offense is not built for that really. We need to be more consistent on that.”

The Haybalers rushed for 127 yards on 36 attempts, and finished with 85 yards passing.

Aptos faces Monterey (2-2, 1-0) on Friday at 7 p.m. The Toreadores beat host Alvarez 42-6 in their Gabilan opener.

“We’re in the middle of freaking murderers’ row,” Hewett said. “We go from this to Monterey, and they ain’t no joke. We go to Palma; I hear they’re OK. Then we got Salinas; they’re not bad. That’s what this league is. There’s no chumps in this A-league. We like the challenge, but every now and again it would be nice to get a little bit of a break.”

Pajaro Valley 28, Marina 19

MONTEREY >> Jose Perez rushed for 230 yards and two touchdowns, and the Grizzlies won their PCAL Santa Lucia Division opener at Monterey Peninsula College on Friday night.

Adrian Mendoza rushed for 99 yards and two touchdowns for the Grizzlies (2-3, 1-0), who snapped a three-game losing streak.

The Grizzlies’ Izaak Ocampo made a pair of interceptions.

Pajaro Valley plays at Santa Cruz on Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m.

Stevenson 55, Harbor 18

SANTA CRUZ >> Andres Martinez threw for a pair of touchdowns in Harbor’s loss in the team’s PCAL Santa Lucia Division opener on Friday night.

Martinez connected with Maxwell Falconer from 65 yards out for a score, and Alberto Pegueros from 25 yards out. Fausto Gonzales scored on a 4 yard run for Harbor.

Stevenson quarterback Fin Mink completed 12 of 14 passes for 210 yards and four touchdown. He also ran for a touchdown.

Harbor threw three interceptions, and two of them resulted in 14 points for Stevenson. Flint Dickson returned his interception 55 yards for a touchdown, and Jett Jones returned his pick 44 yards for a score.