WATSONVILLE >> Aptos High’s football team had everything to lose and little to gain as it resumed its Black & Blue Bowl rivalry series with foe Watsonville on Friday night.

The Mariners, a five-time Central Coast Section champion who competes in the top tier of the Pacific Coast Athletic League, would be disappointed if it didn’t stomp an improved Wildcatz squad in the teams’ nonleague battle. And the Wildcatz, who compete in the middle tier of the PCAL equity league, were out to prove that the Mariners were no longer among the section’s elite programs and needed to be knocked down a rung.Each team showed its mettle, but the Mariners pulled away in the second half for a 25-0 win in front of 1,800 enthusiastic fans.

“I’m excited I got to play against all my old friends. And we won, too. That’s the best part. I get to have a little bragging rights after,” said Aptos receiver/defensive back Ryan Solorio, who is one of several Mariners who lives in Watsonville.

With Aptos in a different class, the teams’ rivalry has been nonexistent for much of the past decade. The teams last played three years ago during the COVID-19 shortened 2021 spring season and Aptos prevailed 55-0. Before that, the teams played in ’14 and the Mariners rolled 56-0.

The Mariners, under first-year head coach Zach Hewett and coming off a 2-8 campaign, accepted the invitation from Watsonville to resume the series this season, and the Wildcats were intent on turning the tide.

“It’s definitely just the fact that they’re Watsonville,” Solorio said of the rivalry. “They’re not a powerhouse team. They wanted to play us this year. They felt they were capable of beating us and making us look soft. So we came out here and we wanted to answer them. We gave them an answer and I’m proud of my team.”

“I had a fair amount of anxiety about this game,” Hewett said, “because it’s like, ‘win a little, lose a lot.’ And they came out and they made us earn it. Hats off to them. They were playing hard, playing with intensity and emotion, which is what I expected.”

Aptos was held to just one score in the first half and led 7-0 at the break. Moises Torres hauled in a 29-yard pass from quarterback Joshua Bermio with 4:14 left in the second quarter to cap a three-play 50-yard drive.

The Mariners threatened to add to their lead on their final possession of the first half, but time expired as Wildcatz defender Nathaniel Aguilar stopped Casey Macconnell after a 5-yard gain to the 2-yard line on a first-and-goal play.

The Wildcatz caught a break. The scoreboard lights went out multiple times in the first half, and there was a 1-minute, 5-second disparity between the game clock in the press box, which is still functional when the scoreboard lights go out, and the on-field time kept by officials when the first quarter “ended.” The head official elected to go with his time.

The Wildcatz, who recorded four sacks in the first half, including two from Marcos Villalta and one from Adan Magana, did big things on defense early on.

“Defensively, we played great,” Villalta said. “We think we’ve got one of the better defenses out there right now.”

Watsonville carried momentum into the half. And Aptos wasn’t pleased with its showing.

“On offense, we were moving the ball fine,” Hewett said. “It’s just like, ‘Stop making procedure penalties, line up properly …’ But at halftime, I told them, ‘We’re going to get the ball back. Let drive down and put one in the end zone. And let’s build on that.’ But then we housed it and it wasn’t a problem.”

Solorio returned the opening kickoff in the second half 75 yards for a touchdown.

“Once I took it to the crib, it made us feel a lot better,” Solorio said. “My wedge block was so good on that play. That was perfect. I saw that crack. I just hesitated for a second and shot out.”

“Anytime you get a special teams touchdown it’s a huge momentum swing,” Hewett said.

In addition to penalties and turnovers, Watsonville dropped a handful of passes, including one for a potential massive gain — maybe, even a touchdown — in the third quarter.

DeSean Gomez recovered a fumble the setup Nate Garcia’s 3-yard scoring run later in the third quarter.

Deric Moren capped scoring with his 49-yard run up the left side to culminate a seven-play, 80-yard drive.

Aptos finished with two fumble recoveries and two interceptions. Gavin Boston and Draevin Bartlett made picks, and Keiran McCue, Julian Torres, and Scott Catesi teamed up for a sack.

Aptos’ Dylan Guisado finished with 12 carries for 91 yards.

“We put up a fight with Aptos; I think we can beat anyone in our league,” Villalta said. “We just got to get in a better mental state (on offense). Mentally, I think we killed ourselves today. We had a lot of momentum swings, highs and mostly lows.”

Watsonville running back Alex Arevalo ran for 49 yards on 13 carries, and Luis Marquez had four catches for 30 yards.

It was Aptos’ first shutout since beating North Salinas 56-0 on Sept. 15, 2022.

The Mariners hope to continue their momentum when they host Seaside on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Watsonville looks to rebound against crosstown foe Pajaro Valley in the Belgard Kup rivalry series on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.