SOQUEL >> It was just a matter of time. Soquel High’s football team had shined on defense and sputtered on offense in its first two games this season. If it could find a way to put a few more points on the board, it had a chance to earn a special win in their brutal lineup of opponents.

The Knights pieced it together Friday and delivered one their impressive regular-season wins under seventh-year head coach Dwight Lowery.

The defending CIF Division 4-AA state champion Knights, ranked No. 5 in the Central Coast Section by maxpreps.com, knocked off the No. 9 Valley Christian of San Jose, a seven-time section champion, 27-10 in the teams’ nonleague game.

It is Soquel’s first win over a West Catholic Athletic League team since it beat Sacred Heart Cathedral 54-35 in a nonleague contest on Oct. 25, 2003. Knights fans remember that game well. So does Lowery, a former All-American defensive back at San Jose State University who played nine seasons in the NFL. The former Knights’ quarterback/running back/receiver scored a county-record seven touchdowns in the victory.

The Knights entered Friday’s game ranked 78th in California despite opening the season with back-to-back, 14-7 losses. Granted, those losses came against No. 28 state-ranked San Ramon Valley of Danville and No. 33 Los Gatos, also a state finalist in 2023.

Sam Whelan, Jayden Bright, Hudson Summerrill and Kelton Forbus scored touchdowns against the Warriors (1-2), who were coming off a 24-7 loss to Salinas, a league foe of the Knights’.

Whelan scored on a 62-yard run and completed a scoring pass to Summerrill. Bright scored on a 99-yard kickoff return. And Forbus, who sat out last week’s game with a concussion, scored on a 1-yard run.

The Knights’ defense recorded a pair of interceptions, both made by Jake Escalante.

“I thought as the game went on that we finally displayed some good complementary football,” Lowery said. “Defense had a good stand on the goal line to force a field goal, and first play of the second half we scored on a kick return. Offense started to come alive afterward and our defense got a couple of turnovers. Much better team ball tonight.”

The Knights (1-2) look to add to their success on Sept. 21, when they play at Scotts Valley at 2 p.m. The Falcons are the defending Pacific Coast Athletic League Mission Division North champions.

St. Francis 28, Greenfield 21, OT

GREENFIELD >> Quarterback Javier Fonseca scored a five-yard run on fourth down in overtime, and the Falcons’ defense sealed the nonleague win Friday night.

Joseph Dayritt scored on a pair of runs in the second quarter, from 25 and 14 yards, to give the Sharks a 13-0 lead at the half.

The Bruins scored in the third quarter, but Coy Jordan scored on a 20-yard run in the fourth and Fonseca ran in a two-point conversion to put the Sharks ahead 21-7. But Greenfield, a CCS Division IV qualifier in ’23, produced two unanswered scores to force overtime.

After Fonzeca produced the decisive score, Sharks defenders Nick Paz and Nic Ibarra applied pressure on the last play to seal the win.

“I couldn’t be more proud of how our team handled adversity against a good Greenfield team,” Sharks coach John Ausman said. “The Nic(k)s up front had a great game for us.”

St. Francis (2-1) play at Harbor (1-1) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

Carlmont 48, MVC 28

WATSONVILLE >> Senior receiver Nico Downie broke a pair of school records in the Mustangs’ nonleague loss Friday night.

Senior quarterback Dominic Pierini completed 27 of 39 passes for 423 yards. He threw four touchdown passes and a pair of interceptions.

Downie had 12 catches for 261 yards and two touchdowns. With his big night, Downie has 2,238 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns in his career. He broke Matt Griffin’s receiving yards mark of 1,992 and Austin Daich’s receiving touchdowns mark of 22. Griffin last played for MVC in 2008 and Daich in ’12.

Nate Collins had six catches for 102 yards and a touchdown. Max Torres also had a touchdown reception.

MVC linebacker Gunner Sorensen made 10 tackles and recorded an interception, defensive back Boston Ashe made six tackles and recorded an interception, and linebacker Dylan Rush had four tackles and recovered a fumble. Defensive back Rykin Resurreccion made a team-high 13 tackles and Torres, who also plays linebacker, made 12 stops. Lineman Michael Van Dierendonck had three tackles and a sack.

MVC (1-2) hosts Everett Alvarez (2-1) on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Denair 44, Pajaro Valley 23

DENAIR >> The Grizzlies suffered the loss in their nonleague road game Friday night.

Pajaro Valley (1-2) hosts Watsonville (1-2) in the Belgard Kup rivalry series on Sept. 21 at 12:30 p.m.