Co-Champions Again

Defending the Banner

Spencer Fogelquist stared at the championship banner and the word that bothered him most wasn't 'Champion' — it was 'Co.' The Scotts Valley star told the Sentinel he couldn't stomach sharing the title. Neither could Aptos. Scotts Valley had run the table in 2011 league play at 8-0, but Aptos stunned them 10-9 in the SCCAL tournament final to share the title. Both entered 2012 determined to settle the question for good.

Coach Paul Murtha, now in his fifth season, built a non-league schedule designed to toughen his squad. Road trips to Archbishop Mitty (L 6-8) and Saratoga (L 7-10) tested the Mariners against Bay Area programs with deeper rosters. A 5-17 loss to Menlo-Atherton was a reminder of the gap between the Santa Cruz Coast and the peninsula.

But inside league lines, the Mariners were untouchable. Ryan Corley and Tyler Sweeney-Marquez shut down opposing attacks, and Sage Parker ran the midfield like he owned it.

The Championship Chase

The season's defining moment came on March 23 at Trevin Dilfer Memorial Field. Scotts Valley arrived unbeaten in league — the Falcons wanted their banner to read "Champion," not "Co-Champion." Aptos wanted the same thing. For 46 minutes, neither team could pull away. Then, with 1:30 remaining in a 7-7 game, Sage Parker pounced on a Josh Wagoner deflection and buried it. Aptos 8, Scotts Valley 7. First place in the SCCAL.

Goalkeeper Weston White was immense, making nine saves to keep the Falcons at their lowest goal total of the season. Josh Wagoner and Isaac Destour each scored twice, but it was Parker's composure in the final minutes that separated the two best teams in the league.

The Mariners rolled on. Nick Wameling netted a hat trick in a 12-3 win over Watsonville, with Josh Wagoner, Tyler Price, and Colton Lawler each adding two goals. The following week, Aptos demolished Harbor 15-1 to improve to 6-0 in league play. Every loss came outside of league — Stevenson, Saratoga, Menlo-Atherton — against programs from bigger divisions with deeper benches. In the SCCAL, nobody could touch them.

Co-Champions

The Mariners dominated the back half of the schedule. Shutouts of Santa Cruz (10-0) and a remarkable 1-0 grind against Soquel demonstrated a defensive identity that had been building all season. Corley and Sweeney-Marquez smothered opposing attacks, and White handled whatever slipped through.

But Scotts Valley answered. In the home rematch, the Falcons jumped on Aptos early and cruised to a 10-6 win — their only league victory over the Mariners all season, and enough to ensure the title would be shared once again. Both teams finished 9-1. Each team's only league loss? Against the other. For the second straight year, the banner would read 'Co-Champions' — and for the second straight year, neither side would be fully satisfied.

At the All-SCCAL awards ceremony, Sage Parker earned First Team honors after a 30-goal, 35-assist season — 65 points that drove the Mariners' offense. Ryan Corley and Tyler Sweeney-Marquez shared Defenseman of the Year, recognition of the unit that held league opponents to single digits in 9 of 10 games. The "Co-" still stung. But 16-5 with a league title spoke for itself. The victory secured a third consecutive SCCAL championship — a three-peat that was becoming a dynasty.

The Goalkeepers

Weston White was the last line of a defense that defined the 2012 season. In the biggest game of the year — the March showdown with Scotts Valley — White made nine saves to hold the Falcons to their lowest goal total of the season. He added five saves in the Watsonville win and was a steady presence behind a defensive unit led by Ryan Corley and Tyler Sweeney-Marquez.