Perfect in League. First-Ever Champions.

Aptos Girls Lax is Back

After a breakthrough second season — 8-2 in league, six All-League picks, a walk-off Senior Night — the Lady Mariners came back with unfinished business. Second place wasn't enough.

In a scrimmage against Live Oak, Aptos announced their return with a hard-fought 15-13 victory. 'Aptos Girls Lax is back!' the post declared. 'Strong start to the season with an amazing win.'

About half the team were new players — freshmen giving the sport a try for the first time — but the culture from the previous two seasons was fully established. “I think it's finding people who really love this sport,” senior Maya Rosa said. “Especially if you want to be on the field and get playing time.” These weren't players learning what it meant to be a Mariner. They already knew.

“To win the division speaks to how dedicated the players were to bettering their skills each and every week,” Coach Mager said. “We hope they will continue to be the face of the team in years to come.” The Santa Cruz Warriors Youth Lacrosse Association had been growing the sport in local schools, building a pipeline of players for future years.

Dominance Takes Shape

March was relentless. The official opener against Notre Dame wasn't close — a 12-2 victory that set the tone for what was coming. Then came Soquel, the perennial rival, and another convincing win, 12-6. 'Everyone did absolutely amazing,' the team posted. 'We couldn't be more proud of everyone.'

The wins kept coming. Monterey fell 8-3 in a game where Lauren Ashton and Gamble Kellermyer received shoutouts for their performances. Monte Vista Christian pushed the Mariners in a 13-11 thriller.

Then the floodgates opened: Santa Cruz went down 19-5, York was routed 14-1, and Santa Catalina fell 8-6 — a game where Mia Sanchez and Gia Arista were singled out for their defensive tenacity.

By the end of March, Aptos was 7-0 in league play. Last year they had been the upstart. Now they were the team everyone else was chasing.

Testing the Limits

April brought tougher competition — and the league schedule intensified. The second meeting with Notre Dame was even more lopsided than the first: 21-2. Aptos was simply on another level compared to the rest of the division.

Then came the gauntlet. Archbishop Mitty, one of the CCS's top programs, dismantled the Mariners 18-3. It was the worst loss of the season — and the kind of game that reveals how far a team still has to go. But the response was emphatic: back-to-back league wins over Soquel (19-8) and York (16-7) showed the team hadn't lost a step.

Non-league losses to Monterey (15-13) and Salinas (18-9) stung. Two defeats in two days. But the league record was still unblemished, and the Mariners had been tested in ways that league play couldn't provide. What kept the team steady through the gauntlet wasn't just talent. “We had a tremendous group of girls that supported and encouraged each other all season,” Coach Mager reflected, “built team chemistry and camaraderie and made practice a place where players enjoyed themselves.” They would need every bit of that toughness in May.

Senior Night and Championship

The final stretch of the season would define the program's legacy. First came Santa Cruz — a 12-1 demolition that clinched the Mariners' ninth consecutive league win and the program's first-ever division title. The 9-0 league record was complete. Perfect.

Non-league losses to Scotts Valley (10-23) tested the team's composure, but Senior Night on May 5th was everything the seniors had dreamed of. In front of their families and the home crowd, Aptos battled Santa Catalina in a 17-13 thriller. 'SENIOR NIGHT AND LEAGUE WINNERS!!!' the post read. The celebration was everything a championship program deserves.

The CCS play-in round brought Scotts Valley to Aptos. The Mariners fought to the end, but fell 14-16 in what Coach Mager called “a very close nail biter right to the end.” For the seniors, it was the final whistle. For the program, it was a reminder that the gap between league dominance and postseason success is the next frontier. But the numbers told the story: 11-6 overall, 9-0 in league play, division champions for the first time in program history.

The team bid farewell to eight seniors who, as Coach Mager wrote, “were responsible for a majority of the scoring and helped our defense in some tough games.” Although none committed to play varsity in college, several expressed interest in continuing at the club level. Their legacy was already secure — they were the generation that turned a startup into a champion.

Aryel Reyes Mager was named Player of the Year after scoring 66 goals — including a season-high nine in a single game. Five Mariners earned first-team All-PCAL honors. Maya Rosa finished with 33 goals and became the first girls lacrosse player in program history to be named SCCAL Athlete of the Week. She played every minute of every game. “She was a leader on the team and played aggressively on both the offensive and defensive side of the field,” Coach Mager said. “I'd like to say how very proud I am of all the girls on Aptos High's lacrosse team this season,” he wrote in his season recap. This wasn't just a season — it was a statement.