Watsonville at Santa Cruz — Cardinals host Wildcatz on Thursday, Aug. 28
Santa Cruz High School -
Watsonville travels to Santa Cruz for a nonleague meeting on Thursday, Aug. 28. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. PDT at Santa Cruz High School. The Santa Cruz Cardinals (0-0) will host the Watsonville Wildcatz (0-0) in a matchup that pits two neighboring programs against each other to open the season.
Quick hits
- Game page: https://scorebooklive.com/california/football/games/5391490-watsonville-vs-santa-cruz
- Home: Santa Cruz Cardinals — https://scorebooklive.com/california/football/teams/235484-santa-cruz-cardinals-jv
- Away: Watsonville Wildcatz — https://scorebooklive.com/california/football/teams/234756-watsonville-wildcatz-jv
- Location: Santa Cruz High School
- Date/time: Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025 — 5 p.m. PDT
Why this one matters
These two Peninsula rivals last met on Sept. 6, 2024, at Watsonville High School, where Watsonville came away with a 42-7 victory. Both teams open the 2025 slate looking to establish an early identity — Santa Cruz at home and Watsonville aiming to show it can duplicate last year’s result on the road. Expect a physical tilt and a crowd that knows the players and coaches on both sidelines.
Streaming and tickets
- Games involving both schools are often available on NFHS Network. You can check streaming availability here:
- Santa Cruz NFHS Network: https://nfhsnetwork.com/schools/santa-cruz-high-school-santa-cruz-ca/football?referrer_name=scorebooklive&utm_campaign=scorebooklive&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=scorebooklive
- Watsonville NFHS Network: https://nfhsnetwork.com/schools/watsonville-high-school-watsonville-ca/football?referrer_name=scorebooklive&utm_campaign=scorebooklive&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=scorebooklive
Follow, pick and engage
Follow both teams on SBLive to get roster updates, scores and video links: Santa Cruz and Watsonville. Fan counts and pick’em totals shown on team pages can change — follow the teams to increase fan counts and join the conversation. Picks are for fun and fan engagement and are not tied to any official win projections.
Stay tuned to the game page for updates, final rosters and any streaming/ticket announcements as kickoff approaches.