The Hollister Pop Warner teams began playoffs last week at home
in Andy Hardin Stadium.
Kitina Martin – Special to the Free Lance
The Hollister Pop Warner teams began playoffs last week at home in Andy Hardin Stadium.
While the Mitey Mites played in the Peninsula Mitey Mite Bowl, Hollister’s three playoff teams – the Junior Pee Wees, the Pee Wees and the Midgets – all won their playoff games and will continue on this weekend.
The Junior Pee Wees will host the West Bay Rams in Hollister on Saturday at 11 a.m., while the Pee Wees advanced and will play at home on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Midgets also advanced to the second round and will host the Sunnyvale Rockets Saturday.
Peninsula Mitey Mite Bowl
Undefeated! That is how the season ended for the Hollister Mitey Mites this past Saturday evening.
Andy Hardin Stadium in Hollister was the sight of the Peninsula Mitey Mite Bowl where teams from across the area competed in their final game of the season.
Under the lights, the Hollister Vikings played the last game of the evening against a powerful opponent, the Campbell Wolverines. In a highly anticipated matchup, both teams came in with strong performances as they tied 6-6.
As the game opened up, Hollister took immediate control of the ball. With strong runs by Dominic Barrios, Andres Soto and Nathan Fhurong, the Vikings seemed to be on track to score. Unfortunately, the Wolverine defense held tight forcing a turnover on downs. The Hollister defense, though, was not about to give away yardage. With tackles by Tristan Wahl, Danny Perez, Daniel Hopkins, Fhurong and Barrios, the Wolverines were welcomed to Hollister in a big way.
Although the offense continued to make positive strides with carries by Josh Martin, Perez and quarterback Nick Trimble, the Campbell defense remained impenetrable. In fact, both teams went into halftime scoreless.
Coming back from the half, the Vikings were looking to make some big plays. The Hollister defense remained unyielding as they stopped the Wolverine drive time after time. Zack Mata, Ethan Enz, Colby Noble and Clay Schwall hammered away at the Wolverines in their attempt to keep Campbell from scoring.
The Viking offense too was working hard to get on the scoreboard. Following carries by Barrios and Justin Sanders, Kyle Cameron opened up the field as he made his second successful 20-plus yard run of the third quarter. Responding to the gain by Cameron, Daniel Hopkins took the quarterback keeper into the end zone putting Hollister up 6-0. The lead was short lived, however, as Campbell answered with their own touchdown on their very next drive.
The Vikings did not allow another touchdown for the remainder of the game. With strong defensive plays by Cobi Armstrong, Sam Olguin, Sanders and a final tackle by Hopkins, the game ended in a 6-6 tie.
As the Mitey Mites end their season, there can be no doubt that the team’s success is reflective of the young men who have dedicated the last three months to working together as a team. They include: Nathan Fhurong, Keegan Mottau, Danny Perez, BJ Quintana, Darius Parks, Justin Sanders, Clay Schwall, Bobby Vivian, Nick Trimble, Daniel Hopkins, Mike Caserez, Andres Soto, Zack Mata, Josh Martin, Dyllan Greig, Kyle Cameron, Tristan Wahl, Matthew Melville, Aaron Tobia, Allan Reyes, DJ Amendt, Colby Noble, Mark Rodriguez, Nick Perez, Jeremy Wilson, Sam Olguin, Cobi Armstrong, Jonathan Mendoza, Tanner Okerson, Ethan Enz, Joey DeMaggio, Jay Martinez, Dominic Barrios and Dawson Garcia.
Junior Pee Wees
Hollister 24, Mountain View 0
The Hollister Viking Junior Pee Wees remain undefeated in their quest for the National Championship. The Vikings are now 9-0, and have advanced on to the second round of the playoffs.
Mountain View won the toss and actually moved the ball well on their first possession, but the Vikings were not going to give up points that easy. Austin Cascio ended the Marauder’s threat with an interception to give the Vikings their first possession of the game, and Chris Cook took a handoff from Tyler Fhurong and ran the ball 76 yards to put the Vikings on the board first. Fhurong would split the uprights giving Hollister an 8-0 lead.
Mountain View took possession of the ball, but it wasn’t for long. Cody Freitas recovered a fumble and the Marauders were unable to stop the Vikings. Bryan Noble ran the ball 30 yards, and on the very next play, Noble scored on a 3-yard run. Again, Fhurong split the uprights giving the Vikings a 16-0 lead early in the second quarter.
On the very next Mountain View possession, Freitas stepped in front of a Mountain View pass and rambled 35 yards to pay dirt with an interception return. Fhurong added two points to the touchdown by kicking the ball through the uprights, giving the Vikings a commanding 24-0 lead. The Marauders left the field at halftime shell shocked.
Hollister kept moving the ball throughout the rest of the game. Isaiah Caudillo had a 40-yard breakaway run, and several other good runs to keep the ball away from the Marauders. Tommy Ford, Isaias Perez and Angel Martin took turns pounding the ball, keeping it away from their opponents.
Defense played a phenomenal game, as Kenneth Perry, Kyle George, Ezzie Lovato and Phillip Castro, who displayed model teamwork, were involved in almost every defensive play. The Marauders were not able to put a single point on the board or even get close to their end zone.
Pee Wees
Hollister 26, Cambrian Valley 0
The Hollister Viking Pee Wees traveled north to Sunnyvale to face the Cambrian Valley Longhorns in the first round of playoffs.
The Vikings did not waste anytime in putting points on the board. Cambrian Valley went four-and-out, and decided to punt the ball. Angel Pasillas ran the ball 55 yards to the end zone putting Hollister on the score board first, leading the Longhorns 8-0. Cambrian Valley’s offense was not able to put anything together, and had to give the ball to the Vikings once again. Pasillas handed the ball to Cody Cameron, who ran the ball into the end zone, and after Pasillas split the uprights once again, the score was now 16-0 in favor of the Vikings in the first quarter.
The defense was stellar throughout the game, shutting down the Longhorn offense. Pasillas, Steven Morales and Damon Perez completely stopped the Longhorns in the first quarter.
The second quarter also proved to be a defensive plus for Hollister. Max Giacomazzi, Junior Munguia, Aaron Martinez, Marcus Darnell, Cameron, Pasillas and Robert Aceves all worked together to prevent the Longhorns from capitalizing on moving the ball. On offense, Edward Macias had several good carries to threaten the Cambrian Valley end zone. Brody Benitez, AJ Cervantes, Austen Ledesma and Dominic Padilla all stepped up and played a strong offensive line, giving the ball carriers and the quarterback time to put plays together. At the end of the first half, the score was 16-0 in favor of the Vikings.
The Vikings came onto the field in the second half searching for more points to put on the scoreboard. Damien Botelho and Marcus Darnell had some good runs, and Perez ran the ball 15 yards for the end zone to give the Vikings a 22-0 lead. Then Ledesma hiked the ball to Perez, who held the ball for Pasillas to kick it through the uprights to put Hollister on top 24-0.
Cambrian Valley struggled putting plays together on offense and just could not move the football towards the Viking end zone. The Vikings were very protective of their end zone during the game. Towards the end of the fourth quarter, the Vikings punted the ball and the Longhorns began an offensive drive deep in their own territory. Eddie Munoz then tackled the ball carrier for the Longhorns in the end zone to give Hollister a safety. Tyler Biersdorf, Macias, Austen Hammerstrom and Munoz carried the ball for the Vikings in the fourth quarter, while the Longhorns had one last possession that was ended by a Perez interception to seal the Longhorns’ fate.
Midgets
Hollister 30, Cambrian Valley 16
The Hollister Viking Midgets faced off against the Cambrian Valley Longhorns for the second time this season. However, the Vikings were not going to settle for a measly tie, and needed a win to advance to the second round of the playoffs.
The Vikings were not the same team the Longhorns faced in early September, and they came out and ran the ball on offense. Anthony Cervantes scored the games first two touchdowns, and with Adam Huaracha putting the ball through the uprights, Hollister was up 16-0.
The Longhorns were confused and in shock. The Viking defense prevented the Longhorns from putting any sort of offensive plays together, as Ryan DiSalvo, Isaiah Quintana, Patrick Mank and Cervantes all stepped up on the defensive side of the ball. Brandon Villar intercepted the ball and ran it into the end zone to end the first half with Hollister on top 22-0.
The Longhorns came out in the second half fighting to advance to the second round of the playoffs, and they scored 16 unanswered points in the third to have the Vikings running a little scared. Hollister pulled themselves together to prevent the Longhorns from putting any more points on the board.
DiSalvo had some big defensive plays to get the ball back to the Viking offense, and Villar ran the ball to the outside, avoiding several of the Longhorn defenders, eventually running into the end zone to put the Vikings on top 30-16. The Viking defense was able to shut down the Longhorns for the remainder of the game.
