Four of five Hollister teams win, Pee Wees and Midgets clinch
playoff berths with their victories
The Hollister Vikings saved their best for last as four out of five teams won for the first time since the opening weekend of the season. Several of the wins were critical, including the Midgets victory that secured them a playoff berth, and the Pee Wee’s win that gave them the top seed.
But none of the victories was more important than that of the Junior Midget Vikings, who won their first game since the Jamboree, and avenged a season of frustration by shutting down a playoff bound offensive powerhouse.
From the outset, it was evident that the Almaden Mustangs were not going to have things their way as Matt Martinez spearheaded a defense that stymied them over and over throughout the first half. Spectacular punts by Josh Villegas kept Almaden deep in their own territory most of the time. When the Mustangs finally did get a drive going, successive stops by Alex Alvarez, Anthony Munoz and Cooper Sepulveda stopped them in their tracks. However, Almaden contained the struggling Hollister offense, and the game was tied 0-0 at halftime.
Early in the third quarter, the Vikings got the break they needed when their special teams blocked a punt that was recovered by Alvarez inside the 20. Moments later, Jordan Ashford burst 15 yards up the middle into the end zone. They tried for a two point kick, and the bad snap was picked up by James Flook, who ran into the end zone for a one-point conversion.
The Viking defense continued to harass and intimidate the Mustangs as Sepulveda recovered a fumble and Ashford, Flook and Martinez all made big tackles to stop a long Almaden drive, much as they had done in the first half.
Finally the Mustangs started moving more decisively against a tiring Hollister defense, but a huge interception by Villegas ended that drive with 2:20 remaining. The Vikings got an insurance score moments later when Andre Cornell broke a 60-yard run down the right sideline. Sepulveda made good on the two-point conversion to make the final score 15-0.
Pee Wee
Hollister Vikings 28
Almaden Mustangs 25
In a game that would decide the division championship, Hollister won their crown the hard way, allowing Almaden to score 19 points in the first half before roaring back for a come-from-behind win.
Hollister actually scored first on the second play of the game as Tyler Decker floated a beautiful bomb over the Almaden defense, and it was snagged by Isaac Navarette for a 54-yard touchdown. Tyler Pina’s kick made it 8-0 Vikings. But Almaden scored on their first three possessions, exploiting gaps in the Hollister defense that had gone undiscovered by their previous opponents. Almaden’s first two conversions were blocked by Ryan Disalvo and Jared Lantis, so the Mustangs led 12-8.
The Vikings got back on the board with a 45-yard run by Justin Raine, and temporarily led 16-12. But two big plays later, Almaden was back in the lead, 19-12. The next time the Mustangs got the ball, Hollister began to put the brakes on their offense as DiSalvo got a big QB sack, and Adolfo Davila made two tackles in the backfield to force a punt. Hollister got back in the lead just before halftime after a 20-yard reverse run by Isaac Navarette and a 44-yard rumble by Nathan Castro gave the Vikings a first and goal at the 2. Decker snuck over from the one-yard line to give Hollister a 22-19 lead.
Almaden had two minutes of clock to work with, plenty of time for them, but Hollister forced a fumble that was recovered by Jonathan Huaracha to preserve the lead at halftime. Hollister extended its lead early in the second half as Raine broke a 45-yard run on Hollister’s first possession. The Viking defense took control of the game as DiSalvo and Adrian Soto each made big tackles to pin Almaden back deep. But Hollister found that the Mustangs defense had stiffened as well, and they bent, but didn’t break for the rest of the game.
Midway through the fourth quarter, the Mustangs finally began to drive as the Hollister defense went into prevent mode to avert the big scoring play. Almaden scored, but it took them five minutes, and made the score 28-25 Hollister with only two minutes remaining. However, the Mustangs had managed the clock well and had all three time outs, and they were able to use them defensively and force the Vikings three and out. With 1:32 remaining, Castro snuffed the Almaden punt returner, but the Mustangs were in business on their own 40.
Almaden tried to pass but cornerback Gregory Vasquez stepped up to make some big plays and deny any long completions. On third down, Lantis sacked the halfback on an option play to bring up fourth and long. The Mustangs tried the long pass, but it was broken up by Navarette to end the game.
Midget
Hollister Vikings 30
Almaden Mustangs 0
The Midget Vikings returned to dominant form, running away from a team that had an identical record going in to the contest. Hollister looked impressive from the opening kickoff, driving 65 yards to paydirt and scoring on a 14 yard run by Tyler Benitez.
The defense kept the game going in Hollister’s direction as Bryan Garza sacked the quarterback and Brandon Pina broke up a pass to force a quick punt. Moments later, Pina was in the end zone after catching a 30-yard pass from quarterback Felix Cortez. Again the Hollister defense forced a quick punt as the defense kept Almaden going in reverse. The Mustangs punter boomed an incredible kick, but their punt team could not catch the speedy Anthony Flores as he burst down the left sideline for an 80-yard punt return touchdown.
Tito Lizarraga made the third of his three two-point kicks, and Hollister led 24-0 just nine minutes into the game. Hollister refused to let up as Cortez broke up one pass and Pina picked off another, returning it 50 yards. Nick Acosta added the Vikings final tally on a six yard run early in the third quarter. The Vikings have qualified for the playoffs based on their 5-3 record.
Junior Pee Wee
Almaden Mustangs 40
Hollister Vikings 12
The Vikings dropped their seventh straight game as Almaden took advantage of good field position to score on several short drives to build up an early lead. Hollister responded with their only kick return touchdown of the season as Mikey Koroluk raced 60 yards with the ball. But Almaden got the momentum back by scoring quickly on a long run of their own and the rout was on.
The Vikings offense showed signs of life in the second quarter when Garrett Avina hooked up with Koroluk on a 40-yard pass play. But the Mustangs stopped that drive, and led 27-6 at halftime. Hollister got back on the board in the third period when Eddie Munoz broke a 43 yard run. Almaden got a long kick return going after that score, but Conner Bernal saved a touchdown with a great tackle.
Mighty Mite
Hollister Vikings 28
Almaden Mustangs 7
Hollister’s Mighty Mites finished an unbeaten season with a lopsided win over a team that promised to be one of their toughest opponents. Chris Cook started his usual fireworks on the game’s first play with a 60-yard kick return. But it was ten yards shy of the end zone, and Hollister never got the last ten thanks to a solid Mustang defense that demanded respect early.
Almaden took the ball and marched downfield for a score to go up 7-0. On their next possession, Cook got several good runs to get Hollister close, but Almaden again denied the Vikings a touchdown.
The game turned in the second quarter when Hollister took the ball in Mustang territory, and scored in two plays. Cody Freitas ripped off an 18 yard run to the Mustang 10, and then scored on another 18-yard run after a penalty had backed the Vikings up. Hollister got the ball back quickly as Aaron Tobia, Dylan Yamasaki, John Canes and Dominic Padilla made big hits to force the Mustangs out. Now the Vikings attacked through the air as Tyler Fhurong completed a 20-yard pass to Joshua George. Fhurong called his own number and ran the ball to the 2.
From there, Freitas plunged into the end zone for his second TD of the game. An interception by George gave Hollister the ball back, and the offense quickly capitalized as the Vikings took to the air again. Fhurong hit George with a 25 yard completion, and his next pass to Yamasaki covered 10 more.
Again Fhurong called his own number and ran 30 yards for the team’s third score in just eight minutes. The Vikings continued their aerial assault as Fhurong continued to throw to Cook and George. Early in the fourth quarter, the passing paid dividends as George pulled down Fhurong’s pass in the end zone to give Hollister a 28-7 lead. The Mustangs did finally move back downfield late in the game, but Fhurong and Canes made great tackles to end the game.
The Tiny Mites put on perhaps their best show of the season as Kyle Cameron ran long once, and caught a pass from Daniel Hopkins for yet another big play. The defense was paced by Juan Gutierrez who led the team in tackles, and Shane Ledesma who forced a 15-yard loss on a QB sack. Tristan Wahl also made some big plays while Andres Soto contributed several open-field tackles. Nick Trimble also recovered a fumble.
The Hollister Vikings will host a Mighty Mite invitational bowl game this Saturday, and the home team plays a 7PM. The Pee Wees first round playoff will be at 11 AM at Peterson Middle School in Sunnyvale vs. the Sunnyvale Black Knights. The Midgets play Delta Bay at 3 PM at the same location.
