The Hollister Vikings will travel more than 2,800 miles to play
in the Pop Warner Super Bowl in Orlando, Fla., next week. Forgive
them if they’re taking it seriously.
The Hollister Vikings will travel more than 2,800 miles to play in the Pop Warner Super Bowl in Orlando, Fla., next week. Forgive them if they’re taking it seriously.
On Thursday, the Junior Pee Wee Vikings had their final practice of the week in Hollister, and acted more as a regimented Army battalion than mere 10-year-olds.
Warm-ups were met without gripe, stretching was answered in succinct “yes, sir” fashion, and all that was missing from a warm-up lap around the field was the military cadence of “I don’t know what I’ve been told …”
Yes, the Vikings are about as ready as they’re going to be. Now, it’s just a matter of playing the games.
“We’ve got to play hard football – have fun – but we’ve got to play hard as a team,” said Chris Cook, a running back and linebacker for the Vikings. “You don’t want to lose because it just doesn’t feel good. It’s the whole reason we’re there (in Florida), to play for a championship.”
The Vikings will be one of four teams looking to capture national supremacy next week, along with the Orange Park Cyclones (Florida), the Belmont Red Raiders (North Carolina) and the Fairfield Giants (Connecticut).
The Vikings will open with the Cyclones on Tuesday, and a win there would propel the undefeated Vikings into the national championship against the winner of the Belmont-Fairfield matchup.
Last year, the Junior Pee Wees finished third in the nation after falling to Watchung Hills (New Jersey) 13-12 in the opening round. In the consolation, though, the Vikings routed the Blue Springs Gators (Mississippi) 26-6 to finish third.
And with 10 Vikings returning to this year’s Florida-bound squad, Hollister will have a leg up on the competition going in.
“We’re the only team that returned from last year,” said head coach Gino Andrade. “We know what to expect … Some of them are wide-eyed, but they know we have to play two football games …”
Whether they were on the Junior Pee Wees last year or not, the players themselves know of what happened. Said quarterback Tyler Fhurong, “We don’t want what happened last year.”
Added Joshua George, “Short memory.”
“If we have a bad play,” Cook said, “just forget it and move on.”
Hollister compiled a 13-0 record after earning the Pacific Northwest Regional Championship last weekend with a 34-6 blowout against the Washington Jets.
One week prior, Hollister cruised to a 28-0 win against the Vacaville Bengals, and defeated Gilroy 32-6 in the Peninsula Pop Warner Championship on Nov. 11.
“It’s not new to us because we already know we’ll be playing tough teams just like us,” lineman Dustin Borba said.
With few challengers so far, Andrade says the team’s strength is in its unity, from top to bottom.
“Our strength is that we play as a team,” he said. “The kids get it. They’re not out here confused. It starts with the coaching staff. They know the game. They’ve all played it and are out here for the kids.”
And the team related the same sentiment. With experience carrying over from last year’s squad, the Vikings see themselves as an overall better football team.
Said lineman Marc Martindelcampo, “I think the team is better than last year,” while Enrique Rodriguez said, “A lot of kids are stepping up … and the coaches made a difference, too.”
“We’re just a hard-hitting team,” said linebacker Phillip Castro. “We’re just gonna pound it out.”
The Vikings will be in Florida for one week, with the opening round game on Tuesday. The team’s second game is scheduled for Friday, and they’ll be joined by two cheerleading squads as well. The Junior Pee Wee Cheerleaders will compete on Monday and the Pee Wee Cheerleaders will compete on Wednesday.
Although the Vikings will be surrounded by the glitz and the glamour that is Disney World, for them, it seems to be all business from here on out.
“We prepare every week for the teams to be just like us,” Andrade said. “We’ve told the kids, ‘Don’t worry what their records are.’ And I think it makes our kids work harder every week.”
Said tight end and linebacker Cody Freitas, “Don’t stop playing hard until the final whistle blows.”
