Gold team also wins the Mighty Mite
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Battle of Hollister
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by a 26-6 margin over the Purple team
HOLLISTER
The Hollister gold junior pee wees, which have improved each game, played its best game of the year on Saturday afternoon when it shut out a respectable Redwood City team 13-0 to break a four-game losing streak.
The Vikings scored quickly when David San Miguel got outside for several good runs, bringing the ball to Redwood City’s 20. The Vikings then gave the ball to fullback Hunter Nye, who powered 20 more yards to the end zone to give Hollister a 6-0 lead.
Hollister’s defense smothered Redwood City once it got the ball, as Dylan Oliveras made several good tackles, including one on a breakaway runner, stopping the 49ers’ drive.
The defensive heroics continued in the second quarter when Ishmael Medina made a big quarterback sack to force a punt. The Redwood City center made a bad snap and the 49ers could not get the punt off, however, and Hollister took over on the Redwood City 22.
But the 49ers defense rose to the occasion and Hollister did not get another score in the first half. The Vikings defense, meanwhile, continued to swarm Redwood City on every down.
Tristan Wahl and Oliveras made several good tackles, and San Miguel made a tackle on fourth down to stop a 49ers drive and ensure they would not score before halftime.
In the third quarter, Nye recovered a 49er fumble and Andres Soto broke a 68-yard run for a touchdown, with San Miguel running in the extra point to make it a 13-0 game.
Wahl made a big sack to thwart the 49ers’ next possession, and San Miguel broke two long runs to give Hollister a first down at the Redwood City 11. The 49ers defense, however, protected their end zone.
Redwood City tried to rally late in the game, but Wahl chased the 49er quarterback 22 yards backward, forcing a fumble he recovered to end Redwood City’s last gasp.
Junior Midget
Hollister Vikings 27, Coyote Creek Wildcats 13
Of the four Hollister teams that played Coyote Creek on Saturday, the Hollister junior midgets were the only one to come away with a win – a 27-13 victory over the Wildcats.
The game did not begin well for Hollister as the Wildcats’ defense forced a three-and-out, while the offense then began a long, slow drive that used up almost eight minutes of clock.
The Vikings appeared to have Coyote Creek stopped several times; Jordan Goldstein sacked the quarterback for an 11-yard loss. But Coyote Creek got a big outside run to get a first down.
Goldstein later forced a 5-yard loss with a backfield tackle, but the Wildcats again got outside on a sweep to give them a first-and-goal. Christopher Cook, Braulio Ornelas and Dustin Borba each made good tackles to keep them out of the end zone, but the Wildcats finally scored on fourth down to take a 7-0 lead.
It took the Vikings only a minute to strike back, though. Cook returned the kickoff deep into Coyote Creek territory and Brandon Oliveras’ 13-yard run gave the Vikings a first down at the 2. Cook plunged in to make the score 7-6 after the two-point kick was blocked.
On its ensuing possession, Olivares made a big backfield tackle and Joe Horn threw a Coyote Creek receiver for a loss on a screen pass, giving the Vikings the ball back.
Hollister quarterback Tyler Fhurong threw to Mavrick Enz, who made an acrobatic catch, and the Vikings were once again knocking on the Wildcats’ door. But a Hollister fumble brought the drive to an abrupt end, and the Wildcats capitalized on the turnover by hitting a long pass play.
Bryan Noble saved a touchdown with his tackle, but Coyote Creek had a first down at the Hollister 25, and it eventually scored to take a 13-6 lead into halftime.
The Vikings defense rose up to stop the Wildcats’ momentum early in the third quarter when Christopher Cook and Kenny Lee covered a deep opening kickoff by Olivares, tackling the returner on the Coyote Creek 7-yard line. The Wildcats again tried a screen pass, and Enz forced a loss with a big tackle and Coyote Creek had to punt from its end zone.
The punt was partially blocked by Goldstein and Nene Estrada recovered on the 12. Hollister was unable to capitalize on the great field position, however, and Coyote Creek got the ball back.
The Wildcats were unable to advance the ball again, though, and were forced to punt it away, giving Hollister the ball on the Wildcats 32. Olivares ran 15 yards on the first play, then runs by Olivares and Cook gave the Vikings a first-and-goal on the 4. Olivares scored on a 4-yard run to cut the margin to one point.
The Vikings defense continued to control the game as Lee made a big backfield tackle resulting in a 6-yard loss, and Goldstein’s pass rush forced a wayward throw that fell incomplete. On third down Coyote Creek tried the outside run again, but instead of daylight, the halfback found Alex Copado, who made the tackle to force another punt.
The Vikings had another first-and-goal after Cook returned the punt 25 yards, but Hollister fumbled away yet another opportunity. This time, however, the defense took matters into its own hands as Olivares upended a Coyote Creek runner in the end zone for a safety, and Hollister led 14-13 as a result.
The Wildcats kicked off out of bounds, but Cook ran for 52 yards and a touchdown on the Vikings’ first play from scrimmage to give Hollister a seven-point lead. The defense then did its part to make sure the lead held up as Enz and Copado broke up pass plays to get the ball back for the Vikings
Hollister’s Fhurong was intercepted, though, but the Vikings defense was shutting down plays that had worked earlier for the Wildcats. Noble contained the sweep on first down, then Wanblee Sanchez stuffed the reverse for a loss. Coyote Creek went back to the pass, but Lee tackled the receiver short of the first down.
On fourth-and-five, Enz and Cook defended the pass and the Vikings got the ball back.
But the Wildcats defense dug their heels in, forcing a punt, and a bad snap gave the Wildcats the ball on the Vikings 33. The Vikings managed to stop Coyote Creek again as Goldstein registered another quarterback sack and Olivares had one more backfield tackle.
Hollister added an insurance touchdown when Olivares broke a long run for 42 yards to paydirt.
Junior Pee Wee (Purple)
Hollister Vikings 0, Coyote Creek Wildcats 0
The Vikings dominated their opponents physically, but made a multitude of mistakes that cost the team a win against Coyote Creek, including many offensive penalties and turnovers that led to a scoreless tie last weekend.
The Wildcats completed a long pass on the first play of the game, but Elijah Changco made a touchdown-saving tackle. Clay Schwall and Marcos Flores followed up with big tackles to stop the Wildcats dead in their tracks.
Coyote Creek got the ball back quickly, but the defense was ready as Flores, Changco, Jacob Ryder and Kyle Cameron all made backfield tackles to thwart the Wildcats again.
Meanwhile, Hollister could not move against a stubborn Coyote Creek defense, but punter Shraee Harrison booted a 53-yard punt to keep the Wildcats deep in their own territory. After a big tackle by Dominick Johnson and a broken-up pass by Cameron, the Wildcats punted again.
Ryder returned the kick 25 yards, breaking tackles to give his team the game’s first big break. But Hollister fumbled the ball away – the first of three fumbles that the team would lose, all of which would thwart scoring opportunities.
Flores and Tanner Okerson sacked Coyote Creek backs to get the ball for the Vikings, and Harrison’s 21-yard burst gave them a first-and-goal at the 10. But time expired before they could punch the ball across the goal line.
The second half began the same way with Cameron breaking a 30-yard run deep into Coyote Creek territory, but Hollister fumbled once more. The defense again stopped the Wildcats cold, and Nathan Fhurong ran 34 yards for a first down at the 26.
Harrison then ran to the 10 for a first-and-goal, but once again the Wildcats stiffened and stopped the drive. The Vikings defense gave their team another opportunity as Flores, Michael Barrientos and Jacob Zamora made big tackles, and Hollister took the ball on Coyote Creek’s 21. But once more, a fumble ended the opportunity.
Coyote Creek’s offense responded with a big pass play, but Nick Trimble made a touchdown-saving tackle, and the Wildcats’ drive stopped there as Okerson made a big sack on fourth down.
The Vikings had one minute and 49 seconds to move downfield. Trimble passed to Fhurong for 12 yards and Harrison followed up with a 20-yard run, but Coyote Creek stopped the Vikings’ final drive to preserve the 0-0 tie.
Pee Wee
Coyote Creek Wildcats 31, Hollister Vikings 0
It was a battle of two undefeated teams, but in the end the pee wee Wildcats remained the scourge of the league after a 31-0 shutout of the Vikings.
The Wildcats recovered an onside kick to start the game and quickly got a first down, but the Vikings defense put the brakes on the Wildcats’ early momentum as two big backfield tackles by Kyle George and Andrew Huaracha ended the drive.
After Coyote Creek stopped Hollister quickly, it moved the ball again to the Hollister goal line. But the Vikings put up an incredible stand as George made a tackle to force a loss on a sweep play, while Jonathan Mendoza made three successive tackles to deny the Wildcats the end zone.
The first quarter was scoreless, but Coyote Creek finally got around the Vikings’ defense in the second quarter, scoring three times to take an insurmountable 19-0 lead.
Midget
Coyote Creek Wildcats 29, Hollister Vikings 8
The Coyote Creek midget Wildcats dominated Hollister as they have most of their opponents to a 29-8 victory last weekend, but the Vikings became only the second of six opponents to score against the Coyote Creek powerhouse.
Quarterback Tyler Tobia connected with Cody McGrew on a 13-yard touchdown pass late in the game, and John Canes added a two-point kick. The pair also connected on several other passes during the game.
Mighty Mite
Hollister Vikings Gold 26, Hollister Vikings Purple 6
The Hollister Gold Vikings prevailed in the “Battle of Hollister” by a 26-6 margin over the Hollister Purple Vikings. It was the first time two Hollister Pop Warner teams had ever squared off against one another.
The Gold team built off momentum it had established in recent weeks as the offense performed almost flawlessly, beginning with fullback Jonathan Gonzalez’ 38-yard touchdown run up the middle run early in the game. Gold took a 12-point lead on its next possession when Aiden Lyon and Ernesto Sanchez had strong runs up the middle, and Cade Neece followed with a 13-yard run for the second score.
The Purple Vikings found their footing late in the first half as Owen Miller made a big tackle to stop a third drive by the Gold team. When Purple got the ball back, Jack Breger exploded down the right sideline for a 75-yard touchdown run to pull within six points.
When Gold took possession, they appeared headed for another score as Gonzalez broke several good runs up the middle, while Neece passed to Sean Nelson for 20 yards. The Purple defense stiffened inside the 10 when Andrew Hoefling, Diego Ramirez and Jordan Plesek made big tackles in succession to keep the Gold team out of the end zone. But the Gold defense scored when Kane DeAlba sacked quarterback Javier Valdez for a safety, supplying the Gold team with a 14-6 halftime lead.
The Gold team’s offense all but put the game out of reach early in the third quarter when Neece made several good runs, then passed to Nelson again for a 20-yard gain. Matthew Trimble scored on an 8-yard touchdown run to make the score 20-6.
The Gold defense was swarming as Matthew Hernandez, Dawson Biersdorff and Markie Martinez made big tackles to stop the Purple team. Christopher Leist and Jonathan Ramos also made some big tackles on outside runs. But the Purple defense also stiffened as Joseph Loredo, Michael Esparza and Valdez spearheaded a defensive effort that stopped Gold twice in succession.
Finally, the Gold offense drove once more under the direction of Brody Cascio, who scored his first touchdown of the year on a 6-yard run late in the game to make the final score 26-6.
In other games, the tiny mite Vikings played against Coyote Creek early Saturday morning. The team had difficulty moving the ball on offense, but several Vikings made good defensive plays, including Daniel Dominguez, Anthony Sanchez, AJ Flores and Isaac Gutierrez, each of whom made several tackles. Isaiah Saldana sacked the Coyote Creek quarterback.
All of Hollister’s cheerleading teams were in competition this weekend as well at the Peninsula Invitational in Mountain View.
The pee wee team brought home the second-place trophy for its division, while the midgets took third. The junior pee wee team also competed and the tiny mites/mighty mites, which cannot yet compete, put on a demonstration routine.
The invitational is a warm-up for the Cheer Championships, which will be held Oct. 24 at Santa Clara University. The top three cheer squads in each age group will advance to compete for a regional, and possibly even a national title.
Hollister goes on the road this weekend. Most teams will be playing against the South Valley Grizzlies at Gunderson High School on Sunday.
