Midgets pitch shutout, junior pee wees survive scare
SAN MATEO
Two Hollister Vikings teams will advance to the semifinal round of the playoffs next weekend, while two others were eliminated.
A recap of this weekend’s games, including the Mighty Mite Bowl:
Midgets
Hollister Vikings 3, Salinas Cardinal 0
There were a lot of question marks hanging over the Vikings (4-4), who limped into the postseason after a rash of injuries and other mishaps. The team’s defense was especially suspect after it had given up thirty or more points in four of their past five games.
But on Saturday the defense came through in a big way, shutting down and shutting out the Salinas Cardinal 3-0, a team which had scored 13 touchdowns in just seven games this year.
The defensive effort was nothing short of spectacular, but the Vikings needed every bit of it just to win the game, as they faced an equally determined Cardinal defense. Like Hollister, the Salinas defense had also allowed a lot of points on the board as of late, and both teams came into this game with something to prove.
Salinas began the game by moving well on the ground, but the Hollister defense stopped the Cardinal short of the goal line on big tackles by Austin Tobia, Tyler Tobia and John Canes.
On Salinas’ second drive, the Cardinal again advanced for several first downs before big tackles by Louie Aceves and Cody McGrew put a halt to their march. Midway through the second period, the Vikings offense showed its first signs of life when Damien Botelho made several good runs to get Hollister into the red zone. The drive stalled, but John Canes kicked a 25-yard field goal to put Hollister up 3-0.
With the way both teams were moving the ball at that point, it would have been impossible to believe that those would be the only points scored all day. Salinas drove just before halftime, but McGrew executed a blitz on third down that resulted in a huge sack, ending the drive.
The Vikings defense got its first takeaway in the third quarter when Jose Perez recovered a Salinas fumble. On the next Cardinal possession, Darius Medina made a big tackle for a loss on an outside sweep play that forced a Salinas punt.
As the fourth quarter began the Cardinal halfback finally broke free for a long run that looked good for a score, but Zack Hicks made a spectacular tackle to save a touchdown. Nevertheless, Salinas had a first down on the 11, but they would get no further. Austin Tobia and Steven Morales made good tackles on inside runs, forcing a fourth-and-11. The Cardinal tried to pass, but a ferocious rush by Austin Tobia and Botelho forced an incomplete pass, preserving the shutout.
Salinas had one more opportunity when it got the ball at its own 35 with 3:15 remaining. Tobia put Salinas in a hole once more by stuffing an outside run for a big loss, and McGrew got another quarterback sack on third down. But on fourth down, the Vikings were called for roughing the quarterback, giving Salinas one more chance from midfield.
With time expiring, Salinas tried to throw the ball but Morales and Tyler Tobia broke up pass plays, and Austin Tobia led a defensive line charge that forced the incomplete passes. Salinas surrendered the ball on downs and the shutout was complete.
Hollister now prepares for its second-round opponent, with the game likely to be played in Santa Clara on Sunday.
Hollister’s opponent was not available at press time.
Junior Pee Wee Purple
Hollister Vikings 12, Bay Cities Bulldogs 8
The Halloween spookiness started early on Saturday for coach Gino Andrade and the junior pee wee Purple team — 8 a.m. to be exact, on an eerily damp and misty field in San Mateo.
The second-seeded Vikings were taking on a seventh-seeded Bay Cities Bulldogs team they felt pretty confident they could beat. And when Dimarco Del Curto dashed 60 yards down the right sideline on the game’s first play, and the Vikings defense forced a fumble on the Bulldogs first play that was recovered by Hollister’s Jacob Zamora, Viking fans settled back in their seats to await the rout.
But that was when the eeriness started.
As the Vikings marched downfield towards their second score, the ball mysteriously popped loose in the backfield and was picked up on the run by a Bay Cities defender who raced down the field to paydirt. A two-point kick put the Bulldogs up 8-6.
Late in the second quarter, Hollister charged downfield once more on strong runs by Marcus Guevara, who exploited holes opened up by the offensive line of Efrain Amescua, Zamora, Clay Schwall, Marcos Flores, Conner Stephens, Tanner Okerson and Dylan Greig.
The Vikings found themselves with a first-and-goal at the 5-yard line, but one play later the ball popped out of the runner’s arms and was recovered by Bay Cities at the same spot.
The Vikings defense dug in its heels as Elijah Changco stuffed an outside run to force a punt, which was blocked by Zamora and recovered by Schwall in the end zone. The turnover provided Hollister the lead just before halftime, 12-8.
The Vikings defense continued to overpower Bay Cities in the third quarter. Andru Cruz and Nick Perez collaborated for a quarterback sack, ending one drive, while Schwall recovered a fumble to end another.
As the third quarter ended, Bay Cities’ offense finally found some momentum and drove to the Hollister 4-yard line. But this time a Bulldog pass found its way into Nick Trimble’s arms and Hollister clung to its four-point lead.
The Vikings suddenly found they could not move against an inspired Bay Cities defense. However, Shraee Harrison’s punt was muffed by the Bulldogs and recovered by Zamora. But the Vikings promptly committed their fourth turnover of the game to give Bay Cities another opportunity.
The Hollister defense continued to play as if the game depended on them, forcing the Bulldogs three-and-out. Offensively, the Vikings could not move again and Harrison punted from his own 10. The punt was a sidewinder and took a bounce back towards the Hollister end zone. A Bulldog finally picked it up and ran right past several stunned Hollister players, finally being brought down at the 7-yard line.
Once again the Vikings defense was called on to make a goal-line stand, and they responded by forcing another fumble that was recovered by Zamora, his third fumble recovery of the day.
Only three minutes remained, but Hollister had its back to the wall. When Del Curto ran for a first down, the Vikings figured to run out the clock but Bay Cities had all its timeouts and forced a Hollister punt.
This time Harrison delivered a 41-yard punt that put the Bulldogs back in their own territory. Their first pass was intercepted by Okerson, who returned it 30 yards to put an end to the contest.
It’s not too often that a team wins when they turn the ball over four times, but the junior pee wee Vikings figured out how to do it — by taking the ball away from their opponent seven times. Hollister now faces the Morgan Hill Raiders in the semifinal round next weekend.
Junior Pee Wee Gold
Morgan Hill Raiders 28, Hollister Vikings 6
The junior pee wee Gold team’s season came to an abrupt end on Saturday in Santa Cruz. The team had won its last four games — all shutouts — to finish the season 4-4 and earn a first-round playoff game.
By all accounts it should have been a close game, but the Raiders scored on their first possession and then again moments later when a Raider defender stole the ball from the Vikings quarterback on a fourth-and-1 sneak play to take a commanding 14-0 lead.
Nevertheless, the Vikings fought back as fullback Hunter Nye broke several long runs to get the Vikings offense moving. That drive was thwarted by the Raiders, but moments later, Nye forced a fumble that was recovered by Tristan Wahl to give Hollister another chance.
The Vikings again moved the ball downfield on good runs by Nye and David San Miguel. San Miguel completed a pass to Juan Gutierrez who was tackled just short of the goal line, and Dylan Oliveras ran in from the 2 to get Hollister back in the game 14-6.
The Raiders offense was thwarted for the rest of the first half as Oliveras and Zachery Serrano made several tackles and San Miguel broke up a pass to end one Morgan Hill drive. But the Raiders scored twice in the third quarter to make it a blowout game.
Hollister’s boys never gave up, putting up an inspiring goal-line stand with tackles by Gutierrez, Oliveras, Serrano and Josh Jennings to deny Morgan Hill a fifth score.
The Vikings’ season may be over, but the team can take a great deal of pride in winning half of its games with a team comprised of many first-year players. The defense played exceptionally well all season, even in most of the losses.
Pee Wee
Santa Clara Panthers 28, Hollister Vikings 0
In round one of the Division I playoffs, the Hollister Viking pee wees ended a successful season with a disappointing loss to the Santa Clara Panthers, 28-0.
For the second time in two weeks, the Vikings faced off against Santa Clara. Going in as the underdogs after last week’s 14-0 loss, the Vikings came out strong. As they took control of the ball, Hollister began moving towards the end zone with solid carries by Austin Cascio and Kyle George.
With a turnover in downs, the Panthers took control of the ball only to fumble and have it recovered by Aaron Tobia. In possession of the ball once again, the momentum seemed to be in favor of the Vikings. Tyler Biersdorff and Cascio moved the ball with consecutive carries down the field. With 20 yards to the goal, however, the Panthers intercepted a pass ending the Viking drive.
With Santa Clara eyeing the end zone, the Vikings held firm. Tackles by Mathew Rabago, Phillip Castro, Daniel Hopkins and Dominic Barrios kept the Panthers at bay, leaving the game scoreless at the end of the first quarter.
The Vikings, however, could not hold off the Panthers. On their first play of the second quarter, the Panthers made a successful run for the end zone followed by a field goal. What had been a scoreless game was now 8-0, Santa Clara. As the quarter progressed, the Viking defense revved up and shut down the Panther’s running game. Big plays by Colby Noble, Esmond Lovato, Rabago, and Cascio kept Santa Clara from extending their lead.
Returning to the field, the Panthers stepped up their game. Early in the quarter, they ran 48 yards for their second touchdown of the day. The Vikings, however, crushed any hopes of extra points as Barrios blocked their attempted field goal. The Panthers went on to make two additional unanswered touchdowns during the third quarter. Although Hollister made a valiant attempt to get back the momentum, they were not able to move the ball successfully against the Panthers.
Despite the loss, Hollister’s coaches all expressed a great sense of accomplishment and pride in their team. The Vikings had only three returnees from last year’s Division I runner-ups. It was largely comprised of players who moved up from last year’s junior pee wee team that only managed a 2-6 record, while 12 players had never played competitive football before.
The biggest handicap for last year’s junior pee wees had been a lack of speed, and this year’s team had a similar makeup. Despite those obstacles, this year’s team went 6-2 against some very tough opponents and was the only Hollister team to earn Division I standing for the postseason.
Mighty Mite Gold
Hollister Vikings 30, Cambrian Valley Longhorns 6
The Gold Vikings team closed out a very successful season with their fifth win in their last six games. The offensive line of Kane DeAlba, Allen Reyes, Marc Martinez, Mathew Hernandez, Dawson Biersdorff and Blaze McShane continued their habit of paving a highway for Viking runners, blowing open holes on almost every play and allowing the Vikings to control the game from start to finish.
Fullback Jonny Gonzalez broke a 27-yard run for Hollister’s first points in the first quarter. Gonzalez tallied again with a 30-yard scamper on an off-tackle run to put the Vikings up by two touchdowns. In the third quarter, quarterback Brody Cascio ran through a gaping hole created by the line on a quarterback sneak for Hollister’s third touchdown and a commanding 18-0 lead.
Hollister’s offense continued to pound the ball forward, and Ernesto Sanchez scored again to make it 24-0 Hollister. Despite the incredible ball control by the Vikings, the Longhorns did occasionally get a turn with the ball. When they did, the defense made great plays, spearheaded by Eric Green, Christopher Leist and Matthew Trimble to keep the Longhorns off the board.
Cambrian Valley finally scored late in the game to make it 24-6.
Hollister’s offense drove it downfield one more time, with the final points of the season coming on a pass play — a 12-yard touchdown toss from Cade Neece to Sean Nelson to conclude the Vikings season.
Only two Hollister Vikings teams remain in the playoffs. For this weekend’s playoff times and venues, check the Hollister Vikings Web site at: http://www.eteamz.com/HollisterPopWarner/
