The Vikings’ season ended in the league championship game Sunday. Hollister finished its season with a 7-4 record.
Junior Midgets
Andrew Hill Raiders 22, Hollister Vikings 7
By Samantha Zaragoza
The Hollister junior midget Vikings, fresh off a playoff win last week, walked onto the field of the Santa Clara championship game with spirits high. The Vikings, with a 7-3 record, represented one of the best teams in the Santa Clara division, but lost to Andrew Hill 22-7 in the title game over the weekend.
Andrew Hill scored quickly on it’s first possession of the game. The Vikings blocked the extra point, but minutes into the first quarter Hollister trailed 6-0. The deficit didn’t end there, though. Hollister almost forced a turnover on the Raiders next possession when Matthew Manley and Michael Zaragoza knocked into a Andrew Hill runner and popped the ball loose. Hollister couldn’t take advantage as the Raiders recovered.
After a Andrew Hill punt, Hollister gave the Raiders and extra opportunity. Starting deep from its own 5-yard line after a penalty, quarterback Diego Fisher threw a backward pass that was deflected into the end zone where Andrew Hill recovered to extend its lead to 14-0.
The Vikings responded with a strong drive of their own. The Vikings charged down the field with big runs by Andres Soto and Ishmael Medina thanks to the blocking of Matthew Zarate , Eddie Gallardo and Juanito Ramos. Eventually, Medina scored when he took a hand-off and swung to the outside, stepping across the goal line for a Viking touchdown,
After an extra point by Soto, the Vikings trailed 14-7.
But after a strong kickoff return by Andrew Hill, the Raiders once again took a two touchdown lead. With the ball on the Vikings’ 10-yard line, the Raiders scored on a short pass to take a 22-7 lead.
Neither team could score the rest of the game, as Andrew Hill clinched the league title.
Although the Vikings weren’t able to secure the league championship, they played well in defeat. The team was supported by Viking players and family from across the program’s age divisions in the loss.
