The Hollister Vikings Pop Warner football teams played the
Gilroy Browns on Saturday in Hollister.
By Kitina Martin Special to the Free Lance
Hollister – The Hollister Vikings Pop Warner football teams played the Gilroy Browns on Saturday in Hollister.
Aside from the non-scoring Tiny Mites contest, the Vikings won three of the five games.
While Gilroy is without a Midget team, Hollister hosted the West Valley Falcons on Saturday.
This Saturday, the Pop Warner teams will travel to Santa Cruz.
Tiny Mites
Hollister Vikings v. Gilroy Browns
The Hollister Viking Tiny Mites are following in the footsteps of their mentors, as they came out tough and were unbeatable against the Gilroy Browns.
The entire Viking defense stepped up and shut down the Browns as Markie Martinez, Brody Cascio, Matthew Trimble and Kane Dealba were all part of the stopping defensive force.
Antonio Caro made it into the end zone four times against the Browns defense, and the Browns were no match for the Vikings. Andrew Davila ran the ball for the first time this season, gaining nine yards on the carry.
The Tiny Mites have only two games left, and play in Santa Cruz this Saturday.
Mitey Mites
Hollister Vikings 18, Gilroy Browns 0
The Hollister Mighty Mites once again improved upon their record as they shut out the Gilroy Browns 18-0 on Saturday.
While the first quarter was dominated by the Browns’ offense, Gilroy could not score against the Hollister defense. Strong defensive plays by Tristan Wahl, Ethan Enz, Aaron Tobia and Allan Reyes kept the Browns out of the end zone and off the scoreboard.
As the second quarter began, Nathan Fhurong got the momentum swinging in Hollister’s favor. With his offensive line, including Darius Parks, Jeremy Wilson, Joey DeMaggio, Matthew Melville, Nick Perez and Mike Casarez offering outstanding protection, Fhurong put the Vikings on the board as he ran for a 40-yard touchdown. Hollister ended the half leading 6-0.
Following halftime, the Vikings offense was still making their presence known. Solid carries were made by Josh Martin and Nick Trimble moving Hollister towards the end zone. Justin Sanders finished the job as he scored once again for the Vikings, and extended their lead 12-0.
The Viking defense continued throughout the game to keep the pressure on Gilroy. In the second half, a sack by Wahl and solid defensive plays by Dominic Barrios, Fhurong, Kyle Cameron and Trimble kept the Browns in check.
With the fourth quarter winding down, quarterback Daniel Hopkins was still looking for a final touchdown. Following a completed pass to Sanders and carries by Barrios and Andres Soto, Hopkins made a final dash for the end zone. With seven seconds on the clock, the Vikings scored once again.
Junior Pee Wees
Hollister Vikings 34, Gilroy Browns 6
Playing at home or playing away does not seem to bother the Junior Pee Wee Vikings.
The 6-0 Vikings remain undefeated in their quest for the playoffs after they defeated their archival, the Gilroy Browns.
The Browns won the toss and Ezzie Lovato kicked the ball 40 yards to the opponent, who was stopped in his tracks by a speedy and tough Kyle George. The Vikings defense was tough and motivated as Matthew Rabago, Austin Cascio, Chris Cook, Angel Martin and Andrew Huaracha all made brilliant tackles to stop the drive of the Browns, forcing them to turn the ball over.
The Vikings took over with excellent field position on Gilroy’s 19-yard line, and Tyler Fhurong threw a 14-yard pass over the middle to a waiting Cody Freitas for Hollister’s first touchdown of the game. Fhurong would kick the ball through the uprights to give the Vikings another two points.
The Browns had a very tough time getting anything going on offense as Lovato, Huaracha and Freitas all made tackles to push the Browns behind the line of scrimmage. However, the Browns ended up with a 75-yard run to the end zone, but they couldn’t convert the extra two points.
The Vikings began their quest for the end zone with very good field position. Fhurong, on a quarterback keeper, ran for 10 yards to give the Vikings a first down. Isaias Perez also ran the ball for four yards, and then Joshua George jumped up in the middle of two defenders to catch a 25-yard pass, which was the play of the game. The Vikings gave the ball up on an interception, but the defense came into the game and stepped in when the offense needed them most.
There were several good tackles by the Vikings defense, including tackles by Evan Weatherly and Kenneth Perry on fourth-and-two for the Browns, which pushed them back behind their line of scrimmage. The Browns were forced to turn the ball over on their 39-yard line, and it was only a matter of time until Fhurong handed the ball to Freitas, whose pass to Cook was caught with one hand and gave the Vikings a first down at the 15. Fhurong then ran the ball on a quarterback keeper to the end zone, giving the Vikings 16 points.
The Vikings were not finished, though, and put more points on the board in the first half. After Huaracha caused the Browns to fumble on the kickoff, Lovato recovered the ball and Fhurong went into the end zone once again to give the Vikings 22 points in the half.
The Vikings came out in the second half not willing to settle for 22 points, and put 14 more on the board.
The Vikings appear to be unstoppable, and when they step on the field they step on the field with confidence. The Junior Pee Wee Vikings are very fun to watch and all of the players portray teamwork and brilliance. The Vikings play at Santa Cruz this Saturday.
Pee Wees
Hollister Vikings 24, Gilroy Browns 6
Can the Pee Wee Vikings go all the way?
The Vikings are certainly acting like it, as they improved their record to 6-0 with their defeat of the Browns from Hollister’s neighboring city, Gilroy.
,The Browns were unable to rattle the Vikings, despite having the first offensive score. The Vikings were not going to allow another score, and put their minds to scoring 24 unanswered points.
Cody Cameron ran the ball for 70 yards into the end zone for a Viking score, and then quarterback Angel Pasillas completed some unbelievable passes, one to Damon Perez for a touchdown.
Darius Medina, Marcus Darnell, Austin Tobia and Dominic Padilla stopped the Browns in their tracks down after down after down, and the Browns could not put anything together in the second half.
The Vikings continue to win week after week, and have come together as a team. The Vikings play at Santa Cruz this Saturday.
Junior Midgets
Hollister Vikings 0, Gilroy Browns 12
The Hollister Vikings came onto the field hoping for a win.
The Vikings defense held tough throughout the game, only giving up two big plays, which resulted in Browns touchdowns both times.
Michael Pirnik, John Hartshorn, Josiah Martinez, Ray Parra, Edwin Campbell and Nate Garza held tough on defense, and Hartshorn intercepted the ball to stop one of Gilroy’s drives.
Austin Wahl held tough at quarterback, and Garrett Avina ran the ball for some very tough yards.
The Vikings continue to come out and play tough football and the team has a very good attitude. The Vikings record is 1-5-0. They’ll play at Santa Cruz this Saturday.
Midgets
Hollister Vikings 20, West Valley Falcons 24
The Hollister Vikings faced off against the West Valley Falcons, a Division I football team, as Gilroy was without a Midget team.
The Vikings came out strong and fought tough throughout the game. Isaiah Quintana ran 25 yards with the ball in the first quarter to give the Vikings a first down. Anthony Cervantes then ran the ball to the 5-yard line to give the Vikings first-and-goal. The Falcons were able to hold the Vikings, and thought they had prevented them from scoring, but on fourth-and-goal, the Vikings did not lay down. Brandon Villar, on a quarterback keeper, ran for the end zone, putting the Vikings on the board first with a touchdown.
The defense stepped up to the plate and shut the Falcons down completely in the first half. Villar intercepted the ball over his shoulder and ran 35 yards to give the Vikings excellent field position. Ryan DiSalvo plowed through the Falcons line to get to the ball runner on numerous occasions. Jo Jo Angulo, Adam Huaracha and Patrick Mank all showed up to play and shut down the Falcon’s offense.
The Vikings’ offense drove the ball down to the Falcons 2-yard line, where Cervantes ran the ball into the end zone to put the Vikings up 12-0.
The Vikings still were not done trying to put points on the board in the first half, as Villar threw a beautiful touchdown pass to Christian Goldstein for 70 yards. However, the touchdown was called back because of an illegal block in the back. Despite the penalty, the Vikings were dominating the game, and the Falcons were in complete disbelief.
The second half was not as strong for the Vikings as the Falcons came out and scored 24 points. But the Vikings did not give up.
The Vikings were driving down to the end zone, but because of penalties, the Vikings had 57 yards to go for the first down. Most teams would give up, but the Vikings did not.
Villar passed the ball 60 yards to Goldstein, and Quintana then ran 20 yards for another Viking first down. Villar completed another pass to Sergio Prado for a touchdown. Huaracha, with Jake Martin holding, kicked the ball through the uprights to give the Vikings 20 points.
With 1:42 left in the game, the Vikings attempted an onside kick, only to be recovered by the Falcons. However, the Viking defense did not give up. Quintana and Cervantes stripped the ball from the Falcons to give the ball back to the Vikings. The Vikings drove the ball down the field, but were unable to get the ball into the end zone.
The Vikings record moves to 2-3-1. The Vikings are at Santa Cruz on Saturday.