Pee Wees rout previously undefeated foes
The Hollister Vikings served notice on Saturday that they are serious contenders for league championships in all three competitive divisions, as each one knocked off powerful Redwood City opponents by convincing margins.
Pee Wee
Hollister Vikings 26
Redwood City 49ers 0
The Hollister Viking Pee Wees improved to 5-1 with a 26-0 shutout of the previously undefeated Redwood City Pee Wees Saturday, taking sole possession of second place in the league behind East Bay, which beat the Vikings two weeks ago.
A 24-yard opening kickoff return by Hollister’s Chris Cook put the Vikings into Redwood City territory, but the Niners intercepted Hollister’s first pass and took possession. Cody Freitas, Dylan Yamasaki and Cook had tackles on the ensuing drive and forced a turnover on downs to set up another scoring chance.
Cook ran for four yards, Yamasaki got five and Cook pounded out a yard to give Hollister first down, while Tyler Fhurong’s 58-yard touchdown pass to Cook put the Vikings on the scoreboard first, 6-0.
Cook then beat Redwood City to the ball on the kickoff and Hollister was in business again. Brandon Olivares carried three straight times for 20 yards behind great blocking by the offensive line of Brady Robles, Wanblee Sanchez, John Lehr, Russell Enz, Evan Weatherly and Wyatt Naccarato.
Fhurong had his second touchdown pass of the game, this one a 17-yard strike to Freitas, putting Hollister in front 12-0 with about three minutes left in the first quarter.
On Redwood City’s next possession, Hollister’s Kenny Lee broke through the line on first down to stop a runner for no gain, with Philip Castro and Jordan Goldstein getting an assist. On second down, Lee recovered a fumble and Hollister took over on the Redwood City 37. Olivares moved Hollister 21 yards on four more carries before the Niners’ defense buckled down and forced an incomplete pass on fourth down.
Still searching for its first first down, Redwood City couldn’t move the ball against the Vikings’ defense, as Bryan Noble had a tackle for a loss of three, Colin Brody had a tackle for another loss, and Hollister forced a punt.
A pitch back to Cook resulted in a 30-yard gain, but Hollister lost a fumble in the red zone. Once again, the defense tightened, however, as Freitas and Josh George had a tackle for a loss before four straight false-start penalties backed Redwood City to their own 2-yard line. Olivares then made a tackle in the end zone for a safety to put Hollister up 14-0 with 3:30 left in the half.
On offense, Olivares gained 11 more yards on three carries and after two incomplete passes; Cook broke off a 31-yard run to put the ball on the 4. A facemask penalty against the defense brought Hollister to the 2, where Yamasaki pounded in another touchdown to make the score 20-0.
Cook intercepted a Redwood City pass on the next drive with under a minute to go, but the Niners returned the favor, picking off Cook’s halfback option try. Hollister’s George had a tackle for an 11-yard loss and combined with Freitas to tackle a Redwood City runner as time expired in the half.
In the third quarter, Redwood City punted after its first drive. Fhurong had back-to-back runs of 14 and 20 yards on quarterback keepers and after a 4-yard run by Yamasaki, Fhurong hit Freitas on a diving 16-yard touchdown pass to put Hollister up 26-0.
As they have done all year, the Vikings went into ball-control mode in the second half, mixing running backs’ opportunities to wear down the clock. The Vikings had back-to-back sacks by Lee and Olivares and Enrique Rodriguez to squelch another drive and didn’t let Redwood City get close to a scoring opportunity the rest of the way.
Junior Midget
Hollister Vikings 34
Redwood City 49ers 6
In a battle between two teams locked in a three-way tie for first place, the Hollister Vikings Junior Midget team once again asserted its dominance on defense and superiority in the running game on offense to beat the 49ers of Redwood City, 34-6.
“Our defense came out fired up and played great tonight,” defensive coordinator Mike Hicks said. “We got burned on one play (for a touchdown), but we held Redwood City to just two first downs all night. Our defensive line of the Tobia brothers (Austin and Tyler), (Morgan) Worsham, and (Cash) Robinson stopped their running game cold.”
After four consecutive shutouts by the Vikings, and after dominating the 49ers all game, one long 68-yard pass play by the 49ers late in the contest was all it took to break the string of shutouts. However, the touchdown was incidental in a game that went to a running clock early in the third quarter when the Vikings went up by 28 points (per Pop Warner sportsmanship rules). The few times the Vikings did not score on offense, the punting of Angel Pasillas was superb and continued to pin Redwood City in poor field position.
The Viking offense asserted their prowess running the ball, racking up 182 rushing yards. The two fullbacks, who switch every two plays, compiled most of the rushing yardage, with Zack Hicks rushing for 105 yards and two touchdowns and Damien Botelho for 37 yards and a touchdown.
“I thought we ran the ball pretty well tonight,” offensive coordinator Rick Dukes said. “Hollister has always been known for its running game, and we keep working on it so we’ll be in control – of the ball, of the clock, and of the tempo of the game.”
Hollister’s defense was instrumental in giving the ball back to the offense with good field position. The Vikings began their first scoring drive on the Redwood City 44-yard line after the defense held the 49ers on fourth down. After runs by halfback Cody Cameron, wingback Pasillas, and fullbacks Hicks and Botelho, Vikings quarterback Austin Wahl completed a four-yard pass to Cameron on second-and-six. On third down, Hicks ran 26 yards to the end zone and Pasillas converted the point-after attempt to put the Vikings up 8-0.
The second score of the night came when Pasillas, as cornerback, caused a fumble with a big hit, and middle linebacker Damon Perez scooped and scored, racing 47 yards down the left sideline. The point-after was blocked, and the Vikings led 14-0.
Redwood City’s next possession ended when Wahl, at safety, stripped the ball from the 49er running back, giving the offense back the ball on the Redwood City 43-yard line. However, an interception of a Wahl pass by Redwood City was almost run back for a touchdown if not for the hustle of Tyler Tobia, who tackled the 49er from behind on the Hollister 27-yard line. Still, the Viking defense thwarted the 49er offense, and they did not get a first down.
On their next possession, the 49er offense was once again stymied by the Viking defense, and a fumble recovered by Austin Tobia put the ball back under Viking possession.
At the start of the second half, Botelho recovered a dropped ball by the Redwood City quarterback, and the Vikings began another offensive drive from the Redwood City 38-yard line. Pasillas took over as quarterback in the second half, and on third-and-six completed a pass to Cameron for 12 yards. Breaking a tackle at the line of scrimmage, and receiving a good block downfield by Eddie Munoz, Botelho ran 22 yards for the third Viking touchdown of the night. Pasillas once again converted the point-after, putting the score at 22-0.
The defense once again held the 49ers on fourth down, and starting at the Redwood City 33-yard line began another scoring drive that ended with a five-yard option run by Pasillas for a touchdown. With the score at 28-0, no point-after was attempted because of Pop Warner sportsmanship rules and a running clock began for the duration of the game.
The 49ers only score was a 68-yard halfback pass that went the distance, but the point-after attempt was missed and the score stood at 28-6.
The final score of the night occurred in the fourth quarter when the 49ers kicked off to the Vikings and the ball was spotted on the Hollister 36-yard line. After two runs for a loss of a yard, Hicks ran off-tackle, using his downfield blockers and making a nice cut at the 49er 38-yard line for a 65-yard touchdown run. Again, no point-after was attempted, and the final score was 34-6.
“Our defense kept getting us the ball back, and our offensive line (left tackle Tyler Tobia, left guard Luis Aceves, centers John Canes and Austin Tobia, right guard Dominic Padilla and right tackle Worsham) did a good job controlling the line of scrimmage and opening holes for our backs,” Dukes said. “Damon Perez is a big part of our running game. He did a great job for us at tight end, which is important in our running game because we like to run off-tackle.”
“We’re improving every game, which is what I like to see,” head coach Eddie Tobia said. “We’ve got two more games before playoffs, and we hope to be playing our best football by then because that’s when it really counts.”
Junior Pee Wee
Hollister Vikings 24
Redwood City 49ers 6
Hollister’s Junior Pee Wees earned their second consecutive win in convincing fashion as the Viking defense smothered the Redwood City attack all day long and the Vikings offense finally caught fire in the second half.
The defense weighed in first as big backfield tackles by Andrew Huaracha, Tommy Ford and Clay Schwall threw the 49ers offense in reverse, forcing a fourth-and-20. RJ Clark smothered the punter to give the Vikings the ball on the Redwood City 12.
Hollister was backed up by penalties, but on third-and-long, Clark hit Daniel Hopkins with a pass for a 19-yard gain to the 3-yard line. But he 49ers defense held on fourth-and-one.
On their first play from scrimmage, Ford’s jarring hit on a 49er ball carrier popped the ball loose, and it was recovered by Hollister’s Matthew Rabago. Fullback Danny Perez plunged over the goal line for a two-yard touchdown run moments later to give the Vikings a 6-0 lead that they would never relinquish.
The Hollister defense continued to smother Redwood City, as a sack by Jose Rodriguez forced another punt. The Vikings could not move either, but on fourth-and-10, Shraee Harrison ran on a fake punt and gained 18 yards for a first down. Isaias Perez and Andrew Sotelo had some good gains to the 49ers 5-yard line, but then Hollister fumbled the ball to end the drive short of the goal line.
Hollister pinned Redwood City back to their goal line, then Clark blocked the punt in the end zone for a safety to put the Vikings up 8-0. Hollister could not capitalize on the good field position and had to punt, but a 49er receiver muffed the kick and it was recovered by Austin Cascio.
Moments later, Cascio ran for 15 yards on a sweep to get the Vikings a first down deep in Redwood City territory, but Hollister fumbled the ball away for a second time in the red zone.
The Vikings started the third quarter with their best offensive play of the season as halfback Clark threw a bomb to flanker Kyle George, who hauled it in for a 62-yard touchdown to put Hollister up 15-0 after Justin Sanders ran in the extra point.
Having been denied a single first down by running the ball, the 49ers tried the pass but were met with disastrous results as Dylan Grieg intercepted their first pass to get the ball back for the Vikings.
After a quick first down, Hollister also threw an interception and the Vikings were unable to capitalize on Grieg’s pick. But it was deja vu all over again as Hollister backed the 49ers up to their end zone and Clark broke through to block a punt for his and Hollister’s second safety of the game.
Redwood City attempted an onside kickoff after the safety, and the Vikings got the ball in excellent field position. Two good plays by Clark, including a 19-yard run for a touchdown to make it 23-0 and a pass to Hopkins for the extra point to make it 24-0, put the game out of reach.
Hollister’s defense continued to shut out the 49ers for most of the fourth quarter as Colby Noble, Jonathan Mendoza and Marcos Flores all had big tackles, Ethan Enz broke up a pass play and Dominic Barrios recovered a fumble.
The 49ers finally scored on a long reverse play just as time expired in the game. But the Junior Pee Wees are back in the playoff hunt after their second consecutive win.
Mitey Mite Purple
Redwood City 49ers 12
Hollister Vikings 6
Hollister’s Mitey Mite Purple, looking for their first win, had a lead on a Redwood City team that had outscored its opponents 56-0 in the previous two weeks, but the 49ers came from behind in the second half to avoid an upset and register Redwood City’s only win of the day.
The Vikings defense smothered the 49ers at every turn in the first half as Hunter Nye made several big tackles and Nathan Fhurong recovered a fumble. The Hollister defense got on the board to give their team the lead in the second quarter as Nye scooped up a fumble and ran it in for a touchdown. Nick Perez, Tristan Wahl and Nico Lopez kept the pressure on Redwood City by forcing big losses in the backfield, but Hollister could not move the ball at all offensively. By late in the game, the Viking defense had been on the field too long, and Redwood City finally scored on a long run to tie the game, and then on a long pass play in the fourth quarter to win it.
Mitey Mite Gold
Hollister Vikings 12
Menlo-Atherton Vikings 2
Hollister’s Mitey Mite Gold team got its second consecutive win, shutting out a strong Menlo-Atherton team that had shut out two of its previous three opponents.
Hollister struck quickly as Matthew Griffith returned the opening kickoff 25 yards, and Hollister scored in three plays. Halfback Jacob Ryder carried for 10 yards, and fullback Dylan Olivares ripped off 15 more on the next play. Big blocks by Brody Cascio and Adrian Alvarez sprung Ryder for 25 yards and a Viking touchdown just three minutes into the contest.
Big backfield tackles by Alvarez and Griffith forced a quick Menlo-Atherton punt, and Olivares returned it 15 yards with a big block by Christopher Leist paving the way. The Vikings could not move the ball, however, and gave it back to Menlo, but it was returned to Hollister promptly as Antonio Caro intercepted a pass.
But once again, the Menlo defense stiffened to deny the Vikings an opportunity to capitalize, and the score remained 6-0 at halftime.
Menlo-Atherton broke a long run down the left sideline early in the third quarter, but a tackle by Ryder and Olivares saved a touchdown. Two plays later, Olivares jumped on a fumble forced by a vicious Viking hit, and the Menlo scoring threat was ended. But the Menlo defense held fast, forcing Hollister three-and-out. Menlo got a good punt return, but a great tackle by Blaze McShane and Michael Zaragoza saved a touchdown. However, M-A had the ball on the Hollister 17, giving their offense another crack at the end zone.
Jonny Gonzalez, Zachery Serrano and Ryder rose to the occasion, stopping the Menlo offense cold, but Hollister got the ball back on their own 5 after a short punt.
Moments later, Menlo got a safety by tackling the Hollister ball carrier in the end zone. Hollister’s special teams denied the Menlo offense another opportunity to operate with a short field as Ryder recovered the kickoff.
Hollister’s running game suddenly kicked into gear as Tanner Wiggins, Zaragoza, Olivares, Ryder and Antonio Caro took turns pounding the ball for good gains as the offensive line of Travis Roy, Jordan Finister, Jonny Gonzalez, Alvarez, Tyler Myers and Griffith blew open holes in a tired Menlo defense. They moved the ball all the way down the field for a first-and-goal on the M-A 5. Then a sack and a penalty forced them into fourth-and-21, but Ryder found one last burst of speed around the right end for an insurance touchdown to make the final score 12-2.
Hollister teams are at home again this Saturday, Oct. 18, to take on Santa Clara. Games begin at 9:45 a.m., and the last three have significant playoff implications. The Junior Pee Wees, kicking off at 3 p.m., need to win their third consecutive game to get back in the wild card playoff hunt, and the Pee Wees, playing at 5 p.m., need to win to maintain the second seed for the playoffs. A win for the Junior Midgets in their 7 p.m. contest would put them in first place (top seed) with one game remaining.
