20-0 win over San Marin gives Vikings regional championship
By Tom Vivian Special to the Free Lance
For the second year in a row, Hollister will send a football team and two cheer squads to the Pop Warner Super Bowl at Walt Disney World.
This year, the football team is the Junior Pee Wees, who earned their right to compete for a national title with dominating performances all year long.
None of their wins were as convincing as their two regional championship victories. The Vikings routed an Alaska team 30-6 to advance to the regional championship, then shut out a team from Marin County, the San Marin Ponies, 20-0 on Sunday to claim the Pacific Northwest title.
Hollister won the title with a bruising, smothering defense that never let its opponent get close to a score.
The Vikings won the toss but deferred to their opponent, preferring to put their defense on the field first.
San Marin got a quick first down but then Joshua George made a big backfield tackle, which was followed by Angel Pasillas’ sack for a 10-yard loss to force a punt.
The Vikings had early success against the Ponies defense as Mikey Koroluk and Chris Cook each gained 15 yards on runs, but then San Marin stiffened, forcing a Hollister punt.
Junior Munguia made two tackles on the Ponies next series to force a punt, and Hollister got the ball on the San Marin 34 after a poor kick.
The Vikings were quick to capitalize as Mikey Koroluk swept right and broke several tackles on his way to the end zone and a 6-0 Hollister lead.
Munguia and Cook stepped up to make big tackles on the ensuing defensive series, and moments later it was Tyler Fhurong’s turn to display defensive heroics as he saved a touchdown by stopping a 35-yard San Marin punt return, then made a big backfield tackle on fourth down to get the ball back for Hollister.
The Vikings gave San Marin a break by fumbling away on the first play, but Cody Cameron stifled the Ponies momentum with a big QB sack.
Hollister’s defense continued to dominate in the second half as Colin Brody made a big tackle to prevent a long gain when San Marin’s halfback slipped past the front four for a first down, but the defensive line returned to form on the next set of downs as Cody Freitas and JC Canes made big backfield tackles to stop the drive in Pony territory.
San Marin thought it had stopped the ensuing Hollister drive, forcing a punting situation, but punter Koroluk passed instead, hitting Chris Cook with a 30-yard strike. Cook was tackled at the Ponies six, and two plays later, Fhurong passed to Cameron for the Vikings second touchdown.
A good kickoff by Pasillas forced San Marin to start on its own 18, and it could only gain four yards in four plays as Munguia and Fhurong made tackles in the backfield.
Hollister took over on the Ponies 22 and Fhurong quickly passed to tight end Freitas for a first and goal on the 8, but the Ponies defense suddenly stiffened, allowing only one yard in three plays. On fourth and seven, Cameron took the ball and swept left into the end zone. Koroluk’s two-point kick gave Hollister an insurmountable 20-0 lead with less than five minutes to play.
The Junior Pee Wee Vikings now head to Florida to play for a national title.
They like their chances to win at the national level as their defense only allowed one score to the five best teams in the Pacific Northwest during the postseason. They also have a productive offense to go along with their immovable defense, and the passing game especially is improving week by week, giving the Vikings a balanced attack.
The team will fly to Florida at the end of this week, along with two cheerleading squads.
The Junior Pee Wee and Pee Wee cheerleaders both earned the right to compete for national a national cheer title with their performances on Friday in the regional cheer competition.
Hollister Youth Football & Cheer is trying to raise $50,000 to send more than 100 student-athletes to Florida. For information on how to participate, visit the Vikings website at www.eteamz.com/HollisterPopWarner.
