Hollister thumps Gilroy with 4-0-1 showing in opening
weekend
In what Vikings fans hope is an omen of things to come, Hollister Pop Warner posted an unbeaten day against its Gilroy counterpart Saturday at Andy Hardin Stadium in Hollister. The Vikings’ 4-0-1 rout over the Browns marked a convincing triumph for Hollister in the youth football version of the Prune Bowl.
Midget
Hollister Vikings 26 Gilroy Browns 13
All the games were close but none offered more excitement than the Midget contest. Gilroy began the game with a long drive that seemed to constantly get thwarted by the Vikings’ defense, only to see Gilroy pull off a fourth-down play to keep the drive alive. Finally, after a quarterback scramble on fourth down gave it a first and goal on the 5-yard line, Gilroy was able to punch the ball in for the game’s first score. Ricky Rodriguez successfully blocked the extra point to keep the score 6-0.
Hollister’s offense responded quickly, tying the score in two plays. Quarterback Dillon Albert hit Anthony Cervantes with a 32-yard strike to the 15-yard line and James King ran the ball in on the next play to tie the game. An inspired Hollister defense rose to the occasion and stopped Gilroy in its tracks as Adrian Enriquez made a big sack on fourth down.
With the momentum turned in their favor, the Vikings struck again. After a big pass play from Brandon Pina to Anthony Cecena, Pina ran a bootleg to the 3-yard line. King then scored on a run that made it 12-6 Hollister.
The Vikings extended their lead early in the third quarter as Pina ran 18 yards for a first down and two hard runs by Cecena gave Hollister a first-and-goal opportunity. King scored his third touchdown of the day on an 8-yard run and Albert passed to Cervantes for the extra point, putting Hollister in front 19-6.
Late in the third quarter, Gilroy closed the gap. The Browns completed a bomb, and after a touchdown-saving tackle by Steven Angulo, had a first down on the 12. From there they ran the ball into the end zone to make the score 19-12. Gilroy’s defense swung the momentum in the Browns’ favor by stopping Hollister several times to keep the game close.
But Hollister’s defense proved just as stingy, with Pina, Ricky Munguia and Richard Sosa making several big hits to stop Gilroy running plays. The Browns then took to the air, but Pina and Felipe Davila were there to break up their pass plays. The Vikings added an insurance score on Cecena’s 30-yard run, and Sergio Prado’s interception sealed Gilroy’s fate as the game ended.
Junior Midget Hollister Vikings 14 Gilroy Browns 8
In this game, the Hollister Viking defense stood out. Early on, Hollister got a break when Gregory Vasquez recovered a muffed punt, giving the Vikings the ball on the 50-yard line. After the recovery, Tyler Decker hit Isaac Navarette for a 50-yard touchdown. Tyler Pina added a two point kick to make it 8-0 Hollister.
But moments later, Gilroy tied the score by returning the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown.
In the third quarter, Navarette returned the kickoff 40 yards, setting Hollister up at the Gilroy 32. After good runs by Decker and Mark Neal, Decker snuck over from the 2-yard line for the winning touchdown.
Hollister’s defense preserved the victory from there. Julius Travis made an interception which stopped a Browns’ drive, Tyler Pina sacked Gilroy’s quarterback and Ryan DiSalvo made a number of hits behind the line and recovered a fumble.
But late in the game, Gilroy had a chance to score when Hollister was called for pass interference after the Vikings had stopped them on fourth down. Two plays later, Gilroy’s quarterback threw a touchdown pass, but a pass interference call on the Browns nullified the score and the Vikings were 14-8 winners.
Pee Wee: Hollister Vikings 14 Gilroy Browns 0
In a great defensive contest, the Vikings registered their only shutout of the day and broke open a scoreless game in the second half to prevail 14-0.
Hollister’s defense proved too much for the Browns to handle as Damien Bothelo broke into the backfield frequently to force big losses and James Garcia and Damon Perez also made a number of big tackles. The Vikings also forced several turnovers as Zack Nelson jarred the ball loose with a big hit on a Gilroy runner that was recovered by Conner Bernal.
Hollister got on the board late in the third quarter when Austin Wahl hit Dan Buzzetta for a first down. Two good runs followed, one by Austin Nye and the other by Nate Garza that resulted in a 10-yard touchdown. Zack Hicks added the conversion to make it 7-0.
Late in the contest, Hollister got an insurance score when Garrett Avina intercepted a pass and ran it back 33 yards to the 2-yard line. Garza plunged over moments later for the final tally.
Jr Pee Wee: Hollister Vikings 19 Gilroy Browns 12
The Junior Pee Wee Vikings scored a great come-from-behind victory, roaring back from a 12-0 deficit to win 19-12. Even when the Vikings trailed, they were doing the little things right that would eventually spell victory.
Chris Cook recovered a fumble and, after Gilroy made its first touchdown, Cody Cameron and Austin Tobia blocked the extra point. Late in the third quarter, the Vikings got back in the game when Tyler Fhurong hit Cameron for a 20-yard touchdown, making the score 12-6 Gilroy.
Hollister’s tenacious defense refused to allow Gilroy any more scores as Cameron and Dylan Yamasaki made big tackles for Hollister and Dominic Padilla and JC Canes recovered fumbles.
Finally, Hollister’s defense scored the go-ahead touchdown when Cameron intercepted a ball and took it 9 yards to paydirt. Mikey Koroluk made the extra-point run to give the Vikings a 13-12 lead.
After Canes’ fumble recovery, Koroluk scored to make the final score 19-12.
Mighty Mite: Hollister Vikings 12 Gilroy Browns 12
The Mighty Mite Vikings played to a tie with Gilroy as both defenses came through under fire.
Both teams scored on their first possessions. After Gilroy got a touchdown to open the contest, the Vikings struck back as Kyle Cameron broke loose for a 43-yard touchdown run.
The Browns threatened again moments later, but Danny Perez made the first big defensive play of the game, intercepting a pass to stop the Browns’ drive. Ezzie Lovato, Tommy Ford and Justin Sanders made a number of tackles to keep the Browns’ offense in check, setting the stage for a second touchdown gallop by Cameron after the Vikings took over deep in Gilroy territory.
Hollister’s lead was short-lived, however, as the Browns scored on the rarest of plays at the Mighty-Mite level – a touchdown bomb – to tie the score.
When the Browns got the ball back, they were intent on winning the game with another pass play, but Perez foiled their efforts with his second interception, and the game ended in a tie.
Tiny Mite football is an instructional level for kids 5- to 7-years old. The Tiny Mite Vikings also played Gilroy on Saturday. BJ Quintana and Andres Soto made long runs to the end zone. Defensively, the Vikings excelled all day. Quintana, Jeremy Wilson and Jay Martinez made several big hits each, while Bobby Vivian started the game with three big tackles, including one where he stopped a breakaway runner from behind. Soto also recovered a fumble.
Hollister Pop Warner returns to action Saturday when the Vikings’ home contests begin at 9:30am.
