Vikes roll at home
Valencia clinches league title with win over West Ranch
West Ranch’s football field has neither lights nor large bleachers, meaning they must play their home games at Valencia High School.
But on Friday night, Valencia football reminded the Wildcats which team really calls the Dr. Paul A. Preisz Stadium home in their 64-13 rout over West Ranch.
The Vikings (8-1 overall, 4-0 in Foothill League) started the night relatively slowly, losing a fumble to West Ranch (5-3, 1-3) on the Wildcat’s 1-yard line.
Two plays later Valencia downed a West Ranch run attempt in their own end zone, scoring a quick safety and adding two points to the board.
“We had a couple turnovers early, some spots where we were a little sloppy and that kind of got me upset,” said Valencia coach Larry Muir.
From then on, the Vikings offense could not be stopped.
Less than three minutes later, Valencia sophomore running back Jake Santos scored on a one-yard carry. After a quick West Ranch three-and-out, Valencia quarterback Connor Downs hit Luring
Paialii for a 15-yard touchdown.
Despite Valencia’s 16-0 lead, West Ranch converted on their next possession as Weston Eget threw down the middle to Jovan Camacho for a 54-yard touchdown.
Valencia’s offense continued to push down the field, with a 59-yard touchdown run from Mykael Wright late in the first and a 46-yard pass from Downs to Jayvaun Wilson to start the
second quarter.
Downs threw to Zachary Semko for a score with 5:15 remaining in the half, but Wilson stole the show with two rushing touchdowns late in the second quarter to send the game to halftime at 51-7.
The Vikings slowed the tempo in the second half, as Downs scored in the third, bringing the game to 58-7.
Eget put more points on the board for the blue and gold with a 12-yard sneak, the last score of the game in the Wildcat’s 64-13 loss.
“This doesn’t affect our
momentum,” said West Ranch Coach Chris Varner. “This is a Division 2 team, top of that division. It was no secret that they were going to come out and be physical and be big.”
Despite the early turnovers, Muir was pleased with the Vikings.
Despite the early turnovers, Muir was pleased with the Vikings.
“We always preach about going 1-0 every week, and that’s what we got to do.” Muir said. “It doesn’t matter who we’re playing, it’s about the standard our guys set for themselves.”