Vikings explode in first half
Prep football: Valencia quarterback Cop scores three touchdowns
With sparks of lightning occasionally appearing in the background, Valencia football traveled east to take on Golden Valley at Canyon High School on Friday.
Valencia (5-3 overall, 3-0 in Foothill League) kept its Foothill League win streak intact, scoring all 49 of its points in the first half in the 49-15 defeat of the Grizzlies.
Leading the way for the Vikings was senior quarterback Davis Cop who finished the game throwing for three touchdowns on 6-of-8 pass attempts, all in the first half.
“I was a lot better because my reads were better, but there’s still a lot to work on,” Cop said. “But I felt a lot more comfortable in the pocket. I need to continue to grow as a quarterback and as a team.”
Valencia running back Jaden Holmes began the scoring three minutes into the game for the Vikings on their second play from scrimmage with a 33-yard touchdown run.
Golden Valley (1-7, 0-3) answered with a 57-yard scamper by running back Tyler Walker, setting up a 6-yard touchdown run by Johnathan Kaelin five plays later tying the game at 7-7.
Golden Valley was able to deter Valencia from scoring on the next drive, but couldn’t capitalize and ended up punting.
And then lightning struck, figuratively not literally, as Cop connected for his first of three touchdowns on the night on a 44-yard touchdown pass to Cade Erickson.
The Vikings would go on to score on their next three possessions as Hunter Koch caught a 18-yard touchdown pass from Cop to extend the lead to 21-7 just before the end of the second quarter.
After stopping the Grizzlies, the Vikings pulled out a trick play, pitching the ball to each other in the backfield until a 52-yard touchdown strike from Cop to Aidan Baptiste.
The next drive for Golden Valley also resulted in a Valencia touchdown as defensive back Josh Doyle intercepted a pass by Grizzlies quarterback Zack Chevalier and ran it back for a 45-yard touchdown return.
Running back Nick Pham capped the fourth consecutive drive that ended with a touchdown for the Vikings on a 13-yard touchdown to give Valencia the 42-7 lead with just under nine minutes left in the half.
Jayvaun Wilson capped the scoring on the night for the Vikings in his second game back from injury with a 75-yard touchdown run for his first score of the season.
“It was a corrupted play and I just used my ability and did what I had to to get the touchdown,” Wilson said. “But it felt good to get my first touchdown off the knee injury.”
With a running clock to begin the second half, the action slowed down until the fourth quarter when Grizzlies linebacker Derrese Morganfield II intercepted a pass by Valencia’s backup quarterback Ryan Aguilar and ran 45 yards for the second score of the night for Golden Valley.
Valencia will host Saugus on Friday while Golden Valley will travel back to Canyon High School to take on the Cowboys. Both games kick off at 7 p.m.