HOLTVILLE – The Holtville High football team scored on all four first-half possessions and cruised to a 48-6 non-league victory over Escondido at Birger Field here on Friday, Sept. 26.
The Vikings (4-1 overall) got a monster game from senior running back Enrique Armas who finished with 217 yards rushing on 10 carries and three touchdowns (two rushing and one receiving). Sophomore running back Andre Gonzalez did his part with three carries for 58 yards and two touchdowns.
Armas now has 1,153 yards rushing through five games, and 15 rushing touchdowns.
“The offensive line has been doing a great job,” said the 17-year-old Armas. “They worked hard all summer to get bigger and better and it has really helped a lot.”
Holtville took control from the opening drive when the Vikings drove 71 yards in nine plays with Gonzalez finishing the march with a 13-yard touchdown run. Armas ran in the two-point conversion and the Vikings had an 8-0 lead with 7:31 left in the opening period.
“That is one of my favorite plays,” Gonzalez said about the play call for the touchdown. “Everyone is so focused on Armas they forget we have another running back.”
The Cougars (2-3 overall) failed to get anything going on their first possession and punted the ball back to the Vikings with 5:08 left in the quarter.
The Vikings then went 66 yards in six plays that ended with a touchdown throw from senior quarterback Alonso Cuevas to Armas from 11 yards out. Armas ran in the two-point conversion and it was 16-0 with 3:45 to go in the opening quarter.
Armas added big second-quarter touchdown runs of 35 and 54 yards to put Holtville ahead 32-0 at the half.
“I thought we started off slow with some bad snaps on that opening drive but we got it going in the second quarter,” Armas said. “We know we have to keep executing the entire game if we want to be competitive when league starts.”
The opening drive of the third quarter was Escondido’s most successful as the Cougars marched 75 yards in 14 plays and took seven minutes off the clock. Senior quarterback Bowen Cannon hit senior receiver Allen Tarula for a 22-yard touchdown pass for the Cougars only score of the game.
The ensuing kickoff saw Holtville senior Asael Miranda return the kick 81 yards for a touchdown to increase the Vikings’ lead to 40-6 with 4:48 left in the third quarter.
Gonzalez finished the scoring with 7:40 left in the fourth quarter when he ran for a 43-yard touchdown to make the final 48-6.
“I’ve gotten to watch him (Armas) last season and this year, so I’ve learned a lot,” Gonzalez said about working with Armas in the backfield. “We train together and he is a big help to me as I try to get better.”
Holtville finished with 282 rushing yards on 22 carries, while Cuevas completed 6-of-11 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown.
On the opposite side, Bowen completed 16-of-23 passes for 143 yards, one interception and one touchdown. On the ground, the Cougars only managed 83 yards rushing on 24 carries.
Up next for the Vikings is a non-league home matchup against Southwest, set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 2, at Birger Field in Holtville. The Vikings open Imperial Valley League play at 7 p.m. on Oct. 10 when they host Central.