HOLTVILLE— The Holtville Vikings football team wasted no time asserting dominance Thursday night, jumping out to a 16-0 lead in just the opening minutes and never looking back en route to a commanding 54-6 victory over the Eagles.
The Vikings came out firing on both sides of the ball, with their defense delivering a statement early. After an explosive start on offense, Holtville’s Andre Gonzalez extended the lead with a pick-six, pushing the score to 22-0. A successful two-point conversion made it 24-0 before the midway mark of the first quarter.
Holtville’s ground game took over from there. Running back Enrique Armas powered through for a touchdown to stretch the lead to 30-0 with 6:11 still to play in the first. Braxton Buscaglia added another rushing score as the Vikings continued to pour it on, 36-0.
Following another Eagles turnover, Armas dazzled with a highlight-reel touchdown, shaking off three defenders to find the end zone. Holtville took a knee on the two-point conversion but still led 42-0.
The Eagles showed a spark late in the first half when Joshua Ibarra broke free for a 30-yard gain to put his team in the red zone. Despite setbacks that pushed them back to the 40-yard line, the Eagles managed to punch in a score before halftime, trailing 42-6 at the break.
The second half began with more of the same. After a defensive stand on the Eagles’ opening possession, Holtville struck quickly. On the first play of the drive, Armas found a seam up the middle and sprinted for another touchdown, making it 48-6.
Holtville’s defense forced yet another turnover, and the Vikings capped off a clock-chewing drive with Buscaglia’s second touchdown of the night early in the fourth quarter, sealing the 54-6 final.
The win moves Holtville to 5-1 on the season as they gear up for a pivotal matchup next week against the Central Spartans, with IVL playoff implications on the line.
“We had a good game tonight, and all credit goes to the big guys up front who opened up lanes for us to run the ball,” said Armas. “As we look towards to the game we have ahead of us, we will continue to prepare and watch film so we can be ready for any team we face in the IVL.”