The Vikings won the Foothill League title when they defeated Hart High 37-7 on October 19 This means they have defeated all High School football teams in Santa Clarita. They went 9-1 this season beating every team that they played except for Rancho Cucamonga High School. That does not matter because they still advanced to the playoffs. Their first game would be against an intrinity league school Servite High School. Servite High School does not have good as a record as Valencia but it will still be a good game.

The final game for the Vikings was against Servite at Cerritos College. It was televised on Bally Sports West and NFHS Network. Service started hot by getting a good chunk of yardage on the kickoff. After that, they scored a touchdown in the first 5 plays of the game. Servite went for the extra point but missed it. Valencia looked strong on the first play but Servite stopped them and made them punt. Servite was playing a good game with their running game and their passing game. Valencia’s defense was responding to Servite’s offense with Anthony Castillo Jackson Asksins demolishing Servite’s defensive line by dropping dimes to Luke Cruz and Nick Seymore. It was a close game until the late 3rd quarter it looked like Valencia was going to tie it up when Jackson Askins threw an interception pass. From there on Valencia went down not scoring another touchdown from there on.

Assistant Coach Hayden White mentions being in Division 2, it will take extreme focus and execution from every player to make a deep run in the playoffs with the caliber of opponents in the division. Our team is Senior-heavy, and their experience will help late in close games which we anticipate each one will be.

He said that these are some players that I think would help against Servite. We have outstanding players all over the field. A few on the defensive side include linebackers Tony Testa, Reid Farrell, and Luke Cruz who are the heart of a stout defense defending both the run and the pass. Anthony Castillo on the defensive line helps anchor against the run, while Senior defensive backs Jordan Cardenas and Gavin Corbet highlight a fast and physical secondary. On the offensive side, Senior QB Jackson Askins keeps improving every week and has the offense in a versatile state. We can attack defenses both on the ground with running back Brian Bonner and through the air with our receivers Luke Cruz, Dre Kermah, and Nick Seymour. Our offensive line does an amazing job battling in the trenches to allow our offense to produce. Be ready to work.

Before the final game, Coach Hayden White stated, “ Valencia continues to be not only one of the best programs in the SCV but in Southern California. With the Victory Bell returning to Valencia after a few years’ absence, we have high hopes for the future of the program.”

Our offense keeps improving, and with the creativity that head coach Larry Muir has with designing and calling plays, we can keep defenses guessing and on their toes.

Our defense will be the key to how far we make it in the playoffs. With an extremely stout linebacking corps and defensive line, teams will find it hard to run against us. Our defensive backs have played well against the pass all year long and are ready to battle against the speed we will see in this division.

From a coaching standpoint, we have not changed much. But it has been the leadership from our Seniors and team captains that has been key in how the team approached practice all year. This team is 100% bought in and has a close relationship with one another. They attack each week no matter who the opponent is and play for the guy next to them.