By Matt Lechuga
For The Signal
The Valencia Vikings dominated their second game of the season, beating host Canyon 73-3 on Friday night.
The 73 points are the most scored by the Vikings since they beat Silverado High School 69-19 on Sept. 6, 2019.
“Our kids got a little better from last week, which was good,” said Valencia head coach Larry Muir. “You’re trying to improve week to week because we have such a short deal, so we made progress and that’s what we’re looking to do.”
Valencia scored on 10 of its 12 possessions, with the only non-scoring drives ending on a lost fumble by quarterback Tyler Voss and the team’s final possession where they took a knee to end the game. They also added a defensive touchdown off an interception by Brandon Tompkins. Voss had another strong game, completing 23 of his 33 passes to 11 different receivers for 387 yards and four touchdowns.
The Vikings (2-0) looked methodical on their first drive, marching 80 yards on 10 plays capped by a 5-yard touchdown rush from Christian Alcantar. Their second drive wasn’t as smooth but just as successful, with penalties early in the drive stalling the Vikings only for them to pick up a big chunk of yardage later to make up for it. That drive finished with Zamondre Merriweather taking a screen pass from Voss into the end zone from 8 yards out.
Canyon (0-2) responded with a long drive of its own, taking 11 plays to get to the Valencia 29-yard line and setting up senior kicker Jarrett Reeser to drill a 46-yard field goal to get the Cowboys on the scoreboard for their only points, down 14-3.
The Vikings blew the game open from there, scoring 59 unanswered points and cruising to the easy win.
“There’s always stuff to work on – special teams we can work on still, we had a lot of penalties which is never a good thing,” said senior utility man Jayden Shakir. “Our coverage could have been better, too. So, we’ll go over film and find things to work on.”
Earlier in the day on the Valencia football Twitter account, Shakir was named the second team captain after senior kicker Ty Morrison was named the first captain. Shakir finished the game with six receptions for 122 yards and also contributed an interception.
“(Jayden) is a quiet kid but he is laser-focused on his job and his responsibility, and he does it to the best of his ability,” said Muir. “He does it consistently every day. He’s the same way on a Friday night as he is on a Monday. That kind of maturity and focus is something great for our younger guys to see.”
Entering the second half with a comfortable 42-3 lead, the Vikings relied on their ground game to wrap the game up. The senior, junior and sophomore trio of Christian Alcantar, Giorgio Spiropoulos and Daniel Hernandez finished the game with a combined 227 yards and five touchdowns.
“We just get it done,” said Hernandez. “We put in the work during the week and when it comes to Friday we show up and we play.”
The Vikings have a short week to prepare to face Hart next Thursday night and Canyon will look for its first win of the season when it hosts West Ranch on Saturday.
Photo gallery: Click on image to view full size.
Spectators watch as Valencia plays Canyon Friday night. March 26, 2021. Bobby Block / The Signal. Valencia runing back Christian Alcantar (36) is tackled at the game against Canyon Friday. March 26, 2021. Bobby Block / The Signal. Spectators watch as Valencia plays Canyon Friday night. March 26, 2021. Bobby Block / The Signal. Valencia wide receiver Zamondre Merriweather (4) scores a touchdown against Canyon Friday. March 26, 2021. Bobby Block / The Signal. Stephanie and Ralph Testa watch as Valencia beats Canyon 73-3 Friday. March 26, 2021. Bobby Block / The Signal. Valencia High School’s Shakir Jayden (3) attempts to evade a group of Canyon players. March 26, 2021. Bobby Block / The Signal. Patrick and Shannon Harrington cheer on their son, Valencia High School safety Caden Harrington (20), at Friday night’s game against Canyon. March 26, 2021. Bobby Block / The Signal. Canyon’s Colin Figureoa (3), resists a tackle attempt by Valencia’s Shakir Jayden (3). March 26, 2021. Bobby Block / The Signal. Canyon High School’s Jarret Reeser (9) kicks off Friday night. March 26, 2021. Bobby Block / The Signal. Ty Morrison (30) Kicks a field goal. March 26, 2021. Bobby Block / The Signal.
