Valencia ran all over Golden Valley’s defense on Thursday night with three different Vikings recording a rushing touchdown.
The Vikings defeated the Grizzlies 35-7 on the road and secured their 17th Foothill League win in a row.
“The first half we executed, did a really good job, I thought, came out and played well,” Valencia head coach Larry Muir said. “I think week in and week out in the Foothill League, you get different issues you’ve got to kind of deal with. And they’re physical and they do a really good job. So, we knew that there were certain challenges there, and I thought our guys did a great job.”
Valencia (7-1, 4-0) opened the game with five touchdowns in the first half with three on the ground but had its offense limited on field time in the second half, with Golden Valley’s (3-5, 2-2) offense consistently running the ball.
On the game’s opening drive, Valencia scored right away with quarterback Brady Bretthauer scrambling into the end zone for a touchdown.
And on the next drive, Golden Valley didn’t trail for long.
Following a big kickoff return from Golden Valley to hand the Grizzlies possession within Valencia’s red zone, the Grizzlies equalized with a Joseph Lewis touchdown.
But in typical Vikings fashion, they responded right back.
Bretthauer and his offense drove down the field and with two minutes left in the opening quarter, Elias Holloway scored five yards out to lead 14-7.
On the following drive, all the momentum was with Valencia.
After a three-and-out for the Grizzlies, the team punted the ball back to Valencia only for it to be blocked and recovered by Anthony Vernon, who took it back to the end zone for a touchdown.
With a 21-7 deficit for Golden Valley, the Grizzlies managed to have possession on the Valencia 27-yard line following a pass interference call on the Vikings defense.
But in an attempt to score, the Grizzlies played fourth down and were unsuccessful and committed a turnover on downs.
On the next drive, Valencia decided to switch things up.
The Vikings ran a Philly special type of play with Anthony Vernon playing quarterback and threw the ball downfield to Bretthauer, who got yards after the catch to the Grizzlies 40-yard line.
“He’s a talented guy. He could play running back, he can play receiver, he could play linebacker. So, we wanted to get him the ball and see him catch the ball a little bit,” Muir said.
After the game, Bretthauer explained they ran the play in practice and in every rep, he dropped it but, in the game, he caught the one that counted.
“So, we ran it in practice three or four times, and I dropped it,” he said. “And luckily, the ball was just lofted up there. It was an easy catch for me to make this time when it counted.”
Later in that same drive, running back Brian Bonner extended the lead for Valencia 28-7 with a rushing touchdown.
And with 30 seconds left to go in the first half, Bretthauer threw a touchdown reception to Michael Wilder and Valencia led to 35-7 going into halftime.
In the second half, Golden Valley ran the clock down with an 11-minute drive that resulted in a turnover on downs at the Vikings five-yard line.
And in the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies weren’t done with their run game as they kept on giving the ball to Aaron McCormick, who had a 98-yard run.
“Elias Holloway does an unbelievable job of stopping them in the one-yard line,” Muir said. “And now you get that goal line stand.”
After a few runs from Golden Valley, the Grizzlies failed to capitalize and committed a turnover on downs.
The failed drive would be Golden Valley’s best opportunity to score in the second half, and neither team ended the game scoring in the second half.
The loss for Golden Valley gives the team a 2-2 league record, tied for Saugus in the third spot and the Grizzlies play their final two games on the road facing off against West Ranch in week nine and Saugus week 10.
And with only the top three spots in the league standings granting an automatic playoff berth, the implications for the postseason only get bigger for both teams as the final two weeks are pivotal for playoff seeding.
For the Vikings, the win extended their Foothill League winning streak to 17 games, a feat that dates to the 2022 season.
For Muir, the game next week presents another opportunity to get better and prepare with so much at stake.
“I’m not going to say it’s just another week, but it is another week of challenging ourselves in that process of getting better and going to another step,” he said.
And with the team firing on all cylinders, the Vikings return home hosting Hart, in what will be a league-deciding game for both teams.
For Bretthauer, all that matters is executing when it counts and playing the best Valencia football.
“It’s all about just preparing to play our best football next week, has nothing to do with who we’re playing or what’s at stake,” he said. “It’s all just about playing our best ball, and everything will take care of itself.”
The Vikings host Hart next week with the game at Valencia High School.
