Despite a pushed-back start time, nothing was stopping the Valencia Vikings from leaving College of the Canyons’ Cougar Stadium with a football win over the Saugus Centurions on Friday.
From the first play of the game, when Valencia’s Caysen Badawi set the tone with a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, the Vikings ran away with the win, 62-28, over the Centurions and began the Foothill League season 3-0.
“We just came out here and competed, and that’s what we wanted to do every week and Friday,” Valencia’s sophomore quarterback Evan McCalister said after the game. “We come out here, do our jobs, we work Monday through Thursday to get prepared for Friday. It feels good to get the [win].”
In the win, McCalister had another big night offensively.
McCalister, who already led all Foothill League quarterbacks in passing yards prior to Friday, tossed for four touchdowns in the win over Saugus (4-3, 1-2).
McCalister ended the day with 222 yards through the air and completed eight for nine pass attempts.
On the ground, McCalister snagged a rushing touchdown of his own with an 11-yard keeper in the first half. The sophomore rushed for 40 yards.
As for the rest of Valencia’s (5-2, 3-0) offense, Anthony Vernon led the way in the rushing attack with two touchdowns on the ground along with 82 yards.
Following the game, McCalister spoke on the team’s chemistry with his offense and believes the relationship with his teammates only gets stronger as the season continues.
“You know it’s really good when you got those weapons on the offensive side of the ball,” he said. “The chemistry is getting better every day, every week but we still have more to improve on getting ready for playoffs.”
With the win, the Vikings snatched their 22nd Foothill League win in a row, a feat dating back to the 2022 season.
For Valencia, the win over Saugus on Friday night also marked the Vikings’ fourth victory in a row.
In each of Vikings’ last four wins, Valencia’s offense has scored 42 or more points and defeated their opponents by multiple possessions.
Next week, the Vikings have a scheduled bye but will return to Foothill League play on Oct.16 at Canyon High School against the Cowboys.
As for McCalister, although his offense had a big night, he’s still looking for his team to reach the full potential and raise the “Viking standard” the team has set for themselves.
“Every week we find out we can push each other more. We’re not at the level we want to be at yet,” he said. “We’re going to work on our craft … keep that chemistry up and keep that standard of being us. Our gold standard.”
As for Saugus, the loss was their second in back-to-back weeks and third overall.
Despite the loss, Zach Barnes was a bright spot for the Centurions.
The freshman quarterback tossed for 215 yards and completed 11 for 16 pass attempts while alternating series with junior Brayden Connelly.
While Barnes was slinging the ball through the air, he also snagged a rushing touchdown on the ground in the second quarter.
In the first half, Barnes tossed his lone passing touchdown of the night in a 30-yarder to Ethan Benner.
With the loss, the Centurions fell to below .500 in Foothill League play with a 1-2 record.
The Centurions will look to climb back in the standings and bounce back next Friday against the Canyon Cowboys at College of the Canyons with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.
For more on McCalister’s performance, watch his postgame interview here: https://youtu.be/vosaMBDhMbw
