Vista Jr. Eagles battle Whitney

The following is a recap of Vista Jr. Eagles youth football games vs. Whitney, as submitted by the organization. Midgets Whitney 8, Vista del Lago 6 The Vista Jr. Eagles midget team took on Whitney in a defensive controlled game on Saturday. Jake Fucci started of the game by intercepting a Whitney pass at their own 30-yard line to stop the Wildcats initial drive. There was no scoring in the first quarter with both offenses struggling to move the ball. Whitney scored late in the second quarter on a long sustained drive. With 2:14 left on the clock, Whitney led 8-0. Vista quickly answered with a scramble pass from QB Travis Kaestner to a wide open Kyron Gulley for an 88-yard TD. The point after kick was no good, making the score 8-6 Whitney at the half. The second half was more of the same, defenses controlling the game. On Whitney's opening drive in the third quarter, DE Will Hooks recovered a fumble to give the ball to Vista at Whitney's 30-yard line. Unable to score, the Eagles defense stood strong with several great plays to stop the remaining Wildcat drives. Eagles DE Porter Williamson had two tackles for loss on one drive by Whitney, forcing a change of possession. DB Josiah Davis also made a big defensive play with a fumble recovery in the third quarter. Unable to mount any sustained drives by either team, the final score was 8-6 Whitney Wildcats. Jr. Midgets Whitney 17, Vista del Lago 0 In a hard-fought matchup between the Vista Jr. Eagles and the Whitney Jr. Wildcats, the Wildcats came out on top with a 17-0 victory, despite a strong defensive effort from the Eagles. The Eagles received the opening kickoff, with Sa-Francis returning the ball, but a missed snap and a false start pushed the Eagles back. After a short run by Sa-Francis, they found themselves in a tough third-and-long situation. On fourth and long, the Eagles completed a pass to Esola, but it was short of the first down, leading to a turnover on downs. The Wildcats took over and started driving. McLeod led the defensive effort with two early tackles, followed by contributions from Molnar, Kubik, and another tackle for loss (TFL) from McLeod. A long run from the Wildcats set them up near the goal line. The Eagles' defense held strong with tackles from Nudelman, McNeel-Caird, and McLeod on fourth down, but the Wildcats kicked a field goal to take a 3-0 lead. The Eagles' next drive started with a catch from McNeel-Caird, but a false start penalty pushed them back. A fumble soon after gave the ball back to the Wildcats. Nudelman made a key tackle to end the first quarter with the Wildcats up 3-0. In the second quarter, Anderson made a tackle, and Steineke forced a runner out of bounds. However, the Wildcats continued to march down the field and pushed through the Eagles' defense for the game's first touchdown. The kick was good, extending their lead to 11-0. On the ensuing drive, McNeel-Caird had a solid return, followed by carries from Molnar and Kubik. However, another false start put the Eagles in a difficult third-and-12 situation. Kubik ran but couldn't gain ground, and the Eagles were forced to punt. The Wildcats' drive was quickly stopped by tackles from Cirelli, a group tackle, and Molnar (with a TFL. After forcing a fourth down, the Eagles took over. The Eagles showed promise with a pass completion to Esola and two strong carries by Molnar, driving into Wildcat territory. With 1:15 left in the half, they completed a pass to Hart, and Connelly carried the ball close to the goal line. However, with only 20 seconds left, a pass to the end zone was intercepted, ending the half with the Wildcats still leading 11-0. The Wildcats opened the second half, but Molnar and Palermo made key tackles to keep the return short. McLeod forced a fumble with Pacheco Campbell recovering it, giving the Eagles a chance. The Eagles capitalized with a long pass to Esola, but a fumble in the end zone gave the ball back to the Wildcats, erasing their chance to score. On the Wildcats' next drive, McLeod made another tackle, followed by two group tackles and a false start from the Wildcats. Kubik and Connelly made tackles, and Cabrera recorded a sack. The Eagles forced a turnover on downs, but McLeod had to leave the game after his strong defensive effort. The Eagles' offense struggled with an incomplete pass to Esola and a loss of yards putting them at third-and-17. Kubik attempted a throw, but it was intercepted, and DiBello made the tackle to end the third quarter. The fourth quarter started with Nudelman, Molnar, McNeel-Caird, and Cirelli making key tackles, holding the Wildcats near midfield. The Wildcats punted but recovered the ball themselves. Molnar and McNeel-Caird made back-to-back tackles, stopping them on fourth-and-three and forcing a turnover on downs. The Eagles began their next drive with Kubik connecting with Sa-Francis, who passed to Castro for a first down, but it was called back by a block-in-the-back penalty. The Eagles lost yards and faced pressure, resulting in another interception. The Wildcats took control again. Tackles from Pacheco Campbell, Cirelli, and McNeel-Caird was not enough, as the Wildcats managed to break through the defense for a final touchdown. The extra point was no good, leaving the score at 17-0. On the Eagles' final drive, a short kick was returned by McNeel-Caird, but the Wildcats intercepted another pass. Sa-Francis made a touchdown-saving tackle to prevent further damage. The Wildcats took a knee to end the game, securing their 17-0 victory. Peewee Whitney 13, Vista del Lago 0 The game started with the Wildcats kicking off to the Eagles. However, the Wildcats recovered the ball on the kick-off. A couple of plays later the Wildcats scored an early touchdown. Vista then drove the ball down the field with a good kick-off return by Nicholas Ahola, followed by a run by Jaxton Steele and then a 20-plus yard run by Finley Hollingsworth. The Eagles turned the ball back over to the Wildcats after a fourth down at the 27-yard line. The Wildcats came through with a long run which was stopped by a tackle from Vista's Zachary Rojo. The Wildcats were ultimately able to score one more touchdown to end the first quarter. The second quarter started with Vista driving the ball down the field. Several completed passes to Finley Hollingsworth were good for two separate first downs. Vista ended up punting the ball on the fourth down to get the ball further away from their end zone. The Eagles held off the Wildcats and got the ball back once more before the clock ran out. Shortly after halftime, the ball was intercepted by Vista's Finley Hollingsworth. Hollingsworth, Jaxton Steele, and Christopher Mitchell took turns successfully running the ball for good yardage gains. Vista made it to the 15-yard line but turned the ball over to the Wildcats following a fourth down. A good tackle by Levi Hillman stopped the Wildcats' advance to end the third quarter. The defensive lines of both teams dominated the fourth quarter with each team turning the ball over on downs once. Brad Larson, Ethan Dowd, and Morgan Murphy had some notable tackles to stop the Wildcats from advancing. Then, the Eagles' Nicholas Ahola intercepted the ball. The Eagles drove the ball until the Wildcats intercepted it on a pass with about one minute remaining. The Wildcats ran out the clock for the 13-0 win. The Vista Jr. Eagles showed much improvement during this game, which made for an exciting match-up!