DVC’s first game ever in the NorCal conference ended Oct. 18 with the Vikings falling to Foothill 49-31.
The Viking offense torched the Owls, the No. 1 ranked defense in the state, to the tune of 472 yards of offense and 31 points, the most points given up by Foothill this year.
Wide receiver Daniel Adler led the way with 243 all-purpose yards, including seven receptions for 135 yards and one touchdown.
Kava Tyrell and John Hendershott were also active in the passing game, gaining 96 and 83 yards respectively, with Hendershott adding his 11th receiving touchdown this season.
All three receivers provided targets downfield for quarterback Kyle Havens, who completed 33 passes for 387 yards and three touchdowns.
The offensive line was the key to DVC’s success, holding the tough Foothill defense to only two sacks the entire game.
DVC came into the game with high expectations. The team was finally at full strength, with receiver John Hendershott, linebacker Jordan Atkinson, and offensive lineman Fred Walker back from injuries.
Foothill jumped on the Vikings early, using the speed of its receivers to burn DVC deep and build a first quarter lead of 28 – 10.
After the first quarter, the Viking defense made some much-needed adjustments and contained the long passes of the Owls quarterback Dante Perez.
“They had some very fast receivers who got loose early,” said coach Mike Darr, “[but] the guys made adjustments and got back to their techniques.”
DVC was also without top corner Alvin Taylor who leads the Vikings and is No. 4 in the state with three interceptions.
The Vikings stuck with Foothill the rest of the way, each team scoring 21 points the rest of the game.
“If we had made some of the plays we made at the end, had we made them at the beginning, we would have won,” Darr added.
The second half belonged to DVC’s defensive line who, aside from three plays that went for 30 or more yards, held Foothill’s rushing attack in check and totaled five sacks.
But in the end, DVC had dug itself too deep in the first quarter to climb back out.
The Vikings will now play host tomorrow to defending national champions,
Viking fans are planning a “green out” and will all be sporting green on for the game.