Inexperienced Montgomery Vikings get overrun 54-21 by Napa in opener

The Napa Indians football team ran for 431 total yards and trounced the home Montgomery Vikings 54-21, Friday night in Santa Rosa.

“It all has to do with the line. They don’t get the credit,” Napa head coach Troy Mott said. “They are the lifeblood of the success of this program and that total is reflective of all the work they do in the weight room and at practice.”

After only leading 7-0 after the first quarter because of their “first game blues,” Mott said that the second quarter proved to be the key in swinging the momentum in their favor.

“The speed of the game is different than you can simulate in practice,” he said. “Once we caught up to the speed of the game, we got some nice drives.”

The bigger Napa squad was too tough to shut down for the Vikings, Montgomery head coach Marcella Bautista said.

“It’s a very good Division 1 team,” he said, “and our inexperience came out in the second quarter. We turned the ball over four times.”

The bad combination of 11 incomplete passes, penalties, and fumbles spelled out trouble for the Vikings as they were shut out 41-0 in the first half.

Parker Totty got the Indians on the board first with a 9-yard carry. Quarterback Cal Bard then found Alec Richmond for a touchdown before completing the 2-point conversion. Bard joined teammates Totty, Nathan Toma, and Issac Moody in the final four touchdowns of the half.

“I challenged the kids and I called out some of the seniors at halftime,” Bautista said. “It’s a moral win to come out in that second half and score 21 points.”

A 60-yard carry for Auston Rapolla opened a better second half for the Vikings, as Rapolla snagged another pass in the fourth quarter for a touchdown.

A diving catch in the corner of the end zone by Malik Telcy was all the Vikings could muster.

Toma and Austin Spinellia dded two more touchdowns to the Indian’s lead as they ran away with the 54-21 victory.

“They didn’t give up in the second half and I love this team for it,” Bautista said. “We’ve just got to get better. It’s only preseason.”

Picking up the smaller details will be key for the Vikings, Bautista said, while the Indians will look to improve their special teams as the season progresses.

With their first win under their belt, the Indians host Casa Grande next week, while Montgomery will travel to Hayward.

“We are the best we can be right now at 1-0,” Mott said, “so it’s as good of a start as we could have hoped for.”