Vista del Lago brushes off early setbacks, knocks off Placer in Division IV quarterfinal
Vista del Lago High School beat Placer 36-21 in a Sac-Joaquin Division IV quarterfinal in Folsom in a game that was nothing like their meeting earlier this season.
Vista won that game as well, on a clear Sept. 9 night in a high-scoring nonleague game.
This time, the programs played shrouded in a thick blanket of fog. The boys could barely 10 feet in front of them, fans in the stands could barely see the players on the field, and the scoreboard was engulfed by the fog for a majority of the game.
It was hard to see all the touchdowns, or practically anything, but that didn’t slow anyone’s effort, except maybe those trying to find receivers.
Starting the game off with two early interceptions, Vista del Lago star Jacob Hollingshaus did not hang his head. He found his groove and passed for 220 yards and three touchdown passes for the Eagles, who moved to 8-3 and next play at No. 2-seeded Vanden in a semifinal.
“We knew we were the better team,” Hollingshaus said. “Just had to get settled in for a second. Defense helped us out a lot tonight. We tried to not focus on the fog. We had to get play calls differently because we couldn’t see the sideline or our coaches. We had to work off each other.”
Having quarterbacked teams since the fourth grade, Hollingshaus said he had never experienced a game like such. According to teammate and leading receiver Matt Long, the fog was no big deal, especially with Hollingshaus leading the way. Long had two touchdowns and would do it all over again. Tyler Petersen rushed for 150 yards and a score for Vista.
Said Long, “It was rough, but we had practiced in the fog last week. It was foggy all practice, so we got used to it. It was a regular thing coming out here playing in the fog.”
Despite not being able to see the ball arrive until it was right in front of them, both teams maintained a balanced offensive attack. It was a big victory for the Eagles, who graduated the bulk of its spring team and welcomed in a new head coach in longtime assistant Kyle Landes.
“I told them to continue to believe in what we do. Continue to do your job,” the coach said. “This group is confident in each other; they love each other. They are never down and out of the fight.”
He added that he trusts Hollinghaus enough to handle any game situation. The quarterback has 27 touchdown passes this season and is the next in a long list of impressive Vista passers.
“Jakob is a great kid to coach, is a great person, and is becoming a great man,” Landes said. “He dealt with the swings of the game well. He kept a short memory, and did exactly what he needed to do.”
Vista del Lago, the second-place finisher in the Capital Athletic League, has won six of its last seven games. It beat Placer 47-37 on two months ago. Placer started the season 0-5 and finished it 5-6 with a five-game winning streak.
Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs
Division I
No. 1 Rocklin 42, No. 8 Sheldon 0
No. 5 St. Mary’s 29, No. 4 Edison 23
No. 3 Folsom 38, No. 6 Lincoln 14
Del Oro at Jesuit, today, 1 p.m.
Semifinals:
No. 5 St. Mary’s at No. 1 Rocklin
No. 3 Folsom vs. Jesuit/Del Oro
Division II
No. 1 Central Catholic 38, No. 9 Lodi 34
No. 4 Antelope 20, No. 5 Whitney 14
No. 6 Elk Grove 52, No. 3 Vacaville 48
No. 7 Monterey Trail 35, No. 2 Granite Bay 24
Friday semifinals:
No. 4 Antelope at No. 1 Central Catholic
No. 7 Monterey Trail at No. 6 Elk Grove
Division III
No. 1 Oakdale 40, No. 9 Roseville
No. 5 Patterson 52 No. 4 Yuba City 48
No. 3 Manteca 54, No. 6 Sacramento 14
Friday semifinals:
No. 5 Patterson at No. 1 Oakdale
No. 3 Manteca at No. 2 Lincoln
Division IV
No. 1 Kimball 44, No. 8 Wood
No. 4 Merced 56, East Union 15
No. 3 Vista del Lago 36, No. 6 Placer 21
No. 2 Vanden 61, No. 7 Dixon 0
Friday semifinals:
No. 4 Merced at No. 1 Kimball
No. 2 Vista del Lago at No. 2 Vanden
Division V
No. 1 Escalon 39, No. 8 Woodland 12
No. 5 Ripon 39, No. 4 Pioneer 20
No. 6 Hilmar 35, No. 3 Sonora 25
No. 7 Casa Roble 35, No. 2 Union Mine 33
Friday semifinals:
No. 5 Ripon at No. 1 Escalon
No. 7 Casa Roble at No. 6 Hilmar
Division VI
No. 1 Bradshaw Christian 36, No. 8 Linden 33
No. 5 Rosemont 37, No. 4 Hughson 28
No. 3 Livingston 56, No. 6 Waterford 20
No. 2 Argonaut 34, No. 7 Liberty Ranch 10
Friday semifinals:
No. 5 Rosemont at No. 1 Bradshaw Christian
No. 3 Livingston at No. 2 Argonaut
Division VII
No. 1 Woodland Christian 29, No. 8 Rio Vista 14
No. 4 Esparto, 50, No. 5 Delta 30
No. 3 Le Grand 27, No. 6 Big Valley Christian 6
No. 7 Mariposa County 7, No. 2 Vacaville Christian 6
Friday semifinals:
No. 4 Esparto at No. 1 Woodland Christian
No. 7 Mariposa County at No. 3 Le Grand
This story was originally published November 13, 2021 at 6:39 AM.