Valencia Wins 4th Consecutive Foothill League Title Against Rival Hart

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. — Toughness, togetherness, discipline; those are the staples of Larry Muir’s Valencia program. Those are the qualities that led the Vikings forward to a 45-26 win against Hart- a showdown for a Foothill league title. The victory marked Valencia’s 4th consecutive league title and 15th title overall during Muir’s tenure.

Hart (8-1) looked to secure its first victory against the Vikings since 2022 and its first league title since 2007.  

On Halloween eve, the student section was popping, the community was vibing, energizing the Hawks to strike first.

Hart opened with a 47-yard touchdown pass from Camren Ketner to Matix Frithsmith, then Valencia fumbled the ensuing kickoff.  The Vikings forced a stop on that possession, but the Hart offence cooked by scoring two touchdowns on their next two drives. Junior wide receiver Silas Tucker had over 100 yards in the first half alone.

Tucker scored on a touchdown with 34 seconds remaining, and Hart took a 20-14 lead.

Hart had a failed punt on the ensuing kickoff, giving the Vikings great field position, and they hit a quick field goal to cut the deficit to 20-17.

“We weren’t playing Viking football in the first half, but we knew if we came back and executed, we would be fine.”

When the Vikings hit turbulence, Muir righted the ship. Valencia’s Anthony Vernon returned the opening second-half kickoff for a touchdown. The Vikings used trickery when running back Anthony Nunez passed for a 44-yard touchdown pass.

Those two plays were key turning points in the game. On the kickoff, Valencia put one of their best athletes to make a play on the kickoff:

“We knew that they were pop kicking and they didn’t want to kick it deep, so we were trying to maneuver our guys around that hopefully to get it one of our playmakers, and Vernon made a heck of a play."

Nunez was nervous on the trick play when Muir called his number to do something different,

 "I just chucked a prayer, not going to lie. But I was really happy to complete it to Caysen."

Hart never got back into the game after that. The Vikings controlled the game on with their offensive line. The running combination of Nunez and McCallister couldn’t be stopped.

Nunez made a perfect Foothill League run in his prep career.

 “It’s surreal; we just want to keep the program standard. I know a couple of our assistant coaches had a perfect record in league play; I’m just happy to be a part of the great legacy of this program.”

Talking about this team winning a 4th consecutive league championship, Muir is proud of how this team came together.

“Every team is different; their success builds upon the Valencia football legacy. What’s most important is how this team responds; you can lay out a blueprint of how to be successful, it’s up to the group to do things hard- play hard, play together, be disciplined, display unselfishness.  This team is the epitome of that.”

With their regular season behind them, the Vikings will focus on the Southern Section Playoffs. They drew top-seeded La Serna in the CIF Section Division three playoffs.

Coach Muir said his team is up to the task, saying, “We know it’s going to be a challenge; that’s why we play the games.”

While the regular season has been breezing, playoffs have been more challenging for the program in the last several seasons. Valencia has experienced three consecutive first-round exits since making the CIF semifinals in 2022.

Hababa Mostafa Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

Trevor Lesaca catches a pass in Hart game

Muir knows his team is ready, and they were prepared playing a tough non-conference schedule “It’s why we have a challenging non-league schedule, playing top area teams like Simi Valley, Bishop Amat, Parcellate, and Chaminade. We went 2-2 in those games and didn’t play our best in the losses. We have continued to get better. We are playing our best ball right now, so if we continue to play our brand of football, we should be fine.” 

For Valencia to end their playoff drought, they will need superb play from sophomore Quarterback Evan McCalister, who will be making his first playoff start.

McCalister is talented beyond his years after throwing for 2,023 yards and 24 touchdowns. McAllister has a strong arm, quick release, and can make plays with his legs. He is an unranked recruit in the 2029 class but has division 1 offers from Southern University and Sacramento State. Muir is impressed by the poise of his young quarterback,

“He is unbelievably talented; he has tremendous mental makeup with his instincts and IQ for that position. The sky is the limit for him.”

Valencia travels down to Whittier to face the champions of the Gateway League, La Serna.  The Lancers rank 96th in MaxPreps California rankings compared to Valencia’s 130th mark. With the talent, discipline, and play of a dynamic quarterback, the Vikings have a chance to pull off one of the bigger upsets of the California HS playoffs.