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RedHawks refuse to lose against VCA
- Updated: September 30, 2025
Mountain Empire following the Homecoming win on Friday night.
2025 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL
MOUNTAIN EMPIRE 36, VICTORY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 35
EastCountySports.com
PINE VALLEY – Mountain Empire showed they can win the close ones just as effectively as the blowouts, surviving a wild 36-35 homecoming victory over Victory Christian Academy on Friday.
The RedHawks avenged last year’s 39-12 loss to the Knights and improved their record to 5-1, marking their best start since 2011.
The game was a back-and-forth affair from the opening minutes.
Victory Christian Academy struck first with an 8-yard rushing touchdown from Gabriel Aguirre, followed by a successful PAT to take a 7-0 lead.
Mountain Empire responded in the second quarter as Elisha Lashone Robinson scored on a 5-yard rush, though the RedHawks failed the two-point conversion.
VCA extended their lead with two more touchdowns before halftime, including an 18-yard TD pass from Chato Garcia to Austin Dill, capped with a two-point rush.
Mountain Empire began their comeback late in the second quarter as Robinson took a long pass from Maxwell Anderson and later scored on a 12-yard rush, though another two-point attempt fell short, leaving the RedHawks down 21-12 at halftime.
The third quarter saw the drama escalate.
Chance Ross rushed for a 2-yard touchdown, and Junior Ponce added the two-point conversion to pull Mountain Empire within one at 21-20.
Victory Christian answered with a 65-yard touchdown run from Aguirre, but the two-point conversion failed.
Ross then broke free for a 52-yard rushing touchdown and another two-point conversion, giving Mountain Empire a 28-27 lead going into the fourth.
Victory Christian reclaimed the lead at 35-34 after Chato Garcia rushed for a touchdown and completed the two-point conversion.
But Mountain Empire had one more surge.
Robinson scored on a 12-yard run, and Ross completed the two-point conversion to secure the 36-35 victory.
Michael Noble’s interception late in the fourth quarter preserved the RedHawks’ narrow win, while Victory Christian’s last-second 40-yard field goal attempt came up short.
The RedHawks were unstoppable on the ground, rushing for 381 yards as a team.
Robinson led the charge with 230 yards and three touchdowns, while Ross contributed 106 yards and two scores.
Mountain Empire also recorded two interceptions, one by Noble and another by Mason Hotka.
“We played sloppy. I’m frustrated, but a win is a win,” Mountain Empire coach Cameron Keller said.
With the win, Mountain Empire continues their home dominance, marking three straight victories at home. The RedHawks will host O’Farrell Charter at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, aiming to keep their best start in over a decade alive.
