The Vikings pounded away a sloppy, 35-21, win against the Los Altos Eagles on Thursday at Paly.

Both teams turned the ball over numerous times, but the Vikings were able to make the most of their possessions with an improved blocking effort.

On the first play from scrimmage, sophomore running back Roger Villanueva broke a 30-yard run, setting the tone for a big day on the ground. However, two plays later, a fumbled snap was recovered by the Eagles.

On their possession following the turnover, the Eagles first play went 83 yards for a touchdown as missed tackles plagued the Vikings.

The Vikings would respond on their next possession as they powered their way downfield with the run, featuring Villanueva, sophomore fullback Roger Prince, and freshman running back Evan Warner. Sophomore quarterback John Koepfogen came through with the big play on this drive, as a 30-yard pass kept the drive alive, followed by a 10-yard scoring strike to Warner.

Tackling problems again reared their ugly head during the Eagles second drive, but a pick off by Warner ended the Eagles’ march down the field.

Just when it seemed that the Vikings had momentum, a fumbled snap recovered again by the Eagles gave Los Altos the ball right back. The Eagles began marching down the field until #52 knocked the ball loose, and the Vikings recovered it.

On their ensuing possession, the Vikings relied on what had been working the whole game: running the ball as Villanueva took the handoff 50 yards. The Vikings relied on their backfield to finish the drive, as Prince rumbled in from 10 yards out.

The Eagles were stymied on their next possession and were forced to punt. Freshman strong safety Kevin Dexter blocked that punt and set up another scoring drive for the Vikings.

The drive was capped off by a 20-yard touchdown pass down the sideline from Koepfogen to Warner.

The Vikings’ defense would allow a 40-yard touchdown run before stiffening up for the rest of the game, ensuring the victory.

"We blocked well for the run and pass today," head coach Dave Duran said. "We ran the ball much better."

Villanueva had nothing but praise for his line as they opened holes for him on his 10 carries for 194 yards. "The line blocked really well, and we were able to play together well as a team," he said.

Duran has seen marked improvement in not only his new, inexperienced players but also some of his returners. "Koepfogen is doing better than he was last year," Duran said.

The Vikings have one more tune-up game against the pass-happy Monta Vista offense, who put the ball in the air 90 percent of the time, Thursday night at Cupertino High School before Paly’s first league meeting versus Homestead on Oct. 9.