The Imperial Tigers took the short trek to Holtville Thursday night to battle the Vikings in the Fall 2021 edition of the I.V. Classic rivalry game at Birger Field. On the opening kickoff, the return man for Holtville, senior Dorian Maize took it to the house. After a successful 2-point-conversion by the Vikings offense, Holtville had the early lead at 8-0. Imperial would not let up, however, as multiple key offensive and defensive plays led to the final score being 14-8.
For the Tigers, junior quarterback/wide receiver Christopher Tiernan was the do-it-all playmaker for the Tigers Thursday night, having both Imperial’s touchdowns credited in his name. Senior Jeremiah Naylor and junior Seth Shaw also played key roles in the Tigers’ victory.
For the Vikings, senior Dorian Maize took the opening kickoff to the house, putting the Vikings up 6-0 early on in the game. Senior cornerback Roger Rolfe caught an interception for the Vikings, a notable play for Holtville trying to mount a comeback.
With the third-straight victory for Imperial in the renewal of this rivalry matchup, Imperial improves to 4-2 on the season. The Tigers will open their Imperial Valley league slate of games Friday night, when they travel to Brawley to take on the Wildcats at Warne Field.
With their first loss of the season, Holtville will still keep their impressive record to hold strong at 5-1. The Vikings will open their Desert league slate of games Thursday night, when they take the trip to Blythe to take on the Palo Verde Yellowjackets.
Watch our broadcast highlights from this always-exciting rivalry matchup between the Imperial Tigers and the Holtville Vikings.