After two weeks away from the gridiron, the South Tahoe freshman football team (4-1) spent every ounce of stored up energy and enthusiasm to slug out a victory Thursday against a physical and technically sound Elko High School football team (4-1).

Elko began the game with an eight-minute, 12-play drive ending in a touchdown and a 6-0 lead after Danny Carranza blocked the point after attempt for South Tahoe.

It took South Tahoe a total of 12 seconds to tie the game up thanks to a 78-yard kick off return for a touchdown by Jacob Bernal, who later scored again, breaking multiple tackles during an inside run play.

Quarterback Tommy Cefalu and wide receiver Jake Miller connected for a long touchdown as the first half slugfest continued and Elko went into halftime with a 26-20 lead.

After some slight adjustments by both teams, the scoring barrage began to slow down. Cefalu threw for another touchdown, this time to slot receiver Noah Jackson, which gave the Vikings a 28-26 lead with just more than minutes remaining in the game.

As the game winded down, the South Tahoe defense stopped Elkos’ wing-t attack twice on fourth down to secure the 28-26 win. With the win, the South Tahoe freshman football handed Elko its first loss of the year, and are currently riding a four game winning streak.

UP NEXT: Sparks High School travels to Viking Bowl for an South Tahoe home game at 5 p.m. Thursday.