Abraham Echauri (3) and Luis Molina (34) of Center bear down on Monte Vista’s Kadon Wenta (7) as he charts a course upfield.

CENTER— Monte Vista (4-4) warmed up a chilly night with a little ground and pound on the road against division rival Center (4-4). The Pirates left Center with a 38-0 victory over the Vikings on Friday night.
The Pirates have shifted some bad tides on the season coming into their meeting with Center, winning three of their last four games.
For their recent success Monte Vista was holding steady at the No. 18 spot in the RPI rankings .03 of an index point behind gatekeeper Highland. Center has found themselves in a retrograde, the loss to Monte Vista makes for a two game skid for the Vikings.
The Vikings got off on the wrong foot Friday night when a punt attempt on the first possession of the game went over the punter’s head and turned into a turnover on downs at the Viking 19 yard line.
Monte Vista’s Kaidon Wenta covered 18 yards on first down. Senior Tyler Vigil collected the final three feet for a Pirates touchdown, the two point attempt was good for a 8-0 lead early.
The Vikings second possession was ended abruptly on an interception by Monte Vista senior Darrius Garcia, putting the Pirate offense at about midfield. Six plays later Vigil went in from 14 yards out for his second score of the game. A Wenta two-point conversion pushed the Pirate advantage to 16-0.
Late in the half Center’s Carlos Lopez would cover a fumble for the Vikings at their own 32. The drive was hampered by fouls however and the Vikings would be forced to punt the ball back. The 16-0 score would hold going into the half.
The Pirates would take the first possession of the second half and a 3-minute drive would span 60 yards for a touchdown. A third two-point conversion made it 24-0 in Monte Vista’s favor.  
Midway through the third quarter Monte Vista’s Vigil stepped in front of a pass intended for Devin Porres to give the ball back to his offense. With the extra possession Wenta would score a seven-yard touchdown to widen the gap to 30-0. Another punt sailed on Center in the fourth quarter giving Monte Vista a short field where Wenta would go in for the finalizer to give Monte Vista a 38-0 win.
With two straight wins in their pocket Monte Vista will go to Buena Vista (4-4) to try and make it three on Oct. 26. The Demons share a record with the Pirates but held the 11th spot in the RPI as of Friday. A win against Buena Vista could be the springboard the Pirates need with regards to the post-season.
Center will look to get back to their winning ways when they go on the road to face Dolores (2-6) on Oct. 26. Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m. start times.