Following an 0-2 start to the 2026 season, the North Hollywood Huskies responded with consecutive road victories including their first league win over Monroe. The Huskies returned to their home field on Friday night to take on their league rivals in the 3-1 Verdugo Hills Dons, who were also 1-0 in the East Valley League after a win over Arroyo. North Hollywood was dominant in the contest for a 43-7 route through an explosive running game led by senior running backs Brandon Del Toro and Reis Dorne, who both combined for 251 rushing yards in the win. 

The Huskies were looking to contain a Verdugo Hills offense led by Dons senior quarterback Jared Smith, who came into Friday night ranked 7th in CIF L.A. City Section in passing yards and 10th in total yards. Dorne got the ball rolling early with a first quarter touchdown to give North Hollywood a 7-0 lead with 3:27 left in the first quarter. The Huskies defense shutout the Dons in the first quarter, including an acrobatic one-handed interception from senior linebacker Max Bates. 

With favorable field position in the red zone following the interception, Del Toro added a 12-yard touchdown run on the second play of the drive to give the Huskies a 14-0 advantage with 2:04 left in the first quarter. Penalties stifled the subsequent drive for Verdugo Hills, as they were forced to punt as the game moved along into the second quarter. 

Having retrieved the football at midfield, Dorne reached the end zone for the second time with a 37-yard touchdown run on the third play of the drive. The Huskies led 22-0 with 10:26 left in the second quarter after the successful two-point conversion, and proceeded to force a three-and-out on the defensive end. North Hollywood senior quarterback and team captain Logan Grant aired it out in their next drive to set up a 6-yard touchdown score from Del Toro for his second of the night. 

Trailing 29-0 with 6:05 left in the second quarter, Verdugo Hills finally got their offense going through the passing game, with Smith throwing for two first down conversions through the air. The Dons reached the end zone to conclude the drive on a 1-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 29-7 with 2:07 left in the half. 

On the first play of their next offensive possession, Dorne ripped off a 66-yard touchdown run from dodging defenders through the tackles to give North Hollywood a 36-7 lead with 1:49 left in the half. Verdugo Hills turned the ball over on downs on their last possession before the halftime break. Both teams turned the ball over on downs on their opening second half possessions that took over eight minutes off of the game clock. 

The second possession for North Hollywood took the game into the fourth quarter, where Bates added a 6-yard touchdown run on the offensive end to extend their advantage to 43-7 with 11:03 left. The Dons turned the ball over on downs on their following drive before the Huskies ran out the remainder of the game clock. 

Both teams now hold a 3-2 record on the season, though North Hollywood is now 2-0 in league play and will travel to Arleta for their next game Friday afternoon at 3:30 pm. Verdugo Hills will look to rebound on their home field against Monroe on Friday at 7:00 pm.

All photos by David Martinez