Vikes make it 5-0

The North Branch football team faced its most formidable opponent to date last week, and proved that it is the team to beat this year in the Rum River Conference.
The Vikings took on Foley, in a matchup against the first place 4-0 Vikes and the 3-1 second place Falcons. North Branch came out on the winning end of a 7-6 defensive battle.
Head Coach Joel Swanson said the squad knew going in that it would be a battle.
ìIt was a game that we had to be ready for from the start,î he said. ìWe talked about it all week long. In the previous two outings we got off to sluggish starts in the first quarter. In this game we came out and took the ball right away.î
ìWe had a great week of practice and we emphasized all week that everyone needed to be into it,î Swanson added. ìOur junior varsity and scout squads did an excellent job of helping to prepare for a good Foley team.î
The lone Vikings touchdown came just four minutes into the game, at the end of a 69 yard drive that culminated with a 61 yard pass from quarterback Matt Fletcher to Jake Anderson. Britt Baumannís extra point kick would prove to be the difference in the game, giving North Branch the 7-0 edge at the end of one.
Foley scored a TD with five minutes remaining in the second quarter. The PAT was no good, for a Vikes 7-6 lead.
Swanson said the offense wasnít able to get going after that first score.
ìWe couldnít keep up our consistency,î he said. ìWe would get something going and then we would have a break down and put ourselves in undesirable situations. We will need to improve this next week.î
The offense put together 207 yards, trailing Foleyís 280 total offensive yards.
The Vikings defense looked strong in a good team effort. ìThe players recognized a lot of the things Foley was doing,î Swanson said. ìStill, Foley had 280 yards in offense, but we were able to control them from having the big play.î
Ben Stenberg and Marc Vanden Heuvel led the defense, including on a big stop at the 10-yard line to end the first quarter.
Fletcher passed for 82 yards on three completions in the game. Vanden Heuvel completed one pass for 23 yards.
Jake Anderson led in receiving with 69 yards, followed by Ed Meier with 23 yards and Corey Hutchings with 13 yards.
Cory Haley recovered a Foley fumble for the Vikings.
Swanson said special teams play improved in the game, but it is still an area that needs improvement for the team.
He credits the assistant coaches as a key to the win, including Bill Baumann, John Gunderson, Ben Bernard and Ian McWilliams.
This week, the Vikings take their perfect 5-0 record on the road to face a struggling St. Michael-Albertville team. North Branch returns home the following week, Oct. 10 for its homecoming game against Princeton. Both games start at 7:00 p.m.

Top of Page

©ECM Post Review

6448 Main Street
North Branch, MN 55056
Telephone: 651-674-7025
Fax: 651-674-7026
E-mail: editor.postreview@ecm-inc.com