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By Cynthia Scott
The opening kickoffs ñ there were two ñ of Friday nightís North Branch-Irondale game turned out to be an omen of how unpredictable the North Suburban contest was going to be.
The Vikings were penalized for sailing the opening kickoff out of bounds, forcing a re-kick. But Irondale fumbled the second kick and North Branch recovered, sending the Vikings on their way to a 37-34 victory for their second win of the season.
The game was not quite as close as the score would indicate. The Vikings jumped out to a 14-0 lead and held the advantage throughout, but were never quite able to put the game out of the reach of an opportunistic Irondale team. The Vikingsí largest lead was at 37-20 to begin the fourth quarter, but they watched that evaporate as Irondale threw two long touchdown strikes, closing the margin to 37-34 with 2:29 left in the game. The Knightsí onside kick attempt failed, and North Branch hung on for the win.
North Branch won the turnover battle, and that probably made the difference in the game. Irondale coughed up the ball on two interceptions and two fumbles, while the Vikings committed no interceptions and one fumble.
Adam Gades led the Vikingsí rushing attack with 20 carries for 86 yards and a touchdown. He also booted five extra points. Quarterback Matt Warren completed 10 of 16 passes for 104 yards and ran for 79 yards, 53 of them on a dazzling touchdown scamper in the second quarter. Justin Novak ran for 45 yards and scored 2 touchdowns.
On Friday night the Vikings host their archrival, the Chisago Lakes Wildcats. Both teams have identical 2-4 records and are tied for 5th place in the conference with Benilde-St. Margaretís and Cooper. The Wildcatsí attack features North Suburban Conference rushing leader C.J. Hoffman, a 5í11î senior who averages 7.8 yards per carry.
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