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By Cynthia Scott
Robbinsdale Cooper broke into the win column at North Branchís expense Friday night, spoiling the Viking homecoming with a dominating 53-21 victory.
It was a game of blistering offense and little defense. Cooper racked up 520 total yards, most of them on the ground, while North Branch tallied 312 ñ most of them through the air.
North Branch took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a 1-yard run by Mike Carlson and an Adam Gades extra point. But Cooper came back to take a 20-7 lead with three straight unanswered touchdowns, including a 31-yard interception return in the second quarter.
North Branch pulled to within six points on a thrilling 76-yard touchdown pass and run from Matt Warren to Jake Chambers in the second quarter, but that is as close as North Branch would get. The final Viking score came midway through the third quarter with a 2-yard Gades run that capped off a 7-play, 81 yard drive.
ìWe just couldnít handle their quickness on both sides of the ball,î said Coach Joel Swanson. ìTheir running backs made us miss and then outran us or cut back on us for some big plays.î
Several times Cooper was able to revive stalled drives with fake punts and field goals. Cooper was 4 for 4 on fourth down tries, including the fakes.
Justin Novak made a strong showing on both sides of the ball. Defensively, he led the team with 12 tackles; offensively he rushed three times for 35 yards and caught 3 passes for 82 yards, including a 50 yard reception.
Mike Carlsoncarried 13 times for 74 yards.
Other defensive standouts for the Vikings included Fletcher Kerr-Johnson with 10 tackles, Matt Carlson and Dillon Kost with 9, Caleb Forstrom 8, and D.J. Charley 7.
The Vikings' next opponent is the Irondale Knights, who are also 1-4. The game is at North Branch this Friday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m.
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