|
|
 |
By Cynthia Scott
Three touchdowns in the second quarter gave St. Francis an edge that the North Branch Vikings could not overcome, as the Vikings fell 26-36 at St. Francis in their season opener Sept. 2.
Early season jitters dominated the game. The Vikings fumbled five times, losing all but one, while the Saints turned the ball over twice on four fumbles.
The Vikings struck first with a 3 yard touchdown run by Mike Carlson midway through the first quarter. Adam Gades kicked the PAT.
But St. Francis came back to reel off the next three touchdowns, beginning with a 10 yard run with 50 seconds left in the first. The PAT failed, making it a 7-6 Viking lead. Two more St. Francis TDs to begin the second quarter put the Saints up 7-20 before Justin Novak hit Mark Johnson for a 3 yard touchdown pass, bringing the Vikings to within 6 at 14-20.
Five plays and 48 yards later, the Saints' lead ballooned to 14-28, their biggest of the game, on an 18 yard TD run. But North Branch put together an impressive 6 play, 67 yard drive that resulted in a touchdown and a 28-20 halftime deficit.
They came to within 2 points right out of the starting gate in the second half, when Justin Novak returned the kickoff for an 83 yard touchdown. The Vikingsí defense stayed stingy throughout the quarter, allowing no St. Francis scoring.
The only score of the fourth quarter was a 9 yard touchdown run by St. Francis.
ìI was proud of how hard the kids played and that they never quit,î said Coach Joel Swanson. ìBoth teams had the ball hit the ground quite a few times. This is common in the first game, but we must improve on this. And weíll need to eliminate our mental mistakes in the future if we are going to be successful. The first game jitters are over with.î
Swanson was particularly pleased with his teamís effort considering that the Vikings played with only one returning starter on offense ñ senior Adam Gades ñ and two returning starters on defense, Mike and Matt Carlson.
The Vikings tallied 284 total yards on offense to St. Francisí 321. Most of the Vikingsí offense‚ ñ 219 yards ñ was in rushing. Penalties also took a toll on the Vikings, who racked up 7 miscues for a total of 54 yards. St. Francis had 3 for 35 yards.
Leading the Vikings on offense were Adam Gades, who rushed for 122 yards on 22 carries; Mike Carlson who rushed for 75 yards and 2 TDs; and Justin Novak, who threw for one TD and returned a kickoff for another.
Defensive team leaders were Jake Smith with 10 tackles and one interception; Matt Carlson with 9 tackles, including one sack; Dillon Kost with 9 tackles; DJ Charley with 6 tackles and one interception; and Tom Westphal with six tackles.
The Vikingsí next opponent is Fridley on Sept. 9 at Fridley. In their first game of the season, the Tigers defeated St. Louis Park 31-7.
©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