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All of the talk leading up to the game Friday night was the same. Rogers....Rogers who? The same Rogers who just opened up a new school? The same Rogers that doesn’t even have a senior on the roster this season? The same Rogers who didn’t have a football program last year? The answer was yes to all of it.

As a matter of fact, heading into the game, the question wasn’t whether North Branch was going to win but by how much. That’s exactly what scared Vikings head coach Joel Swanson. Not to take the Royals lightly was Swanson’s only battle cry.

Still, as both teams flooded the field, it still was unclear whether or not the Vikings had listened to their teacher. After one play from scrimmage, the team gave their answer. Marc Vanden Heuvel dashed off the right end and sprinted 66 yards for the touchdown. The play took just 37 seconds. Quickly it was clear that North Branch was taking no one for granted.

“As a coach, you don’t want to take any one lightly and the North Branch players didn’t take Rogers lightly,” commented Swanson. “It was great to see us come out ready to play.”

Ready to play for at least one half because that’s all they needed. The Vikings second drive on offense took 47 seconds before quarterback Matt Fletcher galloped 43 yards to score. The extra point was good, putting North Branch in front 13-0.

They were far from finished.

Midway through the first quarter, the Vikings did the job on defense again, giving the offense another crack at it. This time, the drive actually lasted longer than one minute before Corey Hutchings powered his way in from two yards away. Hutchings would add a 25 yard touchdown run later in the quarter, giving North Branch a 26-0 lead after one.

“It was huge for us to get on them right away. If they would have hung around in the first quarter and it’s 0-0, then you’re going to have a battle on your hands,” mentioned Swanson. “A strong start was crucial and that’s what we talked about before the game. We were ready to play. When we saw them on film, sure we saw some mistakes, but we saw two teams play a hard football game. We thought they had guys who we felt could break loose anytime.”

Instead, it was the Vikings breaking loose, adding two more touchdowns in the second quarter. Vanden Heuvel scampered into the end zone for the second time in the game at the 6:57 mark on a 14 yard run. The touchdown was the seniors fourth score of the season. Finally, leading 33-0, sophomore Erik Frich wrapped up the scoring for North Branch with a five yard touchdown run. It was the sixth score of the game for the Vikings, all on the ground.

“We didn’t even throw the ball after the first half. I don’t know, you go in stages where things are clicking,” commented Swanson. “Backs are breaking tackles, our wide receivers are breaking tackles down field. We are mixing it up on offense. There is no doubt about the fact that our offensive line is much better than they were last year but they’re all the same. A year of experience makes a big difference.”

In the second half, leading 40-0, the Vikings entered their bench. Rogers finally got on the board with under a minute to play in the fourth, scoring on a 15 yard touchdown pass, giving North Branch a 40-7 win.

“That was the type of game where we had a definite edge. Our kids have played together over the years and they are a program that is beginning,” said Swanson. “The junior varsity took over in the second half and did a good job while learning a lot. Overall, it was a good win and a lot of players received some playing time.”

The win pushed the Vikings season record to 2-0, tying them with Princeton for the best overall record in the conference. Up next for North Branch is Mora at home on Friday. The Mustangs are 1-1 on the year after losing last Friday to Milaca.

North Branch 40

Rogers 7

1 2 3 4 F

Rogers 0 0 0 7 7

North Branch 26 14 0 0 40

Scoring:

First Quarter-

NB- Vanden Heuvel 66 yrd, run (Extra point failed) 6-0

NB- Fletcher 43 yrd. run

(Baumann kick good) 13-0

NB- Hutchings 2 yrd. run

(Baumann kick failed) 19-0

NB- Hutchings 25 yrd. run

(Baumann kick good) 26-0

Second Quarter-

NB- Vanden Heuvel 14 yrd. run

(Baumann kick good) 33-0

NB- Frich 5 yrd. run

(Baumann kick good) 40-0

Fourth Quarter-

RG- 15 yrd. pass

(Rogers kick good) 40-7

North Branch statistics:

Passing-

Lucina- 2-2, 35 yards

Rushing-

Vanden Heuvel-

14 rush, 168 yrds., 2 TD

Fletcher- 3 rush, 71 yrds., TD

Hutchings- 4 rush, 48 yrds., 2 TD

Frich- 10 rush, 28 yrds., TD

Determan- 2 rush, 16 yrds.

Gades- 5 rush, 14 yrds.

Stenberg- 1 rush, 12 yrds.

Mike Carlson- 3 rush, 9 yrds.

Lucina- 1 rush, 7 yrds.

Dullinger- 2 rush, 5 yrds.

Moriarty- 1 rush, 4 yrds.

Matt Carlson- 2 rush, -3 yrds.

Receiving-

Anderson- 1 rec., 25 yrds.

Hutchings- 1 rec., 10 yrds.

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