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Foley 26

North Branch 6

One stat summed up the Vikings 26-6 loss to Foley last Friday night in St. Cloud.  One number that North Branch depends on game in and game out.  The Number?  Sixty-seven, as in 67 rushing yards against the Falcons on 27 carries, averaging out to 2.5 yards per carry.  For a team whose success on the ground goes a long way in determining their success on the field, 67 just didn't cut it.  Meanwhile, Foley rolled to 228 yards on the ground and 110 through the air, out-gaining the Vikings in total offense 338-234.

Easily, the Vikings biggest struggles came in the first half where they were held to just 87 total yards (21 rushing).  On the other side of the field, Foley grabbed possession of the ball early and steamrolled down the field, scoring their first touchdown three minutes into the game on a seven yard touchdown run. 

Eight minutes later, the Falcons added to their lead with another score, this time coming on a 15-yard pass play.  Even though the extra point failed, the Vikings found themselves down 13-0 after the first quarter.

“Foley is a quality team and I just think we came out extremely flat which we have done in all three of our games now,” said Joel Swanson, North Branch head football coach.  “We've been dominated by all three of our opponents in the first quarter because we just haven't shown up ready to play.  We weren't ready for whatever reason and they took it to us.”

North Branch began to wake up in the second quarter, pulling within six less than three minutes into the quarter after junior Matt Warren connected with Ed Meier on a 23-yard touchdown pass.  The extra point failed, making the score 13-6.  The momentum was starting to turn.

However late in the quarter, Foley took all of the air out of the Vikings’ balloon by scoring with 16 seconds left on the clock, giving them a 19-6 lead at the break.  The Falcons touchdown came on a nine-yard quarterback scramble.

“We were in the game.  In the second, we were down by seven and all of sudden they got that late touchdown and that killed us.  Their quarterback had a chance to go out of bounds but instead he moved it up field and we couldn't stop him at the goal line,” remembered Swanson.

“That hurt because it was a huge momentum boost for them to get a score right before the half.  I think the kids really got down after that.”

Leading 19-6, Foley got their fourth and final touchdown of the game in the third quarter on a 35-yard interception return, pushing their lead to 26-6.  As for the Vikings, despite moving the ball well at times, especially through the air, North Branch was never able to close the gap.  The loss dropped the Vikings to 2-1 on the season while Foley improved to 3-0.

“We just need to start stronger, be ready right away,” remarked Swanson.  “I saw some good things and I saw some things where we definitely need to improve.  I thought Matt Warren played well.  They had a lot of pressure on him.  We spread it out and tried to open it up.  He understands the game well and he was able to read things.  He didn't let the team quit out there either.  Plus, Tony Beaver was another player who stood out.  We had him back at wide receiver and he played well.”

Offensively, Warren finished the game with 13 completions for 167 yards.  Adam Gades led the Vikings in the rushing department, gaining 29 yards and 11 carries, and Beaver caught seven passes for 62 yards.  On the defensive side of the ball, Gades and Billy Oehlers each recovered fumbles for North Branch.

Next up, the Vikings have to have a short memory with Mora upcoming on Friday for their homecoming game.  The Mustangs are 1-2 on the season

“You can sulk (about the loss) or you can learn from it,” replied Swanson.  “Obviously, they exposed a couple weaknesses and now we have to adjust.  Any team can be up and excited when they're winning, but how a team responds after a loss is going to say a lot about the kind of character we have on this team.”

Foley 26

North Branch 6

1 2 3 4 F

North Branch 0 6 0 0 6

Foley 13 6 0 7 26

Scoring:

First Quarter-

F- 1 yrd. TD run

(Kick good) 0-7

F- 15 yrd. TD pass

(Kick failed) 0-13

Second Quarter-

NB- Meier 23 yrd. TD rec.

(Kick failed) 6-13

F- 1 yrd. TD run

(2 pt. conversion failed) 6-19

Third Quarter-

F- 35 yrd. INT return

(Kick good) 6-26

Fourth Quarter-

No scoring

North Branch statistics:

Passing-

Warren- 13-19, 167 yrds., TD

Rushing-

Gades- 11 rush, 29 yrds.

Hutchings- 6 rush, 19 yrds.

Frich- 2 rush, 9 yrds.

Warren- 2 rush, 7 yrds.

Meier- 2 rush, 3 yrds.

Receiving-

Beaver- 7 rec., 62 yrds.

Moore- 2 rec., 42 yrds.

Lofboom- 1 rec., 29 yrds.

Meier- 1 rec., 23 yrds.

Hutchings- 1 rec., 7 yrds.

Gades- 1 rec., 4 yrds.

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