October 20, 2005 at 7:42 a.m.
North Branch vs Chisago Lakes...something had to give
North Branch vs Chisago Lakes...something had to give
The Wildcats scored on the first two possessions of the game and led 21-3 late in the first half. The game was starting to look like a blowout. However, the Wildcats fumbled with just over a minute left in the first half, and the Vikings drove 65 yards for a touchdown to cut the score to 21-10. The Vikings scored the only touchdown of the third quarter to pull within five. They were driving for the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter before LeVasseur’s pickoff and touchdown sealed the Wildcats’ victory.
The Wildcats dominated the early going. They returned the opening kickoff to their own 40 and marched 60 yards in 11 plays, using up half of the first quarter. On first-and-fifteen from the 16-yard line, Wildcat quarterback Brian Jennissen rolled right, faked a pitch to halfback Zach Sill and raced into the end zone untouched. After Christian Swanberg kicked the extra point, the Wildcats led 7-0.
The Vikings went three and out on their first possession. A Viking personal foul during the punt return gave the Wildcats excellent field position at the Viking 48. On second and ten from the 37, Jennissen again ran right for 35 yards and was knocked out at the two. On the next play, Wildcat fullback C.J. Hoffman plowed up the middle for the touchdown. Swanberg added the extra point and the Wildcats had a 14-0 lead.
Dillon Kost returned the Wildcat kickoff to the 29, where North Branch started its next drive. A 16-yard run by quarterback Matt Warren and a 17-yard carry by running back Adam Gades moved the ball into Wildcat territory at the 37. Justin Novak went around right end for nine and Gades went over left tackle for a Viking first down on the 23. But, the North Branch drive stalled there and the Wildcats took over after an incomplete pass on fourth and nine.
The Vikings got their first break of the game on the next play as they forced a Wildcat fumble. Mark Johnson recovered the ball at the Wildcat 22 as the first quarter neared its end. Two nice runs by Gades gave the Vikings a first and goal at the Wildcat five. But, an offside penalty and three ineffective plays left the Vikings facing fourth-and-goal at the seven. Running back Gades assumed his other role, as kicker, and booted a 26-yard field goal to get the Vikings on the board. With 10 minutes to play in quarter two, the score stood 14-3.
The Wildcats went backward in their next drive and were forced to punt. The Vikings took over at their own 32. But, on first down, the Vikings fumbled a pitch and the Wildcats recovered at the Viking 25. The Wildcats took five plays to get to the three. Sill tried to leap over the pile on first and goal, but was upended and held to a gain of one. Sill got the ball again on the next play and pushed his way up the middle for the TD. After the extra point, the Wildcats enjoyed a 21-3 lead with 3:09 to play.
When the Wildcats force the Vikings into a three and out on the next drive, the game appeared to be turning into a one-sided affair. But the Wildcats fumbled again with just 1:04 left in the first half and the Vikings took over at their own 35. Runs by Gades of 26 and 15 yards put the ball at the Wildcats 24. Facing second-and-two with 32 seconds left in the half, Warren fired a pass down the middle to wide receiver Jake Smith in the endzone. With Wildcat defensive back David Willhite draped all over him, Smith leaped, caught the ball and smashed into the ground, somehow hanging on to the ball for the touchdown. After Gades’ extra point, the Vikings had closed the gap to 21-10.
The Vikings took the opening kickoff of the second half and drove the ball deep into Wildcat territory. They went for it on fourth-and-nine from the 23, but a pass fell incomplete and the Wildcats took over. The North Branch defense held firm and the Vikes had the ball back just three plays later and took possession at the Wildcat 46. On second down, Warren hit Gades for 26 yards. Three plays later, the Vikings faced fourth-and-four from the 16. Warren hit Novak to the right, and Novak ran and dove over the goal line to cut the score to 21-16. The Vikings faked the extra point and tried to run for two, but the Wildcats stopped the run and the Vikings still trailed by five.
After forcing the Wildcats to punt on their next possession, the Vikings took over with two minutes left in the third quarter. They drove to the 30, but Warren was sacked on fourth-and-eight and the Wildcats took over on their own 34. The Wildcats failed to get a first down and had to punt again. With 9:32 left in the game, the Vikings took over at their own 31. After a nine play drive to the Wildcats 31, North Branch faced fourth-and-nine. Warren threw the ball into the right flat. LeVasseur intercepted it in stride at the 33 and streaked down the sideline, cutting inside at the 20 to avoid a tackle and raced into the end zone for a touchdown to give the Wildcats a 27-16 lead. Jennissen hit Hoffman for the two-point conversion, and the Wildcats led by 13 with just over five minutes to go.
The Wildcats squibbed the ensuing kickoff, and North Branch returned it to the Wildcat 42. The Vikings took advantage of the excellent field position and moved the ball again, but faced fourth-and-goal from the Wildcat five. The Wildcats flushed Warren out of the pocket to the right. Just as he was about to be sacked, he flung a desperation pass into the endzone. About a dozen players congregated under the ball and the Wildcats knocked the pass down and took over on downs.
The Wildcats got a first down on a 34-yard run by Hoffman and ran out the clock. The game became a thrilling 29-16 victory for the Wildcats after a stirring comeback by the Vikings.
C.J. Hoffman once again led the Wildcats in rushing, with 16 carries for 115 yards and a touchdown. Hoffman has rushed for 953 yards this season and is only 10 yards short of the Wildcat single season record set by Brant Larson in 1996. All-purpose player Adam Gades led the Vikings with 24 rushes for 151 yards, four receptions for 39 yards and added a field goal and an extra point.
“Chisago came out and took it to us in the first quarter and the first part of the second. In the second, we did a much better job of carrying out our assignments, which helped give us a chance to come back,” said Viking head coach Joel Swanson.
“ We made too many mental mistakes. Defensively, guys tried to do other peoples’ jobs and we got burned. When you play against an option team, you must be disciplined and we weren’t, in the first half. Offensively, we moved well, but we lacked consistency. We’d jump offsides, miss a block or run a wrong route in key situations. This put us in a lot of long yardage situations. I was proud of the way the kids came back after trailing 21-3. It was 21-16 in the fourth quarter with a chance to take the lead. We just didn’t finish it,” Swanson concluded.
Scoring Summary
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
Chisago Lakes
14 7 0 8 29
North Branch
0 10 6 0 16
First Quarter:
CL-Jennissen 16 yd run (Swanberg kick)
CL-Hoffman 2 yard run (Swanberg kick)
Second Quarter:
NB-Gades 23 yd Field Goal
CL-Sill 1 yard run (Swanberg kick)
NB-Smith 21 yard pass from Warren (Gades kick)
Third Quarter:
NB-Novak 15 yard pass from Warren (run failed)
Fourth Quarter:
CL-LeVasseur 67 yard interception return (Hoffman pass from Jennissen)
Game Summary
Team Totals NB CL
First Downs 21 16
Rushing-Yards 44-205 38-230
Passing Yards 178 16
Passing Comp-Att-Int 14-29-1 2-8-0
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 3-2
Penalties-Yards 4-20 7-50
Time of Possession 21:55 26:05
Chisago Lakes Offensive Stats
Player Rush(#/yds) Rec(#/yds)
Butcher, Shane 1/8
Hoffman, C.J. 16 /115 1/8
Jennissen, B. 11/74
Lien, John 6/25
Sill, Zach 5/16
Team Totals 38/230
Passing (comp/att/yds/int)
Jennissen, Brian (2/8/16/0)
North Branch Offensive Stats
Player Rush(#/yds) Rec(#/yds)
Carlson, Mike 5/11 2/3
Cofell, Chase 3/-1
Gades, Adam 24/132 4/59
Novak, Justin 4/14 6/92
Smith, Jake 1/23
Warren, Matt 8/49 1/1
Team Totals 44/205
Passing (comp/att/yds/int)
Warren, Matt 14/28/178/1
Both teams were scheduled to complete the regular season on Wednesday, October 19 at 7p.m. The Wildcats travel to Robbinsdale Cooper and the Vikings play at Spring Lake Park.
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