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Vikings at Totino-Grace

The North Branch football team found out why Totino-Grace is the number one ranked team in Class 4A Friday, October 6. At Totino, the Vikings were beaten 57-8 by the Eagles.

Totino used a powerful attack to amass 479 yards on the ground and roll to a 50-0 lead before the Vikings could put anything on the board. For the third week in a row, the only Viking TD came on a kickoff return. Against the Eagles, senior Johnny Han took a fourth quarter kick and returned it 74 yards for the Viking score. Junior Jared Grams ran for the two point conversion to complete the North Branch scoring.

“We did not play well against a very tough team. They were big, fast, and talented at every position.    We have not scored an offensive TD in four games.  Our focus (in our next game) is running the ball effectively and getting our passing game off the ground,” said North Branch head coach Dave Eyre.

Grams had a good night for the Vikings. He led North Branch with 73 yards rushing in 12 attempts. Grams also grabbed three Mark Johnson passes for 34 yards.

On defense, Jake Chambers led the Vikings with 11 tackles. He got a lot of help Dillon Kost, who made 10 stops, while DJ Charley and Tony Dahlberg were credited with six tackles each.

Homecoming

vs. Columbia Heights

The last minute of both halves proved bad luck for Columbia Heights The North Branch Vikings survived a brutal northwest wind and a final drive by the Hylanders to gain an exciting 18-15 homecoming win Friday, October 13.

In the final minute of the first half, Alex Nelson’s 35 yard field goal gave the Vikings their first lead at 11-8. With 24.1 seconds left in the game, Justin Novak intercepted a Mike Sorenson pass to preserve the three-point North Suburban Conference win for North Branch.

The Hylanders took the opening kickoff and marched for two early first downs. But, Viking senior DJ Charley came up with a jarring fourth down tackle to give the Vikings their first possession.

Thanks to two Justin Novak nine-yard carries the Vikings were near midfield with their initial first down. Four plays later, the Hylanders stopped the Vikings inches short on a fourth and four.

Heights took the ball with 5:25 in the first quarter. The Hylanders put together three consecutive first downs. The game’s first scoring drive ended when CH scored on an 11 yard, second-and-nine touchdown run. The two point conversion gave the Hylanders an 8-0 lead with 24.3 remaining in the first quarter.

Novak’s kickoff return set up the Vikings on their own 32. After Caleb Forstrom was stopped for no gain on first down, Novak’s speed and elusiveness led to a 34 yard run. Speed followed speed as Jared Grams gained 26 on a reverse to give the Vikes a first down on Heights’ 10. Stopped just short on first down, Novak’s carry into the endzone on the next play to narrow the margin. QB Mark Johnson got the equalizer and with 10:05 to go and the score was knotted at 8-8.

The Hylanders took possession after Viking Greg Sederberg made the tackle on the kickoff return. The Viking defense stifled the Hylanders’ next drive, forcing a punt with 6:08 left in the half.

Things didn’t look good for the Vikings following Hylander captain Zach Awsumb’s awesome punt pinned the Vikings at their own three. However, three plays later Novak took a pitch from Johnson, turned the corner on the right side and wove his way through the Heights’ defense for 57 yards and a first down on the Hylanders’ 37.

A Grams run for 12 and a seven yard Novak carry put the ball on the 18. On fourth and three, Novak ran for a first at the 11. But, an illegal procedure penalty helped to stall the drive and forced a field goal attempt. With 24 seconds left in the half, Viking kicker Alex Nelson ignored the gusty headwind and the Hylander defenders to split the uprights. His 35 yarder gave the Vikings an 11-8 halftime lead.

The Vikings’ first possession of the second half started well. A Johnson to David Bennett 20 yard pass gave the Vikings a first down at midfield. Another first down on the Heights 39 gave the Vikings hope. But, the Hylander defense stopped the Vikings for no gain. On fourth down, the Vikings tried to put Heights deep in its own territory with a punt. However, Kirk Dahle’s punt was slowed by the wind and took a big Hylander bounce and Columbia Heights took the ball on its 31.

The Viking defense forced a Heights punt and the Vikings moved the ball well on their next possession. That drive, which featured a successful fake punt, moved the ball into Hylander territory. However, a mishandled pitch on the next series gave the ball to Heights on the Viking 45.

Three first downs later, the Hylanders took the lead. With 7:56 to play, the scoreboard read Vikings 11, Visitor 15.

After a Novak return to the Viking 36, the Vikings got a break on fourth down. A Hylander defender jumped offside to keep the drive alive. NB took advantage of another Heights offside to gain a first down at the 31.

On first down, Johnson hit Nelson with a 15 yard completion to the 16. The Vikings were at the Hylander 8, facing a second when Columbia Heights called its second timeout with 3:01 to go. The defense they devised didn’t work as Forstrom scored on the next play for an 18-15 Viking lead at the 2:56 mark.

Sorenson, the Hylander quarterback, returned the Viking kickoff and snaked his way through Viking tacklers all the way to the North Branch 35. Heights moved the ball over the next two minutes, but was forced to hurry as the seconds ticked away. With 31.5 seconds remaining, the Hylanders took their last timeout.

On the next play, Sorenson avoided a game ending sack, spotted two receivers in the left flat and let it fly. Novak slid between the two Hylanders and picked off the pass. He was tackled with 24 .1 on the clock.

Johnson took a knee on the next play and the Vikings had secured their second NSC win.

North Branch Head coach Dave Eyre described the game as an, “Awesome team win, one to watch if you are a fan.  They pulled ahead late in the game and we had to muster a fourth quarter drive to win the ballgame.  Our defense stepped up huge by keeping them in bounds and having them burn timeouts. 

“They then had to take to the air because they had only 30 seconds left and Justin Novak picked off a pass for the win. The kids were really excited and rightfully so,” Eyre continued.

Looking forward to the final regular season game, the coach added, “Hopkins is a tough 5A team and will present a good challenge.  We have a must win situation to avoid an eighth seed and a trip to Totino.  Our team is very able to win this game, and last Friday did wonders for our confidence.”

The Vikings were scheduled to play Hopkins at home, Wednesday, October 18. The section quarterfinals are scheduled to begin Tuesday, October 24.

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