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The first possessions by each team established the pattern in the North Branch-Totino Grace football game Friday, October 5. The Vikings netted minus four yards on their first series and the Eagles scored on their first play on the way to 48-0 win at North Branch.

It was warm (for an an October evening) and humid when Viking Junior Chad Anderson picked the opening kickoff out of the quickly darkening skies and returned it to the NB 14. Fellow junior Sam Kalkbrenner's run gave the Vikings a single yard on first down. Before the second play got underway, the whistles stopped play as the home team was set back five yards for illegal procedure. Anderson's second down run went for no gain. On third down, Cole Willcoxen's pass fell incomplete. On fourth and 14, the Vikings punted from the 10.

After Viking sophomore Vinny Kleidon's fourth down punt, Kalkbrenner caught the Totino return man on the NB 31.

On its first play, the Eagle quarterback stepped back in the pocket and lofted a perfect strike to his receiver, streaking toward the southwest corner of the Viking field. The TG receiver took the ball over his shoulder inside the Viking five yard line and strode into the end zone. After the extra point kick, it was 7-0 with 9:52 still remaining in the first quarter.

Down by a touchdown with scarcely two minutes elapsed, Anderson returned his second kickoff to the Viking 26. The Vikings' second possession got off to another bad start. Quarterback Willcoxen snagged an errant snap on first down. He scrambled to gain control, evaded the first tackler and recovered to get close to the line of scrimmage.

Two plays later, the Vikings faced a third and six from the 30. Anderson took the hand-off from Willcoxen and headed north. He tried to find running room behind the right side of the Viking offensive line, bounced off a pair of would-be Eagle tacklers and turned the corner. After breaking through the Totino front line, he saw some daylight. He veered left, then right. Two Eagle defenders finally caught him at the Totino 21, following a 49 yard gain, putting North

Branch within sight of the goal line.

A big roar from the Viking crowd gradually disappeared. After a bobbled snap on first down and a second down run for no gain, the Vikings were still at the 21. On third down, a mob of Eagles pushed the Vikings to a five yard loss. On fourth down, Willcoxen launched a pass into the end zone.

The crowd was on its feet as the pass arced back toward the field. A Totino defensive back grabbed the ball and fell to the ground as a collective groan sifted through the west bleachers. The Viking fans returned to their seats, frustrated and disappointed.

That frustration soon turned to resignation for many NB supporters. The Eagles ripped off big chunks of yardage, moving from their 20 to the Viking 36 in two plays. On the third play of its second drive, Totino called a pass play. An Eagle receiver latched onto the ball and cruised into the Viking end zone. The three-play, 36-second drive gave Totino a 14-0 lead with 5:13 left in the first period.

The Vikings started on the 22 after the fourth Totino kickoff. On first down, North Branch head coach Dave Eyre decided to mix it up. The Vikings ran a reverse/end-around that ended with wide receiver Alex Sundly throwing a pass that went off the fingertips of junior Cody Kosman before it fell to the ground.

That near-completion was the highlight of that possession, which ended in a fourth-down blocked punt, giving TG the ball on the Viking four. The Eagles scored two runs later and, with 3:35 left in the first period, took a 21-0 lead.

The Vikings punted, again, after failing to make a first down the next time they got the ball. Totino got it back at the NB 31. This time, the Viking defense caught Eagle runners for two successive losses, forcing a Totino punt that bounced into the end zone.

The first quarter ended with the Vikings facing a third and long at their own 22. A third down run failed to gain a fresh four and NB punter Vinny Kleidon boomed a kick that resulted in a Totino first down at its own 40.

Three first downs and seven plays later, the Eagles crossed the goal line to make it 28-0. They followed that with an eight-play drive that made it 35-0 at half time. Totino subs scored single TD's in the third and fourth quarters, making the final 48-0.

Scoring Summary

Totino-Grace 21 14 7 6 48

North Branch 0 0 0 0 0

With the Vikings' regular season home schedule ended, the Vikings finish their conference season at Columbia Heights Friday, October 12. The last regular season opponent, Hopkins, will host the Vikings Wednesday, October 12. Both kickoffs are scheduled for 7:00.

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