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Some games don’t look all that exciting on paper. Take last week’s match up between St. Francis and North Branch. The two teams were a combined 0-4 and had been outscored by a combined total of 113 points. But, what followed was a highly electric football game between two teams who wanted that first win badly. With both teams coming into the game sporting an 0-2 record, someone’s ‘O’ had to go. Early on, it looked like it was going to be St. Francis that would earn its first victory on the year. After North Branch thought they had forced a three and out near midfield to start the game, the Saints used a fake punt to gain a first down and keep their first drive alive. Three plays later, junior Max Gust broke through the left side for a 40-yard touchdown to put St. Francis up 7-0. The Saint defense stymied North Branch’s opening drive and then responded with another long drive, capping it off with a four yard touchdown run by Gust. Towards the end of the first quarter and into the second quarter, however, North Branch began to answer back. On their second drive, they strung together some solid plays and quarterback Zack Sundly broke a long gain down to the nine-yard line. Sundly finished the drive off with a nine-yard touchdown run. A Logan Klatt extra point made it 14-7 in favor of St. Francis.

North Branch’s defense came up with the stop it had been looking for on St. Francis’ next drive. They forced a punt from the Saints and took over on offense again. This time, the quick strike that has haunted North Branch all season worked in their favor. After moving the ball near midfield, Sundly on an option keeper bobbed and weaved his way through a few waves of defenders until he broke free to the right side and scampered for a 52-yard score, his second on the night. Klatt’s extra point tied the game at 14. St. Francis didn’t take long to respond. They rode Gust and John Santiago down the field quickly, most of the yards coming on a long run by Santiago. The speedy sophomore finished off the drive with a seven-yard score, putting St. Francis right back on top. The Vikings offense was rolling though. Again, Sundly and fullback Rance Ashley bullied their way down the field, highlighted by another long Sundly run. North Branch earned a first and goal from the five with just over a minute to play, but it took them until fourth and goal from the three to finally finish it. Sundly scored his third touchdown of the half when he called his own number and bulled his way into the end zone to tie the game at 21-21 just before halftime. North Branch was set to receive the second half kickoff, and if their offense could keep rolling, they would be able to grab their first lead of the season. Of course, though, the St. Francis defense dug deep and kept North Branch out of the end zone on their initial possession. On the Saints’ next drive, they moved the ball effortlessly against the North Branch defense and finished off the drive with another Gust touchdown. This one from eight yards out, giving him three on the night. In typical North Branch fashion, they almost needed to be pushed into a corner to respond.

After an unsuccessful first drive to open the half, they responded to Gust’s third touchdown with another pretty drive. And also in typical North Branch fashion this year, Sundly finished the drive, diving in from one-yard out to tie the game at 27-27. Klatt had a chance to give North Branch it’s first lead of the game, but his extra point was blocked and the game remained deadlocked at 27. St. Francis closed out the third quarter with another drive that featured gashing and dashing from Santiago and Gust. The pair ended up combining for 464 rushing yards, with Gust having 345 of those. That drive ended with a Santiago score, his second on the night, and it put St. Francis up 33-27. The extra point hold was botched and the lead stayed at six. On North Branch’s next drive, they began to pound the St. Francis defense like they had the whole game with their running attack, but then disaster struck. At the worst time, Ashley and Sundly had a tough exchange and the ball hit the ground. St. Francis was all over the fumble and recovered it. It didn’t take long for the Saints to strike as Santiago dashed for a 41-yard score and the ensuing two-point conversion, putting St. Francis ahead 41-27 in the fourth quarter. In the past, that was a death knell for this Vikings squad. Two touchdowns in less than a quarter would’ve just been too much to ask. But, this isn’t those Vikings. North Branch was forced into a long third down on their next drive and if they weren’t able to convert it, things could’ve gotten dicey. But, not only did they convert the fourth down, they converted it for a long score -- just what they needed at that point. The play started like many of the previous Viking runs --

Sundly lined up under center with Ashley right behind him and Tony Denn in motion from left to right. Denn took a wide pitch from Sundly and the defense crashed to stop him short of the first down marker. However, Denn cut off his run, stopped, and threw a perfect pass over all the defenders to a wide open Jack Tholen, who was left alone when the cornerback read run. Tholen caught the ball in stride and strafed down the right side of the field for a 41-yard throw and catch touchdown. Klatt came through with the extra point, trimming the lead to 41-34. But, the clock was working against North Branch, and their defense had a tough time stopping St. Francis all night. On the penultimate drive, St. Francis did what they had been doing best all night. Handing the ball to Gust and Santiago and watching the gouge yards from North Branch. The Saints took the clock all the way down to just under four minutes and had a first and goal just inside of North Branch’s 10 yard line. After a loss of a few yards on first down, the Saints gained those yards back on second down, leaving it second and goal from the 10.

Then, St. Francis committed two straight penalties that pushed them all the way back to the 24 yard line. They took two shots near the end zone from the 24, but both fell incomplete, giving North Branch the ball down by one score and with a bit of time left to work. And go to work they did. Sundly began working the passing game a bit and offensive coordinator Bob Jackson, who head coach Nick Nitti called a “maestro of the sideline” during the two-minute drill, designed some plays that came out just for that drive. After moving past midfield, Sundly pitched out to Reid Johnson on second and eight, and Johnson tried getting to the edge on the sideline. When Johnson couldn’t get to that sideline, he began looking for more room, and it became a disaster and he lost seven yards on the play, leaving North Branch in a bleak third and 15 from St. Francis’s 43-yard line. After a pass fell incomplete on third down, the game came down to a fourth and 15 from St. Francis’s 43 yard line. Since the clock was already stopped, the Saints called a timeout to coordinate their defense. That was a bad idea. Jackson, who was the head coach at White Bear Lake for 19 years before this year -- has been known around the state for his offensive prowess. Sundly took the fourth down snap and immediately rolled to his right. Everybody blocked right and everybody headed right. Except Denn. Denn snuck out of the backfield to the left, and then was joined by two late-arriving blockers. Sundly lofted the ball back to Denn across the field and the cavalcade of blockers cleared the way as Denn converted the fourth down, moving the ball inside the redzone with just over a minute remaining. Although the North Branch sideline exploded in elation, it quickly subdued when they realized they still had 20 yards to go with no timeouts left.

Ashley bulled his way inside the 10 yard line and Sundly spiked the ball at the line for a second and goal from the five yard line with 12 seconds left. On the first attempt, Sundly dropped back and threw a perfect ball to Tholen’s back shoulder. Tholen, who was shielding the defensive back from the ball made the tough catch in the front corner of the end zone, right in front of the referee. The ref threw his hands up in a touchdown signal, and the Viking sideline erupted again. However, Nitti was faced with another decision. Although Klatt was four-of-five on extra points on the night, they were a bit shaky on the hold and blocking at times, so an extra point was no sure thing. Immediately, Nitti held up two fingers, signaling to his offense to stay on the field as they were going for two points. St. Francis took another timeout, and the tension built as both teams discussed their strategy for the game-deciding play. As both units trotted back out to the field, most in the stadium knew the ball was going to be in Sundly’s hands. The senior quarterback had four rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown already on the night, and St. Francis had found it tough to stop him. And to Sundly it went. He came in under center, took the snap, backed up looking like an option, and then kept the ball himself and bulled ahead on the left side of the offensive line.

The hogs had gotten enough of a push to where Sundly fell into the end zone and North Branch converted the two point conversion, going up 42-41 with six seconds left. A squib kick and a harmless quarterback scramble followed before North Branch could really celebrate. As the final horn sounded, the sideline erupted and hugs and high fives were everywhere. It was the Vikings’ first win since Sept. 30 of last year when they beat Columbia Heights at homecoming. The Vikings ended with ??? yards rushing, and just enough passing yards to beat St. Francis. Sundly highlighted the potent rushing attack with ??? yards, and Ashley had a nice supporting role, bowling the St. Francis defense over for ??? yards. Next up, North Branch takes on Simley as the Vikings host their homecoming this week on Friday, Sept. 21. They will also be inducting a Hall of Fame class at halftime.