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There was a slugfest on Friday, October 6 at North Brand Stadium, but like they have most times this year, the Vikings remained standing when they beat back a tough challenge from Grand Rapids, winning 28-21 over the Thunderhawks.

The first quarter started as a grinding, plodding turnover filled affair. North Branch started with the ball but went three and out quickly. They were going to go for it on fourth and one from midfield, but a penalty pushed them back five yards and they decided to punt to Grand Rapids. 

Things almost got messy when punter Carter Drill muffed the snap on the punt, but he somehow recovered the ball on one hop and with two Hermantown defenders bearing down on him, he just narrowly got  the kick off, giving NB about 30 more yards of field position.

Hermantown proceeded to move the ball 38 yards in 11 plays, with eight of those plays going for three yards or less, but the plodding offense for Rapids derailed when the quarterback-running back exchange was fumbled and the NB defense fell on it at their own 33 yard line.

But the drive started rough for the Vikes as their first rush lost 11 yards, putting them in a second and 21 position. That eventually led to NB playing behind the sticks and finding themselves in a fourth and 9 from their own 35 yard line and lined up in punt formation for what seemed like a guaranteed kick.

But, fittingly, the game was played in October, just a few weeks before Halloween, because Head Coach Justin Voss dug deep in his bag of tricks for a fake punt pass. The Grand Rapids defense fell for it and Drill delivered a nice pass, but before the Vikings receiver could come down with it, he was blasted by a Thunderhawk defender, and the refs correctly called pass interference, giving North Branch a fresh set of downs.

The Vikings rewarded their coaches’ trust in them, going 10 plays after the fake punt and scoring a touchdown when quarterback Jacob Robillard went around the right side for a five yard score. The extra point was good and North Branch was up 7-0.

The Viking defense did a nice job early on the next drive for Grand Rapids, forcing the Thunderhawks into a third and long, but a small lapse resulted in a big play, as the Hawks took the third down rush 63 yards to the house for a touchdown. NB blocked the extra point and stayed in front 7-6.

On the first play of the next drive, North Branch went to a place they don’t often go to, and that’s the air. A nice playfake from Robillard froze the defenders and running back Tyler Minke streaked down the middle of the field uncovered. Under pressure, Robillard delivered a strike that Minke brought all the way down to the 10 yard for a 40 yard gain. A few players later and the Vikings scored their second touchdown of the game, with Volner punching it in from a yard out. The extra point was good and NB led 14-6, a lead they took into the halftime locker room.

However, the first drive out of the half, Grand Rapids moved the ball effectively and capped it off with a touchdown and two point conversion to tie the game.

Grand Rapids, who was playing a unique defense to try and decode and stymie NB’s misdirection-based rushing attack, did a decent job on the next drive, but they could never get a big stop against the Vikings' offense. North Branch went on a 16 play drive that burned over 10 minutes of clock time and resulted in a one yard touchdown run for Drill, The extra point was good and NB regained the lead at 21-14.

The Vikings kept the trick bag open on the kickoff, with Voss calling for an onside kick that the Vikings recovered, putting an absolutely gassed Thunderhawk defense back on the field. 

Not surprisingly, the Vike’s drive didn’t take nearly as long. Six plays later and two big runs, and the Vikings stretched their lead to 28-14. The big plays on the drive came on a fourth and three conversion from Robillard. He dropped back to pass but finding no one open, he took off for a gain of 20. Then Drill finished the drive with a 16 yard touchdown scamper with just nine minutes left in the game.

The Vikings’ defense looked to have seal the game when they forced a three and out on Grand Rapids and the Thunderhawks decided to punt from their own 32. The long snapper sailed the snap over the punters head and into the Grand Rapid endzone, but in the process of taking the punter down for a safety, the Vikings were called for a disastrous 15 yard penalty, giving Rapids a new set of downs and new life. On the very next play, the quarterback connected with a a running back on a wheel route and a NB defender slipped, allowing the back to score from 53 yards out. Their extra point was good, getting it back to a one score game at 28-21.

The Vikings offense went back to doing their job, though, driving down the field and gaining chunks of yardage and burning precious seconds off the clock. They got two different first downs and burned nearly four minutes of clock time when they dropped back to pass on a third and seven from Rapids’ 40 yard line with just over four minutes to play. Robillard’s pass hit the receiver in the hands but was punched out by a Rapids’ defender. It ricocheted off another defender's hands, and then another defender's helmet and eventually fell towards the ground. The referees inexplicably called it a fumble even though the North Branch receiver only had his hands on it for a split second, and the Hawks recovered to get another chance.

However, they committed a holding penalty on the first play of their drive, which got them into a long yardage situation. On the eventual fourth and eight play, the Rapids’ quarterback slipped as he was trying to get away from heavy NB pressure, and turned the ball over on downs. The Vikes needed one more first down to end the game, and they did just that on a seven yard run by Drill in which he carried a few defenders to the marker. Two kneel downs later and the Vikes celebrated their fifth straight victory.

The Vikings end their season with two games against the lower echelon teams of the district. They’ll host Duluth East on Friday, October 13 in what could be a scary matchup for the Greyhounds. They are 1-5 on the year and haven’t been all that competitive in most of their games.

North Branch then ends their season with a short-week match up against Cloquet on Wednesday, October 18. The Lumberjacks are 3-3 on the year and do typically play well against NB, but have also struggled mightily in their losses against teams that North Branch has already beaten.

And the Vikings will have plenty to play for, as they control their own destiny to the top seed and the only bye in Section 7AAAA. If they take care of business against the Greyhounds and Lumberjacks, they’ll earn the top spot. A stumble against either one of them makes things much more muddy and complicated.

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