Trailing by 8 points with just under two-and-a-half minutes left in the game, the Wildcats were perched on the Benilde-St. Margaret's ten yard line, first and goal.
Behind two goals from outstanding forward Brian Grand, the Vikings achieved their goal of going undefeated through their first five games by beating Fridley 3-2 in front of a happy hometown crowd last Tuesday, September 8.
Although Cambridge-Isanti has traditionally given the Wildcats fits in the pool, Chisago Lakes nearly knocked the Bluejackets off in a non-conference meet.
Although the North Branch volleyball team had already secured their first conference win of the season in a 3-1 upset of Irondale, they were looking for more last week when they took on the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights and the St. Francis Saints.
After coming off their biggest win in years, the North Branch Vikings came out a little too flat against a rejuvenated Fridley team on Friday, Sept. 11.
Trailing 2-0 at halftime, the Wildcats managed just one goal with five minutes left in the second half and fell to Roseville 2-1 last Tuesday, September 1 at Roseville.
When the smoke had cleared and the dust had settled and Elvis had left the building, the result of the game was still the same: North Branch 3, Chisago Lakes 2.
The Wildcats scored on a penalty kick with ten minutes left in the game to break a 0-0 tie, then added a second goal a few minutes later to make the final score Chisago Lakes 2, North Branch 0.
It's been a long road back to renewing the rivalry, but junior Zack Smith and the rest of the 2009 North Branch Vikings finally busted out of their three-year long slump and defeated the Chisago Lakes Wildcats 28-14 in the high school football season opener on Friday, Sept. 4.
Things looked bleak early in the season opener for the Viking boys' soccer team. Cambridge-Isanti scored two minutes into the game, and the Vikings were missing top scorer Brian Grand.
Just like last year, the Chisago Lakes Wildcats opened their volleyball season with a tough match-up against a large Northwest Suburban Conference school.