On this play Viking QB Leo Johnson (No. 15) rifled a pass to a wide-open Andrew Lashinski. Lashinski caught two balls for two touchdowns against Mesabi Academy.
Sam O’Phelan rushed for three touchdowns and the Vikings defense was once again on top of its game as the Vikings powered past Mesabi Academy 41-14 Friday, September 4 at Mesabi.
The Vikings ended up gaining 379 yards while holding Mesabi to 93 yards.
Still, the game was far from perfect, said Head Coach Mitch Dorr.
“To be honest our passing game is still sputtering so we need to make some adjustments. We lost four fumbles and had one interception, so five turnovers is way, way too many.”
Senior quarterback Leo Johnson connected on a 21-yard slant pass to Owen Anderson for a touchdown, and completed two scoring passes to Andrew Lashinski, one for two yards and one for 21 yards. Ethan Sporn also caught a pass for 4 yards.
O’Phelan rushed for 123 yards on 16 carries to average 7.7 yards per carry, and was named the Vikings’ Offensive Player of the Game. Rory Bakke finished his night with 105 yards on 13 carries. Leo Johnson added 19 rushing yards, Andrew Miller 10, and Jack Wieben had 9 yards in his first action of the season after recovering from a concussion suffered this summer in a car accident.
Frankie Miller and Billy Hackett made sure no one got their hands on Rory Bakke who ran unimpeded around the corner for a big gain. Bakke rushed for 105 yards against Mesabi Academy.
“Jack looked great and we will see him in extended action this week,” said Coach Dorr.
However the Vikings will lose two players for at least the next game. Both Colton Thompson and Bradley Wilson suffered injuries in the Mesabi game that will keep them off the field for a while, said Coach Dorr.
When asked about his team’s defense, Dorr had nothing but superlatives. “The defense was once again great, essentially giving up one touchdown. The lone touchdown the defense gave up was with three seconds to play against our younger guys, so the varsity had their second straight game of not giving up a score.”
Andrew Lashinski and Frankie Miller led the team in tackling, each getting 7 unassisted tackles. Lashinski also recovered a fumble and was named the Vikings’ Defensive Player of the Game.
Colton Thompson had 4 tackles and one quarterback sack. Miller and Jack Wieben also each recorded a sack on the night. Rory Bakke had 3 unassisted tackles and 2 interceptions while Ethan Sporn had a “pick” of his own. Four players each had 3 unassisted tackles, Brad Wilson, Leo Johnson, Owen Anderson, and Rory Bakke, and Dylan Works had 1 unassisted tackle and helped with 3 other tackles.
Overall, said Coach Dorr, “We played pretty sloppy with five turnovers and 15 penalties. We have a lot to work on, so anytime you can still score 40 plus points you have to be happy.”
The Cook County High School Viking football team upped its record to 2-1 on the season (2-0 in the conference) with its victory over Mesabi.
The Vikings’ next game is at home, September 11 on Friday night against Ely, who is 3-0 for the season and is coming off a 47-16 win over Silver Bay last week. Ely won 59-0 over Lake of the Woods/Indus in its first game of the year and 46-0 over Northeast Range in its second game of the season. It should be an interesting match-up between the rapidly improving Vikings and the high-flying Timberwolves when the varsities take the field at Lyle Anderson field at 7 p.m.
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