The Cook County Vikings football team traveled to Barnum on Friday, October 9, to take on the (4-2) Bombers. The Vikings were looking for their first win of the season and played their best game of the year, but unfortunately dropped a hard fought 30-26 decision.
The Vikings had gotten some good news when senior running back/linebacker Kipp Sande, who hasn’t played this season due to injury, was cleared to play. He made a big difference for the Vikings.
Not only did Sande impact the game offensively to lead the Vikings in rushing with 68 yards on 13 carries, but defensively he led the Vikings with 19 tackles, played with great energy and was all over the field. Head Coach Mitch Dorr commented with a smile, “Kipp Sande looked like he hadn’t played in five games. He was everywhere!”
Barnum is a good team and they were fired up because this was their homecoming game. For the first time this season, the Vikings were at full strength and that resulted in another exciting close game with the Bombers.
File photo/Laurie Johnson The Vikings offensive line responded enthusiastically to the return of senior Kipp Sande in the Friday, October 9 game against the Bombers at Barnum. The Vikings had their best game of the season, dropping a hard-fought 30-26 decision.
Not only did Sande’s return create the backfield that the coaches envisioned before the season began, but it allowed Jacob Rude, who had filled in for Sande at fullback, to return to his guard position on the Vikings offensive line. With the addition of Rude, the line responded with its best game of the season.
According to Coach Dorr, Rude is the leader and anchor of the Vikings line. He is like a coach on the field and his presence caused them to play with much more cohesion.
Quarterback Kale Boomer had a good game passing the football, going eight-for-26 for 223 yards and three touchdowns. He did throw three interceptions with one coming back for a touchdown, but two were on passes that hit receivers in the hands and popped up into the air.
Brock Hommerding made a big play on a 76-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and collected two interceptions, while tight end Dylan Quaife had a big game, catching six passes for 175-yards and three touchdowns.
The Bombers got on the board first at 2:49 of the first quarter when Taylor Carlson picked off a Kale Boomer pass in the left flat and returned it 42 yards for the score. Thetwopoint conversion failed and the Bombers led 6-0.
It only took the Vikings 12 seconds to answer. On the ensuing kickoff, Brock Hommerding caught the ball and outran everyone for a 76-yard touchdown. Alex Senty added the extra point to make it 7-6, Vikings, with 2:37 left in the first.
A 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty was assessed against the Vikings on the kickoff for excessive celebration after the touchdown and the Vikings had to kick off from their 25-yard line. The Bombers nearly took that kickoff to the house had it not been for a touchdown-saving tackle by kicker Alex Senty at the Vikings’ 25.
The Bombers had great field position but were turned back when Hommerding made his second interception of the game at the 15 where the Vikings took over.
On the next play, Hommerding took a pitch from Boomer and raced 85 yards to the Bombers’ end zone. A touchdown was signaled, but a conference by the officiating crew resulted in the play being called back on an illegal forward pitch and the score remained 7-6 Vikings at the end of one.
TheVikings punted to start the second quarter and after the punt the Bombers went on an 11-play 40-yard drive that culminated in a two-yard touchdown run by Carlson at 7:21. Thetwo-point conversion was good on a Nick White to Justin Newman pass that made the score 14-7 Barnum.
Again the Vikings came roaring back. Three plays later Dylan Quaife found a seam in the Bombers’ defense. Boomer launched a pass that Quaife caught on the run for a 65-yard touchdown strike! A bad snap resulted in a failed extra point so the score remained 14-13 Bombers.
Neither team could score again before the half, but on this cold homecoming night we had ourselves a ball game!
The Bombers mounted two scoring drives in the third quarter. Thefirst was a 65-yard drive in three plays, capped off by Carlson’s third touchdown on a 12-yard run. Josh Hogan ran the ball in for the twopoint conversion to make the score 22-13 Bombers.
The Bombers added another touchdown on an 80-yard drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown run by Wyatt Finifrock with 3:35 to go in the third. The two-point conversion was good by Hogan making the score 30-13.
The third quarter had been all Bombers to that point and they looked to be in control, but the Vikings weren’t done yet!
After the Bombers kickoff, the Vikings struck quickly when Boomer hooked up with Quaife for the combo’s second touchdown on a short sevenyard pass and run that went for 53 yards. Thekick was good by Senty, making the score 30-20 Barnum after three quarters, but the Vikings were right back in it going into the fourth.
The Boomer-to-Quaife combination worked its magic for a third touchdown when the Vikings drove 75 yards in 10 plays and scored on a fiveyard slant to Quaife at 7:35 of the fourth. The two-point attempted pass failed and the Bombers led by just four points at 30-26.
The Vikings had made a game of it, but the rally fell short as neither team could successfully move the ball against the other the rest of the way and when a fourth down pass attempt to Quaife fell incomplete the Bombers were able to run out the clock on the nail biter!
Coach Dorr said that the Vikings had their chances and were just a couple plays or a couple of mistakes away from a win, but he was happy to have a full compliment of players for the upcoming games.
At press time the Vikings faced Carlton (2-3) at home on Wednesday, October 14. The Bulldogs come to visit fresh off of a 10-8 win over Chisholm.
Go Vikes!
Come cheer
our Vikes!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
7:00 AM ·
Away
vs. Ely
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