Above left: Viking wide receiver Andy Farley stiff-armed No. 4 to go for a long run after a catch against Ogilvie. Above: Wearing number 9, Richie Furlong scored the Vikings first touchdown on this carry against the Ogilvie Lions. Left: After putting his shoulder down and running through the tackler, Jack Wieben picked up a couple of extra yards by lunging forward before being brought down.
Fumbles and interceptions continue to plague the Cook County High School football team as it lost to the Ogilvie Lions 28-19 last Friday night, September 26, at home on Lyle Anderson field.
It was a winnable game, but mistakes, namely 5 turnovers, cost the Vikings dearly.
For the first time this year the Cook County Vikings took the lead in a game, going up 7-0 in the first quarter after several key plays shut down the Ogilvie offense. One of those was a big 12-yard sack by Jack Wieben and a touchdown saving tackle by Owen Anderson.
The Vikings took over on their 23-yard line after holding Ogilvie on downs. A holding penalty against Ogilvie brought the ball to the 33-yard line and then Richie Furlong ran two plays to pick up about 17 yards, bringing the ball to midfield. Andrew Lashinski caught a 9-yard pass from quarterback Leo Johnson and then Jack Wieben ran for 13 yards. Furlong carried the ball to the 10-yard line but Johnson was sacked on the next play, pushing the ball back to Ogilvie’s 17-yard line. After a couple of short runs Furlong took it across the line and Lashinki made the extra point kick to give the Vikings their first lead of the season.
Ogilvie scored on the next series but failed on its 2-point conversion. The first quarter ended with the Vikings up 7-6.
The Vikings fumbled the kick-off after Ogilvie scored its touchdown, and the Lions took over possession of the ball on the Vikings’ 30-yard line. Owen Anderson made another touchdown saving tackle at the Vikings’ 10-yard line and on the next play Wieben stripped the Lion’s ball carrier of the ball, giving it back to the Vikings.
The Vikings used a nice blend of passing and running to move the ball up the field. Jack Wieben took a sweet swing pass from Johnson and behind 3 blockers ran in from about 30 yards to make the score 13-6. The Vikings’ extra point kick failed, sailing wide right.
Ogilvie took the kickoff to their 40-yard line and then began marching down the field until the Vikings’ defense stiffened and held the Lions on downs.
The Vikings took possession of the ball at their own 17-yard line. However, the team couldn’t generate a first down and was forced to punt deep in their own territory. Taking a low snap, Lashinski, who was punting, fumbled the snap and Ogilvie recovered the ball to score its second touchdown. This time the 2-point conversion try was good and the Vikings were down 14-13.
Jack Wieben took the kick-off on the Vikings’ 15-yard line and ran it to the Vikings 37. Johnson hit Owen Anderson with a 13-yard pass and the Vikings were at mid-field. A holding call sent the Vikings back to their 40-yard line but Wieben gained 17 yards on another flair pass. Behind some nice running the Vikings moved the ball to Ogilvie’s 29-yard line where Johnson delivered a nice pass to Andy Farley who scored. The Vikings again failed to convert their two-point try and were up 19-14 at the half.
The Vikings came out hot in the third quarter, moving the ball down the field against Ogilvie after receiving the opening kick-off. A key play in the series was a 30-yard pass from Johnson to tight end Travis Bradley. However the Vikings were intercepted on the next play, turning the ball over on Ogilvie’s 22-yard line. The Vikings were also penalized 15 yards on the play, which brought the ball out to the 37-yard line. Ogilvie took full advantage of the turnover and marched the ball down the field to score and take a 22-19 lead.
Ogilvie scored its last touchdown in the fourth quarter after a pass interference call by the Vikings gave them the ball deep in Vikings’ territory. On the next play their running back scored a touchdown to make the score 28-19. The Vikings had one more good scoring opportunity late in the fourth quarter but were unable to punch the ball across the goal line. It was a frustrating loss and game that could have gone the Vikings’ way, but some bad luck and some key mistakes cost them the win.
The Vikings gained 257 yards through the air as Johnson completed 12 of 28 passing attempts. They also gained 70 yards on the ground on 26 carries. On defense Frankie Miller and Jack Wieben each ended their night with 12 tackles to lead the team.
“Our execution on our punt team has hurt us this year,” said head coach Mitch Dorr. “That and turnovers. We turned the ball over five times. That is very difficult to overcome.
“We need to dig in and continue to compete. We need to execute better as we are not more physical than our opponents.
“I thought Andy Farley had the best game of his career as he really ran hard after the catch. Richie Furlong also continues to run and hard,” Dorr said.
The Vikings play Eveleth Gilbert on October 3 in Eveleth and then play Mesabi East at home on October 10. That is homecoming week.
The Vikings’ regular season will end on October 15 when they face Barnum at home. Home games start at 7 p.m. Come out and cheer on your Vikings!
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