Top: Keenan Hingos pushes a defender away from Andrew Miller, who is literally sandwiched between Hingos and a North Woods player.
It didn’t take the Cook County Vikings long to get on the scoreboard against the North Woods Grizzlies last Saturday in the first round of the Section 7A Nine Man play-offs.
Viking tailback Andrew Miller scooted 7 yards to make the score 6-0 with little more than two minutes gone off the game clock. Miller also took the ball in for two points on the conversion attempt to make the score 8-0.
About five minutes later Miller deked out two potential Grizzlies tacklers, running into nothing but daylight, sprinting 77 yards for his second touchdown. The Vikings two-point conversion attempt failed, and the Vikings were up 14-0, a lead they carried onto the second quarter.
Viking fans knew it wouldn’t be too long before Vikings quarterback Josh Prom hit Jack Haussner with a big pass, and sure enough, the two connected for a score in the second quarter.
Under pressure, Prom hit Haussner with a beautiful 21-yard pass on a well-defended play in the end zone. As good as the ball was thrown, Haussner had to make a leaping catch, turning in the air to spot the ball and bring it in over a defender who was all over him.
Left: Tristen Bockovich (21) and Isaiah Deschampe (74) rush the North Woods quarterback. Above: Making an acrobatic catch, Jack Haussner hauled this ball in for a touchdown. Staff photos/Laurie Johnson
Prom ran in the two-point conversion, and the Vikings led 22-0.
North Woods got on the board midway through the quarter on a one-yard run by their quarterback Chase Kleppe, who also ran in the two-point conversion to make the score 22-8.
With two minutes to go in the second quarter, the Vikings were on the move once again. Prom and Miller each pounded the ball on short runs. Connor Somnis caught a nice seven yard pass on the drive and Prom capped it off with a 7-yard touchdown run. The score was 28-8 after the Vikings failed on their two-point try, but it was the half-time, and head coach Bryan Carpenter took his kids inside the locker room to rest and scheme for the second half of play.
Midway through the third period he Vikings methodically took the ball down the field, and much to the delight of Viking fans Dillon Sjogren scored from two-yards out. Miller ran in the two-point conversion to make the score 36-8.
The Vikings big middle linebacker and full-back has missed most of the games this season because of a broken bone in his foot. While he was injured Sjogren lifted weights and attended practice. The 220- pound middle linebacker was once again the force the Vikings have been hoping to see the middle, and he stopped a lot of North Woods vaunted running attack with big hits.
Meanwhile, while Sjogren was making his presence known, defensive tackle Keenan Hingos was having a heck of a game. He led all Viking tacklers with 7.5.
North Woods would get a late touch down on the Vikings second string to make the final score 36-16.
The Vikings ended with 377 yards of offense compared to 201 for the Grizzlies.
Both teams had four penalties for 35 yards. The Vikings ended with 18 first downs compared to 11 for North Woods, and the Vikings averaged 6.3 yards per carry to gain 300 yards on the ground to 162 for North Woods, whose ball carriers averaged 3.8 yards per carry.
Josh Prom (9) had little to worry about as Dillon Sjogren (44) flattened this would-be defender. Prom ran this ball in for a touchdown.
Josh Prom rushed 23 times for 147 yards and was 7-13 passing for 77 yards. Andrew Miller gained 128 yards on 14 carried, and Jack Hassner caught three balls for 56 yards.
On defense, it was Hingos, 7.5 tackles, Sjoren, 6.5; Miller, 6; Joe Deshamape, 5;; CAdie Northrup, 4; Jak Haussner 4; Josh Prom 3.5; Connor Somnis 3; Aram Fault 2, and Tristen Bocovich 2.
The Vikings play(ed) Mountain Iron-Buhl on Friday, November 2 for the Section 7A championship. The game will be played at Esko at 4:45 p..m. with the winner advancing to the state tournament.
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