Ely defenders swarmed the Viking running backs and shut down Cook County’s offense for most of the game. However, with the game clock winding down and less than five minutes to play, the Vikings’ passing game started to click and Ely defenders were on their heels the rest of the contest. Staff photo/Brian Larsen
Improbable.
The win over the Ely Timberwolves last Friday night will have to go down as one of the most improbable wins that any Viking football team has ever been a part of.
After being outplayed for 43 minutes, and down 14-0 with 4:46 left to play, the CCHS Vikings’ offense got untracked and started to move the ball down the field against the Ely Timberwolves.
With 2:47 left, Aram Falter ran across the goal line for a touchdown. Ely stuffed the two-point try and then it was time for the Vikings to try an onside kick.
Ely was certainly ready for it, but Adam Dorr, who also serves as the team’s kicker, ran towards the ball like he was going to kick it but instead Jordan Porter came from the side and blasted the ball on a low line drive, which bounced off one of the Ely players near the Viking bench. Aram Falter recovered the onside kick and the drama was building.
Starting near mid-field, Adam pitched a long throw to senior tight end Jordan Porter, who was well covered. When Porter saw the ball was underthrown, he turned back and stepped in front of the defensive player and caught the low throw as he went to his knees for an improbable completion.
Vaughn Swindlehurst (34) and a fellow Viking defender made a Timberwolf sandwich out of the Ely ball carrier. Staff photo/Brian Larsen
Working quickly from the line, Dorr completed a series of short passes along the sidelines, several going to Masen McKeever. With 1:37 ticks left on the game clock Masen took a pass from Adam and juked his way passed the Ely defenders to score from 16 yards out.
With Ely fans stunned and Viking fans on their feet Adam completed the two-point conversion to Isaiah Deschampe and the score was 14-14. Ely would get the ball back with a minute left, but the Vikings’ defense held. Both Porter and Dorr broke up long pass plays to stymie the Timberwolves’ offense as the clock wound down to zero and overtime.
In overtime each team started on the 10-yard line and received four plays to try to score. Ely was first and the Vikings’ defense came up huge, highlighted by a big pass breakup by Jordan Porter and a tackle for a loss by Isaiah Deschampe.
With the entire Viking bleacher section now crowded near the goal line, the Vikings’ offense lined up and moved the ball to about the Ely one-yard line. On fourth and goal, Aram Falter took the ball into the end zone to seal the 20-14 win for the Vikings.
Viking fans stormed the field as a shocked Ely team came off, then lined up and waited for the celebration to end so they could shake hands with the Viking players. It was a great act of sportsmanship for what had to be an extremely disappointing loss.
The game was halted for 30-40 minutes in the third quarter when Viking junior linebacker/wide receiver Jonathan Huskey suffered what appeared to be an injury to his neck after making a tackle. Huskey was hurt on the Ely sideline and first attended to by the Ely coach and then by assistant Viking coach Mitch Dorr before medical personal took over. With both teams taking a knee, the North Shore Health ambulance came onto the sidelines and took Jonathan to the hospital.
Each team started the game on offense by throwing an interception. It looked to be a defensive game as both teams struggled early to move the ball.
Ely scored a touchdown in the first quarter when their shifty quarterback fumbled the snap, picked the ball up on the broken play and weaved his way through a field of Vikings on his way to a 60-yard touchdown. The Vikings squelched the two-point attempt and Ely led 6-0.
Ely scored a touchdown in the second quarter on a short pass, and converted the two-point conversion to go into the locker room up 14-0.
Ely used its running game to pretty much eat up the third quarter, and they dominated the fourth quarter action until the final 4:45 of play. Up until that point, the Vikings hadn’t made many first downs. At the conclusion of the game, however, the Vikings earned 13 first downs to Ely’s 11.
Adam Dorr completed 15 passes out of 25 attempts for 147 yards. Ely’s quarterback threw 16 times, completing three passes for 16 yards. Cook County had two penalties for 10 yards while Ely finished with eight penalties for 70 yards.
Masen McKeever led Viking receivers with six catches for 73 yards. Porter had three catches for 30 yards and Aram Falter two catches for 22 yards.
Cook County gained 104 rushing yards to Ely’s 212. Dorr led the team with 40 yards on eight carries while Falter gained 31 yards on 16 attempts. Jonathan Huskey carried eight times for 19 yards, Daunte Deschampe rushed nine times for 10 yards and Vaughn Swindlehurst carried once for four yards.
Keenan Hingos was once again huge for the Vikings on defense. The senior linebacker was everywhere on the field. He made nine assisted tackles and nine unassisted tackles to finish with 18 total tackles in the game. Masen McKeever finished with 10 total tackles, Isaiah Deschampe seven, Daunte Deschampe six, Vaughn Swindlehurst six, Jonathan Huskey five, Aram Falter four, Adam Dorr three and Jordan Porter had three.
For the Viking fans who stayed to watch the whole game, there was a lot of high fives, cheering and joy to be shared.
As improbable as it was, they had watched something almost magical on a warm night as the Vikings took their first win of the season: a game that won’t soon be forgotten by anyone who was there to witness it.
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