The Vikings came into this one as a 4-1 team, eyeing the ground game and their stifling defense as the main contributors to that success. They faced a team with a similar style and game plan in the Scott City Beavers. The two teams traded possessions as their defenses showed up early. With 4:07 left in the first quarter, the Beavers finally broke through on a 7-yard touchdown run by Brady Welker. Freddy Saenz added another point on the successful PAT kick, putting Scott City on top early with a score of 7-0. On the following possession, the Vikings marched down the field to find themselves in the endzone for the first time tonight. On the first play of the second quarter, Karson Pihl threw one up for grabs in the endzone that was tipped by two Scott defenders and finally dropped in the hands of Kade Blanchat for a 14-yard touchdown. Pihl punched it in for another 2 points, putting the Vikings on top 8-7. Scott City found the endzone again with 6:02 left in the half, on a 4-yard Carson Faurot run. Saenz added another on his second successful PAT kick of the night, putting the Beavers on top 14-8. This score would hold through the end of the first half.
The second half would begin just as expected, with the two stellar defenses showing their dominance. It wasn’t until we saw 4:52 left on the clock in the third quarter that Justice Autry finally found his way to the promised land on a 2-yard touchdown run. The Vikings attempted another Autry run on the PAT, but he was stopped just shy of the goal line. Smoky Valley held a lead for merely 16 seconds, as the Scott City Beavers took the next play from scrimmage in for a touchdown on a 62-yard Collin McDaniel run. Saenz added his third PAT kick of the night, putting the Beavers on top.
The two defenses held strong once again and kept the score deadlocked at 21-14. With just under 2 minutes left in the game, Karson Pihl led the Viking charge down the field on a drive that started on the 1-yard line. With just under 3o seconds left, after the Vikings charged down to the Scott 35-yard line, Pihl’s pass to the endzone was intercepted. Intended for Ethan Able, Avery Noll sealed the game with a pick on the 1-yard line. The Beavers kneeled it out to leave the Vikings at 4-2 on the season.
The two offenses ended the game about as expected, as the two similar-style teams matched up well on offense. Scott City ended the night with 313 yards of offense, while the Vikings ended with 316. For the Beavers, McDaniel and Welker led the way on the ground with 96 and 86 yards respectively. Both added a score on the night. Autry added his 4th 100-yard ground game of the season, with 117 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings. Haven Lysell-Stewart added 4 catches for 61 yards for the Smoky offense. On defense, JP Harris led the charge with 6.5 tackles while Ethan Able led the Viking way with 8 total tackles. The Beavers added two interceptions tonight by Metzer and Noll.
The Vikings take on a tough opponent in Southeast of Saline next week. They travel to Gypsum, KS for a short road trip. Last year’s matchup was a little lopsided, as the Trojans’ offense was just too much for the Vikings to handle. The Vikings look to redeem themselves and move their way to 5-2.
