By Becky Walz,
Keaton Orris drives the Waverly-Shell Rock player behind the line of scrimmage late in Friday’s district win. (Photo by Becky Walz)
The Viking football team (6-0, 2-0) showcased why they are ranked fifth in Class 4A by the Cedar Rapids Gazette Friday night, running over Waverly-Shell Rock (3-3, 1-1) by scoring in every frame to win 28-7.
“We played very well on both sides of the ball,” noted Coach Mike Tangen. “Our defense was outstanding and our offense was extremely balanced both running the ball and passing. We keep improving each week and the daily preparation by all our coaches and players has been great. We will just keep taking one game at a time and continue to improve.”
A little review
There was little the Go-Hawks could do to slow the Vikings down as Decorah marched down the field 88 yards on 10 plays in under three minutes on its first possession. The drive ended with Trevor Kuennen punching the ball in from the three-yard line. The missed PAT put the Vikes on top 6-0.
Forcing Waverly-Shell Rock to punt a second time in the first, Decorah added on second touchdown on the fourth play of the second quarter on a 20-yard strike from Louis Bucksa to Noah Milburn. This time Brayden Wemark’s PAT was on target through the uprights, giving Decorah a 13-0 advantage. Later in the same frame the Viking kicker just missed a 35-yard field goal, setting up the Go-Hawks at their own 20-yard line. It proved costly as Waverly-Shell Rock freshman Jayden Stephens took the handoff to the paydirt on an 80-yard touchdown run.
Starting with possession of the pigskin in the third period, Decorah’s ground game dominated the clock taking it down to the 2:58 mark before Jackson Pipho hauled in a 25-yard pass from Bucksa to score for the Vikes. The Go-Hawks opened soon gave Decorah yet another chance at the end zone, punting for the fourth time in the game. Gavin Groux and Kuennen combined their running talents with a six-play, 62 yard drive allowing Bucksa to sneak into the end zone from the 1-yard line to wrap up the scoring. The Vikes caught Waverly-Shell Rock defense off guard on the PAT that turned into a two-point conversion as Bucksa swung the ball to Noah Milburn to make it 28-7.
Stats sheet
Decorah dominated the stat sheet with 25 first downs, 252 rushing yards and another 207 passing for 459 total while W-SR tallied just 185 total yards.
Kuennen carried the pigskin 27 times for 126 yards while Groux picked up 100. Bucksa had 11 completions for 220 yards. Milburn caught two passes for 51 yards while Tommy Sexton picked up one 48-yard reception. Kuennen, Groux, Pipho and Carter Dlhy all caught at least one pass as well.
It was a collective defensive effort. Gatlin Dahlberg, Henry Brynsaas and William Hahn led the way with four assist and one solo tackles apiece. Brynsaas also had one sack.
Friday night
Decorah looks to make it 7-0 Friday, Oct. 11, as the Vikes travel to Marion (2-4, 1-1).
Game stats
Total yards: Decorah 459; W-SR 185
Passing (comp/att/yds): Louis Bucksa (11-20, 220 yds., 2 TD)
Rushing (att/yds): Trevor Kuennen (27-126, 1 TD); Gavin Groux (14-100); Bucksa (6-22, 1 TD); Will Larson (3-2); Tommy Sexton (1-2)
Receiving (att/yds/TD): Noah Milburn (2-51, 1 TD); Sexton (1-48); Kuennen (2-46); Groux (3-33); Jackson Pipho (1-25, 1 TD); Carter Dlhy (1-11)
Tackles (assist-solo): Groux (4-0); Pipho (1-1); Gatlin Dahlberg (4-1); Kuennen (3-1); Larson (1-2); Sexton (4-0); Kade O’Hara (1-1); Tanner Caddell (2-0); Kaden Tarwater (1-0); Luke Franzen (0-1); Henry Brynsaas (4-1); Keaton Orris (2-1); William Hahn (4-1); Ian Giddings (1-1)
Punts (att/yds): Milburn (2-47)
Kick-offs (att/yds): Brayden Wemark (5-265, 2-3 PAT)
Kick-off returns (att/yds): Mason Avila (1-14)
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