Vikings comeback effort falls short in loss to Marian
Vikings unable to overcome 21 point first half deficit in road loss
Justin Van Houten
Issue date: 10/24/08 Section: Sports
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The Vikings trailed 21-0 going into halftime, but rallied in the second half coming within three points with Marian leading 24-21, with 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
Sophomore receiver Drey Porter said, "We didn't come out to play in the first half, but the team never gave up and even though we lost, it gives us something to build off of."
Head coach Mike Woodley said, "We didn't do anything on our last two drives on offense. That was the ball game."
One of those drives came when Viking freshman Cody Bosley intercepted a pass at the Viking 8-yard line, giving the offense an opportunity to either tie the game with a field goal or take the lead with a touchdown.
The Viking offense took possession and after picking up one first down stalled out on their 21-yard line. An intentional grounding call on freshman quarterback Greg Charles on third and 10 left the Vikings no choice but to punt.
Marian returned the punt 31 yards to the Viking 22-yard line. After a tackle for loss on first down by junior defensive lineman Tyler Andersen, Marian scored on their next play to go up 31-21. Later, with 28 seconds left Marian scored on a quarterback sneak to make the final 38-21.
The team is still battling inconsistency on both sides of the ball, which has been the case for most of the season. Woodley said it's to be expected with such a youthful squad.
Some signs are emerging which can be taken from the loss. Woodley said he couldn't be prouder of the way the team came out and fought in the second half after being down 21-0.
"The kids are starting to understand we can play with these teams despite our youth. If we execute we will have a chance to win," Woodley said.
Porter said, "Everyone is starting to mature and it's clear to the players and coaches if we stay at this pace, we will finish up the season strong."
Keying the comeback was Porter, who had five catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns. The second touchdown came when freshman quarterback Greg Charles beat the pass rush and threw a fade route to Porter in the end zone.
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