Heartbreaking opener for Vikings, Mohawks take down Colts

By Ryan McCracken on September 8, 2018.

mcranker@medicinehatnews.com @MHNmocranker

It was a perfect night to kick off the Rangeland Football Conference season and the games didn’t disappoint.

The first of the night showcased the new-look Crescent Heights Vikings in a matchup against the Brooks Buffalos — and it came down to the final seconds before a winner was clear.

It was chess match from the first kickoff, but the Buffalos came ahead with a 15-14 victory Friday evening at the Methanex Bowl.

“We had every chance to win that game — we just didn’t,” said Vikings head coach Sean Davis. “Brooks has a great team and they’re very athletic and it showed tonight.”

The Buffalos were first to hit the scoresheet with a touchdown late in the first quarter. After kicking what looked to be a successful extra point, Brooks was called on a mouth guard violation and missed on their second attempt.

The Buffalos were able to carry the 6-0 lead late into the second quarter, but the Vikings managed to drive the ball all the way down the field and scored on a two-yard run from Grade 12 back Riley Rutledge.

The score remained the same through the third quarter, with a late holding penalty on a 60-yard run by Ngor Lual costing the Buffalos a late shot at first-and-goal with 44 seconds left in the third.

The game was a defensive showcase through the first three quarters, something Davis says he was impressed by.

“We have a lot of rookies on our line and that can be tough — our defence did a great job tonight,” he said. “This is one of the most intense games of football I’ve ever seen — it’s not often you get to be a part of something like this.”

Brooks took the lead for a bit with a fourth-quarter field goal before Kaden Wagner drove home a pass to take a 14-9 lead with a minute left to play.

Despite having a 100-yard and 60-yard touchdowns called back due to penalties late in the game, Brooks was able to drive down the field and score with 14 seconds left to take the win.

“Win or lose, you really can’t ask for much more than that from a first game,” said Davis. “We need to work on our discipline, but we saw a lot of good tonight.”

The second game of the night featured the Medicine Hat Mohawks and the McCoy Colts.

The Mohawks got off to a hot start and were able to take a commanding 54-0 lead into the halftime break. The game ended 54-6.

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