By Becky Walz,
Decorah running back Gavin Groux goes airborne over a pile of North Scott and Viking players and braces for a hard landing with the pigskin as teammates William Hahn (77), Tommy Sexton (22) and Cash Riehle (71) look on. (Photos by Becky Walz)
Where cheers filled the stadium in the final minute the prior week, Decorah fans fell silent in the closing seconds of Friday’s game against North Scott as the Lancers came back from a 10-point deficit in the final 6:30 to expel the Vikings from the postseason, 28-24.
With the outcome no Decorah player, coach or fan wanted, the Vikes have nothing to hang their heads about as they posted the first 10-win season since 2013, and going undefeated in the district.
“Our kids played outstanding on Friday,” noted Head Coach Michael Tangen. “We executed our game plan on both offense and defense and put ourselves in a position to win the game. You have to give a lot of credit to North Scott. Their quarterback and wide receivers are the best we have seen all season. They were pretty unbelievable down the stretch.”
Nail-biter
From the beginning it looked to be a back-and-forth battle with Decorah taking its first possession on downs at the Viking 26-yard line. However, the Vikes quickly moved the chains into the red zone. Trevor Kuennen covered the final 10 yards to cap off a 14-play, 74-yard drive in the end zone and put the Vikings up 7-0 with Brayden Wemark’s PAT. For the remaining 2:33 in the first quarter, the Decorah defense pummeled the Lancers, pinning them on a 4th and 20 from their own 28-yard line.
Back on offense to start the second period, Decorah grappled with moving the pigskin and was forced to punt. That allowed North Scott to pick up its first score of the game on a 53-yard pass to knot the score 7-7 with 4:22 remaining in the half. The Vikes utilized the final time on the clock to push their way to the Lancer 21-yard line. With 22 ticks on the clock, Wemark sent the pigskin through the uprights for a 32-yard field goal to put Decorah back on top 10-7 at the break.
There was little ball movement on either teams’ first possession of the second half; however, Decorah altered that on their second as Tanner Caddell picked up 47 yards on the ground with 7:27 remaining in the third. The junior quarterback, combined with the running talents of Kuennen and Gavin Groux, landed the Vikes within striking distance at the Lancer 4-yard line. Caddell found his way over a pile of defenders and landed in the end zone to extend Decorah’s lead 17-7 after Wemark’s second PAT of the game.
One play into the fourth quarter, North Scott answered the call as the Lancers began to claw their way back, scoring on a 12-yard scamper. Uncomfortable with just a field goal separating the two teams, Decorah’s Caddell, Groux and Kuennen led the Vikes back down the gridiron and over the goal line with 8:21 remaining to set the score 24-14. Four plays and 76 yards later, the Lancers were back within striking distance, 24-21. The Vikes had a chance to put the game away with a muffed punt by North Scott that was recovered by Jameson LaBelle; however, Decorah was stopped on a 4th and 5 at the Lancer 19-yard line with 3:43 left to play. North Scott took advantage of that turnover, marching down the field and finishing the drive on a 25-yard pass that gave the Lancers the 28-24 lead and win with 33 seconds remaining.
Last numbers
Offensive yardage was a hot commodity for both squads as Decorah garnered 240 on the ground and another 69 passing for 309 total, while North Scott grabbed 385 total yards of offense.
Caddell was quick on his feet, leading the Vikes with 132 yards on 22 carries in addition to completing 4-of-8 passes for another 69 yards. Kuennen provided 58 yards on 18 carries while Groux took the pigskin nine times for 41 yards. Carter Dlhy also had one carry for nine yards.
Will Larson, Kuennen, Noah Milburn and Groux all hauled in one pass for the Vikes with Larson having the longest reception at 34 yards.
Defensively, Gatlin Dahlberg had seven solo and five assisted tackles while Kuennen was there for seven solo and two assisted stops. Groux provided another five solo tackles with Larson taking down four on his own.
Final thoughts
“I am so proud of our team and the way we battled. Our team left everything we had on the field. There is nothing more you can ask for as a coach. What a fun season overall though. Nothing can take that away from our group. The leadership on our team was outstanding, and both players and coaches became a family. We proved all season long that this team could play with anyone. The excitement that our team brought to our community is something to be proud of,” said the first-year head coach.
Game stats
Total yards: Decorah 309; North Scott 385
Passing (comp/att/yds): Tanner Caddell (4-8, 69 yds.)
Rushing (att/yds): Caddell (22-132, 2 TD); Trevor Kuennen (18-58, 1 TD); Gavin Groux (9-41); Carter Dlhy (1-9)
Receiving (att/yds/TD): Will Larson (1-34); Kuennen (1-12); Noah Milburn (1-12); Groux (1-11)
Tackles (total): Gatlin Dahlberg 9.5; Kuennen 8.0; Groux 5.0; Larson 4.0; Henry Brynsaas 3.0; Jackson Pipho 2.5; Caleb Krieg 2.0; Tommy Sexton 2.0; Brayden Wemark 2.0; Milburn 1.5; Keaton Orris 1.0; William Hahn 1.0; Peyton Webb 0.5
Fumble recoveries: Jameson LaBelle 1
Punts (att/yds): Milburn (3-114)
Kick-offs (att/yds): Wemark (5-227, 1 FG, 3/3 PAT)
Kick-off returns (att/yds): Kuennen (4-115); Mason Avila (1-13)
Submit A Comment
Fill out the form to submit a comment. All comments require approval by our staff before it is displayed on the website.