Posen has its sights set on a 3-0 start
by Peter Jakey, Managing Editor
Off to their best start in more than a half-decade, the Viking football team will try to overcome the distractions of the first week of school and the festival, and secure their first 3-0 start since 2003. Posen (2-0) had four touchdowns from four different players in a 28-8 win last Thursday at Akron-Fairgrove (AF). The Vikings are back home tomorrow on opening night of the Posen Potato Festival, taking on the Brimley Bays (0-2), who lost 58-0 to Cedarville in an 11-man game and 32-22 against Superior Central in eight-man action. The Bays took Posen’s only home game of ’09 in a 52-36 shootout. Regarding the Vikes? latest win, head coach Wayne Karsten said, “they had to go out and battle.”
For the second straight game, freshman Nick Hincka opened a game with an opening score. He put the first points of the game on the scoreboard with a two-yard plunge, and for the second week in a row it was on the Vikings’ opening drive. The two-point conversion failed leaving the score at 6-0.
The Posen offense put together another impressive drive and marched inside the AF one-yard line, before a false start penalty pushed the Vikings back, and kept them out of the end zone. The score stayed 6-0 until late in the second quarter when AF took advantage of a Posen turnover and scored a touchdown. The two-point conversion was good and the home team had the two-point lead, 8-6, and some momentum on their side. It didn?t last long. Posen came right back on their next possession with senior quarterback Shane Hentkowski hooking up with sophomore Lucas Litwinski on a 48-yard bomb the underclassman caught in stride at the five. The two-point try failed again and the score w
“I told the kids we’re moving the ball and to keep it up,” said Karsten. In the third quarter, junior Nathan Lenard scored from one-yard out on a quarterback sneak, while Shane Hentkowski ran in the conversion for a 20-8 advantage. Posen topped the scoring when senior Corey Hentkowski showed why he is the school record holder in the 100-meter dash. He took a handoff, got around the corner, and was gone for a 51-yard score. Shane hooked up with Lenard for the final two points of the game and a 28-8 win.
Over shadowed in the 86 points scored in two weeks has been the play of the defense, which the coach says has stepped it up. The next challenge for Karsten and his staff is keeping the kids focused on the task of winning in week three. The Vikings play Brimley two out of the next three weeks. Statistics: Rushing: Shane Hentkowski 21 carries, 151 yards; Corey Hentkowski 5/75/TD; Nick Hincka 5/56/TD. Passing: Shane Hentkowski 6-for-13/128/TD. Receiving: Litwinski 2/58/TD; Lenard 3/36; Hincka 1/40. Defensive leaders: Tyler Kuffel 10 tackles, fumble recovery; Lenard, nine tackles; Corey Hentkowski, nine tackles; Travis Hirschman, QB sack; Jacob Boyke, QB sack; Shane Hentkowski, two fumble recoveries; Litwinski, fumble recovery.