‘Signature win’ gained over Bellaire
by Peter Jakey–Managing Editor
Friday’s (Sept. 27, 2013) homecoming win over Bellaire was probably the most significant win in more than a decade. It certainly is the biggest since Posen (3-2) started playing eight-player football in northern Michigan.
It was a 62-14 beat down of a team that was ranked second in the state. The Eagles also played in the ’12 eight-player title game.
The players had an on-field celebration, the likes that has not been seen in quite some time. Their leader, head coach Wayne Karsten, wanted this one bad.
“I wanted this one for these kids. They worked so hard for this. Ever since that Cedarville game, they were so disappointed. I told them, ‘you guys are good. We are going to get some big wins, if you work for it.’ ”
Karsten believed the Vikings could win, but did not expect such a lopsided score.
“It is awesome,” said running back Nick Hincka. “Last year they beat us and we were really mad about that. We came out and showed what we can do.”
Hincka rushed for 334 yards and four touchdowns (TDs) to lead the offense. “We are really starting to mesh,” he said.
“That is a program statement win,” Karsten said, as lineman Jordan Jakubcin hugged him and lifted the coach off the ground. “We have 17 guys out here, who believe they can win, and right now we made believers out of a lot more people tonight.”
Up next will be Engadine, who has been taking their lumps from some of the league’s heavy hitters. They played Rapid River twice. The Vikings play their final regular season home games the next two Fridays.
The weather was perfect for football last Friday, and so was the start by the Vikings. They took the opening possession from their own 33 and marched down the field in eight plays. Brandon Dietz fired a quick pass to wideout Travis Sharpe for a 1-yard TD play. Dietz provided the key run of 28 yards on the drive.
Emil Cramon booted the point-after touchdown, which was the first of eight. He only missed one and is 21-for-23 on the season.
Everything went Posen’s way. On Bellaire’s first possession they committed an offsides penalty on fourth and a half a yard and was forced to punt. The punt hit the turf and bounced sideways out of bounds. It was Posen’s ball at their own 41.
Hincka’s three first down runs highlighted the next drive. At fourth-and-three, they could not draw the Eagles offsides, and following a timeout, Dietz fired a quick pass to Sharpe for a first down down to the Bellaire 19.
The Vikes then rode their horse to the goal line. For Bellaire defenders, they probably felt like Hincka was more of a bull. He ran over tacklers along the sideline and dove into the end zone. The score was 14-0 with 2:44 left in the first.
The breaks were many. The ensuing kickoff bounced off a player’s numbers and directly out of bounds at the Bellaire 6. The Eagles got a first down to the 34, and just when it seemed like they were putting something together, Matthew Wisniewski caused a fumble that was recovered by John Zaborney.
The Vikes went to their thoroughbred on the next play, who went 36yards for the score. Wisniewski provided a key block on the outside that sprung Hincka. The kick was good and the score was 21-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Bellaire could not move the ball and punted, and again, the Vikings got a favorable bounce and took over at their own 30.
On second-and-eight, Hincka ran for 30 yards to the Bellaire 30.
They consumed time and ran eight plays on their way to a Dietz quarterback plunge on a patent no-call behind center Kyle Knopf. The touchdown was set up by Sharpe’s 11-yard run. The score was 28-0 when Bellaire returned the kickoff 92 yards. The two-point conversion was good and the score was 28-8.
Over the next 4:21, Posen went on another methodic 10-play drive capped by Sharpe’s 7-yard TD run. The score was 34-8 at halftime.
At the start of the second half, Bellaire fumbled on their second offensive play at their own 20. It was recovered by Hincka.
The Vikings were in a fourth-and-10 situation when Dietz threw a nice pass to Hincka down to the 8. On third-and-one at the 1, Dietz lunged forward for his second rushing TD of the contest. The Vikings had increase
Sharpe ended Bellaire’s next drive with an interception and scored on a 16-yard run early in the fourth.
The Eagles finally scored their first offensive touchdown on a 32-yard pass play with 5:26 left, but Hincka would get his longest TD of the game from 54 yards out.
Knopf recovered a Bellaire fumble at the 12 and Hincka did the rest on the next play with 1:57 left.
The Vikings are ranked 11th with 30.4 playoff points, just behind Bellaire in 10th. Cedarville is No. 1 with a 5-0 record. They get 5-0 Rapid River this week.