There were a lot of unfamiliar faces in key roles Friday for the North Battleford Composite Vikings to kick off the 3A football season.
Unfortunately, it showed in the second half as the Marion Graham Falcons scored 23 unanswered points to win the season opener 33-7 at Beaver Lions Stadium.
The game was a matchup between two playoff teams from last year, with Vikings fans hoping the squad can repeat or even do better than their winning season year ago.
But the defending 3A champs from Marion Graham put the Vikings in a hole early. In the first quarter, a Falcon drive that started from their 46-yard line ended with a Terry Williams run into the end zone from 20 yards out. The convert made it 7-0 Falcons and that was the scoring after the first quarter.
The second quarter, saw the Falcons threaten again deep in Vikings' territory, but solid defence from the Vikings forced Marion Graham's Brett Thorarinsson to kick a 16-yard field goal to make it 10-0 Falcons.
The Vikings were able to come back on their next drive that began at the 17-yard line. A 25-yard catch by receiver Thomas Orr brought the ball to the 43. Then quarterback Cole Omelchenko connected with Eric Charabin just short of the goal line.
Cody Buziak ran it in for the first Vikings major of the season. The extra point was good, and the Vikings were within three with a 10-7.
There was no further scoring in the half, so the Vikings went into the locker room trailing only by three and in a position to make a run in the second half.
It was not to be. The half began with an ominous Reilly Ingram punt return to midfield. The Falcons' drive fizzled out, but they were able to pin the Vikings deep near their own end zone on their next drive.
Following a quick two-and-out and facing a punt situation from their own end zone, the Vikings opted to concede a safety, making it 12-7.
The strategy of conceding a safety backfired on the next play, when Chad Braun returned the kickoff all the way to the end zone, dodging several tacklers along the way.
The Vikings were able to block the extra point, but it was a small consolation as they were now in an 18-7 hole.
The next drive saw NBCHS again start deep in their own end, and after another offensive drive fizzled they again tried to concede a safety to improve their field position on kickoff. Two more points went onto the scoreboard for Marion Graham, giving them a 20-7 lead.
In the fourth quarter, some timely Falcon catches and a 10-yard penalty to the Vikings put the Falcons in position to score again. Their quarterback Joe Devine was able to run it in from four yards out for a 26-7 lead. Again, the extra point for the Falcons was no good.
With under a minute to go, another Falcon drive ended with running back Reilly Ingram beating the Vikings' defence for another touchdown.
The extra point made it 33-7 for Marion Graham, and that would be the final score.
It was a disappointing finish. Still, Vikings head coach Jamie Sommerfeld remains high on his team, chalking up the first loss as a learning experience.
"We've got some really great athletes, who just don't know the game that well," said Sommerfeld. "Once these guys start learning the game and actually how to play the game of football, there's going to be some pretty amazing things happening."
The team had lost a veteran quarterback and veteran receivers who knew what they were doing on offence. Sommerfeld says it is going to take some time for their young offence to build some momentum. He said the offence has a good line to stand behind and will be helped by their defence who are capable of making some plays.
He was particularly happy with the performance of some of the younger players on the team, pointing to Denzyl and Dalton Gopher on defence as well as Brendan Elliott on the offensive line, calling him one of the real team leaders.
Sommerfeld believes the squad possesses a lot of raw talent. "We haven't had a group of athletes come through like this for a while."
He said some of that inexperience showed in the second half when the team wasn't able to adjust to the Falcons. Sommerfeld believes we will see a difference as the year goes on and the team gains more experience.
"There's no time to panic. We're in a great spot," said Sommerfeld.
The team now has two weeks to prepare for their next league action against Bishop Mahoney at home at Beaver Lions Stadium. In the meantime, they go to Lloydminster for an exhibition game Friday at 4 p.m.
