Colfax Vikings begin football season with 19-14 win over Whitehall Norseman

PROTECTED CONTENT

If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.

Username

Password

Login

Lost your password?

Username and Password Help

Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.

Email

Submit

← Back

by Marlys Krueger

Sports Correspondent

COLFAX — It was a close game through the first half but the Colfax football team made enough big plays in the second half to pull away from the Whitehall Norseman with a 19-14 win. The game was the season opener for both teams and was played August 18 on the Viking’s home field.

The Norseman are members of the Dairyland Conference and finished 2-7 overall a year ago with one of the losses coming from the Vikings. They boasted some pretty big boys in their front line that held the Vikings to 179 rushing yards for this game. 

Colfax took the opening kickoff to their own 39 yard line and were forced to punt after three running plays netted five yards. After giving up a couple of first downs to the Norseman, Kade Anderson pounced on a Whitehall fumble and the Vikings took over at the Whitehall 42.

Drew Buchner broke off a 15 yard dash, Zach Hiitola zipped off a nine yard run and on fourth and one from their own 20, Hiitola ran down the right side for a 10 yard gain and a first down at the 10. But a penalty on the Vikings for an illegal motion, an incomplete pass, a five yard run by Buchner and a delay of game penalty on Colfax made it third and 15. Hiitola then took the ball and zipped around the right side again, scoring the first touchdown of the season for the Vikings. Hiitola booted the extra point kick for a 7-0 Viking lead with 2:38 left in the first quarter.

Colfax failed to cover the ensuing kickoff and the Norseman return man took the ball all the way to the Vikings 20 before Buchner dragged him down. They ran six plays and their fullback Brock Sluga took the ball in from four yards out for six points. The extra point kick was no good leaving Colfax with a 7-6 advantage with 11:19 to go in the half. 

Colfax was forced to punt on their next possession but Buchner picked off a Whitehall pass to get the ball back at their own 40. They couldn’t take advantage of it, however and neither team made any progress offensively the next eight minutes, leaving the score at 7-6 going into the intermission.

Starting the second half, Colfax forced Whitehall into a punt after three running plays were stuffed, but after Hiitola ran for 15 yards  for a first down at the 50, they ended up punting again. Colton Hoffman booted the ball deep and after two running plays by the Norseman, Hoffman recovered a fumble on the Whitehall 29. After five running plays, the Vikings found themselves in a dire situation with a fourth and goal from the five. Although the next play probably didn’t pan out like the playbook showed, Anderson fumbled the ball but ended up grabbing it and bullied his way into the end zone. With Theo Hovde, the holder on extra point kicks out of the game with an injury, Colfax went for two points but the run was stuffed, leaving them with a 13-6 lead with 42 seconds left in the quarter.

  The Viking defense took over in the final stanza, forcing Whitehall into a punting situation, giving Colfax the ball at their own 38. On second and 10, Hiitola broke away from a possible quarterback sack and unloaded a 60 yard pass to Anderson who snared it with three defenders around him at the Whitehall 20. But they couldn’t take advantage of it and ended up turning it over on downs at their own 15.

Whitehall was called for a couple of penalties and another fumble recovered by the Vikings gave them the ball back at the Whitehall 14. On second down, Buchner took the ball in from 13 yards out and after another two point conversion attempt was stopped it was 19-6 with 4:19 left in the game.

Colfax forced the Norseman to turn the ball over on downs, but were forced to punt the ball away themselves and didn’t cover the return very well. Whitehall took it all the way to the Viking 36 and on a pass attempt by their quarterback, it appeared Grant Paulus had his first varsity interception, but the Vikings were called for a roughing the passer penalty to nullify it. The Norseman then scored on a 10 yard run and added a two point conversion and with 8.2 seconds left, it was a one possession game.

Whitehall tried an onside kick to get the ball back but the ball didn’t go far enough, giving it back to Colfax and they ran out the clock in victory formation to end the game.

Buchner was the leading rusher for the Vikings with 67 yards on 13 carries while Hiitola ran the ball five times for 61 yards. Anderson added 44 yards on six attempts and Hoffman added 10 yards on four carries. Anderson hauled in one of Hiitola’s passes for 60 yards and Austin Coates snared one for five yards. Anderson collected seven tackles while Hiitola and Hoffman both finished with six and Christian Ebert four.

Colfax will closeout the non-conference portion of its schedule when it travels to Eleva-Strum this Friday.