Battling the BOBCATS

Charlo plays tough in 44-32 loss

CHARLO - Superior came in bigger, with more kids on the sideline and a dynamic offense. Then they learned what Charlo football is all about.

"I was really pleased with out effort," Charlo head coach Mike Krahn said. "I thought we played real physical. They had quite a few subs and as the game went on I thought they were going to wear us down. In reality, I think we wore them down."

Last Friday, Charlo lost to the Bobcats 44-32 but showed that they should be right alongside Superior as one of the elite teams in the conference.

Superior jumped out to a 16-0 lead with two rushing touchdowns and a safety.

"Our line adjusted to the speed of their defensive line," Krahn said. "Everybody settled in and gave our quarterback some time."

Quarterback Tra Ludeman got the Vikings on the board with an electrifying "see-yah!" kickoff return that went 75 yards. After another Superior score, Ludeman threw two touchdown passes to Stephen Delaney and Kolten Andrews to pull Charlo to within five points.

"Last week it was more rushing and this week we spread it around," Krahn said. "We had good numbers receiving, seven different guys had receptions."

Charlo finished the game with 184 passing yards but was held to just 28 yards on the ground. In the second half, Superior came out with a different look on offense.

Instead of using their spread, quick tempo offense, they slowed things down and decided to run the ball. It worked as they scored two touchdowns in the third quarter while Charlo barely had possession of the ball.

"They had a tight-bunch formation and ran the ball behind their big boy," Krahn said. "I felt like we threw everything at them except the kitchen sink."

That big boy was 377-pound lineman Mike Reinelt for Superior, who looked like he belonged in the movie "Jurassic Park" instead of on a Class C football field.

However, the Vikings didn't back down. Ludeman threw a 50-yard pass to Jacen Peterson in the fourth quarter to make it 37-26. Superior answered back with a touchdown but Charlo still wasn't done.

The Vikings got a 40-yard touchdown pass from Stephen Delaney to Tra Ludeman to pull things closer in the fourth. While they couldn't complete the comeback, they still showed they could battle with a tough Bobcats team.

Ludeman was spectacular for Charlo again. He involved in all five of the Vikings' touchdowns and finished the game with three touchdown passes, 144 passing yards, one receiving touchdown and a 75-yard touchdown kickoff return.

"He just had a really well-rounded game," Krahn said. "He was really solid on defense as well."

Andrews also had a spectacular game with 25 tackles and his touchdown catch was Giants-Patriots Super Bowl-esque.

"He trapped it in on his ear and grabbed it down for the catch," Krahn said. "He's a leader on the team, he's steady and he had a good all-around game. It's good to see him out there."

Charlo now faces Lincoln on the road Friday. Last year, the Vikings defeated Lincoln 60-14, after they had fallen behind 12-0 in the early stages of the game.

"We match up pretty evenly size-wise," Krahn said. "It should be a good game. They're putting up big offensive numbers. They're going to be tough, when the schedule came out we were like ‘wow, we play the top three teams in the conference right away."

SUPERIOR 44, CHARLO 32

Superior - 9 - 14 - 14 - 7 - 44

Charlo - 0 - 18 - 0 - 14 - 32

SCORING SUMMARY

S - Billy Smith 2-yard run (Donovan Lanier kick)

S - Safety

S - Matt Campbell 6-yard run (Lanier kick)

C - Tra Ludeman 75-yard kickoff return (run failed)

S - Campbell 4-yard pass from Smith (Lanier kick)

C - Stephen Delaney 8-yard pass from Ludeman (run failed)

C - Kolten Andrews 10-yard pass from Ludeman (pass failed)

S - Kevin Ryan 1-yard run (Lanier kick)

S - Smith 2-yard run (Lanier kick)

C - Jacen Petersen 50-yard pass Ludeman (Tyler Delaney run)

S - Smith 2-yard run (Lanier kick)

C - Ludeman 40-yard pass from S. Delaney (no pat)