Drummond puts end to Charlo's perfect season

CHARLO — Charlo’s football team managed to dodge a few bullets in the first quarter, converting a pair of suspenseful fourth-and-goal situations, but it was there that the Vikings’ luck ran out.

Drummond (6-1) capped off a 34-20 victory—Charlo’s first loss of the season—with 28 unanswered points after the Vikings took a 14-6 lead in the first quarter on those fourth-down scores.

“They really had a good game plan,” Mike Krahn, the Charlo coach said. “They really tackled us well. We’ve been able to shake a lot of those tackles and make big plays [in other games], but they really tackled well.”

It was Drummond’s small but persistent front that won out on both sides of the ball, providing terrific pass protection for quarterback Kevin Oberweiser and pressuring Charlo signal-caller Michael Delaney into a few ill-advised throws that became turnovers.

“I guess one of the biggest surprises for me was their line,” Krahn added. “They played pretty well. For once we actually had some size on a team.”

Delaney, normally stoic and poised in the pocket, was picked off thrice.

Oberweiser completed 23 of 37 passes for 298 yards and four touchdowns. Three went to Tony Bergerson, who also threw a TD pass of his own on a reverse play.

Bergerson and Danny Mannix wreaked havoc on the Charlo secondary, each eclipsing 100 receiving yards. Mannix finished with 13 catches for 169 yards and two scores. Bergerson tallied eight receptions for 107 yards.

Charlo (6-1) struggled on offense as well, as the Trojans took away their outside running game.

“It seemed like our speed just wasn’t there,” Krahn said. “We just seemed like we couldn’t get rolling.”

The loss slings previously unbeaten Charlo back into a four-way tie with Drummond, Superior and Victor for first place in Western C 8-man heading into the season’s final week.

The final week’s matchup almost seem scripted: Drummond goes to Superior tomorrow. Charlo goes to Victor on Saturday.

“I think our boys will respond,” Krahn said. “We’ve been in these situations before. Last year it happened with [a Charlo loss to] Superior. Needless to say, it’s going to be a tall order. Victor is a very tough team and they’re playing well right now.”

The Pirates haven’t loss since September 7 when they fell 50-29 at the hands of Superior. They squeaked by Drummond, 33-32, on a last-second field goal on October 4.

The main concern for Victor is whether or not quarterback Matt Kittel will play. The senior sat out last week’s win over Darby with an injury.

“That puts our defense in a tough spot because we have to prepare both ways,” Krahn said.

With a win, the Vikings assure themselves at least the second seed out of Western C, meaning a home playoff game in the first round. A loss could mean they fall to as far as fourth.

“I don’t think we need to panic,” Krahn said. “We just need to tweak a few things.”