Vikes topple Cats 66-58; Troy up next
There was quite a variety of floats during the Homecoming parade Friday through downtown Charlo. Above, on the Class of 2019 float, Jaden Coston, left, and Ali Delaney blow bubbles. Also part of the festivities are Nate Delaney, left, and Connor Koenig, background. (Joe Sova/Lake County Leader)
The Charlo High School Vikings’ football team, who is working toward solidifying and securing their No. 2 spot in the Western Conference of the Class C 8-man Montana High School Association postseason picture, continues to develop.
Charlo defeated Clark Fork 66-58 in Friday night’s contest at Charlo High School, and the victory has all but sewn up the No. 2 two spot in the conference. Now Charlo hopes to enhance their position as they continue to work on getting healthier.
“We are definitely in the driver’s seat now and we still have three games left,” Vikings’ Coach Mike Krahn said. “We have to make sure we have that spot. If you are going on the road, you probably never have a chance to play at home during the playoffs. We will see where the playoff picture develops from there.”
The Vikings are working on another weapon to complement QB Landers Smith. Garrett Vaughan rushed for 102 yards, his first 100-yard rushing game as a Viking against the team from Superior and Alberton.
“He is a really good pass defender,” Krahn said. “He helps out directing traffic and lines up the right formations with our coverage and defense as well.”
Krahn said he was pleased with his team’s defensive efforts even after they allowed a total of 58 points against Clark Fork. Last week, Clark Fork scored a total of 80 points on Darby.
“Our defense has really stepped up and got two key interceptions,” Krahn said. “I had to watch quite a bit of film and they didn’t get to step up very often. Our defense gave up some points and it really came down to who had the ball on the last drive.”
This week, the Vikings will work on solidifying some of their defensive back rotations in a game situation against Troy Friday night at Troy High School.
“They are new to 8-man and they have a coaching change,” Krahn said. “They are now in their second year and their coaching staff is still new to 8-man. We saw them at Tech football camp and they have some kids that want to play. Their quarterback can throw the long ball and had a lot of big-play receivers. They can throw the ball a distance and our defensive back will get a workout this week.”
Krahn called the victory over Clark Fork a “big deal.”
“It was such a big deal to us and Clark Fork, but we could have ended up with two losses and had to go to a tiebreaker,” Krahn said. “It gets crazy and with a win, we really separate ourselves from our conference. Our teams are battling and Mission is still in the hunt. It’s going to be interesting to see how it shakes out for those four spots.”