It was a much-anticipated battle of first-place teams on Friday, October 15, as the Avery Vikings rode into Polk County Stadium to face the Wolverines. Polk capitalized on a pair of first-half turnovers and exploited a Viking squad void of two of its key playmakers in quarterback Alex Villanueva and running back/defensive back Taylor Potter to have a happy Homecoming, defeating Avery by a final score of 36-12.
With the first possession of the contest the Wolverines drove the football inside the Avery 30-yard line. The drive stalled, however, when an Andre Overholt pass toward the end zone was intercepted by Viking defensive back Tyler Calvert.
On its ensuing series the Vikings started from inside its own 5-yard line and methodically gained yardage using a mix of run and pass to advance to midfield. A pass attempt from quarterback Dustin Childress to tight end Remington Austin across the middle of the field appeared by all accounts to be dropped for an incomplete pass, but Polk players fell on the football and the officials ruled the play a fumble, awarding the pigskin to the Wolverines, much to the dismay of the Viking coaches, players and crowd.
Avery seemed to avoid trouble following the turnover, forcing Polk into a fourth down. The Wolverines had a trick up its sleeve, however, setting up in a “swinging gate” formation and throwing a pass downfield from Overholt to Ryan Thomas. Thomas outran the Viking secondary into the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown. A two-point conversion run by Overholt was successful to give Polk an 8-0 lead with 2:39 to play in the opening stanza.
Both teams traded punts as the first quarter gave way to the second, and the Vikings took possession with ten minutes left in the half. The Avery offense again showed signs of life with positive yardage from fullback Nathaniel Buchanan and running back Colton Blackburn. The Vikings moved to its own 40-yard line, but a Childress pass was picked off by Andre Overholt, who returned the interception into Avery territory.
The Wolverines pieced together its most impressive drive of the game, an eight-play, 40-yard drive that elapsed 4:04 off the second quarter clock. Polk converted a pair of third down plays on the drive, and capped the possession with a nine-yard touchdown pass from Overholt to Trey Couch. The Jacob Christiansen extra point increased Polk’s lead to 15-0 with 2:31 to play in the half.
After Avery was forced into a three-and-out, the Wolverines compiled one final scoring march before halftime. A 47-yard touchdown pass from Overholt to Tyler Ridings was called back due to an illegal block penalty, temporarily quieting a partisan Wolverine crowd. On the very next play, however, Overholt found Ryan Thomas for his second touchdown reception of the game, a 23-yard connection. The PAT with 1:05 on the clock gave Polk a commanding 22-0 lead which it carried into the locker room at halftime.
With the first possession of the second half, Avery sought to build momentum in the hope of making a comeback. The Vikings appeared set for good field position and a possible scoring opportunity after running back Spencer Blackburn escaped the Polk defense for a 16-yard gain into Wolverine territory, but a holding penalty brought the play back.
The Vikings were forced to punt and the Wolverines continued to both run and throw the football to move downfield, highlighted by a 13-yard pass completion from Overholt to Cody Orick to advance Polk inside the Avery 15-yard line. The Viking defense made a huge play, however, as Avery forced a fumble by Ridings, which was recovered by Lucas Lecka to give the pigskin back to the Big Red.
The Polk response to the Avery touchdown was swift and immediate. On just the second play from scrimmage after the Viking score, Kerry Littlejohn found holes in the Avery defense and slashed 49 yards for a Wolverine touchdown. Christiansen’s extra point kick was good to stake Polk to a 29-6 edge as the third quarter expired.
In the final stanza the Avery club found itself more desperate to generate points and climb into the game. The Vikings attempted a fourth-down conversion from its own 37-yard line, but the Wolverines stymied the running play and took over on downs. The Wolverines benefitted from a pass interference penalty to advance the football into the Avery red zone, and Overholt did the rest, completing a 15-yard pass to wide receiver Chandler Miller for Polk’s final touchdown of the evening. The extra point further padded the Wolverine bulge to 36-6.
Although behind on the scoreboard, the Vikings continued to play with the determination that has earned the love and respect of High Country residents and the respect of its opponents. Avery marched 80 yards on 16 plays, highlighted by a 38-yard pass completion from Childress to Gonzalez. Childress completed a three-yard touchdown pass to Colton Blackburn with 3:30 left to play to provide for the team’s 12 points and the final score for the night.
The Vikings won the time of possession battle by over five minutes and gained 19 more yards than Polk for the game, but the only statistic that mattered was the numbers in the scoring column as the Big Red fell to 6-2 overall and 2-2 in conference play. Polk remained tied with Owen and Mountain Heritage atop the conference standings with a 3-1 conference record and 7-1 overall mark.
Colton Blackburn paced the Vikings with 93 rushing yards and a touchdown, as well as a receiving touchdown. Childress was 14 of 32 passing for 195 yards, with one touchdown and an interception. Overholt led the Wolverines with eight completions in 11 attempts for 143 yards, with four touchdowns and an interception.
The Vikings look to regroup this Friday, October 22, when they host the Madison Patriots at MacDonald Stadium.
