Vikes come up short despite scoring frenzy

If there is one thing that can be said about eight man football - it is not boring.  The game Friday night at Ventura against Tripoli was no exception, as a total of 16 touchdowns were scored.  Unfortunately, the seven touchdowns Ventura scored weren’t enough to take down the Panthers.  They fell, 64-51, in the high-scoring showdown.
    The Vikings came out on fire and picked up the first touchdown on a 53-yard pass from Ryan Schmitz to Shawn Murphy.  The extra point by Schmitz was good for a 7-0 lead.  Ventura again scored on a nice 40 yard scramble by Schmitz, 13-0.  On the next play, Colton Knutson stripped the ball and the Vikings again took possession, but turned the ball over on downs.

    Tripoli picked up their game and scored two TDs for a 13-12 Viking first quarter lead.
    The Panthers dominated the second quarter, scoring 22 points, to Ventura’s six.  The lone touchdown for the Vikings in the second quarter came on a 44-yard pass from Schmitz to Joel Watson.  Zach Zwiefel recovered a Panther fumble with 3.3 seconds remaining in the half, but the halftime score was 34-19 in favor of Tripoli.
    Ventura came back from the break ready to play.  Logan Ryerson recovered a Panther fumble.  Knutson was the first to find the endzone in the second half on a 13-yard pass from Schmitz, 34-25.  The Panthers scored again to end the third quarter with a 42-25 lead.
    The fourth quarter was a scoring frenzy with Ventura outscoring Tripoli 26-21.  Schmitz scored early in the fourth on a 28-yard run, 42-31.  The Panthers scored next.  Watson found the endzone for the Vikings on a six-yard run and the two point conversion pass from Schmitz to Knutson was good, 48-39.  The Panthers scored and picked up a two point conversion pushing the score to 56-39.  Schmitz hit Watson on a 40-yard pass, 56-45. 
    The Panthers scored with one minute left in the game and connected on a two-point conversion pass, 64-45.  The Vikings didn’t give up, as Schmitz found James Stephenson on a three-yard pass for the final, 64-51.
    “Our offense really rolled in this game.  Unfortunately, our defense struggled throughout the game,” said Coach Mark Pueggel.  “Tripoli has a big offensive line and they were able to run for a lot of yards right at us.  If we can figure out how to get more stops on defense, we can be a - Read More Via e-Edition