Photos: Paige Wilcox
CHICAGO, Ill. -- The North Park football team lost its third conference matchup of the season on Saturday, falling to the (rv) Washington University in St. Louis Bears by a score of 56-21.
Scoring opened with a WashUÂ touchdown on a 7-yard rush from Kenne Hamilton, prompting a Bears kickoff on the ensuing play. DB Juan Nieves received the kick at the Vikings one-yard line, burst through a hole on the right side, and ran home free to the endzone for a 99-yard return that would even the game after Michael Messersmith's PAT.
Nieves was hard-pressed to find return opportunities for the rest of the game, with the Bears kickoff unit avoiding him at all costs.
The Vikings would not score again until the end of the 1st half. Following four unanswered Bears TDs, North Park drove the ball from their own 25 into to the red zone with under a minute remaining.  QB Matt Eck found Joseph Kalas in the endzone for his first career TD reception, a 6-yard catch with 18 seconds to go. The North Park offense stayed quiet until the end of the 3rd quarter, when Eck found Hunter Gibson on a deep catch-and-run for a 57-yard TD. That catch also marked Gibson's first career TD reception, as well as the longest catch of his career.
Gibson's 115 receiving yards were both a team and career-high, and Matt Eck's 197 passing yards and 2 TDs were season-highs for the QB. Defensively, Jaydin Miller led the Vikings with 8 solo and 10 total tackles. The LB also recorded 2 tackles for loss, totaling 16 yards. On top of the return TD, Juan Nieves recorded an interception while Theo Smith forced and recovered a fumble.
The Vikings take on another CCIW foe next weekend, facing off with Carthage College at 1:00 PM at the Holmgren Athletic Complex. Â
