KENOSHA, Wis. -- The North Park Football team traveled to Kenosha to face the Firebirds of Carthage College for a game that has a lot of weight for the North Park history books. 1959 was the last time the Vikings Football Team had back-to-back non-losing seasons and 1968 was the last time that the Vikings had a winning record. Unfortunately, that elusive sixth win will be delayed as the Vikings came up short, 22-21.
It was the Firebirds who struck first as quarterback Bryce Lowe scrambled for a 15-yard touchdown.
Senior quarterback Matt Eck and the Vikings offense would respond immediately with a touchdown of their own with a 6-yard catch by junior receiver Wesley McCloud to tie the game at 7. The back-and-forth would continue as Carthage scored another touchdown to close the first quarter with a 14-7 lead.
The second quarter was less action packed but, with less than 3 minutes left and inside the Carthage 20-yard line, Eck moved up in the pocket and delivered a jump pass to wide open senior running back Marcel Love in the middle of the endzone to tie the game at 14 a piece. After the Vikings defense forced a punt on the following drive, North Park had one minute to take the lead before half. The offense got to the 26-yard line as the clock continued to tick. Eck rolled to his right and threw across his body to the endzone where sophomore receiver Micah Catron went over the top of a Firebird defender for the touchdown catch to close the half with a 21-14 lead.
A scoreless third quarter was owned by both defenses as numerous punts ensued as well as some turnover on downs. Through three quarters, senior linebacker Egan Bender led all Vikings in tackles with 10, followed by junior safety Ben Butler with 8. The Viking defense was on the field for long spurts as Carthage was able to go on a six-plus minute drive that went into the fourth. The Firebirds were able to get deep into Viking territory with tying the game in reach, but the defense of the Vikings was able to force a field goal attempt that was missed wide right, keeping the score at 21-14.
The defenses continued to be the stars of the second half, as there was still no score through the first 10 minutes of the fourth quarter. The Vikings had a chance to extend their lead to 10 but a Michael Messersmith III field goal attempt was blocked. With three minutes left in the game, Carthage was able to find the endzone to come within 1 point. Looking to boost their chances for the win, the Firebirds elected to go for the 2-point conversion and converted as quarterback Bryce Lowe scrambled up the middle for the score, giving Carthage the 22-21 lead with just under three minutes left.
North Park's following offensive drive was thwarted at midfield as they could not convert on 4th and 1, giving the ball back to Carthage. A first down from the Firebirds would secure the win but again, the Viking defense forced the punt on Carthage's drive which gave them a chance to get in field goal range. Unfortunately, the Vikings were out of timeouts and unable to cross mid field. The game ended on a tough-luck false start call as the Vikings were trying to spike the ball after a first-down completion, with no timeouts and the penalty occurring with 9 seconds left in the game, there was a 10 second run off which ended the game.
Quick Hits:
- Matt Eck – 28/47 294 yards, 3 passing TDs
- Wesley McCloud – 12 catches 158 yards, 1 TD
- Marcel Love – 5 catches 30 yards, 14 rushes 58 yards, 1 rec TD
- Micah Catron – 1 catch 26 yards, 1 TD
- Egan Bender – 11 total tackles, 6 solo, 5 assisted, 1 TFL
- Ben Butler – 9 total tackles, 7 solo, 1 TFL
What's Next?
The Vikings have a tough two game stretch to close the season, hosting Washington University of St. Louis (5-2, 4-2) next week on November 9th, followed by going to Wheaton College (5-2, 5-1).
