Magical season ends for Posen football team

(BARK RIVER-FRIDAY, 10/31) The Posen Vikings, under the guidance of head coach Glenn Budnick, ended another very successful season tonight as they lost to the Bark River Harris Broncos, 28-6. Bark River took a commanding 28-6 lead with 5:26 left in the game, but not before Posen put up a fight. Posen made it all the way to the Bronco eight yard-line, but were stopped on downs. Four plays later, a Bronco runner broke a 74-yard run, getting all the way to the Viking one. They scored on the next play for the game’s final margin.

Posen trailed 22-6 heading into the final quarter of its MHSAA Division 8 football playoff game at Bark River, just west of Escanaba in the UP. On the second playof the third quarter, the Vikings lost a fumble at their own 22. That led to a Bronco TD at the 10:11 mark. The best chance the Vikings had to score in the quarter came after a pass interferance call gave the ball to the Vikings at the Bronco 35. But a fourth down pass fell incomplete and the Vikings lost possession.

Posen had new life as the Vikings scored in the waning moments of the first half. With 1:35 left in the second quartet, Richie Kroll scored on a 6-yard run to bring the score t

o 16-0. QB Matt Ponik hit Matt Szczerowski on passes of 16 and 17 to bring the ball inside the 10. The Broncos abandoned the running game, drove the field in the ensuing possession, but Ponik snared his second interception of the game to preserve the score. In the first quarter, Bark River scored on its first possession, driving the field in 10 plays.

Posen lost possession on downs, the teams then traded interceptions before the Broncos scored again. The Posen Vikings came into the game with a 8-1 record. A complete story, with stats and quotes from the coaches, will be posted later in the week (updated 9:38 p.m.)