Posen is back in the hunt

by Peter Jakey– Managing Editor

A 50-12 win on the gridiron last Friday against Arenac Eastern has put Posen football back in the running for a playoff spot. It was an emotional lift to finally get one on the field, but it was just as important to put the game in the win column. The Vikings have won 10 straight against Arenac. With four regular season games left on the schedule, the Vikings need, at the least, to win three of them. First up is Mio, a team Posen hasn?t defeated since 2002. The Vikings have not won at home against the T-Bolts since 1999. While Mio is still one of the top football programs in northern Michigan, they are not the same juggernaut that went three seasons from 2003 to 2005 without losing a regular season game. Mio survived a barnburner last Friday with up and coming Hillman, 34-32, to improve their record to 4-1. Friday?s game, the last home game of the ?07 season, begins at 7 p.m.

Immediately following the end of Posen?s game last Friday, the players huddled around their coaches. Head coach Glenn Budnick told the players that they need to play four quarters of football the way they manhandled Arenac in the first two. ?We played a perfect first half, I thought,? said Budnick. ?I told them we are going to need two of those halves against a very good Mio team next week.?

THE VIKINGS could not have written up a better start to their Parents? Night ?07 contest. On Arenac?s first offensive play of the game, the snap from the center to the quarterback in the shotgun was mishandled. Nathan Strzelecki picked up the ball and took it 33 yards for the first points of the game, which was only 22 seconds old. Arenac’s first drive was riddled with penalties and they were forced to punt from the Posen 48. The Eagle kicker hit it straight up into a strong wind, resulting in a net punt of only eight yards. Posen had great field position at their own 40.

One of the key plays of the drive was the only pass completion of the day, an eight-yard toss from Aaron Romel to Nathan Street. That set up a 16-yard run by Street. Runs of 10, seven, and three from Paul Kroll, who ended the night with 121 yards, put the ball in the end zone for the first offensive points of the game. That made the score 12-0. The Eagles moved the ball well on their next possession and took it from their own 33 to the Posen 31, before they were forced to punt again. ?Our defense has played well since the end of the first half against Au Gres,? said Budnick.

THE VIKINGS set up shop at their own 13. Two plays later, Kroll snuck through the defense and sprinted down the Posen sideline for a 75-yard run down to the three. Romel finished the long, but quick scoring drive on the next play. With Tyler Krajniak?s second effort, Posen had its first conversion of the evening and a 20-0 lead, with 50 seconds left to play in the first quarter. The Eagles would march down and score their first points, but miss the kick. On the ensuing onside kick attempt, lineman Travis Hirschman showed the hands of a receiver when he caught the line drive kick in the air to keep the Vikings? possession. Posen went on offense again and did what they?ve been doing a whole lot of the last two weeks: score more. Led by a revamped offensive line, that includes Scott Couture, Jimmy Novak, Jordan Hincka, Nick Delekta, Brandon Beach, Nick Idalski, and Nathan Strzelecki, the Vikings would methodically march down the field. ?Our offensive line is picking everything up,? said Budnick. ?Nobody is getting hit in the backfield, we are getting positive yards. As long as that continues, good things will happen.? Posen would get its fourth TD of the first half on a one-yard plunge from Kroll.

AN INTERCEPTION to defensive linemen Nick Idalski would help Posen put six more on the board before halftime. On a fourth-and-three play, Romel took the ball in on a QB sneak. The halftime score was 36-6. Krajniak shined in the opening moments of the second half with a 41-yard kick return to midfield. Posen ran four plays and punted. The P-Town defense stopped Arenac on downs in the closing minutes of the third, which set up Posen?s second biggest play of the night. On first-and-10 from their own 25, Street kicke

d out the right defensive end and sprung Romel for 70 yards. He was brought down at the five. Posen would come up short on this visit to the goal line, as Arenac stopped a fourth-and-short play. The Eagles then proceeded to march 99 yards for their second TD of the night. The final scoring would come from the Vikings, as Krajniak went for touchdown runs of 33 and 38. Both plays were ?26 dives.? Krajniak had a huge hole and no defenders in front of him on the first one. Only one Eagle got a hand on him. The second play he was spun around, but kept on going. He would end the night with 96 yards on only four carries.

Statistics: Posen 442 rushing, 8 passing, 450 total. Posen: Paul Kroll 15/121 2 TDs, Aaron Romel 11/164 2 TDs, Tyler Krajniak 4/96, Nathan Street 9/48. Passing: Romel 1-for-2, 8 yards. Receiving: Street 1/8. Defense: Jordan Hincka 20 tackles, Nick Idalski 12 _ tackles (Int.), Street 8, Corey Hentkowski 8, Brandon Beach 7, Nathan Strzelecki two fumbles (TD). 86 total tackles