Vikings sprint to state
Middleton High running back K.J. Herbert evades Skyview defenders for a short gain during the first half at Skyview High School on Friday night. The Vikings won 34-32 and advance to the 4A state playoffs.Charlie Litchfield/IPT
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jwustrow@idahopress.com
Saturday, October 31st, 2009
NAMPA — Officially it was a regular season game, but coach Bill Brock and the Middleton Vikings approached Friday's game against Skyview like a play-in game.
By beating the Hawks 34-32, Middleton (7-2 overall, 6-1 4A South Idaho Conference) clinched a spot in the 4A state tournament. The Vikings travel to Sandpoint (7-2) next week for a first-round game.
"We told our kids the other districts had play in games, this was ours," Brock said. "That's essentially what it was. Skyview played hard and our kids were equal to the task."
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Just like they have done to opponents all season, the Vikings pounded the Hawks with their run game. Middleton picked up 323 yards on 61 carries.
But it was the run defense that saved the victory for Middleton.
After trailing by 15 midway through the fourth quarter, Skyview cut the lead to 34-32 with 2 minutes, 44 seconds remaining.
Skyview quarterback Sam Cook connected with receiver Greg Krahenbuhl for a 21-yard touchdown pass.
The Hawks went for the tying two-point conversion, but were stuffed at the goal line.
Middleton recovered the onside kick, and with a couple of first down runs were able to kneel with the ball to run out the clock.
"We all set the goal to play in November and win in November," said Middleton running back Justin Scott, who led the Vikings with 96 yards and three touchdown runs. "We're all really excited to make it there."
On the other sideline, the mood wasn't nearly as high. The Hawks (4-5, 4-3) had fought back from a 1-4 start and put themselves in position to grab a playoff spot with a win.
Just like their season, the Hawks had to fight back from a less than desirable first half, as Middleton led 21-6 going into the break. In the end, Skyview was just a couple yards short of the win, just a couple yards short of the playoffs.
"I didn't expect it, I expected to play another week, and that was the feeling and atmosphere all week," Skyview coach David Young said. "The kids were excited, they were fired up and they did everything in their control to give themselves an opportunity to play next week."
For Middleton, there were multiple scenarios going into Friday night where the Vikings could have clinched a playoff spot, even with a loss. But Brock said all week he made sure the team steered clear of all conversation and stayed focused on beating Skyview.
"We didn't talk about it," Brock said. "We said 'we win, we're in.' That's what we went for. As coaches we talked about it. For us we were just focused on winning this one. We knew Skyview was going to give us their best game because they were in the same situation."
