“We knew their quarterback running the ball was going to be an issue,” said the Vikings head coach after East Los Angeles College quarterback Terrance Gipson dominated the field with 105 rushing yards that gained the Huskies a victory at home with a final score of 20-14 over the Vikings on Saturday.
The game got off to a slow start with no points scored in the first quarter. The Huskies led the quarter in passing with several complete passes from Gipson, but they could not gain footing to make it to the end zone as the Vikings defense managed to hold their line back but struggled to gain yards with a weak offensive game.
“We got off to a terrible start offensively and dug ourselves into a bit of a hole… we just didn’t get it done on the offensive side of the ball primarily,” said head coach Brett Peabody of the Vikings.
Things picked up in the second quarter as it began to rain and both teams scored a touchdown and threw interceptions. Gipson threw two picks and Qeanu Campbell of the Vikings threw one. The Huskies gained the first touchdown of the game with Gipson making a complete pass to Trejan Bridges.
Shortly after, wide receiver Trennel Ridgely rushed 17 yards to the endzone and gained the first touchdown for the Vikings with kicker Mario De La Tor making the kick but only after ELAC was penalized for roughing the kicker on the first failed attempt at the kick, allowing the Vikings to redo the play with a successful kick that gained them the point after.
Within the first five minutes of the third quarter, Huskies running back CJ Tannyhill rushed 19 yards to the end zone gaining them a touchdown with a successful kick from Ethan Rodriguez bringing the score to 14-7.
With 28 seconds left on the clock the Huskies quarterback rushed 15 yards to another touchdown at the end of the quarter to make the score 20-7
Things began to look bleak for the Vikings as the Huskies kept slipping through the gaps in their defense and they struggled to pull ahead with their offensive plays being riddled with several incomplete passes.
That was until the end of the last quarter when Vikings quarterback Will Madonna completed a pass to Ridgley, scoring a touchdown followed by a successful kick from De La Tor.
The score was now 20-14 with two minutes and 25 seconds left on the clock.
A win for the Viking seemed unlikely with hardly any time left in the game but the Vikings managed to spin the game in their favor by recovering De La Tor’s kickoff. This gave the Vikings one last chance at victory.
The tension in the air grew thicker as the roaring crowd from the bleachers grew louder. It was anyone’s game at this point with the Vikings in possession at the 50 yard line and minimal time on the clock.
The Vikings kept the ball for six plays but the Vikings quarterback could not manage a complete pass to tie the game and lost the ball with one minute left on the clock.
When asked about the team’s performance, tight end Talin Cooper who was injured from fatigue during the game said, “It starts at practice, the way we come out, the way we think of this game, a lot of people’s heads weren’t on straight… We all have to have the same energy that we had at the end of the game when we are driving down the field. That needs to be a full game effort.”
The Vikings now hold a record of 4-4-1. The team will face off against Bakersfield College on Oct. 29 at 6:00 p.m. at Bakersfield.