"It was kind of best case scenario for us," said North Battleford Comprehensive High School Vikings head coach Jamie Sommerfeld, after his team beat Evan Hardy in their final game of the regular season Thursday.
The Vikings finished third and now play Marion Graham in the city semifinal game Wednesday. If the Vikings had lost to Evan Hardy they would have fallen to fourth place and faced the top team in the league from Bishop James Mahoney.
"The boys played really well," said Sommerfeld.
The Vikings trailed heading into the fourth quarter, but the offence was able find the end zone and a special teams return for a touchdown put them in a position to march the field and win the game in the final seconds.
With four minutes left, the Vikings marched the field and set up Brian Hodgins to kick a 27-yard game-winning field goal with four seconds left.
The Vikings earned their second win of the season with the 26-25 victory and claimed third place out of 3A schools in the league standings.
"Our defence made a couple good stops when we needed them to," said Sommerfeld.
Looking ahead to Wednesday's playoff game in Saskatoon, the Vikings lost to Marion Graham during the season 35-20, but Sommerfeld said that game was when the team started to get some confidence and some momentum in the season. They found the end zone for the first time and their defence started to create an identity for itself.
"We ended up shutting them out in the second half and we beat them in the second half," said Sommerfeld. "We have full confidence that we are going to go in and play a very good football game."
The winter weather conditions are something the Vikings hope will play right into their hands at Gordie Howe Bowl.
"It plays right into out hands. If it's mucky and ugly and gross - well that is our kind of football. It is that ground and pound and get a little dirty and hold onto the ball. It plays into what we were going to do. The uglier the better," said Sommerfeld.
