By Nathan Kanter

Vikings crush Mustangs to improve to 3-0

Sep 23, 2016 | 7:08 AM

Just six minutes into Thursday’s high school football matchup between the North Battleford Comprehensive Senior Vikings and the Mount Royal Mustangs, the score was already lopsided.

The Vikings started out with three consecutive scores to lead the visitors 20-0 with 42 minutes still left to play.

By the end of the first quarter, the score stretched to 36-0 for the home side thanks to three running touchdowns from three different players – Zach Wolfe, Jesse Sankey and then Cole Abbott – as well as an interception return for a touchdown from Dawson Lehman.

When the buzzer finally went, the scoreboard read 65-0.

But one of the first things said by Vikings head coach Mike Humenny post-game was one of cautious optimism. He knows the real season begins next week.

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“This isn’t any disrespect to our opponents [so far], but … the second half, schedule-wise, is a little more difficult than it was in the first half,” Humenny said. “We’ve tried to hammer that into our players. They’re well aware of the task at hand heading into next week.

“As of right now, we’re where we wanted to be but there’s plenty of work still to come.”

It truly was a full team effort on Thursday as every single player in uniform got significant playing time, including backups on both offence and defence. One defensive unit, nicknamed the “young guns,” is made up entirely of Grade 11 players who are expected to start next season and Humenny was happy to see them into the game.

But really, he was happy to get everyone into the game, which included three separate defensive units. The comradery shown impressed the head coach.

“I’ve tried to encourage our starters to be positive teammates as well and encourage those guys that give them good looks in practice every day,” Humenny said. “I liked what I saw on the bench.”

On Friday Sept. 30, the Vikings travel to Saskatoon to take on the 1-2 Marion Graham Falcons. The Falcons won on Thursday night, 21-0 over the Evan Hardy Souls.

Following the game against the Falcons, the final two games of the season will be against Bishop James Mahoney and the Souls.

“I think [the next] three games are going to be, ultimately, playoff seeding games,” Humenny said.

Nathan Kanter is battlefordsNOW’s sports reporter and voice of the Battlefords North Stars. He can be reached at Nathan.Kanter@jpbg.ca or tweet him @NathanKanter11