By STEVE MORRISON
Niles Daily Star

What began looking like a comedy almost ended up becoming a tragedy for the Niles Vikings football team Friday.

They held on to turn back the second half surge by the Kalamazoo Loy Norrix Knights and win 29-19 in their season finale at home. Niles had taken a 27-0 commanding lead into the locker room at halftime.

The Vikings’ first half offense was fueled by senior running backs Aaron Davis and Kevin Gross. Gross scored on runs of 29 yards and four while accumulating 70 yards on seven carries. Davis scored on a 13 yard scamper and a 76 yard screen pass from Viking quarterback Cameron Sly. Davis notched 111 first half yards on only eight carries.

The Vikings (4-5) took the opening kickoff and drove for 68 yards in six plays to begin the scoring. Gross capped off the drive bursting off left tackle for the final 29 paces. The extra point attempt by Sly was blocked, but the Vikings had drawn first blood at standing at a 6-0 advantage.

After three plays, the Vikes stuffed the Norrix’s first offensive possession, allowing only five yards on the ground. The Knights (1-8) were forced to punt. This time it took the Vikings only seven plays to cross the goal line again on Davis’ 13-yard blast over the right side. This time Sly connected for the extra point.

Ahead 13-0 Niles allowed the Knights two first downs in the ensuing Loy Norrix possession, but that drive ended when Gross sacked Knights quarterback Zach Rickli for an eight yard loss on third down, forcing another Norrix punt to begin the second quarter.
After two changes of possession, Niles’ Justin Potthoff recovered Norrix’s Artwaun Steele’s  fumble on the Knight’s 32-yard line. It took only four plays for the Vikings to reach paydirt on Davis’s short three yard blast. Sly’s kick was true and gave Niles a 20-0 bulge.

After a three and out, Norrix was once again forced to surrender the ball on a punt. After a loss of two yards and an incompletion, Sly hooked up with Davis on a delay screen at Niles’ 24. Davis did all the rest, turning on the afterburners for a 76 yard scoring strike. It was Sly’s only completion of the night, but it was an important one. Sly rammed home the point after, and Niles took a seemingly dominant 27-0 lead into intermission.

In the second half, the picture changed radically. Niles’ Nate Draper recovered Knight’s running back CeJuwon Ferrier’s fumble on the second play from scrimmage of the half. However, on the next play Viking back David Garner coughed up the ball right back to the Knights. An injury to Knight’s quarterback Rickli allowed coach Sean Bergan to employ junior speedster Demetrius Greer at the signal caller’s position.

From then on it was like the difference between Knight and day. Greer sliced up the Vikings’ defense for runs of 15, 12, and 11 yards scoring Norrix’s first six at the 7:26 mark of the third quarter. Shawn Holland fumbled on Niles’ third play in the next Viking offensive drive, but their defense held and forced a Knights’ punt.

Niles wasn’t able to do anything on offense and had to punt the pigskin away, nearing the end of the quarter. Greer engineered a 9-play drive for the Knights topping it off with a 28-yard scoring run. The extra point kick failed. After Garner fumbled the kickoff for Niles, Greer lofted a seven yard scoring strike to receiver Devin Moon. The point after attempt failed again, but the Knights kept on coming back, down 27-19.

In Niles next possession they maintained control, notching consecutive first downs on gutsy fourth down plays. When they finally punted to Norrix time was running out.

Hunter Krueger locked up the victory by forcing a safety driving Greer out of his own end zone, and ending the scoring at 29-19.

Dan Brawley, Viking head coach, was relieved with the win.

“We just held onto the ball the second half. Our defense came through for us (in the end),” he summarized.

Loy Norrix 0 0 7 12 – 19
Niles 13 14 0 2 – 29
N – Gross 29 run kick failed
N – Davis 13 run, Sly kick
N – Gross 34 run, Sly kick
N – Davis 33 pass from Sly, Sly kick
LN – Greer 11 run, Tyler McCrary kick
LN – Greer 28 run, kick failed
LN – Devin Moon 41 pass from Greer, kick failed
N – Hunter Krueger safety