Vikings roll, will host Townsend Saturday

For at least the second time ever, the Bigfork Vikings finished the regular season undefeated.

The 8-0 Vikes won at Thompson Falls Friday 46-6 to finish first in District 7B.

This is their first undefeated regular season since they went 8-0 in 1994.

Bigfork will host 6-1 Townsend at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Friday, runningback Boyd Rieke turned in what coach Todd Emslie called a “huge game.” Rieke had 30 carries for 259 yards and five touchdowns.

For the season, Rieke has totaled 1,123 yards on 170 carries, a 6.6-yard average, and 21 touchdowns.

Emslie said the defense played great. “It was a nice cap on our season,” he said.

The Vikings scored twice in each of the first three quarters before adding a single tally in the fourth.

Thompson Falls got on the scoreboard with 16 seconds left on a 63-yard pass.

Sophomore Jonathan Landon did a great job filling in for junior quarterback Josh Sandry, Emslie said.

Landon completed six of 11 passes for 94 yards. “He made some really nice throws and made good decisions,” Emslie said.

Sandry was held out of the game as a precaution after suffering a mild concussion last week against Eureka.

Emslie said Sandry will start Saturday, while Landon will return to his wide receiver position.

Vinny Quirk had the Vikings’ other tally, an 8-yard run. He totaled 80 yards on 11 carries and led defensively with seven tackles.

The Vikings continued to have problems with their kicking game. Landon converted two of five extra-point attempts, two of which were blocked. He completed one of two conversion passes.

Cameron Nissen had three catches for 45 yards. Isaac Martel had two catches for 36 yards and a two-point conversion reception.

Saturday vs. Townsend

Townsend, also known as Broadwater High School, will bring a “very aggressive pro-style offense” to Bigfork, Emslie said.

The Bulldogs use some shotgun formation and have a balanced attack, he added.

On defense, “they fly to the football,” operating out of a 3-4 set.

Townsend’s only loss was to Boulder 14-7. They defeated Florence 47-0, Fairfield 23-14, Manhattan 20-6, Three Forks 45-16, Joliet 40-0 and Whitehall 53-24.