Vikings Roll To Win In Battle Of Undefeated GEFA Teams
June 9, 2024 Billy Splain
It was a much anticipated game between two of the top GEFA teams. Both the Bedford Buffalos and the MoValley Vikings entered the game in Philipsburg with identical 8-0 records.
The Buffalos brought the highest scoring offense while the Vikings brought have the stingiest team. The game looked like it was heading in the direction of the billing. Only, a funny thing happened along the way. The roles became reversed. What started out looking like a shoot out turned into a surprising, for the fans, 76-28 halftime lead for the home town Vikings. With the mercy rule clock engaged for the second half, the Vikings sent Bedford packing with a 88-48 win.
The game itself didn’t have any playoff implications. Both teams had already earned a first week playoff bye. This was pretty much for top seed. The game itself ALMOST lived up to it’s billing. Funny thing about shoot outs, if you give your opponent more bullets to shoot with chances are they’ll hit you more than you hit them. In the first half Bedford punted, turned the ball over on downs, fumbled twice, gave up an onside kick and threw up an interception. The Vikings scored direct hits with all 6 extra bullets. In all, the home team scored on all 9 first half possessions and the first play of the second half to take an 82-28 lead.
Bedford actually struck first with a 18 yard td pass from Levi Cook to Ian Valente. The duo also hooked up for the two point play to make it 8-0 with just 2 minutes off the board. The scoring came fast and furious in the first quarter. Malik Breon scored on a 5 yard run and the two point play tied the game at 8. The Buffalo offense sputtered and punted the ball to the Viking 7. Greg Medina hit Dane Bright for a 45 yard score after a block in the back put the Vikings on their own 5. Jason Nyhart hauled in the two pointer to make it a 16-8 lead for MoValley. On the very next play Bedford lost the ball and the Vikings recovered on the Buffalo 6. Medina took the ball in himself and the Vikings were off to the races with a 24-6 lead five minutes into the first quarter.
Back and forth the scoring went. Levi Cook led the Buffalo on another scoring drive but the Vikings responded with a 19 yard Medina pass to Nyhart. Cook then ran for a 20 yard score, Breon ran one in from 1 yard out for the Vikings to make it a 40-22 MoValley lead. Cook hit Ian Valente for a TD, Breon returned the favor for a one play drive for the Vikings making it 46-28.
The shoot out then became a buffalo hunt, Billy the Kid style. Rob Albro intercepted Cook in the end zone to end a Buffalo drive. The next set of downs proved to be the end of the shoot out for Bedford. Medina ran for 18 yards, then Breon scored again and Nyhart hauled in the two pointer to make it a 52-28 lead. The Vikings then recovered and onside kick at their 13. It took just one play, a Medina toss to big TE Trei Gilcrist. He ran downfield with surprising speed, then carried a host of Bedford players into the end zone to make it 60-28.
A Bedford fumble led to another Viking score, then another turnover on downs was followed by a 15 yard td pass from Medina to Matt Tavarez and that play pretty much guaranteed a running clock in the second half.
"I'm not surprised by the amount we were able to score," said Viking head coach/owner Thor Marlow. "We have been playing teams that held onto the ball. Today we got the turnovers and were able to capitalize on them."
The Vikings close out the regular season at Indiana and Bedford will host the Wilkes-Barre Warriors before both teams get a week off.
