The North Branch Vikings entered their tilt with the Grand Rapids Thunderhawks with seven consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with eight. North Branch took their game at home on Saturday with ease, bagging a 28-0 victory over Grand Rapids. Considering North Branch has won six matchups by more than 19 points this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead North Branch to victory, but perhaps none more so than Tyler Minke, who rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown on only five carries. Minke was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 59 yards. Another player making a difference was Carter Drill, who rushed for 141 yards and a touchdown.
North Branch's victory was their fourth straight at home, bumping their overall record up to 8-1. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 1-8 Duluth East and 4-6 Mora (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 37.8% over those games). As for Grand Rapids, their loss dropped their record down to 5-5.
North Branch will face off against Hermantown at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Grand Rapids does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
