(Avoca) AHSTW’s path to the playoffs was anything but smooth. The Vikings overcame an 0-3 start in district play and needed some late game heroics in Week 8 to snag a spot.
Coach GG Harris and crew will go up against 5th ranked Woodbury Central on Friday. How they got here has been quite a ride. “We just kind of told ourselves being 1-3 and finding ways to lose ball games wasn’t ok. We had to turn it around and we did it with discipline and details.” Harris says, “That next week we got a big one. That win against Riverside was a big spark for us. It showed a lot of guys we can play well and at a high level.”
The team’s first three district games were a 40-7 setback to Earlham, 14-12 loss against SW Valley, and 25-6 defeat at the hands of Mount Ayr. After that they beat Riverside 47-12 and Sidney 44-6 to give themselves a chance. Entering the final week of the regular season they needed a win against St. Albert and a Riverside loss to Earlham. They got the help they needed from the Cardinals and somehow squeaked out a 20-17 victory against the Falcons. They had to recover an onside kick and scored with just over :30 left to complete the comeback.
Kyle Sternberg went 11/17 last week for 156 yards and hit Raydden Grobe with a TD Pass. Grobe had three catches for 57 yards and Brayen Lund caught three balls for 45 yards. Denver Pauley ran for 80 yards and a TD while Sternberg added a rushing score and 44 yards on the ground in a balanced attack. Aidan Martin led the defense with 16 tackles and Hayden Fischer intercepted two passes.
This week’s challenge is a much bigger animal. Woodbury Central is among the highest scoring teams in the state at 40.5 points per game and ranks 3rd in Class A in all-purpose yards. “They are really good. They are very balanced. They spread it out really well. They have a lot of guys that can do some explosive things.” Harris says, “Their defense is really sound. Nobody really moves the ball on them.”
AHSTW was the 2018 runner-up, but hasn’t been back in the playoffs since…until now. Coach Harris admits it means a lot to get into the postseason for the 16th time in program history. He says it mean a ton to get in. “I’ll be honest it’s been tough. There’s a lot of pride and tradition with Viking football. I don’t take that lightly. I’m very honored to be in the position I am in, but if you go three years not in the playoffs that’s not ok. So I do a lot of reflecting and looking in the mirror to make sure I’m doing everything I can.”
AHSTW takes a 4-4 overall record into Friday’s matchup. Woodbury Central is 7-1 with their only loss coming to Tri-Center.
AHSTW coach GG Harris:
