The Tri-County Vikings took on the Newaygo Lions in a CSAA-Gold battle on Friday night. Many saw this as a mismatch on paper, but the Lions battled throughout the game. They fought through a sloppy contest highlighting five turnovers by each club. In the end, Tri-County edged out a 22-14 victory.
Newaygo struck first when Grant Harkness tossed it to Remy Wells on a 27-yard touchdown. A successful extra point gave the Lions a 7-0 lead that they would hold throughout the first quarter.
In the second frame, Tri-County responded with two scores. Trent Behrenwald got the scoring started with a 17-yard touchdown run, his seventh of the year. Tyler Tompkins used his legs with a 1-yard plunge. These scores are paired with two-point conversions, giving the Vikings a 16-7 halftime lead.
Harkness started the second half with an attempt to will Newaygo back into the game. He found Dyllan Bazzett on a 5-yard touchdown pass. Nate Lovell ripped off a 35-yard sprint early in the fourth quarter to ice the game for the Vikings.
Tri-County improves to 4-1 with this victory. They will take on Fremont next Friday. Newaygo is now 1-4, and they have Grant in the M-37 Rivalry next week.
