The Swan Valley Vikings and Essexville Garber Dukes battled on Friday night in the opening round of the playoffs. In Week 3, Garber crushed Swan Valley 35-14. This week, the defenses would be the major culprits, leading to a 6-3 victory for the Vikings.
In the third quarter, Garber recovered a fumble, giving the Dukes some life. Ultimately, the Dukes were able to make it to the 11 yard line before settling for a field goal. The kick from Blaise Miller brought Garber in front by three.
With two minutes to go, Swan Valley began fighting back. Lucionno Finley was able to be wide open, allowing Colton Klein to find him for a safe scoring opportunity. Their 10-yard toss was more than enough to lift Swan Valley to the district finals.
Next week, Swan Valley gets another shot at Frankenmuth, this year’s conference champions. In Week 2, they lost 47-20 to the Eagles, so they hoping for a different result this weekend.
