Football: Rangers stun Vikings in OT

The Rangers (7-1) defeated the Vikings 20-14 in overtime Wednesday on Parent’s Night, giving head coach Wally Kostich — in his eighth season — his first win ever at John Thompson Field.

“It was a hard-fought battle,” Kostich said. “Our seniors came up big in the end.”

The Vikings (6-2) barely had enough varsity-caliber players in the end.

Handcuffed again by injuries — Tyler Vork and Mitch Nelson were knocked out in the first half with head injuries — Littlefork-Big Falls scrambled and used a gutsy effort to tie it at 14 with 3:32 to play.

However, after a wild sequence at the end of regulation, Vikings quarterback Cody Pfeifer threw an interception to Rangers senior Cody Jones on the first possession of overtime. Another one of Kostich’s seniors, Ryan Buria, scored the game-winning touchdown on the next play on a 10-yard run. Buria threw the ball high in the air in celebration as his teammates stormed the field.

“I’m surprised and pleased with the kids. They stuck it out on defense,” Vikings head coach Derek Bilben said. “ ... We have no business staying within 30 of those guys with our injuries.”

Buria scored all three touchdowns for the Rangers and finished with 96 yards rushing. Sophomore Deven Rowe rushed 13 times for 76 yards.

The Vikings got a game-high 116 yards on the ground from Aaron McGuire on only 13 carries, while Tyler Lehman rushed 19 times for 98 yards and caught the 13-yard, game-tying score from Pfeifer late in the fourth quarter.

Lehman, who switched from quarterback to running back when Nelson got injured, was noticeably exhausted after the game. When Vork and Nelson got knocked out, Lehman was the only remaining healthy skill-position player on the field who opened the season as a starter. McGuire played the entire game, but he was slow coming off the field before halftime and is battling a sprained ankle.

“We don’t have anybody,” Bilben said.

With Garrett Larson, Chase Ballard and Richie Van Drunen done for the year, and Vork and Nelson shelved in the first half — and questionable for the Section 7 9-man opener Tuesday — it’s no wonder Bilben was impressed his squad kept it close.

“When you’re injured, it comes down to defense,” he said.

The rivals exchanged touchdowns and 2-point conversions in the first half and went into halftime tied 8-8.

Buria took advantage of L-BF’s second of three turnovers on downs and ran 28 yards for a score in the third quarter. Tyler Goodrie shanked the extra point, but it wasn’t his last opportunity.

L-BF’s final scoring drive began on its own 12 with 9:45 to play. Lehman converted two fake punts on fourth down, McGuire added a 49-yard run that got the Vikings down to the Rangers 15, and Lehman caught Pfeifer’s pass two plays later to tie it at 14. McGuire came up just short on the 2-point conversion.

This is when things turned wild.

On the ensuing drive — MI-B started at its own 42 with 3:25 to play — an incompletion on third-and-9 turned into a first down when Jordan Siltman was called for roughing the passer. Buria took the next play 43 yards to the house, only to have that called back because of holding.

The Rangers gradually made their way down to the Vikings 18 with 12.4 seconds left, and on third-and-10 with no timeouts, Buria was sacked. However, while Buria was going down he threw the ball and completed a pass just as the whistle blew. The MI-B sideline erupted, especially after the receiver ran into the end zone. (Two credible football sources on the visitor’s sideline — not Rangers fans — told The Journal after the game Buria got the pass off before going down). The officials ruled the play a sack, though, and then added to the controversial finish by giving the Rangers the ball with 3.5 seconds to play, even though the visitors had no way of stopping the clock without a timeout. Kostich rushed his field goal unit onto the field and the stadium turned dead silent when Goodrie’s kick left his foot. The kick was online, but came up roughly 5 yards short.

Pfeifer’s interception in overtime came on third-and-goal from the 9.

“It’s always a hard-fought battle with these guys,” Kostich said. “ ... It bounced our way tonight. I have no doubt we’ll see them again.”

Game notes

• The Rangers finished with eight penalties for 60 yards, including five penalties in the first half. Two of the first-half penalties gave the Vikings a first down (on their scoring drive) and another nullified a 34-yard run by Buria.

• Before Lehman converted the two fourth downs in punt formation, the Vikings struggled on special teams. L-BF’s first punt was blocked before Lehman booted his second attempt only 7 yards, which set up the Rangers’ first touchdown. His third punt on the opening drive of the second half traveled 18 yards.

• Larson, lost a week before the season with a broken leg, jogged for the first time Wednesday. It was only “down the hallway to the ice room,” he said, but the junior is making progress toward a return during the basketball season. How many days until the first game? “Forty-eight,” he said.

Mountain Iron-Buhl 20,

Littlefork-Big Falls 14

MIB 0 8 6 0 6—20

LBF 8 0 0 6 0—14

First Quarter

L-BF — Mitch Nelson 1 run (Aaron McGuire run)

Second Quarter

MI-B — Ryan Buria 4 run (Buria run)

Third Quarter

MI-B — Buria 28 run (kick failed)

Fourth Quarter

L-BF — Tyler Lehman 13 pass from Cody Pfeifer (run failed)

Overtime

MI-B — Buria 10 run