The football team dominated its final game of the season Nov. 2, winning 27-7 against the 3-7 Paint Branch Panthers.

The Vikes came into the game fired up, controlling the momentum with an early touchdown from workhorse running back Zac Morton. The strong Viking defense held the Panthers scoreless and Morton took two more trips to the end zone in the first half. Just before the end of the half, Morton intercepted a pass just outside of the Vikes’ endzone and returned it nearly 70 yards.

The defensive line continued to dominate in the second half, lead by captains Nick Sobczyk, who forced a fumble, and Mark Hunley, who had his first interception of the season.

Neither team scored in the third quarter, but the Vikes were able to put long drives together with contributions from receivers Billy Lee and Ben Miltenberg.

Coming off a stellar 283 yards performance last game, Morton continued to amaze as he scored his fourth touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter. The junior finished the season with 1,368 total yards on the ground, making him the leading rusher in the 4A region, a conference that includes powerhouse programs like Quince Orchard, Churchill and Northwest.

The Panthers managed to finally score in the fourth quarter, bringing the final tally to 27-7. Although the Vikings did not make the playoffs, they were glad to finish the season on a strong note.

“Overall we really grew as a team and I’m proud of what we did to close out the season winning our last two games,” Sobczyk said. “5-5 is a lot better than 4-6.”