By Nick Bray
Special to The Citizen

The Viking football team has clinched at least a third place finish in side A of the Region 5. This means Northgate now has a legitimate chance at making the state playoffs.

Three Payton Usher touchdowns and a “blackout” later, the Vikings are week in and week out showing they are a force to be reckoned with.

After a 35-14 win on senior night over the McIntosh Chiefs, the Vikings play-in game now holds state playoff implications. If Northgate finishes with the 3rd seed, they will take on the 2nd seed from side B.
The first seven seconds of Northgate's Blackout (meaning the crowd joined the football team and wore black) saw the Vikings kick off twice and take a 7-0 lead without ever running a play. Sheldon Roper picked up a fumble on the opening kick off to put the Vikes up 6-0, and Casey Vaughan made the score 7-0 after the extra point. Vaughan would rekick and the Chiefs would silence the Henry Seldon crowd as they drove the field and tied it up 7-7.

The score would remain the same until midway through the second quarter when Usher would scamper 44 yards for his first score of the night and for another six. The half would end on a high note for the Vikes as Cody Gatewood would add another six with just over 36 seconds to play and Tyler Marvin intercepted a pass as time expired.

The second half would start just as perfectly for Northgate as it ended. After a short kickoff, Usher had great blocking and slipped through a hole for an 85 yard kick off return for a touchdown.

Great blocking and pass rush would be a common theme on the night. The offensive line allowed ample time for Jake Copeland to run through his reads and make great decisions. The defensive front would cause problems for the McIntosh quarterback all night.

In the third quarter Usher would add the final score of the night for Northgate as he found a gaping hole from 12 yards out to put the Vikings up 35-7.
The Chiefs added another score in the fourth quarter.

The Vikings travel to Sandy Creek this Friday and spend this week praying for rain (Fayette County held Sandy Creek to three points in the rain, Northgate has scored 45 in the rain), and a McIntosh victory over Whitewater. In that scenario, Northgate enters the region playoff as the top seed.

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