Gibraltar's defense struggled to get off the field against a staunch Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas Academy running game as they fell in their homecoming game 38-18 Friday night.
The game started out like it was going to be a track meet as the two teams traded scores through the first 18 minutes. The Titans' Calvin Peters why he is the conference's most potent rusher with two long touchdown runs on either side of a 25-yard rushing score from Tyler Shallow. At the same time, the Vikings' Braden Sitte showed why he is the conference's premier wide receiver with touchdown grabs from 3, 65, and 1 yards out to make it 22-18 at the end of the half after the offenses started to sputter out due to interceptions and missed opportunities. The game took on a different tone late in the first quarter when the Vikings' Brady Kita suffered a lower leg injury that forced him to be carted off and seek additional medical attention. Sophomore Giovanni Mercier finished off the third scoring drive with a touchdown pass to Sitte.
Two long touchdown drives of over eight minutes apiece gave the Titans the win and likely the Peninsula Conference crown that eluded them last year. Short-scoring runs from Logan Graef and Shallow salted the game away for the Titans.
The Vikings are back in action next Friday night at Oneida Nation when they play the Oneida Nation/NEW Lutheran/Providence Academy co-op team at 7 p.m. Tim Kowols will have the call on 105.1 The GOAT and NEWRadioSportsNetwork.com beginning at 6:45 p.m. with the pregame show.
