Vikings Take Down Broncos in Offensive Battle

The Rogers High Vikings beat the Burrillville Broncos 34-32 on Saturday in a high scoring grudge match that came down to the last few minutes of the game.

Down by eight and with only 1:15 left on the clock, Burrillville quarterback Roger Blanchard threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tyler Kimatian. The game came down to a two-point conversion attempt by Burrillville. Quarterback Blanchard threw just wide of his intended receiver and the game was over.

The Vikings came out fighting early, with a touchdown on an interception by senior Shaun Moore on the Broncos first drive. Vikings' kicker Damion Rodrigo followed that with a successful field goal. The Vikings' second touchdown drive was lead by quarterback, junior Cody Platt, and Damion Rodrigo.  On third and 10, Platt hit Rodrigo for a 16-yard pass to put the Vikings within 20 yards and give them a first down.  On the very next play, Platt threw again to Rodrigo who ran past the Bronco's defense to score a touchdown. Rodrigo was unsuccessful in his field goal attempt.

Cody Platt once again led his offensive in the replacement role for senior Daniel Jackson, who is out for the season with a torn ACL.

"Cody has a strong arm. He's got moxie and he doesn't get rattled," said Head Coach Frank Newsome. "He can throw."

Platt was backed up by a spectacular second half by tight-end Divon Bailey. With the game tied at 13, Platt threw a pass to Bailey that put the Vikings in scoring position and gave them a first down. Bailey followed that with a 40-yard run for a touchdown.

"I was into it," Bailey said. "Hopefully I'll be doing that [all season]."

On the next drive, Bailey was again Platt's go-to man. On fourth and eight, Bailey made a one-handed catch for a first-down.  Damion Rodrigo, who also had a great day on offense, then scored his second touchdown. Rodrigo also made four out of five field goal attempts.

"We have a better group out there this year," Rodrigo said. "A couple guys are
stepping up as leaders. We show each other respect and that helps us
win."

Though they came up just short, at times the Broncos' offensive seemed unstoppable. With less than one minute left in the first half, the Broncos pushed straight through the Viking's defense on a 65-yard drive. Quarterback Roger Blanchard ended that drive with a touchdown pass to Tyler Courtemanche. The Vikings' defense came alive for the field goal block and forced the Broncos to attempt a two-point conversion. The Broncos came up just short of the two-point conversion, which proved to be one of the deciding factors in the game.

"This was a test," said Coach Newsome. "We got out of our comfort zone. We thought there would be a lot of confidence coming from the La Salle game. We're not really happy with our whole game, though."