Defense carries Vikings to state

With the entire season in jeopardy, the Orcas defense stepped up with some huge plays that preserved a 6-3 victory over La Conner and a berth in the state playoffs.

Every member of the defensive unit came through, coach Dennis Dahl said, but the hero mantles were being worn by Robbie Kihlstrom and Hunter Easterling, both of whom came up with key interceptions with La Conner nearing the Viking goal line. Their heists enabled Orcas to escape with a thrilling, gut-wrenching win that was in doubt until the final seconds.

But the incident about which Vikings fans were still talking long after the final gun went off was an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty called against a La Conner fan who cost his team 15 yards when the Braves were facing a fourth and one from the Orcas one-yard line in the fourth quarter, and in position to take the lead. The penalized fan, a parent of one of the players, had been complaining about the refereeing throughout much of the game, and came onto the field, prompting the penalty call, according to several Viking fans who witnessed the incident.

Although the penalty proved to be a huge break for Orcas, coach Dennis Dahl wished it never happened. “You feel bad that the game had to be influenced by that,” he said, wanting it settled by the players on the field.

The referees had every right to call the penalty. “We’re responsible for our crowd,” Dahl said, acknowledging that if it had been an Orcas fan causing the problem, the Vikings would have been penalized. Dahl told The Sounder there have been times during his coaching career when he had to go over to local fans and tell them to behave, or a penalty will be called. “It’s supposed to be a high school atmosphere,” he said.

The penalty moved La Conner back to the 16 yard line. The Braves then tried a field goal that faded just to the right of the goal post, preserving the Vikings’ lead.

But Orcas wasn’t out of the woods, as back came the Braves, reaching the Vikings’ 28 yard line with less than a minute to go. Easterling, a sophomore who hadn’t started a game all season, was Orcas’ last line of defense, at free safety, when the Braves attempted a pass over the middle. It was tipped by the La Conner end, then picked off by Easterling. He was belted to the ground by a Brave defense that knew its only hope was to force a fumble. But Easterling held onto the ball, and all that was left was for quarterback McLane Stone to take a knee to clinch its berth at state.

Kihlstrom came up with the other key interception in the game, picking off a La Conner pass on the Orcas goal line just before halftime. Kihlstrom, who played the game with a sore thigh, also recovered a fumble. Dahl said he was confident that Kihlstrom wouldn’t be affected by the injury. “You get in a game like that and you forget a lot of things,” Orcas football coach Dahl said.

Orcas lone touchdown came at the start of the third quarter. Trailing 3-0 at the intermission, the Vikings marched 72 yards, eating up nearly six minutes of the game clock. Twice, the Vikings appeared to be stopped, only to see Stone hit Josh Gage on third-and-long passes to keep the drive alive. Gage scored the touchdown on a one-yard plunge. It gave Orcas a 6-3 lead, but La Conner stayed within field goal range when the two-point conversion attempt failed.

When the game came to an end, Dahl summed up the game in one sentence. He told his team, “It wasn’t pretty, but you’re going to the state playoffs.”

And guess who awaits the Vikings! None other than a foe that the Vikings remember well, Onalaska. In one of the most memorable playoff games ever, Onalaska and Orcas battled into overtime last year before Orcas prevailed 28-27. The return engagement is tentatively set for Friday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m. at Onalaska, although coach Dennis Dahl was hoping to get the game moved back to Saturday.

Defensive end Matt Morgan’s status for the game is in doubt, as he is still nursing a sprained ankle. Everybody else is expected to play.

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