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Steve King no doubt heard them carrying on as the team bus sat outside Swanson Field. And it uplifted his spirits.
King had no doubt that she would have wanted it this way. That she would have wanted them to just go about their business.
It was King’s job as the Holmen High School football team’s coach to tell his players exactly that before Friday night’s MVC game against Logan. But it was not by any means an easy job for him. Rachel Cody, a 17-year-old Holmen senior, had died Sept. 16 in a fall from Grandad Bluff.
To see Holmen defeat previously unbeaten Logan 35-18 made King smile. So did seeing the Vikings (1-3, 1-0) play the way he knew they were capable of playing.
But King simply was proud of the way they handled themselves in what was a difficult situation.
“It was a tough week at school for these guys. A lot of these seniors are pretty close,” King said. “These guys played for Rachel, and they just came out here and had fun.”
King knew some of the good feelings wouldn’t last for the Vikings. Cody’s funeral was Tuesday. And then Holmen had to start preparing in earnest for tonight’s game at Empire Stadium against MVC leader Central (4-0, 2-0).
But Holmen senior running back/defensive back Garrett Stokke was eager to enjoy what had happened Friday night.
The Vikings had forced Logan (3-1, 1-1) into six turnovers (four fumbles, two interceptions). Two of those turnovers (one fumble recovery, one interception) came in the red zone. And Holmen scored three touchdowns off the Rangers’ miscues.
“Our coaches believed in us. They knew we had it in us, and we knew we had it in us,” said Stokke, who returned a kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown and also had a 69-yard touchdown run. “We just had to bring it, and we did.”
That’s the kind of fight King had hoped to see out the Vikings at a time when they easily could have faltered.
“This is a huge lift for our football team because our guys have been down in the dumps,” King said.
“I hope a game like this helps our guys understand what it takes to win. I hope our guys expect to play like this all the time.”
This week: Central at HolmenTHE GAME: The Vikings (1-3, 1-0) host Central (4-0, 2-0) in an MVC game at 7 p.m. today at Empire Stadium.
THE FACTS: Holmen is riding high after knocking off Logan and has been led by the RB tandem of Taylor Hauser (51 carries-275 yards, 6 TDs) and Garrett Stokke (33-275, 2). ... WR Ethan Bock (9-181, 2) is a downfield threat with his per-catch average of 20 yards. ... The Vikings have lost two straight games in this MVC series, which it trails 14-6. ... The Red Raiders have excelled both offensively (39.5 ppg) and defensively (5 ppg) and shut out Tomah last week. ... Holmen will have its hands full bringing down big FB Jason Hengel (51-293, 4) and controlling QB Bobby Juan (29-49-542, 4-4).
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