WEST BRANCH — Grayling pulled away from a tie game early in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 straight points and took a hard fought 29-14 Northern Michigan Football Conference-Legends victory over Ogemaw Heights on the road in the regular season finale Friday night. The victory was the second in a row for the Vikings after a three-game losing streak, improving their record to 3-3 and gives them a nice boost of momentum to take into the Michigan High School Athletic Association playoffs.
like that heading into the playoffs. We came out and scored in our first two drives. We were firing on all cylinders. Give credit to Ogemaw. They didn’t give up. They came up and tied it up.
Grayling opened the scoring on a 13-yard run by quarterback Hunter Ventline and running back David Millikin made it a 14-0 game for the Vikings when he ran in from 14 yards out.
But the Falcons suddenly came to life, scoring on a 41-yard run and adding the two-point conversion to cut the Vikings’ lead to six points, 14-8 at the halftime break.
After a scoreless third period, the Falcons struck for a six-yard touchdown run. The kick for the extra point failed, leaving teams locked in a 14-14 tie early in the fourth quarter.
Grayling took the lead for good when Ventline hooked up with Dylan Craig on a 25-yard scoring strike. The extra point kick gave the Vikings a 21-14 lead they would not relinquish.
Millikin tacked on an insurance touchdown with a four-yard run, and the Vikings added the two-point conversion.
Ventline finished 11 of 18 passing for 141 yards and a touchdown. Craig had three receptions for 37 yards and a TD. Drew Kanary grabbed five balls for 55 yards.
Millikin had a big game with 129 yards rushing and a two TDs on 20 carries. Ventline picked up another 57 yards on the ground in 10 attempts with a score.
Kanary led the defense with 15 tackles, including eight solo hits, with 2 1/2 sacks, five tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Millikin also had 15 tackles, eight solos, with one tackle for loss and a forced fumble. Anthony Fisher was in on 12 tackles, including two solos.
The Vikings host Benzie Central (2-4) in the first round of the playoffs.
