Grizzlies fall to Cook County

FIELD TWP- North Woods kept sixth-ranked Cook County within a touchdown through the opening quarter, but turnovers helped the Vikings pull away for a 43-6 win here on Wednesday, Oct. 14.
The Grizzlies trailed just 7-0 after one quarter before Cook County piled up 22 second-quarter points and added two more touchdowns in the third. North Woods avoided the shutout with an 18-play scoring drive spanning the final two quarters.
Head Coach Joel Anderson saw positives in his defense’s effort, but said the Grizzlies gave a talented opponent too many opportunities.
“We made them work pretty much all game long for for everything they got except for the ball,” Anderson said. “You know, we we have to keep the ball in our own hands more than we did there last Wednesday.”
North Woods opened by recovering an onside kick, but turned the ball over on downs. Cook County struck first on a 39-yard touchdown pass with 7:29 remaining in the opening quarter.
TaySean Boshey-Wilkerson helped keep the Vikings in check with an interception at the North Woods 15.
The Grizzlies also caught a break when James Yernatich fielded a blocked North Woods punt in the air and ran for a first down at the Grizzlies’ 48. But North Woods lost a fumble on the next play.
Cook County doubled its lead with a 14-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. The Vikings later added a two-yard scoring run and two-point conversion, then capitalized on another North Woods turnover with a seven-yard touchdown pass just 16 seconds before halftime for a 29-0 advantage.
A promising Grizzlies possession ended abruptly in the third quarter when Cook County intercepted a pass at its own 10 and returned it 90 yards for a touchdown. Another interception set up the Vikings’ final score, which came on a broken field-goal attempt. After a high snap, the kicker scrambled and passed to the holder, who ran for the touchdown and a 43-0 lead.
North Woods finally put together a sustained possession against the Vikings’ reserves. The 18-play march appeared headed for a fourth-down stop at the Cook County two, but a facemask penalty gave the Grizzlies a fresh set of downs. Carson Johnson scored from a yard out with 4:57 remaining.
Cedar Holman led North Woods with 59 yards on 16 carries, while Johnson gained 32 yards on 14 attempts and Yernatich added 21 on seven carries. Holman completed five of nine passes for 55 yards. Jett Lambert caught a 30-yard pass, and Johnson had two receptions for 17 yards.
Defensively, Holman recorded seven solo tackles and five assists, while Yernatich had three solos and seven assists. Johnson added a sack, and Lambert and Caleb Rutchasky each recovered a fumble.
The Grizzlies wrapped up the regular season against Silver Bay on Wednesday, with section playoff action beginning next week.